The Influences of Parents in the Lovers’ Relationship
between Jan and Ruth and Madeleine and Paul
Based on Dear Jane Love Ruth by Nick McIverand Madeleineby Celia Roberts
written by Irfan Suryana
A. Summary of the First Novel
Dear Jan . . . Love Ruth
By Nick McIver
(Image is from Google)
Jan Polanski arives at Brighton Station
to join the course at an English langauge school for a one month. He comes from
Poland and he is a student. Then the taxi brings Jan to the school. The
director of the school tells Jan that he will live with Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins.
Suddely, a guy comes to Jan. He is Mario. Mario also lives with Mr and Mrs. Hawkins. They go together to the house. After
supper, Mario invites Jan to go to a disco in town in Saturday evening. Mario
will go there with his girlfriend. However, on Saturday Mario cannot go to
there beacuse he is ill. He asks Jan to go to a disco in the town.
In the evening, Jan goes to the disco. Jan
wants to dance but there is no girl who wants to dance with him. Suddenly, a
pretty girl who her name is Ruth Clark, steps on his feet and her drink splits
on Jan’s trousers. However, Jan is not angry, he is very happy because the girl
is willing to dance with him. Ruth says to Jane that her boyfriend has left her
because he has found another girl.
On Sunday, Jan and Ruth go to a coffee
bar. Suddenly, a tall man with a leather jacket who his name is Bill comes to
their table. He looks unfriendly and he asks Jan to go out because he wants to
talk with Ruth. Ten minutes later, Bill comes out. Bill turns out Ruth’s
boyfriend.He comes there because he is very angry seeing her with the boy. On
the road, Ruth says that she loves Jan very much.
The
next Firday afternoon, Jan goes to
Ruth’s house for tea. Ruth’s parents seem unkind and dislike Jan that’s why he
decides to go home. Mrs. Clark says that she does not agree if Ruth is with Jan
because he does not speak English fluently and he is not rich. Ruth parent’s
like Bill because they guess that Bill is a nice boy and he is rich as well.
The
course has finished and he must go back again to Poland. In the night in England, Jan and Ruth go for a walk
in Brighton. Jan says that he loves Ruth and he does not want to leave Ruth.
Jan invites Ruth to go to Poland to celebrate Christmas together. They will communicate each other through letter to
arrange that plan. When Ruth goes home, Bill
is waiting for her and he says that he wants to be with her but Ruth rejects
him.
The next morning, Ruth goes to Brighton station with Jan. Before Jan enters the train,he says that he and Ruth will meet again in next three months when Christmas
comes.
Eventually,
Jan’s first letter arrives from Warsaw, Poland that tells his parents want to
meet Ruth but Ruth never sees that letter. Jan writes several letters to Ruth
and Mrs. Clark always finds and burns them. Ruth guesses that Jan does not send
him a letter and he does not love her anymore.Then, Bill’s attitude changes. He becomes a kind boy for
Ruth. At the end of November, Ruth goes to a party with him. In the night
before Christmas Eve, Ruth sends a letter to Jan. She tells her disappointments
to Jan. He still guesses that Jan is a liar. He just plays her heart. She also
tells that he will get married with Bill. Then, Ruth Clark and Bill Mason are
married at St. Michael’s Church on April 3.
B. Summary of the Second Novel
Madeleine
By Celia Roberts
(Image is from Google)
In the evening, Madeleine and his
boyfriend who his name is Paul walk together nearby the lake..Then, they drive on their car to go to a village in
which Madeleine was born and her parents build a restaurant. When they arrive, they are greeted by Madeleine’s
parents. Paul feels comfortable because Madeleine’s parents are really kind to
him. Before dinner, Madeleine tells her parents that they will get married and
they agree if their daughterand Paul get
married.
In the morning, Madeleine and Paul go to
the city in which Paul’s parents live. When they are through the lake,
Madeleine asks Paul to stop for a while. Paul says that the developers want to
cut down the trees because they want to bulid roads to the hotels, shops, and
bars beside the lake. By hearing that, Madeleine invites Paul to stop the
developers. Finally, they arrive in the house. His parents are not friendly
toMadeleine. Paul’s parents are very rich. The house has beautiful garden,
library, music room, tennis-court, and the swimming pool. Aftre that, Paul
brings Madeleine to her flat.
Next, Paul gives Madeleine a ring.
Madeleine’s neighbor invite her to celebrate the good news about Madeleine and
Paul’s plan. In the party, Paul meets Sylvie and they talk each other. Sylvie
is very rich as Paul. Her father does business with Paul’s father too.Madeleine,
Paul, George, Sylvie, and all people who want to stop the developers gather in
the min square of the city to march. However, the developers win and they lose.
On Thursday night, Paul meets Madeleine. Paul
says that his parents will not give him money for their wedding. She guesses
that his parents do not like her.
On Sunday evening in the station, Madeleine sees Paul in the ticket office. She
tries to call him but the Paul does not hear her calling. She runs to Paul but
she stops running when she sees Paul with Sylvia walking together.
When
Madeleine sleeps, George knocks the door. George gives her two letters that are
found in his box. The first letter is from her friendand he second letter is
from Paul. Through the letter, Paul invites her to come in his flat. Madeleine
is very disappointed because it is too late to meet Paul but she tries to meet
him in his flat. When she arrives, the one who opens the door is Sylvie.
Then,
Sylvie invites Madeleine to come. She tells everything to Madeleine, including
Paul. She says that Paul stays in her flat just for a night after that he goes
to country because he does not want to live in the same city with his parents
because his parents are the developers and her father is on of the developers
as well. Next, she gives the address of Paul to Madeleine and she brings her to
the station. In the train, Madeleine believes that she and Paul will live
together forevermore and nothing stops them.
C. Analysis
From both novels, Dear Jane Love
Ruth written by Nick McIverand Madeleine written by Celia Roberts,
the writer will compare the plot of the novels, especially on the influences of
parents in the lovers’ relationship because the story of both novels tell that
parents also have roleto determine their son or daughter’s lover implicitly.
Moreover, both novels have some similarities and differences as well.
First is about the similarities. After
reading both novels, the writer find that there are some similarities of both
novels.First, both novels were written in the same period. They are included in
the contemporary novels. Dear Jan Love
Ruth was written in 1992 and Madeleine
was written in 1978.
Second, the theme of both novels is
romance because they tell about the couple or lover’s relationship. The proofs
are‘Jan, I like you very much, said Ruth.
Jan smiled. ‘I like you very mush, too,’ he said (Dear Jan Love Ruth, page 11) and ‘Wait a moment,’ said Madeleine. ‘Before we go in…’ ‘Yes?’ said
Madeleine’s mother. Paul and I have some news,’ said Madeleine. ‘What news?’
asked Madeleine’s father. ‘Paul and I are going to get married (Madeleine, page 3).
Third, there is third person who involves
in the main characters’ relationship. Sometimes, the third person makes the
main character jealous of them because he or she has superiority rather than
the main characters, especially about performance and wealth. In the first novel,
Dear Jan Love Ruth, the third person
is Bill. He is Ruth’s ex-boyfriend who is admired and wanted by Ruth’s parents.
When Jan and Ruth are almost together, Paul says to Ruth that he wants to come
back again in her life. The proof is“Oh,
Jan,’ said Ruth. ‘That was Bill. He was my boyfriend. He saw me with you and he
was very angry. I told him to go away. I don’t like him said (Dear Jan Love Ruth, page 11). While in the second novel, Madeleine, Tessa is a young rich girl
that her father has business with Paul’s father. Madeleine is very jealous of
her because Paul always goes with her and she always compares herself with
Tessa. The proof is“She found Paul in the
kitchen. He was sitting on the table and talking with the girl. Madeleine did
not know the girl. Madeleine did not know the girl. She was tall and elegant
and she had long, fair hair. ‘Madeleine,’ said Paul, ‘this is Sylvie. She is a
student at the university too”(Madeleine,
page 22).
Fourth, the main characters’ parents
influence their relationship. It cannot be denied that a relationship has to be
allowed and blessed by parents because the main characters believe that their
relationship will be nothing without parents’ permission. Although they really
love their lover, they have to follow what their parents say because they
ensure their parents know better things for them. In Dear Jan Love Ruth, Ruth’s parents are unkind and unfriendly to Jan
see him as stranger in their house and they guess that Jan is not good for Ruth
because he is not English man and he is not rich. The proof isMr. and Mrs. Clark looked at Jan. ‘These
foreigners have strange ideas,’ said Mr. Clark. ‘I am sorry,’ said Jan. ‘Can
you repeat, please? I didn’t understand you.’ (page 14).
In Madeleine,
when Madeleine and Paul have lunch with Paul’s parents. Paul’s parents do not
agree if Paul is with Madeleine because she is not rich. Moreover, Paul’s
parents do not support their marriage by not giving money to Paul. The proof is
‘Then what are the problems?’ ‘Money is
one problem,’ said Paul. ‘Money?’ said Madeleine. ‘But your parents . . .’ ‘My
parents are not going to give us any money.’ ‘I see,’ said Madeleine. ‘Your
parents don’t like me. They don’t want you to marry me. That’s the problem,
isn’t it? (page 33).
Fifth, there is misunderstanding
between the main characters and their lovers. Misunderstanding is a common
thing that always happens in a relationship. Sometimes, misunderstanding leads
to madness and despair. The worst thing is it can cause a relationship ends.
Actually, a couple has to be sure and believe in his or her lover because it
will avoid them from misunderstanding and it is also a proof that he or she
really loves the lover. In Dear Jan Love
Ruth, actually Jan has written several letters to Ruth but Ruth’s mother
always finds the letters. She burns the letters because she does not want Ruth
know about the letters. Ruth guess that Jane does not love her anymore and he
has forgotten about her. The proofs are “Jane
wrote several letters to Ruth. But every time Mrs. Clark found the letters and
burnt them. Ruth was very sad. She thought, ‘Jan doesn’t love me anymore. He’s
forgotten about her” (page 27).“I
understand you. You were in England for a month. You wanted a girlfriend for a
month. My parents didn’t like you. Neither did Bill. I liked you – but my
parents and Bill were right. I was wrong”(page 28).
In Madeleine,
Madeleine always sees Paul with Sylvie and it makes her guess that Paul has
betrays her. In the fact, Sylvie is just her friend and her father is friend of
his father. The proofs are “Paul left the
bookshop. Madeleine looked out of the window. Outside there was a new, white
sports car. Paul got into it and the car drove away. The driver of the new,
white sports car was Sylvie”(page 31).“Madeleine
stopped running. She did not want to see Paul now. She turned and left the
station. ‘So it’s Sylvie!’ she thought. ‘And everything is finished between
Paul and me”(page 44).
Sixth, till end of the story, the main
characters’ have not ever seenyet again their lover. It is hard for the main
characters if they cannot see again with the lovers. However, there are always
the reasons why they cannot see them again, for example it is because of her jealousy.In
Dear Jan Love Ruth,when Jan’s course
in England has finished, he goes back to Poland but he promises to Ruth that
they will meet again in Christmas. They will discuss the plan through letters
but Ruth’s mother burns the letter and does tell Ruth about the letters.
Eventually, she tells to Jan that she will marry Bill. After that, Ruth and Jan
have never seen each other again. The proof is“You left England many weeks ago. You have not written one letter to
me. I have written to you many times but you did not reply. At first I was very
unhappy… I’m going out with Bill again. He loves me. My parents like him very
much. I like him too”(page 28).
In Madeleine,
Madeleine thinks that Paul does not want to meet her again. That is why he
has never phoned her again. However, she is wrong. Paul has tried to phone her
but her phone does not work. When Paul asks her to meet him in the flat, she is
too late because he has gone to the country far away form the city. The proof
is“Madeleine looked at the second letter.
The handwriting was Paul’s. She opened it quickly. Madeleine looked at the top
of the letter again. It had been written on Friday. But today was Monday”(page
49).
Moreover, both novels have some
differences as well. First is the background of the main characters. The
background of the main characters is important because it always influences the
lovers in a relationship. The background covers performance, the condition of
family, job, education, and so on. In Dear
Jan Love Ruth, the main character is Ruth. Ruth is a pretty girl and was
born in rich family. The proof is“He
looked at the girl. She was very pretty (page 6). In Madeleine, the main character is Madeleine. She is a bookshop
keeper and was born in simple family. The proof is‘Well, Madeleine,’ said Paul’s mother. ‘Tell me something about
yourself.’ ‘I work in a bookshop,’ said Madeleine. ‘I’ve worked there since I
left school. It’s not a very big bookshop, but it’s quite busy’ (page 13).
Second is the background of the main
characters’ lovers. It is not only the background of the main characters which
can influence in a relationship but also the background of the lovers can be
considered as another influential factor in a relationship. In Dear Jan Love Ruth, Ruth’s lover is Jan.
He is student of the course in England and he is not rich. The proof is ‘And has Jan got any money? ‘No, he’s not
rich, Mum,’ said Ruth. ‘He’s a student (page 17). In Madeleine, Madeleine’s lover is Paul. He is a university student
and he is very rich. His house is in the most expensive part of the city. The
proof is ‘They were driving along a wide
street in the most expensive part of the city. On both sides of the road there
were large cars and elegant houses (page 11). Third is about the background
of the main characters’ parents.
Next, the core of this analysis is
about the influences of parents in the lovers’ relationship. As we know, a
relationship does not only consist of two persons between boy and girl but also
the parents between both. The reason why parents influence in the lovers’
relationship is because they want their son or daughter to have the best things
in his or her life, including his or her relation. Through the novels, there
are some influences of parents in the lovers’ relationship.
First is about the background of the
parents. All parents have their own background and the background usually
becomes the base thing in determining or achieving something. In Dear Jan Love Ruth, Ruth’s parents like
very much to an English boy so that when Jan come to their house, they seem
unkind and unfriendly. They force Ruth to love again Bill who is an English
boy. They do not pay attention on the power of love because they think in the relationship
that the most important thing is money or wealth. The proofs are “Mr. and Mrs. Clark looked at Jan. ‘These
foreigners have strange ideas,’ said Mr. Clark”(page 14). “Outside the door, Jan said to Ruth, ‘I’m
sorry. Your parents don’t like me very much… But your father and I liked Bill.
What happened to Bill? What’s wrong with an English boyfriend? Bill was a nice
boy”(page 16).‘Bill has money,’ said
Mrs. Clark. ‘He’s got a job. He works in a shop’ (page 17). Meanwhile,
Jan’s parents are curious about Ruth and they seem friendly people. The proof
is “I arrived home last night. My parents
met at the airport. I’ve told them about you. They want to meet you. You must
come at Christmas”(page 24).
In Madeleine, Paul’s parents are the developers
who want to cut down the trees near the lake because they want to build roads,
hotels, shops, and bars. Paul keeps secret about his parents, especially his
father to Madeleine because Madeleine has ever said to him that he really hates
the developers. The proof is ‘You know
the developers who are building the hotels?’ said Sylvie… ‘One of the
developers is Paul’s father,’ said Sylvie. ‘Paul didn’t want you to know. He
knew that you hated the developers (page 52).Meanwhile, Madeleine’s parents
are very kind and friendly to Paul. They agree very much if their daughter
marry Paul. The proof is ‘We were
expecting you to be here hours ago,’ said Madeleine’s father, shaking Paul’s
hand. ‘How are you Paul?’ asked Madeleine’s mother… ‘You’re going to get
married?’ said her mother. ‘That’s wonderful!’ ‘Yes, that’s marvelous news,’
said her father (page 3). Madeleine’s parents care very much about the
relationship. The proof is When did Paul
ask you to marry him?’ said Madeleine’s mother. ‘This afternoon,’ said
Madeleine, and she smiled. ‘While we were at the lake. ‘This afternoon,’ said
her mother. ‘Have you told Paul’s parents yet?’ ‘No, not yet,’ said Madeleine.
Second is the
way the main characters’ parents try to stop the lovers’ relationship.
Sometimes, parents do not want to give up or to reach their purposes to
separate his or her daughter from the lovers. They feel what they do is
correct. However, it usually hurts the feeling of their children who are
falling in love. In Dear Jan Love Ruth,
Ruth’s parents attempt to influence Ruth by comparing her lover to her past
lover and when Jan sends several letters to Ruth, her mother does not give the
letters to Ruth but she burns the letters. The purpose of this action is she
hopes Ruth will misunderstand with Jan that Jan is a liar so that Ruth is
willing to marry Bill who is an English boy. The proofs are‘Well, Mum,’ asked Ruth. ‘Did you like Jan?’ ‘I’m sorry, ‘Ruth’s mother
said. ‘Your father and I found him a difficult person.’ ‘Why?’ ‘Well, he didn’t
like speak English very well,’ said Mrs. Clark. ‘But Mum,’ said Ruth, ‘he isn’t
English. He’s Polish!’ ‘I know,’ said Mrs. Clark. ‘And perhaps he’s a nice boy.
But your father and I liked Bill. What happened to Bill? What’s wrong with an
English boyfriend? (page 16). ‘And
has Jan got any money?’ ‘No, he’s not rich, Mum,’ said Ruth. ‘He’s a student.’
‘Bill has money,’ said Mrs. Clark. ‘He’s got a job. He works in a shop’
(page 17). Jan wrote several letters to
Ruth. But every time Mrs. Clark found the letters and burnt them. Ruth was very
sad. She thought, ‘Jan doesn’t love me anymore. He’s forgotten about me (page
27). I understand now. You were in
England for a month. You wanted a girlfriend for a month. My parents didn’t
like you. Neither did Bill. I liked you – but my parents and Bill were right. I
was wrong” (page 28).
In Madeleine,
Paul’s parents influence Paul that Madeleine is not good for him by saying
something to him and they do not give him money to Paul to marry Madeleine. The
proofs are “After lunch, Paul’s father
said to him, ‘I want to talk to you.’ They left the room. Madeleine and Paul’s
mother sat and drank coffee” (page 13). ‘When
are we going to get married, Paul?’ she asked. ‘I don’t know,’ said Paul.
‘There are problems.’… ‘Mooney is one problem,’ said Paul. ‘Money?’ said
Madeleine. ‘But your parents…’ ‘My parents are not going to give us any money’
(page 33).
D. Conclusion
In brief, from the novels,Dear Jane Love
Ruth written by Nick McIver and Madeleine written by Celia Roberts
the writer discuss about the plot of the novels, especially about the
influences of parents in lover’s relationship. Both novels also have some
similarities and differences. The similarities are both novels were written in
the same period, the theme of both novels is romance, there is third person who
involves in the main character’s relationship, the main characters’ parents
influence their relationship, there is misunderstanding between the main
characters and their lovers, and till end of the story, the main characters’
have not ever seen yet again their lover. The differences are the background of
the main characters and the background of the main characters’ lovers.
Moreover, the influences of parents in the lover’ relationship are the
background of the parents and way the main characters’
parents try to stop the lovers’ relationship.
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