A study on the support of plot to the theme of Sidney Sheldons Novel Are You Afraid of the Dark?

ABSTRACT

Literature is the study of human life, culture, history and everything that is concerned with social problems. Literature cannot be separated from human beings lifebecause when there is hian life, there will لا ways be literature. A novel is one literary work that creates a world of imagination through description, discussion, interpretation and deep exploration of basic human issues such as love, hatred, death, ambition, and failure.

Plot is important in expressing the meaning of a work, a pattern of cause- effect relationships may be created. The plot must illustrate the theme and should be a logical presentation of the theme in a novel. Here, Are You Afraid of the Dark? novel by Sidney Sheldon was selected.

This study is aimed at answering the research question: (1) How is the plot Are You Afraid of the Dark? developed? (2)What is the theme presented in Are You Afraid of the Dark? (3) How does the plot support presentation of the theme in Are You Afraid of the Dark?. The purposes of this study are to find the development of the plot, the theme in the story and, the support of plot to find out the theme.

In this study, the writer used literary criticism. It is one of literary studies. Literary criticism is the study, discussion, 0أ^لا٧ة, and interpretation of literature. Literary criticism studies is a literary study to ،،judge” literary works, giving value, and to give decision whether the works qrjalified or not to a literary works. Are You Afraid of the Dark? is the data source and the research instrument is the writer herself.

In applying her the researcher uses a descriptive qittlitative method. The author starts the beginning of the story by describing the background of life from the main characters. In complication, the main characters faced several conflicts in their life such as psychological conflict, environmental conflict, moral conflict and physic^ conflict. Climax in this story is reached when the main characters get the top of trouble. Ending of the story in this novel is happy ending. The main character’s enemy finally died and the main characters continue their live happily. The theme of Are You Afraid of the Dark? is politic conspiracy and technology crime can cause human misery and دسالئ natures in the world. The understanding of the theme needs more information and support from the plot in the story of novel.

It is hoped that the readers will get new experience; espec^ly about politic, technology crime, human relationship and natures that can be found in this novel. And this thesis could be a source of the further analysis. Finally it is also hoped that the readers will be able to take worthy lessons from the story in Are You Afraid of the Dark? novel.