Gru Character Development
Gru Character Development
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ABSTRACT
Christian, Adrianus. Gru’s Character Development in “Despicable Me 1” Movie.
Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program, Department of Language and Arts
Education, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, Sanata Dharma University, 2015.
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ABSTRAK
Christian, Adrianus. (2015) Gru’s Character Development in “Despicable Me 1” Movie.
Yogyakarta: Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa dan Seni,
Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Despicable Me 1 adalah film yang diproduksi oleh Illumination Corp. yang dirilis
pertama kali pada tahun 2010. Tokoh utama dalam film ini adalah seorang penjahat bernama
Gru. Dia terobsesi untuk mencuri bulan supaya dapat menjadi penjahat nomor satu di dunia.
Dalam menjalankan misinya, dia harus berhadapan dengan seorang penjahat lain yang
bernama Vector yang juga memiliki obsesi yang sama untuk mencuri bulan. Studi ini adalah
studi media yang berfokus pada hasil media untuk membentuk respon penonton.
Tujuan pertama dari studi ini adalah mendifinisikan karakter Gru dalam film ini. Gru
dideskripsikan sebagai orang jahat yang ambisius dan antisosial. Karakternya terbentuk sebagai
hasil dari kurangnya dukungan dari orang tua dan cara ibunya memperlakukan dia sejak dia
kecil. Perlakuan ibunya menjadikan dia menjadi seseorang yang tidak suka berinteraksi dengan
orang lain dan tidak mampu menunjukkan rasa cinta pada orang lain. Tujuan kedua adalah
mencari perubahan karakter Gru setelah dia mengadopsi tiga anak perempuan. Ketika pertama
kali bertemu dengan ketiga anak tersebut, Gru menolak untuk berinteraksi dengan mereka.
Tetapi setelah melihat ketiga anak tersebut dapat masuk ke dalam rumah musuhnya, Gru
memutuskan untuk mengadopsi mereka sehingga dia dapat memakai mereka untuk mengalahkan
musuhnya.
Studi pustaka digunakan untuk menganalisa film ini untuk menjawab permasalah dalam
studi ini. Buku-buku yang berhubungan dengan teori karakterisasi dipilih untuk menggambarkan
karakter Gru. Teori karakterisasi dari Robert Stanton dipakai untuk mendeskripsikan karakter
Gru di dalam film dengan melihat pada penampilannya, bukti-bukti atau adegan di dalam film,
karakter pendukung dan percakapan di dalam film yang merefleksikan karakter Gru.
Pendekatan yang dipakai dalam studi ini adalah pendekatan psikologi. Teori kepribadian yang
ditulis oleh Murray digunakan untuk mendeskripsikan kebutuhan-kebutuhan karakter utama di
dalam film yang kemudian dipakai untuk menunjukkan perubahan karakter Gru, kebutuhan dan
kontribusi ketiga anak perempuan tersebut dalam memenuhi kebutuhan Gru. Menurut teori
Murray, Gru memiliki lima kebutuhan yang perlu dipenuhi yaitu: kebutuhan berprestasi,
kebutuhan untuk menonjolkan diri, kebutuhan penolakan, kebutuhan untuk dicintai oleh orang
lain dan kebutuhan untuk dipuji.
Analisis deskriptif atas karakter-karakter di dalam film ini dilakukan untuk
mendeskripsikan karakter Gru dan perubahan karakternya setelah dia mengadopsi ketiga anak
perempuan tersebut. Sebelum Gru berinteraksi dengan ketiga anak tersebut, karakternya dapat
dideskripsikan sebagai seorang laki-laki yang menolak untuk berinteraksi dengan orang lain.
Gru juga orang yang tidak menyukai anak-anak. Ketiga anak yang diadopsi tersebut, yang
sebelumnya tinggal di sebuah panti asuhan dan terbiasa mengalami kekerasan non-fisik dari
pengurus panti, memberikan dukungan untuk Gru sehingga dia dapat mencapai tujuannya, dan
pada akhirnya, mereka member kontribusi pada perubahan karakter Gru.
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By
Adrianus Christian
Student Number: 101214076
By
Adrianus Christian
Student Number: 101214076
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ABSTRACT
Christian, Adrianus. Gru’s Character Development in “Despicable Me 1” Movie. Yogyakarta:
English Language Education Study Program, Department of Language and Arts Education,
Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, Sanata Dharma University, 2015.
vii
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ABSTRAK
Christian, Adrianus. (2015) Gru’s Character Development in “Despicable Me 1” Movie.
Yogyakarta: Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa dan Seni,
Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Despicable Me 1 adalah film yang diproduksi oleh Illumination Corp. yang dirilis
pertama kali pada tahun 2010. Tokoh utama dalam film ini adalah seorang penjahat bernama
Gru. Dia terobsesi untuk mencuri bulan supaya dapat menjadi penjahat nomor satu di dunia.
Dalam menjalankan misinya, dia harus berhadapan dengan seorang penjahat lain yang
bernama Vector yang juga memiliki obsesi yang sama untuk mencuri bulan. Studi ini adalah
studi media yang berfokus pada hasil media untuk membentuk respon penonton.
Tujuan pertama dari studi ini adalah mendifinisikan karakter Gru dalam film ini. Gru
dideskripsikan sebagai orang jahat yang ambisius dan antisosial. Karakternya terbentuk sebagai
hasil dari kurangnya dukungan dari orang tua dan cara ibunya memperlakukan dia sejak dia
kecil. Perlakuan ibunya menjadikan dia menjadi seseorang yang tidak suka berinteraksi dengan
orang lain dan tidak mampu menunjukkan rasa cinta pada orang lain. Tujuan kedua adalah
mencari perubahan karakter Gru setelah dia mengadopsi tiga anak perempuan. Ketika pertama
kali bertemu dengan ketiga anak tersebut, Gru menolak untuk berinteraksi dengan mereka.
Tetapi setelah melihat ketiga anak tersebut dapat masuk ke dalam rumah musuhnya, Gru
memutuskan untuk mengadopsi mereka sehingga dia dapat memakai mereka untuk mengalahkan
musuhnya.
Studi pustaka digunakan untuk menganalisa film ini untuk menjawab permasalah dalam
studi ini. Buku-buku yang berhubungan dengan teori karakterisasi dipilih untuk menggambarkan
karakter Gru. Teori karakterisasi dari Robert Stanton dipakai untuk mendeskripsikan karakter
Gru di dalam film dengan melihat pada penampilannya, bukti-bukti atau adegan di dalam film,
karakter pendukung dan percakapan di dalam film yang merefleksikan karakter Gru.
Pendekatan yang dipakai dalam studi ini adalah pendekatan psikologi. Teori kepribadian yang
ditulis oleh Murray digunakan untuk mendeskripsikan kebutuhan-kebutuhan karakter utama di
dalam film yang kemudian dipakai untuk menunjukkan perubahan karakter Gru, kebutuhan dan
kontribusi ketiga anak perempuan tersebut dalam memenuhi kebutuhan Gru. Menurut teori
Murray, Gru memiliki lima kebutuhan yang perlu dipenuhi yaitu: kebutuhan berprestasi,
kebutuhan untuk menonjolkan diri, kebutuhan penolakan, kebutuhan untuk dicintai oleh orang
lain dan kebutuhan untuk dipuji.
Analisis deskriptif atas karakter-karakter di dalam film ini dilakukan untuk
mendeskripsikan karakter Gru dan perubahan karakternya setelah dia mengadopsi ketiga anak
perempuan tersebut. Sebelum Gru berinteraksi dengan ketiga anak tersebut, karakternya dapat
dideskripsikan sebagai seorang laki-laki yang menolak untuk berinteraksi dengan orang lain.
Gru juga orang yang tidak menyukai anak-anak. Ketiga anak yang diadopsi tersebut, yang
sebelumnya tinggal di sebuah panti asuhan dan terbiasa mengalami kekerasan non-fisik dari
pengurus panti, memberikan dukungan untuk Gru sehingga dia dapat mencapai tujuannya, dan
pada akhirnya, mereka member kontribusi pada perubahan karakter Gru.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to express my first gratitude to my greatest Shepherd in my life Jesus Christ,
who always shows me the way and teaches me the truth. My next gratitude goes to my paper
consultant Dr. Retno Muljani M. Pd for she never loses faith in me and she is always willing to
see me. Then I thank to Fajar Idayawati for being my language consultant.
Big thanks to my family, my parents Johannes Pastora and Sri Lestari, who are always
patience in dealing with me and always have confidence that I will be able to finish my study and
also to never put me in a hurry to finish my study and my beloved sisters, Monika Pastora and
Cicilia Agnes, who always give their endless support. I thank them so much for their help and
ideas so that I can finish my research in time. My next gratitude goes to my PBI friends, who
always encourage me to graduate soon and help me in my study. Especially thanks to Aulia,
Guida, and Ika who always reminds me about my paper and become a place to share, to argue, to
laugh and to cry. To English Shelter members Jason, Vina, Ria, Nono, Heni, There, and the crew
of Gown especially Marino, Abimanyu, Thomas, Gaby, and Satya. Also to Ais who explicitly
I also like to thank my Messenjah family who become a friend both to work and to study.
Thank you for your love, stupidity, and laughs. To the player of Bakat Terpendam band; Om
Marckell, Mas Khun, Mas Raka, Mas Sum, Mas Adhit, Mas Bagong, and Bani they always
remind me to be humble and cheerful. Thank you very much for the good time and bad time we
share together. My last gratitude is for my Kids Impact family who always believe me. Thanks
to Simon, Theo, Diana, Hanzel, Jessica and my greatest brother Freddy. To all my friends whose
Adrianus Christian
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE …………………………………………………………………………………………….i
APPROVAL PAGE ……………………………………………………………………………..ii
ACCEPTENCE PAGE ………………………………………………………………………...iii
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY ……………………………………………….iv
MOTTO PAGE ………………………………………………………………………………….v
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI ……………………………………vi
ABSTRACT ……………………………………………………………………………………vii
ABSTRAK ……………………………………………………………………………………..viii
ACKNOWLEDEGEMENT …………………………………………………………………....ix
TABLE OF CONTENT …………………………………………………………………………x
LIST OF APENDIX....................................................................................................................xii
A. Conclusions ………………………………………………………………………….38
B. Recommendations …………………………………………………………………...41
REFFERENCES .........................................................................................................................42
APPENDIX ……………………………………………………………………………………. 45
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LIST OF APPENDIX
Appendix Page
APPENDIX A Summary of Despicable Me 1 movie…………………………………….45
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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
formulation, and definition of term. The background of the study explains the
reason why Gru in the film Despicable Me 1 was chosen as the object of the
problem formulation. In this part of the chapter, there will be questions that
animation and action movies may give joy and pleasure to the audience, whereas
documentary, tragedy, and adaptation movies can portray many terrible and
Lazarevic (2013) state that movies could show ideal examples of daily
motivated too if the teacher provides them with a popular movies. They may not
even realize that they are studying English in the classroom. Therefore, movies
can also give a benefit for students learning a foreign language by helping them to
produced by Illumination Corp. There are characters in the movie with Gru as the
major character. In the movie, Gru is described as a criminal and a bad person
who is not friendly. When he adopts three little girls, named Margo, Edith and
Agnes, there are changes in Gru’s personality. The three little girls give a great
impact on Gru’s life. They play a very important role in the movie. Shortly, DM 1
tells the audience about the role of the children in the family. Groen (2010), a
movie reviewer from Globe and Mail, stated that the film could provide the
audiences of the role of parents and children. The character of Gru somehow
could be a reflection for the parents so that parents can understand their children
more (par. 4). Zacharek (2010) in Movieline says DM 1, reminds people that
adults are not superior over children. Adults are somehow like children who face
difficulties to apply good values and deeds in a real life (par. 3).
explore the background of parents and children in Indonesia further. People may
easily state the role of parents in family for example: providing shelter, love,
protection, and guidance. How if people are asked the role of children in the
family? What are the roles of young children in the family? For some reasons,
The lack of knowledge of what children can bring and give for their
family, results in an unbearable fact among the society. We can find in the big
cities of Indonesia (Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Surabaya and so on) there are countless
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young children who beg, dance, and sing for a living on the street, not to mention
the sexual abuse and physical harassment issues involving young children.
Data from PMKS taken in 2007, the Department of Social Welfare of the
Republic of Indonesia shows there are about 104,497 homeless children living on
the streets. The data also shows there are 4,478 children living on the streets of
Jakarta (data of PMKS, 2007). In 2011, Sutriyanto reported that there were over
230,000 young children who live on the streets of Indonesia. In Jakarta, some of
the children – about 5,420 children – had already experienced the Program
ILO, and Medco have raised a fund around Rp11.4 billion for those who live on
the street. Yet, they are still trying to decrease the number of people living on the
street (Sutriyanto, 2011). Considering the data taken in 2007 and 2011, the
number of homeless children is increasing in four years. Those children who live
on the street commonly want to earn some money simply for their live or they are
Lampung, Suwandi, an adult who has a sexual disorder (loves to have sex with a
boy than a matured female), states that he sexually abused two different
even a denial to the children have become serious problems among society. A
junior high school teacher was reported doing physical punishment to one of his
Students may feel oppressed and afraid to express their thoughts in the class.
Child denial in a family also becomes a serious threat for children. In Nusa
renting a motorbike (Nurbaya, 2015). Parents of the child had already left their
Papua, Central Java, and East Nusa Tenggara provinces in Indonesia. The studies
also showed that in 2011 for about 67 and 79% of children under the age of 15
there were 57 children violence cases in 2003 and 40 cases in 2004. The data is
restricted in West Nusa Tenggara Island province of Indonesia. The cases found in
West Nusa Tenggara Island are mostly rape cases which include young girls being
raped and young boys were sodomy. Most of the perpetrators, according to LBH,
escaped justice and cannot be located until the data were published in 2005.
the nation, children who often experienced both physical and verbal abuse may
give a bad influence for the country. Kaiser and Rasminsky (2010) state parents,
teacher and any caregiver take a very important role to the development process of
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the children. Insensitive caregiver may lose children’s trust which further causing
trouble of getting along with friends and triggers aggressive behavior (Greenber et
an efficient instrument to affect children with either good or bad values. Langham
(2015) believes that watching television and movies for many times support the
Langham idea. The research finds that children who spend much time on Disney’s
princesses movies are more hospitable, less aggressive, having better body image
children. Coie and Dodge, 1998 in Kaiser and Rasminsky (2010) state that
direct violence can give negative effects on the children. Children may have the
initiation to copy the figure they have seen from the media which drive them to be
more aggressive. The show in media takes a role in the development process of
the children.
personality after he adopted the three little girls, audience may see the
media is easier as there is You Tube, an online video site. Nowadays, there are
hosts of any kinds of movie including short movie, soap opera, music clip, movie
trailer and movies scene in the World Wide Web. Teachers can make use of these
sites as source or a tool for teaching. Watkins and Wilkins (2011) develop
using them. There are some activities offered in the journal such as movie trailer
movie scene reenactment which asks students to make a drama that is copied from
their favorite movie scene. There are also blogging which ask students to make an
online diary in form of video, and many other activities to use in the classroom
good movie to use to study about the linguistics phenomenon. Students can get
dialect and seek whether there were similarities among them. Considering Gru’s
the stressed syllables and stressed words which Gru pronounce in the movie. The
movie can help students to develop their English speaking skills better.
As it is reported above, there were cases in school which involves teachers as the
suspects, the study of this movie may show them and embed the moral value so
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that later the teacher candidate may treat their students well and reduce
The focus of the study is to find Gru’s character development. The writer
believes the developments are caused by the presence of Margo, Edith and Agnes
around him. In order to see it, the writer divides the problem formulation into two
adopted Margo, Edith and Agnes. The second problem is how Gru’s character
adopted Margo, Edith and Agnes. The second objective is to see Gru’s character
The study is a media study which pays attention to the work of a media to
monitor social issues (Beniger, 1978). This study will focus on the works of a
personality of the creator of the movie. It is to discover the message of the movie
to the audience.
focuses on the work of literature which simply shows the personality of the
(Guerin et al., 2005, p. 155). Freud’s psychoanalytic theory involves the study of
unconscious mind and human need, which is divided into three parts; the id, ego
and superego (Guerin et al., 2005, p.156). Freud likely to concern on the literature
work in order to find out the personality of the author, since the theory was first
is no longer focusing on the author personality but it focuses on the text and the
readers (Murfin and Ray, 1998). The purpose of doing psychological criticism is
In this study, the writer will discuss Gru’s character using the
discussing the main characters of the movie, the writer tries to show the changes
that appear caused by the young children and find the role of the children in the
family. The writer will characterize Gru and find the reasons behind his
characteristic. Afterwards, the writer shows the character development of the main
character.
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CHAPTER II
DISCUSSION
This chapter consists of two parts. The first part is the review of the related
literature used to discuss the movie as well as the theory used in this study. The
second part is the findings of the study which differentiates Gru’s character before
subchapter shows the related study on DM 1. There are three different studies
discussing DM1. The first is paying attention on the types of Gru’s command that
occur in the movie. The second study focuses on finding different pragmatic
meaning in DM1. The last study is comparing DM1 Indonesian translation and the
The second and the third subchapters show the theory used in this study.
by Murray (1893) which called the personality theory. The theory focuses on
1. Related Study on DM 1
The first study lead by Syah, Usman and Bochari (2014) discussed Gru’s
command in the movie. The title of their study is Analysis of Illocutionary Act of
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study of which the data were based on the film script. The study analyzed
sentence forms and the type of commands uttered by Gru. The study found there
were two kinds of sentence forms: imperative and declarative, and two types of
and Douglasas cited by Syah, Usman and Bochari, is a statement and imperative
sentence is a command (Strumpf & Douglas in Syah, Usman & Bochari, 2014: 3).
command to state urgent needs. Indirect command is a polite command that has
implicit messages. On the other hand, direct command holds an explicit message
but sometimes it seems impolite. The result of the study, however, states that
sentence may result in successful communication, since Gru frequently uses the
direct command rather than the indirect one. In their research, the writers suggest
misunderstanding between the speaker and the audience. Direct command also
makes the conversation more efficient, because it delivers the message directly to
the audience.
The second study is done by Lestari (2013). She did a research based on
DM 1 movie script. Lestari (2013) put her focus on finding the conversational
expression (Grice in Lestari, 2013: 23). Her study entitled The Analysis of
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shows the implicature, which sometimes causes confusion. It also displays the
based on the speaker’s command. As it is seen in the movie, for several times Dr.
Nefario has misunderstood Gru because he do not know Gru’s situation which
misunderstanding.
of “Despicable Me” Movie emphasized the slangs used in the movie and the
translation of slangs into Indonesian. The study is a documentation study using the
subtitle of the movie. The goal of the study is to find out whether the translation of
produce good translations, translator must have a rich vocabulary both from the
source language and the target language. Poor vocabulary and idiomatic
knowledge may result on ambiguity and confusing translation. The study found
that there are slangs that translated well into Bahasa Indonesia and some English
slang that cannot be translated into Bahasa Indonesia due to different culture.
Slang is also used by speakers who see themselves as superior than others.
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The three studies are all emphasizing on the linguistic aspect of the movie
script and the subtitle. This research, however, will not discuss the linguistic
aspect. It will try to show the character development of the main character,
There are two theories that will be used in order to find out the
development of Gru’s character before and after he adopts the girls. The first
theory is called the theory of characterization and the second is called theory of
personality. The theories used in this paper are the theory of characterization
proposed by Robert Stanton and the theory of personality by Murray. The theories
2. Theory of Characterization
is a person in the story created by the writer that should be redefined by the
reader. It is the reader’s freedom to decide whether the character is bad or good.
The author of the novel, however, left clues within the story (Abrams, 1999).
the description of the appearances, speech and other characters view on specific
character.
Literary work may include more than one character in the story. Each
characters. The first is flat characters and the second is round characters. Flat
13
detail about the personality. Round characters in the story have more complex
personality, which require more details. The idea of flat and round character by
Forster (1927) shares the similarity with the idea from Henkle (1977). He differs
character in two groups, the major and minor characters. Major characters have
more opinions or thought to describe and may be the focus of the story as the
opinion shifting. On the other hand, minor characters have small function and
to build a reflection for the people. Clues toward the characters being introduced
should be clear and well developed to avoid miss interpretation between creators
characteristic by focusing on the influences that may shape a man (Crow and
Crow, 1972, p. 228). Those influences are divided into two groups. The first
coming from the environmental effect (Crow & Crow, 1972, p. 228). The
to study through the life experience, also by the environmental issue which would
force people to change, for example: a family member, a close friend, a seminar,
or any other outside influence. Besides, Crow and Crow also wrote that “to the
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Crow, 1972).
Murray is one of the psychology theorists who held the same idea as Crow
who has needs and a person who is aware about personality development by the
social environment (Nordby and Hall, 1974, p.127). Need according to Murray is
decrease dissatisfaction. Need may arise based on some human basic need like
food, water, and sex but it also be arouse based on the need of achievement
(Nordby and Hall, 1974). McClelland (1985) categorizes Murray’s human need as
are the needs to protect an individual from blame or embarrassing situation. Both
15
avoid humiliation.
order to obtain something. Sometimes it also provokes people to kill one another
order to overcome problem and avoid humiliation. The three of them leads people
to gain high standard and master something difficult whether using fair action or
violence.
get along with people with the same interest while autonomy is the need to
somehow similar to the need of rejection. It is the need to separate oneself from a
autonomy that rejects higher authority, rejection only refuse a negative object.
The need of deference and exhibition also differ from one another.
a superior object. Exhibition seeks an impression among others. People with the
need of exhibition definitely try to find people with the need of deference. The
need of exhibition sometimes follows the need of sentience. Sentience is the need
16
high dominance need tries to direct others using suggestion, command or even a
seduction. In the other hand nurturance is the need to become a shelter for those
simply tries to nurture; to help the tired, sick, infirm, and defeated objects. People
with high willingness to nurture, will be satisfied with those who have succorance
need. Succorance need is a human need to be nursed and protected. It searches for
Play is the need to seek for fun. It is simply to make joke and engage in games
or parties to find relaxation of stress. The need of play has no further purpose but
the need of order has a purpose. The need of order would like to gain cleanliness
There is also the need of sex that is to have a sexual intercourse and to form an
as well.
To reach the needs, an individual sometimes may face obstacles. The obstacles
are represented as press by Murray. The typical types of press are poverty, illness,
loss, encouragement and help (Nordby & Hall, 1974). Press is environmental
influences that may shape personality. The writer use Murray’s personality theory
to show Gru’s needs that cannot be fulfilled by his family and to seek how the
three little girls may fulfill his need and overcome his press.
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B. Findings
The finding part of this paper is divided into two main subchapters. The
title of the first subchapters is Gru’s character before he adopted the three little
girls. The second subchapter is Gru’s charater after he adopted the three little
girls. The purpose of the distinction is to help readers see the different character of
In order to see the changes in Gru which triggered by the three little girls,
the writer will first describe Gru’s character before he adopted them. This section
focuses on finding Gru’s character before he adopted the girls using some
The next few paragraphs will try to answer the first research problem
Edith and Agnes?” According to Stanton (1965) there are several ways to state the
Murray theory of personality is also used to mention Gru’s human need that
caused certain personality traits. Some of paragraphs below will show the
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Gru is a bald white man. He is big and tall with fat body and thin legs. He
has a long nose and he always wears a black jacket, black striped shawl, and a
black trouser. His physical appearance is shown at the beginning of the movie in
minute 03:25.
He is wearing a black suit is the way the movie depicted Gru as an evil
black is a symbol of cold and negative aspect whereas white is the antithesis of
black (p.92). Beside his attire, there are also some other things belong to Gru that
colored black as well for example: his car, house and aero plane. Those things
The name Gru also comes out with a reason. Gru is an Italian word which
means a crane in English, but the choice of the name has no relation with the
Italian. Instead of Italian, the choice of the name Gru comes from an abbreviation
relation to Gru’s accent which is Russian. The name, the accent, and the
Clues and evidences are actions of the characters that reflect their
behavior. By considering the clues and evidences, audience can develop better
concluded that Gru is an antisocial person; a person who does not want to have
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any relationship with other people. The next few paragraphs show some evidences
from the movie which tells the audiences that Gru is an antisocial person.
There are several evidences from the movies that describe Gru as an
antisocial person. First evidence is located in minute 03:23 when Gru is walking.
He sees a young boy crying because his ice cream fell down to the ground. Gru is
trying to comfort him by blowing out a balloon and made it look like a poodle.
The little boy stops crying and starts to smile. He even throws his cone that he is
holding when he sees the poodle-like balloon. After Gru gave the balloon to him,
the boy is hugging the balloon happily. While the boy is holding the balloon, Gru
take a needle and blew up the balloon. Then he hold the boy’s head and pushed
him aside.
is not trying to cheer the boy up. He is not trying to be friendly with the boy
either. Gru clearly rejects the presence of the boy in front of him. In the scene,
Gru is described as an evil person because he makes fun of the little young crying
boy. This scene also gives evidence to the audience that Gru is an antisocial
person.
Second evidence that tells the audience that Gru is an antisocial person
when he is in a coffee shop. It is located in minute 04:20. Gru enters a coffee shop
and he sees a long queue inside. Instead of standing in line, he take one of his
tools and uses freezing ray to freeze all the other customers standing in line in the
coffee shop. Then he walks to the counter and take the order which was
supposedly given to the first customer in the queue. By doing this, Gru was the
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only one customer in the store. This is also means that he refuses the presence of
The third evidence can be seen through his dialogue with his neighbor in
minute 05:00. The audience can see clearly that Gru does not like his neighbor,
Fred. His boring expression when Fred greeted him good morning was a proof
that he does not like to interact with other people. He also clearly states the he did
not like Fred’s dog and told him that the dog was dead. He clearly does not
The scene in minute 05:50 is another evidence of how Gru does not like to
interact with others, especially with children. He is whining when he heard his
door bell rang. He even takes a weapon, a long stick with an iron sphere on it,
before he opens his door. This is also another evidence of his rejection to children.
The girls who ring his door bell are selling some cookies but he refuses to open
the door. This is the second time Gru refuses the presence of children in his life.
By now, the audiences know that Gru does not like youngsters and other people’s
described as an antisocial person who does not like to interact with children.
when he meets Vector for the first time. In their first meeting, Vector is trying to
have a conversation with Gru but he is trying to avoid him. He even moves away
from Vector. At that time, he does not see Vector as a threat for his dream and
mission. Although Gru and Vector share the same occupation, he clearly rejects
him.
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An antisocial person has a unique human need that called the need of
rejection. The need of rejection is the need to separate one person from others and
remain different (McClelland, 1985). It leads people to enjoy solitude. The need
1974). The press that Gru faces everyday makes his need of rejection become
stronger. One of the typical types of press that Gru faces everyday is lack of
following paragraphs are some evidences from the movie which show that Gru’s
lack of encouragement.
The minions can give confession that Gru is a great boss. Audiences can see how
minions can provide him with praises in minute 08:44 and somehow Gru enjoys
the praises. It is typical for an individual to try to find friends to support their
dreams, but it is different with Gru. Instead of finding friends to be his crew to
support his mission, he chooses minions because minions are able to give him
minute 14:28. Gru is parking his car in front of the Bank of Evil. He pushes the
other cars front and back to get a free parking space in front of the bank. This
scene can mean a joke for people, but through this scene, audiences may grasp the
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idea that Gru likes to show off just to get attention and to draw impression from
the people nearby. His lack of encouragement drives him to do this in order to get
Gru’s visit to the Bank of Evil in minute 17:08 is also an evidence of his
lack of encouragement. Unfortunately Mr. Perkins, the leader of the bank, is not
interested in Gru’s works. With a reason he tries to refuse giving a loan to Gru.
However, Gru is still trying to win the loan from the bank and shows Mr. Perkins
that he is worthy enough for the loan. Although Gru does not need the loan from
the bank, yet he does not recognize the support and potentials around him and
Last evidence that strengthens the idea that Gru is lack of encouragement
is located in minute 55:51 up to minute 56:15. This scene shows how Gru’s
mother gives responds on his works. She clearly ignores each of Gru’s work
which is actually creative and attractive. His mother’s attitude toward him makes
Gru’s mother ignorant response makes him to become a person who wants
to please her. It can be seen through his conversation with her later in min. 13:53
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Murray (1893) calls the need to impress other as the need of exhibition. It
is the need to create an impression on other people, to make other people excited,
exhibition provokes another need which called the need of sentience. It is the need
to enjoy praises from other people (McClelland, 1985). Gru has no tolerance to
appreciation since he never gets enough from his mother. He grows to be a person
who likes to show off and to be praised by other people, just to fulfill his
Characters in a story are divided into two categories, the flat and round
characters (Forster, 1927). Flat characters are those which show no character
development and the round one is the character which shows a character
development. In DM1 the flat characters are: Margo, Edith, Agnes, Dr. Nafario,
Vector and Mr. Perkins while the round character is Gru. It is possible for the
creator of the movie to use the flat characters to introduce or state the
characteristics of the round character through their speech and view toward the
also Gru’s assistance. Dr. Nafario is an old man who is always wearing a
laboratory coat. Through his appearance, audiences can simply interpret that he
24
The statement “one of the Greats” can be further interpreted as one of the
Great villains in the world but it can also be interpreted that Gru is a great leader.
Through Dr. Nafario’s speech about Gru, the audiences are provided with the
The first impression from the girls when the first time they meet Gru in
minute 28:35 shows that Gru is not a person who the children are fond of. One of
them, Edith, even tries to leave Gru and remained ignorant. Margo at that time is
still working on believing that someone is going to adopt them and become her
new parent. She is trying to be nice to Gru. Only Agnes, the youngest girl among
Dialogues between the major and the minor characters in the movie are all
set up and meant to expose the character. “In a good fiction, every speech, every
action is not only a step in the plot, but also a manifestation of character”
Audiences are able to see how the creator of the story characterizes the character
It is stated through his own narration on his made up bedtime story for the girls
entitled One Big Unicorn. The story actually is his own reflection on what he has
been through with the girls. It consists of four major characters. The first is a
Unicorn and the others are three kittens. The Unicorn in his story represents Gru
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himself whereas the other three kittens represent the girls. In this scene, Gru
Gru : One big Unicorn strong and free thought he was happy as he could be.
(min. 1:23:26).
Gru describes himself as strong and free person. His description is another
man who never needs other people’s help to undergo such a great plan. Minute
03:27 up to minute 14:39 describe how strong he is. His action towards the little
boy who is crying and the people in the coffee shop describe his character as a
strong man.
like without being bothered by others people opinions. He also has the capability
to commit crimes and bad things such as bullying a young boy and getting a cup
The scenes in minutes 04:18, 04:41 and 14:28 give the proof of how Gru
and his big car which is made of steel. His big car shows the audience how he
is always been his dream since he was a little boy to be able to go to the moon.
The scenes in minutes 15:47 and 55:51 depict Gru, who still a little boy, eagerly to
go to the moon.
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Gru’s childhood dream triggers another human need called the need of
something difficult (McClelland, 1985). The need forces Gru to try anything
possible just to achieve his goal. However, Gru’s need of achievement is a strong
need. He cannot accept any negative feedback toward his dream even from his
best colleague, Dr. Nafario. Min. 11:44 – 11:53 is showing how ambitious Gru is.
Even though Dr. Nafario remains him that his dream is not affordable, Gru still
believe and insist that he can reach his dream. It takes a very strong need of
Dr. Nafario : I’ve been crunching some numbers and I really don’t see how we
can afford this. It can’t be done. I’m not a miracle worker. (min.
11:44 – 11:53)
Gru : Hey chillax. I’ll just get another loan from the bank. They love me!
his dialogue with Agnes. The dialogues are found in min. 01:05:00, min. 31:14
and 40:32.
Gru’s dialogue with Agnes min. 40:32 and 31:14 when Gru refuses to hold
Agnes’ hand and to read the girls a bedtime story is also a sign that he cannot
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The dialogue in minute 31:14 happens just a few minutes after Gru adopts
the three little girls. The dialogue above indicates how Gru actually hates to get
involved with the children. It is a sign that he cannot show his love to others and
it leads Gru to search for love. Before he meet the girls, he never realizes that he
actually needs some love from others, until the three little girls ask him to show a
little bit of his love. Unfortunately, he cannot show it. It is simply because he
never gets it from his mother. Some previous paragraphs before displays Gru’s
cannot show them to others, because he never gets a good model from his mother
minor characters, and the character’s dialogue and speech, it can be concluded
that Gru’s characteristic before he adopts the three little girls are: evil, a strong,
adult who frightens the children around him and a great leader based on the
parts discuss about Gru’s needs and how the three little girls contribute to the
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answering the second research problem which is “How does Gru’s character
develop after he adopted Margo, Edith and Agnes?” This question is to find out
Gru’s personality changes that occurred after he adopted the girls. The girls,
To show the role of the girls toward Gru’ character development, the
discussion of this section begins with a notion of Gru’s need. Gru has some needs
that are fulfilled and decrease by the presence of the three little girls. To know
about Gru’s human needs that fulfilled or decrease, the writer discusses Gru’s
character using the personality theory by Murray (1893). This section then
continues to expose some acts of Gru that occur in the movie as signs of his
from Stanton (1965) to show the development in Gru especially through some
Gru, a fat tall bald man and a villain finally can accept the three little girls
in his house. It has been stated in the previous paragraphs that Gru is an antisocial
Based on the dialogue and his reaction to others, he is also a person who is
Before he adopts the girls, he lives his life alone in his house with no
thought of having a family or get involved in any kind of community. His mother
is still alive but he also rejects the presence of his own mother in his house. Gru
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dialogue’s on the phone with his mom in 13:53 – 14:22 indicates that Gru does
not enjoy talking with his mother since his mother always underestimates him and
Gru’s expression in 01: 34: 47 when he ends the bedtime story for the girls
also indicates that he never gets enough affection from his mother. That is why he
There are also forces that drive Gru to do certain activity. The forces
according to Murray are called the needs (Nordby and Hall, 1974). Considering
the proofs and evidences on Gru’s characteristic, the conclusion that can be drawn
personality. They are: the need of achievement, the need of exhibition, the need of
sentience, the need of succorance, and the need of rejection. Before showing the
discusses the needs which shaped Gru’s personality in order to know what the
Margo, Edith and Agnes hold a very important role in the fulfillment of
Gru’s need. It has been stated in some paragraphs previously that Gru has the need
of rejection, sentience, achievement, and succorance. The three little girls help
Gru to change to be a better person. Their acts in the movie help him to fulfill and
decrease his human needs. Some paragraphs and subchapters below show the
girls’ acts that helped Gru to change. There are also some needs that replace the
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Minutes 55:51 and 15:47 show Gru’s childhood dream of going to the
moon. His dream has become a drive for Gru to do certain activities. It has made
achievement.
As a little boy, Gru’s dream is simply going to the moon but clearly his
mother does not give him any encouragement. Further as an adult, Gru intends to
ask for a loan from the Bank of Evil in order to get the support he needs to do his
mission to go the moon. His intention of asking the money is caused by the lack of
encouragement from his mother since he is trying to prove to his mother that he
can actually go to the moon. Of course, asking a loan is not an easy task for Gru.
He has to give benefits for the bank and that is why he agreed to steal the moon
The high intention of going to the moon also drives Gru to take on a
rivalry with Vector. Heider (1958) states that there are two factors why people
decide to compete against one another. The first is internal factor and the second
is external factor. Internal factor is the self-willingness due to high reputation and
achievement. The external factor is an environmental factor like family and friend
In case of Gru, the internal factor is Gru’s capability to do evil things and
also some achievements he made before. In minutes 09:38 to 10:10, Gru proudly
presents his minions some of his achievements such as stealing the Times
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Square’s Jumbo Tron, the replica statue of Liberty and the replica Eiffel Tower
The external factor comes from the fact that some other villain steals the
the pyramid. He wants to defeat Vector and win the loan from the bank. Gru also
sees Vector as a threat for his dream. For Gru, Vector is an obstacle for the loan. It
is because Mr. Perkins likes Vector than Gru. On the other hand, Gru has no
external factor to take on rivalry with Vector. There is nobody who forces Gru to
him all her money. This can be seen in minute 58:01 when Agnes gives all her
money that she kept in her piggy bank to Gru for building a rocket. Gru considers
Agnes’ offering as a moral support for him. It helps Gru to become confident to
go to the moon. The amount of the money from Agnes is not much, but her
sincerity makes Gru realize that he has things he needs to achieve his goal.
person. It can be seen in min. 01:13:31 and 1:16:18 when Gru decided to grant his
promise to the girls and safe the girls from Vector’s custody. Margo, Edith and
Agnes have helped Gru to change from him an evil person into a good man.
From the dialogue of the minor characters, it can also be seen that Gru
actually has changed his personality traits. Min. 1:05:12 is showing a conversation
between Agnes and Edith toward Gru. This scene happens after Gru read them a
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bed time story and after Agnes offers him her piggy bank. Agnes describes Gru as
a nice guy like Santa whereas Edith describes him as a scary guy.
after sometimes they get along with Gru. This scene is displaying that Gru has
The girls also change the way Gru sees his rival Vector. The rivalry
between Gru and Vector was first triggered when they have to compete to get the
loan from the Bank of Evil to execute their plans. After Gru adopts the girls, they
become an external factor for Gru to defeat Vector. Gru sees Vectors as a threat
for the girls but not for his dream or the loan anymore. Gru gives up to Vector in
recognizes that the girls are in dangers and Gru needs to save them all.
Gru does not get enough positive feedback and encouragement from his
mother. Minutes 55:51 and minutes 15:47 up to16:06 are showing Gru’s mother
negative response on his works which make him become a person who thirsts of
positive feedback. Then as an adult, Gru is always willing to impress other by his
power and gain positive feedback and encouragement from others (min. 03:27,
03:37, and 14:28). Gru’s intention of going to the moon is strengthen by his need
to impress his mother and other people. Gru’s dialogue with his mom in minute
13:53 – 14:22 also indicates that actually Gru wants to show that he can please his
33
The girls fulfill Gru’s need of exhibition after they let him to help them
winning a unicorn doll from a cheating shooting game owner. They give him
chances to show his capability in which fulfilling Gru’s need of exhibition. This
happens in minute 52:44 it shows the girls give Gru a chance to help them to solve
a dispute between them and the owner of the shooting game who refused to give
the prize to Agnes. Gru helps them to win the unicorn doll by destroying the shop
which impressed them. There is also a time in 1:00:39 – 1:00:58 when Gru
impresses the girls with his cooking and time 1:00:10 when Gru impress the girls
with his rocket. Gru also makes an impression with his bedtime story he makes for
the girls. It happens between 1:22:56 up to 1:24:13. His bedtime story has
need arise by the lack of support from Gru’s mother. It causes Gru to see his
mother and the others negatively. For example: when he rejects the crying boy in
minute 03:23, his neighbor Fred’s friendliness in minute 04:59 and refuses to open
his door for the girls selling cookies in minute 06:06. This need cause him to
become an antisocial person. After he adopts the girls and has some fun with
them, the need of rejection in Gru is decreased. Gru realize that he needs the girls’
presence around him to support him and love him as a family. The decrement of
the need of nurturance. It is the need to nurture weak and helpless object
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decrement of the need of achievement because Gru can finally go to the moon.
The need of nurturance drives Gru to do parental activities such as: feeding
(1:00:35), providing fun (1:00: 09, 1:00:53, 1:07:06 52:53), providing protection
(1:20:13 – 1:21:49), and even reads them a bedtime story (1:02:56 – 1:04:50,
1:23:24 – 1:24:12). Unconsciously, Gru positions himself as a parent for the girls.
The need of nurturance helps Gru to become a better person for the girls.
For Gru, this need is aroused by the lack of love and encouragement from
his mother. As an adult, the only way Gru can get love and support to fulfill this
need is coming from Dr. Nafario and his minions. Yet, he is not satisfied with it
and still tries to win a loan from the Bank of Evil to fund his mission and gain
The three little girls, unofficially, become Gru’s supporters. Their presence
helps Gru to fulfill his need of succorance. Before he adopts them, he never gets a
moral support from his family, but as he adopts them, they become his family and
provide him with moral support. These are some scenes from the movie when the
girls provide Gru with support: 52:44, 57:57, 1:00:10, and 1:00:39.
The last need is the need of sentience. This need is obviously shown in
08:44 when his minions provide him with praises when he tells them about his
past achievements and in 52:44 after he wins the unicorn doll for Agnes in the
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amusements park. Margo praises him by saying, “THAT was awesome!” The
audience can see clearly that Gru really enjoys the praises he gets from them.
for other people. As it is seen in Gru, four typical need arise because Gru’s mother
does not give him enough encouragement, support, or even a positive feedback.
He grows as an ambitious person both to reach his dream and to please his
mother. He becomes an antisocial because he thinks no one like his works and
somehow causes him a lack of love, praises and supports from others.
As Gru makes good impression for the girls, he also gets praises from the
girls. The praises is fulfilling his need of sentience and it makes him happy and
changes his view toward little children. The praises from Margo, Edith and Agnes
can make him accept the presence of the girls and somehow decreasing his need
of rejection. Furthermore, after he spends some times with the girls, Gru can
finally accept the presence of his own mother. The ending scene, in 1:25:13 is
indicating a better relationship between Gru and his mother for they are watching
However Gru is still a great leader for his companions. This personality
trait is not change due to his adoption of Margo, Edith and Agnes. Gru is still a
great leader because at the end of the movie, he successfully leads the rescue
Gru, on the other hand, also fulfills the girls’ needs to admire and support
the superior or the need of deference according to McClelland (1985). The girls
come from the same orphanage where they have no adult to adore or to become a
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model except Mrs. Hattie, who is not a good model of a mother (12:31 – 13:46).
Gru unconsciously also fulfills their need of play. In minute 39:45 – 40:44,
Gru accidently lets the girls to have fun playing toilet tissues with his minions. He
also provides Agnes with relief and happiness by ordering his minions to buy a
unicorn toy as seen in minutes 41:21. In minute 49:04 Gru fulfills their need of
play in the amusement park also in 1:06:39 when Gru plays “the tea party game”
with the girls. The girls seem happy because in the orphanage they never get the
happiness from the manager of the orphanage, Mrs. Hattie who always leaves
them with only pressure (12:31-13:46). From the discussion above, it can be
concluded that Gru’s characters develop after he adopts the girls. The girls’
bedtime story where he depicts himself as the main character – the Unicorn, he
clearly states that the girls have turned his whole life upside down.
Gru : They made him laugh. They made him cry. He never should have
said goodbye. And now he knows he could never part, from those three
little kittens that changed his heart. (min. 01: 23: 50)
When the girls give him praises and encouragement, he can reach his
impossible dream by using his own capability. They are able to change him into a
person who is capable to show his love to others. In minute 01:24:27, the scene
shows Gru finishes reading a bedtime story to the girls and decides to give them a
goodnight kiss. Margo even gets up from her bed to give him a hug and whispers I
37
In the scene in minute 01:24:45, he even has positive attitude toward his
minions who are standing outside the girls’ bedroom asking for hug and kiss from
him. At first, he is reluctant to hug and kiss them but finally he agrees to give each
The three little girls also change him into a more sociable person. At the
end of the movie, he can sit together with his mother watching the girls doing
their dance performance in minute 1:25:15. His mother finally gives him praise on
He finally accepts the presence of his mother although his mother does not
give him praises and encouragements like the three little girls. It can be seen from
his expression when he heard his mother positive remarks saying that he is even
CHAPTER III
A. Conclusions
DM1 is one of the popular movies among adults and children. The story and
the plot of the movie are simple and acceptable for both adults and children. It is
interesting to know that this is the first animated movie produced by the Illumination
Corp. and it already has a massive impact on the society. It comes with a deep
message to stop child abuse in a form of humor for people. It also reflects nowadays
trend where young parents likely to spend their time working rather than playing with
their children.
After discussing the main character named Gru, the writer comes up with two
conclusions. The first conclusion is the characteristic of Gru at the beginning before
he adopts the three little girls are: ambitious, antisocial, evil, a great leader with lack
of encouragement who cannot show love to others. The second conclusion is about
Gru’s character development which is caused by the presence of the three little girls
around him.
Gru’s characteristics according to the movie are the result of his childhood
experience. Gru does not get enough encouragement and attention from his mother
which then makes him to be an antisocial who cannot expresses his love to other. It
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enough positive feedback may also make people to become ambitious, both to please
themselves and to please other people. It is important for teachers, parents and any
caregiver to give their children enough attention and feedback so that their children
by the presence of the three little girls around him. When the girls give him praises
and encouragement, Gru, an antisocial person could reach his impossible dream using
his own capability. They support him and make him realize that he has the capability
to go to the moon without the help from the bank of evil. After he achieves his goal
(min. 01: 13:08), Gru becomes a less ambitious person. The need of achievement is
decreased and replaced by the need of nurturance or the need to provide love to
depicted as an evil man through his appearance and his acts. After he adopts the girls,
he becomes a better person. First proof that Gru change into a better person is located
in 01:13:31 when he decide to grant his promise to the girls by attending their
dancing recital. Second proof is located in min. 1:16:18 when Gru decide to help the
The three little girls make him to be a sociable person. The evidence of Gru’s
sociable character is the adoption of the girls. He can accept the girls in his house at
the beginning of the movie, min. 06:06, he firmly rejects their presence. Another
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evidence of Gru’s sociable character appears in minute 1:25:15 at the end of the
movie. He finally accepts the presence of his mother although his mother does not
give him praises and encouragement like the three little girls.
The girls also make him able to show love toward others. The evidence of
Gru’s loving character appears in min. 01:23:25-01:24:27 when Gru reads the girls a
bedtime story and leaves them with a good night kisses. Min. 01: 24: 39 is a sign of
his character development, when he declares that he loves Margo, and in min.
01:24:45, when he kisses his minions one by one. At first Gru cannot show his love
toward other. It appears in 01:05:00 when he refuses to give the girls a goodnight
Although the three little girls have major contribution on Gru’s character
development, they also get to their needs fulfilled. Before Gru adopts them, they live
in an orphanage where the caretaker of the place is not caring and always push them
DM1, the three little girls can help Gru to reach his dream. This important point
sometimes has been forgotten by parents. They cannot see their children as an aid but
only as a burden. The truth is children can help adults to become a better person for
society. Adults are not a perfect person or a superior who always right and children
B. Recommendations
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The movie DM1 is recommended for both children and adults. For children,
the movie teaches them to be nice to their parents or to any other adults. Since little
kids like to model the characters they have seen in movies, the writer believes that it
DM1 has simple conversations with little slang because it is a family movie.
The simple conversations make it possible to be used to teach English for beginner
learners. Teacher can ask students to play one of the scenes they like most from the
movie to develop their speaking skills. It can be used also to practice students’
reading skills. Teachers could invite students to get accustomed to read English
For the teacher candidates, the movie can raise the awareness about child
abuse at school. Using this movie, a lecturer may teach teacher candidates to value
children. Further they may appreciate their students more and avoid violence at
school.
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REFERENCES
Bailey, K. (2013). Disney princesses have mixed effects on children. Retrieved: Mei
11, 2015 from http://universe.byu.edu/2013/09/20/disney-princesses-have-
mixed-effects-on-children/
Chevalier, J., &Gheerbrant, A. (1996). A dictionary of symbols (Vol. 10). New York:
Penguin Group.
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Murfin, R. C., & Ray, S. M. (1998). The Bedford glossary of critical and literary
terms. Boston: Bedford Books.
Nordby, V. J., & Hall, C. S. (1974). A guide to psychologists and their concepts. San
Francisco: WH Freeman.
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Syah, R. A., Usman,& S., Bochari, S. (2014) Analysis of illocutionary act commands
by the main character in “Despicable Me” film (Electronic version). English
Teaching Society, 2(4), 2331-1841
Wiyono, A. S. (2015). Dihukum tak buat PR, seorang siswi di Majalengka tewas.
Retrieved June 24, 2015 from
http://www.merdeka.com/peristiwa/dihukumtak-buat-pr-seorang-siswi-smp
di-majalengka-tewas.html
APPENDIX
SUMMARY OF “DESPICABLE ME 1”
Gru, a great villain, never likes other people presence. He is a loner who
hates children very much. One day, Gru discovered a new rival named Vector. He
sees him as a treat to his popularity for Vector has successfully stolen the Pyramid
of Giza.
Gru, in the other hand, tries to defeat Vector by stealing the moon. His
intention is caused by his childhood dream of going to the moon. Before he goes
to the moon, he needs to get into Vector’s fortress to get the shrink ray he needs to
shrink the moon. Gru faces difficulty to deceive Vector then he realizes that he
can use the help of the three little girls named Margo, Edith and Agnes to deceive
him.
amusement park, but just before he walks away from them, he discovered that the
girls give him something that his mother never gives to him. They inspire him so
that he is able to go to the moon. They also change him from a cold villain to a
loving father. After all, instead of leaving the girls, Gru adopts them and keeps
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