A Psychosocial Development of a Young Adult Character in Thirteen Reasons Why Novel ABSTRACT
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Passage2019, 7(1), 122-146 A Psychosocial Development of a Young Adult Character in Thirteen Reasons Why Novel Raden Nur Prasetyo Wibowo English Language and Literature Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia [email protected] ABSTRACT This study analyzes a young adult protagonist character Clay Jensen in Thirteen Reasons Why novel by Asher (2007). The present research investigates the main character’s psychosocial development. The novel tells a journey of Clay Jensen who struggles to listen to a series of tapes that reveal reasons why his crush, Hannah Baker, committed suicide in Hannah’s voice. The way Clay reflects his emotions and responses to the tapes interest the researcher to analyze his psychosocial development, specifically the psychological and social characteristics. The purposes of this study are to enlist Clay Jensen’s psychosocial issues and to discover how he copes with these issues as part of psychosocial development. This textual analysis applied Bucher and Hinton’s (2010) developmental characteristics of young adults; the analysis explored Clay Jensen’s narrative events that embody the ideas of psychosocial issues and how he deals with the psychosocial issues. It is concluded that Clay Jensen develops psychosocially because he experiences some psychosocial issues such as anxiety and low self-esteem, but he is able to cope with these issues. Clay Jensen is also a round character who develops himself from being selfish to be a more sympathetic person. Keywords: psychosocial development and issues, textual analysis, young adult character 122 Raden Nur Prasetyo Wibowo A Psychosocial Development of a Young Adult Character in Thirteen Reasons Why Novel INTRODUCTION they can learn, change, and grow up. Through reading novels, readers can One of the most recent novels enhance their sense of empathy and depicting this complex issue of young moral. Reading novels can be adults is Thirteen Reasons Why. beneficial since it trains readers’ McClurg (2017) reports in NY imagination and sensitivity of human Times article that Thirteen Reasons conditions and experiences Why is awarded as the best-selling (Yanklowitz, 2014). Readers can book. It tells a story of how Hannah imagine the characters in the novel Baker’s story committing suicide. and their characterization as well as to Before her death, she addressed her learn more about humanity. In a more thirteen reasons why she killed herself specific context, novel as a form of in a series of tapes to people whom she narrative shares more complexity than thought guilty for her suicide. The short story since novel depicts novel begins in one day a shoe-size human’s life events more brown box arrived at Clay Jensen’s comprehensively. front yard. He feels shocked after Young adult novels are mostly hearing his dead crush’s voice, concerned with coming of age Hannah, which overwhelms his journey, telling the life of a young thoughts. Further, the narrative adult protagonist and how he or she reflects Clay Jensen’s point of view deal with issues. Millard (2007) states and consciousness mainly as he listens that coming-of-age story tells the to all the tapes. In his listening to and young adult character’s progress from interaction with the tapes, Clay naive (inexperienced) trait to maturity. experiences psychosocial issues such This kind of novel also portrays as anxiety, low self-esteem, and frequent self-consciousness of a tendency to avoid parents that are young adult. Coming of age journey as typically experienced by young adults portrayed in young adult literature can (Bucher & Hinton, 2010). The be very challenging for the character psychosocial issues presented in the because it presents the character with novel attracts the writer of this study various unpredictable problems so that to see further Clay’s psychosocial 123 Passage2019, 7(1), 122-146 development, and how he copes with inappropriate. However, young adults the psychosocial issues as part of his can also ask for other’s help since journey to adulthood. young adults may be incapable of Psychosocial issues are handling issues because of their common to occur in young adults. innocence (Millard, 2007). Seeing Derived from two words, namely Millard’s point of view about how ‘Psychological’ and ‘Social’, innocent young adults are, adults can psychosocial issues refer to support in order to help them to be psychological and social problems. more experienced in handling issues. The problems are commonly about There are previous studies misbehaviour and issues: anxiety, regarding Thirteen Reasons Why. For depression, skills of handling example, Exter-Cortens and Jenney problems, and supports from social (2018) reveal issues of toxic environment (Holm, 2017). In masculinity and mental health of a addition, Bucher and Hinton (2010) young woman in Thirteen Reasons add that psychosocial development Why Netflix Series. The study shows exposes the psychosocial issues as how toxic masculinity performed by a well such as argumentative and hyper male community affects a aggressive behaviour, preoccupation, woman’s mental health through and shifted affiliations. Most of the unfortunate social practices to her. problems are not necessarily Further, Chisholm and Trent (2012) overwhelming conflicts, some promote critical perspectives of problems are actually a young adult’s bullying to their pupils. Firstly, they way to start their path to reach ask the pupils to read Thirteen independent adult status (Hinmann, Reasons Why to make them 2013). understand the issue of bullying in the Young adults can try to solve novel. Then, they ask them to fulfill their problems alone such as by some exercise to test their knowledge reacting properly in a certain social and response toward bullying. The circumstance or asking for result is the students are aware of forgiveness if they do something bullying and have the ability to handle 124 Raden Nur Prasetyo Wibowo A Psychosocial Development of a Young Adult Character in Thirteen Reasons Why Novel social situations. Last, Ducker (2018) psychosocial issues experienced by shows how hyperemotional listening Clay Jensen and How does Clay and cognitive mapping in Thirteen Jensen deal with the issues. Reasons Why creates an emotional landscape of Clay. Further, the study THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK also focuses on Clay’s emotional Young Adult Literature experience and how Hannah’s voice Young adult literature has become a affects him. The previous studies genre which interests young adults for hence show that research which focus discussing real-life issues, literacy on Clay Jensen is possibly still improvement, and also as a bridge to understudying. In addition, most of the classics (Stallworth, 2006). Young them focused on the Netflix series adult literature shows stories of adaptation of the novel and the problems of growing up, culture, and character Hannah Baker. Specifically, conflicting emotions of the young study of Clay’s psychosocial adult protagonists being portrayed that development has not been particularly young adult readers could have conducted. Hence, the present study experienced in their journey to would like to see how Clay develops adulthood. The sales of young adult psychosocially and how he deals with literature are higher, and young adult the psychosocial issues. This study literature may face its glorious golden analyzes Clay’s narrative events based age once again (Reno, 2008, as cited on Bucher and Hinton’s (2010) view in Scherff & Groenke, 2009). of young adult development. Bucher Young adult literature today and Hinton (2010) actually classify encompasses broader ideas and the development into three parts: themes. Young adult literature may let physical, cognitive, and psychosocial. readers see some issues in the To limit the scope of the study, this narrative. Moreover, Koss (2015) adds study focuses only on the that there are many young adult psychosocial development of Clay. literature today which are enriched Furthermore, the research questions with multiple narrative perspectives as are as follow: What are the the new trends: multiple points of 125 Passage2019, 7(1), 122-146 view, speakers, narrators, or an agreement regarding the concept of structures. For example, Thirteen it, most members of National Council Reasons Why novel shows more than of Teacher of English in conference on one protagonist: Clay Jensen and English Education Commission on the Hannah Baker. The “I” switches back Study and Teaching of Young Adult and forth. The consciousness of Literature put range eleven to eighteen Hannah Baker and Clay Jensen is to acquire age of young adults, differentiated through the font style between sixth to twelfth grades into an italic one and non-italic. In (YALSA, 2004 as cited in Bucher & addition, Bucher and Hinton (2010) Hinton, 2010). Moreover, Young see the young adult literature as a tool Adult Library Services which can invite reading enjoyment Association defines ‘young adult’ as and help young adult readers to see twelve to eighteen-year-old people. joys, challenges, trials, successes, and Meanwhile, Bucher and issues in various genres of young adult Hinton (2010) provide several criteria literature. of young adult literature. The Young adult literature has literature for young adults can reflect various genres. Every one of them young adults’ age and development of serves unique purposes and offers the characters, real-life issues, and enjoyment to the individual’s choice experiences such as growing-up of reading (Bucher & Hinton, 2010). problems, adults’ authority, illness, The genres include fantasy, science death, peer pressure, social anxiety, fiction, horror, historical fiction, suicide, drugs, alcohol, and social poetry, drama, short stories, comic experiment. Bucher and Hinton report books, graphic novels, and that young adult literature shall nonfictional works such as biography concern with world perspectives as and magazines. well in terms of culture, social, Despite all the benefits and gender, environmental issues, and excitement which may be found in politics. Literature offers its reader not young adult literature, the concept of only its literary elements but also its young adult itself is vague.