The shift of Algren’s perceptions on Samurai Portrayed in Edward Zwick’s The Last Samurai

Studying about literature can influence our perception on something. It is because how the authors transmit their ideas or imaginations to the reader is very attractive. The authors tell the reader about their idea or imagination by using good diction so the reader is hypnotized by their literary works.

In this thesis, the researcher tries to analyze about The Last Samurai, a novel by Edward Zwick, which tells about Algren, an American, who lives in the village of samurai. Here, there are many customs of samurai which appear and show to Algren that it is very contradictive with American customs. Those extreme different customs make the perception of Algren about samurai shift. So, the researcher focuses on original perceptions of Algren about samurai and the shift after he lives with the samurai. There are many samurai’s societies which Algren receives and those societies influence Algren’s perceptions on samurai. As a result, he has new perceptions on samurai and he decides to be a samurai.

In analyzing the topic, the researcher uses psychological approach to solve the stated problems. It relates to the society which influences Algren. In collecting the data, the researcher reads and understands the novel, then collects the data relates to the stated problems and finally classify the data based on the stated problems. In classifying, the researcher evaluates, reduces, interprets the data then finally make conclusion in answering the stated problems.

After the researcher analyzes the data, she finds the result or the answer of the stated problems. The first perception of Algren on samurai is that he thinks samurai is the strange people and he lives in the samurai’s customs which is very contradictive with his customs. However, after samurai’s societies influence Algren, his thinking about samurai shifts. Those societies which influence of Algren’s perception are about the ethic code of samurai called Bushido. Here, there are several ethic codes that samurai must have. They are honor, duty and loyalty, heroic courage, justice and morality, polite courtesy, compassion, and complete sincerity. From its ethic code, now, he thinks that samurai is friendly and brave people. They are not only brave facing a war but also facing their life.