The Significance of Dark Humor As Revealed by Fred and George Weasley in J.K
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THE SIGNIFICANCE OF DARK HUMOR AS REVEALED BY FRED AND GEORGE WEASLEY IN J.K. ROWLING’S HARRY POTTER SERIES AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters By EKA UTAMI NINGSIH Student Number : 044214074 ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2010 THE SIGNIFICANCE OF DARK HUMOR AS REVEALED BY FRED AND GEORGE WEASLEY IN J.K. ROWLING’S HARRY POTTER SERIES AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters By EKA UTAMI NINGSIH Student Number : 044214074 ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2010 i ii PERNYATAAN KEASLIAN KARYA Saya menyatakan dengan sesungguhnya bahwa skripsi yang saya tulis ini tidak memuat karya atau bagian lain kecuali yang telah disebutkan dalam kutipan dan daftar pustaka sebagai layaknya karya ilmiah. Yogyakarta, 27 Februari 2010 Eka Utami Ningsih Whatever I have tried to do in life, I have tried with all my heart to do it well; Whatever I have devoted myself to, I have devoted myself completely; In great aims and in small I have always thoroughly been in earnest. (Charles Dickens) Because every wasted day becomes a wasted chance You’re gonna wake up feeling sorry Because life won’t wait I guess it’s up to you (Simple Plan) iv For My Dad and Mom v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My biggest love and gratitude goes to Allah SWT, the only reason I am alive, the only reason I am the way that I am now. I thank Him for every way He has shown me in finishing another chapter of my life. I would like to express my love and gratitude for these following people without whom I will not be able to get to the point where I am now: I would thank advisor Dewi Widyastuti, S.Pd., M.Hum. for her intellectual insight, her faith in me and for being so patient to me. I truly appreciate her guidance, advice and support in the process of making this thesis. I would thank my co-advisor Modesta Luluk Artika Windrasti, S.S. for her guiding and understanding. I would also like to thank all of the lectures and staffs of the Department English Letters for helping me in all occasion, and to the staffs of USD library for helping me finding so much information. I dedicated this hard work to my parents, Achmad Arifin and Sudjiah Sudiro for guiding me, for their never-ending love and endless prayer for me and encouraging me to finish everything that I have started. I just could not thank them enough. I thank them for always having the faith in me. My gratitude also goes to all my best friends; the MIAs, Elizabeth Nita, Danita Irianti, Arini Wulandari, Bertha Yenni Findriana and Yuli Satyawati for the unforgettable moment we have created in this past 5 years. I thank Kharisma Anggraini, Heny Puspasari, Ikhwan Ruslianto, Angga Fotolover and Juhendro for the vi time we have spent from elementary school up to the bitter sweet time we have in Yogyakarta. Then, I thank all of my 4C boarding house mates, Mayang, Mba Linda, Rina, Mba Indra, Winnie, Reno, Trie, Via, Anggie, Mila and Tia for helping me remembering there is no the better place but home and their unbreakable bond of sisterhood. Eka Utami Ningsih vii TABLE OF CONTENTS TITLE PAGE .............................................................................................................................. i APPROVAL PAGE ................................................................................................................... ii ACCEPTANCE PAGE............................................................................................................. iii MOTTO PAGE ......................................................................................................................... iv DEDICATION PAGE ................................................................................................................v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................................... vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................................................... viii ABSTRACT............................................................................................................................... ix ABSTRAK ...................................................................................................................................x CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................................1 A. Background of the study ..............................................................................................1 B. Problem Formulation....................................................................................................5 C. Objectives of the Study ................................................................................................5 D. Definition of Terms......................................................................................................6 CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL REVIEW .............................................................................8 A. Review of Related Studies ..........................................................................................8 B. Review of Related Theories ......................................................................................10 C. Theory of Character ..................................................................................................10 1. Theory of Characterization ..................................................................................12 2. Theory of Humor ..................................................................................................14 3. Theory of Dark Humor .........................................................................................16 D. Theoretical Framework.............................................................................................19 CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY........................................................................................20 A. Object of the Study ....................................................................................................20 B. Approach of the Study................................................................................................22 C. Method of the Study...................................................................................................23 CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS.....................................................................................................26 A. The Description of Fred and George Weasley’s Characteristics ...............................27 1. Identical and Inseprable. .......................................................................................27 2. Amusing................................................................................................................29 3. Wicked Sense of Humor .......................................................................................34 4. Rude Attitude........................................................................................................36 B. How Fred and George Weasley’s Characteristics Reveal Dark Humor ....................38 C. The Significance of Dark Humor in Harry Potter Series ..........................................45 CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION................................................................................................47 BIBLIOGRAPHY.....................................................................................................................51 viii ABSTRACT EKA UTAMI NINGSIH. The Significance of Dark Humor as Revealed by Fred and George Weasley in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter Series. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2010. Character is one of the important elements in literary works as well as humor since humor is one of the important parts of life. Literary works without humor is the same as a life without passion; it is impossible, no matter how gloomy or dark the story of a novel is. Humor is various, one example is dark humor; it is a kind of humor which is morbid, ironic, and grotesquely comic. In J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, Fred and George Weasley are described as the twin characters with a sense of humor. By analyzing the characteristics of the twin, their humor can be concluded as dark humor. There are three problems that are formulated in this study. First, related to the characterization of Fred and George Weasley as the minor characters. Second, related to how the characteristics and the humor of Fred and George Weasley can be considered as dark humor. The third and the last are discussing what the significance of dark humor in Harry Potter series is. This study uses the formalistic approach. Therefore, some literary theories are used to answer the first problem and the second problem and including the dark humor theory. Based on the analysis, the results of the study are as follows. Firstly, it can be concluded that the character of Fred and George Weasley is not only minor but also flat. They are described as amusing twin having wicked-sense of humor, rude attitude and identical appearance as well as inseparable. Dark humor has four basic elements that are further used to prove that the humor of Fred and George Weasley is containing dark humor. The first element is insensitivity