A STRUGGLE FOR LOVE OF GABRIEL OAK IN THOMAS HARDY’S FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD: AN INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACH

FEBRYANA, RIZA (2009)
Abstract
This research paper elaborates the struggle for love of Gabriel Oak in Thomas Hardy’s novel, Far from the Madding Crowd, that are analyzed through individual psychological approach. The objectives of the research are to analyze the structural elements of the novel and to analyze the novel based on individual psychological approach. This research belongs to a qualitative research. The data of the research is the text of a novel entitled Far from the Madding Crowd. Whereas the data source comes from both primary data source which is in the form of the text of the novel being researched and secondary data source such as biography of the author, websites and other sources. The method to analyze the data is descriptive analysis. Having analyzed the novel, the researcher comes to the conclusions as follows: Hardy presents the main character of Gabriel Oak that is drawn as a man who puts great respect and interest towards the grandeur of nature and lives in harmony with nature can patiently await the woman he loves. During the flow of the story he becomes a loyal and devoted man and in the end of the story he can win his true love.

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
There are many needs that people try to fulfill, for example, the needs
of food, cloth, house and love. The last is as important as the others. Lack of
love will make people feel anxious, bored and lonely. Love is condition or
phenomenon of emotional primacy, or absolute value. Love generally includes
an emotion of intense attraction to other person, a place or thing: and many
also include the aspect of caring for or finding identification with those object,
including self-love. (http://articles.gourt.com/en/love)
Love can make people feel happy, sad, and angry. It makes people
laugh and cry. Musbikin (2002: 30) says that love is sacred. It is given by
Allah, It’s priceless. It means everybody deserves love even though he or she
has to struggle for it. In the struggle to find love, people’s personality and life
style change. People will try to be better when they meet someone that they
love. Someone who is falling in love will always feel happy and tries to look
better and better in front of the person that they love. Far from the Madding
Crowd was written by Thomas Hardy and was first published in serial form
during January until December 1874 in Cornhill Magazine, as asserted by
Allingham (2000). The title of the novel was obtained from Thomas Gray’s
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard in stanza 19 (Baker, 1976: 9). It
became Hardy’s first novel to be popular with public; and also brought him
some financial success (http://www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/monkey
notes/pmFarFrom01.asp). In Far from the Madding Crowd (1874) he contrasts
the design of the great medieval barn, in which the sheep-shearing takes place,
with those of a church and a castle in that the purpose which had dictated its
original erection was the same to which it was still applied (Thornley and
Roberts, 1984: 462).
The story of Far from the Madding Crowd is written by Thomas Hardy
with evocative descriptions of rural life and landscapes. It is narrated with the
strong nuance of rural and agricultural life of its characters who deal with land
farming and sheep farming the entire day. A young sheep farmer who meets
and falls in love with a girl named Bathsheba Everdene has lost many of his
sheep caused by his young dog. After Gabriel Oak is bankrupt, he decides to
follow Bathsheba to Weatherbury to be her shepherd and bailiff. Gabriel Oak
has succeeded in handling her farm and her cattle, but he is not able to win her
heart. Through the whole story, there are three very different suitors who fall
in love with Bathsheba: the gentleman-farmer Boldwood, soldier-seducer
Sergeant Troy and the devoted shepherd Gabriel Oak
(http://www.pinkmonkey. com.dl/library1/digi008.pdf). The research is
interested in analyzing this novel by an individual psychological approach and
takes a title for his study “Struggle for Love of Gabriel Oak in Thomas
Hardy’s Far From The Madding Crowd”
B. Literary Review
There are at least two researches which have been conducted by the
students of Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta concerning the studies of
Thomas Hardy’s Far from the Madding Crowd. The first research is entitled
“The Struggle of Better Standard of Living in Thomas Hardy’s Far from the
Madding Crowd: A Marxist Approach” written by Siti Markhamah. The
second research is an Individual Psychological research written by Dyah Ayu
Ekasari with the title “The Importance of Moral Conduct in Thomas Hardy’s
Far from the Madding Crowd: Individual Psychological Perspective”.
In addition, there is a sociolinguistic research done by Heri Prasetya, a
student of Sebelas Maret University, with the title “An Analysis of Non
Standard Forms in the Novel Entitled Far from the Madding Crowd by
Thomas Hardy (Sociolinguistics Approach).” It is a research done in order to
find out the forms of the non Standard English used by the characters, to
describe the messages revealed by the use of the non standard forms in the
dialogs, and the social status of the characters related to the use of non
standard language.
Meanwhile, in this research the researcher intends to study the
structural element of the novel. It will be done by discovering the individual
psychology that is reflected in the novel especially concerning with a struggle
for love of Gabriel Oak from individual psychological approach.
C. Problem Statement
Based on the title and the background of the study, the main problem
in this research is, “How is a struggle for love reflected in Thomas Hardy’s
Far from the Madding Crowd?”.
D. Limitation of the Study
In conducting the research, the writer’s problem statement is going to
be discussed. This research only deals with the struggle of the major character,
the firm in analyzing man’s struggle, the research views the major character
from psychological perspective.
E. Objective of the Study
The aims of the research are follows:
1. To analyze the novel on the structural elements
2. To analyze the novel with individual psychological Approach
F. Benefit of the Study
The benefits of this study are as follows:
1. Theoretical Benefit
This study is expected to give contribution to the development of
the body of knowledge, particularly the literary studies on Hardy’s Far
From The Madding Crowd.
2. Practical Benefit
It is expected to give a condition in literary field as reference to the
other researcher in analyzing this novel particularly the students of
Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta.
G. Research Method
1. Object of the Study
The object of the study is Hardy’s Far From The Mading Crowd
2. Type of the Study
In analyzing the data found in the novel, the researcher uses the qualitative
method as the type of the research.
3. Type of the Data and the Data Source
In doing this study, the writer uses two sources of data, namely primary
and secondary data sources.
a. Primary Data
The primary data source is the novel itself, Far From The Madding
Crowd by Thomas Hardy’s
b. Secondary Data Source
The secondary data are taken from other sources which are related to
the primary data such as the biography of the author, and website about
Far From The Madding Crowd.
4. Technique of the Data Collection
The method of collecting data that the writer uses is library
research. Firstly, the writer reads and comprehends the primary and
secondary data source. Secondly she notes down of important information
in both sources. Then, she selects them by accepting the relevant
information with the problem and rejecting the irrelevant information that
does not support the topic of the study. Beside that the writer uses internet
to find the information about the novel and literary theory that she uses.
5. Technique of the Data Analysis
In analyzing the data, the writer employs descriptive qualitative
analysis or content analysis. The analysis is started on the author and then
the structural analysis of the novel and finally the individual analysis of
the literature.
H. Paper Organization
The paper consists of five chapters and each of them is sub divided
into sub sequent division. Chapter one is the introduction that consists of
background of the study, literature review, problem of the study, objective of
the study, benefit of the study, research method, theoretical approach and
paper organization. Chapter two is the underlying theory, namely explaining
about principle theory of personality. Chapter three is structural analysis; the
researcher explains the structural elements of the story and discussion. Chapter
four is data analysis; it presents six basic principles of an individual
psychological approach. This chapter represents the application of the
underlying theory in which the novel is analyzed by means of Adler’s
individual psychology. Finally, the last chapter integrates the overall
discussion and brings to the conclusion of the study.