ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM … · the completion of this thesis. Their participation and contribution are very much appreciated. ... most of the soldier like him well

BIBLICAL VALUES CONVEYED THROUGH THE CHARACTERS

IN MITCH ALBOM’S THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN

A THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree

in English Language Education

By: Ria Faksriani

Student number: 021214112

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA

2008

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

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STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY

I honesty declare that this thesis, which I wrote, does not contain the work or

parts of the work of other people, except those cited in the quotations and bibliography,

as a scientific paper should.

Yogyakarta, September 15, 2008

The writer

Ria Faksriani

021214112


LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN

PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS

Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma :

Nama : Ria Faksriani

Nomor Mahasiswa : 021214112

Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul : BIBLICAL VALUES CONVEYED THROUGH THE CHARACTERS

IN MITCH ALBOM’S THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, me-ngalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di Internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin dari saya maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis. Demikian pernyataan ini yang saya buat dengan sebenarnya. Yogyakarta, 14 November 2008

Yang menyatakan

(Ria Faksriani)


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To my dearest Lord Jesus Christ

and my beloved parents

Life has to end, but love doesn’t.

That death doesn’t just take someone, it misses someone else,

and in the small distance between being taken and being missed,

lives are changed


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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, I would like to express my highest and deepest gratitude to the

Almighty Lord Jesus Christ for His gratest love and blessing in my life, especially in

every single time when struggle comes and life becomes so hard.

I am deeply indebted to Drs. L. Bambang Hendarto Y, M. Hum., as my

sponsor for his suggestions, correction and guidance, encouragement in writing my

thesis. This thesis would be nothing without his noteworthy advice. My gratitude also

goes to all my lecturers in English Language Study Program of Sanata Dharma

University for their help and the service during my study.

I mostly thank my lovely late father, who I believe has rested in peace in heaven,

my lovely mother, my erderly brother, Itiu and Ibu in Fakfak, and my big family in Irian

Jaya for their love, encouragement, faith and prayer. Neither any of spoken nor written

words could ever describe how much they really mean to my life.

I also send big thanks to my cell group, Joyfull for their support and prayer, my

friends Miko, Bunga, Sesil, Deddy for the dear friendship in the bitter moments and the

sweet moments. I am so gratefull to have dear friends like them.

Finally, I sincerely thank all the people whom I cannot mention one by one and

who have so kindly lent their hands during my study in Sanata Dharma University and

the completion of this thesis. Their participation and contribution are very much

appreciated.

Ria Faksriani


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE……………………………………………………………………….. APPROVAL PAGE………………………………………………………………… ACCEPTANCE PAGE…………………… ……………………………………….. STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY………………………………........... DEDICATION PAGE……………………………………………………………… ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS..……………………………………………………….. TABLE OF CONTENTS…………………………………………………………… ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………… ABSTRAK……..…………………………………………………………………….. CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

1.1. Background of the study…………………………………………………… 1.2. Problem Formulation………………………………………………………. 1.3. Objective of the Study……………………………………………………… 1.4. Benefits of the Study……………………………………………………….. 1.5. Definition of Terms…………………………………………………………

CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW………………………………………….. 2.1.Review of Related Theories…………………………………………………

2.1.1. Character and Characterization……………………………………... 2.1.2. Critical Approaches………………………………………………… 2.1.3. Theory of Values……………………………………………………

2.1.3.1. Fairness…………………………………………………… 2.1.3.2. Sacrificing………………………………………………… 2.1.3.3. Forgiveness……………………………………………….. 2.1.3.4. Love………………………………………………………. 2.1.3.5. Purpose of life……………………………………………..

2.1.4. Relationship of the Bible and Literature……………………………. 2.2.Theoretical Framework……………………………………………………...

CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY……………………………………..................... 3.1.Subject Matter…………………………….………………………………… 3.2.Approach of the Study…………………….………………………………... 3.3.Method of the Study…………………………………………………………

CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS………………………………………………………… 4.1.The Portrayals of the Characters…………………………………………….

4.1.1. The Portrayal of Eddie………………………………...……. 4.1.2. The Portrayal of The Blueman…………………………...…. 4.1.3. Rhe Portrayal of The Captain………………………...……... 4.1.4. The Portrayal of Ruby…………………………...………….. 4.1.5. The Portrayal of Marguerite……………………...…………. 4.1.6. The Portrayal of Tala…………………………...…………...

i ii iii iv v vi vii ix x 1 1 3 4 4 5 7 7 7 10 11 12 13 15 16 18 19 20

21 21 22 22

24 24 24 31 32 33 34 35


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4.2.The Biblical Values Conveyed Through the Five People Eddie Meets in Heaven……………………………………………………...

4.2.1. Fairness…………………………………………...………… 4.2.2. Sacrificing…………………………………...……………… 4.2.3. Foergiveness………………………………...……………… 4.2.4. The Power of Love…………………………………………. 4.2.5. The Purpose of Life……………………………………...….

CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS………...............................

5.1.Conclusions…………………………………………………………………. 5.2.Suggestions…………………………..……………………...........................

5.2.1. Suggestions for the Future Researchers………..…………… 5.2.2. Suggestions for the English Teachers……………...………..

BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………...… APPENDICES APPENDIX 1 THE SUMMARY OF THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN…………………………………………. APPENDIX 2 THE BIBLIOGRAPHY OF MITCH ALBOM……………………... APPENDIX 3LESSON PLAN……………………………………………………... APPENDIX 4 READING MATERIAL…………………………………………….

35 35 37 40 41 42

44 44 45 46 46

49

(1) (2) (5) (7)


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ABSTRACT

Faksriani, Ria. 2008. Biblical Values Conveyed Through the Characters in Mitch Albom’s The Five People You Meet in Heaven. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program, Department of Language and Arts Education, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, Sanata Dharma University

This thesis discusses the bibilical values conveyed through the characters in Mitch Albom’s novel The Five People You Meet in Heaven. The death of Eddie as the main character, a veteran war who works in a pier named Ruby, leads him to heaven and meets five people. Each person that he meets teaches him a biblical value.

The aims of this study are to find out the portrayals of the characters and the biblical values conveyed through the five people that Eddie meets in heaven in Mitch Albom’s The Five People You Meet in Heaven. The problems are formulated as follows: (1) How are the character of Eddie, the Blueman, the Captain, Ruby, Marguerite, and Tala are portrayed in the novel? (2) What are biblical values conveyed by the five people Eddie meets in heaven?

This study employs the novel The Five People You Meet in Heaven as the primary source. Besides, some relevant books on literature, values and the Bible are used as the secondary sources in order to support the analysis. Since this study concerns with the biblical values conveyed through the characters in the novel, the Christian approach is applied.

The conclusion of this study depicts the portrayal of the five people Eddie meets in heaven and Eddie himself. First is the Blueman. He is portrayed as a sideshow worker in Ruby Pier that has blue skin as his distinctive features. The second is the Captain. He is portrayed as the the oldest man in Eddie’s troop, a lifetime military man with a lanky swagger and a prominent chin that gives him a resemblance of a movie actor of the day. Although he is high tempered and has a habit of yelling inches from people’s face, but most of the soldier like him well enough. The third is Ruby. She is portrayed as an old woman with a gaunt face and sagging cheeks, rose coloured lipstick, and tightly pulled-back white hair, thin enough in parts to reveal the pink scalp beneath it. She wears wire-rimmed spectacles over narrow blue eyes. The next is Marguerite. She is portrayed as a loyal and supportive, attentive, and modest girl. She is the girl that becomes Eddie’s wife. The last is Tala. She is portrayed as a little girl around five or six years old, with a beautiful cinnamon complexion. Her hair color is dark plum. She has a small flat nose, full lips that spread joyfully over her gapped teeth, and most arresting eyes as black as seal’s hide, with pinhead of white serving as a pupil. Finally, Eddie himself is portrayed as an old working man that has white ha ir, with short a neck, a barrel chest, thick forearms and a tattoo. He is loved by children but not teenager. He loves his wife very much, and he feels great lost when his wife leaves him at her 47 because of a tumor in the brain. The values that those persons teach are fairness by the Blueman, sacrificing by the Captain, forgiveness by Ruby, love by Marguerite, and the purpose of life by Tala.

To future researches who intend to do in-depth study on The Five People You Meet in Heaven, the analysis on the plot or the setting in the novel would still be a fascinating challenge, beside analyzing aspects of this novel. Meanwhile, English teachers could also utilize parts of this novel to increase students’ motivation to read in order to develop their reading skill.


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ABSTRAK

Faksriani, Ria. 2008. Biblical Values Conveyed Through the Characters in Mitch Albom’s The Five People You Meet in Heaven. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa dan Seni, Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan, Universitas Sanata Dharma.

Skripsi ini mengulas tentang nilai-nilai alkitabiah yang disampaikan oleh para karakter yang terdapat dalam novel karya Mitch Albom dengan judul The Five People You Meet in Heaven. Kematian Eddie sebagai tokoh utama, seorang veteran perang yang bekerja di sebuah taman bermain yang bernama Ruby, mengantarnya ke surga dan bertemu lima orang. Setiap orang yang ia temui mengajarkannya tentang sebuah nilai alkitabiah.

Tujuan dari skripsi adalah untuk melihat deskripsi mengena i para karakter dan nilai-nilai alkitabiah yang disampaikan oleh para karakter yang terdapat dalam novel karya Mitch Albom The Five People You Meet in Heaven. Dengan rumusan permasalahan sebagai berikut: (1) Bagaimana Eddie, Blueman, Captain, Ruby, Marguerite, dan Tala dideskripsikan dalam novel? (2) Nilai-nilai alkitabiah apa saja yang disampaikan oleh lima orang yang Eddie temui di surga?

Studi ini menggunakan novel The Five People You Meet in Heaven sebagai sumber utama. Selain itu, buku-buku yang relevan mengenai kesusasteraan, nilai-nilai, dan Alkitab digunakan sebagai sumber-sumber tambahan untuk mendukung analisa. Pendekatan kekristenan diaplikasikan karena studi ini berhubungan dengan nilai-nilai alkitabiah yang disampaikan oleh para karakter dalam novel.

Kesimpulan dari studi ini mendeskripsikan lima orang yang Eddie temui di surga dan Eddie. Pertama yaitu Blueman. Ia digambarkan sebagai seorang pekerja di Ruby Pier yang memiliki kulit berwarna biru. Yang kedua adalah si Kapten. Ia digambarkan sebagai orang tertua dalam kesatuannya Eddie, seorang prajurit sejati berkaki panjang dengan cara jalan yang aneh dan dagu terangkat yang membuatnya kelihatan seperti seorang bintang film. Meskipun ia emosian dan suka berteriak di depan wajah orang lain, tetapi para prajurit menyukainya. Ketiga adalah Ruby. Ia digambarkan sebagai seorang wanita tua berwajah tirus, memakai lipstik berwarna merah mawar, dan berambut putih sangat tipis sehingga menunjukkan kulit kepalanya yang diikat ke belakang dengan rapi. Ia memakai kacamata di atas mata birunya. Kemudian Marguerite. Ia digambarkan sebagai seorang wanita yang setia dan penuh dukungan kepada suaminya, penuh perhatian dan sederhana. Ia adalah istri Eddie. Yang terakhir adalah Tala. Ia digambarkan sebagai seorang gadis kecil berusia lima atau enam tahun, berkulit coklat. Rambutnya berwarna hitam. Ia berhidung pesek, berbibir penuh yang tersenyum sehingga memperlihatkan deretan giginya yang jarang, dan mata yang indah. Akhirnya, Eddie digambarkan sebagai seorang pekerja tua berambut putih, leher pendek, dada bidang, lengan besar dan bertato. Ia disukai oleh anak-anak tetapi tidak menyukai remaja. Ia sangat mencintai istrinya serta sangat merasa kehilangan ketika istrinya meninggal pada usia 47 tahun karena tumor otak. Nilai –nilai yang diajarkan kepada Eddie adalah keadilan hidup yang disampaikan oleh Blueman, pengorbanan yang disampaikan oleh Captain, pengampunan yang disampaikan oleh Ruby, cinta yang disampaikan oleh Marguerite, dan tujuan hidup yang disampaikan oleh Tala.

Bagi para peneliti di waktu mendatang yang bermaksud untuk melakukan studi mendalam mengenai novel The Five People You Meet in Heaven, analisa mengenai alur cerita atau setting dari novel tersebut masih akan menjadi pembahasan yang menarik di samping analisa-analisa lain mengenai novel ini dari berbagai aspek lainnya. Sementara itu, bagi para guru bahasa Inggris dapat pula memanfaatkan bagian-bagian dari novel ini untuk meningkatkan motivasi para siswa untuk mengembangkan kemampuan membaca mereka.


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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

This chapter deals with background of the study, problem formulation,

objectives of the study, benefits of the study, and definition of terms. Background of

the study describes the reason why I chose the novel and the topic. In background of

the study, I describe some important information related to the topic. The problem

formulation gives general descriptions in the form of questions about the problems that

are analyzed and discussed in this study. The objectives of the study contain the

expected answers to the questions formulated in the problem formulation. The benefits

of the study contain people who will get benefits from the study. The last part,

definition of terms, explains the definition of key terms in this study in order to avoid

misconception.

1.1 Background of the Study

When we talk about life, we can talk about many things. When we discuss life,

we discuss about faith, idealism, beliefs, behavior, attitude, dreams, and many things.

All are based on the fact that life is a complex matter. Life contains many things and

all depend on individual beliefs. In viewing life, people have different point of views.

They also have different ways to face their life. It can be caused by their background of

knowledge, experience, and faith. Those backgrounds can influence people on shaping

the way they view life and face it.


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As it is like a mirror, sometimes we can see literature as a reflection of our life

and that makes studying literature interesting and fascinating, since it contains some

kinds of human aspect of life, such as moral, history, psychology, social, and more.

Reading a piece of literary work is similar to reading a story of life. When one

reads literary work, it means he or she reads or experiences the expression of life

through the media of language. By reading literary works, we gain not only pleasant

things, but also some life values because literature may become one of the ways in

which human learn about moral which happens in life. Moody explains that literature

can give more than just pleasure and enjoyment.

And all of us who read literary work will find our knowledge broadened and deepened, whether in the individual, the social, the racial, or in the internal sphere; we shall understand the possibilities of human life, both for good and evil, we shall understand how we come to live at a particular time and place, with all its pleasure and vexations and problems; we shall understand onward which are open to us, and we shall perhaps be able to make right rather than wrong choices (2-3)

Therefore, by reading literary works, we can enrich our knowledge more on the values

in life, such as the good and the evil.

One of literary works is novel. In a novel, characters play an important role,

and convey the message from the author to the readers. The author may use human,

plants, animals, and even supernatural beings such as ghosts, gods and goddess, or

other creatures as the characters in order to build the story. Those characters are

usually the representatives of the human being. Their experience, conflicts, problems

and achievements usually represent what we, humans, experience in our life. Holman

and Harmon state that “all novels are representations in fictional narrative of life or

experience but the form are itself as a protean as life and experience themselves”


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(336). It means that novel is like a mirror in which we see our life in it. That is why

sometimes when we read a literary work we can find that a character in literary work is

just like us.

Since a novel is like a mirror in which we see our life in it, then it also contains

values in human life. The values that are presented in literary work usually are carried

by the characters. The author usually provides the characters with certain values, so

that they can convey those values to the readers. By reading a novel, sometimes the

readers can get more values besides the pleasure.

Mitch Albom’s novel entitled The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a novel

that portrays the things described above. It tells a story of the life after death of the

main character, named Eddie, a veteran war who works as the maintenance person in a

pier named Ruby Pier. When Eddie dies, he goes to heaven and meets five people that

answer all the questions about the life that he has been through, and also conveys the

Biblical values.

This novel is interesting to discuss because there are some biblical values that

are conveyed through the five people that Eddie meets in heaven. Therefore, this study,

focuses on analyzing the biblical values conveyed through the characters, in this study

is the five people that Eddie meets in heaven, in Albom’s the Five People You Meet in

Heaven.

1.2 Problem Formulation

Based on the background, there are six characters found in the novel. They are

Eddie, Blueman, Captain, Ruby, Marguerite, and Tala. Therefore, I formulate the

problems as follows:


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1. How are the character of Eddie, the Blueman, the Captain, Ruby, Marguerite, and

Tala are portrayed in the novel?

2. What are biblical values conveyed by the five people Eddie meets in heaven?

1.3 Objectives of the study

The objectives of this study are to answer the questions that are formulated in

the problem formulation above. First of all, I try to find out the portrayal of the

characters that can be found in Albom’s The Five People You Meet in Heaven, and

later on, I try to find out the biblical values that are conveyed by those characters.

1.4 Benefits of the Study

This study is expected to give some contribution to many people. First of all,

this study is expected to give contribution to literature teachers that use Albom’s The

Five People You Meet in Heaven as the reading material for literature course especially

if the topic chosen concerns any values that are conveyed in the novel, including the

biblical values.

Secondly, this study is expected to give contribution to the students who

analyze the biblical values or other values in fiction. Thirdly, it is expected to give

contribution to enrich my knowledge as the writer of the study about values, especially

Biblical values.

This study may also be used by other researchers as the additional source in

analyzing biblical values that are presented in any literary works. The result of this

study may be used by them as a consideration in exploring more about values that are

conveyed in literary works.


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1.5. Definition of Terms

This part is presented to define some terms written in the title of this thesis in

order to avoid misunderstanding. Those terms are:

1.5.1 Biblical Values

In A Concise Dictionary of Theology, the Bible means the sacred writings inspired by

God and expressing Christian faith in a way that is normative for all time (25).

Dictionary of Religion states that the bible comprises two parts that Christians call the

Old Testament and the New Testament (64). For Christians, the Bible is the basis for

all of their core beliefs. Baker’s Concise Dictionary of Religion notes that the Bible is

the name of Christianity’s sacred scriptures, consisting of the Books of the Old and

New Testaments, beginning with Genesis and ending with Revelation (321). The term

value in Theological Dictionary is the science of moral; that is, it seeks to analyze and

explore the moral facts from which the norms of human behavior may derive (151-

152). Therefore, in this study, biblical value means Christian values that are presented

by the Bible that are believed by Christians as true beliefs on the sayings of Christ.

1.5.2 Characters

Another term to be defined is character. Abrams, in his book, A Glossary of Literary

Terms, defines a character as the person presented in a dramatic or narrative work,

who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with moral and dispositional

qualities that are expressed in what they say-the dialogue-and by what they do-the

action (20). It means that the character is the person who can be described with moral

and dispositional qualities depend on dialogue and action. In this study, character is


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defined as the person with moral principles and dispositional qualities that is presented

by the author to convey the biblical va lues in the novel.

1.5.3 Heaven

Heaven in A Mini-dictionary of the Bible, Contemporary English Version, is defined

as the place for those persons that have finished their life on earth. It is also known as

God’s home, where God’s rule over people with no tears and suffers for good.


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CHAPTER 2

THEORETICAL REVIEW

This chapter is divided into two parts. They are review of related theories, and

theoretical framework. The review of related theories consists of literary theories and

theory of values. The literary theories consist of three theories namely, theory of

character and characterization, theory of critical approaches, and the relationships of

Bible and literature. The last part is theoretical framework, which describes a guidance

to analyze the problems formulated in the problem formulation.

2.1 Review of Related Theories

This section presents characters and characterization and theories of value. The

literary theories consists of three theories namely theory of character and

characterization, theory of critical approaches and relationship of bible and literature.

2.1.1 Character and Characterization

Characters according to Abrams in A Glossary of Literary Terms are the

persons presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as

being endowed with moral and dispositional qualities through dialogue and action

(20). According to Henkle (87-97), characters can be divided as major and minor

characters. Major characters are the most important and complex characters in the

novel. They can be identified as such through the complexity of the characterization,

the attention given to them (by the author or other characters) who deserve our fullest


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attention because they perform a key structural function. Upon them we built

expectations and desires, when in modification shift of establish or value.

Murphy categorizes characters on the basis of important into major and

secondary characters. The major characters are the center and important characters of

the story. They play important roles in shaping and making up the story. The

secondary characters are those who perform more limited roles (121).

Besides the major and secondary characters that is categorized by Murphy,

Robert and Jacobs (145-146) propose that a character can be either static or dynamic.

A character may have many individual and various human traits, and also because she

or he may be considered as a dynamic character. Whereas a static character is the one

who changes a little, but usually he or she remains the same because there are no

changes or growth happen.

Character and characterization cannot be separated to each other. The author

always reveals the characters of imaginary persons in the story, and that it is called

characterization. It means that characterization can be defined as the creation of these

imaginary persons so that they exist for the reader as if the people in real life (Holman

and Harmon, 81).

An author can characterize his character by using many ways and means.

Abrams (21) states that there are two methods of characterization, namely showing and

telling. In showing method, called “the dramatic method”, the author only presents his

characters’ talking and acting and therefore leaves the reader to get a clear

understanding on what motives and disposition lie behind in what they say and do. In

telling method, the author himself becomes a kind of narration in order to describe and

evaluate the motive s and dispositional qualities of the character.


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Furthermore, Murphy (162-173) explains how the author can convey the reader

through character and personalities of the people. According to Murphy, there are

several ways in which the author attempts to make his character alive to the reader.

The first is personal description. In personal description, the author can describe a

character’s physical appearance. The personal description is very important because

each character in the story has certain characteristics and aspects. The reader can

imagine the story well, especially if the character has a specific or certain appearance.

The next is characters as seen by another. Here, the author can describe a character by

considering any opinion of another and through the eye of other characters in the story.

The third is speech. In speech, the author can give the reader some clues about

the characters in the book through the conversation with another person and whenever

he gives his opinion, he is giving us some clues to his personality. After speech, there

is past life. Here, the author can also give the readers description about some past

events that will help the reader to shape a person’s character.

The fourth is conversation with other. In conversation with others, some clues

to a person’s character can be given to the reader by the author through the

conversations of other people and things they say about the character. The next is

reaction. In reaction, the author can give the reader clues to a person’s character by

showing the reaction in some events. The next is thought. Here, the author can give the

reader direct knowledge of what a person is thinking about. What actually in the

person’s mind and what he feels reflect on his character. The last is mannerism. In

mannerism, the character’s personality also can be described by the author through

his/her mannerism or habit in his/her fictional life.


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2.1.2 Critical Approaches

According to Klarer, religion has always played an important influence on

literary studies. He says, “This religious and magical words of textual studies can be

traced from preliterate eras all the way to temporary theology and has always exerted a

major influence on literary studies” (76). Literature teaches many things about life.

Reading a piece of literary work is similar to reading a story of life. Literary works

that reflect and explore human life cannot also be separated to religious values that are

expressed through the work and religious values are found through Bible. Since

literature and religion have a close relation, a Christian approach needs employing as a

means to interpret a work of literature. According to Norton, using a positive Christian

approach will lead to the road of truth as well as to all the good (1961: ixxi).

Every literary works cannot be seen from the surface only. Studying works of

literature will include the studying about life that also has religious va lues, including

love, sacrifice, forgiveness and many more. Therefore, the religious aspects should be

a consideration in interpreting the literary works in order to get a deeper meaning of

the work. Brother Leo, in Norton’s A Christian Approach to Western Literature, says,

“The religious conception of existence is the open sesame to the spacious treasure

house of the written world, to the imperishable record of what all though all the ages

man has thought and felt in terms of beauty and of truth” (Norton, 1961: 5). It means

that interpreting a literary work without ignoring the religious problem will enable the

reader not only to see the beauty of the work, but also the biblical values through the

work.


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Therefore, a Christian approach is used to help the writer in analyzing the

novel. Since this study deals with religious values, the biblical values become the

focus. In conclusion, the religious values are important aspects of the novel to analyze.

2.1.3 Theory of values

Value, according to Pratt, is “a character possessed by an object, event, or

experience in virtue of the fact that some sentient being likes it when he gets it; or

would like it if he got it”. (121). It means that value can make human becomes better in

life. Value as a character that is possessed by human will help him/her to integrate

his/her life to be better each day.

However, Edward states that the object, event, and experience do not refers to

the virtue only. He proposes rightness, obligation, beauty, truth, and holiness (229).

Value also has its connection with religion that is called religious value.

Religious value lay dominantly in the relationship between an individual and the

sacred-God (O’Murchu, 45). This relationship is fundamental to his well being. His

life is good because he does what the religion teaches him to do. His attitude and

behavior are based on the religious teaching. A man must do the order of God that

mediated throughout a religion to have a god life. The religious value also includes an

individual relationship to other human beings in term of partnership and cooperation. It

means that religious value is any value that is based on the religious teaching.

In this study, the religious values are closely related to the biblical values that

will be discussed, because in this study, the writer will try to analyze religious value

from Christian point of view. Therefore, the values tha t are discussed in this study are

Christian values that are taken from the Bible, or called Biblical values.


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There are five biblical values that are likely to be discussed in this study. They

are fairness, sacrificing, forgiveness, love, and purpose of life. The basis of these

values are based on the verses in the Bible.

2.1.3.1 Fairness

Fairness in the Bible can be seen in Galatians 6: 7-8. It says that you will

harvest what you plant. It means that every thing we do in life has the cause and the

effect side. It is fair because the evil will go to hell and the good go to heaven. This

verse teaches us that there is fairness in life.

Another verse that tells us about fairness is in Matthew 6:33. This verse states

that if we focus on looking for the Kingdom of God first, then the other things will be

ours as well. It means that there will be always payment for what we have done. If we

focus on God, then he promises us for more blessing. So, everything has its own time,

however, we cannot get something if we do not want use our effort to get that.

The Bible also states that everything in this world has its turn. Life is fair,

sometimes fortune is in our side and sometimes it leaves us behind. There is a time for

us to laugh and vice versa. There is a time for us to plant, and there is a time for us also

to harvest. Everything happens in its time. Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 says that God will make

everything happen at the right time.

As the summary, the Bible tells us that life is fair. We will get what we want if

we use our effort to get that and everything in this life happens in the right time. It is

fair because it has the cause and effect side whereas it will happen in its time as God

wants it to happen.


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2.1.3.2 Sacrificing

Sacrifice is the fact of giving up something valuable that we possess for a good

purpose. There are many people thinking sacrifice something for other is considered as

heroes. However it is also written on the Bible that heroes sacrifice their most valuable

things for good purpose.

In the Old Testament, it is described that once, there was a man almost killed

his son as a sacrifice to please God, yet God replaces it with a sheep (Genesis 22:1-14).

Because of that, Christians know him as the father of Faith, and we call him Abraham.

Then there came a man who gave his position and wealth, also his position as

the prince of Egypt by bringing all his people out from Egypt, and led them to the land

that was promised by God for them to live (Exodus 12:31-40:34), yet we called him

Moses.

Oftentimes, we fail to understand how great God's love is. We easily question

His justice, when we get deprived of what we consider good things in life. Such is our

attitude towards God, without realizing that He has already provided us with the best

gift in life - something that we are not capable of accomplishing for ourselves. He has

given us righteousness, or purification from sin, through the sacrifice of His Only Son.

When John the Baptist asked Jesus Christ why He had to humble Himself as a

man, our Lord responded: "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all

righteousness" (Matthew 3:15). If Jesus Christ is the Son of God, why did He have to

die? Two apostles asked the same question on their way to Emmaus, days after Jesus

died near Jerusalem (Luke 24:13-35). They were hoping that Jesus was the one who

was going to redeem people of God until He died. Jesus, who had recently resurrected


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from the dead, confronted them and said: "Did not the Christ have to suffer these

things and then enter His glory?" (Luke 24:26).

Why did Jesus Christ have to die for our sins? "The law requires that nearly

everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no

forgiveness." (Hebrews 9:22) God told Moses: "For the life of the creature is in the

blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is

the blood that makes atonement for one's life." (Leviticus 17:11) The blood of Christ,

the perfect sacrifice, had to be shed for our atonement. Jesus Christ "did not enter by

means of the blood of the goats and calves; but He entered the Most Holy Place once

for all by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption." (Hebrews 9:12)

"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake" (1 Peter 1:18-20).

Unlike the Levite priests who had to offer sacrifices again and again, Jesus

Christ is the only high priest who is "holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners,

exalted above the heavens". Paul, the first Christian missionary, explained that "unlike

other high priests, He does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own

sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when

He offered Himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the

oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect

forever." (Hebrews 7:26-28)

It was God's will that Jesus Christ died on the cross for the redemption of


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mankind from sin. Talking to the Father, Jesus Christ said: "Sacrifices and offerings,

burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them

(although the law required them to be made). Here I am, I have come to do Your will"

(Hebrews 10:8-9). Paul said that Jesus Christ came to set aside the first covenant to

establish the second. "Christ is the mediator of the new covenant, that those who are

called may receive the promised eternal inheritance-now that He has died as a ransom

to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant." (Hebrews 9:15).

And Christ did die for all of us. He died so we soul no longer live for ourselves, but for

the One who died and was raised to life for us (2 Corinthians 5: 15).

2.1.3.3 Forgiveness

No one makes us angry. Anger is our own emotional response to some action

or event. More often than not, our angry feelings are based on a misinterpretation of

what someone has said or did. Expressing anger tends to prolong and reinforce our

anger rather than purge it. Angry words and actions are much more likely to escalate

hostilities and block communication than to solve a problem. Whether between parent

and child, spouses, friends, or nations, expressions of anger divide us and drive us

toward open hostility.

It is all too easy to react to life's annoyances and disappointments with anger. It

is far more challenging, but much better, to react with understanding and empathy. In

this way, we can quickly settle disputes and avoid turning minor incidents into major

battles. The humble demeanor is a perfect tool for avoiding disputes and hard feelings.

Jesus said there is no place for hatred, holding a grudge, revenge, retaliation or getting

even in the life of a Christian.


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You have heard that it was said, ‘eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him in the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. (NIV, Matthew 5:38-40) You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends the rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (NIV, Matthew 5:43-45)

Bearing a grudge and seeking revenge are never appropriate responses to a

perceived wrongness. A grudge destroys the grudge-holder with bitterness, and

revenge only escalates hostilities. Jesus told us we must reconcile with our adversaries,

forgive their transgressions, and let go of the anger that may tempt us to commit for an

act of revenge.

God is merciful and forgive our sins and failings. In the same way, we must be

merciful and forgive other people who sin against us or do us harm. Talking about

forgiveness, there are many verses in the Bible teaching about that. We can also see

other references on Leviticus 19:18, Psalms 37:8-9, Proverbs 10:12, 12:16, 15:1, 15:7,

19:11, 20:22, 24:29, Matthew 5:21-26, 5:43-48, Romans 12:17-21, 1 Corinthians 6:7-

8, Ephesians 4:26, 4:31-32, Colossians 3:7-8, James 1:19-20, 1 Thessalonians 5:15, 1

Peter 3:9, 1 John 2:9-11, 4:19-21, Matthew 5:7, 18: 21-35, Mark 11:25, Luke 17:3-4,

Colossians 3:12-14, Ephesians 4:32

2.1.3.4 Love

The English word “love” has many different meanings, but the Greek word,

agape, used in the New Testament, is commonly known as “Christian Love.” It means

respect, affection, benevolence, good-will, and concern for the welfare of the one

loved.


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Agape received a broader usage under later Christian writers as the word that

specifically denoted "Christian" love or "charity" (1 Corinthians 13:1–8), or even God

(1 John 4:8, Theos ein agape, "God is Love"). The New Testament provides a number

of definitions and examples of agape that generally expand on the meanings derived

from ancient texts, denoting brotherly love, love of one's spouse or children, and the

love of God for all people.

The Christian usage of the term agape comes almost directly from the

canonical Gospels' account of the teachings of Jesus. When asked what was the

greatest commandment, Jesus said, ‘”Love (agapao) the Lord your God with all your

heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest

commandment. And the second is like that: “Love (agapao) your neighbor as yourself.'

All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-41)

At the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said:

You have heard that it was said, 'Love (agapao) your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love (agapao) your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? (Matthew 5: 41-48)

Christian writers have generally described agape, as expounded on by Jesus, as

a form of love which is both unconditional and voluntary. Tertullian, in his 2nd

century defense of Christians remarked how Christian love attracted pagan notice:

"What marks us in the eyes of our enemies is our loving kindness. 'Only look,' they

say, 'look how they love one another'" (Apology 39).

In the New Testament the noun agape is often used to describe God's love.

However, the verb form agapao is at times used in a negative sense, where it retains its


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more general meaning of "affection" rather than divine love. Such examples include:

• 2 Timothy 4:10—"…for Demas has forsaken me, having loved [agapao] this

present world…."

• John 12:43—"for they loved [agapao] the praise of men more than the praise

from God."

• John 3:19—"but men loved [agapao] darkness instead of light because their

deeds were evil."

Love always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting (1Corinthian 13: 7). But,

more on that, 1Corinthian 13: 1-13 explain much about love. It is because in love,

there is no hate, jealousy, boastful, selfish, and so on. Even love is the greatest among

hope and faith (verse 13). Therefore, love is best described in this chapter of the book.

Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (NAS, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

Love is the thing that rules the world and our lives. There are many teachings

in the Bible about love. Jesus Himself has shown His love for humankind by

crucifying Himself so that we, human, no longer live within our sins that keep us away

from God.

2.1.3.5 Purpose of Life

God has created us with purposes. Jeremiah 29:11 says that God has prepared a

future filled with hope, a future of success not of suffering for us as the creation. In this

verse, Jeremiah tells us that there will be always a purpose behind a creation of human.


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In Genesis 1:26-27, in the beginning of the creation of human, God created

human so that they can rule the fish, birds, and other living things in the earth. It means

that in human life, nothing is useless. Their lives should not be a useless life.

Everything that human does is always for a purpose, because God does not create

human for no purpose.

2.1.4 Relationship of the Bible and Literature

According to Warshaw (1978), there are four ways of theory of introducing the

Bible into a literary analysis. The first way is by placing the Bible as literature. This

way finds biblical selections as a piece of good writing and it is emphasized only its

literary aspects. It does not have religious biases, but purely an analysis of the

craftsmanship and literary artistry of the biblical text.

The second way places the Bible in literature. This way compares and analyzes

two different stories from the Bible, for example David’s praise in Psalm chapter 117,

and Salomon’s wisdom in Ecclesiastes chapter 3. Both will be analyzed perhaps with

an emphasis on the latter, and discuss the relationships between the two selections. So,

it combines the Bible-with-Bible related literature. We might compare a bible with its

appeared form.

The third way places the Bible and literature. This way compares a story in the

Bible with another work of literature that is not taken from books of the Bible, such as

Albom’s Tuesdays with Morrie ; there are two more or less recognizable ways of

organizing a course in this theory. They are by genre (fitting biblical selections into

their familiar broad visions: poetry, prose, fiction, nonfiction, and drama) and by the

theme and special variants such as, mythology, folklore, legends, and science fiction.


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Thus, it combines the Bible with other literary work that does not depend upon the

Bible.

The last way employs Bible and Its contexts. This way relates a story in a bible

to the historical and cultural climate of place or setting in the Bible, for example Israel.

We may think that this analysis is put into its present cultural, context, ancient, or

modern. In other words, it is a taking off point for a discussion of its issues.

2.2 Theoretical Framework

In this study, I try to find out the biblical values that are conveyed through the

characters in Albom’s The Five People You Meet in Heaven. Here, the theory of

literature, theory on value, and the relationship of Bible and literature will be used.

In the literary theories, I use the theory of character and characterization to

reveal the characters and to describe and to explore their actions, outlook, impression,

and dialogues. The critical approach used in this study as the consideration for the

writer to decide the best approach for this study is The Christian Approach.

The theory of value and the relationship of Bible and literature are used to

show that literary works also contain biblical values that can be conveyed to the

readers, and to find out that actually there is a relationship between literary works and

the Bible.


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CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

This chapter describes the methodology used in conducting this study. This part

is divided into three main settings; they are subject matter, approach of the study, and

method of the study. The first part, subject matter, explains the subject, data used in

studying the work of literature, and the description of the work analyzed. The second

part, approach of the study, discusses the approach used in analyzing the novel and the

reasons of using that approach. The last part is method of the study. This part discusses

the procedures taken in analyzing the work. This section also explain a series of steps

that is used in conducting this study.

3.1 Subject Matter

The subject matter of this study is a novel entitled The Five People You Meet

in Heaven by Mitch Albom. This novel was published in 2003 and printed in New

York, The United States of America by Hyperion. This novel consists of 196 pages, in

13 chapters. The story begins in the end, it means that the story starts with the death of

the main character, and develops after the death of the main character.

In some parts of the chapters, the author brings the readers to several birthdays

of the main character when he was alive, begins when he was born up to his 82nd

birthday as the flashback of his life. Each birthday that is described will give indirect

clues to the reader in order to know the relationships among each character and the

biblical values that they convey.


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3.2 Approach of the Study

In discussing and analyzing this thesis, I focus the examination on the

characters and the biblical values that are conveyed through those characters. That

focus leads me to use the Christian approach to English literature, because literary

works that reflect and explore human life cannot also be separated from religious

values that are expressed through them. Since literature and religion have a closely

relation, a Christian approach needs employing as a means to interpret a work of

literature. According to Norton, using a positive Christian approach will lead to the

road of truth as well as to all the good (1961: ixxi).

The Christian approach is applied because in analyzing the problem

formulation, I will have to work with some verses from the Bible. The religious

aspects should be a consideration in interpreting the literary works in order to get a

deeper meaning of the work. Brother Leo, in Norton’s A Christian Approach to

Western Literature, says, “The religious conception of existence is the open sesame to

the spacious treasure house of the written world, to the imperishable record of what all

though all the ages man has thought and felt in terms of beauty and of truth” (Norton,

1961: 5). It means that interpreting a literary work without ignoring the religious

problem will enable the reader not only to see the beauty of the work, but also the

biblical values through the work. Thus, the biblical values can be best interpreted by

using this approach.

3.3. Method of the Study

In this study, I used library research method in collecting the data. The library

research has done in order to find as much as possible information that was needed in

conducting this study.


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There were two kinds of data that were used. They were the primary data and

the secondary data. The primary data is the novel itself, which was Mitch Albom’s The

Five People You Meet in Heaven. The secondary data were some sources on the

related topic from Holy Bible, books and articles or journals.

In analyzing the novel, the first step was to read and understand the story by

reading the novel and identify the characters that exist in the novel.

The second step was to find the appropriate theories to answer the problems

that are formulated in the problem formulation. By applying the theory on

characterization, I could find out what are the characteristics of the characters.. In

order to know the biblical values that are conveyed through the characters, I used the

theory of value and the relationship of Bible and literature.

The last step was to answer the problems as formulated in the problem

formulation in the first chapter, and finally I made the conclusion based on the

analysis.


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CHAPTER IV

ANALYSIS

This chapter discusses the answers to the problem formulation. It is divided

into two main parts. The first part describes Eddie and the five people in the story. The

second discusses the biblical values conveyed by the five people Eddie meets in

heaven.

4.1 The Portrayal of the Characters

There are six major characters that are portrayed by Albom in his novel The

Five People You Meet in Heaven. They are Eddie, Blueman, Captain, Ruby,

Marguerite, and Tala.

4.1.1 The Portrayal of Eddie

How Eddie is portrayed in the novel are explored by using Murphy’s theory of

character and characterization. A personal description is a very important aspect in

order to know the characteristics of the character in the story. Eddie is an old working

man that has white hair, with short a neck, a barrel chest, thick forearms and a tattoo.

Eddie was a squat, white haired old man, with a short neck, a barrel chest, thick forearms, and a faded army tattoo on his right shoulder. His legs were thin and veined now, and his left knee, wounded in the war, was ruined by arthritis. His face was broad and craggy from the sun, with salty whiskers and a lower jaw that protruded slightly, making him look prouder that he felt. (2)

At a glance, he may look like any other old man. However, one thing that makes him

different is that he is still working at his age. People at 83 years old perhaps will stay at

home and enjoy their retirement time, but not for Eddie.


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Another characteristic that Eddie has is that he is loved by the children.

Somehow children usually trust him and feel safe around him.

Children liked Eddie. Not teenagers. Teenagers gave him headaches. But children were different. Children looked at Eddie-who, with his protruding lower jaw, always seemed to be grinning, like a dolphin-and they trusted him. They drew in like cold hands to a fire. They hugged his leg. They played with his keys. (3)

Children like to play with him, or things that he has, for example his keys, but not with

teenagers. That is why he prefers children more than teenagers.

Eddie does not like teenagers. Teenagers usually disobey the rule in the pier

and it can endanger their life.

‘Off,” Eddie said, tapping the tailing with his cane, “C’mon. it’s not safe.” the teens glared at him. The car poles sizzled with electricity, zzap,zzap sounds. “it’s not safe,” Eddie repeated. The teens looked at each other. One kid, who wore a streak of orange in his hair, sneered at Eddie, then stepped onto the middle rail. “Come on, dudes, hit me!” he yelled, waving the young drivers. “Hit m-“ Eddie whacked the railing so hard with his cane he almost snapped in two. “MOVE IT!” The teens ran away. (7-8)

Eddie does not like teenagers because Eddie has to yell several times to them, and it

causes headaches to him. What they do can endanger their life, but they do not care

about that. They think that they are the most powerful person. That is why Eddie does

not like them. Unlike children, teenagers like to cause trouble.

Speech is also important in order to know the description of Eddie. Through the

conversation, the reader can have some clues about the character’s personality. Eddie

feels that his life is boring, and he is living a boring life. When his friend tells him that

he wants to go to Mexico to visit his family, Eddie does not give a good response.

Instead, he says “Kid, I never been anywhere I wasn’t shipped a riffle.” To show that


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he never goes somewhere but his working place, the pier. It seems that he has trapped

in the pier.

Past life can also give contribution in analyzing a character’s description. The

experience in past life can help the reader figure out the characteristics of a character.

When he is a boy, Eddie is a strong kid that will help his brother if his brother is in

trouble.

When he was a boy, growing up by this very some pier, he got in an alley fight. Five kids from Pirkin Avenue had cornered his brother, Joe, and were about to give him a beating. Eddie was a block away, on a stoop, eating a sandwich. He heard his brother scream. He ran to the alley, grabbed a garbage can lid, and sent two boys to the hospital. (4)

Not only strong but Eddie is also brave. He does not care about how many children

that he is heading. He fights them and sends two of them to the hospital. This action

also shows that Eddie loves his brother, so that he wants to keep him safe. It is a

natural reaction of a child to protect his brother.

Eddie is so close to his mother and he loves his mother more than his father.

His father rarely shows his love for his sons, so Eddie feels more comfortable with his

mother. “As an infant, Eddie was rarely held by the man, and as a child, he was mostly

grabbed by the arm, less with love than with annoyance. Eddie’s mother handed out

the tenderness; his father was there for the discipline.” (104)

The tenderness that his mother gives to him makes him to feel safe with his

mother. Even when he is a child, he always looks for a protection from his mother.

Eddie is flipped right-side up and put down. Everybody claps. Eddie reaches for his ha t, then stumbles over. He gets up, wobbles to Mickey Shea, and punches him in the arm. “Ho-ho! What was that for little man?” Mickey says. Everyone laugh. Eddie turns and runs away, three steps, before being swept into his mother’s arms. (24)


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Little Eddie runs to the arms of his mother, not his father. It shows that Eddie gets the

protection more from his mother than his father.

The closeness between Eddie and his mother creates a distance between Eddie

and his father. His experience with his father is not a good one.

Other nights, when the cards went bad and the bottles had been emptied and his mother was already asleep, his father brought his thunder into Eddie and Joe’s bedroom. He raked through the meager toys, hurling them against the wall. Then he made his sons lie facedown on the mattress while he pulled off his belt and lashed their rear ends, screaming that they were wasting his money on junk. (105)

However, Eddie still has a little admiration for his father, as the form of devotion,

since a child will have to devote himself to his father first, then to God, and to his

mother. “A boy will devote himself to his father, even foolishly, even beyond

explanation.” (106)

Eddie is also described as a skillful person. Since he is a child, his father has

taught him to do a maintenance work, “At first, he ran the simplest riders, maneuvering

the brake levers, bringing train cars to gentle stop.” (p. 107), it means that his father

trusts him in doing those jobs. Therefore in years later, the responsibility that his father

has given to him is not as simple as before.

Eddie’s father would test him with maintenance problems. He’d hand him a broken steering wheel and say,”Fix it.” He’d point out a tangled chain and say, “Fix it.” He’d carry over a rusty fender and some sandpaper and say, “Fix it.” And every time, upon completion of the task, Eddie would walk the item back to his father and say, “It’s fixed.” (107)

With the responsibility that his father gives to him, Eddie has the skills that others in

his age do not have.

Another characteristic of Eddie is that he envies his brother. “Eddie envied the

way his brother looked in the evening, so tanned and clean” (107). But Eddie has to try


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to get the dirt and stain in his fingers out. He is not as clean as his brother, since he has

to help his father with the maintenance work. He envies his brother even until they are

both growing up and have their own family.

That morning, Joe had told Eddie his new salary. It was three times what Eddie made. Then Joe had congratulated Eddie on his promotion: head of maintenance of Ruby Pier, his father’s old position. Eddie had wanted to answer, “If it’s so great, why don’t you take it, and I’ll take your job?” But he didn’t. Eddie never said anything he felt deeply. (151)

Eddie envies his brother for having a good job, out of pier. He envies his brother for

living his life away from the pier. For Eddie, life is not fair to him. He wants lo leave

the pier, but he is trapped in the pier and has to do exactly as what his father does.

Growing up as a teenager, Eddie possesses a strong will as well as bravery.

When there is a war, his bravery leads him to join the war as a soldier, and his strong

will make him practice shooting in the pier everyday.

Young men go to war, sometimes because they have to, sometimes because they want to. Always they feel they are supposed to. This comes from the sad, layered stories of life, which over the centuries have seen courage confused with laying them down. (57)

So, a few days later, Eddie packs a duffle bag and leaves the pier behind, to join those

distant men as a soldier.

The war takes Eddie’s leg, and he is hurt. He thinks that his sacrifice during the

war is worthless. It is not fair if he has to pay a leg for it.

The darkness of combat had left Eddie changed. He stayed indoors. He rarely spoke, even to Marguerite. He spent hours staring out of the window, watching the carousel ride, rubbing his bad knee, whispered that he “just needed time.” (108)

When he has to live with a wounded leg, he thinks that his life is over and his life is

full of anger and from the experience of his childhood, he becomes a person that

cannot express his anger. Instead, he holds his anger, and brings it through his life.


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Another characteristic of Eddie is his problem to deal with anger. The

bitterness that he has in his childhood, leads him to hold anger, especially to his father

for telling him to get a job instead of staying at home and lamenting himself.

“Get up,” he yelled now, his words slurring, “and get a job.” Eddie gets stirred. His father yelled again. “Get up…and get a job!” The old man was wobbling, but he came toward Eddie and pushed him. “Get up and get a job! Get up and get a job! Get up …and … GET A JOB!” Eddie rose to his elbows. “Get up and get a job! Get up and…” “ENOUGH!” Eddie yelled, surging to his feet, ignoring the burst of pain in his knee. He glared at his father, his face just and inches away. He could smell the bad breath of alcohol and cigarettes. The old man glanced at Eddie’s leg. His voice lowered to a growl. “See? You … ain’t …so … hurt.” (108-109)

Actually, his father just wants to show him that he is not as weak as he is thought. The

life is not end only by having a wounded leg, however, since he has already had

bitterness to his father, then he responds it negatively, and his anger to his father

becomes greater and greater.

Silent occurs in the relationship between Eddie and his father. He never speaks

to his father ever since and so does his father. The anger has grown within him, and yet

he brings the anger trough his life.

From the past life also we can see that Eddie loves his wife very much. From

the first time he sees Marguerite, he wants to marry her and so it happens. He gets

married with her. A simple marriage party and he still loves his wife. Even when she

cannot bear a child for Eddie, he still loves her.

Eddie snorts. He watches his wife organize the group. As always with Marguerite and children, his mood is lifted by her easy connection to them and dampened by her inability to bear them. One doctor said she was too nervous, another said she had waited too long, she should have them by age 25. In time, they an out money for doctors. It was what it was. (152-153)


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So, Eddie and his wife do not have a child and it does not change his love to her. Even

the thing that can be said about Eddie from his friend is that “Eddie really loves his

wife.” (144). Even when Eddie is in depressed condition, he still loves her. When he is

in the war, he keeps praying so that he can meet Marguerite soon. He keep showing

that Marguerite is so important to him.

He wasn’t much praying, but he prayed just the same, making up the words and keeping count each night, saying, “Lord I’ll give you these six days if you give me six days with her….I’ll give you these nine days if I get nine days with her…I’ll give you these sixteen days if I get sixteen days with her…” (69)

The same prayer and the same words every night are showing how much Marguerite

means to him.

His life changes when Marguerite dies. When she leaves Eddie in her 47, Eddie

feels a great loss. So he changes. He thinks that when Marguerite dies, then there is no

love anymore. Then he lives his life with no love.

“What reason?” he said. “How could there be a reason? You died. You were forty seven. You were the best person any of us knew, and you died and you lost everything. And I lost everything. I lost the only woman I ever loved. (173)

That is obvious. Eddie thinks that when Marguerite dies, she takes Eddie’s love

with her, and it is difficult for him to see that life must go on with or without

Marguerite.

After he loses his wife, he then continues his life by drowning himself into

work. He spends his life working and working as the maintenance man in the pier. His

life then has no purpose. Another character of Eddie is that he has no purpose in living

his life. He even blames his father for his boredom life, he blames his father for

keeping him in the pier.


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Eddie had accepted a job that would let him keep an eye for his mother, a position he had been groomed for summer after summer: a maintenance man at Ruby pier, Eddie never said this-not to his wife, not to his mother, not to anyone-but he cursed his father for dying and trapping him in the very life he’d been trying to escape; a life that, as he heard the old man laughing from the grave, apparently now was good enough for him. (128)

Eddie feels that his life goes with no purpose. Somehow, life is not fair to him that he

has to do what his father had done.

Then it causes Eddie to think and see that his life is not fair because he cannot

choose a job by his own. Life is not fair to him because Marguerite dies at her 47. Life

is not fair because he has a wounded leg. Then life is not fair for him.

Another thing that we can see from Eddie’s characteristic is that he thinks that

living his life is like a routine activity. He cannot feel the happiness in his life; he

cannot find the meaning of his life. Everything for him is just casual.

4.1.2 The Portrayal of the Blueman

The Blueman appears as the first person that Eddie meets in heaven. He is a

sideshow worker at Ruby Pier when Eddie was a child. This person is different from

common people since he has a blue skin that becomes his distinctive feature, and

because of that, people know him as the Blueman instead of his real name Joseph

Corvelzchick.

His past life is also important to understand the characteristic of Blueman as the

first person that Eddie meets in heaven. The Blueman is an immigrant that comes to

America. He is so poor and does not get enough education.

“Like most immigrant, we had no money. We slept on a mattress in my uncle’s kitchen. My father was forced to take a job in a sweatshop, sewing buttons on coats. When I was ten, he took me from school and I joined him.” (39)


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The Blueman is a nervous child and the environment of where he works makes him

more nervous than before.

“I was a nervous child by nature, and the noise in the shop only made things worse. I was too young to be there, amongst all men, swearing and complaining.” “Whenever the foreman came near, my father told me,’look down. Don’t make him notice you.” (39)

It is not a friendly place for a child to work. People does not treat him

differently just because of he is a child. He is an ordinary child who has to work in

order to increase his family economy condition.

The Blueman grows up as a nervous man. He has to take medicine in order to

overcome his nervousness. This medicine yet turns his skin into the color of ash. This

condition makes him ashamed and agitated. So he swallows the medic ine even more,

and his skin goes from gray to blue.

The Blueman’s life changes when he meets and joins a carnival. In the carnival,

he starts to gain his self confidence. He can enjoy his life without scaring people.

“This become my home. I lived in a room above a sausage sop. I played cards at night with the other sideshow workers, with the tinsmiths, sometimes even with your father. In the early mornings, if I wore a long shirts and dropped my head in a towel, I could walk along this beach without scaring people. It may not sound like much, but for me, it was a freedom I had rarely known.” (42)

The Blueman finally can feel the freedom as others have when he joins the

carnival. He can interact with others without scares them. He is no more a nervous

person but only a common person with distinctive feature and normal life.

4.1.3 The Portrayal of the Captain

The second person Eddie meets in heaven is his former war captain. The

Captain that Eddie meets is described as the oldest man in Eddie’s troop, a lifetime


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military man with a lanky swagger and a prominent chin that gives him a resemblance

of a movie actor of the day. Although he is high tempered and has a habit of yelling

inches from people’s face, but most of the soldier like him well enough.

This Captain is a person that comes from three generations of military. His

family has already served in military, so at the age of six, he knows how to fire a

pistol.

‘yep, I knew how to fire a pistol when I was six. In the mornings, my father would inspect my bed, actually bounce a quarter on the sheets. At dinner dinner table it was always,’Yes, Sir,’ and ‘No, Sir.” (85)

This situation leads the Captain to get used to the military life. He says that before he

enters the service, all he does is taking orders, and the next thing is giving them.

Because of his past life, it is not impossible for him to be a leader, and as a

leader, he is a responsible leader that always encourages his men by telling them that

‘No one gets left behind.’ (86). So, his men trusts him and likes him well enough. Even

though the idea of ‘No one gets left behind,’ causes him to lose his life so that no one

is left behind.

4.1.4 The Portrayal of Ruby

Ruby is the third person Eddie meets in heaven. She is called Ruby Pier, the

place where Eddie works as the maintenance man. Ruby is portrayed as an old woman

with a gaunt face and sagging cheeks, rose coloured lipstick, and tightly pulled-back

white hair, thin enough in parts to reveal the pink scalp beneath it. She wore wire-

rimmed spectacles over narrow blue eyes. (110). This beautiful old woman wears a

beautiful dress but seems out of date. However, the beautiful dress and the posture of

the woman lead Eddie to think that this woman might be rich.


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Her clothes were before his time, a dress made of silk and chiffon, with a bib-like bodice stitched with white beads and topped with a velvet bow just below her neck her skirt had a rhinestone buckle and there were snaps and hooks up the side. She stood with elegant posture, holding a parasol with both hands. Eddie guessed that she’d been rich. (110)

When this old woman is young, she used to be a working girl. Her job is serving food

in a place called Seashore Grille. This place is near the ocean when Eddie grows up.

In her time, she is an attractive gril, and she is good looking so that she can reject many

proposals. (114)

This attractive working girl finally meets her prince charming and marry him.

Together, they own an amusement park of which name comes from the girl’s name,

Ruby.

Ruby is a caring person. Her heart can be touched easily, and it is hard for her

to hate others

But after your fathers death, I inquired about your family. When I learned when he had worked, I felt a stinging pain, as if I had lost a loved one myself. The pier that bore my name. I felt its cursed shadow, and I wished again that it had never been built. “That wish followed me to heaven, even as I waited for you.” (141)

4.1.5 The Portrayal of Marguerite

The fourth person appears as a bridesmaid in a long lavender dress and a

stitched straw hat with a basket of candy-covered almond. From afar, she looks to be in

her 20s. She is Marguerite, Eddie’s beloved wife (150).

Marguerite is a loyal and supportive person to Eddie. She always encourages

Eddie, even when Eddie is hospitalized because of his wound leg103). She is also

attentive and full of surprises. She never forgets each important moment in Eddie’s

life, especially his birthday (152).


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She is a modest girl that never demands much from Eddie. She loves Eddie the

way he is. Even, after their wedding party, she is happily goes home walking hand in

hand, not by a fancy car or beautiful vehicle (155).

However, nobody is perfect. For some health reason, Marguerite cannot bear a

child. She does not have any child from the marriage. In addition, on her 47, a tumor

on her brain takes her from Eddie (167).

4.1.6 The Portrayal of Tala

Tala is the fifth person Eddie meets in heaven. She is a little girl appearing to

be an Asian. She is around five or six years old, with a beautiful cinnamon

complexion. Her hair color is dark plum. She has a small flat nose, full lips that spread

joyfully over her gapped teeth, and most arresting eyes as black as seal’s hide, with

pinhead of white serving as a pupil (185).

Tala is a Phillipines girl that killed in the war, the war that Eddie has been

through, the war that takes the Captain’s life, and the war that takes Eddie’s leg. She is

the girl that burnt alive in the hut, and the person who burns her is Eddie.

“You burn me. You make me fire.” Eddie felt a pounding behind his eyes. His head begin to rush. His breathing quickened. ‘You were in the Phillipines…the shadow…in that hut…’ “The nipa, Ina say be safe there. wait for her. Be safe. Then big noise. Big fire. You burned me.” She shrugged her narrow shoulders. “Not safe.” (188)

Not much is described about this little girl. She appears as a little girl that later on her

figure changes into the figure when she gets burnt. Her skin is horribly burnt. Her torso

and narrow shoulders are black and charred blistered. When she turns around, her

beautiful, innocent face is covered in grosteque scars. Her lips are ropped. Only one


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eye opens. Her hair has gone in patches of burned scalp, covered now by hard, mottled

scabs. (189).

4.2 The Biblical Values Conveyed Through the Five People Eddie Meets in

Heaven

There are five biblical values that will be discussed in this part. Each value is

taught by each person that Eddie meets in heaven.

4.2.1 Fairness

Fairness was written by Salomon for over million years ago. Salomon with his

wisdom given by God has written that,

Everything on earth has its own time and its own season. There is a time for birth and death, planting and reaping, for killing and healing, destroying and building, for crying and laughing, weaping and dancing, for throwing stones and gathering stones, embracing and parting. There is a time for finding and loosing, keeping and giving, for tearing and sewing, listening and speaking. There is also a time for love and hate, for war and peace. (Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8)

God has put everything within His big plans. None can understand when or where life

begins. Everything has its own time, and human never knows when the time comes.

Life is fair because our God is fair. This is also similar to what the first lesson that

Eddie receives.

The first lesson comes from the Blueman that teaches Eddie that there are no

random acts. Life goes in its path, and no one can no more separate from another.

“You say you should have died instead of me. But during my time on earth, people died instead of me, too. It happens every day. When lighting strikes, a minute after you are gone, or an airplane crashes that might have been on. When your colleague falls ill and you do not. We think such things are random. But there is a balance to it all. One withers, another grows. Birth and death are a part of a whole.” (48-49)


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This lesson is more about fairness in life. According to the Bible everything in

this world has its turn. Life is fair, sometimes fortune is in our side and sometimes it

leaves us behind (Ecclessiastes 3:1). Life goes on its path. Every event that happens

does not just happen with no purpose. It happens in ourlives because God wants it to

happen. So every event that we experience in life does not happen accidentally, but it

has been planned, and it is fair to every person on earth.

What is the connection of Eddie’s life and the Blueman’s death? Take a little

flash back. Someday in July, in the late 1920s, a little boy and his friends are tossing a

baseball. The ball flies over his head so he chases it and runs in front of an automobile.

The car screeches, veers, and just misses him. The little boy is fine, but the person who

is driving the car does not have the good luck as this little boy has. He is so shock

because almost hitting a little boy and dies because of the heart attack. The little boy is

Eddie, and the person who dies because of a heart attack is the Blueman (42-44).

Eddie shook his head. “We were throwing a ball. It was my stupidity, running out there like that. Why should you have to die on account of me? It ain’t fair.” The Blueman held out his hand, “Fairness,” he said, “does not govern life and death. If it did, no good person would ever die young.” (48)

The fruit of Eddie’s carelessness in the death of the Blueman. But, that is life. Every

action that we do whether it is accidentally or not always brings the consequences. If

we do good things then we will get the good things as well. As what the Bible says that

each of us will harvest what we plant. If we follow our selfish desires then we will

harvest destructions, but good things will bring an eternal life (Galatians 6: 7-8)

There are no random act in life. Eddie thinks that it is unfair for Blueman to die

because of his stupidity. But God has already prepared it. Someone dies, another lives.

Someone cries, another laughs, it has its own time, here on earth (Ecclesiastes 3:2 and

4).


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“I still don’t understand,” Eddie whispered. “What good came from your death?” “You lived,” the Blueman answered. “But we barely knew each other. I might as well have been a stranger.” The Blueman put his arms on Eddie’s shoulders. Eddie felt that warm melting sensation. “Strangers,” the Blueman said, “are just family you have yet to come to know.” (49)

Someone has to die so other may live. Blueman has to die so Eddie may life. One

withers, another grows. Birth and death are part of a whole (49).

4.2.2 Sacrificing

Sometimes people just focus on what they have lost instead of what they have

gained from the lost. They are too worried about what they have given rather than what

they can get from that, but Jesus never does that. He sacrifices Himself crusified as the

payment of our sins (Hebrew 7: 27). However, human oftentimes fails to realize this

and focusses only on His justice and things that He wants us to avoid.

So does Eddie. He fails to realize how the Captain has saved his life, but he

focusses more on why Captain has to shoot his leg that causes him unable to live a

normal life as a normal person. However, every person makes their own sacrifice in

theirlives. Their selfishness make them unable to see that what they have done may be

useful for others. The Captain teaches Eddie what sacrifice means.

“SACRIFICE,” THE CAPTAIN said. “You made one. I made one. We all make them. But you were angry over yours. You kept thinking about what you lost. “You didn’t get it. Sacrifice is a part of life. It’s supposed to be. It’s not something to regret. It’s something to aspire on. Little sacrifices. Big sacrifices. A mother works so her son can go to school. A daughter moves home to take care of her sick father. “A man goes to war……” (93)


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Everyone makes sacrifice in their lives. The Captain teaches Eddie that sacrifice is a

part of life. Sometimes when one sacrifices something precious, he is not really loosing

it. He is just passing it to someone else. (92).

“I shot you, all right,” he said, “and you lost something, but you gained something as well. You just don’t know it yet. I gained something too.” “What?” “I got to keep my promise. I didn’t leave you behind.” (94)

Sacrifice is the fact of giving up something valuable that we possess for a good

purpose, just like Jesus that has to give up His life crucified to enter His glory (Luke

24: 26). The Captain gives his valuable life that he possesses for a good purpose, so

that Eddie and his men in the troop may live.

If the Captain sacrifices himself to keep his promise, this man, Jesus, sacrifices

Himself because He love us so much, that He does not want us to die in sins but live in

righteousness. It is God's will that Jesus Christ die on the cross for the redemption of

mankind from sin. Talking to the Father, Jesus Christ says, “"Sacrifices and offerings,

burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them

(although the law required them to be made). Here I am, I have come to do Your will."

(Hebrews 10:8-9)

Paul said that Jesus Christ came to set aside the first covenant to establish the

second. "Christ is the mediator of the new covenant, that those who are called may

receive the promised eternal inheritance-now that He has died as a ransom to set them

free from the sins committed under the first covenant." (Hebrews 9:15)

Jesus never regrets about what he has sacrificed for us. What He has done for

us because He wants to give the most precious thing that He has in order to give


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opportunity to us to enter the kingdom of heaven.

"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake" (1 Peter 1:18-20).

Christ does not get any advantage from His sacrificing, but never He focusses on what

He has given.

The Captain has taught Eddie that when someone gives up his precious things,

he is not really loosing it, but he just passes it to someone else. Just the same as what

was written in the Bible that when Jesus gives Himself crucified, He is not really

loosing His life, but He passes the salvation to us, so that we can live within and for

Him (2 Corinthian 5: 15), to reach the eternal life in heaven.

4.2.3 Forgiveness

Jesus said there is no place for hatred, holding a grudge, revenge, retaliation or

getting even in the life of a Christian.

You have heard that it was said, ‘eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him in the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. (Matthew 5:38-40)

You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends the rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matthew 5:43-45)

Bearing a grudge and seeking revenge are never appropriate responses to a

perceived wrong. A grudge destroys the grudge-holder with bitterness, and revenge


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only escalates hostilities. Jesus told us we must reconcile with our adversaries, forgive

their transgressions, and let go of the anger that may tempt us to commit for an act of

revenge.

God is merciful and forgive our sins and failings. In the same way, we must be

merciful and forgive other people who sin against us or do us harm. So that others will

recognize us as His children if we do what our father does. The father that we have is

merciful, so we have to be merciful like Him.

Ruby is the person that teaches Eddie the third lesson. What he teaches Eddie

correspond to what the Bible says about forgiveness. Ruby teaches Eddie that holding

anger is a poison. It eats him from inside.”We think that hating as a weapon that

attacks the person who harmed us. But hatred is a curved blade. And the harm we do,

we do to ourselves.” (141).

According to Ruby, a grudge destroys the grudge-holder with bitterness, and

revenge only escalates hostilities and it is just the same as the curved blade. It hurts

both the person we hate, and ourselves.

“Forgive , Edward. Forgive. Do you remember the lightness you felt when you first arrived in heaven?” Eddie did. Where is my pain? “That’s because no one is born with anger. And when we die, the soul is freed of it. But now, here, in order to move on, you must understand why you felt what you did, and why you no longer need to feel it.” She touched his hand. “You need to forgive your father.” (142)

Such value can also be found in the Bible. In order to continue life, one has not to keep

hatred within. No one is born with anger, so one needs to forgive those who have sins

against him (Matthew 6: 14).


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4.2.4 The Power of Love

There will be faith, hope, and love, and the biggest among those is love. (1

Corinthian 13:13). Love never fails because it rules the world. The fourth lesson is

about love. It is described in the novel that Marguerite teaches Eddie that life has to

end but love does not. She tells that lost love is still love. It takes a different form

(173). Although the person he loves has gone, yet he still has the memory of him/her.

When he keeps the memory, it means that he keeps the person that he loves with him

too.

Love always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting, that what 1Corinthian 13:

7 says. But more on that, 1Corinthian 13: 1-13 explain much about love. It is because

in love, there is no hate, jealousy, boastful, selfish, and so on. Even love is the greatest

among hope and faith (verse 13). Therefore, love is best described in this chapter of the

Bible.

Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

Love is the thing that rules the world and our lives. There are many teachings in Bible

about love. Jesus Himself has shown His love for humankind by crucifying Himself so

that we, human, no longer live within our sins that keep us away from God (1 John 4:

8-10).

Eddie’s life will never be the same after the death of his wife. He thinks that

when Marguerite dies, she takes the love in his life with her that leaves no love on

earth (173).


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LOVE, LIKE RAIN, can nourish from above, drenching couples with a soaking joy. But sometimes, under the angry heat of life, love dries on the surface and must nourish from below, tending to its roots, keeping itself alive. (164)

The feeling of loosing the one that he loves makes him fails to see that he still has

much love from people around him. He fails to see that Marguerite leaves him bunches

of love when she leaves him. But Marguerite tells him that life has to end, but love

does not (173). Because when all things disappear, love endures. (1 Corinthian 13: 13)

4.2.5 The Purpose of Life

God creates us with purposes. He does not create us for any purpose. Jeremiah

29:11 says that God has prepared a future filled with hope, a future of success not of

suffering for us as the creation. In this verse, Jeremiah tells us that there will be always

a purpose behind a creation of human. In the novel, Tala says the same thing.

“Supposed too be there,” Tala said. “Where? At Ruby Pier?” She nodded “Fixing rides? That was my existance?” He blew a deep breath. “Why?” She tilted her head, as if it were obvious. “Children,” she said, “You keep them safe. You make good for me.” She wiggled the dog against his shirt. “Is where you were supposed to be,” she said, and then she touched his shirt patch with a small laugh and added two words, “Eddie Main-ten-ance.” (191) It is described in the novel that Tala, the little girl that appears as the fifth

person Eddie meets in heaven brought this lesson. She tells Eddie that Ruby Pier, the

place where Eddie work, is the right place for him. The reason why Eddie works there

is to keep the children safe. That is the purpose of his life and that is also the last thing

he does before he dies. He keeps the little girl safe from the falling of the cart, one of

the games in the pier.


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Every life has its own purpose for it has been well prepared by God. Jeremiah

29: 11 says that God has prepared a future filled with hope, a future of success not of

suffering for us as the creation. God makes Life is so meaningful. Eddie realizes that

his life is not only a waste. His life is meaningful for the children in the pier. His life is

meaningful to his country, though he has to pay a leg for it. His life is meaningful to

his family, since he is the person who resigns from his previous job and returnes to the

pier in order to take care of his mother and take his father’s previous job. His life is

meaingful to his wife, for his deep love though they do not have a child (193).

“Push her legs. No pull. You push. Big thing fall. You keep her safe.” Eddie shut his eyes on denial. “But I felt her hands,” he said. “It’s the only thing I remember. I couldn’t have pushed her. I felt her hands.” Tala smiled and scooped up the river water, then placed her small wet fingers in Eddie’s adult grip. He knew right away they had been there before. “Not her hands,” she said. “My hands. I bring you to heaven. Keep you safe.” (192)

God makes everything beautiful on its time, and Eddie finds it on the right

time. Each life goes on its way, no one knows it but God, since He is the creator of all

(Genesis 1:27).


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CHAPTER V

CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS

This final chapter consists of two parts. The first part is the conclusion of the

study. I draw the conclusion based on the analysis in chapter two. The suggestion to

future researches and of the implementation of using The Five People You Meet in

Heaven to teach speaking and reading become the last part of this chapter.

5.1 Conclusions

Based on the analysis of chapter IV. There are some conclusions to draw. The

first are the portrayals of the characters in the novel and the second are the biblical

values conveyed by the five people that Eddie meets in heaven.

There are five characters Eddie meets in heaven. First is the Blueman. He is

portrayed as a sideshow worker in Ruby Pier that has blue skin as his distinctive

features. The second is the Captain. He is portrayed as the the oldest man in Eddie’s

troop, a lifetime military man with a lanky swagger and a prominent chin that gives

him a resemblance of a movie actor of the day. Although he is high tempered and has a

habit of yelling inches from people’s face, but most of the soldier like him well

enough.

The third is Ruby. She is portrayed as an old woman with a gaunt face and

sagging cheeks, rose coloured lipstick, and tightly pulled-back white hair, thin enough

in parts to reveal the pink scalp beneath it. She wore wire-rimmed spectacles over

narrow blue eyes.


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The next is Marguerite. She is portrayed as a loyal and supportive, attentive,

and modest girl. She is the girl that becomes Eddie’s wife. The last is Tala. She is

portrayed as a little girl around five or six years old, with a beautiful cinnamon

complexion. Her hair color is dark plum. She has a small flat nose, full lips that spread

joyfully over her gapped teeth, and most arresting eyes as black as seal’s hide, with

pinhead of white serving as a pupil.

Finally, Eddie himself is portrayed as an old working man that has white hair,

with short a neck, a barrel chest, thick forearms and a tattoo. He is loved by children

but not teenager. He loves his wife very much, and he feels great lost when his wife

leaves him at her 47 because of a tumor in the brain.

Those five people that Eddie meets in heaven teach him about some values in

life. Each lesson that they have taught to Eddie conveyed biblical values. The Blue

teaches Eddie about the fairness in life. The Captain teaches Eddie about Sacrifice.

Ruby as his third person teaches Eddie about forgiveness. Marguerite as the fourth

person teaches Eddie about the power of love. Lastly, Tala teaches Eddie about the

purpose of life. Those lessons are given to Eddie to make him see that his life is not a

waste. During his life, there are many things that he has done to others that make his

life worth.

5.2 Suggestions

Suggestions are divided into two parts. The first is the suggestion for the future

researcher and the second is the suggestion for the implementation of teaching English

through literature.


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5.2.1 Suggestion for the future researches

Mitch Albom’s Five People You Meet in Heaven is an interesting novel. The

plot of this novel goes around the main character’s life after death and the flashbacks

on his birthdays. Since my study focuses on the biblical values conveyed by the

characters, the future researchers may explore more about the plot, setting of place,

and or time, and theme of the novel, since this novel is rich of things to analyze. Future

researchers may also analyze more on the image of heaven in the novel as the

comparison to the image of heaven in the Bible.

Many new theories that can be used by the future researcher in order to analyze

problems that they want to analyze from the novel in order to make the novel more

understandable.

5.2.2 Suggestion for the English Teachers

Novel can have many functions. For common people, novel perhaps is one of

media for relaxing. They can spend their time reading novel and it is the relaxation

time for them. For others, novel is no more than a collection. They can spend their

money to buy novels, only for completing their novel collection.

However, novel is not as simple as that. A novel is also good for learning

activities. Some people may get an inspiration from reading a novel. Some people may

improve their reading skill, some may enrich their vocabulary, some may grow their

feeling of appreciation the literary work, and more.

As we talk about learning activities, novels can be used to reach the goal in

teaching English (Stern, 47), that is the language mastery, because reading novels will


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not only give pleasure to the readers, but also help the students in mastering

vocabulary and grammar as well as four language skills, they are, reading, writing,

listening, and speaking.

The Implementation of the Novel in Teaching Speaking

Speaking is one of four basic English skills. In speaking, the speaker has to

“produce systematic verbal utterances to convey meaning” (128).

The teacher can use a Communicative Language Teaching, since in speaking,

students learn most through interacting. Therefore, there is an opportunity for each

student to speak.

The teaching of speaking

In teaching speaking, teacher should minimalize his role, and let students to

speak much. Therefore a teacher should provide the environment that allows students

to speak much. Here, the teacher is more like the master of ceremony. Below is the

example of the procedure.

a. The teacher chooses a passage from the novel, for example, the place where

Eddie’s work, the pier.

b. The teacher distributes the texts and asks students to read carefully.

c. The teacher opens a discussion among students about the ideas of amusement park

in the novel, and the amusement park that they have been.

Another way to teach speaking is that teacher can ask his students to retell the

passage that they have read. However, retelling is effective in a small class that

consists of approximately ten students.


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In retelling, the teacher can also see the comprehension of the students due to

the passage that they have read. Teacher also knows the speaking ability and

vocabulary mastery of his students, since each of them has to speak to retell the

passage in their own words.


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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Abrams, M. H. 1981. A Glossary of Literary Terms. New York: Holt. Rinehart and Winston.

Albom, Mitch. 2003. The Five People You Meet in Heaven. New York: Hyperion Fishman, Jay E and Shannon P Pratt. 2006. Standards of Values: Theory and

Application. New York: Wiley’s Press. Henkle, Roger B. 1977. Reading The Novel. New York: Harper and Row Publisher. Hexam, Irving. 1994. Dictionary of Religion. USA: Intervarsity Press. Holman, C. Hugh and William Harmon. 1986. A Handbook to Literature: fifth edition.

New York: Macmillan publishing Company. Holy Bible Contemporary English Version. 2001. Jakarta: Lembaga Alkitab Indonesia Holy Bible New International Version. 2001. Jakarta: Lembaga Alkitab Indonesia Kauffman, Ronald T. 1985. Baker’s Concise Dictionary of Religion. Michigan, USA:

Baker Publisher Group. Klarer, Mario. 1998. An Introduction to Literary Studies. London. Routledge. Mini-Dictionary of Holy Bible Contemporary English Version. 2001. Jakarta:

Lembaga Alkitab Indonesia Murphy, M. J. 1972. Understanding Unseens: An Introduction to English Poetry and

The English Novel, for overseas students. London: George Allen and Unwin, Ltd.

Norton Aloysius A. 1961. A Christian Approach to Western Literature. Westminster:

The Newman Press. O’ Collins, Gerald and Edward G Ferrugia. 2000. A Concise Dictionary of Theology.

New Jersey: Paulist Press. Rahner, Karl and Vorgrimler Herbert. 1965. Theological Dictionary. Montreal: Palm

Publisher. Roberts, Edgar V and Henry E Jacobs. 1989. Fiction: An Introduction to Reading and

Writing; Second Edition. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey; Prentice Hall, A Division of Simon and Schuster, Inc.


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Rohberger, Mary and Samuel H. Woods. 1971. Reading and Writing about Literature. New York: Random House.

Warshaw, Thayer S. 1978. Handbook For Teaching Bible in Literature Class. The

Parthenone Press.


APPENDICES


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APPENDIX 1

THE SUMMARY OF THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN

Eddie is a grizzled war veteran who feels trapped in a meaningless life of fixing

rides at a seaside amusement park. As the park has changed over the years, so, too

Eddie has changed, from optimistic youth to embittered old age. His days are a dull

routine of work, loneliness, and regret.

Then, on his 83rd birthday, Eddie dies in a tragic accident, trying to save a little

girl from a falling cart. With his final breath, he feels two small hands in his; and then

nothing. He awakens in the afterlife, where he learns that heaven is not a lush Garden

of Eden, but a place where your earthly life is explained to him by five people who

were in it. These people may have been loved ones or distant strangers. Yet each of

them changed his path forever.

One by one, Eddie’s five people illuminate the unseen connections of his

earthly life. As the story builds to its stunning conclusion, Eddie desperately seeks

redemption in the still unknown last act of his life; Was it a heroic success or a

devastating failure? The answer, which comes from the most unlikely of sources, is as

inspirational as a glimpse of heaven itself. However, as he goes through with his

interviews with his five people, he realizes that life is a part of bigger scheme; like the

pieces of a jigsaw puzzle; even though individually, they might seem insignificant,

they are all needed to complete the picture of life that he has been through.


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APPENDIX 2

THE BIBLIOGRAPHY OF MITCH ALBOM

Mitchell David Albom was born on May 23, 1958 in Passaic, New Jersey, to

Rhoda and Ira Albom. He is the middle of three children, and has an older sister and

younger brother. After a brief move to the Buffalo, N.Y. area, the Alboms settled in

Oaklyn, New Jersey. As a child, Albom wanted to be a cartoonist, but later took up

music. He taught himself to play piano, and played in bands as a teenager.

After attending high schools in New Jersey and Philadelphia, Albom went on to

Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts to earn a bachelor’s degree in

sociology. Pursuing his dream to become a musician, he worked after graduation for

several years in nightclubs in the US and Europe. He discovered an aptitude for writing

and eventually returned to graduate school, earning a Masters degree from Columbia

University’s Graduate School of Journalism, followed by an MBA from Columbia

University’s Graduate School of Business. In 1995, he married Janine Sabino. They

live together in suburban Detroit.

Albom’s original dream was to become a musician and song writer, and he

played in numerous bands in high school and college. He studied jazz piano with

several teachers, including a brief stretch with the well-respected Charlie Banacos at

the Berklee College of Music in Boston. In 1979, having graduated college, Albom

traveled to Europe and found work as a piano player and singer in a taverna on the

island of Crete. He later moved to New York City and worked in the music industry,

forming several bands and performing in various nightclubs, while also trying to make

it as a songwriter


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While living in New York, Albom developed an interest in journalism. Still

supporting himself by working nights in the music industry, he began to write during

the day for the Queens Tribune, a weekly newspaper based in Flushing, New York. His

work there helped earn him entry into Columbia University's prestigious Graduate

School of Journalism. During his time there, to help pay his tuition – in addition to

nighttime piano playing - Albom took a part-time job with SPORT magazine, which

kindled his interest in sports writing. Upon graduation, he freelanced in that field for

publications such as Sports Illustrated, GEO, and The Philadelphia Inquirer, and

covered several Olympic sports events in Europe – including track and field and luge -

paying his own way for travel and selling articles once he was there. In 1983, he was

hired as a full-time feature writer for The Fort Lauderdale News Sun Sentinel, and

eventually promoted to columnist. In 1985, having won that year’s Associated Press

Sports Editors award for best Sports News Story, Albom was hired as lead sports

columnist for the Detroit Free Press to replace Mike Downey, a popular columnist

who had taken a job with the Los Angeles Times.

Albom’s sports column became quickly popular with readers. In 1989, when

the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News merged weekend publications under a

Joint Operating Agreement, Albom was asked by his newspaper to add a weekly non-

sports column to his duties. That column ran on Sundays in the “Comment” section,

and dealt with American life and values. It was eventually syndicated across the

country. Both columns continue today in the Detroit Free Press.

Albom, during his years in Detroit, became one of the most award-winning

sports writers of his era; he was named best sports columnist in the nation a record 13


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times by the Associated Press Sports Editors, and won best feature writing honors from

that same organization a record seven times. No other writer has received the award

more than once. He has won more than 200 other writing honors from organizations

including the National Headliner Awards, the American Society of Newspaper Editors,

the National Sportscasters and Sportswriting Association, and National Association of

Black Journalists. Many of his columns have been collected into anthology books

including Live Albom I (Detroit Free Press, 1988), Live Albom II (Detroit Free Press,

1990), Live Albom III (Detroit Free Press, 1992), and Live Albom IV (Detroit Free

Press, 1995).

Taken from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitch_Albom


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APPENDIX 3

LESSON PLAN Language skill : Speaking Level of Students : Grade XII of Senior High School Topic : Retelling Narrative Material : Page 26-31 of the Five People You Meet in Heaven Time allocation : 2 x 45’

Basic Competencies

Achievement Indicators

Learning Experiences

Form of Evaluation

• Performing simple monologue in form of narrative, descriptive, and news items in daily life

• Retelling the story which they have read in their own words.

• Comparing the description of amusement park in the text and the amusement park that they have visited

• The students read the story given one meeting before.

• The students make outline of what they are going to retell based on the story given.

• The students comparing the description of the amusement park in the novel and in their real life that they have visited.

• Individual performance

Teacher’s Activities Students’ Activities Time Allocation

Pre Activities • Greet students • Tell today’s activities

concerning the literary text that has been distributed last meeting

While Activities

• Ask students to submit the outline that they have made.

• Ask students to retell the text based on the outline that

• Respond the teacher’s

greeting • Submitting the outline • Retelling the story

based on the outline

5’ 80’


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they have made. • Ask students to compare the

description of amusement park in the text and amusement park that they have visited.

Post Activities

• Teacher gives some feedback.

• End the lesson by greeting the students

• Comparing the

description of amusement park in the text and those they have visited

• Classical respond

5’

Media: Handout (literary text that has been distributed in the previous meeting) Reference: Albom, Mitch. 2003. The Five People You Meet in Heaven. New York: Hyperion


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APPENDIX 4

READING MATERIAL


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ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM … · the completion of this thesis. Their participation and contribution are very much appreciated. ... most of the soldier like him well

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