Exposure Journal 73 A JOURNEY TO MATURITY IN A WALK TO REMEMBER BY NICHOLAS SPARKS Adisti Khairunnisa. Bachrudin Musthafa. Nita Novianti English Language and Literature Program Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia adistikhairunnisa@gmail. ABSTRACT This study aims to examine the journey to maturity of the main character. Landon Carter, in A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks, by analyzing the literary elements that construct it. Employing a textual analysis method, this study is framed within AllportAos . theory of maturity, and to discuss the analysis. Bean and MoniAos . theory of young adult literature is also employed. The findings show that LandonAos journey to maturity is depicted mostly through the use of one literary element, namely characterization peculiar to ReamsAo . Based on AllportAos . general criteria of maturity, throughout the story. Landon shows six types of maturity: . extension of the sense of self, . warm relatedness of self to others, . emotional security, . realistic perception of skills, . self-insight, and . unifying philosophy of life, and three types of immaturity: . an ego-centric sense of self, . emotional insecurity, and . lack of selfinsight. Based on the analysis, several moral values can be obtained by young adult readers with different perspectives from reading LandonAos journey to maturity, such as the importance of being mature and the struggles of attaining maturity. Keywords: journey, literary element, maturity, young adult literature INTRODUCTION Maturity is one of the important themes in young adult literature which appears in A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks. As stated by Campbell (In Nilsen & Donelson, 2. , the central theme of YA fiction concerns becoming an adult and finding the answer to the question AuWho am I and what am I going to do about it?Ay In the climactic moment of the book, then, the resolution of the external conflict tends to lead to the protagonist's realization, which eventually helps shape an adult identity. Many previous studies on this particular literary work have provided knowledge on LandonAos characterization, the main character in the novel (Juwati. Puspitasari, 2006. Widodo, 2011. Zulva, 2. In her study. Juwati . , for instance, generally focuses on the effect of JamieAos love towards LandonAos personality, while Widodo . puts more attention in how LandonAos Vol. 8 No. 1 May 2019 English Education Department Exposure Journal 74 characterization affects JamieAos recovery process. Zulva . , as another instance, analyzes the quality of struggle and motivation depicted in Landon CarterAos characterization. As a result, she demonstrates the factors that influence Landon CarterAos personality growth, including parenting, inner heart, selfrealization and love and belongingness needs. Other studies on the particular field of Young Adult Literature and Maturity can also be found in Stoffel . and Fajarrani . Stoffel . , in this case, focuses on three novels which depict the struggles of teenagers who seek to find their own identity through an interaction with their surroundings. The three books are A Long Way Gone. The Breadwinner and Tree Girl, and they are quite distinct in that they take place in various geographic locations and periods and display the struggle of teenagers at times of social unrest. Fajarrani . , on the other hand, observes the issue of coming of age in Ellen HopkinsAo Young Adult novel Crank. As a result, coming of age issue in the book shows a process of adolescents shifting from immaturity to However, none of these studies specifically focus on the journey to maturity experienced by Landon in A Walk to Remember. Based on this, it can be concluded that the previous studies on A Walk to Remember seem to have not yet related the findings regarding Landon or JamieAos characterization with the process of maturity. Furthermore, studies on the particular topic of maturity have also not examined this particular literary work. Therefore, this study will then primarily focus on the journey to maturity experienced by Landon in A Walk to Remember. LITERATURE REVIEW Young adult literature is commonly taught and discussed in secondary schools or classrooms. Reading young adult literature is an example of special activities from which adolescents can learn something about themselves. Adolescents, in this case, can view characters in young adult novels through their own perspective. This generally allows adolescents to be able to explore the text and learn from the events described in it. (Bean and Moni, 2. Vol. 8 No. 1 May 2019 English Education Department Exposure Journal 75 Nilsen and Donelson . , suggest that the central theme of YA fiction is becoming an adult, finding the answer to the question AuWho am I and what am I going to do about it?Ay That notion is also proposed by Patty Campbell, which describes tweener books as fiction. Tweeners is explanation for the winners of Most Newberry Medal and Honor Book which are written for this age level. Campbell also further states that no matter what events are going on in the book, accomplishing that task is really what the book is about, and in the climactic moment the resolution of the external conflict is linked to a realization for the protagonist that helps shape an adult identity. This is also known as maturity. One of the popular novels with such theme of maturity is A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks, telling a journey of the main character Landon Carter from being an immature person to becoming a mature person with the help of several supporting factors in his environment. In the journey to maturity, adolescents become those who form their identity and finding self-worth, two of the major tasks that they need to accomplish as they search for the meaning of life with little or no guidance from the adults (Bean & Moni, 2. Young adults are then often bombarded with messages from parents, family, peers, media and their communities, but they must search for ways to make senses of these voices. While they acquire a lot of important messages from their surroundings, it is they themselves who should figure out the meaning of each mesage as a part of maturation process. In a general context, the expression of AumaturityAy refers to a significant phase that indicates growth in a living organism. Maturity is achieved when individual growth is completed and the organism becomes ripe for propagation. The concept of maturity itself is also used in psychology and psychiatry to designate a phase of personality development which corresponds with biological and psychological maturation (Alexander, 1. People who experienced the maturity in their life will found themselves in immature phase. Several theorists only explained the definition of immaturity and maturity separated, while Allport . identify both types immature and mature person in his book entitled Pattern and Growth in Personality. He examines the way people mature personality-wise and Vol. 8 No. 1 May 2019 English Education Department Exposure Journal 76 psychologically by identifies six general criteria of maturity and immaturity of a person, which apparently fit the context of this study. They are: Extension of the sense of self Mature people care about other people as much as they care about On the other hand, immature people tend to be self-absorbed and ego-centric. In the case of Landon Carter, in A Walk to Remember . although Jamie is known as the weird woman in his school, he still cares about Jamie and does not want her to be humiliated by his friends. Warm relatedness of self to others Mature people can be intimately involved with others without being possessive, jealous or controlling. They accept people for who they are. In A Walk to Remember . Landon proposes to Jamie in order to make her happy during the last months of her life. It shows that he willingly accepts Jamie for the way she is. Emotional security Mature people can control their desires. They tend to have a sense of proportion within their mind. Immature people, however, are seemingly at the mercy of their drives, desires and appetites. They often over-react to threats and disappointments. In A Walk to Remember . Landon used to possess this sort of characteristic, in which he and his friends cannot control their emotions of wanting to humiliate Hegbert with the derogatory remark AofornicatorAo simply because they do not like him. Throughout the story, however, he gradually becomes capable of controlling his own emotion. Realistic perception of skills Immature people usually pursue goals that are unrealistic, relative to their talents, and see the world in self-seeking ways. Mature people, on the other hand, tend to be more accurate not only in their assessment of others, but also in their own strengths and limitations. In A Walk to Remember . Landon used to have an ego-centric perception of his own skills, as evident in the event where he sleeps through the drama class simply because he thinks it is easy for Vol. 8 No. 1 May 2019 English Education Department Exposure Journal 77 However, as soon as he becomes the main character in a play, he begins realizing his own strengths and limitations. Self-insight Most mature people see themselves the way others see them. They may also have a sense of humor that appeals to their surroundings. In A Walk to Remember . Landon often engages with his friends through non-harmful jokes during the play practice. His humor often comes with a reason. Unifying Philosophy of Life Mature people tend to have a clear sense of what life is all about. This sense may be religious, but most importantly, it serves as a commitment to a cause, a quest, a search or a goal which will serve the same need. Having something to live for beyond themselves is a key to possessing maturity in many people. In A Walk to Remember . Landon evolves to become a more religious person after finding out that Jamie suffers from leukemia. He starts to read bible daily and believes that God may provide miracles for Jamie who is METHODOLOGY The data in this study are analyzed in at least three stages. First, the writer analyzes the types of immaturity and maturity shown by Landon Carter by using AllportAos . theory of maturity. Then, the writer analyzes the journey to maturity experienced by Landon from being an immature person to becoming a more mature person by analyzing certain events in his characterization which support his change of personality. The analysis of characterization that shows LandonAos immaturity and maturity, in this study, is based on ReamsAo . theory, which defines it as the way a character is presented in the story. Characterization, according to Reams . , can either be in the forms of a direct or indirect characterization. A direct characterization is very close to a generalization about a particular character. This technique is usually a generalization that seems static and supra-temporal. An indirect characterization, however, relies on suggestiveness and indeterminacy of indicators that are hidden Vol. 8 No. 1 May 2019 English Education Department Exposure Journal 78 in the fabric of the discourse, which lays more responsibility on the reader. Both techniques may appear in this research, depending on the events in LandonAos journey to maturity that are analyzed. In the context of characterization. Reams . 5, p. also stated Auas any action or taking place within a work that is used to give a description of a characterAy. In his thesis, he explains the five primary categories of characterization which can be used as techniques of characterization. Those categories are: Physical Description Physical description is required to create a character. It is usually inspired by the actual appearance of a person in real life, such as what their skin looks like, what makes the character male or female, or what they wear. Thus, this type of characterization most likely belongs to a direct characterization. Physical description, in this case, can help readers to imagine how the character looks like physically. Action An action refers to what a character does as a primary act. A character may say or think about something. Here, his/her actions become the cause, not the It is usually considered as a form of indirect characterization because what he/she signifies through his/her actions may not be given directly to the According to Reams . , an action is also the most efficient technique of characterization because it contains the important element of a story development, which is what actually happens in a story. If nothing happens, it seems unreasonable for that story to be told. A characterAos actions, moreover, can be used to develop both the story and the character him/herself at the same time. Reaction Reactions can give readers the sense of what they feel in a particular Some reactions are expected. When someone chooses to Aoturn the other cheekAo rather than fighting it back, for example, it can be seen that he or she tries to resolve a problem without violence. Such unexpected reactions serve to make the character stand out in a story. However, whether or not the reaction Vol. 8 No. 1 May 2019 English Education Department Exposure Journal 79 is expected, it builds up the setting and context that makes up the world of the Thought Thoughts are techniques of characterization that vary by story and perspectives of the main character. Some stories usually only have one characterAos thoughts, while some display several charactersAo thoughts as well. What the character thinks is highly significant because it can reveal a lot about who they are. Thoughts may also affect the relationship between readers and a character because here, readers can directly access the characterAos mind and emotions to the point that they can identify with the character at a personal Speech/Dialogue The speech of a character is a bridge between his or her thoughts and How he/she speaks with other characters can establish what he/she feels and a relationship with others whom they have interactions with. Usually, speaking softly and kindly shows that a character is gentle. A character who speaks very eloquently with a formal grammar and carefully chosen words, on the other hand, shows that he/she is scholarly and possibly distant. Dialogues are similar with thoughts in that they allow authors to develop their character organically within the story. A description of character can be given by an author through a certain technique that is known as characterization. Characterization is usually associated with a characterAos physical description, actions, reaction, thoughts, and speech or These aspects are commonly abbreviated to P. In the case of Landon Carter, these techniques can be analyzed in order to reveal the way LandonAos journey to maturity is depicted. The researcher then analyzes all the conversations and circumstances that may provide reasons for such immaturity and maturity. Finally, the analyses are evaluated by interpreting and discussing the findings. The discussion in this study relates LandonAos journey to maturity to Bean and MoniAos theory . on how Vol. 8 No. 1 May 2019 English Education Department Exposure Journal 80 young adult readers can gain a moral value from phenomena depicted in young adult novels from different perspective of what they have read. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION The findings show that LandonAos journey to maturity is depicted mostly through the literary elements of character, and characterization also certain event in the story that help Landon become mature. From the two types of characterization as explained by Reams . the type dominantly used is indirect characterization. Furthermore, from the five techniques of characterization stated by Reams . , indirect characterization through thought is employed as a technique of characterization to develop the main characterAos journey to maturity. Certain events occur during his adolescence and help him develop as a These events include the moment he thinks that he should run for the student body president, the decision he must take to choose certain subjects to study, the process of finding a date for the homecoming dance, and the moment of becoming the main actor for the play Christmas Angel. These events eventually lead to a particular event that is crucial in LandonAos journey to maturity, which is meeting his significant other. Jamie Sullivan. Meanwhile, indirect characterization is more frequently used than direct characterization in A Walk to Remember to portray the way Landon develops his There are five techniques of characterization that are used in the book: physical, action, reaction, thought and speech. However, indirect characterization through thought is the technique that is most frequently used. This means that LandonAos journey to maturity is mostly depicted based on the way he thinks about himself, other characters, and the events that occur in his life. Furthermore, it is found that Landon CarterAos journey to maturity fluctuates. This means that Landon is shown immature in the beginning of the book, and as the story progresses, he becomes mature in certain events, but then becomes immature again in other events. Eventually, however. Landon achieves his maturity. The indicators for the maturity of Landon Carter are based on AllportAos . theoretical framework regarding six types of maturity. Vol. 8 No. 1 May 2019 English Education Department Exposure Journal 81 The immature side of Landon is shown in the beginning of the story when he humiliates Hegbert and tells what he usually does as a Aobad boyAo. Here. Landon is characterized as someone who lacks of self-insight and emotional security. Through an indirect characterization through thought, for instance, he is shown immature when he humiliates Hegbert. Aside from that, his direct characterization also portrays him as someone who proclaims himself as a bad boy. Landon also shows his immature side after the homecoming dance, when he tries to avoid Jamie and does not want to spend any more time with her. Lack of self-insight can also be seen through the characterization of Landon through his action and thought. During the play practice, he also tends to not take it seriously. He behaves in this way because he is under the influence of his friends, indicating that an indirect characterization through action, in this case, portrays him as an emotionally insecure person. After several events where he seems to finally show his mature side, he returns again to his immature side, as can be seen in several events that show his indirect characterization through speech. This happens when he cannot control his anger towards the judgment from his surroundings and vents it on Jamie because Landon seems to be easily affected by how others view his closeness with Jamie. Meanwhile, in the middle of the story. Landon begins to show his mature side along with his immature side which still concurrently exists. It can be seen when he has to make the choice of either taking Chemistry II or drama class. Landon, in this case, is characterized as someone who has a realistic perception of skills and, yet at the same time, an ego-centric sense of self. Landon seems mature in the way he knows his limitation as a student. Therefore. Landon also shows his immaturity here because he avoids his responsibility as a student. Here. LandonAos immaturity is shown through his indirect characterization through thought. This ambivalence is also depicted when his father suggests him to run for the student body president because his father wants him to be accepted at UNC. This somehow indicates that Landon has a realistic perception of skills and yet, an ego-centric sense of self. On one hand. Landon shows his maturity by realizing that he does not have enough accomplishment in his academic aspect to Vol. 8 No. 1 May 2019 English Education Department Exposure Journal 82 be accepted at UNC and believes that being a student body president might be a good reason for him to excel in other aspects. On the other hand. Landon somehow blames his father, because of his academic disadvantage. It is also portrayed through the indirect characterization of Landon through his thought. The last event where Landon shows both his maturity and immaturity is when Landon visits the orphanage with Jamie. Here, an indirect characterization through thought seems to portray him to have an ego-centric sense of self, while also showing his extension of the sense of self at the same time. He tries to show his respect for Jamie by showing his willingness to accompany her although he is not really excited about the orphanage. However, the immature side of him emerges when he is being ego-centric about how he wears formal clothes in the orphanage so that he can look good and that people view him as a good person. LandonAos mature side begins to appear when he shows his sexual maturity, which, to an extent, indicates his emotional security as well. He begins to see Jamie as a pretty girl and have a feeling for her. This is where LandonAos indirect characterization through thought then plays a role in portraying him as a mature After the homecoming dance ends. Landon does not dare to kiss Jamie because he respects her religious background. AllportAos . maturity type of an extension of the sense of self, in this case, is depicted through an indirect characterization through action and speech. The events following the homecoming dance apparently re-portray Landon as an immature person again, up until the point where he visits the orphanage. Here, he shows his maturity when the play rehearsal cannot be carried out, which makes Jamie feel sad. Thus. Landon asks her to see the kids to make her feel better. Landon begins to see the right things in helping people by making an analogy of how he is seen by the heaven and how other good things will come back to him if he does good things towards people. Based on these two events. Landon seems to possess a self-insight, and it can be seen through an indirect characterization through his thought, action and speech. Vol. 8 No. 1 May 2019 English Education Department Exposure Journal 83 This mature side of him gradually appears until the end of the story. Selfinsight, for instance, emerges through his indirect characterization through speech when he apologizes to Jamie when he cannot control his emotion and vents it on Then. Landon keeps telling his friends that he will not let the play fail as a form of promise to Jamie that he intends to keep. Here. Landon seems to have an extension of the sense of self, and it is shown through his indirect characterization through speech and reaction. Landon also becomes willing to collect the pickles of jar and coffee cans that are used to collect a donation for the orphanage. In this particular event. Landon also shows an extension of the sense of self, as can be seen in his indirect characterization through action and speech. While at some points Landon still keeps his desire to kiss Jamie to himself, after the Christmas dinner with his family, an emotional security begins to emerge in him, as can be seen in his indirect characterization through thought. Landon finally shows his affection towards her by kissing her in the next day. This means that Landon has a warm relatedness of self to others, and he is indirectly characterized per se through his action. After the kiss, he begins to have the courage to come to Reverend Sullivan. JamieAos father, to apologize for what he has done when he is younger and he promises to become more polite in the future. What Landon does indicate a self-insight and warm relatedness of self to others, and it is indirectly portrayed through his action and speech. This is until Landon knows the truth that Jamie is currently dying because of leukemia. Although he feels shocked and sad, it is shown that Landon can still control his emotions and keep all the emotions to himself, making him a mature His maturity is indirectly characterized through his reaction. Then, knowing that Jamie is dying. Landon begins to pray and read a bible. He begins to believe that God is the only one who can give a miracle to Jamie. Landon becomes aware that religion is an essential part of mankind. Here, he becomes mature because he begins having a clear sense of what life is about. He, in this case, is indirectly characterized as a mature person through his action. As the closest person who truly loves her. Landon also knows that there is something that he can do to make Jamie happy in her last months. Here. Landon Vol. 8 No. 1 May 2019 English Education Department Exposure Journal 84 shows not only one type of maturity, but he has three types altogether, which are warm relatedness of self to other, extension of the sense of self, and self-insight. indirect characterization through thought, in this case, portrays him as a mature Therefore, he shows his bravery to propose Jamie, simply because he knows that getting married is JamieAos last dream before she passes away. His commitment for a marriage and wanting to make the person he loves happy prove that Landon has completely become a mature person at this point. The last evidence shows that he has a warm relatedness of self to others and an extension of the sense of self. This appears in a direct characterization through action. A Walk to Remember is an example of young adult novels presenting the issue of becoming an adult or achieving maturity as its central theme. This theme is in fact prominent in young adult literature. The reason why it becomes prominent, as argued by Erickson . n Alwisol, 2. , is because almost all teenagers experience the process of achieving maturity or identity at some points in their lives. Hence, many authors believe that the targeted young adult readers of their novels can find this particular theme relatable. When the journey is at its downs, it is mostly because Landon is still by and large influenced by his friends. In the beginning, for instance. Landon is described as immature because he feels that he lacks any sort of attention from his father. This is worth noticing because the role of parents, as argued by many scholars, is actually important for developing teenagers. In the case of Landon, due to the lack of attention from his father. Landon lets his environment or friends constantly influence him in what he does. His friendsAo perception, in the story, most of the times hinder the obtainment of maturity for Landon. This particular finding is similar to that of several previous studies on young adult novels (Fajarrani, 2013. Stoffel, 2. An indirect characterization, in this case, is found to be the literary element mostly used to portray a characterAos metaphorical journey in young adult novels. The possible reason for this is because through the use of indirect characterization, a young adult character can be portrayed as someone who attempts to find and achieve his/her own identities. Vol. 8 No. 1 May 2019 English Education Department Exposure Journal 85 However, aside from characterization, this study further discovers that plot is also used to construct the characterAos journey to maturity. There are certain events in the novel which specifically portray the developmental process of Landon from being an immature person to becoming a mature person. Nevertheless, similar to many teenagers in general, the obtainment of maturity by Landon Carter reaches its ups mostly when he listens to himself more and also to his significant other. Jamie Sullivan. There are many events that involve decision-making process, such as running for the student body president, choosing a particular class, finding a date for the homecoming dance, and also becoming an actor in the play Christmas Angel. The decision that he makes helps develop his All of these events, then, lead him to be close to Jamie Sullivan. Jamie is a prominent figure in the story that truly helps Landon discover who he really is and what he should do when it comes to the relationship between him and other This study shares some similarities with previous studies conducted by Puspitasari . Widodo . Juwati . , and Zulva . in terms of characterization, the previous studies have discovered that Landon and Jamie heavily influence each other in the novel. This finding is by and large in accordance with the findings of this study. However, in this study, it is discovered that LandonAos characterization is also influenced by many other factors, such as himself, his family, his friends, and certain events that occur in his life. Aside from the influence of other characters. Landon also reaches its ups mostly when he is able to listen to his own intuition. There are many events that involve LandonAos own decision-making process, such as running for the student body president, choosing a particular class, finding a date for the homecoming dance, and also becoming an actor in the play Christmas Angel. The decision that he makes helps develop his maturity. All these events, then, lead him to be close to Jamie Sullivan, a character who becomes one of the main reasons why Landon achieves his maturity. Jamie is a prominent figure in the story that truly helps Landon discover who he really is and what he should do when it comes to the relationship between him and other people. Vol. 8 No. 1 May 2019 English Education Department Exposure Journal 86 Despite the similarities, this study has discovered some different aspects about Landon Carter as a character who undergoes a journey to maturity. First, it is found that LandonAos journey to maturity fluctuates. At one time, he seems to already mature, but then, he becomes immature again. This somehow means that Landon is characterized as a dynamic character. Furthermore, this study finds that despite the influence of his surroundings, mostly his significant other Jamie. Landon appears to be the one who makes all the decisions in his journey to maturity. He often decides on doing something through his own thoughts regarding what is best for This means that a characterization through thought plays a vital role in LandonAos journey to maturity. When it comes to readers. Bean and Moni . argue that young adult literature can be taught and discussed in secondary classrooms Reading young adult literature is an example of special activities from which adolescents can learn something about themselves. Adolescents, in this case, can view characters in young adult novels through their own perspective. In the case of A Walk to Remember, readers can obtain different perspectives regarding Landon Carter from the events which are described in the text. For instance, although Landon proclaims himself as a bad boy in the beginning of the story, he eventually grows up and becomes mature by the end of the story. Young adult readers can relate to this maturing process and learn something from it. First, it can be learned that negative behavior can be changed, especially during adolescence. For instance. Landon, who at first proclaims himself as a bad boy or an immature person, is described to be able to change and become a mature person throughout the events that occur in his life. By the end of the story, when his maturity is completely achieved, it is also described that Landon eventually understands what his life is about. This is an important value that adolescents can obtain because many of them tend to not truly understand the purpose of their lives. Then, young adult readers can also learn how to handle the relationship with their parents. In the case of Landon, he seems to struggle a lot when it comes to receiving affection from his father. He seems to not really know his father because his father often leaves him for nine months of each year because of his job. Vol. 8 No. 1 May 2019 English Education Department Exposure Journal 87 Although it gives a reason for Landon to rebel, this struggle also provides a way to develop his maturity through respecting his parent. It can be seen in the way he listens to the suggestion from his father to run for the student body president. Being a student body president gives a chance for Landon to develop his maturity by taking many responsibilities that he does not necessarily like. Responsibilities are also the moral values that readers can gain from LandonAos journey to maturity. By being a student body president and a main actor in the particular play. Landon is shown to fulfill his responsibilities in managing all things regarding the homecoming dance, even to the point he does not even have the time to find a date for himself. Landon also takes his full responsibilities as the main actor of the play even when it is previously stated that he does not want to be an actor. However, it is his responsibility. Thus, he attends every practice and also wants the play to succeed as a form of promise to Jamie. Next, the moral value that can be obtained from LandonAos journey to maturity is the idea that helping other people means a lot of good things. Being mature, in the story, encourages Landon to help other people. For instance, without hesitation, he says yes when Jamie asks for his help to gather pickles jar and coffee cans for the orphanage that she has set out in businesses all over town early in the After helping Jamie. Landon feels as if the heaven recognizes him. This means that although reward of helping others is intangible, people can feel it. Being mature for Landon also means that he is able to recognize his mistake and fix it. Accepting mistakes is an indication of maturity that readers can obtain. When Landon apologizes to Jamie and Reverend Sullivan for what he has done in the past. Landon has a specific purpose for himself: which is to fix it and not to repeat in the future. This is a moral value that is essential for adolescent readers. Last. Landon begins praying and reading the bible, something he has never done before he discovers Jamie suffers from Leukemia. As religious beings, he knows that life has a strong connection with God and religion. God is the only one that can give someone a miracle. God is also the one who can heal someone. Vol. 8 No. 1 May 2019 English Education Department Exposure Journal 88 CONCLUSION As a conclusion. A Walk to Remember . is a popular young adult novel which has been studied from various perspectives. The present study offers a new perspective about the novel by providing a comprehensive analysis on the journey to maturity experienced by the main character. Landon Carter. This analysis is based on certain literary elements that construct the journey. Moreover, from the perspective of young adult literature, this study discovers that there are several moral values that can be obtained by young adult readers from LandonAos journey to The moral values mainly center on the struggles that young adults have to overcome in order to find and achieve their mature identities. The struggles often concern several matters, including doing good things for others, showing love to others, and even recognizing self-mistakes. REFERENCES