The Analysis of Main Character of Lucy in Novel The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch And The Wardrobe

Mahyati,S.S.,M.M

Abstract

This research aims to find the character type and characteristic of Lucy and how she faces the problem in “The Chronicles of Narnia”: “The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe” by C.S Lewismost. using a Psychoanalytical  approach. To gain a deeper understanding of the results, the writer formulates the problem by making the following questions: (1) how is the character of Lucy illustrated in the novel? (2) How does Lucy face the problem?. In the process of study and analysis of the main characters in the novel The Chronicles of Narnia “ The Lion the Witch And The Wardrobe “, the writer uses a Psychoanalytical approach to analyze, examine and understand some of the main character’s personality in a novel. The writer also conducts library research in completing this analysis. The theory used in analyzing the character until finally find major characters in the story. By analyzing characters in the story, the writer can find the characteristic of Lucy in the novel. She is a good girl; she always helps the other, she is a curious, she is honest, and also she is friendly. Based on the first analysis that  how the character of Lucy in the novel described, the writer afterwards elaborate how and obtain the answer how she faces her problem by understanding the story of the novel of the main character.

Key words : Character, characteristics, Psychoanalytical

Introduction

The novel has a clear path and sequence. Beginning in the novel, the story is about introduction the character and the actions described through the novel. Script in the novel is description and dialogue, it makes the readers feel the situation through the story. Novel is easy to understand, first in the novel readers found synopsis, which allows reader to know the story, and then chapter by chapter the writer wants to show each of action. For character in the chronicle of Narnia, that has long story creation of Lewis, in his book the writer can study about character of literary works and understand of the elements of character and characterization. Besides that, the writer is also interested in researching a character and characterization of the story in novel Lewis creation by using psychoanalytical approach.

This novel was written by C.S Lewis, talked about of four sibling–Lucy, Edmund, Susan, and Peter Pevensie. They are sent to live on the estate of a mysterious professor to escape the horrors of world-war 2 bombing in London. While playing hide and-seek, the youngest child, Lucy discovers the world of Narnia. She convinces her brothers and sister to journey through the open back of a magical wardrobe to travel to Narnia with her. Narnia, a once-peaceful land inhabited by talking beasts, dwarfs, fauns, centaurs, and giants has been cursed with eternal winter by the evil but beautiful white witch, Jadis. Under the guidance of a noble and mystical ruler, the magnificent lion is Aslan, the children fight to overcome Jadis powerful hold over Narnia in a spectacular, climactic battle destined to free Narnia from the icy spell forever.

Theoretical Review

Character is the art of the personal that described through language, theater that is showed or represented in dramatic action and narrative work and the action can be performed on stage. Character is also study about the actor or actress that interpreted by the readers or watcher

what the actor and actress says in speech and what they do in actions. All the expression of the actor in speech and actions are called the motivations

According to Abrams (1999:32) “Characters are the persons represented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with particular moral, intellectual, and emotional qualities by inferences, from what the person says and their distinctive ways of saying it-the dialogue and from what they do-the action. The grounds in the characters temperament, desires, and moral nature for their speech and actions are called their motivation. A character may remain essentially “stable”, or unchanged in outlook and disposition, from beginning to end of a work.”

Based on Bennis W (1989), “Character is the inherent complex of attributes that determine a person’s moral and ethical actions and reactions. There are all types of words that provide examples of good character. These include, but are not limited to such terms as: honesty, inspiring, courageous, unselfish, competent, tact, loyal, integrity, loyal, trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship”. Character in the novel, can be dived into two groups: Major character and minor character. The reader will usually pay more attention to the major characters because the major characters play an important role in the story. The major characters can further be into three groups;1. The protagonist, the very central character, or the hero (the heroine);2. The antagonist or enemy (or the challenger) of the protagonist and;3.The companion or the supporter of the protagonist.

Meanwhile Characterization means that are a performance of some actors or actress on the story in the novel which describes any expressions like good or bad characters according to the author’s willingness. For example; the author’s demands the actor or actress to act as a good character, He or She must be a kind person, a kind savior, a patient person, handsome, beautiful etc. On the other hand, the author’s aim is a bad character so the actor or actress expression on the stage must be cruel, stingy, envy, evil, arrogant etc. According to Robert Di Yanni, (2004; 55) “Characterization is the means by which writers present and reveal character”. According to the above statement, the character can be divided in to some kinds namely; protagonist, antagonist, flat character, round character. Character can change from beginning in middle or ending of the story or in the first time one has protagonist but in the next time one may have antagonist character.

The purpose of psychoanalytical approach is to support the analyses according to character grammatically will be explained by C.G.Jung of “psychology and literature” said that:

“The psychological mode deals with materials drawn from the realm of human consciousness-for instance, with the lesson of life, with emotional shocks, the experience of passion and the crises of human destiny in general-all of which go to make the conscious life of man, and his feeling life in particular.”(1962:177)

To support the statement above, the writer gives the second theory that according to Benjamin B. Lahey (1998: 3) stated that: “Psychology is defined as the science of behavior and mental processes”.

Based on two statement above, the writer get conclusion that psychology is related to the characters and characterization and can explain why a certain character in a novel become bad, good, frustrated, illuminated, characters in the novel have qualities or personalities; personalities can remain the same through time (flat) and they may change (round).

Objectives

As indicated in the background, this study attempts to do the following objectives:

1. How is the character of Lucy illustrated in the novel?
2. How does Lucy face the problem?

Method

The writer takes C.S Lewis novel where this novel tells about children epic fantasy adventure.  In the London suburb of Finchley, the Pevensie children, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are endangered by second -world war attacks of German bombers. They are then evacuated to the country home of Professor Digory Kirke, who is not accustomed to having children in his house, as Mrs. Macready the strict housekeeper. This novel is containing of seventeen chapter, where every chapter tells about the action by each character. The writer will explain the character using psychoanalytical approach as the method of study base on the C.G Jung theory. The purpose of

psychoanalytical approach is to support the analyses according to character.

The method of the writer to write this thesis based on qualitative library research and the references is taken from some references like Lewis novel, David Lodge book, a hand book of critical approaches to literature, an introduction to literature, they have helped the writer to complete this thesis. The writer uses the library research to support the thesis of the novel, collecting some datum and the reference books or the other resources and then reading the material, analyzing and making the conclusion. Library research is usually used to collect the data from the reference books and it is usually to support for the writer to do the library research is visiting the book stores or some libraries, and also the writer searching by internet on e-book libraries. The aims are to find the reference book to complete the data for analyzing.

Findings and Discussion

In this chapter, the writer will analyze characteristic of Lucy Pevensie. The writer will pay more attention to the major character. The character plays an important role in the story or novel. Lucy Pevensie is one of the major character, she is a character that appears, speaks and discussed frequently from the beginning until the end of that story

1. How is the character of Lucy illustrated in the novel

“Nothing, there! Said Peter, and they all trooped out again-all except Lucy. She stayed behind because she thought it would be worth trying the door of the wardrobe, even though she felt almost sure that it would be locked. To her surprise it opened quite easily, and two mothballs dropped out.”(Chapter 1 page 2)

 

The above quotation shows that Lucy characteristic is curious. She is curious with the empty rooms with a wardrobe there. And when she plays hide-and seek, she comes into empty rooms and she enters to the wardrobe. “The White Witch? Who is she?” said Lucy”( Chapter 2 page 8).  When Mr. Tumnus tells about the Narnia, and what happened in the Narnia, Mr. tumnus (the faun) is taken service under the white witch. Lucy is curious who she is and why Narnia is under her ( The white witch) thumbs. From the quotation above the writer concludes that characteristics of Lucy is curios person.

2. Friendly

“Good evening,” said Lucy. But the faun was so busy picking up its parcels that at first it did not reply. “My name Lucy,” said she, not quite understanding him. “I am very pleased to meet you, Mr. Tumnus,” said Lucy. (Chapter 2 page 5)

She says hello first, although she knows who he is (the faun). She is introducing herself with the faun. And they start to have conversation. The quotation and situation show that Lucy’s characteristic is friendly.

“Thank you very much, Mr. Tumnus,” said Lucy. “Well, it’s very kind of you,” said Lucy. “But I shan’t able to stay long.” (Chapter 2 page 6)

When Mr. Tumnus (the faun) invited her to come in his house and had tea. Lucy is very kind to hear that, but she hasn’t been able to stay long in his house. And it’s never mind for Mr. Tumnus, and Mr. Tumnus is very glad. From the quotation and situation above, the writer shows that Lucy character is friendly.

3. Honest

“No-Peter, I’m not,” she said. “Its-it’s a magic wardrobe. There’s a wood inside it, and it’s snowing, and there’s a faun and the witch and it’s called Narnia; come and see.” (Chapter 3 page 11)

Lucy tells her sister and brothers about the Narnia that she saw when she was entering thewardrobe. But her sister and brothers did not believe her. And Peter thinks that it’s just Lucy’s joke and imagination. The quotation,

situation and explanation above shows that Lucy’s characteristic is honest.  She tells the truth but her sister and brothers don’t believe her and it’s just  Lucy imagination.

“I say, Lu! I’m sorry I didn’t believe you. I see now you were right all  long. Edmund said. (Chapter 3 page 13)

When the Pevensie children play hide and seek again, Edmund was hiding into the wardrobe and found the Narnia (it is like a Lucy story, said Edmud in deep his heart). So he believes about the Narnia it’s a real and Lucy is honest. From the quotation and the situation above, the writer concludes that the

characteristic of Lucy is honest.

4. Good girl

“Hadn’t we all better go to bed?” said Lucy. (Chapter 1 page 1).

In the first night at Professor home, they so are tired, sad, strange to here the place, and Edmund don’t like with the place. That happen conversation between them, but and then Edmund very angry with Susan statement. So Lucy tries to neutralize the situation between Susan and Edmund who was debating.  From the quotation and explanation above, the writer shows that Lucy’s characteristic is good girl.

“I apologize for not believing you,” Peter said. “I m sorry, will you shake hands?” “Of course,” said Lucy and did. (Chapter 6 page 27)

At first, Peter didn’t believe with Lucy story about the wardrobe, he supposed that Lucy imagination. When they came into wardrobe together, Peter found all about Lucy story is real. Then Peter wants to apologize to Lucy, and she gave it. It’s not big problem for Lucy, for her they came into wardrobe together is very glad for Lucy. From the quotation and conversation

between Lucy and Peter above, it shows that Lucy’s characteristic is good girl.

“Lucy was helping Mrs. Beaver to dish up the trout.”(Chapter 7 page 38)

This situation happens when they were in Mr. Beaver home, Lucy helps Mrs. Beaver in the kitchen to cooking for the dinner. From the quotation above the writer concludes that Lucy characteristic is good girl.  “Please – Aslan,” said Lucy. “Can anything be done to save Edmund?” (Chapter 12 page 62) After as long as their journey, they met with Aslan. Mr. Beaver was introducing one by one of The Pevensie Children. When Aslan asking, where is the fourth? Mr. Beaver and Peter told to explain it, And then Lucy hoping to Aslan, for help and save her brother. Lucy knows that Edmund has a mistake but she wants Aslan to save him. From quotation and the situation above, the writer concludes that characteristic Lucy is a good girl.“Her hands trembled so much that she could hardly undo the stopper, but she managed it in the end and poured a few drops into her brother’s mouth.” (Chapter 17 page 92)

They found Edmund in charge of Mrs. Beaver a little way back from the  fighting line. He was covered with blood, and his mouth was open, and his face a nasty green color. And then, almost for the first time, Lucy remembered the precious cordial that had been given her for a Christmas present. Then with quickly, she poured a few drops into her brother’s mouth. Because of lovely with her brother’s, she did anything, she gave anything for him. From the quotation and situation above, the writer knows that Lucy characteristic is good girl.

2. How Lucy faces the problem
3. Lucy is curious with the empty room, and there’s a wardrobe only.

When the four Pevensie children want to explore in the Professor house, first time they came at there. After breakfast, their play hide -and seek, Peter ideas. Everyone agrees to this and that is how the adventures begin. It was the sort of house that they never seem to come to the end of, and it was full of unexpected places. The first few doors they tried led only into spare bathrooms, as everyone had expected that they would; but soon they came to a very long room full of pictures and there they found a suit of armor; and after that was a room all hung with green, with a harp in one corner; and then came three step down and five step up, and then a kind of little upstairs hall and a door that led out on to a balcony. And shortly after that they looked into a room that was quite empty except for one big wardrobe; the sort that has a looking-glass in the door. There was nothing else in the room at all except a dead blue-bottle on the window-sill. And at that room, Lucy was curious and wants to know what happen in there. Why the housekeeper of Professor called Mrs. Macready did not allow  to go there.

“Nothing there!” said Peter, and they all trooped out again-all except Lucy. She stayed behind because she thought it would be worth while trying the door of the wardrobe, even though she felt almost sure that it would be locked. To her surprise it opened quite easily, and two mothballs dropped out.”(Chapter 1, page 2) She was very curious with the wardrobe, then she enters to the wardrobe.

“This must be a simply enormous wardrobe!” though Lucy, going still further in and pushing the soft folds of the coats aside to make room for her. (Chapter 1 page 3)

2. The other Pevensie doesn’t believe with Lucy’s story about a magician wardrobe.

Lucy runs out of the empty room into the passage and finds the other three. She feels that she has been away for hours and hours, and then she tells about a magician wardrobe, she tells that she had been come there.  “It’s all right,” she repeated, “I’ve comeback.” “What on earth are you talking about, Lucy?” asked Susan.  “What do you mean Lu?” asked Peter.

“What I said,” answered Lucy. “It was just after breakfast when I went into the wardrobe, and I’ve been away for hours and hours, and had tea, and all sorts of things have happened.” “Don’t be silly Lucy,” said Susan. “We’ve only just come out of that room a moment ago, and you were there then.” “She is not being silly at all,” said Peter, “She just making up a story for fun, aren’t you Lu? “No, Peter, I’m not,” she said. “It’s-It’s a magic wardrobe.” Said Lucy (Chapter 3 page 11).

She tries to make them believe with her, she tells there’s a wood inside it, and it’s snowing, and there’s a faun and a Witch and it called Narnia; come and see. The others did not know what to think, but Lucy was so excited that they all back with her into the room. She rushed ahead of them, flung open the door of the wardrobe. Then everyone looked in and pulled the coats apart; and they all sawLucy herself saw- a perfectly ordinary wardrobe.

3. Edmund was gone, because he wants to met Jadis (The White Witch).

When they come in the Narnia, they meet with Mr. and Mrs. Beaver who will help them to solve their case. First Mr. Beaver invite them to come in his house and tells about happen in there. When they start to have dinner, Mr. Beaver start for told about Narnia. He tells Narnia first, then Aslan, the witch, but when Mr. Beaver told about the white witch, Edmund not there with them. He wants to look for white witch, who the first he met when he came in the Narnia. He just wants a Turkish delight from The White Witch that she promised ago.

“I say-where’s Edmund?” “Edmund! Edmund!” they called till they were hoarse. “How perfectly dreadful!” said Susan as they at last came back in despair.      “Oh, how I wish we’d never come.”

They are really worried and wondering, what happen with Edmund, why did he go? Mr. Beaver know what the reason that Edmund gone from them in the dinner. Then they try to looking for Edmund, go to the White Witch house, because Edmund there for Turkish delight. But they can’t go themselves without Aslan the lion. So they must be looking for Aslan first.

4. Looking for Aslan the Lion

Aslan is one who can save Edmund and protect Narnia from the magic of the White Witch. After Edmund was gone, and the other Pevensie don’t know what happen with him. But they’re really worried and save him, because Edmund as a decoy for the White Witch to get Narnia and to be a Queen of Narnia. Mr. Beaver explain about Aslan the Lion of King, who will save Edmund and Narnia. They must look for Aslan, and they go on and meet him. As soon as Mr. Beaver said, “there’s no time to lose,” everyone began bundling themselves into coats.

“But don’t we want as big a start as we can possibly get,” said Peter, “If we’re to reach the stone table before her?” “You’ve got to remember that, Mr. Beaver,” said Susan. “as soon as she looked in here and finds we’re gone she’ll be off at top speed.” “That she will,” said Mrs. Beaver. “But we can’t get there before her whatever we do, for she’ll be on a sledge and we’ll be walking.” “Oh, do please come on,” said Lucy. (Chapter 9 page 50)

The snow had stopped and the moon had come out when they began their journey. They went in a single file-first Mr. Beaver, then Lucy, then Peter, then Susan, and Mrs. Beaver last of all. Mr. Beaver led them across the dam and on to the right bank of the river and then along a very rough sort of path among the trees right down by the river-bank. The sides of the valley, shinning in the moonlight, towered up far above them on either hand.

Conclusion

After analyzing the character of Lucy the writer finds that Lucy is one of the major characters in the story. There are some evidences proving that she is a major character or main character. The first evidence is that she appears many times from the beginning until the end of the story. The second is that she plays the important role in every occasion in the story. Lucy is often discussed by the other character although she is not whit them. The major characters can be analyzed into three groups; protagonist, antagonist, and companion. The writer finds that Lucy a protagonist of the story who has some characteristics. The first characteristic of Lucy is curious, honest, friendly and good girl.

In this analysis, the writer analyzed the problem that Lucy faces. The writer can find the answer by analyzing the character first. The first problem that Lucy face is she come first in the Professor House and found a room with a word robe. She is very curious look at there. Then she try to answer her curious. The second problem is the other Pevensie (her brothers and sister) don’t believing with her story about magician word robe. The third problem is happen when Edmund gone, to look for the witch house (Jadis); the fourth problem is looking for Aslan the Lion, who can save Edmund and keep Narnia from the witch (Jadis). The last problem that Lucy faces is something happen with Aslan. After meeting between Aslan and jadis, it’s something different with Aslan. Lucy has horrible feeling. She is looking for what happened with Aslan, by follow behind Aslan go in the middle night. After analyzing the character and characteristic of Lucy in the Narnia novel, the novel gives a good effect for the readers because of the character

Lucy illustrated in novel is good. The readers get knowledge about the story,

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Abrams, M. H. (1999). A Glossary of Literary Term 7th Edition. USA: Heinle & Heinle

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Publised by Mc Graw-Hill New York University, 2004..

Bennis W (1989), Character On becoming a leader, Wilmington.

Benjamin B Lahey, Psychology an Introduction Published by University of

Chicago, 1998.

C.S Lewis novel electronic (http//amazone.novel.com), The Chronicles of Narnia “The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe”, 1950.