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Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
AN ANALYSIS OF THE MAIN CHARATERS’ CONFLICTS IN MITCH ALBOM’S TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE
A THESIS
BY:
RAHMAD PRIADI
REG. NO. 080721016
ENGLISH DEPARTEMENT
FACULTY OF LETTERS
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH SUMATERA
MEDAN
2009
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
AN ANALYSIS OF THE MAIN CHARATERS’ CONFLICTS IN MITCH ALBOM’S TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE
A THESIS
BY:
RAHMAD PRIADI
REG. NO. 080721016
Supervisor, Co-Supervisor,
Dra. Swesana Mardia Lubis, M.Hum Drs. Parlindungan Purba, M.Hum
NIP. 131570487 NIP.
Submitted to Faculty of Letters University of North Sumatera in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Sarjana in English Literature.
ENGLISH DEPARTEMENT
FACULTY OF LETTERS
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH SUMATERA
MEDAN
2009
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
Approved by the English Department of Faculty of Letters University of North Sumatera (USU) Medan as thesis for the Sarjana Sastra Examination.
Head, Secretary,
Dra. Swesana Mardia Lubis, M.Hum Drs. Parlindungan Purba, M.Hum
NIP. 131570487 NIP. 13167894
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
Accepted by the Board of Examiners in partial fulfillment of requirement for the degree of Sarjana Sastra from the English Department, Faculty of Letters, University of North Sumatera, Medan.
The examination is held at the Faculty of Letters, University of North Sumatera on 14 December 2009.
The Dean of Faculty of Letters
University of North Sumatera
Drs. Syaifuddin. M.A, Ph.D.
NIP. 132098531
Board of Examiners
Dra. Swesana Mardia Lubis, M.Hum …………………………..
Drs. Parlindungan Purba, M.Hum …………………………..
Drs. Siamir Marulafau, M.Hum …………………………..
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
In the name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful. Shalawat and
Salam are also presented upon the prophet, Muhammad SAW. First of all, I would
like to thank Allah, the Almighty who has blessed me in finishing this thesis and in
order to fulfill one of the requirements in getting the degree of Sarjana in English
Literature, from the Faculty of Letters, University of North Sumatera.
On this occasion, I would to like to express my profound gratitude to Drs.
Syaifuddin. M.A, Ph.D, the Dean of Faculty of Letters, University of North Sumatera.
Dra. Swesana Lubis, M.Hum, the Head of English Department and also as the first
supervisor. The Secretary of English Department, Drs. Parlindungan Purba M.Hum,
also as the second supervisor, who has spent his time for correcting my thesis and
gives some valuable advice and guidance to complete my thesis.
My sincere gratitude is also due to all lectures at English Department who
have taught and given me a great deal of knowledge.
I also would like to express my special thanks to my beloved parents, for their
love, kindness, support, and sacrifice in growing me up during my study.
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
I realize that this thesis is still far from being perfect. I was trying my best to
complete this thesis by having knowledge from my academic study. Therefore,
advice, constructive criticism, and suggestions aimed for this thesis will be warmly
welcome and highly appreciated.
Medan, 9 December 2009
The Writer,
RAHMAD PRIADI
Reg. No. 080721016
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
AUTHOR’S DECLARATION
I, RAHMAD PRIADI, declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. Except where
reference is made in the text of this thesis contains no material published elsewhere or
extracted in whole or in part from this thesis by which I have qualified for or awarded
another degree.
No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgment 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 :
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
COPYRIGHT DECLARATION
Name : RAHMAD PRIADI
Title of paper : An Analysis of the Main Characters’ Conflicts in Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays with Morrie.
Qualification : S1
Study Program : English Department
I am willing that my thesis should be available for reproduction at discretion of the
Librarian of the S1 English Department Faculty of Letters, University of North
Sumatera on the understanding that users are made aware of their obligation under
law of the Republic of Indonesia.
Signed :
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Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
ABSTRAK
Skripsi ini berjudul “An analysis of the Main Characters’ Conflicts in Mitch Albom
Tuesdays with Morrie”, pembahasan pada skripsi ini memfokuskan pada analisis mengenai
unsur konflik yang terdapat pada kedua tokoh yang ada pada novel berjudul Tuesdays with
Morrie, yang ditulis oleh Mitch Albom.
Penulis mengumpulkan dan menyeleksi kutipan-kutipan yang berasal dari novel
tersebut yang mana sesuai dengan faktor-faktor yang mengakibatkan konflik yang dialami
oleh tokoh utama di dalam novel tersebut, yaitu konflik eksternal dan internal.
Permasalahan yang akan diangkat dalam skripsi ini adalah analisis mengenai
konflik-konflik yang terjadi pada tokoh utama cerita dalam novel berjudul Tuesdays with
Morrie, yang ditulis oleh Mitch Albom. Dengan analisis tersebut maka akan didapati konflik
apa saja yang dialami oleh para tokoh utama dalam novel ini dan bagaimana penyelesaian
mereka tehadap konflik yang mereka hadapi.
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS………………………………………………… i
AUTHOR’S DECLARATION……………………………………………… iii
COPYRIGHT DECLARATION…………………………………………… iv
ABSTRAC…………………………………………………………………… v
TABLE OF CONTENTS…………………………………………………… vi
1. INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………… 1
1.1 The Background of the Analysis…………………………………… 1
1.2 The Problem of the Analysis...……………………………………… 3
1.3 The Purpose of the Analysis………………………………………… 4
1.4 The Scope of the Analysis………………………………………….. 4
1.5 The Method of the Analysis………………………………………… 5
1.6 Review of Related Research ……………………………………….. 5
2. THEORITICAL REVIEW…………………………………………… 7
2.1 Character…………………………………………………………… 7
2.1.1 The Main Characters…………………………………………… 10
2.1.2 The Minor Characters………………………………………….. 14
2.2 Conflict…………………………………………………………….. 18
2.2.1 Definition of Conflict………………………………………….. 19
2.2.2 Types of Conflicts……………………………………………… 20
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
3. METHODOLOGY………………………………………………….. 22
3.1 The Data Collecting Procedure…………………………………… 22
3.2 The Data Selecting Procedure……………………………………. 23
3.2 The Data Analyzing Procedure ………………………………….. 24
4. AN ANALYSIS OF MAIN CHARACTERS’ CONFLICTS FOUND IN
MITCH ALBOM’S TUESDAY WITH MORRIE…………………. 25
4.1 Internal Conflicts………………………………………………… 25
4.1.1 Morrie’s Internal Conflicts………………………………….. 26
4.1.2 Mitch’s Internal Conflicts…………………………………… 40
4.2 External Conflicts ……………………………………………….. 43
4.2.1 Morrie’s Conflict with Ted Koppel…………………………. 43
4.2.2 Morrie’s Conflict with Charlie ……………………………… 45
4.2.3 Morrie’s Conflict with Norman……………………………… 48
4.2.4 Mitch’s Conflict with Peter…………………………………. 49
5. CONLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS…………………………… 51
5.1 Conclusions………………………..…………………………….. 51
5.2 Suggestions………………………..…………………………….. 52
BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDIX:
BIOGRAPHY OF MITCH ALBOM
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1. Background of analysis
There have been various attempts to define what literature is. Literature can be
considered as a written imagination of what human thinking, it reflects the result as
the value of an art work. Generally, literature can be divided into fiction and
nonfiction. Novel, short story, drama and tales are included to the fiction works. On
the contrary, the nonfiction works are essay, history, autobiography and diary. In this
thesis a novel is used as the material of the discussion, which the novel itself belongs
to the literary work. According to Reeve (1785:26) states that:
“A novel is a picture of real and manners and of the time
in which it was written.”
From the quotation above, a novel seems as the portrayal of human life and
behavior in reality. On the other words, the novel tends to be the representative of the
activity of human real life, that concerns to many things and aspects such as:
ambition, feeling, emotion, desire, obstacles in life, problem, etc.
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
The novel which deals in this thesis is written by Mitch Albom entitle
Tuesdays with Morrie. The focus of this analysis is the conflict that faced by the main
characters in this novel. Meanwhile, the conflict itself according to Kenney (1966:19):
“The conflict with which fiction concern itself is of many kinds. A story may deal with a conflict within a single man, a conflict between man, a conflict between man and society, between man and nature, and so on.”
In reference to what Kenney says about the conflict above, I found that the
conflict encompasses both the obstacle which stands between a character and his/her
desire, and much of the process is influence the behavior of the character that the
character undergoes in overcoming it. The conflict of the character is limited into two
main types of conflicts; they are internal conflict and external conflict. The internal
conflict is more commonly referred to as “Man vs. Self” and, deals with a character
having to overcome something about his or her being that they are struggling with.
Meanwhile, the external conflict is a struggle with a force outside one's self, that is
include conflict between man, man and nature, man and society, etc. According to
Moskowits (1965:309):
“The conflict itself very close to frustrations stems for three sources: the inability to overcome obstacles in the psychical environment, the inability to overcome restrictions imposed by other people, and the inability to satisfy conflicting motives or to obtain incompatible goals.”
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
Finally, the research of this thesis focuses on the main characters’ conflict that
can be traced in the novel written by Mitch Albom entitle Tuesdays with Morrie, they
are Morrie Schwartz and Mitch Albom. That is included the external and the internal
conflicts, and to identify what are the conflicts that usually human must face in reality
life. This is the background as well as the reason why this thesis focus on the
analyzing the conflicts of the main characters in the thesis
2. Problem of Analysis
Referring to the explanation of the background of the analysis above, there is
some problems will be analyzed in this thesis:
1. How Morrie’s diseases changes his daily life then makes his life is so
difficult to get through?
2. How Morrie’s father treat him as his son but giving no affection and love
to him as a father suppose to give to his son?
3. How Mitch’s busy life that only focuses on business and work for money
makes him ignore everything, include his wife, brother, his dream and also
his promise?
4. How Mitch always tries to see his brother and keep in touch but his brother
always refuse?
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
3. Purpose of Analysis
The main character of the novel entitle Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
are Morrie Schwartz and Mitch Albom, the purpose of this analysis is to identify the
internal conflict of Morrie Schwartz and Mitch Albom, which the internal conflict that
found within themselves, and then to identify the external conflict of the two character
which deals with the conflict to the others characters, social, nature, and the outside
force.
4. Scope of Analysis
The analysis of this thesis is limited to internal and external conflict of the
main character from the novel. An internal conflict is suggest that a main character is
in conflict within himself, meanwhile the external means the main character is in
conflict with other character, social, natural, and outside force. Therefore, the scope of
the analysis is restricted to the main characters’ conflict as portrayed in this novel.
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
5. Method of Analysis
In composing this thesis and to analyze the conflict found from the main
characters in this novel. First of all, the novel written by Mitch Albom entitled
Tuesdays with Morrie is read, while identifying and marking the conflicts of the main
characters that found as the data from the novel that used as the data source to
analyze, then when the data is collected, the data will be selected to the most
significant data that will be used in this thesis based on the type of the conflicts in
order to ease the data analyzing procedure.
A library research is used to collect some data to support the analysis, finding
the related data to the research then narrowing the collecting data of the library
research to the related element which are about conflict and character.
6. Review of Related Literature
In supporting my analysis, I use some related books which are listed below:
1. Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing by Edgar Robert and
Henry E. Jacob (1955).
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
This book is about the detail explanation of kinds and genres of literature
and also discuss about the element of literature.
2. Teori Pengkajian Fiksi by Burhan Nurgiantoro (1998).
This book contain about the basic introduction of a fiction and the
elements of the fiction.
3. Understanding the Elements of Literature by Richard Taylor (1981).
This book is about the definition of the elements of literature and its
discussion which is very useful in supporting my thesis.
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
CHAPTER 2
THEORITICAL REVIEW
2.1 Character
Character is very important element in literary works such as novel, drama or
even poems. The character can be human, or even animal. In a novel, the character
usually dominated by human as the character, while the character in a novel has
his/her own personality equal to human. The personality of the character will lead the
character to act such emotional, behavioral, and all the logical things that deals with
the problems which be faced by the character. Therefore, the character of the novel
mostly has a value of a human in real life. The character according to Robert
(1993:20) states that:
“Characters are the person present in dramatics of narrative work, who are interpreted by reader as being endowed with the moral and dispositional qualities that are expressed in what they say in the dialogue and what they do in action.”
In a novel, the character can be defined as a verbal representative of human
being. Through their action, speech, description, and commentary, the authors
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
portrayed characters who are worth caring about rooting for, an even loving, although
there are also characters to be laughed, dislike or even hated, to quote Robert
(1993:131).
There can be simplified that the character in a novel is a description and a
representation of a person qualities. It can be shown by the creation of the characters
in a novel from their action, gesture, speech, and behavior, these term can be used by
the readers to identify the characters in a novel, because the character in a novel has
equal qualities as a person in real life. The attempt of the author describes the
characters in a narrative work known as a characterization. According to Di Yanni
(1990:36) states that:
“Characterization is the means by which the writers
present and reveal the characters.”
The author of the narrative work established the characterization by showing
two main distinctions as the alternative method for revealing the characters in a
narrative; they are indirect presentation or by showing and direct presentation or by
telling. In indirect presentation or by showing, the traits of the characters are revealed
by action and speech of the characters, the author presents the characters talking and
acting, this make the readers infer to what motives and disposition lie behind what the
characters say and do. In direct presentation or by telling, the characters are described
by the author, the narrator, or by other characters. They describe the motives and
dispositional qualities of the characters.
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
According to Robert (1995:135) there are five ways to disclose the characters
in a fiction:
1. Action: what the characters do is the best way to understand what the
characters are.
For example: “Once, he brought a tango tape and got them to play it over
the speaker. Then he commandeered the floor shooting back and forth like
some hot Latin lover.” Mitch (1997:6)
2. Description both personal and environmental: appearance and
environmental reveal much about character’s social and economic status,
and they also tell us more about character’s trait.
For example: “Soon the cameras were rolling in front of the living room
fireplace, with Koppel in his crisp blue suit and Morrie in his shaggy gray
sweater. He has refused fancy clothes or makeup for this interview.”
Mitch (1997:21)
3. Dramatic statements and thoughts: the speeches of the most characters are
functional and essential to keep the story moving along, they provide
material from which the readers can draw conclusions.
For example: Rob was kissing Morrie on the forehead, and Morrie was
laughing with his eyes closed. “Would I do it again?” he said to me,
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
looking surprised. “Mitch, I would not have missed that experience for
anything even though…” He swallowed and put the picture in his
lap.”Even though there is a painful price to pay,” he said. Mitch
(1997:93)
4. Statements by other characters: by studying what the characters say about
each other, the readers can enhance their understanding of the character
being discussed.
For example: “Mitch says that you are a professional singer.” “Yes”,
Janine said. “He says you’re great.” Mitch (1997:146)
5. Statements by the author speaking or storyteller or observer: what the
author speaking with the authorial voice, says about a character is usually
accurate and the authorial voice can be accepted factually.
For example: “Morrie’s father, whom everyone called Charlie, had come
to America to escaped the Russian army. He worked in the fur business,
but was constantly out of a job. Uneducated and barely able to speak
English, he was terribly poor, and the family was on public assistance
much of the time.” Mitch (1997:74)
2.1.1 The Main Characters
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
In reading the novel, usually the author will present several characters for the
reader that will appear in the novel when the reader read the entire story of the novel.
However, all the characters that the author of the novel present to the reader has
different function and role to each characters that the author created in a story.
Occasionally, there are some characters may dominate the entire story, and the other
characters may not. The characters whose appearance is the most frequently appear in
the story usually hold the most important part of the story in the novel, and their traits
as the center of the action and the theme of the story. These characters are called as
the main characters.
Here are list and short analysis of the main characters of the novel written by
Mitch Albom entitled Tuesdays with Morrie, which the novel is being analyzed in this
thesis:
1. Morrie Schwartz
Morrie, to whom the title of the novel refers, spent most of his life as a
sociology professor at Brandeis University. He continues to teach as long as he can
even after being diagnosed with ALS. He is an excellent teacher, and retires only after
he begins to lose control of his body to ALS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also
known as Lou Gherig's disease. The disease ravages his body, but, ironically, leaves
his mind as lucid as ever. He realizes that he is dying and learned to accept his death;
he wanted to share his philosophies, on the meaning of life, with the world. He is
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
successful in two ways, through the “Nightline” show with Ted Koppel and through
Mitch Albom and this novel. He and Mitch met every Tuesday to do their “final
thesis” together, which was published into Tuesdays With Morrie.
One of Morrie’s signature characteristics is his ability to draw human sprit and
genuine emotion from everyone he befriends. He even draws tears out of Ted Koppel
who is a thick-skinned national celebrity, after they are done filming the last interview
for the “Nightline” show. Morrie believes that love and compassion are crucial
methods of communication. He is determined to see Mitch return to his caring self
that he was in college when in Morrie’s class. He sees that Mitch has surrendered his
sense of self to the beliefs of popular culture, and urges him to reclaim the kind,
caring young man he once was at Brandeis. In telling Mitch stories of his life
experiences and personal beliefs, he teaches him to reject the corrupt mores endorsed
by popular culture in favor of his personal, ethical system of values. He does not
immerse himself in the media as most of America does, but instead invests himself in
people and their potential to love.
During their meetings, he tells Mitch stories about his life and about his
personal beliefs; he teaches him to reject popular cultural beliefs and to create his own
values based on compassion and what he can offer others. Through their weeks
together Morrie is also successful at drawing emotion out of Mitch; during their last
lesson, as they are hugging goodbye, Morrie sees Mitch begin to cry.
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
Morrie is adamant about rejecting popular cultural norms and values and
maintaining his own. He has learned to accept his death and manages to continue
offering love and compassion until he dies.
Morrie also accepts and does not become ashamed of his disabilities. When he
becomes so sick and can no longer do his daily tasks without help from others, he
embraces this and enjoys feeling like an infant or a child. Since he was so deprived of
love in his childhood, he now thrives on the affection and love of others, which is
usually the case when we are all infants who are solely dependent on our family. It’s
as if he has returned to his childhood and he thrives on the love and physical affection
provided by his friends and family.
2. Mitch Albom
Mitch is a sports writer who gave up his dream of becoming a musician for a
dreams of material wealth and professional success. Since his college graduation he
has become very disillusioned and has since devoted his life to money and success.
He works most days and nights dedicating little time to himself or his wife. When the
union for the Detroit newspaper goes on strike, he finds himself for the first time,
without steady work or paycheck. Since his visits with Morrie and the strike, he
becomes very frustrated with his career decisions, materialistic mentality and the way
he treats his relationships. Through his meetings with Morrie, he realizes that he must
change this life in which he thought he was happy. He wants another chance to
reassess his values and priorities so that he can create a fulfilling life for himself
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
before it is too late.
Through his meetings with Morrie, he has learned how much of his life he has
wasted consumed in his work. After listening to Morrie’s philosophies Mitch finds his
life quite meaningless. As he watches Morrie inch closer to his death each week,
Mitch sees what he must change in his life: he wishes to die knowing that he has lived
his life to the fullest, that he has loved and forgiven himself as well as others and to
have no regrets. Morrie helps him see the man who he wishes to become; he would
like to value love instead of money and accept people over pop-culture and media
gossip. Morrie was successful at penetrating Mitch’s ignorance and allows Mitch to
see life in a whole new perspective.
2.1.2 The Minor Characters
The minor characters can be defined as the supporting characters of the major
characters that their function is to illuminate the major characters. The appearance of
minor characters is usually infrequently, it is so much different from the appearance
of the main characters in the story who always dominate for the entire story. The
minor characters role are also seems not important as the role of the main characters,
although the minor characters sometimes related to the major characters directly.
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
Here are list and short analysis of the minor characters of the novel written by
Mitch Albom entitled Tuesdays with Morrie, which the novel is being analyzed in this
thesis:
1. Peter
Mitch's younger brother, Peter lives in Spain after having moved to Europe
immediately after graduating from high school. He is now suffering from pancreatic
cancer, and flies to various European cities seeking treatment. However, he
continually refuses to accept help from his family, namely from Mitch, as he has, for
the most part, estranged himself from them after his departure from the United States.
He does not want help from Mitch or any other member of his family presumably
because he has too much pride to accept it. Growing up, he earned a reputation as the
family bad boy, as where Mitch had been the family's clean-cut, straight-A student.
Mitch's brother is a man who does not want help from a family he has deserted, and
who feels that he must prove himself and his independence to them.
Much like Mitch had during his college years at Brandeis, Peter protects
himself with a thick veneer of toughness. He has not asked for help from his family
since his high school graduation, and has no intention of doing so as an adult. When
Mitch contacts him, he is very reluctant to reestablish a relationship with his brother,
and leaves a curt message that he is doing just fine and does not need anyone else's
help. He also reminds Mitch that he does not want to talk about his illness. But as
Mitch learns from Morrie, everyone, to some degree, needs other people to survive,
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
thus the quote by Auden which Morrie recites numerous times during his lessons with
Mitch, "Love or perish." Despite his fierce independence and refusal of help, Peter
also needs the love of friends and family to survive his cancer. He realizes this after
Mitch is persistent in his attempts to speak with him. Mitch does not contact his
brother so that he may pity or dote on him because of his cancer, but because he wants
to rekindle some aspect of the loving relationship they shared as children.
2. Charlie
Morrie's dispassionate father who immigrated to America to escape the
Russian Army. Charlie raises his children on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and
works in the fur business, though he seldom finds jobs and earns barely enough
money to feed his family. He shows Morrie and his brother David little attention, and
no affection whatsoever, and insists that Morrie keep his mother's death a secret from
David, as he wants his son to believe that his stepmother, Eva, is his biological
mother. He dies after having run away from muggers and Morrie must travel to New
York to identify his body at the city morgue.
3. Charlotte
Morrie's caring wife, who at his insistence, keeps her job as a professor at
M.I.T. throughout Morrie's illness.
4. David
Morrie's younger brother who, after their mother's death, is sent with Morrie to
a small hotel in the woods of Connecticut. There, he develops polio, seemingly just
after he and Morrie have spent a night frolicking outside in the rain. Although his
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
paralysis has nothing to do with their night in the rain, Morrie blames himself for
David's paralysis.
5. Rob and Jon
Morrie's two adult sons who, though they live far, often travel to Boston to
visit Morrie, especially as his condition worsen.
6. Norman
An old friend of Morrie's who he has long been estranged from. He had been
an artist, and had sculpted a bust of Morrie, a deft depiction of his features. He
eventually moved away, and shortly thereafter, did not send his regards to Morrie or
Charlotte although he knew that Charlotte would be undergoing a serious surgery.
Because of his carelessness, Morrie forfeits his friendship with him and refuses to
accept his apology, which he regrets, especially after his death a few years following
their break up.
7. Ted Koppel
One of the most famous living television interviewers, Koppel conducts three
interviews with Morrie for the news show "Nightline." He is surprised when Morrie
asks him personal questions just after they have met, though he immediately seems to
like Morrie, and eventually grows to call him a friend. He is moved almost to tears
during his last interview with Morrie, having deconstructed what Morrie had called
his "narcissistic" television personality.
8. Maurie Stein
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
A good friend of Morrie's who sends some of Morrie's aphorisms to a Boston
Globe reporter who eventually publishes a feature story on Morrie. The reporter's
article prompts Ted Koppel to ask Morrie for an interview.
9. Eva
The kind, caring immigrant woman who Charlie marries after Morrie's mother
dies. She gives Morrie and his brother David the love and affection they have so
longed for, and instills in Morrie his love of books and desire for education.
10. Connie
Morrie's home health aide who is always there to assist Morrie in going to the
bathroom, getting into his chair, and eating his meals. She is in disbelief when O.J.
Simpson is voted not guilty by the court jury.
11. Janine
Mitch's patient wife who willingly takes a phone call from Morrie, whom she
has never met, and insists upon joining Mitch on his next Tuesday visit. Although she
usually does not sing upon request, she does for Morrie, and moves him to tears with
her beautiful voice.
12. Al Axelrad
A rabbi from Brandeis and a long-time friend of Morrie's. He performs
Morrie's funeral service.
13. Tony
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
Morrie's home care worker who helps him in and out of his swimming suit.
2.2 Conflict
Conflict is necessary to every fiction works; there is usually one major
conflict. In stories, there could be several conflicts. Conflict adds excitement and
suspense to a story. The conflict usually becomes clear to the beginning of a story. As
the plot unfolds, the reader starts to wonder what will happen next and how the
characters will handle the situation. Many readers enjoy trying to predict the final
outcome.
The excitement usually builds to a high point, or climax. The climax is the
turning point of the story. Something has happened to resolve the conflict.
Conflict is also the essential part to the plot, without conflict there will be no
plot. The plot is how the author arranges events to develop his basic idea. It is the
sequence of events in a story or play. The plot is a planned, logical series of events
having a beginning, middle, and end. The story usually has one plot so it can be read
in all at once. The conflict triggers the order of the plot to move to the next order of
the plot, so the movement of the order of the plot is determined by conflict in a story,
especially in novel.
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
2.2.1 The Definition of Conflict
Conflict occurs when a man fails to fulfill his desire. It is natural to human
since they have to face the obstacles that lie between their desires and their goals or
dreams, and when the satisfaction of human’s desires is rather impossible to reach that
is the moment when human undergo the conflict. The conflict of the human happened
because human has a limited and restricted capacity to satisfy most of his need. When
human endure the conflict, this can cause human to react and brings out the extremes
of human energy, human may take action, decision, response, and interactions toward
the conflict which they are facing.
In a fiction works, conflict of the characters occurs between the characters and
also between the characters against the outside force. They include the conflict of one
individual against another individual, the conflict between an individual against the
outside forces such as: nature (disaster), community, society, culture and behavior,
ideas, etc. Conflict also can be happened in one individual against himself, this
conflict is when the character experience by some kind of inner conflict. According to
Robert (1995: 1694) states that the conflict is:
“The opposition between two characters, between large group of people, or between protagonist and larger forces such as natural objects, ideas, modes of behavior, public opinion, and the like. Conflict may also be internal and psychological.”
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
In conclusion, the conflict generally divided into two types, they are the
external conflict which includes the conflict against human and outside force, and
then the internal conflict which concern to the inner conflict.
2.2.2 Types of Conflicts
Based on the discussion above, it can be conclude that the types of conflicts
can be divided into two categories; they are the internal conflict and the external
conflict. The internal conflict is known as a struggle within one's self; a person must
make some decision, overcome problem, quiet their temper, resist an urge, respond
the idea, against a mode or behavior, and the like. This struggle that takes place in a
character's mind called internal conflict. For example, a character may have to decide
between right and wrong or between two solutions to a problem. Sometimes, the
character must deal with his or her own mixed feelings or emotions.
The internal conflict is more commonly referred to as “man vs. self”, as the
name suggests, it deals with a character having to overcome and change something
about his or her being that they are struggling against what they have in mind.
Common types of internal conflicts include overcoming fears, will, and ego-flaws.
These types of conflicts are often difficult to pin down and rely heavily on emotion.
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
On the other hand, the external conflict is the struggle of the character against
the force from outside. There are several kinds of these external conflicts that the
character might face. First, the character against another character, this is happen
when the character is in conflict with another character, the most common form of
this kind of conflict is when the protagonist character against the antagonist character.
Second, the character against the society, this conflict is occur when the character
have the opposing and different thinking about ideas, culture, modes, opinions from
the most common people have in the society. Third, the character against the nature
force, this conflict will be faced by the character when the character has to face such a
natural phenomena or disaster, for example, when the character has to endure the
disaster from the natural force.
CHAPTER 3
METHODOLOGY
In order to gather and compose the data in this thesis, the library research is
applied as the method of the analysis in this thesis. The relevant data that found as the
source of the idea which support to the topic being discus in this thesis all are
collected and then applied in finishing this thesis.
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
3.1 The Data Collecting Procedure
Referring to the library research as the method of analysis in collecting the
data for this thesis, this thesis obtained the supporting data from several books as the
sources of the data, the primary source of the data acquired from the novel which is
being discus in this thesis, which is that novel is written by Mitch Albom entitled
Tuesdays With Morrie, this novel as the primary source of the data that this thesis
used to obtain the conflicts found from the main characters to analyze. Then the
secondary data is drawn from others books as the references which the books are the
most concerned about the conflict in the fiction work especially novel.
Several steps are applied in the data collecting procedure for this thesis.
Firstly, the data acquisition from the novel is gathered by reading the novel. The
entire novel is read while identifying the conflicts found from the main characters
based on the conflict definition itself, then marked the conflicts that found in the
novel in order to ease in classifying which types the conflicts found from the main
characters belong to, whether it is the external conflicts or the internal conflicts.
Secondly, the secondary data are gathered from several books that related to the topic
of this thesis. The related books that concern to the subject matter being analyzed are
used as the source of idea to support the analysis of this thesis and also to give
additional information and statement that can be drawn for this thesis, the important
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
and the relevant information from these books are marked and underlined so that it
can be used to support the analysis of this thesis, these books finally also used as the
references for this thesis.
3.2 The Data Selecting Procedure
When all the data and information that related to the topic of this thesis are
collected, then it will be selected to the most significant data that will be used in the
process of finishing this thesis. In this step, the conflicts of the main characters that
found as the primary data for this thesis are classified according to the types of the
conflict based on the motif of the conflict, so that the data analyzing in this thesis will
be easier to describe. Meanwhile, the data and information found from the related
books will be drawn to this thesis in order to support the analysis in this thesis.
3.3 The Data Analyzing Procedure
The data analyzing procedure is applied when all the primary data from the
novel is collected and selected, as the data from the novel is in a form of written text,
which concern about the classification of conflicts found from the main characters
that has been chosen to the most significant data, then the data will be interpreted and
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
to be brought into this thesis as the subject matter of the analysis, that is the main
characters conflict found from the novel. Next, the analysis will be stated by
explaining the conflict of the main characters based on the definition and the
classification of the conflict as descriptions above which reflected in Mitch Albom’s
Tuesdays with Morrie.
CHAPTER 4
AN ANALYSIS OF MAIN CHARACTERS’ CONFLICTS FOUND IN
MITCH ALBOM’S TUESDAY WITH MORRIE
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
The main discussion of this topic is focus on the main characters conflict.
Based on the classification of the conflicts, there are two main types of conflict; the
external conflict and the internal conflict. So this chapter will be identified and
analyzed the conflict of the main characters found from the novel written by Mitch
Albom entitled Tuesdays with Morrie.
4.1 Internal Conflicts
The internal conflicts from the main characters in the novel written by Mitch
Albom entitled Tuesdays with Morrie can be found from two main characters in this
novel, they are Morrie Schwartz and Mitch Albom. The dominant internal conflicts in
this novel is dominated by Morrie as one of the main character, that his struggle
against the diseases from which he is suffering, he got asthma and amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, a kind of brutal illness
of the neurological system. Meanwhile as for Mitch, his main conflict of this story is
how he overcomes his materialistic life. This is an internal conflict because Mitch is
struggling with himself on how to live a good life. He learns not to live his life with
full of money and fame, but to live with his own interests and do the good things for
the others people’s mind as how Morrie taught him before.
4.1.1 Morrie’s Internal Conflicts
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
The internal conflicts of Morrie begin with his symptoms of asthma when he
is sixty years old. This is the first conflict that he encountered. This conflict can be
identified from the quotation from the novel below.
“He developed asthma in his sixties. His breathing became labored. One day he was walking along the Charles River, and a cold burst of wind left him choking for air. He was rushed to the hospital and injected with adrenaline”. Mitch (1997:6)
The quotation shows that when Morrie was walking along the Charles River,
he got trouble to breath because of his symptoms of asthma. Then, from of the very
cold weather makes the air felt so cold so that he choked for the air when he breathes.
From his agony, the people around take him to the hospital immediately to get the
first aid, and he injected with adrenaline.
The next Morrie’s conflicts occurred when he felt that something wrong with
him, he becomes weary easily, and it is not because of his old age but he convinced
that there must be something serious is not right about him. This conflict is shown by
the quotation below.
”But Morrie, who was always more in touch with his insides then the rest of us, knew something wrong was wrong. This was more than old age. He was weary all the time. He had trouble sleeping. He dreamt he was lying.
He began to see doctors. Lots of them. They tested his blood. They tested his urine. They put a scope up his rear end and looked inside his intestines. Finally, when nothing could be found, one doctor ordered a muscle
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
biopsy, taking a small piece out of Morrie’s calf. The lab report came back suggesting a neurological problem, and Morrie was brought in for yet another series of tests. In one of those tests, he sat in a special seat as they zapped him with electrical current-an electric chair, of shorts-and studied his neurological responses.” Mitch (1997:6)
The quotation above shows that he is worries about himself, something terrific
about him that he had in mind gives him difficulty to be able to sleep, even that he has
a dream about his death. Then, he tries to find out what is going on with him by
consulting to some doctors he know. Finally, after consulting to one of the doctors,
comes a result from laboratory tests, the doctor found that he got a problem with his
neurological system. Then he must face another test to find out what exactly the
illness which he is suffers.
Morrie’s worry finally reveal by hearing the result of the test from the doctor,
surely he heard the news with a great shock and panic that he suffer a deadly disease
which is an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
This part can be shown as the quotation below.
“We need to check this further.” The doctor said, looking over his result. “Why?” Morrie asked. “What is it?” “We are not sure. Your times are slow.”His times were slow? What did that mean?
Finally, on a hot, humid day in August 1994, Morrie and his wife, Charlotte, went to neurologist’s office, and he asked them to sit before he broke the news: Morrie
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Lou Gehrig’s disease, a brutal, unforgiving illness of the neurological system.
There was no known cure.
“How did I get it?” Morrie asked. Nobody knew “Is it terminal?”Yes. “So I’m going to die?”Yes you are, the doctor said. I’m very sorry. Mitch (1997:7)
The amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) that Morrie suffer is still unknown the
motive why and how Morrie get this brutal illness. The amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
(ALS) will damage all the human nerves step by step until that person die. Morrie is
very shock to hear the laboratory tests result, by knowing that this illness makes his
life shorter than he ever imagine, because he is going to die soon.
Morrie is suffering a lot from this illness. He then confuses of what to do next,
what he has to do before his death. While he is searching for the answer, he lives his
life with so many changing that could even make his life more difficult and even
worse. This statement is identified from the quotation of the novel below.
“As my professor searched for answer, the disease took him over, day by day, week by week. He backed the car out of garage one morning and could barely push the brakes. That was the end of his driving.
He kept tripping, so he purchased a cane. That was the end of his walking free.
He went for his regular swim at the YMCA, but found he could no longer undress himself. So he hired his first home care worker-a theology student named Tony-who
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
help him in and out of the pool, and in and out of his bathing suit. In the locker room, the other swimmers pretended not to stare. They started anyhow. That was the end of his privacy.” Mitch (1997:8)
Morrie’s life is almost changing a lot, and his illness affect so much to his
daily activities. Started from driving his car and he can no longer drives his own car,
to have a walk by his foot freely, but now he should walk with a cane, even that the
worst part he couldn’t undress himself for his regular swimming at YCMA, yet by
helping from a theology student named Tony.
Soon Morrie finds out that his life is about to come to an end, the statement
from the doctor explained how this amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) kill Morrie
from the inside. The probability of what this disease would do toward Morrie’s body,
it will destroy is body step by step, and finally the doctor analyze how much time
does this amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) need to devour all of his body. This is
can be shown from the quotation below.
“ALS is like a lit candle: it melts your nerves and leaves your body a pile of wax. Often, it begins with the legs and works its way up. You lose control of your tight muscles, so that you cannot support yourself standing. You lose control of your trunk muscles, so that you cannot sit up straight. By the end, if you are still alive, you are breathing through a tube in a hole in your throat, while your soul, perfectly awake, is imprisoned inside a limp husk, perhaps able to blink, or cluck a tongue, like something from a science fiction movie, the man frozen inside his own flesh. This take no more than five years from the day you contract the disease.
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
Morrie’s doctors guessed he had two years left.
Morrie knew it was less.” Mitch (1997:9)
From the quotation above, it shows that the doctor consider Morrie’s time is
almost over, it is about two years left. Although Morrie knows that it was less than
two years.
Morrie’s disease now become a real serious problem to his daily activity, by
the first time since he get this amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) he unable to walk
freely from his muscle of legs is lose control, the doctor then suggest that he use a
cane to support him, but now, the condition is even worst that he should use a walker
to help him because the cane is no longer enough. His body also weakened than
before, to go to the bathroom back and forth is too exhausting for him. This is
described by the quotation below.
“One day, using his cane, he stepped onto the curb and fell over into the street. The cane was exchanged for a walker. As his body weakened the back and forth to the bathroom became too exhausting, so Morrie began to urinate into a large beaker. He had to support himself as he did this, meaning someone had to hold the beaker while Morrie fill it.
Most of us would be embarrassed by all this, especially at Morrie’s age. But Morrie was not like most of us, when some of his close colleagues would visit, he would say to them, “Listen, I have to pee. Would you mind helping? Are you okay with that?” Mitch (1997:11)
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
The quotation above explain that Morrie gets himself to fell over the street
when he walk with his cane, then he replace the cane with a walker, because the cane
is no longer support him to walk, as his body weakened and become weary easily. He
could not reach the bathroom back and forth, so that he uses a large beaker to urinate.
Now he should try to not to be embarrass when he asked his friend to help him while
he urinate.
The worst part of the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) could do to Morrie
as he never wanted become true, now Morrie’s legs were dead. His legs were useless
now. He no longer walks from some place to place by his legs. He should spend his
days all the time in his wheelchair. This statement is supported by the quotation
below.
“Morrie was in a wheelchair full-time now, getting used to helpers lifting him like a heavy sack from the chair to the bed and the bed to the chair. He had begun to chough while eating, and chewing was a chore. His legs were dead; ho would never walk again.” Mitch (1997:18)
It shows that Morrie now could do nothing to move himself to anywhere.
Since his legs were dead by the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), now he uses his
helpers to lift him from chair to bad and from the bad to chair. This is one of the
difficult parts he must get trough from suffering amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
One day, Morrie has a conversation with Mitch talking about how he is going
to die. Morrei explain to Mitch how does it feel when the amyotrophic lateral
sclerosis (ALS) and also his asthma will finish his life over. It can be seen from
quotation below.
“I shot a glance at my watch-force of habit- it was getting late and I thought about changing my plane reservation home. Then Morrie did something that haunts me to this day. “You know how I’m going to die?”He said
I raised my eyebrows.
“I’m going to suffocate. Yes. My lungs, because of my asthma, can’t handle the disease. It’s moving up my body, this ALS. It’s already got my legs. Pretty soon it’ll get my arms and hands. And when it hits my lungs…”
He shrugged his shoulders. “…I’m sunk.”
I had no idea what to say, so I said, “well, you know, I mean…you never know.” Mitch (1997:36)
Morrie explain to Mitch how he is going to die because of his asthma. It
makes him hard to breath, and the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) he suffered
makes him even harder to breath until it attack his lungs, and Morrie already know
what will happen after that. Morrie gives a picture of imagination as a person who
choking for air from runs out of oxygen, just like a drowning person.
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
It seems that the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) of which Morrie suffered
is not the only threat for him which will end his life, but also his asthma which is also
dangerous illness that could end his life anytime. This quotation shows a little test to
examine the ability of the lungs.
Morrie closed his eyes.
“I know, Mitch. You mustn’t be afraid of my dying. I’ve had a good life, and we all know it’s going to happen. I maybe have four or five months.” Come on, I said nervously. Nobody can say-
“I can,” he said softly. “There’s even a little test. A doctor shows me.” A test? “Inhale a few times.” I did as he said. “Now, once more, but this time, when you exhale, count as many numbers as you can before you take another breath.” I quickly exhale the numbers. “One-two-three-four-five-seven-eight…” I reached seventy before my breath was gone. “Good,” Morrie said. “You have healthy lungs. Now, watch what I do.” He inhaled, then began his number count in a soft, wobbly voice. “One-two-three-four-five-seven-eight-nine-ten-eleven-twenty-thirteen-fourteen-fiveteen-sixteen-seventeen-eightteen—“He stopped, gasping for air. “When the doctor first asked me to do this, I could reach twenty-three. Now it’s eighteen.” He closed his eyes, shook his head. “My tank is almost empty.” Mitch (1997:37)
The quotation shows that Morrie performed a simple test to analyze the ability
of the lungs to breath. He first asked Mitch to do that simple test, and then he does the
same test. Finally, he compares the result of their test, as the result shows that Mitch
still has a good lungs, but the fact that Morrie’s lungs is the contrary to Mitch’s lungs.
This is because of the asthma that Morrie suffered.
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
Morrie’s diseases are now developed very fast, as he always visited by his
beloved student Mitch every Tuesdays. By visiting Morrie often, Mitch then realizes
that Morrie’s diseases has progress so fast, this makes Mitch feels so sad to see
Morrie’s condition. Morrie’s condition as observed by Mitch is shown by the
quotation below.
“Meanwhile, I looked for his sings for the disease’s progression. His fingers worked well enough to write with a pencil, or hold up his glasses, but he could not lift his arms much higher than his chest. He was spending less and less time in the kitchen or living room and more in his study, where he had a large reclining chair set up with pillows, blankets, and specially cut pieces of foam rubber that held his feet and gave support to his withered legs. He kept a bell near his side, and when his head needed adjusting or he had to “go on the commode,” as he referred to it, he would shake the bell and Connie, Tony, Bertha, or Amy-his small army of home care workers—would come in. It wasn’t always easy for him to lift the bell, and he got frustrated when he couldn’t make it work.” Mitch (1997:56)
Now, the activities that Morrie could do is only the easy ones, he is powerless
now.
Morrie’s condition that always getting worst time by time obviously makes
Morrie feels sorry for himself. This horrible amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) soon
will take over his whole body. This quotation below shows that one morning he is
crying for himself. He afraid if loses some parts of his body, just like his legs that has
been took over by the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
“Sometimes, in the morning.” He said. “That’s when I mourn. I feel around my body, I move my fingers and my hands—whatever I can still move—and I mourn what I’ve lost. I mourn the slow, insidious way in which I’m dying. But then I stop mourning.” Mitch (1997:56)
From the quotation above shows that in one morning he wakes up, he feel
gloomy. He is afraid if some part of his body is missing again, that he could no longer
can uses.
Someday, when Morrie is having an interview and talk with Ted Koppel, it
can be seen clearly that the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) now influence his
movement so much, and he can hardly to speak. The quotation below shows how
Morrie’s condition during his interview.
“As he spoke, it becomes obvious. He was not waving his hands to make a point as freely as he had in their first conversation. He had trouble pronouncing certain words—the l sound seemed to get caught in his throat. In a few more months, he might no longer speak at all.” Mitch (1997:70)
Morrie’s story about his life now been published by the TV show, that is the
“Nightline” hosted by the famous interviewer, Ted Koppel in ABC-TV channel, so
sometimes Ted Koppel and his crew visits Morrie’s house for interview.
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
The asthma, of which Morrie suffered, now is already on the top of its critical
stage. Sometimes Morrie gets trouble to swallow air to breath. This condition forces
him to an Oxygen machine to help him breathing. This can be showed from the
quotation below.
“Here in Morrie’s office, life went on one precious day at a time. Now we sat together, a few feet from the newest addition to the house: an oxygen machine. It was small and portable, about knee-high. On some nights, when he couldn’t get enough air to swallow, Morrie attached the long plastic tubing to his nose, clamping in his nostrils like a leech. I hate the idea of Morrie connected to a machine of any kind, and I tried not to look at it as Morrie spoke.” Mitch (1997:80)
The oxygen machine helps Morrie to breath, when the oxygen of his
surrounding is insufficient for him to breath, he attach his nose with a long plastic
pipe which connected to the oxygen machine. Mitch does not seem like to see this
view.
Morrie is not only having trouble when he is breath, but also he has trouble
with his food. All the food which Mitch brought if he visits Morrie is only stored in
refrigerator. This part can be seen when Mitch visits Morrie’s house and meet
Charlotte, Morrie’s wife.
“I lifted up the bags from the market—my normal food supply, I said jokingly—and she seemed to smile and fret at the same time. “There’s already so much food. He hasn’t eaten any from last week.” This took me by surprised. He hasn’t eaten any, I asked? She opened the refrigerator and I saw familiar containers of chicken
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
salad, vermicelli, vegetables, stuffed squash, all things I had brought for Morrie. She opened the freezer and there was even more. “Morrie can’t eat most of this food. It’s too hard for him to swallow. He has to eat soft things and liquid drinks now.” Mitch (1997:100)
Charlotte explains to Mitch that his husband could not eat most of the food
which he gives. Morrie should eat soft food and liquid drinks. This is because the
regular food is very hard for Morrie to chew and swallow.
Finally, Morrie’s struggling against his amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is
come to an end with Morrie’s surrender. Now he could do nothing about his daily
activity. Started from the most personal and basic things. He depend on the others
help, this can be shown from the quotation below.
“Morrie lost his battle. Someone was now wiping his behind. He faced this with typically brave acceptance. No longer able to reach behind him when he used the commode, he informed of Connie of his latest limitation. “Would you be embarrassed to do it for me?” She said no. I found it typical that he asked first. It took some getting used to, Morrie admitted, because it was, in a way, complete surrender to the disease. The most personal and basic things had now been taken from him—going to the bathroom, wiping his nose, washing his private parts. With the exception of breathing and swallowing his food, he was dependent on the others for nearly everything.” Mitch (1997:115)
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
Morrie now is no longer struggling against the disease. He finally completely
surrenders. He reached the stages just like he ever imagine before, that is someone has
to take care of all his most personal and basic thing.
As for Morrie’s asthma is already on its critical phrase, now He even get
trouble to get lose the poison liquid from his lungs, and then as the quotation below,
shows that how the physical therapist teach Mitch to help Morrie to lose the liquid
from his lungs.
“Hit him harder.” I slapped Morrie’s back. “Harder.” I slapped him again. “Near his shoulders… now down lower.” Morrie, dressed in pajama bottoms, lay in bed on his side, his head flush against the pillow, his mouth open. The physical therapist was showing me how to bang loose the poison in his lungs—which he needed done regularly now, to keep it from solidifying, to keep him breathing.” Mitch (1997:152)
Mitch has to slap Morrie’s back softly in order to help Morrie to get lose the
poison liquid from his lungs. This should be done regularly, from avoiding the
solidifying to keep him breathing.
Morrie also has to use morphine in order to ease him to breath. It can be seen
from the quot ation from the novel below.
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
“Charlotte came down the hall and hugged me she said that Morrie was still sleeping, even though it was 10 A.M. We went into the kitchen. I helped her straighten up, noticing all the bottles of the pills, lined up on the table, a small army of brown plastic soldiers with white caps. My old professor was taking morphine now to ease his breathing.” Mitch (1997:182)
Finally, this is the hardest part of Morrie from suffering the amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis (ALS) and asthma. This is not about his condition, not about the
difficulty of how he must breath, but it is about how he should leave his beloved
student and says farewell. This quotation shows Morrie’s conversation with Mitch,
and saying good bye.
I pulled the covers down and grasped his fingers. They disappeared inside my own. I leaned in a close, a few inches from his face. It was the first time I had seen him unshaven, the small white whiskers looking so out of place, as it someone had shaken salt neatly across his cheek and chin. How could there be new life in his beard when it was draining everywhere else? Morrie, I said softly. “Coach,” He corrected. Coach, I said, I felt a shiver. He spoke in short bursts, inhaling air, exhaling words. His voice was thin and raspy. He smelled of ointment. “You… are a good soul.” A good soul. “Touched me…” He whispered. He moved my hands to his heart. “Here.” It felt as if I had a pit in my throat. Coach? “Ahhh?” I don’t know how to say good-bye. He patted my hand weakly, keeping it on his chest. “This …is how we say… good-bye…” He breathed softly, in and out, I could feel his ribcage rise and fall. Then he looked right at me. “Love …you,” he rasped. I love you too coach. “Know you do… know… something… else…” What else do you know? “You … always have…” His eyes got small, and ten he cried, his face contorting like a baby who hasn’t figured how his tear ducts work.”
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
This conversation between Morrie and Mitch is their last conversation and
also the last lesson that Mitch earn from Morrie. Then, soon after that meeting, Morrie
is gone forever. He died on Saturday morning.
4.1.2 Mitch’s Internal Conflicts
The internal conflict that Mitch encountered is his materialistic life, and also
most of the time Mitch always unable to keep his promises. Morrie taught him a lot of
things, one of them just to love life. Mitch now appreciates things, and takes the time
to be with others. He tries to correct some of the things he did in his life, or didn’t do.
In the graduation day, Mitch actually promised to his professor Morrie to
always keep in touch. But the fact that until the day he saw Morrie on the “Nightline”
TV shows, he never gives a contact to morrie. It is shown from this scene about Mitch
confession below.
“At this point, I should explain what had happened to e since the summer day when I last hugged my dear and wise professor, and promised to keep in touch. I did not keep in touch. In fact, I lost contact with most of the people I knew in college, including my beer-drinking friends and the first woman I ever woke up with in the morning. The years after graduation hardened me into
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
someone quite different from the strutting graduate who left campus that day headed for New York City, ready to offer the world his talent.” Mitch (1997:14)
The quotation above shows that Mitch not only lost contact with Morrie, but
also with most of his friend from college. But still Mitch had broken his promise with
Morrie by not giving Morrie a call.
Mitch also failed to make his dream come true, his dream began when he met
a woman named Janine and then Mitch married Janine after seven years in
relationship. His dream was to start a family with his wife. But that never happen.
Mitch was drowned with his own success and became too busy with all his work. The
failure of Mitch of reaching his wife dream can be shown from the quotation below.
“I met a dark-haired woman named Janine who somehow loved me despite y schedule and the constant absence. We married after a seven years courtship. I was back to work a week after the wedding. I told her and myself that we would one day start a family, something she wanted very much. But that day never come. Instead, I buried myself in accomplishments, because with accomplishments, I believe I could control things.” Mitch (1997:16)
In this scene, Mitch explains what his life has changed to since college. He no
longer wants to follow himself and be a musician. He is obsessed with the money and
fame of his career, and thinks that he could control things with money.
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
Mitch as always, he was very busy with all of his work and all of his
accomplishments, then he ignores people surrounding, as if the only thing he has
mind was his works.
“As for Morrie? Well, I thought about him now and then, the things he had taught me about “being human” and “relating to the others,” but it was always in the distance, as if from another life. Over the years, I threw away any mail that came from Brandies University, figuring they were only asking for money. So I did not know of Morrie’s illness. The people who might have told were long forgotten, their phone numbers buried in some packed-away box in the attic.” Mitch (1997:17)
Mitch failed to be a better person who cares with other. He failed to apply the
lesson that Morrie taught him in his life that is to be a person with love and to care
about people we love and the people around.
Mitch apparently always failed to keep his promises, not only his promise with
Morrie, but also his promise to himself. This quotation below shows how Mitch
finally realizes that he broke his promise.
Yet here Morrie talking with the wonder of our college years, as if I’d simply been on a long vacation
“Have you found someone to share your heart with?” he asked.
“Are you giving to your community?
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
“Are you at peace with yourself?
“Are you trying to be as human as you can be?
I squirmed, wanting to show that I had been grappling deeply with such questions. What happened to me? I once promised myself I would never work for money, that I would join the Peace Corps that I would live in beautiful, inspirational places. Instead, I had been in Detroit for ten years now, at the same workplace, using the same bank, visiting the same barber. I was thirty seven, more efficient than in college, tied to computers and modems and cell phones.
Mitch ever promised to himself that he would never be a person who works
only for money, but it is contrary to the fact. Mitch now is a person who obsessed by
his work and money.
4.2 External Conflicts
The external of conflicts found from the main characters in the novel entitled
Tuesdays with Morrie can be found from the main characters that are having conflict
with another minor character form this novel. The external conflicts involved Morrie
as the first main character having conflicts with the interviewer from the “Nightline”
TV show Ted Koppel, with his father named Charlie in his childhood, and with his
best friend named Norman. Meanwhile, Mitch himself in this novel, the external
involves only one character from this novel that is his conflict with his brother, named
Peter who lives in Spain.
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
4.2.1 Morrie’s Conflict with Ted Koppel
Based on this novel, when the first time Morrie is going to be interviewed by
the host of the “Nightline” TV shows Ted Koppel. Koppel intends to expose the life
of a professor from Brandeis University to all over the world since Morrie suffers
from the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This can conflict can be found from the
quotation of the novel below.
Inside the office, Morrie mentioned for Koppel to sit down. He crossed his hands in his lap and smile.
“Tell me something close to your heart,” Morrie began.
“My heart?” Koppel studied the old man. “All right,” he said cautiously, and he spoke about his children. They were closed to his heart, weren’t they?
“Good,” Morrie said. “Now tell me something about your faith.”
Koppel was uncomfortable. “I usually don’t talk about such thing with people I’ve only known for a few minutes.”
“Ted, I’m dying,” Morrie said, peering over his glasses. “I don’t have a lot of time here.” Koppel laughed. All right. Faith. He quotes a passage from Marcus Aurelius, something he felt strongly about. Morrie nodded.” Mitch (1997:19)
Morrie has skeptical impression when the first time he saw Koppel, the he
apparently wanted to know Koppel by doing some interrogation before he agreed to
do the interview, he asked Koppel with some question about his faith and about the
person he loved, this questions make Koppel feels uncomforted.
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
Morrie finally agreed to do this interview because he wanted to share to the
world trough the “Nightline” TV show about the lesson how we supposed to live by
loving and caring to other people especially the people we love, and how to gain
happiness without depend on money and materialistic life. He did this as the last thing
he wanted to do in his life because it is about to end from the suffering of
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
4.2.2 Morrie’s Conflict with Charlie
Morrie’s childhood was not very happy. He came from a poor family. He lived
in a tenement building on the poor Lower East Side of Manhattan. His Mother died
when Morrie still eight years old. Then he lived with his brother David and his father
Charlie who worked in a fur business. They are terribly poor, so that Morrie should
find any work that he could find to earned money, to support his family. Most of the
conflicts of Morrrie with his father occurred since his mother decease.
Charlie was lack of affection to his sons Morrie and David. For Morrie, he
could only find the real of love and affection was from his mother. But after his
mother decease, Morrie hoped that he could get the same treatment as his mother gave
to him from Charlie, but that would never happened.
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
“And in the afternoons, he stood at the bottom of the subway steps and hawked magazines, turning whatever
money he made over to his family to buy food. In the evening, he watched his father eat in silence, hoping for—but never getting—a show of affection, communication, warmth. At nine years old, he felt as if the weight of a mountain were on his business.” Mitch (1997:75)
“Every night, when Morrie was little, Charlie would go for a walk after dinner. He was a small Russian man, with a ruddy complexion and a full head of grayish hair. Morrie and his brother, David, would look out the window and see him leaning against the lamppost, and Morie wished he would come inside and talk to them, but rarely did. Nor did he tuck them in, nor kiss them good-night.” Mitch (1997:139)
The quotations above shows that Morrie who only nine years old, he felt as if
too much burdens he should bear at his age. Moreover, his father was so cold to him
that he never gets affection as a father supposed to give to his children.
About his mother decease, Morrie was forced by Charlie not to tell to David
about what was happened to their mother. This is really hard for Morrie to keep inside
all the memories of his mother and not to tell to David the truth. Morrie’s sadness can
be shown from the quotation below.
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
“He studied at night, by the lamp at the kitchen table. And in the morning he would go to synagogue to say Yizkor—the memorial prayer for the dead—for his mother. He did this to keep her memory alive. Incredibly, Morrie had been told by his father never to talk about her. Charlie wanted young David to think Eva was his natural mother. It was a terrible burden to Morrie. For years, the only evidence Morrie had of his mother was the telegram announcing her death. He had hidden it the day it arrived. He would keep it the rest of his life.” Mitch (1997:77)
From the quotation above, shows that Charlie wanted Morrie to keep a secret
from David that their real mother was dead, and forced him to tell a lie to David by
considering Eva was their natural mother.
When Morrie was a teenager, Charlie took him to a fur factory where he
worked. That was when in a depression, Charlie wanted Morrie to get a job. Charlie
brought Morrie to his boss in the fur factory for asking if there a vacancy for his son,
it can be shown from the quotation below.
“During lunch break, his father took Morrie to the boss and pushed him in front of him, asking if there was any work for his son. But there was barely enough work for the adult laborers, and no one was giving it up. This, for Morrie, was a blessing. He hated the place. He made another vow that he kept to the end of his life: he would never do any work that exploited someone else, and he would never allow himself to make money off the sweat of others.
“What will you do?” Eva would ask him
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
“I don’t know,” he would say. He ruled out law, because he didn’t like lawyers, and he ruled out medicine, because he couldn’t take the sight of blood.
“What will you do?”
It was only through default that the best professor I ever had became a teacher.” Mitch (1997:78)
Charlie pushed Morrie to work in the fur factory, but it was blessing for
Morrie when the boss said there was no vacancy left, because Morrie hate to do the
job which exploited people to earn money. Then the quotation above shows the
conversation between Morrie and his step mother Eva about what kind of the job that
Morrie wanted. And he wanted to be a teacher. He already promised to himself not to
do the job which exploited people to earned money.
4.2.3 Morrie’s Conflict with Norman
Norman is an old friend of Morrie's who he has long been estranged from. He
had been an artist, and had sculpted a bust of Morrie, a deft depiction of his features.
Morrie’s conflict with Norman begins when Norman moved to Chicago, and
Charlotte had a serious surgery. Although Norman knew about this bad news that
Morrie’s wife had a serious surgery, but he did not visited Morrie’s at that time, and
he even gave a call to Morrie and Charlotte.
“Norman and his wife moved away to Chicago. A little while later, my wife, Charlotte, had to have a pretty
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
serious operation. Norman and his wife never go in touch with us. I know they knew about it. Charlotte and I were very hurt because they never called to see how she was. So we dropped the relationship.” Mitch (1997:165)
The quotation above shows the disappointment of Morrie and Charlotte with
Norman. It hurts so much for them to see that Norman never got in touch with them
although Norman knew that Charlotte was in serious surgery. Finally, Morrie dropped
the relationship between him and Norman.
4.2.4 Mitch’s Conflict with Peter
Peter is Mitch's younger brother who lives in Spain. Peter flies to various
European cities seeking treatment for his pancreatic cancer, he refuses any help from
his family. Mitch conflict towards Peter occurred when Peter got cancer. Peter spend
years to fighting against his disease, searching for the medicine and treatment around
the Europe, because at that time, the experimental aid that available in the United
States is not sufficient for Peter cancer.
“The bad news was, my brother did not want me around— not me, or anyone in the family. Much as we tried to call and visit, he held us at bay, insisting this fight was something he needed to do by himself. Months would pass without a word from him. Messages on his answering machine would go without reply. I was ripped with guilt for what I felt I should be doing
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
for him and fueled with anger for his denying us the right to do it.” Mitch (1997:96)
The quotation above shows that Mitch relation to his brother is now estranges.
Mitch felt so guilty about his brother that he is now far away from him.
Mitch always thinking about his brother although his brother seems
successfully defeats the cancer from the treatment and medicine that he got. Mitch
still worries about him and really wants to talk to Peter.
“And each time I would call my brother’s apartment in Spain and get the answering machine—him speaking in Spanish, another sign of how far apart we had drifted—I would hang up and work for some more.” Mitch (1997:97)
“I had tried calling my brother in Spain several times. I left messages saying that I really wanted to talk to him, that I had been doing a lot of thinking about us. A few weeks later, I got back a short message saying everything was okay, but he was sorry, he really didn’t feel like o talking about being sick.” Mitch (1997:130)
The quotation above shows that Mitch having difficulties in communicating
with Peter. Every time Mitch tries to call Peter, he only found that the answering
machine received his call. Once Peter reply the message, but then he explain in the
message that really did not feel like to talk.
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
CHAPTER 5
CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
1. Conclusions
The conflict in a novel is necessary. Conflict adds excitement and suspense to
a story. The conflict usually becomes clear to the beginning of a story. As the plot
unfolds, the reader starts to wonder what will happen next and how the characters will
handle the situation. Many readers enjoy trying to predict the final outcome. The
conflict also needed in order to of plot faster to the next order.
After analyzing the conflict of the main characters found for the novel of
Mitch Albom Tuesdays with Morrie, it can be drawn that the external conflicts of the
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
main characters tends to the opposition between the main characters against other
people ideas, modes of behavior, culture, and public opinion. This external conflict of
Morrie comes out because he has different way of thinking about his view of life from
the other people commonly. Then this difference of way of thinking will cause the
disagreements which finally will bring out the conflicts, and the external conflicts of
Mitch is his relation with his brother that his brother tries bo be independent person
that he does not want Mitch to see him anymore, since he got the cancer. Meanwhile,
the internal conflict is the opposition between a person against him/her self, it is also
known as the inner conflict. Referring to the main characters’ internal conflicts found
from the novel, the internal conflict for Morrie, as one of the main character in this
novel, his internal conflicts are most from his struggle against his deadly diseases, his
disease asthma and the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have change his entire life
to be more difficult to get trough, and finally Morrie presume that he is surrender with
the diseases he faces, and finally bring him to death. And as for Mitch, his internal
conflicts are from his way of life and his opinion for choosing which one is seems
right for him about other people, how to live his life and overcoming his materialistic
life, and also he learns the difficulties to keep all his promises to all the people he
loves.
Finally, based on the characteristic of the novel itself, that the novel is also the
pictures and as the representatives of human real life, it seems that the conflicts which
found from the novel then it is being analyzed it can be a lesson for the reader to
know what to do, how to behave, and what decision should we choose when a person
encounter the conflicts in their life.
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
2. Suggestions
Based on the analysis of this thesis, it can be found a moral suggestions
concern with how should the characters face their conflict. The conflict that found
form the novel is triggered by a natural events that really exist in our real life. The
conflict cannot be avoided, but it must be faced wisely. The external conflict that a
person encounter will push them to learn and to understand to each other, they will
learn to respect the different opinion and behavior from the other, although the other
view of opinion might be wrong or contradiction from the character view, it is a
natural that every human has their own way of life. Meanwhile, the internal conflict
can build the person to be a better individual for the future. This is because the
internal conflict offers the lessons to think and to consider about the decision that
should they take and the action that should they make.
So it can be drawn the characteristics of the conflicts itself are able to comes
out at anytime, and it is obviously inevitable. In this novel, the writer also shows that
the motif of the conflict is by look no age, position, religion, and no matter who is the
person, everyone has to encounters conflicts in their life.
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Albom, Mitch. 1997. Tuesdays with Morrie. United States: Time Warner Books.
Bonaza, Blaze O, Emil Roy and Sandra Roy. 1982. Studies in Fiction. New York: University
Graphics Inc.
Karl and Hamalian. 1967. The Shape of Fiction: British and American Short Stories.
NewYork: McGraw-Hill Inc.
Kenney, William. 1966. How to Analyze Fiction. New York: Monarch Press.
Klaver, Mario. 1999. An Introduction to Literary Studies. London: Routledge.
Nurgiyantoro, Burhan. 1998. Teori Pengkajian Fiksi. Yoyagkarta: Gajh Mada University
Press.
Ratna, Kuta, Nyoman. 2004. Teori, Metode, dan Teknik Penelitian Sastra. Denpasar: Pustaka
Pelajar.
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
Ratna, Kuta, Nyoman. 2004. Teori Penelitian Sastra. Denpasar: Pustaka Pelajar.
Roberts, Edgar and Henry E. Jacobs. 1995. Literature: An Introduction to Reading and
Writing. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Inc.
Stanford, Judith A. 2003. Responding to Literature: Stories, Poems, Plays, and Essays. New
York: McGraw-Hill Inc.
Stanton, Robert. 2007. Teori Fiksi Robert Stanton. Yogyakarta: Pustaka Pelajar.
Taylor, Richard. 1981. Understanding the Elements of Literature. London: The Mac Millan
Press Ltd.
Watson, George. 1979. The Story of the Novel. London: The Mac Millan Press Ltd.
Wellek, Rene and Austin Warren. 1985. Theory of Literature. New York: Penguin Books.
APPENDIX
BIOGRAPHY OF MITCH ALBOM
Mitch Albom is an internationally renowned and best-selling author,
journalist, screenwriter, playwright, radio and television broadcaster and musician.
His books have collectively sold over 28 million copies worldwide; have been
published in forty-one territories and in forty-two languages around the world; and
have been made into Emmy Award-winning and critically-acclaimed television
movies.
Mitch was born on May 23, 1958 in Passaic, New Jersey, the middle of three
children to Rhoda and Ira Albom. The family moved to the Buffalo, N.Y. area briefly
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
before settling in Oaklyn, New Jersey, not far from Philadelphia. Mitch grew up
wanting to be a cartoonist before switching to music. He taught himself to play piano,
and played in bands, including The Lucky Tiger Grease Stick Band, throughout his
adolescence. After attending high schools in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, he left for
college after his junior year. He earned a bachelor’s degree in 1979 at Brandeis
University in Waltham, Massachusetts, majoring in sociology, but stayed true to his
dream of a life in music, and upon graduation, he worked for several years as a
performer, both in Europe and America. One of his engagements during this time
included a taverna on the Greek island of Crete, in which he was a featured American
performer who sang Elvis Presley and Ray Charles songs. He also wrote and
produced the recording of several songs. In his early 20’s, while living in New York,
he took an interest in journalism and volunteered to work for a local weekly paper, the
Queens Tribune. He eventually returned to graduate school, earning a Master’s degree
from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, followed by an MBA
from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business. During this time, he paid
his tuition partly through work as a piano player.
Mitch eventually turned full-time to his writing, working as a freelance sports
journalist in New York for publications such as Sports Illustrated, GEO, and The
Philadelphia Inquirer. His first full time newspaper job was as a feature writer and
eventual sports columnist for The Fort Lauderdale News and Sun Sentinel in Florida.
He moved to Detroit in 1985, where he became a nationally-acclaimed sports
journalist at the Detroit Free Press and one of the best-known media figures in that
city’s history, working in newspapers, radio and television. He currently hosts a daily
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
talk show on WJR radio (airs Monday through Friday, 5-7 p.m. EST) and appears
regularly on ESPN Sports Reporters and SportsCenter.
In 1995, he married Janine Sabino. That same year he re-encountered Morrie
Schwartz, a former college professor who was dying of ALS, also known as Lou
Gehrig’s disease. His visits with Schwartz would lead to the book Tuesdays with
Morrie, which moved Mitch away from sports and began his career as an
internationally recognized author.
Tuesdays with Morrie is the chronicle of Mitch’s time spent with his beloved
professor. As a labor of love, Mitch wrote the book to help pay Morrie’s medical bills.
It spent four years on the New York Times Bestseller list and is now the most
successful memoir ever published. His first novel, The Five People You Meet in
Heaven, is the most successful US hardcover first adult novel ever. For One More
Day, his most recent, debuted at No.1 on the New York Times Bestseller List and
spent nine months on the list. In October 2006, For One More Day was the first book
chosen by Starbucks in the newly launched Book Break Program, which also helped
fight illiteracy by donating one dollar from every book sold to Jumpstart.
All three of Albom’s best sellers have been turned into successful TV movies.
Oprah Winfrey produced the film version of Tuesdays With Morrie in December
1999, starring Jack Lemmon and Hank Azaria. The film garnered four Emmy awards,
including best TV film, director, actor and supporting actor. The critically acclaimed
Five People You Meet in Heaven aired on ABC in winter, 2004. Directed by Lloyd
Kramer, the film was the most watched TV movie of the year, with 19 million
viewers. Most recently, Oprah Winfrey Presents Mitch Albom’s For One More Day
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
aired on ABC in December 2007 and earned Ellen Burstyn a Screen Actors Guild
nomination.
An award-winning journalist and radio host, Albom wrote the screenplay for
both For One More Day and The Five People You Meet in Heaven, and is an
established playwright, having authored numerous pieces for the theater, including the
off-Broadway version of Tuesdays With Morrie (co-written with Jeffrey Hatcher)
which has seen over one hundred productions across the US and Canada.
Mitch is also an accomplished song writer and lyricist. Later in his life, when
music had become a sideline, he would see several of his songs recorded, including
the song “Hit Somebody (The Hockey Song)” which he wrote for rock singer Warren
Zevon. Albom also wrote and performed songs for several TV movies, including
“Cookin’ for Two” for Christmas in Connecticut, the 1992 remake directed by Arnold
Schwarzenegger.
He has founded three charities in the metropolitan Detroit area: The Dream
Fund, established in 1989, allows disadvantaged children to become involved with the
arts. A Time to Help, founded in 1998, brings volunteers together once a month to
tackle various projects in Detroit, including staffing shelters, building homes with
Habitat for Humanity, and operating meals on wheels programs for the elderly. S.A.Y
Detroit, Mitch’s most recent effort, is an umbrella program to fund shelters and care
for the homeless in his city. He also raises money for literacy projects through a
variety of means including his performances with The Rock Bottom Remainders, a
band made up of writers which includes Stephen King, Dave Barry, Scott Turow,
Rahmad Priadi : An Analysis Of The Main Charaters’ Conflicts In Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie, 2010.
Amy Tan and Ridley Pearson. Mitch serves on the boards of various charities and, in
1999, was named National Hospice Organization's Man of the Year.