The Unity of the Characters, Setting, And Plot in Constructing a Theme of Obtainable Accomplishment In The Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner

Abstract

The Pursuit of Happyness is a story about Chris and his son Christopher in their struggle to survive in San Francisco and Chris’s dream to be a good father. Chris had a bad childhood and did not know his purpose of life. Eventually he decided to pursue his own happiness like his mother wanted him to be. By the time he was in San Francisco, he had a rough time surviving. He also had to take care of his son Christopher. Eventually, Chris managed to get a job as a broker and did not abandon his son. At the end, he created his own brokerage firm named Gardner Rich & Co. He then settled down in Chicago near Milwaukee, his hometown. When reading a literary work, the reader attempts to understand the meaning or the message. One of the ways to understand a literary work is to find its theme. Therefore, the aim of this study is to find the theme in The Pursuit of Happiness. The study's primary source is The Pursuit of Happyness. The study’s secondary source is Compact Literature Reading, Reacting, Writing by Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Based on the book by Kirszner & Mandell, to find the theme of the story, every element in the story helps to show it. Because every element helps to find the theme, this study decided to use intrinsic elements in the story to find the theme. However since there are many intrinsic elements in a story, this study only focuses on three intrinsic elements which are characters, setting, and plot. After all the three intrinsic elements are discussed and examined, the theme of the story is “Accomplishment is obtainable with hard works.”