The portrayal of disabled character in Paola Peretti’s The Distance Between Me and the Cherry Tree (2018)
Abstract
Disability is a natural and inherent aspect of human diversity. This issue also becomes a relevant topic in literary works, for example novels. In novels, the existence of disability can influence and shape the readers’ perspective about it. Using Reams’ (2015) theory of characterization, this qualitative study aims to examine how the main character of The Distance Between Me and the Cherry Tree (2018) is positively portrayed and conveyed through narrations and dialogues. This study found that the main character is presented through three categories of characterization during two phases of her disabled experience, the denial phase and the acceptance phase. After experiencing physical changes and emotional upheaval as the effect of losing visual ability, the main character is portrayed as having an improved hearing ability, independent, confident, and brave in facing difficulties as a disabled person. The case of this study is expected to give insights into the challenges and daily experiences of individuals with disabilities and facilitate the growth of people’s awareness of disability.
Keywords
References
Belsey, C. (2014). Textual analysis as research method. In G. Griffin (Ed.), Research methods for English studies. Edinburgh University Press.
Bianchi, C., Covacha, A., Leal, A., Martire, A., & Pelaccia, K. (2021, March). The image of disability depicted in children’s films. Knowledge Translation Hub. https://knowledgetranslation.mohawkcollege.ca/business-listing/the-image-of-disability-depicted-in-childrens-films/
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, September 16). Disability and Health Overview. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/disability.html
Creswell, J.W., & Creswell, J.D. (2018). Research design (5th ed.) SAGE Publications.
Cummings, J., Pepler, D., Mishna, F., & Craig, W. (2006). Bullying and victimization among students with exceptionalities. Exceptionality Education Canada, 16(3), 193–222. https://hdl.handle.net/1807/94931
Hodkinson, A. & Park, J. (2017). ‘Telling Tales’ An investigation into the representation of disability in classic children’s fairy tales. Educationalfutures, 8(2), 48-68. https://educationstudies.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/BESA-Journal-EF-8-2-hodkinson.pdf
Kusuma, A. W. (2021). The portrayal of blindness in short stories. PARADIGM: Journal of Language and Literary Studies, 4(1), 23-32. https://doi.org/10.18860/prdg.v4i1.12029
Lalani, T. I. (2015). “Just Breathing Isn’t Living” Disability and construction of normalcy in nineteenth-century children’s literature https://doi.org/10.7939/R3NT01 [Graduate thesis, University of Alberta]. ERA: Education and Research Archive.
Leininger, M., Dyches, T.T., Prater, M.A., Heath, M.A., & Bascom, S. (2010). Books portraying characters with obsessive-compulsive disorder: top 10 list for children and young adults. Teaching Exceptional Children 42(4). 22–28. https://doi.org/10.1177/004005991004200403
Lindsay, S. & McPherson, A. C. (2011). Strategies for improving disability awareness and social inclusion of children and young people with cerebral palsy. Child: Care, Health and Development, 38(6), 809-816. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2214.2011.01308.x
Lloyd-Esenkaya, T., Lloyd-Esenkaya, V., O'Neill, E., & Proulx, M. J. (2020). Multisensory inclusive design with sensory substitution. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, 5(1), 37-52. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41235-020-00240-7
Nadeau, L. & Tessier, R. (2006). Social adjustment of children with cerebral palsy in mainstream classes: peer perception. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 48(5), 331–336. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0012162206000739
Noh, J. W., Kwon, Y. D., Park, J. M., Oh, I. H., & Kim, J. S. (2016). Relationship between physical disability and depression by gender: a panel regression model. PLoS ONE, 11(11), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0166238
Peretti, P. (2018). The distance between me and the cherry tree. Simon & Schuster.
Pratama, R. M. D. & Adi, W. T. (2019). Multiple personality disorder of dr. Jang Choel in Partner for Justice Season 2 movie. Wanastra, 11(2), 167-172. http://ejournal.bsi.ac.id/ejurnal/index.php/wanastra
Rapley, M. (2004). The social construction of intellectual disability. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511489884
Reams, J. (2015). Characterization in fiction. [Unpublished honors thesis]. Texas State University.
Reichenberg, M. (2020). Images of relationships and emotions: A theoretically informed grounded theory approach to storybooks with youth characters with intellectual disability. Journal of Intellectual
Disabilities, 26(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1177/1744629520987780
Sugiarto, T. (2020). Reading disability in Indonesian children’s literature. Indonesian Journal of English Language Studies, 6(1), 23-34. https://doi.org/10.24071/ijels.v6i1.2693
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17509/psg.v12i1.75276
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 2024 Passage
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.