CAUSES OF BEHAVIORAL CHANGE OF THE MAJOR

CHARACTER IN A WALK TO REMEMBER

NOVEL BY NICHOLAS SPARKS (1999) :

A PSYCHOANALYSIS APPROACH

Submitted as a Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for Getting Bachelor Degree of Education in English Department

Teacher Training and Education Faculty

By:

DEVI ANGGRAINI

A320150232

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH EDUCATION

FACULTY OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION

UNIVERSITAS MUHAMMADIYAH SURAKARTA

2019

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CAUSES OF BEHAVIORAL CHANGE OF THE MAJOR CHARACTER

IN A WALK TO REMEMBER NOVEL BY NICHOLAS SPARK (1999):A

PSYCHOANALYSIS APPROACH

Abstrak

Makalah penelitian ini dianalisis dengan menggunakan pendekatan psikoanalisis

yaitu penyebab perubahan perilaku karakter utama dalam A Walk to Remember

novel. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menganalisis novel berdasarkan

pendekatan psikoanalisis. Makalah penelitian ini termasuk penelitian kualitatif.

Data dari penelitian ini adalah novel berjudul A Walk to Remember. Sumber data

berasal dari data primer dan data sekunder. Sumber data primer adalah A Walk to

Remember Novel dan sumber data sekunder dari penelitian ini adalah biografi

penulis, situs web, dan sumber lain tentang psikoanalisis yang mendukung

analisis. Metode untuk menganalisis data ini adalah analisis kualitatif.

Berdasarkan Pendekatan psikoanalisis, peneliti menyimpulkan bahwa beberapa

hubungan memiliki pengaruh besar dalam membentuk perilaku seseorang. Dari

Pendekatan psikoanalisis pengaruh cinta pada tokoh utama dapat dilihat dari

hubungan keluarga, hubungan teman, dan hubungan asmara yang muncul dalam

novel. Setiap hubungan memberi pengaruh berbeda. Pengaruh-pengaruh itu

menghasilkan dia meningkatkan hidupnya lebih baik dengan belajar dari

pengalamannya selama hidupnya.

Kata kunci : Penyebab perubahan perilau, cinta, orang tua, pendekatan

psikoanalisis

Abstract

This research paper is analyzed by using Psychoanalysis Approach elaborates the

causes of behavioral change of the major character in A Walk to Remember novel.

The objective of the research is to analyze the novel based on psychoanalysis

approach. This research paper belongs to a qualitative research. The data of the

research is the novel entitled A Walk to Remember. The data source comes from

primary data and secondary data. The primary data source is A Walk to Remember

novel and secondary data source of the research are biography of the author,

websites, and other source about psychoanalysis that support the analysis. The

method to analyze this data is qualitative analysis. Based on the Psychoanalysis

approach, the researcher concludes that several relationships have a great

inlfuences in shaping one’s behavior. From psychoanalysis approach the influence

of love on the major character can be seen from the family relationship, friend

relationship, and romance relationship that appear in the novel. Every relationship

gives different influence. Those influences make him improve his life better by

learning from his experiences during his life.

Key word: Causes of behavioral change, love, parents, psychoanalysis approach

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1. INTRODUCTION

Behavior changes in everyday life are selfish behavior and behavior patterns and

also close themselves to the surrounding community. Ignorance and ignorance are

seen in people's lives or in big cities. Changing behavior in everyday life is a

difficult process. Increasing physical activity is very challenging because there are

many obstacles that inhibit physical activity and many influences that encourage

immovable behavior. In everyday life behavior changes consist of external

reactions of organisms to their environment, including aspects of psychology.

Other psychological aspects, such as emotions, thoughts, and other internal mental

processes, are not included in the category of behavior. In this study there are ten

previous studies,The first researcher is Juwati 2014. Second research is Maya Islia

2011.Third research is Widodo 2010. Fourth research is Mukminin 2008.Fifth

research is Ulinnuha 2013. Sixth research is Puspitasari 2007.Seventh research is

Auroria 2012. Eight research is Syifa 2009. Ninth research is Pauweni 2005.

Tenth research is Cristina 2011.

From a previous study A Walk to Remember is abook that tells aboutchanges

in behavior and love for someone. Story of A Walk toRemember starting with the

prologue from Landon Carter at the age of fifty-sevenyear that story reminders

occur when Landon is a personHigh school seventeen years and ends when he is

therefifty seven years. He tells about Landon Carter's life experiencesthat's what

met him with a girl, namely Jamie Sullivan. His jobnarrative and contain any

conflict described in the context of the story. Especially the conflict in the story is

connectedwith friends, family, and romance. this research was made to

complement previous research.

There are four desire, why the researcher is interested toanalyze this novel.

Firstly, the behavioral change Landon of A Walkto Remember novel, especially

the character of Landon Carter. Landonis the son of a genial, charismatic

congressman, Worth Carter inWashington, D.C. and his mother, Cynthia Carter

lived apart from hisfather. He grow become reclusive boy, because of less of

love.Secondly, the students can understand the meaning of love in this novelthat

can add knowledge to the students at an educational institution. Notonly for two

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people between man and women in a relationship but forall human in the world.

Love is a special thing that important for theirlives. The third reason is this study

can be beneficial for students withmoral values contained in this research that love

has influence onperson behavior showed by the experiences life of Landon

Carter.Landon Carter used to be a naughty boy and he never cares about

herschool. After he met Jamie Sullivan, his behavior becomes different.Then, the

fourth A walk to Remember is a popular novel written byNicholas Sparks in 1999.

It can be seen from the fact in which the novelhas been adapted into movie. The

novel was adapted into movie at2002.

The researcher decided to use the psychoanalysis approachproposed by Erik

Erikson to analyze novels because of his theory more in line with the novel's

theme. This novel show howthe cause of behavioral change of Landon Carter's as

the major character. Therefore, the author conducted this research entitled

CAUSES OF BEHAVIORAL CHANGE OF THE MAJOR CHARACTER IN A

WALK TO REMEMBER BY NICHOLAS SPARKS (1999): A

PSYCHOANALYSIS APPROACH

2. METHOD

The research applied qualitative research in analyzing A Walk to Remember novel

by Nicholas Sparks (1999). Bryman and Bell (2007) qualitative research as the

research strategy concern with the theory and research. The writers tend to use

qualitative research in occasion to get deeper data and being closer with the

research. The technique used in analysing data is descriptive analysis. The study

will concern with the interpretation of the data A Walk to Remember novel and

dealing with psychoanalysis approach applied by researcher to find The causes of

behavioral change of the major character. The issue concern on the causes of

behavioral change of the major character. The source of primary data is taken

from A Walk to Remember novel by Nicholas Sparks. The secondary data are

from other sources, which are related to the primary data that support the analysis

including books a virtual reference as documentation. It deals with text and with

problem of this research. Secondary data was derived from any study that related

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with the research such as literary books, article, journal, essay, and author

biography. The writer uses library research technique in collect the data.

Moreover, the writer does firstly reading and making notes the important things in

the novel such as narrations, the opinions and the dialogues that has

information.The data information that have been collected are analyzed by using

the steps by Miles & Huberman including data reduction, data displays. After that,

using to psychoanalysis approach answer these questions: What are the behavioral

change of Landon in A walk to Remember? What causes the behavioral change of

Landon in a walk to Remember?

3. FINDING AND DISCUSSION

3.1 Finding

3.1.1 Behavioral change Landon in the A Walk to Remember Novel

Landon is a young man who lives in Beaufort, North Carolina. He lives with his

father and mother. His father is from the richest family in the country. He was

unhappy with his father's existence and regulations because his father often forced

him to do what he wanted, even though Landon finally agreed with him. He did

not accompany Landon when he grew up, which caused some tension in their

relationship. So Landon doesn't make his father love and become a child who can't

be controlled.From the explanation above, it is explained that family and friends

are very important for Landon's growth.

3.1.1.1 Family

Landon is the only boy who longs for love father. His father lived separately

because his father worked at Washington. Landon and his mother live in Beaufort,

North Carolina. Because Landon was young, he spent his time in Beaufort. He

grew up without a father by his side. His father is very busy and spent nine

months a year living outside the city in Australia Washington, D.C. His parents

want Landon to grow up their parents have. Because of this situation Landon

became rebellious child and lack of response with his father. He thinks that every

word that father says is a rule. This condition is his family made Landon Carter

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rebel. The facts above show that Landon gets influence from his family. Thus,

family love is sincere important to grow.

3.1.1.2 Friends’

Social relationship and human being cannot be separated with each other. Social

relationship gives influence on person behavior whether the effect is bad or good.

Friendship environment has influence on Landon Carter’s behavior. Landon is

often spending his time with his friends in the graveyard to laugh and eat boiled

peanuts. His friends give effects for his style. Everything that he wants to do is

always considering with his friends. Once, Landon requires attending

homecoming dance. He invites many girls but he gets a refusal. There is one girl

that he didn’t invite yet. He doubts because the girl is very religious and old style.

He was afraid of being teased by his friends. This condition shows that friend ship

has great effect for person behavior.

3.1.2 Causes behavioral change London in the A Walk to Remember Novel

From those major characters, it will examine about the causes behavioral change

of main male character, Landon Carter, in A Walk to Remember from an

uncontrolled boy to be the good one. The behavioral change of Landon through

his will be examined from his stages of life. Those are childhood, adolescence

and adulthood with several problems and factors that influence his changes.

3.1.2.1 Landon Carter’s Childhood

In childhood parents are playing an important role determining the personality

development, because if there is conflict between child and parent there will be

personality disturbances such as destructive behavior, fear and anxiety.In A Walk

to Remember Landon Carter’s childhood is explained when he was in five years

old. That is play age. It is experienced when they are 3-6 years old. This period is

when the child’s social world challenges him or her to be active to master new

tasks and skills to win approval by being productive (301)5When human beings

experience their play age, children and parents work together on problems related

to the child’s development. It is because parents are important in constructing

children to learn about moral values. Erikson states that in this stage besides

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children identify with their parents, they will improve their movement, speaking

ability, curiosity, imagination and ability to determine their purpose.

3.1.2.2 Landon Carter’s Adolescence

Adolescence is a phrase in which human being tries to identify the self. Erikson’s

psychosocial development depicts that in adolescence, individual confronts the

developmental task of identity versus role confusion (304). In A Walk to

Remember, the latency phrase of Landon Carter’s is explained clearly especially

when he was 17 years old. In this stage, Landon experiences a lot of things that

construct his personality in later years. It is because adolescence became turning

point for Landon, a transition between childhood and adulthood.

3.1.2.2.1 Pattern of Parental Behavior

Parents have a goal of having pattern of parental behavior or parental rules to

make children learn in developing some controls over their bodily functions and

impulses. It is because children have to live with others in society that has rules. It

means that, children have to learn about society rules in order to be accepted by

the society around. The sense of being acceptable in society is important in

providing a healthy circumstance for children’s development.

3.1.2.2.2 Landon Carter’s Identity Crisis

Erikson is a person who creates a term of identity crisis in adolescence. Feist and

Feist note, Erikson suggests that each stage a significant psychosocial struggle

contributes to the formation of behavioral. In adolescence, self confidence take

from an identity crisis, a turning point in one’s life that may either strengthen or

weaken behavioral (232).

The external conflict from the novel is when his friends are always

arguing, because they would all ways harass him because he likes Jamie. So when

Landon has relationship and close to Jamie, his friends will harass him. Here

Landon as protagonist getting influence of his friends that causes him becomes

someone immature. It can be said that his friends are protagonist that involve in or

affected by his effort in some way.

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3.1.2.2.3 Fall in love with Jamie Sullivan

Jamie brings Landon into a very different behavioral in which he becomes

individual who has a contrast brhaviour than before. In the beginning of the novel

Landon and his friends say that Jamie is commonly strange and different with

others.In line with time, Landon and Jamie are often together. Landon looks

Jamie’s inner heart. It makes him more comfortable to be changes his personality.

For the first time, Landon is stubborn, after he knows Jamie he feels guilty after

doing something wrong, especially with Jamie. Not only Landon, but also his

friends and his mother admit that after knows to Jamie, Landon has changes his

personality to be a good one and he became an adult.

After he comes recently know and close to Jamie Sullivan, Landon’s

behavioral changes to be a good one. His personality and behavior are different

than before. Simply he is not an uncontrolled boy and becomes more adult. He

never hanging out with his friend and never goes to party.

3.1.2.2.4 Jamie’s death

Jamie Sullivan is a Landon’s lover. Her death brings big sorrow andsadness for

Landon. A Walk to Remember notes that Jamie’s death becomes an unforgettable

memory that becomes a great causes of behavioral change for Landon. This event

takes a place when he was seventeen years old until the age of fifty-seven. For

about forty years, he still remember in detail each event and memory especially

with Jamie. This incident leads Landon to different situation and behavior. He

becomes a good gentleman. He is brave to take a great decision for his

life.Jamie’s death, as stated above, leads Landon to construct eternal identity . The

successful of parental behavior that is applied has construct thesuccess of

determining healthy behavioral of the children. Hence, Landon as children

becomes individual who success in gaining identity in himself to cope with his

own fidelity. It affects his relationship with others then.

When Landon says that he falls in love to Jamie, she cannot receive

Landon’s love because she is dying of leukemia. In the fact whatever happen to

7Jamie, he is still loves her. Then Landon just realizes that all Jamie’s did, her

behavior that different with other is because leukemia. In the first Landon deny

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for Jamie’s death, he thinks hard about her. Then he realizes although Jamie is

very sick, he still loves her.

Before Jamie is dying because of leukemia, Landon want to makes Jamie

happy to completes her dreams to marry her. In this case he is a gentleman. No

one forces him to marry with Jamie. This moment is unforgettable memory for

him. It becomes a big proof of his personality growth to be a good one.

3.1.2.3 Landon Carter’s Adulthood

Erikson explains that individual’s adulthood is divided into three stages. That are

early adulthood, is begin experience when individual steps the age of 20- 25;

middle adulthood in the age of 26-64 years; and late adulthood in the age of 65-

death (191). Each stage is also accompanied by crisis that has to be resolved as

well as crisis in the earlier of psychosocial development.

In the middle adulthood, Landon remembering when he is in seventeen

years old. Instead he is having marriage and death of Jamie Sullivan. In this stage,

Landon narrates flash back of his adolescent memory. In this last stage, Landon

has found his identity. Although his wife has been death, he still loves her and not

marries again.

3.2 Discussion

Through A Walk to Remember wants to show how the major character tries to face

all problems in her life how the love influences person his behavior. In this novel

Nicholas Sparks shows the condition of environment when Landon Carter is

growing up.

The novel describes the role of every member in the environment

especially family, love, and relationship in shaping Landon Carter‟ s behavior.

Landon gets many influences that come from his that environment. Nicholas

Sparks creates Landon Carter as a man who is rebellious, likes to hangout and

lacks of love. He also has bad social life with his other friend in school. The

author also describes him as a boy of congressman from Washington. His father

lives apart from him. Landon missed the roles of a father in his life. Thus, the

family gives contribution in shaping his behavior.

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Love is another contribution in shaping his behavior. The greatest

contribution is from romance relationship. During Landon is falling in love with

Jamie, his behavior becomes different. He really learns much from Jamie‟ s

attitude. He learns the value of forgiveness, patience, kindness and etc.

The causes of behavior change is from Jamie. Love has important roles in

his life. After he loved Jamie, his behavior becomes different. Thisstimulus makes

him better, although in bad environment. (Sparks, 1999: 145-146) . All the

influences from love of every relationship can show that he has developed from

the beginning until she gets fall in love, and the most influential in shaping his

behavior change is Jamie’s love.

4. CONCLUSION

The researcher used psychoanalysis approach to analyze the problems in this

novel. Psychoanalysis influences the way of individual’s thinking, feeling and

behaving especially often conflicts in society that causing a problems. Later, it is

used to give a great resistance towards behaviorism that focus on stimulus and

response. Behaviorism theory focuses on stimuli and response which done on

animal. Nicholas Sparks tries to create idea behavioral change in novel A Walk to

Remember (1999) becomes an interesting issue to discuss. In here, Landon is an

uncontrolled boy. It is because when Landon was a child, especially in the age of

five years old his father was not around him very much. He lived undertaker of

his mother. So Landon does not get his father loving and becomes an uncontrolled

boy until he is adolescence. In his adolescence, especially in the age of seventeen

years old, Landon contacts with Jamie and marvels that she is naturally good,

selfless, and cheerful.

The factors that influence the cause of behavioral change of Landon

Carter’s are parenting, inner desire, self-realization, love and belongingness

needs. The novel shows that the factors are pattern of parental behavior, Landon

identity crisis: Internal and external crisis, fall in love with Jamie Sullivan and

Jamie’s death: A sense of fidelity desire. The behavioral change of Landon

happens in the age of seventeen. As a result, the big influence factor in

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determining of behavioral change of Landon is fall in love with Jamie Sullivan.

In this age he raised his gentleman take decision to marry Jamie that

differentiates with other. No one forcing him to grow, but that is what the

character wants for him. In the end of the story, Landon shows that he is different

from another adolescent in general. Landon has changed his behavior and raise

to be gentleman to take big decision marrying Jamie Sullivan in the age of

seventeen years old.

In conclusion, Landon has become a good and humble person. After Jamie

provides extraordinary life learning. His life looks different and everything

changes for the better afterwards.

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