Moral values in Jerry Spinelli's Stargirl novel

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A., Rizka Nur Amaliyah (2023) Moral values in Jerry Spinelli's Stargirl novel. Undergraduate thesis, UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya.

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Abstract

This study attempts to analyze a teen-lit novel, Stargirl, which talks about a girl considered odd by her friends for naming herself Stargirl. This study focuses on revealing the categories of moral values that the main character depicts and describing how moral values are used as examples to build the positive attitudes of adolescents implied in this novel. There are three problems to be solved in this study, namely: (1) how are Susan Caraway and Leo Borlock characterized in Jerry Spinelli’s Stargirl novel; (2) what moral values are found in the main character (Susan Caraway and Leo Borlock) in Jerry Spinelli’s Stargirl novel; (3) how are the moral values in Stargirl build the adolescent positive attitude. In conducting this research, the researcher used the theory of new criticism, moral values by Bertens, and teenagers’ way of being more positive by Lewis to answer the research questions. This research uses a qualitative method to analyze the novel Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli as the primary data source. The researcher collects the data through quotes in the novel that explain the main character’s characterization, the kind of moral values, and moral values as an example to build positive adolescent attitudes. As a result, the researcher found that the characterizations of Susan Caraway are kind, non-conformist, and unpredictable. While the characterizations of Leo Borlock are observant, and he does not enjoy the spotlight. Then, the researcher revealed several moral values such as bravery, cooperative, positive thoughts, honesty, humility, responsibility, respect for others, self-control, tenacity, and thankfulness. Moreover, adolescent’s positive attitude building implied through moral values in Stargirl novel is having positive thoughts in moral values as an example for adolescents being more optimistic, self-control in moral values as an example for adolescents to accepting things as they are, tenacity in moral value as an example for the adolescent being more enthusiastic, humility in moral values as an example for the adolescent being more humble, and thankfulness in moral value as an example for the adolescent being more grateful.