The True Meaning of Wallflower As Seen in Charlie in Chbosky’S the Perks of Being a Wallflower

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THE TRUE MEANING OF WALLFLOWER AS SEEN IN CHARLIE IN CHBOSKY’S THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER

A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree in English Language Education

By Kurnianingtyas Dita Purwita Sari Student Number: 121214089

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2016 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

THE TRUE MEANING OF WALLFLOWER AS SEEN IN CHARLIE IN CHBOSKY’S THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER

A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree in English Language Education

By Kurnianingtyas Dita Purwita Sari Student Number: 121214089

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2016

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DEDICATION PAGE

This thesis is dedicated to: My greatest savior, Jesus Christ My father, Bapak Oscar Purwanta My mother, Ibu Tursilawati Utaminingtyastuti My beloved sister, Mbak Andam Dewi

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Jeremiah 29:11

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ABSTRACT

Sari, Kurnianingtyas Dita Purwita. (2016). The True Meaning of Wallflower as seen in Charlie in Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower. English Language Education Study Program, Department of Language and Arts Education, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, Yogyakarta: Sanata Dharma University.

This study analyzes The Perks of Being a Wallflower, a novel written by Stephen Cbhosky. The novel tells about Charlie, a fifteen-year old boy, who is mentioned as a wallflower. Charlie struggles to fit in with the other people because of his traumatic past. He prefers observing people to participating with them. During his freshman year in high school, he meets Sam and Patrick who become his best friends. With the help of Sam, Patrick and his English teacher, Bill, Charlie’s past starts to be revealed and forces Charlie to deal with it. The aim of this study is to find the true meaning of wallflower as seen in Charlie. To achieve the aim of the study, this study has two formulated problem. The first is to analyze how Charlie is described in the novel. The second is to find the true meaning of wallflower as seen in Charlie. In this study, there are two sources used; they are primary and secondary sources. The primary source is the novel entitled The Perks of Being a Wallflower. The secondary sources are related theories that are presented in several printed books, electronic journals and internet sources. The theories used in this study are theories of character, characterization, personality, motivation and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The approach used in this study is psychological approach. Based on the analysis, the result of the study shows that Charlie is an honest, thoughtful, intelligent, extrovert and emotionally unstable person. When Charlie is in a middle school, he loses his best friend, Michael who commits suicide. Charlie also becomes the victim of molestation from her beloved Aunt. His aunt, however, later dies in a car accident. His dark past makes Charlie suffer from traumatic experience. He prefers to shut himself and observe people instead of participating. Charlie is trapped in his childish state and confused of himself. He does not know where he stands. Charlie as a wallflower is someone who needs encouragement to understand himself. He receives encouragement through his interaction with Sam, Patrick and Bill. It is suggested for the future researcher to analyze on Charlie’s motivation to adapt himself to the social environment. Therefore, it can be understood deeper how Charlie behave toward his environment.

Keywords: true meaning, wallflower, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

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ABSTRAK

Sari, Kurnianingtyas Dita Purwita. (2016). The True Meaning of Wallflower as seen in Charlie in Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, JPBS, FKIP, Yogyakarta: Universitas Sanata Dharma.

Penelitian ini menganalisis sebuah novel berjudul The Perks of Being a Wallflower yang ditulis oleh Stephen Cbhosky. Novel ini bercerita tentang Charlie, seorang anak berusia lima belas tahun, yang disebutkan sebagai seorang wallflower. Charlie mengalami kesulitan bergaul dengan orang lain karena trauma akan masa lalunya. Dia memilih untuk mengamati orang-orang daripada berpartisipasi dengan mereka. Pada tahun pertamanya di SMA, ia bertemu dengan Sam dan Patrick yang kemudian menjadi teman dekatnya. Dengan bantuan Sam, Patrick dan guru bahasa Inggrisnya, Bill, masa Charlie mulai menyadari akan masa lalunya dan mengharuskannya untuk menghadapinya. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah menemukan arti sesungguhnya dari wallflower seperti yang terlihat pada Charlie. Untuk mencapai tujuan penelitian tersebut, dirumuskan dua rumusan masalah. Yang pertama adalah bagaimana karakter Charlie digambarkan dalam novel. Yang kedua adalah apa arti sesungguhnya dari wallflower. Dalam penelitian ini, ada dua sumber yang digunakan yaitu sumber utama dan sumber kedua. Sumber utama adalah novel berjudul The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Sumber sekunder merupakan teori-teori yang berkaitan dengan studi yang terdapat pada buku-buku cetak, jurnal elektronik dan sumber dari internet. Ada beberapa teori yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini seperti teori karakter, teori karakterisasi, teori kepribadian, teori motivasi dan teori Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Pendekatan yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah pendekatan psikologis. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa Charlie adalah seseorang yang mempunyai sifat jujur, bijaksana, cerdas, ekstrovert dan memiliki emosional yang tidak stabil. Sewaktu Charlie duduk di bangku sekolah menengah, sahabatnya, Michael, melakukan bunuh diri. Charlie juga menjadi korban asusila dari Bibi kesayangannya yang juga kemudian meninggal dalam kecelakaan mobil. Kejadian-kejadian tersebut membuat Charlie trauma. Charlie terperangkap dalam kondisi kekanak-kanakan dan ia tidak mengerti dirinya sendiri. Charlie sebagai wallflower adalah seseorang yang membutuhkan dorongan yang kemudian mendapat dorongan dari Sam, Patrick dan Bill. Untuk para peneliti selanjutnya, peneliti menyarankan untuk menganalisis motivasi Charlie untuk menyesuaikan diri dengan keadaan sekitarnya. Dengan demikian, bagaimana Charlie berperilaku terhadap keadaannya sekitarnya dapat dimengerti lebih lagi.

Kata kunci: true meaning, wallflower, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, I would give my special gratitude to Jesus Christ for His blessings and guidance so I could accomplish this study. I thank Jesus for the possibility when I saw impossibility.

My gratitude goes to my advisor, Bapak Dr. Antonius Herujiyanto, M.A. for giving his precious time in guiding me patiently, giving suggestions and supporting me to finish this thesis.

Next, I would like to thank all lecturers of the English Language Education

Study Programme especially to my academic advisor, Bapak Agustinus Hardi

Prasetyo, S.Pd., M.A. for helping me and guiding me during my whole study in the university. My sincere love and gratitude goes to my beloved parents; my father Bapak Oscar and my mother Mama Utik who always support me unconditionally. I also thank my sister, Mbak Andam, who always takes care of me.

I would also give my big thanks to my childhood friend, Priska, who always spares her busy time to help me doing my thesis. She always reminds me to be the real me without being afraid of judgment. I also thank my dear friend

Gratia, Vita and Nina for their care and affection these past three years. They are my best guru for always be honest despite how bitter we are to each other. My big thanks also go to my dear friend Vika, Okta and Rere for even though we rarely meet, I can still have support and get inspiration through everything they do. I also thank Daddy’s daughters and sons; Mbak Sita, Regin, Kasih, Carol, Ucrit, Albert,

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Chandra, Dewi, Adjiek, Tisa, and Wening for being my inspiration and helping me to finish my thesis. I also thank Okky and Jaya for inspiring me to always dream big and supporting me by providing encouraging words. I also thank all of my friends in PBI 2012 Suketi 48 and those whom I cannot mention one by one fo r the support and togetherness through all these time.

Best regards

Kurnianingtyas Dita Purwita Sari

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE...... i APPROVAL PAGES ...... ii DEDICATION PAGE...... iv STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY...... v PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI ...... vi ABSTRACT ...... vii ABSTRAK ...... ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...... x TABLE OF CONTENTS...... xi LIST OF APPENDICES...... xiv

CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION...... 1 A. Background of the Study ...... 1 B. Objective of the Study...... 3 C. Problem Formulation ...... 3 D. Definition of Terms...... 3 1. Perk ...... 4 2. Wallflower ...... 4

CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ...... 6 A. Review of Related Theories ...... 6 1. Character ...... 6 2. Characterization ...... 8 a. Personal Description ...... 9 b. Characters as Seen by Another ...... 9 c. Speech ...... 9 d. Past Life ...... 9 e. Conversation of Others ...... 10 f. Reactions ...... 10

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g. Direct Comment ...... 10 h. Thought ...... 10 i. Mannerism ...... 11 3. Theory of Motivation ...... 11 a. Physiological Needs ...... 12 b. Safety Needs ...... 12 c. Love or Belongingness Needs ...... 12 d. Esteem Needs ...... 13 e. Self-Actualization ...... 13 4. Theory of Personality...... 13 a. Id ...... 14 b. Ego ...... 14 c. Super Ego ...... 15 5. Psychological Approach ...... 15 6. Literal Meaning and True Meaning ...... 16 7. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder ...... 17 B. Theoretical Framework ...... 18 C. Criticism...... 19 D. Context ...... 19

CHAPTER III. METHODOLOGY...... 21 A. Object of the Study ...... 21 B. Approach of the Study ...... 23 C. Method of the Study...... 23

CHAPTER IV. ANALYSIS...... 26 A. The Characteristics of Charlie...... 26 1. Honest ...... 28 2. Thoughtful...... 29 3. Intelligent ...... 31 4. Extrovert...... 32

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5. Emotionally Unstable...... 34 B. The Meaning of Wallflower...... 35 1. Literal Meaning ...... 35 2. True Meaning ...... 41

CHAPTER V. CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS...... 52 A. Conclusions ...... 52 B. Suggestions ...... 54 1. Suggestions for Future Researcher ...... 55 2. Suggestions for English Teacher ...... 55

REFERENCES ...... 56 APPENDICES ...... 58

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LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix 1: Summary of The Perks of Being a Wallflower...... 58 Appendix 2: Biography of Stephen Chbosky...... 60 Appendix 3: Reflections ...... 62

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

The first chapter of this paper presents the Background of the Study, the

Objective, the Benefits of the Study as well as the Definition of Terms.

A. Background of the Study

Literary works, as seen by Rees (1973) are writings that express and communicate thoughts, feelings and attitudes toward life (Ade & Okunoye, 2008).

Literary works is an instrument that may contain the author’s personal feeling or experiences in life. From the experiences the readers can gain wisdom that can be reflected in life. Therefore, literary works can be used as a source of knowledge.

Literary works have various forms which one of them is novel. According to Clara Reeve, a novel “is a picture of real life and manners, and o f the time in which it is written” (Welleck & Warren, 1956, p. 216). In other words, a novel portrays the writer’s real life or experiences into written words. Any experience both happy and sad can be portrayed through a novel which contains messages to be reflected. When writing a novel, an author also often delivers the true meaning of a term in the novel to be reflected by the readers. However, the true meaning is often implicitly exposed and needs a thorough analysis to discover it. One of the novels that contain messages to be reflected is a novel entitled The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a coming-of-age novel written by

Stephen Chbosky. It was first published by MTV Books in 1 February 1999. The novel is written in the form of a series of letters sent by a fifteen year-old boy,

Charlie. The letters are sent to an anonymous since he believes that there is a person out there who listens and understands without being judgmental. Charlie names the people in the letters by different names and does not enclose a return address since he does not want the recipient to figure him out.

The story goes around Charlie’s first year in high school. He struggles to participate in life. When Charlie is a kid, Charlie loses people that he loves; Aunt

Helen who dies in a car accident when buying him a birthday present and his only middle-school friend, Michael, who commits suicide. His older brother leaves him for college and his older sister believes that Charlie is a freak. Charlie is a wallflower. He tends to sit on the back or side line to watch people and try to understand how things work. Meeting Bill, Sam and Patrick, Charlie is introduced to a lot of new things. They help Charlie to discover his strengths and participate more. Being a wallflower brings Charlie to many both happy and sad experiences.

With the help of Bill, Sam, Patrick and his psychiatrist, Charlie is able to figure out and accept his dark past. Narrated from Charlie’s point of view, the novel shows Charlie, as a wallflower, struggles to participate in life.

Charlie is mentioned as a wallflower. However, the meaning of wallflower is still unclear as it could represent the literal meaning or the true meaning behind it. It is important to understand the real meaning of wallflower as seen in Charlie in The Perks of Being a Wallflower since it helps the readers to understand the PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

3 content of the novel deeper and to understand what the writer wants to convey.

This study finds out the true meaning of wallflower as seen in Charlie’s character in Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower. This study uses psychological approach to reach the purpose of the study.

B. Objective of the Study

The objective of the study is to find the true meaning of wallflower as seen in Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

C. Problem Formulation

The problems of the study can be formulated as follows:

1. How is Charlie’s character described in Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being

a Wallflower?

2. What is the meaning of wallflower as seen in Charlie’s character in Stephen

Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower?

D. Definition of Terms

In this part, there are some definitions of terms that are related closely to this study. These definition of terms need to be clarified to avoid any misunderstanding since these will be used often in this study. The definitions are perks and wallflower.

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1. Perk

According to The Third Edition of Cambridge Advanced Learner’s

Dictionary, perk means an advantage or extra thing, such as money or goods, which are given because of having job. The term perk is usually used in speech and in informal or relaxed situation such as between friends or family. While according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, perk has two meanings. First, it means something extra that someone receives in addition to regular pay for doing a job. Second, it means a good thing that you have or get because of your situation.

In this study, the term perks refers to the benefits or advantage that is received by

Charlie when the people around him see him as a wallflower.

2. Wallflower

According to Brad Bollenbach, wallflower means a person who is out at a social gathering, the only person sitting at the table who isn’t part of the conversation. Every time the person tries to say something, he seems to get interrupted or ignored. Therefore, the person will stare off into space, pretend to watch the band or pull out the mobile phone. While according to The Third

Edition of Cambridge Advance Learner’s Dictionary, wallflower means a pleasant smelling garden plant that has yellow, orange or brown flowers which grow in groups. It also has a meaning of a shy person, especially a girl or woman, who is frightened to involve herself in social activities and does not attract much interest or attention. While in this study, wallflower refers to a term given to Charlie by PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

5 the people around him since the people see him as a person who likes to observe and keep quiet about things that happened. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter discusses the theories that become the base in analyzing the novel. Thus, this chapter is divided into three parts. The first part is the review of related theories. The second part is the theoretical framework that explains how the theories are applied in analyzing the novel. The third part is the criticism which provides the review of the novel by a critic. The fourth part is the context of the novel.

A. Review of Related Theories

This part deals with the related theories used as the base in analyzing the topic of the true meaning of wallflower as seen in Charlie’s character. The theories used in this study are psychological approach, theory of character, theory of characterization, theory of motivation, theory of personality, literal meaning and true meaning and Post Traumatic Stress-Disorder (PTSD).

1. Character

According to Abrams (1999), characters are the persons that are presented in a dramatic or narrative work. Those persons are interpreted by the reader with their capability in a particular moral, intellectual, and emotional quality by assumptions from what the persons say. They are can also be interpreted through their distinctive ways of saying or the dialogue as well as from what they do or the

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7 action (p. 32). From the beginning to the end of a work, a character may remain essentially stable in attitude and temperament, or undergo a radical change, either through a gradual process of development or as the result of a crisis (p. 33).

Stanton (1965) uses the term character in two ways. First it designates the individuals who appear in the story. This can be found in the question of how many characters there are in the story. The second, it refers to the mixture of interests, desires, emotions and moral principles that makes up each of these individuals. This can be answered in the question of how the character is described (p. 17). In most stories, there is a certain central character that is relevant to every event in the story. The events in the story usually cause some changes either in him or in the reader’s attitude towards him. A character’s reason for behaving as he does is his motivation. His specific motivation is his immediate reason which perhaps is unconscious reason or any particular speech or act. His basic motivation is an aspect of his general character. It is the continuing desire or intention that governs him throughout the story.

While Forster (in Abrams, 1999) emphasizes that character are not real people but rather like real people. Characters’ lives are different from real lives.

Common activities such as sleeping and eating engage little space in the novels while love is greatly over-represented. However, sometimes characters can seem to be more real than the real people around us because a novelist is able to reveal the character’s hidden life.

Forster divides characters into two which are flat character and round character. According to Forster, flat character, which is also called as a type or PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

8 two-dimensional, is built around a single idea or quality and is presented without much individualizing detail. Therefore, flat character can be practically sufficiently described in a single phrase or sentence. While round character is complex in temperament and motivation and is represented with slight uniqueness.

Therefore, such a character is difficult to describe with any sufficiency as a perso n in real life, and like real persons, is capable of surprising the readers.

2. Characterization

According to Abrams (1999) there are two different methods used for characterizing or establishing the distinctive characters of the persons in a narrative, which are by showing and telling. In showing, which is also called as the dramatic method, the author simply presents the characters talking and acting and leaves the motives and dispositions that lie behind what they say and do to the readers. The author may show not only external speech and actions but also a character's inner thoughts, feelings and responsiveness to events. In telling, the author interferes convincingly to describe the motives and dispositional qualities of the characters (p. 34).

Murphy (1972) argues that there are nine ways in which an author attempts to describe the characters so that it can be understandable and more alive for the readers. The nine ways are presented as below.

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9 a. Personal Description

The author describes a character through his appearance. The author describes a character’s through its face, skin, eyes and the clothing. The clothing that the character wears, what color his skin or eyes are, how the outer appearance looks like are used by the author to describe a character. The readers then are able to tell a character’s from its outer appearance described by the author. b. Character as Seen by Another

The author uses other character to describe the characteristics of a certain character. From the point of view of another, that certain character’s characteristics are described. The other character tells what that certain character looks like, feels, thinks or behaves. From the other character’s point of view in describing that certain character, the readers can tell what the characteristics of that certain character are. c. Speech

The author gives the readers an insight into the character of a person in the novel through what that person says. Whenever that person speaks, gives opinion or has conversation with the other, the person gives the readers clues about his character. The speech spoken by the character describes the character’s characteristics. d. Past Life

The author gives clues to the readers about a character’s characteristics through his past life. The character’s past life is told during the story. The character’s past life is involved in determining the characteristic of the character PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

10 since it has helped to shape the character’s character. This can be done through direct comment by the author, the person’s thoughts, the person’s conversation or the medium of another person. e. Conversation of Others

Conversations between characters might be included in a literary work.

Through the conversation of the characters, the characteristic of a character is described. The characteristic is described through the things they say about the character. Through this way, the author gives the readers clue about a character’s characteristics. f. Reactions

In a literary work, the character gives reaction to various situations presented in the story. By showing the character’s reactions to various situations and events in the novel, the author gives clue about a character’s characteristics.

From the reactions shown, the characters described can be concluded. g. Direct Comment

The author gives clue about a character’s characteristics by describing the characteristics directly. The author may also give comments on the characters directly during the story presented in the literary work. From the direct description or comment, the reader is able to know the characteristics of the character. h. Thought

Throughout the story told in the literary work, the character might give his opinion. His thoughts are expressed and shown directly in the literary work. The author gives the readers direct knowledge of what a character is thinking about. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

From the character’s thought or way of thinking, the characteristics of the character are described. i. Mannerism

The author describes a character’s mannerism which can tell the characteristics of the character to the readers. The manner of the character is shown from the character’s habit. In literary work, the author reveals the habit of the character both positively and negatively. From the habit of the character, the characteristics of the character are shown.

3. Theory of Motivation

According to Worchel and Shebilske (1989), motivation explains why an organism acts in a certain way at a certain time (p. 373). Motivation is the driving force of an individual’s action. It affects the behaviours, actions, thoughts and beliefs of an individual. There are two types of motivation. First is extrinsic motivation and second is intrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation comes from factors external to the individuals. It can be based on a desire for pay, status, grades, promotion, or any similar types of rewards. While intrinsic motivation involves deriving enjoyment and satisfaction from performing the task itself, not from the expected rewards.

Maslow (1943, in McLeod 2007) states that people are motivated to achieve certain needs. When one need is fulfilled, a person seeks to fulfill the next one. One must satisfy the lower basic needs before progressing to the higher level stages of needs. Maslow (in Petri, 1981) believes that each level does not have to PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

12 be perfectly satisfied. When the lower needs are partially met, the higher needs partially emerge. However, people are unaware of the need hierarchy since most of the needs are unconscious. Unfortunately, the progress is often disrupted by failure in life experiences, such as divorce and loss of job. Maslow states there are five stages of needs which are physiological needs, safety needs, belongingness needs, esteem needs and self-actualization. a. Physiological Needs

Physiological needs are human’s basic needs where the body seeks for food, liquid, sleep, sex, oxygen, freedom of movement and a moderate temperature. The needs above physiological needs on the hierarchy are pushed into the background in terms of controlling behaviour if they are not adequately fulfilled. This can be seen for example when someone is in a state of semi starvation, he will constantly think, dream and talk about food. b. Safety Needs

The safety needs emerge after physiological needs are fulfilled. These needs represent a need for safety or security in a person’s environment. Higher needs become unimportant when one’s life is endangered and the behavio ur reflects the person’s attempt to remain secure. This need can be seen in for example people’s preference for familiar surroundings, secure jobs, saving accounts and insurance. c. Love or Belongingness Needs

When safety needs have been adequately met, they become unimportant in the direction of behaviour and the love or belongingness needs emerge. These PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

13 needs involve a hunger for affection relationship with others, a need to feel part of a group, or a feeling that one belongs to somewhere. The love needs require both receiving and giving love which is love from another and someone to love. d. Esteem Needs

When the love needs have been adequately met, the esteem needs become dominant. These needs are divided into two parts. First is a need for self-esteem which motivates the individual to strive for achievement, strength, confidence, independence and freedom. Second is a need for esteem from others which involves a desire for reputation, status, recognition, appreciation by others on one’s ability, and a feeling of importance. One will have self-confidence and self- worth and sees himself as having a purpose in the world when the esteem needs are satisfied. e. Self-Actualization

Self-actualization is the final level of development. When one has satisfied the first four levels of need, self-actualization can be reached. The behaviour of the self-actualized person is motivated by a new set of needs which provide meaning to their life such as truth, honesty, beauty and goodness.

4. Theory of Personality

Dewey and Humber stated that personality is the product of interaction process and a dynamic concept, self-contained, one which is being a part of individual (p. 236). To study about personality, it needs a social context because PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

14 personality cannot be separated from social interaction. This social interaction shapes a person’s personality.

There are no two individuals with the same personality. Each person has different personality to the others. Allport (1937) defines personality as the dynamic organization within the individual of those psychophysical systems which determine a person’s behaviour and thoughts (p. 28). Allport believes that personality is biologically determined at birth and shaped by a person’s environmental experience. Weinberg and Gould (1999) define personality as the characteristics or blend of characteristics that make a person unique. Freud (1920) believes that personality has three structures which are the id, the ego and the superego. a. Id

Id is centered on primal impulses, pleasures, desires, unchecked urges and wish fulfillment. Freud states that the id is totally unconscious and unaware of its working. Id is the primitive and instinctive component of personality. It consists of all the inherited (biological) components of personality, including the sex instinct and aggressive instinct. It operates on the pleasure principle which is the idea that every wishful impulse should be satisfied immediately, regardless of the consequences. b. Ego

Ego is concerned with the conscious, the rational, the moral and the self- aware aspect of the mind. The ego develops to mediate between the unrealistic id and the external real world. It works like a referee in a match. It is the decision PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

15 making component of personality. The ego operates according to the reality principle, working human realistic ways of satisfying the id’s demands. It is often compromising or postponing satisfaction to avoid negative consequences of society. The ego considers social realities and norms, etiquette and rules in deciding how to behave. c. Super Ego

The superego includes the values and morals of society which are learned from one's parents and others. It is similar to a conscience, which can punish the ego through causing feelings of guilt.

5. Psychological Approach

The approach used in this study is psychological approach. Psychoanalytic theory is formed by Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) that states human behaviour is the outcome of their early experience. Life is made up of different memories which resulted to what people are today. It gives influence on how people view life, socialize with others and behave. This approach is used to analyze the personality of Charlie which is affected by the unresolved issues and conflicts that occur from his childhood experiences.

According to Freud's psychoanalytic theory, personality develops through a series of stages. Each stage is characterized by a certain psychological conflict.

The psychoanalytic theory believes that behaviours and personalities are reflections of the contents of the mind’s unconscious part. It states that human PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

16 behaviour and personality is the result of the interactions among three component parts of the mind: the id, ego, and superego.

According to Abrams (1999), psychoanalytic criticism has been a very common form of psychological literary criticism since 1920s. Freud developed the form of psychology called psychoanalysis as a means of analysis and therapy for neuroses. However, later it was expanded to explanation for many developments and practices in the history of civilization, including warfare, mythology and religion, as well as literature.

6. Literal Meaning and True Meaning

Quinones (2002) states that literal meaning of literary work is what actually happen in it. Literal meaning is on a purely superficial level. It is about what the story or observation found in the literary work. Literal meaning is the meaning which appears or can be seen or noticed directly. It is not hidden and it can be seen explicitly. This meaning can be seen by reading the literary work because it is written explicitly in it. Case and Marshall (2009) note that a literal approach in learning is the tacit acceptance of information and memorization. It does not promote understanding for long term retention of knowledge (pp. 9-18).

True meaning is generally associated with the theme. It is usually more abstract which means could be in the form of concept, rather than a concrete physical description (Quinones, 2002). It is the meaning behind the action.

Additionally, Barnet, Burto and William (1994) state that true meaning is the meaning which is told for us because it is implicit (p. 28). Frederick in (1964) PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

17 says that the deeper meaning of the story is a meaning which has value for every reader (p. 75). Case and Marshall (2009) also state that deep learning involves the critical analysis of new idea and promotes the application for life (pp. 9-18).

7. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

According to Harvey (2002), trauma is a term refers to extreme psychological and physiological reactions to major losses (p. 23). On a daily basis people might experience minor losses from losing notes to losing strands of hair.

However major losses are the losses of something in a person’s life which involves emotional involvement. All losses are not trauma but all traumas involve loss.

While according to Janoff-Bulman (1992, in Harvey 2002), trauma is defined as unusual events involving loss to the individual whether a death, the loss of body parts or functioning, the loss of a job, the loss of one’s home or the loss of one’s trust in others or in the safety of the worlds (p. 6). Traumatic reactions may create loss of concentration, sleeping and eating problems, flashbacks and nightmares. Traumatic reaction may be so severe that it becomes posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

As stated in Helping Children Cope (Robinson et al., 2004), traumatic events may be public knowledge such as earthquakes or hurricanes or more private trauma such as physical, sexual or psychological abuse (p. 29).

As stated in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV (Scott and Stradling,

2001) there are common symptoms associated with this disorders. Typical PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

18 symptoms are re-experiencing the event through dreams, flashbacks or acting out the events in play. A person may also experience crying spells or periods of uncontrolled crying, isolating behaviours or avoiding family and friends. The other symptoms are mood swings or feelings of anger or fear, changes in sleep patterns, difficulty falling or staying asleep, sleeping too much and experiencing nightmares and/ or sleep disturbances. The person who suffers from PTSD shows effort to avoid thoughts, feeling or activity that arouse recollections of the trauma.

The person also does not expect to have a career, marriage, children or a normal- life span and diminishes participation in significant activities. Person who suffers from PTSD also shows the feeling of guilt about surviving the event or being unable to change the event or prevent the disaster.

B. Theoretical Framework

This study applies psychological approach. The researcher also uses some theories to support the findings. The researcher applies theory of character by

Forster (in Abrams’s 1999) and theory of characterization by Murphy (1972).

These theories are used to analyze the character of Charlie in the novel.

The theory of motivation by Maslow (1943), theory of personality by

Freud (1920) and theory of Post-Traumatic Social Disorder by Janoff-Bulman

(1992) and Scott and Stradling (2001) help the researcher to find the meaning of wallflower as depicted in Charlie’s character.

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C. Criticism

The review of Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being A Wallflower has been done by several critics. One review is written by Aria (2014) published in

Good Reads.

“The Perks of being a wallflower has to be one of the books that I could relate to. It was very insightful and poignant that in most part of this book I felt like it was me writing those letters”

Aria stated that she could relate to Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

She felt that even though it was told from Charlie’s point of view, she could feel that it was her writing the stories. The feeling of sadness in the novel is delivered to the readers very well. The reader could position themselves in Charlie’s situation.

Relate to Aria’s review, the researcher agrees that novel could bring the readers into the emotion of the character. The researcher can see the world through Charlie’s eyes. The reader can also relate to Charlie’s situation since the researcher has also gone through a teenage life just like Charlie does in the novel, feeling pressure from friends as well as agitated.

D. Context

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a fiction novel written by Stephen

Chbosky. It was first published in February 1st, 1999 by MTV Books. Chbosky is an American novelist, screenwriter, and film director. He was born on January

25th, 1970 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. In 1994 Chbosky began to work on The Perks of Being a Wallflower. He wrote after experiencing a bad PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

20 break up with his girlfriend. It made him realized that people accept the love they think they deserve, which became one of the famous quotations included in the novel. Chbosky sees love not just about romance between people but also love of self, love of the future and for the life. That topic is brought up often in the novel and can be one of the things people can learn from The Perks of Being a

Wallflower.

The setting of Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower takes place in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Pittsburgh has a famous tunnel called

Fort Pitt Tunnel. Fort Pitt Tunnel is around one kilometer long and it connects the

Western Pennsylvania with its green views and the Northern Pennsylvania with its skyline. The setting of time of the novel is in around August 1991 until August

1992, where Charlie is fifteen years old and in his first year of high school. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

This chapter deals with the methodology of the study which is used to analyze the findings from problem formulations. This chapter consists of three parts. The first part describes the novel used in this study. The second part describes the approach used in this study to analyze the novel. The third part shows the steps that are conducted to complete this study.

A. Object of the Study

The object of the study is a fiction novel entitled The Perks of Being a

Wallflower written by Stephen Chbosky as his first published novel. Stephen

Chbosky is an American writer, editor, film and director. This novel was first published by Pocket Books on February 1st, 1999. However, the one that is used in this study is published by MTV Books/ Gallery Books trade paperback edition

August 2012. This novel consists of two hundred and thirteen pages and is divided into five parts. Although Chbosky’s first book was banned in several schools because of its sexual content, it spent over six months at number one on the New

York Times bestseller list.

The novel tells about a fifteen year old boy named Charlie writing a series of letters to an anonymous stranger. Charlie chooses to do so because he assumes that there is a person out there who listens, understands and not be judgmental.

The letter starts with Charlie telling that the only middle school friend of his kills

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

22 himself as well as the death of his favorite Aunt Helen. Charlie perceives that

Aunt Helen’s death is his fault since she gets in an accident for buying Charlie a birthday present.

Charlie has an older brother and an older sister. His brother leaves to Penn

State to play football. His sister dates an abusive boyfriend. Charlie witness his sister’s boyfriend hits her on the face but he is not allowed to tell their parents.

During Charlie’s first year of high school, his English teacher recognizes

Charlie’s talent for reading and writing. He gives Charlie’s a lot of novels to be read and eventually gets closer to Charlie. Although he is a wallflower, Charlie makes friend with two seniors, Sam and Patrick. Patrick is a homosexual and Sam is Patrick’s stepsister. Despite of they are being senior, they accept Charlie and their bond gets stronger. Charlie develops a crush on Sam and admits his feeling to her. Patrick mentions Charlie as a wallflower as he does not participate and thinks too much. In school dance nights, Charlie stands at the back and watches people dancing instead of becoming one. As Charlie gets close with Sam and

Patrick’s friends, he begins smoking, drinking alcohol and using drugs.

As the school year ends, Charlie is anxious for losing his friends since

Sam and Patrick graduates and will leave for College soon. One night before Sam leaves for College on the next morning, Charlie and Sam begin to engage sexually but stop since Charlie feels uncomfortable. Charlie realizes his memories of being molested by his favorite aunt Helen when is a child. Charlie feels numb and is taken to a mental hospital for two months treatment. When Charlie is released, PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Sam and Patrick pay him a visit. They drive together through a tunnel, Charlie stands up and he feels infinite.

B. Approach of the Study

The approach used in this study is psychological approach considering that the aim of the study is to find out the true meaning of wallflower as seen in

Charlie’s character. According to Rohrgeber and Woods (1971), psychological approach portrays knowledge which includes human motivation, mind, imagination, thought and behaviour. By using this approach, the character’s thought and personality can be analyzed.

In this study, psychological approach is applied to answer the problem formulation by analyzing the character of Charlie as a wallflower and finding the true meaning of wallflower.

C. Method of the Study

This study belongs to library research. According to George (2008) the method of library research are identifying and locating sources that provides factual information or expert opinion. There were two kinds of sources used by the researcher which were primary source and secondary source. In this study, the researcher used Stephen Chbosky’s work entitled The Perks of Being a

Wallflower as the primary source. The secondary sources were information from internet, journals, articles or books that were related to the study to be used in PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

24 answering the problem formulations. There were some steps done by researcher in analyzing the novel.

The first step was choosing the primary source. The novel The Perks of

Being a Wallflower was chosen and the researcher read the novel for several times.

The reading was done in order the get the understanding about the novel.

The second step was choosing the problem to be analyzed. The problem was chosen based on several considerations. The problem chosen was divided into two problem formulations. In this step, the researcher reread the novel to make sure that the problem was important enough to be answered.

The third step was finding and gathering related theories from books, journals, articles or information from internet that supported the study. The theories and information were used to solve the problem formulations and support the answers.

The fourth step was the researcher answered the first problem formulation by analyzing how Charlie’s character described in the novel. To find out about

Charlie’s character, the researcher reread the novel. The researcher gathered some quotations related to the Charlie’s character in the novel as evidence to support the answer for the first problem formulation. To answer the first problem formulated, the researcher applied the theory of character and the theory of characterization.

Then, the researcher answered the second problem formulation by analyzing the true meaning of wallflower as seen through in Charlie’s character. The researcher reread the novel several times to get the understanding about the content of the novel in detail. To answer the second problem formulation, the theory of PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

25 motivation, the theory of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and the theory of personality were used. The researcher applied psychological approach to answer the formulated problems.

The fifth step was making a conclusion based on the answered found and the discussion written. The study was also be assisted and consulted to the experts of literature for validation.

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

CHAPTER IV

ANALYSIS

This chapter discusses the analysis of the two problem formulations. The first part discusses Charlie’s characteristics. The second part discusses the true meaning of wallflower in the novel. In analyzing the problem formulations, the researcher uses the theories presented in chapter two.

A. The Characteristics of Charlie

Abrams (1999) states characters are people presented in a dramatic or narrative work. Those people are interpreted by the readers according to their particular moral, intellectual, and emotional qualities from what the persons say.

They can also be interpreted through their distinctive ways of saying or the dialogue as well as from their action (p. 32). From the beginning to the end of a work, a character may remain essentially stable in attitude and temperament, or undergo a radical change (p. 33). In addition Stanton (1965) says that the term character designates the individuals who appear in the story which can be found in how many characters there are in the story. Character also refers to the mixture of interests, desires, emotions and moral principles that makes up each of these individuals which can be found in how the character is described (p. 17).

While Forster in Aspects of the Novel (as seen in Abrams’s, 1999) emphasizes that character are not real people but rather like real people. Common

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27 activities such as sleeping and eating engage little space in the novels while love is greatly over-represented.

Forster divided characters into two which are flat character and round character. Flat character draws a single idea or quality and is presented without much individualizing detail. Flat character can be practically sufficiently described in a single phrase or sentence. While round character is complex in temperament and motivation and is presented with slight uniqueness.

According to Abrams (1999), Charlie is one of the characters in The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Charlie is presented in the novel and his characteristics can be interpreted through his way of saying and his behaviour. According to Forster,

Charlie is categorized as a round character. Charlie’s characteristics cannot be described in a single phrase or sentence. His characteristics are described through the conflicts that appear in the novel. Charlie undergoes a changing personality throughout the story. In the beginning of the story, Charlie is afraid of starting high school. He always worries how to fit in with the other people and enjoys observing people from afar instead of participating. He also has difficulties in figuring himself out. He is confused of himself and does not know what he really wants to do in life. However, during the story, he faces a lot of events that involves in changing his characteristic. Charlie meets Sam, Patrick and Bill as well as his psychiatrist, from whom Charlie receives encouragement. In the end of the story, Charlie is no longer confused of himself. He is able to really feel himself. He knows where he stands and what to do in his life. Charlie even says that he feels infinite and is not afraid to start high school. He states that he will no PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

28 longer write letters since he will be busy participating. The change in Charlie’s characteristic shows that he belongs to round character.

To find out how to characterize a character, the theory of characterization by Murphy is applied. Murphy (1972) states that there are nine ways in which an author attempts to describe his characters to be understandable and more alive for the readers. The nine ways are personal description, character as seen as by another, speech, past life, conversation of others, reaction, direct comment, thought, and mannerism. In this part, the explanation about Charlie’s characteristics is explained.

1. Honest

Charlie is an honest person. He always says the truth of what he thinks about other people or things. Even though there are several occasions where it is better for Charlie to lie to either avoid hurting himself or other people, he keeps saying the truth. Charlie’s honesty is told through his reaction.

I keep quiet most of the time, and only one kid named Sean really seemed to notice me. He waited for me after gym class and said really immature things like how he was going to give me a "swirlie," which is where someone sticks your head in the toilet and flushes to make your hair swirl around. He seemed pretty unhappy as well, and I told him so. Then, he got mad and started hitting me, and I just did the things my brother taught me to do. My brother is a very good fighter (p. 7).

The conversation above shows that Charlie is an honest person. Sean tells Charlie that he will stick Charlie’s head in the toilet. It sounds like a threat for Charlie.

However, despite of being afraid and saying nothing, Charlie tells Sean that he is not happy. It is Charlie’s honest thought which leads Sean in anger and he starts PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

29 hitting Charlie. Actually Charlie can refrain from talking back to Sean but he prefers to say out his honest thought and cause them into a fight.

Another evidence of Charlie’s honesty can be seen through the conversation below. The conversation occurs between Charlie and Sam. It happens in Big Boy where Charlie, Sam and Patrick hang out together for the first time after they finish watching a football match.

"What's your favorite movie?" "I don't know really. They're all the same to me." "How about your favorite book?" "This Side of Paradise by Scott Fitzgerald." "Why?" "Because it was the last one I read." This made them laugh because they knew I meant it honest, not show-off (p. 20).

Charlie is attracted to Sam since their first meeting which happens not long before the conversation occurs. They are having conversation to know each other better and Charlie answers Sam’s question honestly. It can be seen that Charlie does not tell lies when telling Sam about his favorite movie and book. He does not make himself look like somebody else. He does not keep his image high in front of Sam.

In conclusion, according to Murphy (1972), Charlie’s honest characteristic is shown through his reaction and speech. Charlie is always honest when telling what he has in his mind. He is just being himself by telling the truth.

2. Thoughtful

Charlie often has a lot of things to be thought in his mind whether he is alone or with somebody else. He often thinks deeply and imagines what will happen in someone else’s life. Charlie and his friends recognize that he often PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

30 thinks too much to avoid participating. The evidence that Charlie is thoughtful can be seen in his thought below.

But I guess I did worry about it. I've been worrying about it ever since he told me. I look at people holding hands in the hallways, and I try to think about how it all works. At the school dances, I sit in the background, and I tap my toe, and I wonder how many couples will dance to "their song." In the hallways, I see the girls wearing the guys' jackets, and I think about the idea of property. And I wonder if anyone is really happy. I hope they are. I really hope they are (pp. 23-24).

Charlie’s perception above occurs when Patrick tells Charlie that in relationship between guys and girls, girls think they can change guys. After they do change the guys, they would get bored. Charlie is concerned about that. He wonders how relationship between boys and girls work. He wonders whether couples are really happy. He really hopes that they are really happy and not just pretending to be happy.

Another clue which shows that Charlie is thoughtful can be seen in his thought below.

I don't want to think about Sam leaving just yet, but I did wonder what would happen if she and my brother ever started dating, which is stupid because they are nothing alike, and Sam is in love with Craig. I have to stop doing this (p. 168).

These are Charlie’s thought when knowing that Sam will go to Penn State, the college where his brother also goes to. Charlie is in love with Sam. Charlie is not ready knowing the fact that Sam will leave him for her study. He starts wondering what will happen if Sam and his brother are dating. However, he realizes that he knows it will not happen since Sam and his brother is the opposite. Charlie’s brother still plays around with girls a lot while Sam looks for a more mature guy.

Furthermore, Sam is still dating Craig and Charlie knows that she will not cheat PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

31 on Craig. In the end, Charlie realizes that his thought makes no sense and he has to stop thinking. He knows Sam will eventually leave for her study since she always wants to go to Penn State.

According to Murphy (1972), Charlie’s thoughtful characteristic is seen through his thought. Charlie thinks a lot about things around him. He imagines every possible thing that may happen in different situation. Sometimes he realizes that he thinks too much about something that does not even make sense.

3. Intelligent

In the novel, Charlie is described as an intelligent student. Charlie’s older brother finds what he is good at, which is playing football, and makes it to go to

Penn State, a quite famous college. Charlie’s older sister also manages to get straight A’s. The clue which shows Charlie as an intelligent student can be seen in his manner below.

I don't think that there is a favorite kid in our family. There are three of us and I am the youngest. My brother is the oldest. He is a very good football player and likes his car. My sister is very pretty and mean to boys and she is in the middle. I get straight A's now like my sister and that is why they leave me alone (p. 5).

Charlie states that there is no favorite kid in his family. He states that his older brother is a very good football player and his older sister gets straight A’s like

Charlie does. He is a very intelligent student which eventually causes him not to have friends at school.

Another clue that shows Charlie is an intelligent boy can be seen from his statement below. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

My advanced english teacher asked me to call him "Bill" when we're not in class, and he gave me another book to read. He says that I have a great skill at reading and understanding language, and he wanted me to write an essay about To Kill a Mockingbird. I mentioned this to my mom, and she asked why Bill didn't recommend that I just take a sophomore or junior english class. And I told her that Bill said that these were basically the same classes with more complicated books, and that it wouldn't help me (pp. 9-10).

From Charlie’s statement above, it can be seen that Charlie has higher intelligent than the other students since Bill, his advanced English teacher, always gives him another book to read after he finishes reading one book. Bill believes that Charlie can practice his reading and writing essay well in no time. Bill also tells Charlie that his skill at reading and understanding language is very good. Furthermore,

Charlie is in his sophomore year but Bill asks Charlie to take advanced English class instead of junior English class which is provided for sophomore year student.

Bill believes that taking junior English class will not help Charlie in increasing his skill. Therefore, it can be seen that Charlie’s intelligence in reading and understanding language is above the average students of his age.

Charlie is an intelligent boy. According to Murphy, Charlie’s intelligent characteristic can be seen through his manner and the description from the point of view of another (Murphy, 1972). Charlie always gets straight A’s just like his older sister. He also manages to take English Advanced Class which is supposed to be taken for seniors.

4. Extrovert

Charlie is described by the author as an extrovert person. Charlie always shows interest in spending time together with people that he loves. He also often PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

33 shows effort in order to have social interaction with somebody else. Charlie does not enjoy being alone by himself. He actually is very concerned in having social interaction with other people. Even though he is very silent, he loves being surrounded by people. He loves attention and does not mind being the centre of attention. The evidence that shows Charlie is an extrovert person can be seen in his reaction below.

I won't go into detail about the whole show, but I had the best time I ever had in my whole life. I'm not kidding. I got to pretend that I was singing, and I got to dance around, and I got to wear a "feather boa" in the grande finale, which I wouldn't have thought anything of because it's part of the show, but Patrick couldn't stop talking about it (p. 110).

The show that is played by Charlie is The Rocky Horror Picture Show. He plays

Rocky who is the main character of the show. It is his first time participating in the show. Even though he needs to dance and pretends singing in front of many people, Charlie feels that he has the best time in his whole life. While Patrick keeps bringing up the topic about Charlie wearing a feather boa in the performance, Charlie thinks that it is nothing to be ashamed of. Charlie does not mind performing in front of a lot of people. He does not mind being the centre of attention. He eventually likes it.

Other evidence which shows Charlie is an extrovert person can be seen in his reaction below.

After I handed in the final, I asked Bill if he wanted me to write an essay about The Fountainhead, since I told him that I had finished it, and he hadn't told me to do anything. He said that it wouldn't be fair to have me write another essay when I have so many finals this week. Instead, he invited me over to his town house to spend Saturday afternoon with his girlfriend and him, which sounds like fun (p. 174).

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Charlie asks Bill whether Bill wants him to write an essay about the book he finishes reading or not. Instead of asking to write another essay, Bill offers Charlie to visit his house and spend time with him along with his girlfriend. Charlie is very excited about the invitation. He thinks that it will be fun to spend time together with his teacher and his teacher’s girlfriend. Some students might feel awkward visiting their teacher’s house alone. Furthermore the teacher also invites somebody else that they have not met before. However, Charlie does not reject the invitation. He also does not accept it merely because if he rejects it he might hurt his teacher’s sincerity. He accepts and wants to come because he enjoys having interaction with people.

Charlie’s extrovert characteristic can be seen in his reactions to different situations (Murphy, 1972). From his reactions, he always enjoys spending time with people. Charlie loves having conversation and getting to know people more.

5. Emotionally Unstable

The author describes Charlie as a person with unstable emotion. There are several times especially when he is a kid that shows Charlie’s emotion is unstable.

He can be aggressive and right after that he can be very soft. The evidence which shows that Charlie is emotionally unstable can be seen on the statements below.

Then, he got mad and started hitting me, and I just did the things my brother taught me to do. My brother is a very good fighter. "Go for the knees, throat, and eyes." And I did. And I really hurt Sean. And then I started crying. And my sister had to leave her senior honors class and drive me home. I got called to Mr. Small's office, but I didn't get suspended or anything because a kid told Mr. Small the truth about the fight (p. 7).

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Some kids look at me strange in the hallways because I don't decorate my locker, and I'm the one who beat up Sean and couldn't stop crying after he did it. I guess I'm pretty emotional (p. 8).

The two statements above show that Charlie is both aggressive and easy to cry. It happens when Sean gets into a fight with Charlie. Charlie learns how to fight from his brother and somehow manages to beat up Sean. Sean is hurt while Charlie wins. However, right after that Charlie starts crying. He cannot control his emotion. He cannot get a hold of himself and her sister must drive him home in the middle of her class.

According to Murphy (1972), Charlie’s unstable emotion can be seen through his reaction and direct statement. Charlie has difficulties in controlling his emotion. He says that he is emotional. He also does not understand why he beats up Sean and cannot stop crying after that.

B. The Meaning of Wallflower

In this part, the meaning of wallflower as seen in Charlie is analyzed. The meaning of wallflower is divided into two parts. First is the literal meaning. The literal meaning of wallflower can be found explicitly in the novel. Second is the true meaning. The true meaning of wallflower can be found after reading the novel for several times and understanding Charlie’s characteristics.

1. Literal Meaning

The literal meaning of wallflower in the novel is the meaning that can be found explicitly in the novel. The meaning of wallflower can be understood by PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

36 reading the novel since it is written in the novel. The researcher uses psychological approach by Freud (2009) to analyze the word wallflower according to Charlie’s characteristics. It is found that Charlie is an intelligent boy.

He is gifted with the ability of reading and writing and able to take English

Advanced Class which is supposed to be for seniors. Charlie is also an extrovert boy because he enjoys being in the centre of attention and spending time with the people he loves. Charlie gets his energy when spending time with the people he loves. However, he also always worries how to fit in with the other people. He is a thoughtful boy who always tries to figure out how everything works and avoid participating. From these characteristics, the literal meaning of wallflower as seen in Charlie’s characteristics is analyzed.

Freud (2009) states that personality has three structures which are the id, the ego and the superego. The interactions among those three component parts of the mind resulted in human behaviour. The id is the basic instinct that a human needs to fulfil. The human only knows how to fulfil it without considering the reality. While the ego helps a person to satisfy his needs through the reality. The ego is partly conscious and partly unconscious. The ego operates according to the reality principle; it attempts to help the id to get what it desires by judging the difference between real and imaginary. In Charlie’s case, Charlie’s id has desire to figure out himself. He wants to know where he stands and what to do in life.

However, he cannot fulfil it because his condition does not support him. His super ego tells Charlie that something is wrong with him and there are things he should be afraid of. The instability of emotion he has makes him believe that he is a freak. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

He feels insecure and confused. Then, he keeps his desire for himself and let his ego do nothing to fulfil it. Since his superego blocks his id to reach the desire and his ego is not strong enough to do action to satisfy the id, the id creates Charlie to be a wallflower.

Charlie is described as a wallflower can be seen in the conversation below.

"He's something, isn't he?" Bob nodded his head. Patrick then said something I don't think I'll ever forget. "He's a wallflower." And Bob really nodded his head. And the whole room nodded their head. And I started to feel nervous in the Bob way, but Patrick didn't let me get too nervous. He sat down next to me. "You see things. You keep quiet about them. And you understand" (p. 37).

The conversation happens in Bob’s party. Sam and Patrick invite Charlie to come to the party and it is his very first party that he attends. In the party, Patrick mentions Charlie as a wallflower. Charlie is described as someone who sees things but keeps being quiet even though he understands.

Charlie is a wallflower who often observes people. He often pays attention to what people do and imagines what they think deep inside their thoughts. It can be seen many times in the novel that Charlie observes people either those who he knows or he does not. The evidence that Charlie is an observer can be seen in the statements below.

I feel very ashamed. I went to the high school football game the other day, and I don't know exactly why (p. 18).

I was just kind of watching people, seeing who was in love and who was just hanging around, and I saw that kid I told you about. Remember Nothing? Nothing was there at the football game, and he was one of the few people who was not an adult that was actually watching the game. I mean really watching the game. He would yell things out (p. 19).

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Charlie goes to his first high school football game alone. He has no companion and does not know why he comes to the game. Instead of enjoying the game, he observes the people there. He watches who are in love, who hang around and who really watch the game. Charlie observes the people and finds Nothing. He watches

Nothing and notices that he really watches the game. Charlie sees Nothing is interested in the game that he yells and screams. Charlie does not come to the game to enjoy the game but to observe people. Another evidence can be seen in the statement below.

I was in the shopping mall because that's where I go lately. For the last couple of weeks, I've been going there every day, trying to figure out why people go there. It's kind of a personal project. There was this one little boy. He might have been four years old. I'm not sure. He was crying really hard, and he kept screaming for his mom. He must have been lost. Then, I saw this older kid, who was maybe seventeen. I think he went to a different school because I had never seen him before. Anyway, this older kid, who was really tough-looking with a leather jacket and long hair and everything, went up to the little boy and asked him what his name was. The little boy answered and stopped crying. I guess the mom had been searching for the little boy for a long time because she came running up to the information desk, and when she saw the little boy, she started crying (p. 143).

Charlie is in a shopping mall to observe people. He does not go there to have fun or buy something he needs. In the shopping mall he finds a lost boy. The little boy is desperate and does not stop crying. However, instead of helping the little boy and calming him down, Charlie just keeps observing to know what happen next.

Charlie does not help the little boy to meet his mother. Charlie observes the little boy until finally an older kid takes him to the information desk and finds his mom.

While the thing happens, Charlie observes the expression of the little boy, the older kid as well as the mom. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Charlie is a wallflower who does not participate in life. He prefers to just stand at the back and see people doing their things. At a school dances, Charlie tells Bill that he does not join the dance because he does not know how to dance.

He prefers to lean against a wall and observe people.

At the school dances, I sit in the background, and I tap my toe, and I wonder how many couples will dance to "their song." In the hallways, I see the girls wearing the guys' jackets, and I think about the idea of property. And I wonder if anyone is really happy. I hope they are. I really hope they are (pp. 23-24).

When observing people in a situation, he asks question to himself about how people act, how they feel and why they do it in that situation. He also often questions whether people are as happy as they seem.

In his being of a wallflower, Charlie is an insecure person. He has lack of confidence about himself. His lack of confidence overcomes him to see his own ability even though other people can see it.

Then, Bill took this really long pause, and his voice sounded like my dad when he wants to have a big talk. "Charlie," he said. "Do you know why I gave you all that extra work?" I shook my head no. That look on his face. It made me quiet. "Charlie, do you know how smart you are?" I just shook my head no again. He was talking for real. It was strange. "Charlie, you're one of the most gifted people I've ever known. And I don't mean in terms of my other students. I mean in terms of anyone I've ever met. That's why I gave you the extra work. I was wondering if you were aware of that?" "I guess so. I don't know." I felt really strange. I didn't know where this was coming from. I just wrote some essays (p. 181).

Charlie is actually an intelligent boy. His ability in writing and reading is not the same as the average kid on his age. Bill, Charlie’s English Advanced teacher, admits Charlie’s ability. Charlie is always given extra novel to read and to write an essay about it. Bill wants Charlie to know how gifted he is. However, Charlie’s PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

40 insecurity makes him not to admit his ability. Even though his teacher tells him so, he just thinks that he is just writing the essay and no more than that.

Throughout the story, Charlie manages to make friends with Sam and

Patrick and their group of friends. They get closer and become friends with

Charlie. However when they finish high school, they no longer come to the school and leave Charlie alone.

It is now prom night. And I am sitting in my room. Yesterday was difficult because I didn't know anybody since all my friends and my sister were no longer in school. The worst was lunchtime because it reminded me of when everyone was angry with me for Mary Elizabeth. I couldn't even eat my sandwich, and my mom made my favorite because I think she knew how sad I would be with everyone gone (p. 172).

Charlie is having a difficult time with everyone leaving him. He is insecure and does not have the confidence to make new friends with the other kids. He is lonely and terrible for not knowing anyone in school other than Sam and Patrick’s group of friends. He feels even more terrible in the lunchtime since it reminds him of the moment everyone is angry at him when he betrays Mary Elizabeth. In reality, it does not happen anymore but the loneliness makes Charlie remember that moment.

In conclusion, the literal meaning of wallflower as seen in Charlie is someone insecure who often observes people. Charlie is also insecure of himself.

He does not realize what he is good at. He is also unconfident when his friends start leaving him. Charlie has habit to observe people and imagines how they feel, why they do that and how they will react to different situation. When observing, he knows what is really going on but he keeps quiet about them. He keeps all things he understands in his mind. Charlie is a wallflower who sees things, keeps quiet about them and understands. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

2. True Meaning

The true meaning of wallflower in the novel is the meaning that can be seen in the novel implicitly. The meaning of wallflower can be understood not only by reading the novel but also knowing the motivation of the characters.

Worchel and Shebilske (1989) argue that motivation drives people to do something in a certain way. To find out the deeper meaning of wallflower as seen in Charlie, Charlie’s motivation has to be identified. According to Maslow (1943), motivation works based on certain needs and there are five stages of needs.

Therefore to understand Charlie’s motivation, the five stages of Charlie’s needs has be analyzed.

Charlie is a wallflower who often thinks a lot, sees a lot of things but keeps quiet even though he understands what really happens. Charlie often prefers observing people instead of participating and socializing with them. However, his being as a wallflower means something more than that.

When Charlie is a kid, he spends a lot of time together with Aunt Helen.

She is Charlie’s favorite person in the world. Charlie sees her as someone who belongs to him and even calls her “My Aunt Helen”.

My Aunt Helen was my favorite person in the whole world. She was my mom's sister. She got straight A's when she was a teenager and she used to give me books to read. My father said that the books were a little too old for me, but I liked them so he just shrugged and let me read (p. 5).

Charlie is often given books by Aunt Helen. He likes the books and he keeps reading them even though the books are not suitable for him. Aunt Helen gives

Charlie a lot of attention. The other evidence can be seen below. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

I don't really know what happened next, and I never really asked. I just remember going to the hospital. I remember sitting in a room with bright lights. I remember a doctor asking me questions. I remember telling him how Aunt Helen was the only one who hugged me (p. 91).

Aunt Helen is the only person who hugs Charlie. Charlie needs attention but he does not receive it from his family. Aunt Helen fulfills Charlie’s needs which are not fulfilled by his parents, his older brother or his older sister. In that state,

Charlie loves Aunt Helen very much because she is the one who makes Charlie feel that he belongs somewhere.

When Charlie is a kid, Charlie starts asking Aunt Helen questions about her past. His questions make Aunt Helen cry and his Dad slap him.

That's when my dad slapped me, saying, "You're hurting your aunt Helen's feelings!" I didn't want to do that, so I stopped. Aunt Helen told my father not to hit me in front of her ever again and my father said this was his house and he would do what he wanted and my mom was quiet and so were my brother and sister (p. 6).

Eventually Charlie stops asking Aunt Helen. However, it is not because his Dad slaps him but because he knows it hurts his favorite person’s feeling. Charlie does not want to hurt the person he loves. When he knows it hurts Aunt Helen’s feeling, he stops asking questions.

Aunt Helen also lets Charlie stay awake and watch Saturday Night Live.

When their parents are busy having party in their friend’s house, Aunt Helen baby-sits Charlie, his older brother as well as his older sister. They spend time and make memories by watching TV together.

Charlie loves Aunt Helen very much. Aunt Helen is the one who gives

Charlie love, attention and makes him feel that he exists. However, Aunt Helen is also the one who molests Charlie when he is very young. Charlie does not reject PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

43 for being molested. He enjoys the attention, closeness and physical contact that he does not receive from his parents. However, when he is older, he knows something is wrong with him. His flashback of being molested by Aunt Helen keeps appearing. His past and present moments are mixed when Charlie and Sam touch each other.

When I fell asleep, I had this dream. My brother and my sister and I were watching television with my Aunt Helen. Everything was in slow motion. The sound was thick. And she was doing what Sam was doing. That's when I woke up. And I didn't know what the hell was going on. (p. 204)

Charlie has a dream of watching television together with Aunt Helen, his brother and his sister. In his dream he sees Aunt Helen touches Charlie. His past of being molested by Aunt Helen starts appearing but Charlie does not know what really happens. He still cannot understand that it really happens to him in the past.

Charlie gets worse later when Sam and Patrick leave Charlie for College. Charlie has a mental break down and his memories overlap one to another.

I don't know what I'm supposed to do now. I know other people have it a lot worse. I do know that, but it's crashing in anyway, and I just can't stop thinking that the little kid eating french fries with his mom in the shopping mall is going to grow up and hit my sister. I'd do anything not to think that. I know I'm thinking too fast again, and it's all in my head like the trance, but it's there, and it won't go away. I just keep seeing him, and he keeps hitting my sister, and he won't stop, and I want him to stop because he doesn't mean it, but he just doesn't listen, and I don't know what to do (p. 205).

His memory of a little boy that he observes in a mall and his memory when he witnesses his sister being hit by his abusive boyfriend overlaps. He mistakes the grown up little boy hit his sister. Charlie feels very terrible since it is very confusing and he cannot stop this. Later on he ends up waking up in a mental hospital. His doctor helps him figuring out what really happens. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

I don't really want to talk about the questions and the answers. But I kind of figured out that everything I dreamt about my aunt Helen was true. And after a while, I realized that it happened every Saturday when we would watch television (pp. 208-209).

After having conversation with his doctor, he realizes the truth that Aunt Helen molests him. The accident happens every Saturday when Aunt Helen baby sits

Charlie, his older brother and his older sister. When his older brother and sister are asleep, Aunt Helen lets Charlie to stay awake and the molestation happens.

Even though Aunt Helen molests little Charlie, her death that happens when Charlie is seven years old brings a shock to him. Aunt Helen dies in a car accident when buying Charlie a birthday present. Charlie cannot believe it until his mom checks Aunt Helen’s death body on the scene of the accident herself.

Charlie sees Aunt Helen’s death as his fault. He keeps blaming himself and needs to be hospitalized because of the shock.

Despite everything my mom and doctor and dad have said to me about blame, I can't stop thinking what I know. And I know that my aunt Helen would still be alive today if she just bought me one present like everybody else. She would be alive if I were born on a day that didn't snow. I would do anything to make this go away. I miss her terribly. I have to stop writing now because I am too sad (p. 92).

Charlie keeps blaming himself even though his family and the doctor keep comforting him. Charlie hopes that his birthday is not on a Christmas day so Aunt

Helen will stay at home instead of buying him one more present in snow. Charlie regrets that he is born on a snowy day. Additionally, when Charlie is in middle school, his best friend, Michael, commits suicide by shooting gun on his head.

I don't know how news travels around school and why it is very often right. Maybe it was in the lunchroom. It's hard to remember. But Dave with the awkward glasses told us that Michael killed himself. His mom played bridge with one of Michael's neighbors and they heard the gunshot (p. 3). PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Then, I started screaming at the guidance counselor that Michael could have talked to me. And I started crying even harder. He tried to calm me down by saying that he meant an adult like a teacher or a guidance counselor (p. 4).

Charlie also blames himself for what happen to Michael. He believes that Michael might not commit suicide if he is really there for his best friend.

During his first year of high school, the other kids see him as a freak. They reject to be friends with him and leave Charlie alone.

Some kids look at me strange in the hallways because I don't decorate my locker, and I'm the one who beat up Sean and couldn't stop crying after he did it. I guess I'm pretty emotional (p. 8).

Charlie realizes that the other kids see him in strange. He also realizes that he has difficulties in controlling his emotion. He could beat a boy and then cry hard after doing it. His middle school friend, Susan, also does not want to be friend with

Charlie even though they go to the same high school.

There is this one girl in my advanced english class named Susan. In middle school, Susan was very fun to be around. She liked movies, and her brother Frank made her tapes of this great music that she shared with us. But over the summer she had her braces taken off, and she got a little taller and prettier and grew breasts. Now, she acts a lot dumber in the hallways, especially when boys are around. And I think it's sad because Susan doesn't look as happy. To tell you the truth, she doesn't like to admit she's in the advanced english class, and she doesn't like to say "hi" to me in the hall anymore (p. 6).

Susan does not want the other kids to know that they used to be friends in middle school. Susan pretends not to know Charlie and stop saying hello to him even though they are in the same class, a class where first year students don’t usually take. Charlie’s sister also mentions him as a freak. She gets mad at Charlie when he tells Bill who later tells their dad that his sister is dating an abusive boyfriend. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

"You're a freak, you know that? You've always been a freak. Everyone says so. They always have." "I'm trying not to be." Then, I turned around and walked to my room and closed my door and put my head under my pillow and let the quiet put things where they are supposed to be (p. 26).

Both the molestation and the death of Charlie’s loved ones have left him a traumatic experience. His past has taken his childhood from him, making him trapped in his childish state when growing up. He has unstable emotion which is a compensation for his lost innocence of his childhood. People also call him as a freak. The confusion of understanding himself and the rejection from people around make him to build up a wall. He shuts himself from the society and prefers to block his past. He prefers to be alone and observe people instead of trying to deal with himself and his past.

According to Maslow’s five stages of needs, the lower is the physiological needs. In Charlie’s case, Charlie’s physiological needs is adequately met.

Physically, Charlie grows up healthily which proves that he has enough food to eat, enough water to drink and enough oxygen to breathe. Charlie does not have major difficulty in sleeping, eating or breathing.

Experiencing no obstruction in his physiological needs, Charlie’s safety needs become dominant. However, his traumatic past has made the needs in this stage inadequately met. A lot of people call him a freak. Charlie always worries of fitting with others and prefers to observe them. Even though observing makes him feel safe, interacting with other people always makes him feel insecure. However, his safety needs is adequately fulfilled after meeting Sam and Patrick. Charlie feels safe when he is with them. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

The next need is Charlie’s love or belongingness needs. The needs in the previous stage, the safety needs, is not adequately met. Therefore, the love or belongingness needs is also obstructed. Charlie never has a lot of friends and the people he loves in his past are dead. Charlie never receives enough affection as he wants. However, when he meets Sam and Patrick, Charlie receives affection from them.

Sam looked at me soft. And she hugged me. And I closed my eyes because I wanted to know nothing but her arms. And she kissed my cheek and whispered so nobody could hear. "I love you." I knew that she meant it in a friend way, but I didn't care because it was the third time since my Aunt Helen died that I heard it from anyone. The other two times were from my mom (p. 69).

Charlie rarely receives the words “I love you”, which for Charlie it means affection from the people for him. Charlie is very happy when Sam gives him a kiss since after Aunt Helen died no one says it to him other than his mom. Charlie enjoys spending time with Sam and Patrick very much. He feels that he belongs somewhere when spending time with them.

I remembered this one time that I never told anybody about. The time we were walking. Just the three of us. And I was in the middle. I don't remember where we were walking to or where we were walking from. I don't even remember the season. I just remember walking between them and feeling for the first time that I belonged somewhere (p. 198).

Charlie is very happy being able to walk with them that he forgets from and to where they walk. Charlie’s hunger for a need to be a part of a group is fulfilled when he spends time with Sam and Patrick. He is able to give love to them as well as to receive love from them. Therefore, Charlie’s needs for love or belongingness is adequately met. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Being able to adequately meet the love or belongingness needs, Charlie’s esteem needs become dominant. His traumatic past has made Charlie to be confused and unconfident of himself. Therefore, being encouraged to figure himself out is what he needs. The encouragement from the people around is needed in order for his esteem needs to be fulfilled enough. When he meets Bill, his English Advance teacher, Charlie receives encouragement and understanding about himself.

Bill looked at me looking at people, and after class, he asked me what I was thinking about, and I told him. He listened, and he nodded and made "affirmation" sounds. When I had finished, his face changed into a "serious talk" face. "Do you always think this much, Charlie?" "Is that bad?" I just wanted someone to tell me the truth. "Not necessarily. It's just that sometimes people use thought to not participate in life." "Is that bad?" "Yes" (p. 24).

Charlie receives honesty from Bill about his habit of observing people. Observing might not be a bad thing but it might be Charlie’s excuse not to participate.

Charlie starts understanding that it is one of his ways to shut him from interacting.

Even though Bill does not force Charlie to break his habit of observing people, he agrees that not participating is bad. Through having conversation with Bill,

Charlie receives help to understand himself. He is encouraged to participate more.

Bill also encourages Charlie by giving more books to read.

"Charlie, you're one of the most gifted people I've ever known. And I don't mean in terms of my other students. I mean in terms of anyone I've ever met. That's why I gave you the extra work. I was wondering if you were aware of that?" "I guess so. I don't know." I felt really strange. I didn't know where this was coming from. I just wrote some essays (p. 181).

Bill encourages Charlie by telling him that he is a gifted person. Bill helps Charlie to understand that his ability in reading and writing is above the average ability of kids of his age. It makes Charlie have a lot more confidence in him.

Being friends with Sam and Patrick also makes Charlie more confident. He receives more confidence and encouragement throughout their friendship. When

Sam packs her belongings to leave for college for the next morning, she has some conversation with Charlie. Sam tells Charlie that from that moment on she will figure out what she really wants and be her best self.

"So, tomorrow, I'm leaving. And I'm not going to let that happen again with anyone else. I'm going to do what I want to do. I'm going to be who I really am. And I'm going to figure out what that is. But right now I'm here with you. And I want to know where you are, what you need, and what you want to do” (p. 202).

Sam encourages Charlie to find out who he really is. Therefore, he can understand where he really stands and where to go from his position. Charlie is encouraged to understand himself and do what he wants to do, not what people want him to do.

At the end of the novel, Charlie eventually figures out who he really is. He understands that he owns his own self and has the right to do what he really wants to do. Charlie accepts his past and not even blames them for creating who he is.

I'm not the way I am because of what I dreamt and remembered about my aunt Helen. That's what I figured out when things got quiet. And I think that's very important to know. It made things feel clear and together. Don't get me wrong. I know what happened was important. And I needed to PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

remember it. But it's like when my doctor told me the story of these two brothers whose dad was a bad alcoholic. One brother grew up to be a successful carpenter who never drank. The other brother ended up being a drinker as bad as his dad was. When they asked the first brother why he didn't drink, he said that after he saw what it did to his father, he could never bring himself to even try it. When they asked the other brother, he said that he guessed he learned how to drink on his father's knee. So, I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we'll never know most of them. But even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them (p. 211).

But mostly, I was crying because I was suddenly very aware of the fact that it was me standing up in that tunnel with the wind over my face. Not caring if I saw downtown. Not even thinking about it. Because I was standing in the tunnel. And I was really there. And that was enough to make me feel infinite. Tomorrow, I start my sophomore year of high school. And believe it or not, I'm really not that afraid of going. I'm not sure if I will have the time to write any more letters because I might be too busy trying to "participate" (p. 213).

Charlie is no longer confused about himself. He knows something happens to him in his past and he does not reject that. After the encouragement from the people around him, he is able to understand where he stands and where to go. He accepts his past and is able to feel that he really owns himself. Charlie’s need for self- esteem which motivates him to strive for freedom is finally achieved. Charlie has figured out himself. He is not afraid of starting his sophomore high school since he knows where he stands and where he goes from there. The encouragement from people around him makes Charlie’s safety needs adequately met. He feels infinite and is ready to move to the next stage of needs which is self-actualization where he unleashes his potentials.

The true meaning of wallflower in Charlie is someone who needs encouragement to find his true self. His past has made him into someone who shuts himself from participating. Charlie needs the help from people around him PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

51 to be able to understand himself. Charlie finds his encouragement from being friends with Sam and Patrick. Being friends with Sam and Patrick makes Charlie experience the feeling of importance. Charlie also receives encouragement from

Bill. Bill’s appreciation on Charlie’s ability in reading and writing also boost his esteem needs. It is added with the help of Charlie’s psychiatrist in figuring and accepting his past.

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

CHAPTER V

CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

This chapter consists of two parts which are conclusions and suggestions.

Conclusions are related to the characteristics of Charlie, the literal meaning and the true meaning of wallflower which are discussed in chapter four. The suggestions consist of suggestions for future researcher and English teacher.

A. CONCLUSIONS

The findings of the problem formulations have been discussed in chapter four. In this chapter, the researcher concludes the findings into some paragraphs.

The first finding is Charlie’s characters. In the novel, Charlie is categorized as round character. It is because Charlie’s characteristics cannot be described in a single sentence. He undergoes a change from having difficulty to understand himself to be really able to feel himself. In the beginning of the story he is afraid of starting his freshman year in high school and always worries about participating. However, in the end of the novel he states that he is no longer worry about starting high school. He also says that he will no longer write letters because he will be busy participating.

Other than that, Charlie’s character is honest. One of the examples of

Charlie’s honesty can be seen when Charlie meets Sam and Patrick for the first time. When having conversation with Sam and Patrick, Charlie answers Sam’s question honestly without keeping his image high in front of them. Charlie is also

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

53 a thoughtful person. He often thinks too much about how things work. It can be seen when Patrick shares his opinion to Charlie about how relationship between girls and guys goes and how girls think they can change guys. After being told so,

Charlie look at people holding hands in the hallways and wonders how it works.

He also thinks whether they are as happy as they seem. Charlie is also intelligent.

Charlie is able to take English Advanced Class when most of the students of his age take the lower level class. Charlie is also given a lot more books to read and more essays to write than the other students by Bill because Bill sees Charlie as a gifted person. Charlie as an intelligent person can be seen through his ability of reading and writing that is above the ability of the average students.

Charlie is also an extrovert person. Even though he is very silent, he enjoys being surrounded by people. Charlie feels happy when he spends time together with Sam and Patrick instead of being alone. When doing The Rocky

Horror Picture Show, Charlie also enjoys the character that he plays even though he has to wear a feather boa. He enjoys pretending singing and dancing in front of many people. He does not mind being the centre of attention. Charlie is also an emotionally unstable person. It can be shown when Charlie has a fight with another kid. Charlie manages to beat him up but then he is the one who cries.

Charlie does not understand why he cries. He has difficulty in controlling his emotion.

The second finding is the meaning of wallflower as seen in Charlie. In this study, the researcher explains the true meaning and the literal meaning of wallflower. The literal meaning of wallflower is an insecure person who often PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

54 observes people. Charlie often observes people and imagines how things work. He imagines how they feel and how they will react to different situation. He also feels insecure of himself. He does not recognize his ability. He also worries so much when his friends no longer come to school after they graduate.

The true meaning of wallflower can be seen through Charlie’s motivation which works based on his needs. Charlie has difficulty in fulfilling his esteem needs. He has difficulty in understanding himself since he has unstable emotion and many call him as a freak. His dark past life also makes him suffer from traumatic experience which resulting him in shutting himself from participating.

However, through his friendship with Sam and Patrick, Charlie receives encouragement to really understand where he stands and what he really wants in life. He also receives encouragement from Bill through their relation as a teacher and student, as well as with the help of his psychiatrist who help him in figuring out his past. Charlie finally accepts his past and is able to understand himself. His esteem needs is adequately met. He feels infinite and is ready to unleash his potential.

B. SUGGESTIONS

This part proposes suggestions for future researchers who are interested in the novel entitled The Perks of Being a Wallflower and suggestions for English teachers.

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

1. Suggestions for Future Researcher

There are many aspects of this novel that can be analyzed. The analysis in this study is limited to the true meaning of wallflower as seen in Charlie. The researcher suggests that the future researcher conduct a study about an analysis of how Charlie’s childhood traumatic experience affects his teenage behaviour. The future researcher can also conduct an analysis on Charlie’s motivation to adapt himself to the social environment around him.

2. Suggestion for English Teacher

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a novel that can be one of the sources teach Book Report course. This novel deals with childhood and friendship which makes it very useful for students to learn. This novel can also be used as materials to teach Psikologi Remaja course since this novel deals with teenage life as well as human motivation and needs. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

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Appendix 1

Summary of The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Fifteen-year-old Charlie is coping with the suicide of his friend, Michael.

To lessen the fear and anxiety of starting high school alone, Charlie starts writing letters to a stranger, someone he has never met in person. During his freshman year of high school, Charlie finds the value of a friend and mentor in his English teacher, Bill. He also befriend with two seniors; Patrick, and his step-sister Sam.

They later become best friend.

During the course of the school year, Charlie has his first date and his first kiss. He deals with bullies, experiments with drugs and drinks. He makes friends, loses them, and gains them back. He creates his own soundtrack through a series of mix tapes full of iconic songs, reads a huge stack of classic books, and gets involved in the The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Charlie has a relatively stable home life, though, with supportive, if distant, parents to fall back on. Unfortunately, a disturbing family secret that Charlie has repressed for his entire life surfaces at the end of his freshman year. Charlie has a severe mental breakdown and ends up hospitalized.

Charlie's final letter closes with feelings of hope: getting released from the hospital, forgiving his aunt Helen for what she did to him, finding new friends during sophomore year, and trying his best not to be a wallflower. Charlie hopes

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59 to get out of his head and into the real world participating in life instead of just watching it fly by.

Adapted from: http://www.shmoop.com/perks-of-being-a-wallflower/summary.html

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Appendix 2

Biography of Stephen Chbosky

Stephen Chbosky is a novelist, screenwriter, and director who was born in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on January 25, 1970. He grew up in a Catholic family made up of his mother, father, and younger sister. As a teenager, Chbosky was moved by J.D. Salinger's novel, The Catcher in the Rye. Upon graduation from

Upper St. Clair High School he met Stewart Stern, the screenwriter of Rebel

Without a Cause. Later the two became close friends. After writing The Perks of

Being a Wallflower, Chbosky revealed that the character Bill, a literature teacher, was based on Stern and reflected the positive influence of Stern on his own development.

Chbosky left Pittsburgh to attend the University of Southern California's

Film Writing Program, where he began to work on his first film, The Four

Corners of Nowhere, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Following this initial success, Chbosky spent the 1990s writing screenplays that went unpublished, but in 1994 he began work on the novel he is now most famous for,

The Perks of Being a Wallflower. In a 2001 interview with Ann Beisch of LA

Youth, Chbosky described the initial stages of the project that he was writing a very different type of book Perks, but then he wrote the line that it was just one of the perks of being a wallflower. Chbosky realized that somewhere in that sentence was the boy he was really trying to find. After five years of research and

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61 composition, Chbosky published the novel in 1999; the book became a bestseller.

Chbosky went on to tell Beisch that he wrote the book for very personal reasons.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower was Chbosky's first novel, as well as his most successful. However Chbosky's talents extend beyond his role as a novelist.

In 2005, Chbosky wrote the screenplay for the film version of the Broadway Hit

Rent, though this adaptation was met by mixed reviews from critics. In 2012,

Chbosky went back into the field of film, serving as the screenwriter and director of the movie version of The Perks of Being a Wallflower. In a 2012 interview after the film was released, Chbosky revealed that he had always hoped his novel would become a film. He was thrilled to be so heavily involved in the production.

This time, his film efforts were met with great praise: the 2012 film earned $33 million worldwide as well as numerous awards.

In addition to film and literature, Chbosky has worked in television; he wrote for the TV drama Jericho, which premiered in September of 2006 but was cancelled in 2008. The series follows the aftermath of a nuclear attack in a small

Kansas town; at present, there are rumors that Netflix is interested in resurrecting the CBS series.

Currently, Chbosky lives in Los Angeles, California, and continues to write although little is known about the project he is working on at the moment.

He is an active supporter of gay rights and continues to be employed as a film consultant.

Adapted from: http://www.gradesaver.com/author/stephen-chbosky PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Appendix 3

Reflections

Charlie is a fifteen year old boy who suffers from traumatic experience. He has difficulties in understanding himself and always worries about how to fit in with other people. Charlie prefers to shut himself and observe people. However, after meeting Sam, Patrick and Bill, who give Charlie encouragement to find his being, Charlie manages to understand himself. Charlie manages to overcome his past and accept himself without blaming his past. Charlie is able to find where he stands and where to go from there. He even tries to participate more.

The life story of Charlie enables the researcher to take some good points of the novel to be reflected. There are three parts. The first part is the researcher as a future teacher. The role of Bill, as Charlie’s teacher, has given a big impact to

Charlie’s life. Learning from Bill, the researcher understands that the role of teacher is not just merely giving out task and explaining the materials but also taking part in helping students to shape their personality. Teacher holds an important role for the students’ development. It is important to know the students’ motivation and needs and to help them fulfill it. It is important to keep encouraging students and support what they are good at.

As a human being, the researcher realizes that human is a social being. A person cannot live by himself. He will always need the help of others. Therefore, the role of other people is very important to shape a person’s behavior. The role of

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63 other people can be both positive and negative impact for a person’s behavior.

The researcher also understands that behind every person’s behavior there is a motivation that drives it. It can be implicitly known and sometimes the help of other people is needed to figure it out.