holly's personality alteration as portrayed in ahern's ps i love you

22 Pages·2015·0.1 MB·English

Didaktis, Vol. 15, No. 1, Hal 1 - ............, Februari 2015, ISSN 1412-5889
HOLLY’S PERSONALITY ALTERATION AS PORTRAYED
IN AHERN’S P.S. I LOVE YOU
Pramudana Ihsan
[email protected]
ABSTRACT
This study attempts to discuss the issue raised from the novel entitled P.S. I Love You
writtenby Cecilia Ahern. This novel provides a personality alteration performed by the main
character, Holly Kennedy who is portrayed as dependent, selfish, and fragile person. The
writer mainly uses qualitative method to present the data, furthermore the data obtained will
be analyzed vividly with intrinsic elements: characterization and plot. To get a profound
understanding, he divides characterization into character and characteristics while plot is
sharpened into conflict. Thus problems arisen in Holly’s adult life will be taken out and
discussed further using two elements of conflict: man vs man and man vs self. The result is a
force for Holly Kennedy to have a significant personality alteration into a better one. In
conclusion, this paper is aimed at finding the personality alteration performed by Holly
Kennedy.
Keywords: Personality, alteration, conflict
A. Introduction tures which can be seen from its complexity.
Every single human’s personality can The complexity of human’s life can be filled
sometimes be different from one to another. with problems, conflicts, feelings, thoughts and
A human’s life personality is significantly di- behaviors. Human beings can choose what
vided into two, the good and the bad. Actu- they want based on that complexity above.
ally, the personality itself is something that is As problems arise, human beings can learn
shaped by a person’s process of thought and something, possess something, and come with
searching, which is sometimes added by the a conclusion. From the conclusion, their
surrounding people’s behaviors. The person’s thoughts can be diverted into action thatthey
personality is not merely about good and bad choose.
ones, the interesting thing about of human is Personality alteration is one of the big-
that they are different from some other crea- gest issues that each single human being may
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have in his/her life. Sometimes a human being than him. She acknowledges that she owns a
can alter the personality based on the func- great love to Gerry and so does Gerry. After
tion that is currently required by him/her. For describing Holly in an informative way, Ahern
an example, a spoiled woman changes his as the author narrates Holly’s childhood. Ac-
habit into a good one because he needs to cording to the writer, although Ahern
continue living in an appropriate way. Indeed merelygives limited facts about Holly’s child-
that kind of personality alteration seems to hood but they are very essential in her future
suit new personality to cover something just life. Regarding to the facts about Holly’s child-
because that person wants something. This hood, the writer has simplytaken out com-
idea is best reflected in P.S. I Love You, a plete characteristics of Holly which is
fictional novel written by Cecelia Ahern. The inferredbecause of Holly’s childhood life.
title of the novel is taken from the letters left P.S. I Love Youprovides the facts of
for the main character, Holly Kennedy, by her Republic of Ireland furnished with several
beloved husband Gerry Clarke. Each letter places there as a symbol of a wealthy family.
is meant to assist her along her life, Gerry There are also added some places to hang
writes some letters before he dies. In this out with its uniqueness and the Irish hospital-
novel, P.S. here means postscript, the note ity. The author, Ahern, determines the works
added by the writer of the letters written in as a selling-point media to her beloved coun-
the end of his letters. I Love You simply re- try. She was born on September 30, 1981 in
fers to a feeling of owning love to someone. Dublin, Ireland. She is the daughter of Bertie
Therefore, P.S. I Love You here is the word Ahern, Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) since
Gerry took in his letters meantfor Holly, to June 26, 1997, and is the sister-in-law of
encourage her because he knows exactly that Nicky Byrne, member of Irish pop group
his death would bring a harmful impact to Westlife who is married to her older sister,
Holly. Georgina Ahern(Wand, 2009: 1). Before
P.S. I Love Youis opened with Holly’s embarking on her writing career, Cecelia
great sadness after Gerry’s death. It tells about Ahern completed a Degree in Journalism and
Gerry’s suffer from brain tumor.After that, the Media Communications. At the age of twenty-
story moves backward, telling about how a one, she wrote her debut novel P.S. I Love
great man Gerry was. Holly actually is a You, published in January 2004, which was
spoiled woman who marries Gerry at the age sold to over forty countries. The novel was
of twenty three. Holly is one year younger one of the biggest-selling debut novels of
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Didaktis, Vol. 15, No. 1, Hal 1 - ............, Februari 2015, ISSN 1412-5889
2004, reaching No.1 in Ireland and in the ing Holly’s personality alteration.
U.K. Sunday Times bestseller list and was
selected for the Richard and Judy Summer B. Literary Theory
Read campaign. It was also a bestseller 1. Intrinsic Approach
throughout Europe and the U.S.A., staying When dealing withthe analysis, the writer
on the best-seller list in Germany for over 52 focuses his discussionon the novel P.S. I Love
weeks. For her debut novel, she was nomi- You itself. According to Rene Wellek and
nated for Best Newcomer 2004/05 at the Austin Warren in Theory of Literature, the
British Book and in 2006; she was long-listed natural and sensible starting point for work in
for the IMPAC award (ibid). The film of the literary scholarship is the interpretation and
same title was optioned by Warner Bros and the analysis of the works of literature them-
Wendy Finerman Productions. It has now selves. After all, only the works themselves
been made into a motion picture directed by justify all our interest in the life of an author, in
Richard LaGravenese, starring Hilary Swank, his social environment and the whole process
Lisa Kudrow, Kathy Bates, Gerard Butler, of literature (1979: 139). The writer will
Harry Connick Jr., Gina Gershon and Jeffrey strictly analyze the text based on the supported
Dean Morgan. Ahern became a productive by intrinsic approach. Intrinsic approach,
writer by publishing the other books in the however primarily valued irony in a broader
following years, Where Rainbows End sense of the term, to indicate a text’s inclu-
(2004), If You Could See Me Now (2005), sion of varying perspectives on the same char-
and A Place Called Here (2006) (ibid). acters of events (Tyson, 2006: 122). The most
Specifically, P.S. I Love You implies the essential thing in a literary work is the analy-
personalityalteration from feeling of helpless- sis of the intrinsic elements which consist of
ness into a better form. The writer here will theme, setting, conflict, character, character-
focus on how Holly handles conflict happened ization and plot. Thus the writer focuses his
between her versus herself, her versus other analysis on three aspects of the intrinsic ele-
people that isstarted from her childhood life, ments, which are character, characterization
and then it improves into personality alteration and conflict.
caused by several factors. Hence, according
to the writer of this study, the novel P.S. I a. Character
Love You written by Cecelia Ahern is worth Character in the main point of a story. As
analyzed. Thus, this paper is aimed at reveal- stated by Richard Gill in Mastering English
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Literature, characters in any literature works Many major character acted as the protago-
have specially created by the authors. When nist – the center of attention – moved against
authors create characters, they select some the antagonist, and ususally exhibits the hu-
aspects of ordinary people, develop some of man attributes we expect of round character
those aspects whilst playing down others, and (ibid).
put them together as they please. The way Robert argued, a round character with
they created characters finally produced fic- its many individual and unpredictable human
tional characters (1985: 90-91). According traits, also because of the changes or growth
to Edgar V Robert in his book entitled Writ- they undergo as the result of their experiences,
ing Themes About Literature. Seventh therefore can be considered dynamic char-
Edition, Character in fiction is an extended acter. round character are just complex and
verbal representation of a human being – the as difficult to understand as living people and
complex combination of both the inner and therefore totally identifiable within the class,
the outer self. Through actions, speech, de- occupation or occupation or circumstances
scription, and commentary, authors portray of which he or she is a part (ibid, 144).
character who are worth caring about, root- Robert added, unlike round character, a
ing for, and even loving, although there are flat character is undistinguishable from other
also characters at whom you may laugh or persons in particular group or class. The flat
whom you may dislike or even hate (1991: character is representative and usually minor
64). Robert also stated in his other book character since flat character do not change
entitled Literature: An Introduction to or grow or static (ibid 145-146).
Reading and Writing. Third Edition, An
important feature of deep characterization is b. Characterization
the presentation of development and change, Since the writer focuses his analysis on
and here we will encounter two types of char- the main character’s characteristics, he con-
acter which E.M Forstell calls ‘round’ and siders to use Edgar V. Roberts’ Writing
‘flat’ (Roberts and Jacobs, 1992: 143). Themes about Literature to explain the
Robert explained, a round character is meaning of characterization as, “what the
one major figure in the work who profits from characters themselves say (and think), what
experience and undergoes change of some the characters do and what other characters
sort. A round character usually has many re- say about them” (1991: 147). Characteriza-
alistic traits and are relatively fully developed. tion is the technique that an author uses to
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Didaktis, Vol. 15, No. 1, Hal 1 - ............, Februari 2015, ISSN 1412-5889
describe someone’s image character, and the and counteractions (1979: 216-217). As
personality of the people he/she creates in a mentioned above, it is obvious that a good
story. Each character has its own character- story provides complex events, named con-
istic that differentiates his/her from the other flict, and those conflicts can reveal some ac-
characters. As characterization is the way an tions by the character. There must be a moti-
author presents his or her character, it is in- vation and desire behind actions done by the
tensively significant in a novel because the characters who attempt to achieve something
story, in which an author conveys his or her in dealing the conflicts.
idea, is closely interrelated to it (ibid). There are two main kinds of conflict in
Here, Erik Simpson describes character- stories: external and internal. A struggle be-
ization as the development of character tween characters and an outside force is an
(Simpson, 2009: 1).Holly undergoes several external conflict. Characters may face sev-
phases inthe process of her personality eral types of outside forces, may be with an-
changes startingfrom before and aftershe met other character, community, or nature. On the
Gerry. After Gerry’s death, herclose relation- other side, a struggle takes place in character’s
ship with her brother, Jack who is very close mind is called internal conflict (ibid, 218).
to her afterher younger sister was born, Holly Sometimes, characters must deal with their
can be considered as a round character. Rob- own mixed feelings or emotion, happens when
ert suggests that “in analyzing the developing they have to decide right or wrong between
or changing character in a story, it is neces- two solutions to a problem.
sary to make an attempt to show the charac- Conflict is the major problem that makes
ter traits possessed by the character at the plot rising into climax. The interesting level
beginning of the story and the change or de- about any work of literature is usually based
velopment that occurs” (1991: 60). on the conflict faced by the character. It will
happen when the character is facing some
c. Plot great source of difficulties for themselves.
Wellek and Warren stated that it is cus- These conflicts then deliver the story to a cen-
tomary to speak all of plots as involving con- tral idea of the whole story of the work
flict (man against nature, man against other (Wellek and Warren, 1979:219).
man, or man fighting with himself); but then,
like plot, the term must be given much lati- C. Research Method
tude. Conflict is ‘dramatic’, suggests action This research’s purpose is to analyze
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Holly’s personality alterationusing intrinsic becomes a woman with a lot of complex
approach. The research is provided with the problems.
data taken from the novel P.S. I Love You
was published in Indonesia in 2007. The data a. Losing a Powerful Partner
from the novel are gathered with the theory After Gerry’s absence in accompanying
of intrinsic approach. Those data would be Holly as her powerful partner, Holly locks
linked and combined into one complex and herself in her house and avoidsmeeting people
worth analyzed research. she knows. She only wants her husband to
Two basic techniques that would be used remain alive inside her house. She always pre-
here are: data collecting and data analysis. tends that someday her beloved husband is
Data collecting is obtained from library re- certainly back. Some thoughts which will
searches in which the writer gains informa- never become a reality. Holly then keeps lock-
tion from various sources such as: literary ing herself for more than two months without
books, essays, critics, dictionaries, encyclo- doing anything as any human being should do.
pedia and online library. Some relevant theo- Holly’s problems in her marriage life is
retical books are used to support the under- impacted by her selfishness which still can not
standing about literary theories. After collecting be cured instantly. In every single fight, Holly’s
and identifying the qualitative data, the writer selfishness is the main trigger. Actually, the
applies the data analysis: a descriptive analy- selfishness itself is always referred to the only
sis. child’s habitual personality. The only child has
a tendency to be more selfish rather than child
D. Research Findings who has brothers and or sisters (Gerungan,
1. The Process of Holly’s Personality 1988: 190-191). Indeed, Gerry has a ten-
Alteration dency to be more selfish than Holly since he
Gerry’s death brings a fatal impact to is the only child of The Clarkes. But Gerry
Holly. Holly, as the writer has explained be- does not do that. He is not selfish ast all to
fore, is a dependent woman. Shealways needs Holly. Horney stated as quoted in Theories
a powerful partner to help and support her in of Personality written by Jess Feist and Gre-
every single circumstance. By doing so, she gory J. Feist,
has already vanquished her basic anxiety. Each person begins life with the potential
However, by loosing a solid powerful part- for healthy development, but like other living
ner unawarely bringsmore harm to her. Holly organisms, people need favorable conditions
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Didaktis, Vol. 15, No. 1, Hal 1 - ............, Februari 2015, ISSN 1412-5889
for growth. These conditions must include a They couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t
warm and loving environment yet one that is change my name (Ahern, 2007: 261).
not overly permissive. Children need to ex- Holly decides not to change her last name
perience both genuine love and healthy disci- in order to be recognized as – still an honor-
pline. Such conditions provide them with feel- able descendant.On the other hand, Gerry’s
ings of safety and satisfaction and permit chil- parents want Holly to change her last name
dren to grow in accordance with their real to keep the family name ‘Clarke’ continues.
self (2002: 159). The request from Gerry’s parents is actually
In fact, Gerry’s childhood and teenager quite simple since Gerry is their only child.They
is filled with warm and loving environment but have no other descendent except him. They
Gerry’s parents teach Gerry to be a tough do not want their family name stops due to
man by taking him to trya sailor life, like his Holly’s selfishness.
father. Based on the quotation above, Gerry In those two months, Holly does not care
is categorized as a person grows in accor- about herself. She only spends every hour
dance with him real self. He can control and grieving by doing nothing. The hours seem to
limit his selfishness. Moreover, by the warm pass into days and months without her realiz-
and loving environment in his childhood and ing what time or even what day it is. She seems
teenage life, Gerry is completed with huge to be living outside her body, numb to every-
love and care which he can share to Holly as thing but the pain in her heart, in her bones
the one who is portrayed oppositely. One of and in her head. She can not face the truth
the example is, Gerry behaves to yield to his and always imagines something beyond her
beloved wife. To yield here means that Gerry ability (to bring Gerry back from death). She
does not want to perform his selfishness since feels very tired because she lacks enough time
he knows exactly the personality of Holly. to rest her body, soul and mind. Holly some-
As mentioned previously, Holly always times finds her stomachgrumbling and she re-
performs her selfishness in most of her activi- alizes she can not remember the last time she
ties in her daily life. Holly even makes Gerry’s eats. What a bad circumstance she is dealing
parents upset in her early marriage life. with now. She is completely helpless and iso-
‘Yeah, I remember that,’ Sharon laughed. lated from the outside life.
‘His mum gave me an earful at the wedding. Holly’s helplessness is a combination
She said it was the woman’s duty to change between the death of her beloved husband
her name as a sign of respect to her husband’. and the inability to convert her sadness into
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reality that she should face. The meaning of to be called her as his disco diva due to her
reality here is everyone will die whenever and habit, a childish habit that wastes her money
by whatever it causes. Holly seems to forget and sometimes wastes her husband’s money
it since she is accustomed to feel the moun- to have a party and spend it buying outfits.
tain of delighting memories she and Gerry This is something that is missingduring this two
have and she is also accustomed to be spoiled months as she locks herself. The simple part
by Gerry. Now she believes the spoiling time from the above quotation is that she misses
is completely over as she has lost a solid pow- her beloved husband. It is explained that she
erful partner she had. It is getting worse due is wearing Gerry’s dressing gown and her fa-
to her fear to face the outside life without her vorite slippers just to bring her closer to Gerry.
husband. Everything goes for Holly, must have dealt
In two month time, Holly has become so with Gerry, even in his absence. The good
different in appearance. She used to look point is, she does not have a desire to com-
pretty with her blonde hair and sexy body. mit suicide, even though she is in her darkest
The beatiful appearance issomething which is phase of her age.
missing from her. Her pale skin is getting paler,
her blonde hair becomes greasy and her weight b. The Assistance from Holly’s Family
isreduced drastically. She has no attention and Friends
even to have a shower. Actually, the people around Holly do not
The real sadness of losing Gerry can be close their eyes on what happen to Holly. They
easily figured out by, do worry but they also give some rooms for
She shuffled into the kitchen, for over a Holly to be alone. Thankfully, Holly also has
month dressed in Gerry’s dressing gown and her previous outside powerful partner, Sharon.
her favorite pink ‘disco diva’ slippers that Sharon is a type of person who never wants
Gerry had bought her the previous christmas. to beat about the bush.That is why Hollyloves
She was his disco diva, he used to say. Al- her so much. When Sharon does not like
ways the first on the dance floor, always the something that Holly does, she used to yell
last out of the club (Ahern, 2007: 12). and argue. Sharon does not seems afraid to
criticize Holly. She is the one who says some-
From the fact above, the readers will thing she wants to say and in fact, she is also
know that Holly is described as a party Holly’s guardian angel in certain circum-
queen.She loves to go to a club. Gerry used stances. That is why Holly loves her so much.
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“That’s also why Holly hadn’t been around you come down?’
to see Sharon for the past month. She didn’t A shower. When was the last time she
want to hear the truth” (2007: 16-17). The had even washed? Sharon was right, she must
quotation shows that Holly does not want to have looked disgusting, with her greasy hair,
see Sharon for some times.She needs to pre- her dark roots and dirty robe. Gerry’s robe.
vent her to say the truth, the only truth she But that was something she never intended to
hates and denies for, the death of her beloved wash. She wanted it to exactly as Gerry had
husband, Gerry Clarke. Holly does not wish left it. Unfortunately, his smell was beginning
Sharon to say and give severe words about it to fade, replaced by the unmistakable stink
since Holly always pretends that Gerry is still of her own skin (Ahern, 2007: 17).
alive and Sharon’s presence might ruin all the
things Holly has pretended. This conversation shows Holly’s inability
In fact, Sharon has given some calls, to take care of herself. How can a woman
some calls which often endswith Holly’s au- forgets when the last time she had a shower
tomatic answer on the phone or even rejec- while women are always pictured as beauti-
tion when Sharon tries to get through Holly’s ful and fragrant human beings. Holly feels
cell phone. It is Sharon who first gives Holly embarrassed due to her lack of care for the
a visit after more than two months Holly has house and for herself. She looks like a child
no visitors, no visitors at all even to ask about who only obeys her mother’s commands. She
her condition. It is obviously a visit that opens directly goes upstairs and takes a shower
Holly’s eyes that she also has a best friend while Sharon is running Holly’s house.
who knows her better than anyone else does. In the Republic of Ireland, people com-
‘God,it’s so stuffy in here. When’s the monly respect others’privacy. As a noble fam-
last time you opened a window?’ Sharon ily member who holds others’ privacy, Holly’s
marched around the house, and runned her mother does not visit Holly for more than two
house neatly. ‘Oh you don’t have to do it, months after Gerry’s death. Her mother only
Sharon,’ Holly protested weakly. ‘I’ll do it. . gives Holly some calls as a respect to Holly’s
’ privacy.She calls just to ask about Holly’s
‘When? Next year? I don’t want you condition but Holly does not answer her
slumming it while the rest of us pretend not to mother’s calls. Later, her mother’s calls are
notice. Why don’t you go upstairs and answeredby the automatic answering machine
shower, and we’ll have a cup of tea when from Holly’s home telephone.
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In Holly’s perspective at that time, her tem to deal with the first three neurotic needs.
mother’s lack of sensitivity to her once again The impact is that she is accustomed to be
has shaped her into a feeling of basic hostility. seen frequently striving to remain inconspicu-
Horney described basic hostility is the condi- ous and to take second place beside the pow-
tion which parents do not satisfy the child’s erful partner (ibid, 161). She downgrades her
needs for safety and satisfaction (Feist and own abilities and gives her life fully to
Feist, 2002: 159). The writer chooses this Gerry.Undeniably, by the time Gerry has
quotation since Holly’s personality is still per- gone, Holly feels no longer alive. She loses
forming her child’s. It makes Holly come back her complete life which she has been dealing
to the phase which actually she had con- with for almost seven years, seven years in a
quered in her childhood. Holly easily cries and joyful marriage.
she cannot face the reality. The basic hostility The dependent characteristics of Holly
itself is shown in Holly’s childhood, she real- is simply seen by the fact from the novel, “Hi,
izes her mother completely reduces her this is Gerry, please a message after the beep
carefrom the first child into the last five, es- and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can’.
pecially to Holly. Her mother thinks Holly has ‘Gerry,’ Holly said crying, ‘I need you . . .”
already had her own life and her mother would (Ahern, 2007: 299). Holly always performs
not want tobother her for a while. Holly’s this action whenever she feels lonely and
mother seems to forget the fact that Holly is needsa friend. In fact, Holly still paysGarry’s
relieved by her mother’s heed, something that phone bill in order to keep his voice mail re-
a mother – who has five children, forgets. Her mains in his cellular phone. Whenever she
mother is supposed to realize that Holly is still needs a friend or when she is in a difficult situ-
a childish person no matter whomever she ation, she calls Gerry’s number to encourage
lives with and whatever her age is. It seems her instantly which does not really have an
that her mother is completely tired to take care impact on her. This proves that she pretends
of five children. Thus, the sensitivity of a that Gerry is still alive. It seems that Holly
mother is simply vague as each baby was needs Gerry in every circumstances even
born. when he has died.
Holly wants her mother to understand Aid from Holly’s parents comes when
that she is not a type of person who can deal Holly has already had the courage to go out
something alone neatly. Indeed, she was ac- from her house. They welcome Holly every
customed to be forced by her neurotic sys- time she comes back to her big house in
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