THE COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE REALIZATION OF McCANDLESS’S AND HEATHCLIFF’S SELFACTUALIZATION IN KRAKAUER’S INTO THE WILD AND BRONTE’S WUTHERING HEIGHTS

Abstract

This thesis compares an old literary work with the modern one. Into the Wild is a modern literary work written by Jon Krakauer, and Wuthering Heights is an old literary work created by Emily Bronte. Into the Wild was published in 1996 and Wuthering Heights was published in 1847. This research compares self-actualization within the main characters on those novels. Self-actualization is self awareness, concern with personal growth and development. There are five hierarchies of needs which have to be complied before someone goes through the self-actualization. These are physiological needs, safety needs, belongingness and love needs and the last needs are self-esteem needs. McCandless is the main character in Into the Wild. He is tired of all the people around him. He feels that hypocrisy is the only thing reflected from the society. Therefore, he has a great obsession to escape and to be lost in such a strange isolated place. In order to actualize his obsession, McCandless wants to go to Alaska. Alaska is the only thing in his mind. In Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff has different motives to actualize his obsession. Heathcliff has bad experiences of his childhood. A long his life, he wants to revenge on the one he hated in his childhood. He is obsessed to take over Wuthering Heights and Thrusscross Grange. McCandless and Heathcliff have different motives to achieve their potential. There are some problems that are discussed in this thesis. First is how McCandless and Heathcliff achieve his self-actualization. The second is the similarities and the differences between the realization of self actualization of McCandless and Heathcliff. To analyze the objects matter, this thesis uses a psychological approach, Abraham Maslow’s theory of human needs, and theory of comparative literature. Psychological approach is used to dig up the psychological problems existing in the novels. Maslow’s theory of human needs explores the motivation of characters in the novels. Comparative literature is used to find the similarities and the differences of McCandless’s and Heathcliff’s self-actualization. An inductive method is also used. The method is started by the observation of the particular of facts, and it is included into the general idea. In the last chapter, the results of the analysis are written. McCandless and Heathcliff have the similarities and the differences of self- actualization. It can be analyzed from two perspectives. It is from the process and the characteristics of selfactualization. Through the process, McCandless and Heathcliff successfully achieve their self-actualization. However, it is only McCandless who has characteristically achieved the self-actualization. Heathcliff experiences a failure in achieving the characteristic of self-actualization.