ABSTRACT
Yunita Ariani Putri. C0309072. 2013. Perseus ‘Percy’ Jackson: The Reinvention
of Mythological Characters in Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and
the Lightning Thief. Undergraduate Thesis. Faculty of Letters and Fine Arts.
Sebelas Maret University.
The objectives of this research are to explain how the Greek mythological
characters are reflected and re-invented in Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the
Lightning Thief and to understand Riordan’s ideology conveyed throughout the
novel.
This research belongs to cultural studies with the application of
archetypal/mythological approach. The main data of this research are collected
from the characters, characterizations, and plot of the novel while supporting data
come from any articles and interviews related to the novel and its author. These
interviews are several interviews done by some interviewers and are all retrieved
from the internet. The first problem statement about the archetypal characters is
based on Joseph Campbell’s model. The findings of the first analysis are then
continued afterward to answer the second problem statement about Riordan’s
ideology conveyed through the novel by also connecting it with the situations in
the United States where he lives.
Based on the archetypal analysis toward the characters, Joseph Campbell’s model
for archetypal characters is proven not to be one-to-one classification. Although
Riordan may have his own interpretations toward Greek mythological characters
appeared in his novel, their characteristics are still stuck closely to the original
versions of those existed in Greek myths. The second analysis sees that Riordan’s
ideology has been influenced by the society where he lives and vice versa. His
ideology within the work influences the society in the point that children’s
interests in mythology and in reading books increased after the work was
published. The ideology studied in this research focuses on Riordan’s beliefs and
his ways of seeing the world. The statuses he bears both as a father and as an exteacher
also take part in shaping his ideology. His status as a father of an
ADHD+D son influences his beliefs that all kids can be special and it is
represented by the demigods within the novel. Riordan, as an ex-teacher, concerns
a lot about kids as reluctant readers and also the need of mentor characters. It can
be seen in his revival of Chiron the Centaur as a mentor character in the novel.
Key words: Greek mythology, archetypal characters, author’s ideology
