i

CRITICISM AGAINST THE HIGH RATE OF DIVORCE IN NICHOLAS

SPARKS’S THE LAST SONG (2009) NOVEL: A SOCIOLOGICAL

PERSPECTIVE

RESEARCH PAPER

Submited as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for Getting Bachelor Degree of Education in English Department

by:

EPIN TISNA INDRIYANI

A320130156

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH EDUCATION

SCHOOL OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION

MUHAMMADIYAH UNIVERSITY OF SURAKARTA

2017

ii

APPROVAL

CRITICISM AGAINST THE HIGH RATE OF DIVORCE IN NICHOLAS

SPARKS’S THE LAST SONG (2009) NOVEL: A SOCIOLOGICAL

PERSPECTIVE

RESEARCH PAPER

by:

EPIN TISNA INDRIYANI

A320130156

Approved to be Examined by the Consultant

Consultant

Dr. M.Thoyibi, M.S

NIK. 410

iii

ACCEPTANCE

CRITICISM AGAINST THE HIGH RATE OF DIVORCE IN NICHOLAS

SPARKS’S THE LAST SONG (2009) NOVEL: A SOCIOLOGICAL

PERSPECTIVE

by:

EPIN TISNA INDRIYANI

A320130156

Accepted and Approved by Board of Examiners

School of Teacher Training and Education

Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta

on March 2017

Team of Examiners:

1. Dr. M. Thoyibi, M.S. ( )

2. Dr. Abdillah Nugroho, M.Hum. ( )

3. Dr. Phil. Dewi Candraningrum, M.Ed. ( )

Dean,

Prof. Dr. Harun Joko Prayitno, M.Hum.

NIP. 19650428 199303 1001

iv

TESTIMONY

I hereby assert that there is no plagiarism in this research paper. There is

no other work that has been submitted to obtain the bachelor degree. As far as I

am concerned there is no opinion that has been written or published before, except

the written references which are referred in this research paper and mentioned in

the bibliography.

If any incorrectness is proved in the future dealing with my statement

above, I will be fully responsible.

Surakarta, 3th

April 2017

The Researcher,

EPIN TISNA INDRIYANI

A320130156

v

MOTTO

“Hereafter better for you than the first”

Q.s Ad-Dhuha (93:4)

vi

DEDICATION

This research paper is dedicated for:

1. Alloh SWT,

2. Her great parents,

3. Her beloved brother and sister,

4. Her lovely friends, teacher, and

5. All people around her who help to finish the research paper.

vii

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Assalamu’alaikum Wr. Wb.

Alhamdulillahirobbil’alamin. The writer would thank to Alloh SWT having

given the researcher His mercy, blessing, and opportunity to conduct this research

paper entitled CRITICISM AGAINST THE HIGH RATE OF DIVORCE IN

NICHOLAS SPARKS’S THE LAST SONG (2009) NOVEL: A

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE for getting bachelor degree.

On this opportunity, the writer also would like to express her sincerest gratitude

to all parties who have helped her to write this reaserch paper. They are:

1. Prof. Dr. Harun Joko Prayitno, M.Hum. as Dean of School of Teacher

Training and Education in Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta,

2. Mauly Halwat Hikmat, S.Pd., M.Hum., Ph.D., as the Head of English

Education Department, who has given permission to the researcher for

conducting this research paper,

3. Dr. Muhammad Thoyibi, M.S as the Consultant, who has helped the

researcher to improve the researcher of the research paper in order that this

research paper becomes better,

4. The lecturers of English Department of Muhammadiyah University of

Surakarta who have given their knowledge to the researcher for more than 3

years.

5. Her beloved parent, mother Ibu Yawinah and my father bapak Kamino

beloved who always support, love and advise for the researcher,

6. Her beloved brother and sisters, Freddy Kurniawan, Fety Ardiana and

Wilis Probowati who always asks everything what the researcher has done,

7. Her amazing friends in campus Anida, Desy and Meria,

8. Her great partner of manager MUEC Bagus, Ridwan, Devi, Ita, Aulia, Yuni,

Ahmad and Andre

9. Her friends in MUEC Ica, Pungki, Anidsa, Eka and others,

10. Her great partner managerial of SEGA Dedy, Hemix, Anida, Kharisma, and

Endang,

11. Her classmates, Distiction, thanks for the togetherness,

12. Her friends of Wisma Fiqih Peggy, Ninda, Dilla, Ririn and Livia,

13. And all people around her who cannot be mentioned one by one.

viii

The researcher really wishes that this research paper would help the other

researchers who are interested in analyzing textbook in the future. The researcher

also realizes that this research paper still needs constructive criticism and suggestion.

The researcher welcomes for it.

Wassalamu’alaikum Wr. Wb.

Surakarta, May 2017

The Researcher,

Epin Tisna Indriyani

A320130156

ix

TABLE OF CONTENT

page

COVER .................................................................................................. i

APPROVAL .......................................................................................... ii

ACCEPTANCE ..................................................................................... iii

TESTIMONY ........................................................................................ iv

MOTTO ................................................................................................. v

DEDICATION ....................................................................................... vi

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .................................................................... vii

TABLE OF CONTENT ........................................................................ ix

ABSTRACT ........................................................................................... xii

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ........................................................ 1

A. Background of the Study ......................................... 1

B. Problem Statement ................................................... 5

C. Objectives ................................................................. 5

D. Benefits ..................................................................... 5

E. Paper Organization ................................................... 6

CHAPTER II: LITERARY REVIEW

A. Underlying Theory ................................................. 7

1. Sociology of Literature ................................... 7

2. Divorce in Social Life ..................................... 8

3. Cause of Divorce ............................................. 9

a. Growing Apart ......................................... 10

b. Not Talking Together ............................... 10

c. Money Problems ...................................... 11

d. Personal Problems .................................... 11

e. Infidelity ................................................... 12

f. Not Getting Enough Attention ................. 13

g. Advice Spouse’s Friends ......................... 14

h. Spouse Working Too Much ..................... 14

i. Religious Differences .............................. 15

4. Effect of Divorce ............................................. 16

x

a. Effect toward the Parents ......................... 16

b. Effect toward Children ............................. 17

1) Sadness, Anger and Hurt .................. 17

2) Need More Love and Caring ............ 18

3) Weaken Contact ................................ 19

4) Depression and Anxiety Disorders .. 19

5) Hating the Parents ............................. 20

6) Being Disappointed the Parents‘

Decisions and Actions ...................... 20

7) They unconsciously believe

that love cannot be trusted. ............... 21

8) Strong ................................................ 22

B. Previous Studies ..................................................... 22

CHAPTER III : RESEARCH METHOD ........................................... 24

A. Type of the Study................................................. 25

B. Object of the Study .............................................. 25

C. Type of the Data and the Data Source ................. 25

D. Technique of the Data Collection ........................ 25

E. Technique of the Data Analysis ........................... 26

CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION .............................. 27

A. Analysis .................................................................. 27

1. Causes of Divorce ............................................. 27

a. Growing Apart ........................................... 27

b. Not Talking Together ................................. 29

c. Money Problem .......................................... 31

d. Infidelity ..................................................... 33

e. Spouse Working too Much ......................... 39

f. Egoist .......................................................... 41

2. Effect of Divorce .............................................. 42

a. Effect Toward the Parent ........................... 43

1) Parental instability ............................... 43

2) Regret .................................................. 44

xi

3) More Over Protective .......................... 48

b. Effect toward Children ............................... 52

1) Sadness, Anger and Hurt ..................... 52

2) Need More Love and Caring ............... 54

3) Weaken Contact .................................. 57

4) Hating their Parents ............................. 59

5) Being Disappointed of Parents’

Decisions and Actions ......................... 63

6) Caring .................................................. 65

3. The Depiction of Divorce .................................. 69

a. Creating the Character ................................ 69

1) Less of Affection Character ................ 69

2) Creating the Suffer Character.............. 71

3) Creating Third Person Character ......... 73

4) Creating Dishonest Character ............. 75

b. Creating the Setting .................................... 76

1) First House .......................................... 76

2) Second House ...................................... 76

c. Creating the Event ...................................... 77

1) Fight .................................................... 77

2) Infidelity .............................................. 77

3) Sending of Letter ................................. 78

4) Running Off ........................................ 80

B. Discussion .............................................................. 80

CHAPTER V : CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION ...................... 84

A. Conclusion ............................................................. 84

B. Suggestion .............................................................. 85

C. Educational Implication ......................................... 86

BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................. 88

APPENDIX

xii

ABSTRACT

Epin Tisna Indriyani. A320130156

CRITICISM AGAINST THE HIGH RATE OF DIVORCE IN NICHOLAS

SPARKS’S THE LAST SONG (2009) NOVEL: A SOCIOLOGICAL

PERSPECTIVE

RESEARCH PAPER. 2017. Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta.

Abstract

Study is about divorce overview on the society by revealing the issue related.

Through sociological perspective, the researcher analyzes effect, cause and depiction

to demonstrate Nicholas Sparks’s reason of his delivering divorce in The Last Song

(2009) novel. This study is qualitative research and the type is descriptive qualitative.

The real novel by Nicholas Sparks’s The Last Song, first U.S. edition published 1st

September 2009 by Grand Central Publishing becomes the material object of the

study with family of divorce as the formal object. Primary data source is the real

novel. The secondary data source is taken from reader response, website, dictionary,

journal, book and other sources related the study which supports the research. The

researcher gets four findings as follows; firstly, there are six causes of divorce.

Secondly, there are 9 effects of divorce. Thirdly, divorce is depicted through the

character, place and event of the novel. In conclusion from the results obtained, is

gotten that The Last Song (2009) becomes Sparks’s power to criticize the society

againts the high rate cases of divorce.

Keywords: divorce, Nicholas Sparks, sociological perspective

Abstrak

Studi tentang gambaran perceraian di masyarakat dengan mengungkapkan masalah

yang terkait. Melalui perspektif sosiologis, peneliti menganalisis efek, sebab dan

penggambaran untuk menunjukkan alasan Nicholas Sparks ini penyampaian

perceraian novel di The Last Song (2009). Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian

kualitatif dan jenisnya adalah deskriptif kualitatif. Novel asli karya Nicholas Sparks

ini The Last Song, edisi pertama AS yang diterbitkan pada 1 September 2009 oleh

Grand Central Publishing menjadi objek material dari penelitian dengan keluarga

perceraian sebagai objek formal. Sumber data utama adalah novel asli. Sumber data

sekunder diambil dari tanggapan pembaca, website, kamus, jurnal, buku dan sumber-

sumber lain yang terkait studi yang mendukung penelitian. Peneliti mendapat empat

temuan sebagai berikut; pertama, ada enam penyebab perceraian. Kedua, ada

sembilan efek perceraian. Ketiga, perceraian digambarkan melalui karakter, tempat

dan acara novel. Kesimpulannya dari hasil yang diperoleh, didapatkan bahwa The

Last Song (2009) menjadi kekuatan Sparks untuk mengkritik masyarakat terhadap

resiko kasus tingkat tinggi perceraian.

Kata Kunci: perceraian, Nicholas Sparks, perspektif sosiologis