MOTIVATION OF THE MAIN CHARACTER’S SURVIVAL IN O’HENRY’S
‘SOAPY’S CHOICE’
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Backgrounds of the Study
Why does somebody do something? Why do people
go to work? Why do we go to college? There are many reasons why we do such
things. Somebody does something because he/she wants something to be done,
reached, and else. People go to work because they want to earn money, to spend
their times, to increase their societal status, and else. We go to school
because we need knowledge, or maybe we just want to do our obligation to
fulfill our education status. The reasons here can be said as goals. All of
those examples make us learn that there must be something drives them to do
something besides the goals we have said above, it is a motivation.
For more details about motivation, we can do
one thing that is asking any person who is successful in whatever he or she is
doing, what motivate him/her, and very likely, the answer will be ‘goals’. Goal
setting is extremely important to motivation and success. So, what motivate
you? Just like what we have talked above, why are you in college? If you are in
college because that is what your parents want, you may find it difficult to
motivate yourself.
Someone will have a higher motivation if he is
offered by a reward. For example, a student will have a higher motivation to
study when his father promises to give him a car if he graduates soon. However,
an article found in http://www.princeton.edu.rbenobou/RES2003.pdf said that
motivation is something which comes from within really makes the difference.
Further the article says that\ certainly, you need some intelligence, knowledge
base, study skills, and time management skills, but if you do not have motivation,
you would get far from reaching your success.
Motivation gives significant roles in human’s
life. Sometimes without motivation, people cannot grow; since nothing motivates
them to do something that will bring them survive. Hilgard states in his book
(1957:155) that motivation besides being a direction aspect, is also as the
energizing aspect. “Motivation is something that incites the organism to action
or that sustains and gives direction to action once the organism has been
aroused. It means that motives have either an activating or energizing aspect
and a directing one”
This is also in chorus with what Champion says
as stated by Ruch (1967:376) that motives make energy available for the
activity required. Thus, although a drive or motive directs the organism toward
some goals, which will satisfy a particular need, it can also work as a general
energizer. Literature as part of our life talks so many kinds of problems occur
in our society, such as social status, gender, discrimination, war, poverty,
welfare and other human problems. The phenomenon I can find in Jane Austen’s
novel entitled “Emma” is about motivation of the main character in arranging
marriages. This kind of problem has a close relation with our life in which it
could be occurred in our society, even to us.
Studying someone’s motivation is dealing with
psychological approach, since it reveals problems through the lens of
psychology. Psychology according to Davidoff (1976:1) is the science of
behavior. Behavior here means any human or animal process or an activity that
can be objectively observed and measured. Since psychology studies human
behavior, we also need to deal with human personality. It takes role in guiding
somebody’s immediate behavior and the further development of his/her
personality. He acts consistently in terms of the kind of person he believes
whether it is to be lovable or unattractive, bright or stupid, capable or
clumsy.
Some people seem to be very successful, highly
motivated individuals. The energy, the drive, or the directions come from
motivation. Motivation is an area of psychology that has gotten a great deal of
attention, especially in the recent years. The reason is that we all want to be
successful, we all want direction and drive, and we all want to be seen as
motivated. Motivation refers, in a general sense, to processes involved in the
initiation, direction, and energy of individual behavior (Parkinson &
Colman, 1995:38). According to Kenney (1966:5) analyzing a literary work is to
identify the separated part that make it up (this corresponds roughly to the
notion of tearing it into pieces), to deter relationship among the parts, and
to discover the relationship of the part to the whole. So, I choose Soapy’s
motivation to achieve his goal in O’ Henrys’ Soapy’s choice as my study because
motivation is one part of psychology that can be found from the character in
the short story.
In my opinion, Soapy’s motivation is
interesting to be discussed because he can survive in the middle of his
problem. He wishes to get in prison as he has to maintain himself warm in the
winter time. Soapy is then doing stupid plans such as eating in a restaurant
while having no money in his pocket and other foolish acts. I consider Soapy’s
motivation in dealing with his problems as full of struggle. This willingness
to keep struggling is finally one thing that helps him to find a way out.
1.2
Reason for Choosing the Topic
For some people, reading a short story is an
interesting activity, since it does not take a long time. The reader will also
be able to understand the content of the story and find some aspects that are
expected in reading it. People read a short story not only to take the moral
values and motivation that are found in the short story, but also to enjoy the
good way of describing the line of the story. This study is conducted on the following
reasons:
(1)
Short story is very interesting because it can entertain the
readers by presenting attractive story of life.
(2)
Motivation is very interesting to discuss because it can inspire
others in reaching their goal.
(3)
The author of the short story uses simple words and easy diction
so the theme of the short story can be understood easily.
1.3
Statements of the Problem
In this final project, I would like to analyze
the motivation of the main character by presenting and focusing the discussion
for the following problem:
(1)
What is the motivation of the main character’s survival?
(2)
What are the main character efforts to survive?
(3)
What positive value can be taken from the main character’s
motivation?
1.4
Objectives of the Study
The objectives of the study can be stated as follows:
(1)
To describe the motivation of the main character.
(2)
To describe the main character’s efforts to survive.
(3)
To describe the positive value of the main character’s motivation.
1.5
Significance of the Study
People who read works of literature would
generally find their knowledge of human affairs broadened and deepened. Through
reading literature, they would have more knowledge and experience. Literature
could help them learn the phenomenon of human life, including their problems.
While the contribution of motivation itself is that motivation is a great
aspect in our life that realize or not it always influences our activity.
The result of the study is expected to be able
to give the following benefits:
(1)
The study would be able to facilitate the readers to understand
the short story.
(2)
The result of the study
would become a reference for student‘s particularly English Department State
University (UNNES) who wants to make analysis in the same field
(3)
The study is expected to give educational knowledge for English
students who are interested in learning literature especially about motivation.
1.6
Outline of the Report
This study is systematically organized as
follows; Chapter I, is introduction that presents the background of the study,
reasons for choosing the topic, statements of the problem, objectives of the
study, significance of the study and outline of the study. In Chapter II, is
about the review of related literature. It discusses about the definition of
psychology from some experts, what is meant by motivation and elements of the
short story. Then, Chapter III discusses method of investigation. It concludes
object of the study, the elements in short story, the sources of data, procedures
of collecting data, procedures of analyzing data, and procedures of reporting
data. Chapter IV consists of the core of the study that is about motivation of
Soapy to achieve his goals. This chapter presents the synopsis of the short
story and the discussion about Soapy’s intrinsic motivation and extrinsic
motivation to achieve his goals in survival. Finally, Chapter V is contains
conclusion and suggestions of the final project.
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