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The Influence of Materialism on the Main Characters in Ellis’ American Psycho

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The Influence of Materialism on the Main Characters in Ellis’ American Psycho THE INFLUENCE OF MATERIALISM ON THE MAIN CHARACTERS IN ELLIS’ AMERICAN PSYCHO A THESIS BY FAHRIZAL REG. NO. 130705004 DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH FACULTY OF CULTURAL STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF SUMATERA UTARA MEDAN 2017 Universitas Sumatera Utara Universitas Sumatera Utara Universitas Sumatera Utara Universitas Sumatera Utara AUTHOR’S DECLARATION I, FAHRIZAL, DECLARE THAT I AM THE SOLE AUTHOR OF THIS THESIS EXCEPT WHERE REFERENCE IS MADE IN THE TEXT OF THIS THESIS. THIS THESIS CONTAINS NO MATERIAL PUBLISHED ELSEWHERE OR EXTRACTED IN WHOLE OR IN PART FROM A THESIS BY WHICH I HAVE QUALIFIED FOR OR AWARDED ANOTHER DEGREE. NO OTHER PERSON’S WORK HAS BEEN USED WITHOUT DUE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS IN THE MAIN TEXT OF THIS THESIS. THIS THESIS HAS NOT BEEN SUBMITTED FOR THE AWARD OF ANOTHER DEGREE IN ANY TERTIARY EDUCATION. Signed: Date : October 20th, 2017 v Universitas Sumatera Utara COPYRIGHT DECLARATION NAME : FAHRIZAL TITLE OF THESIS : THE INFLUENCE OF MATERIALISM ON THE MAIN CHARACTERS IN ELLIS’ AMERICAN PSYCHO QUALIFICATION : S-1/SARJANA SASTRA DEPARTMENT : ENGLISH I AM WILLING THAT MY THESIS SHOULD BE AVAILABLE FOR REPRODUCTION AT THE DISCRETION OF THE LIBRARIAN OF DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH, FACULTY OF CULTURAL STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF SUMATERA UTARA ON THE UNDERSTANDING THAT USERS ARE MADE AWARE OF THEIR OBLIGATION UNDER THE LAW OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA. Signed: Date : October 20th,2017 vi Universitas Sumatera Utara ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Allah SWT, the Almighty God and Most Beneficial for His Blessing, Grace, Guidance, and Mercy that have made this Thesis come to its completion. I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to the Rector of University of Sumatera Utara, Prof. Dr. Runtung Sitepu, S.H., M.Hum., Dean of Faculty of Cultural Studies, Dr. Budi Agustono,M.S., the Head of English Department Dr. Deliana,M.Hum., and the Secretary of English Department, Rahmadsyah Rangkuti,, M.A,Ph.D. who have given a great opportunity and fully supported to complete this thesis. I give much of gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Siti Norma Nasution,M.Hum and my co-advisor Dra. Diah Rahayu Pratama, M.Pd. who have given brilliant supervision, generous guidance, advise, encouragement and patience to shape the ideas into the thesis and I give thanks to all lecturers of English Department who have already taught me previously. I would also like to give much appreciation to Bapak Sukirno as the staff of English Department for his contribution in accomplishing the administration matters. Especially, I would like to give my power of love to my beloved parents, Maidani and Nurhayati who always cheers me up in every situation and supports both material and spiritual contribution, continuous prayer and patience that will never be forgotten. I would like to thank for togetherness of my friends in English Department, especially for your helping, support, and care for this four years. vii Universitas Sumatera Utara I also express much gratitude to my all-time favorite group, Reza, Wirda, Rike, Agung, Sari and Nadya who always has them way to support me in completing this thesis. Finally, I fully realize for everything the weakness of this thesis. Therefore, constructive criticism, advice, and suggestion aimed for this thesis will be warmly welcomed and most appreciated. I hope this thesis be able to give some contribution as a good reference. Medan, October 20th, 2017 Fahrizal 130705004 viii Universitas Sumatera Utara ABSTRACT This thesis entitled “The Influence of Materialism onThe Main Characters in Ellis’ American Psycho”. In this paper there is a materialistic analysis contained in the American Psycho novel written by Bret Easton Ellis. This analysis aims to explain about the violence and material success that make people greedy so that the fading of humanity that caused by the materialism in the novel. The method used is a qualitative method that aims to describe the phenomenon of materialism of American Psycho novels and its impact to socipathic condition of the main character, Batemen. This description contains interpretation which are then analyzed based on the facts or data contained in the novel. Furthermore, through this research, it potrays on how the influences of materialism factors to the personality of the main character, Batemen in which occurs the identity dissociation disorder caused by the trauma in the past time. This character weakness is created and evolved into unconcious desire to gruesome violence constitutes to some people around his life which ends into murder acts, yet in style. It indirectly fuels his satisfaction to his psychological concept of having anything in his own hands. It is suggested to the readers to acknowldege the stages of each individual’s personality changing, relates to the background especially throughout the materislistic life. Keywords: materialism, violence, humanity, sociopathic, personality, identity dissosiation disorder, murder. ix Universitas Sumatera Utara ABSTRAK Tesis ini berjudul “The Influence of Materialism on The Main Characters in Ellis’ American Psycho”.Penelitian ini terdapat analisis materialistis dalam novel American Psycho karya Bret Easton Ellis. Analisis ini bertujuan untuk menjelaskan tentang kekerasan dan kesuksesan secara materi yang membuat orang-orang serakah sehingga melunturkan rasa kemanusiaan yang disebabkan sifat kematerialistisan yang terkandung di dalam novel. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode kualitatif yang bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan fenomena materialisme pada novel American Psycho dan akibatnya terhadap kondisi sosiopatik karakte rutama, Batemen. Deskripsi ini berisi interpretasi yang selanjutnya akan dianalisis berdasarkan fakta dan data yang terdapat di dalam novel. Selanjutnya, melalui penelitian ini, diperlihatkan bagaimana pengaruh dari faktor-faktor materialism terhadap kepribadian karakter utama yang mengindikasikan adanya gangguan disosiasi identitas yang disebabkan oleh trauma di masa lampau. Kelemahan karakter ini tercipta dan berubah menjadi hasrat ketidaksadaran yang mengerikan terhadap orang-orang disekitar kehidupannya, yang berkahir dengan pembunuhan yang apik.Ini secara tidak langsung memuaskan konsep psikologisnya tentang menggenggam segalanya di tangannya.Ini disarankan kepada pembaca untuk memahami tahap-tahap perubahan kepribadian seseorang, dilihat melaui latar belakang terutama dengan hidup materialistis. Kata kunci : materialisme, kekerasan, kemanusiaan, sosiopatik, gangguan disosasi identitas, pembunuhan.. x Universitas Sumatera Utara TABLE OF CONTENTS AUTHOR’S DECLARATION .................................................................................. v COPYRIGHT DECLARATION ............................................................................. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................... vii ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................... ix ABSTRAK .................................................................................................................. x TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................... xi CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION..............................................................................1 1.1 Background of the Study ............................................................................ 1 1.2 Problems of the Study ............................................................................... 8 1.3 Objective of the Study ............................................................................... 8 1.4 Scope of the Study .................................................................................... 8 1.5 Significance of the Study ........................................................................... 9 CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ....................................................... 10 2.1 Brief Description of Literature ................................................................ 10 2.2 Elements of Novel .................................................................................... 12 2.2.1 Characters .............................................................................................. 12 2.2.2 Theme .................................................................................................... 14 2.2.3 Plot ........................................................................................................ 15 2.3Theory of Postmodernism ......................................................................... 15 2.4 Materialism .............................................................................................. 18 2.4.1Characteristic of Materialism ................................................................. 20 2.4.1.1 Envy ................................................................................................... 20 xi Universitas Sumatera Utara 2.4.1.2 Non-Generosity (Stingy) .................................................................... 21 2.4.1.3 Possessiveness .................................................................................... 22 2.5 Sociopathic Condition .............................................................................. 23 2.6 Review of Related Studies ....................................................................... 27 CHAPTER III: METHOD OF RESEARCH ........................................................ 29 3.1
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