THE PORTRAYAL OF MEERICK ROCHA’S LONELINESS IN “TAKEN” BY KELLIE MAINE: PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACH

. The purpose of this study was to discover The Portrayal of Merrick Rocha’s Loneliness in “Taken” by Kellie Maine using Psychological Approach. The loneliness issue and its impacts were able to be perceived by discovering the reasons and the impacts of loneliness. Qualitative research was held in this study. The result of this study showed that the writer could find four reasons of Merrick Rocha’s loneliness and three positive ways to reduce his loneliness inside Taken by Kelli Maine. Those four reasons behind Merrick Rocha’s loneliness are (1) Being Unattached, (2) Alienation, (3) Being Alone, and (4) Dislocation. For the ways or impacts of loneliness, this study found three positive impacts such as (1) Active Solitude, (2) Distraction by Spending Money, (3) Active Solitude. The negative one (4) Sad Passivity does not exist in the novel because Merrick


INTRODUCTION
Some people who experience loneliness have a problem along with social interactions. Someone who feels lonely tends to avoid a crowd and find their way to gain their comfort zone. Mostly, they do not put a high interest in having social activities such as discussion, having a relationship, etc. Loneliness indicates that someone has a problem with interaction with other people. Also, loneliness commonly exists when there is a social relationship change (Höllinger & Haller, 1990, p. 103). The feelings of being lonely are mainly caused by changes in the social environment that negatively or unintentionally affect the social connection.
Loneliness happens because of the failure to match between people who want to do social interactions and other people or the environment. As Husein (2020) conclude that loneliness has happened because of two aspects social and emotional loneliness. They can change the personality of someone. Moreover, based on Bevinn (2011), loneliness is a situation where someone feels alone because they have been left behind (p.2). When someone cannot interact with others, this person will be stuck in the same place. Also, they tend to make less improvements than others. In addition, loneliness is also defined as a feeling of being apart from others (McGraw, 1994 as cited in Cosan, 2014). His statement indicates that people tend to live alone when someone feels lonely and has no social interaction.
Loneliness can exist in any situation, regardless of the background of people. In any case, people with low economic status sometimes struggle to build relationships because of their poor background. Feeling different and not confident mostly becomes the reason why they have a hard time having a social connection. Also, mostly someone who has experienced a new environment such as a new school, new workplace, or new social environment tends to feel lonely for the very first time. It is a prevalent feeling because these individuals are trying to observe their new environment. Besides that, someone who lived in an upper-class society also has a high risk of being lonely. According to John Cacioppo, millionaires and billionaires tend to feel lonely (Roberts, 2018). This condition happens because those people tend to think in many interpretations. For example, having a social relationship with someone which is not based on friendship, but they just expect other benefits such as material or social benefits.
A novel entitled Taken that was written by Kelli Maine is interesting to be part of this study. Due to some considerations the writer intends to conduct this analysis, the novel has been labeled as USA Today Bestseller in 2013, Nook Bestseller, and Indie Reader Top Ten Bestseller. This novel also portrays loneliness issues by the main character in an exciting way. It made the researcher want to find out the factors of Merrick Rocha's loneliness portrayed in Taken and to analyze the way Merrick Rocha overcomes his loneliness issue portrayed in "Taken" by Kellie Maine. The reasons for Merrick Rocha's loneliness and the impacts of his loneliness are suitable to be analyzed by Rubenstein and Shaver's loneliness theory as the main focus of this research.
Each individual has a different life and background. It shows that the causes of loneliness can be in many forms. Rubenstein and Shaver stated that there are five major reasons for loneliness (Rubenstein andShaver 1982, as cited in Miller et al., 2001). To justify someone having a loneliness issue, this person has not necessarily experienced all these factors. When someone feels just one of these five factors, it can indicate that someone might be feeling lonely. These kinds of reasons are: being unattached, alienation, being alone, forced isolation, and dislocation. The explanation about the theory used in this article is given in the discussion.
There are three previous studies that the writer found and would like to compare with this study. Based on the information above, the writer gains much information about the loneliness theory for the reasons or the impacts. The writer also realizes that the novel entitled "Taken" by Kellie Maine has never been investigated about the loneliness issue. Different from the previous studies, this study will explain about the reasons behind Merrick Rocha's loneliness and its impact from the novel "Taken" by Kellie Maine.

METHOD
This qualitative research aims to find out the factors of Merrick Rocha's loneliness and the ways Merrick Rocha overcame his loneliness portrayed in Taken. According to Yin (2013), qualitative research attraction allows the writer to conduct in-depth studies about a broad array of topics, including the writer's favorites, in plain and everyday terms (p. 6). It shows that the writer has a vital role in observing and understanding the social problem in the source of data.
This study's data are the main character's utterances, other characters' utterances, and both the narrator's narration and explanation taken from Kellie Maine's novel Taken as the source of data. In collecting the data, the writer uses three steps. Those are a close reading method, identifying and noting, and matching. The last step of this study is analyzing the data. According to Yin, there are five important processes for analyzing the data. Those are compiling, disassembling, reassembling, interpreting and concluding data (Yin, 2013, p. 176).

A. Reasons of Merrick's Loneliness
Rubenstein and Shaver state that five factors become the reasons of loneliness ( Rubenstein andShaver 1982, as cited in Miller et al., 2001). First is being unattached, alienations, being alone, forced isolations, and dislocation. These factors become the parameter of the writer to identify the source of data. In addition, to justify the problem of loneliness is not an obligation to fill in all the reasons; if someone experiences at least one of them, it can be enough evidence. Therefore, in this novel, the five reasons exist and connect each other.

a. Being Unattached
This reason explains the condition when someone does not have any bond with others. Being unattached makes someone feel lonely even when they are surrounded by their close people or family. Rubenstein and Shaver also state that being unattached is mostly experienced by someone who does not have sexual partner, has no spouse, or breaks up with lovers ( Rubenstein and Shaver 1982, as cited in Miller et al., 2001). This condition makes someone feel unsupported or loved by someone else.
Your eyes rise to mine. "She's not in love with me, Rachael. She's in love with my billionaire, with the status and the money, with thinking she could tell people she's Mrs. Rocha." You roll your eyes up to the ceiling and take a deep breath. "If I wasn't loaded, she wouldn't want anything to do with me." You rub your forehead roughly. "Story of my life." (Maine, 2013, p. 153-154).
In this novel, Merrick Rocha is unattached. This issue is portrayed in his status as a billionaire without any partner or lover. Before he met Rachael, Merrick lived alone and only focused on his job. His past relationship with his secretary makes him tired of having lovers. Many people judge him as a "dollar figure," not Merrick as a regular guy. This condition makes Merrick have trust issues with everyone. Based on the data above, Merrick tells Rachael that he has a relationship with his secretary named Joan. However, Merrick seems unhappy and many people want to be close to him only for his money. His social status becomes an issue for Merrick to find someone who can give him real love. This condition shows that one of Merrick's loneliness reasons is having no sexual partner. In addition, based on Rachael's utterance above shows that Merrick's seems so lonely and having no partner.

b. Alienation
Alienation is one of the reasons for Merrick's loneliness. In this context, alienation means that someone is feeling tired of social judgment from people surrounding them. In addition, Rubenstein and Shaver said that alienation could be in the forms of being misunderstood by someone, not being needed, and have no close friend (Rubenstein and Shaver 1982 as cited in Miller et al., 2001). Furthermore, alienation also makes someone feeling lonely because they accept uncomfortable perspectives or bad treatment from people. It makes someone stay away from their circle and choose their world to create a comfort zone.
In this case, Merrick is known as a wealthy billionaire that makes it so difficult for him to get pure kindness from others. In this story, Merrick shows his emotional problem to Rachael when they have a conversation. Merrick wants to retire from his career at a very young age. As a billionaire, he does not enjoy all his money from his job. Living alone and without any supporting system, Merrick's life is precarious. Many people assume that living with much money will guarantee people's happiness, but it's different with Merrick's life. In addition, Merrick indirectly shows that money cannot give him pleasure or something that is important for his life.
You close your eyes and nod. "I don't want the competition anymore, the back-stabbing, the rumours. It's so peaceful here without all of that." (Maine, 2013, p. 52).
Based on the data above, Merrick is already tired with his business life. The cruel people that he faced in his business make him feel desperate. The bad social environment in his work makes Merrick want to retire at a very young age. In addition, the evidence above clearly proves the alienation that Merrick experienced is like emotional alienation. He feels strange and wants to cut off the social judgment that is focused on money-oriented.
You nod again, and I follow you halfway up the steps. Stopping, you take my hand. Your face is focused, eyes dark and gleaming with power. "Don't blur the line between employer and friend with these guys." (Maine, 2013, p. 121).
In addition, there is a moment where Merrick Rocha tells Rachel to not be closer with his worker. In his mind, a CEO must have a different level or gap from others. This condition proves that Merrick's already experienced something bad when he tries to get closer to people in his workplace. Then, he decides to alienate himself from his social life and only focus on his career. A trust issue is also taking part to make Merrick Rocha not have any social contact with others.
"I mean it. They'll take advantage of the situation if they can and screw off. You have to stay on top of them," (Maine, 2013, p. 121).
Based on the evidence above, Merrick Rocha strongly believes that people only take it for granted. Merrick seems experienced a lot when people only look for his money and not pure friendship. How the social environment judges Merrick Rocha status proves that he is tired of fakeness. He keeps in the distance for so long and does not care about others. This condition makes Merrick have minimal contact with others. As a conclusion, people's perspectives about him contribute towards his loneliness issue.
When Merrick shares his life with Rachel, it shows that he feels empty and needs her support. This condition becomes evidence that he does not feel comfortable with his social environment. He tries to alienate himself from his social life and try to find someone who can give pure support of love. When Merrick knows that his circle is toxic, he tries to take a space from his social life and prefers to stay alone. This condition makes Merrick's loneliness issues exist because he must face the entire problem alone.

c. Dislocation
Dislocation is a position when someone feels lonely in a new place. Simply, this kind of feeling is a common thing experienced by many people when they come to a new place. Rubenstein and Shaver stated that some activities such as someone goes to an empty house, goes to a mountain or beach alone, and goes to new school or work place and travels too often can be the reasons of loneliness (Rubenstein and Shaver 1982, as cited in Miller et al., 2001). Moreover, dislocation can cause some problems. Such as someone can feel strange or feel uncomfortable in that area in a certain period "You're the Florida native, I say, holding up the basket for you. "Limes don't grow in Cleveland." You glance down at me and frown. "I'm not a Florida native. Why did you think that?" I scroll through my mind trying to recall when you'd told me you lived in Florida. You never did. Why did I think you lived here? "Where are you from? Where do you live?" I really don't know you at all. I've been feeling closer and closer to you when all I've done is fill in the blanks myself.
"Georgia originally, right outside Atlanta. Heidi still lives there." You pull another lime from the branch and drop it in the basket. "I've been in upstate New York for the past five months. I move about every six months or so." (Maine, 2013, p. 84-85).
In this case, Merrick is someone who has experienced dislocation many times. In addition, Merrick tells Rachael that he never feels warmth in every place that he moves. The way Merrick moves from one place to another place makes his loneliness issues become worse. Moreover, in his travels, the writer of this study does not find any evidence that Merrick made social contact with someone. This condition proves that Merrick only escapes from his loneliness but does not solve it. The phrase "no place felt like home I guess." explain that Merrick is tired and lonely. He misses feeling welcomed and surrounded by good people. Before he meets Rachael, he is just someone full of loneliness. The utterance is strong enough to prove that one of Merrick's loneliness is caused by dislocation.

d. Being Alone
Being alone is a condition when someone stays alone without any people around. This condition makes someone not have any supporting system or even a comfy place to share a story. Rubenstein and Shaver said that forms of being alone can be someone stay alone in a big house, go to the beach alone, or lived alone every time without any bonding with people (Rubenstein and Shaver 1982, as cited in (Miller et al., 2001). These situations prove that this person will have a very limited chance to communicate with others or maybe rarely to do. In conclusion, being alone also becomes one of the reasons why someone feels lonely.
In this novel, the author does not directly state that Merrick lived alone. Some evidences show Merrick stays alone without his family. Moreover, Merrick also has several problems with his family. Having a bad relationship with family indicates someone does not have any intense communication. In addition, the problem between them also supports the possibility that they rarely meet in daily life. This condition leads the writer to analyze Merrick's problem with his family.
First, he tells about his sister's name and the problem among them. Merrick explains to Rachael that he does not talk much with her sister, Heidi. In addition, Merrick also said that he rarely communicates with his sister. When Rachael hears this information, she tries to ask more about their relationship. For Rachael, it is a little bit confusing because she never knew that Merrick has a sister. This moment is perfect for her to gain more information and understand Merrick's condition. Then, Merrick bravely speaks up about his problem among himself and his sister even if he is not used to talking about his personal life.
. "I'm not used to it, but I will. For you, I will." Your throat ripples as you swallow. "Heidi's husband and I don't get along. He doesn't think I'm a good influence, so she doesn't contact me very often." (Maine, 2013, p. 55).
"I keep talking and talking with her, but never give back. She needed me to give her understanding and patience. I didn't know. I lost her." (Maine, 2013, p. 56).
Then, Merrick also tells Rachael about his mother. Rachael is afraid to ask about his mother, but she thinks it is the right time for her. "You've never mentioned your mom" (Maine, 2013, p. 57). After Rachael asked this question to Merrick, without any doubt, he answered it directly. "She died when I was seven. Cancer." (Maine, 2013, p. 57). In addition, he explains that his mother is a good figure and has friendly personalities.
"She was fun. She laughed a lot. She always smelled like the lilacs that grew outside my bedroom window." You blink a few times, and your eyes are misty. "She always said I gave the best hugs." (Maine, 2013, p. 57).
When Rachael listens to Merrick's story about his mother, she concludes that Merrick's mother is an important person for him. She can understand why Merrick seems sad and lonely because no one from his family is on his side. One thing that makes Rachael curious is about his father too. Rachael also tries to ask about it. "Is your father still alive?" Might as well keep diving straight into the deep water. (Maine, 2013, p. 57). Merrick also directly answers this question without any hesitation, and it shocks Rachael.
"Oh, he's alive all right. He's suing me for what he claims is his right to a percentage of the business he was too busy to take over from my grandpa"…. "Has been for years. I refuse to settle, and he refuses to give up." (Maine, 2013, p. 58).
Based on the information above, his family's problem simply tells the reader that Merrick lived alone. The bad relationship with his father, sister, and brother in law makes Merrick face his problem alone. In addition, his father sues him, and his mother also passed away when he was a kid. It makes him lonelier, and he must be alone for a long time. In conclusion, the bad relationship with his family makes Merrick must be alone and it becomes one of Merrick's loneliness factors.

B. Merrick's Overcomes his Loneliness Issues
Every problem must have a solution; it means loneliness can be reduced in some ways. Rubenstein and Shaver said that there are four outcomes of loneliness (Rubenstein and Shaver 1982, as cited in Miller et al., 2001). Start with sad passivity, active solitude, spending money, and social contact. From four outcomes, one of them indicates that someone with a loneliness problem prefers to choose the negative ways, which is sad passivity to express his or her loneliness. However, the rest of the three impacts show an effort to solve someone's loneliness. Therefore, in this study, the writer found that the main characters choose the positive ways to choose his loneliness: active solitude, spending money, and having social contact with others.

a. Active Solitude
Active Solitude in simple ways means finding an alternative to forget or redeem the feeling of loneliness in terms of positive activities. As someone with loneliness issues, active solitude can be an effort for someone to use their sadness as the motivation to do something more beneficial for him (Rubenstein and Shaver 1982, as cited in Miller et al., 2001). An example of active solitude is doing their hobbies such as reading, traveling, cooking, etc. On the other hand, someone also can choose or focus on their career to be productive. The main point of active solitude is to reduce the free time of someone. When someone feels lonely and has many open times, it can pressure each individual. They may feel more lonely or sink in their sadness.
In this novel, active solitude is portrayed very well in his financial condition and business as a successful CEO. At the beginning of the novel, the author describes Merrick Rocha's profile as Rocha Enterprises's CEO.
There is no way anyone else is a better candidate for the position, and the fact that I made it this farthrough the basic human resources interviews to an interview with the CEO himselfis proof of that. (Maine, 2013, p. 1).
As CEO of a well-known company, of course, it needs a big effort to achieve that position. Someone needs to spend his entire life working and focus on that job. Merrick's loneliness issue cannot make him lazy or doing something unnecessary.
Besides that, Rachael utterance shows that Merrick also owned international enterprises. As stated in the novel "Now you have an international enterprise worth billions of dollars" (Maine, 2013, p. 42).
To achieve this position, Merrick Rocha for sure takes a long time and must be working hard. Living alone and without any strong supporting system cannot distract Merrick from getting his wealth. At less than 40 years old, he has already become a billionaire and can own everything he wants. Even if there is no clear explanation of how Merrick works, the description by the author and Rachael utterance are strong enough to describe Merrick as a hard worker. Also, Merrick achieves his billionaire status before he meets Rachael. It shows that at that moment, Merrick only spends his entire life working even if he has a personal problem with his father and sister. In conclusion, to solve his loneliness, Merrick chooses to be active in pursuing his career and use his loneliness to motivate him rather than sink in his sadness.

b. Spending Money
Discussing loneliness, Rubenstein and Shaver state that having money and spending them to buy favorite things can be an excellent way to solve our loneliness (Rubenstein and Shaver 1982, as cited in Miller et al., 2001). As we already understand, loneliness sometimes causes someone to be passive and makes them lazy to have an activity. Spending money expects someone to be brave to start his or her new life by hanging out and meeting someone new. As a result, spending money can be an alternative to make someone get new happiness and forget his or her loneliness. In this case, Merrick spends his money in some ways such as giving Rachael'family trip to Europe, paying her bills, and giving Rachael Turtle Tear Hotel. Furthermore analysis will explain below:

Giving Rachael's Mother and Aunty Holiday in Europe
In this novel, Merrick also uses this way to overcome his loneliness. One thing that makes it different is that Merrick spends his money making his lover happy. As a result, their relationship is getting closer. When Merrick kidnaped Rachael, she was anxious about her mother. She wanted to go back and make sure that her mother was fine. But Merrick told her that he already handled that problem by giving her mother and her aunty a holiday in Europe.
"Your mom's on an extended European cruise with your aunt. I talked to her personally. I let her know it was a perk for you joining me for a short time in Florida to consult on the Turtle Tear Hotel renovation." (Maine, 2013, p. 45).
Based on that citation above, Merrick spends much money to send Rachael's mother and her aunty to have a holiday in Europe. He uses his money to make Rachael not worry about her mother and ensure that her mother is in good condition. Even if Rachael seems so shocked at first, she starts to feel happy that her mother can get her dream cruise.
My mom is on a European cruise that you sent her on. I have a happy mom on a dream cruise, my dream hotel renovation and you…my dream man? (Maine, 2013, p. 46) Even if Merrick spends his money for Rachael's mother holiday, it seems like it's a good start for him to get closer with Rachael. Seeing Rachael happy with her mom on holiday can give him an opportunity to spend more time with Rachael. In this context, spending money is not defined as buying stuff for his own, but Merrick spends his money to give his lover happiness and create more time with his lover to make him not feel lonely without any worries from Rachael's mother.

Paying all the Rachael's Bills
The problem comes when Rachael starts to argue with Merrick about her finances. As we know, Rachael still works as a trainee and does not have a permanent job. She worries about her bills and how she survives if she does not have a job. She tries to explain it to Merrick. "You know I don't have a job," I say. "I'll have to go back and find one. I can't live without money, and I can't take this on as a full position. I've already turned it downmy mom will be coming home -" (Maine, 2013, p. 78).
To handle this problem, Merrick makes Rachael stay with his solution by taking care of everything. As a billionaire, it is not a big problem for him. He tries to fulfill all of Rachael's necessities to make sure she has a better life.
"I'll take care of you here. Don't worry about anything. Your obligation will be met. Shannon will get her half of your rent. All your other bills will be paid. Everything will be taken care of." (Maine, 2013, p. 78).
Merrick spending money in this context gives Rachael a more stable financial life. He wants to make Rachael always on his side because simply he does not want to feel lonely. If he lets Rachael work and still takes care of everything, it makes their relationship rift. In this context, Merrick is not showing off his power or wealth. He is just showing his responsibility as a man and uses his money to get his happiness. A strong connection with Rachael makes him believe that spending money for Rachael bills is a good deal.

Giving Turtle Tear Hotel and Island for Rachael
At the beginning of the story, Rachael shows her interest in being a project manager for the historic Turtle Tear Hotel's renovation. This hotel is located in Turtle Tear Island, which is in a remote area. Access to this place is challenging. It is only by helicopter. However, Rachael thinks this place is special because of the history behind this island. The romantics' love story of the previous founder of Turtle Tear is very impressive.
Knowing that Rachael loves the Turtle Tear Hotel makes Merrick believe that Turtle Tear Hotel is very important for her. With his wealth, he can easily buy a whole island for Rachael. Merrick does not mind giving it to Rachael as a gift for her. He hires a lawyer and prepares the entire document for the administration.
Merrick invites Rachael to meet his lawyer named Maxwell Campbel. Maxwell is the trusty worker for Merrick, and he wants Max to handle the Turtle Tear document.
In this opportunity, Rachael shows her love toward Turtle Tear again to Merrick's lawyer named Maxwell. "I love Turtle Tear. It's more than I ever imagined it to be." (Maine, 2013, p. 220). In conclusion, Merrick gives Rachael Turtle Tear because he believes that it can be great for her.
You trail a finger across the back of my neck as you walk behind my chair and settle into yours. "I have something to tell you." You take my hand firmly in both of yours. Your dark eyes claim mine, and a ghost of a smile crosses your lips. "The only signature Max and I need is yours. I'm giving you Turtle Tear. It's yours." (Maine, 2013, p. 220).
Finally, Rachael accepts it and gives her a sign of the document. I pick up the pen and whisk my name across the line in black ink (Maine, 2013, p. 221) Giving the Turtle Tear Hotel and Island for Rachael is the best gift for him too. Seeing Rachael happy makes Merrick feel so warm. Spending money on this gift is a good deal for both of them. Even if Merrick does not spend his money directly for his necessity, Rachael's happiness is also Merrick's happiness. His loneliness quickly faded by having a closer relationship with Rachael.

c. Social Contact
The best solution to solve the problem of loneliness is having social contact with someone else ( Rubenstein and Shaver 1982, as cited in Miller et al., 2001). Having a partner such as a friend, lover, or even bonding with family can change someone to share their insecurities and feel better. However, the main character of this novel, named Merrick, is having many problems that influence his relationship with the people around him. He started from a bad relationship with his father, his sister, and people who only looked for his money rather than pure solidarity. It makes him have a trust issue with someone new and rarely have communication with others. To handle his problem, Merrick shows his struggle to have social contact with someone else. There are some Merrick's struggles to overcome his loneliness by having social contact.

Having Relationship with Joan (his Secretary)
Even before he meets Rachael, he tries to have a relationship with his secretary. Even Though it is not a happy ending, he must feel disappointed. Her name is Joan, she is his office secretary and works with Merrick for a long time. His relationship with Joan was not smooth, Merrick does not feel any connection with her. He said to Rachael that his relationship with Joan is only physical not emotional.
I shouldn't ask. It's none of my business, I have to know. "Have you been with her?" You squeeze my shoulders, and I'am so tense, it hurts. "Physically, yes. Emotionally, no." (Maine, 2013, p. 121).
Based on the evidence above, Merrick shows his lousy relationship with his secretary. Even if it does not run smoothly, it shows that Merrick already tries to do social contact by having a relationship with his secretary. The relationship must have a connection in each person. When Rachael shows her jealousy to Joan, Merrick tries to explain what is happening between them. He does not want Rachael to misunderstand with the existence of Joan.
"It was only sex. She means nothing to me. I haven't been with her since the day I interviewed you on the phone. I haven't wanted anyone else since then ." (Maine, 2013, p. 123).
The evidence above shows that his previous relationship is nothing. He understands that his relationship with his secretary is not going well, but it does not influence him to be scared of having social contact with someone new. Even if he hates Joan, he still gives her a chance for Joan to work with him. He does not want to involve his personal issues with the business. At this point, he must be professional and kick Joan for that reason. In conclusion, before he meets Rachael, he already tries to temporarily solve his loneliness by having a relationship even if it fails.

Having a Relationship with Rachael
Starting from Merrick and Rachael's interview, the love blooms, and Merrick feels so connected with Rachael. This novel shows their romance story in a progressive way. Social contact with Rachael is the best solution for Merrick to solve his loneliness. By the time change, his personality becomes someone more open and brave to share his personal life. Even if they faced some problems in their love story, Merrick shows some struggle to get Rachael back on his side. There are some Merrick's struggles to solve his loneliness by having social contact with Rachael First, Merrick shows his interest in having social contact with Rachael by stalking Rachael's life. Merrick cannot deny the fact that he loves Rachael as his love at first sight. The strong connection between them makes Merrick try many ways to get Rachael. However, Merrick has a problem with his personality. Less experience in having communication makes him use a strange way to have Rachael on his side.
You sit beside me and run your fingers down my cheek. "You've always been the person holding everything together haven't you?for your mom when your dad was sick, after he died, for your brainless roomate." I can't breathe. I can only stare at you. "How do you know about me?" Your eyes trail over my face "I know." (Maine, 2013, p. 16).
It shows that simply Merrick knows Rachael's background very well, even if they never have a personal communication before. The first time they met is only by video call in the interview process for a job, but Rachael never told Merrick about her personal life. In addition, Merrick admits that he was stalking Rachael for a long time to get more information about her life.
The writer also found different feelings about Merrick's relationship with Joan and Rachael. When Merrick is with Joan, he believes that she only sees him as "Dollar Figure" but differs from Rachael. Merrick shows his perspective about Rachael that she is the one who gives pure love rather than everyone else.
You raise your head, clenching your jaw, your eyes shiny. You blink a few times, and I realize you have tears in your eyes. "Please. Please, let's get through this," you whisper. "I need you. You're real. You don't care with my money or my company. You see me, not the Merrick Rocha everyone else sees." (Maine, 2013, p. 190).
The pureness of Rachael's love toward Merrick becomes evidence that Merrick is more comfortable with Rachael. When many people always impress Merrick's money, Rachael comes with a pure heart and treats Merrick better. The social contact between them creates new happiness for Merrick, and slowly he can easily forget his loneliness. His past relationship with Joan does not make him give up on finding someone else. The strong connection between them makes Merrick believe that Rachael is someone that he has been looking for a long time.
By having social contact with Rachael, there are some improvements that show Merrick becomes better. In addition, the existence of Rachael has a positive influence on Merrick. At first, Merrick is an icy person and mysterious. He never has a moment to think of someone else. His problem makes him feel so lonely and distracts all his loneliness in work or career. People around Merrick always see him as someone with cold characteristics, selfish, and anti-social. When Rachael comes into his life slowly, he shows his positive side, which becomes evidence that social contact with Rachael is the right thing to do. Slowly Merrick can show his kindness, and it is noticed by some people. This change proves that social contact with the right person will cure someone's loneliness effectively.

Make up Relationship with his Sister Named Heidi
Having a misunderstanding with his sister makes Merrick's life seem so lonely. In the story, Heidi is the only sibling who is always there when they are young. Rising in a family without a mother and super busy father make them grow as an independent sibling. Since Heidi married, the problem comes, and they do not have as intense communication as before. Heidi's husband also makes Merrick feel terrible as a brother for Heidi. Moreover, Merrick also has a busy life as a business man which makes their relationship more faded.
When Rachael knows this issue, she tries to help Merrick overcome this problem. Rachael continuously gives influence to Merrick for starting the conversation with Heidi. On one occasion, Rachael finds a perfect time to solve this issue when Merrick promises her. "I promise you, anything I do from here on out will be to make you happy." (Maine, 2013, p. 115). Finally, when Merrick said that he wants to make Rachael happy, she uses this chance to make up the relationship between Merrick and Heidi. "if you can do that for me, you can do it for Heidi." (Maine, 2013, p. 115). Merrick's response is very positive and shows his effort to make up with Heidi.
This response shows that Rachael has an effort to make Merrick initiate having a good relationship again with his sister. He offers his plan to solve his problem with Heidi. Even if it's only a plan, at least Merrick shows a step to recover his situation. Rachael also reminds Merrick that this is a tiny step and needs more progress. "Merrick, you know that one kind gesture might not fix everything between the two of you right?" (Maine, 2013, p. 216). Merrick responds with a charming face and indicates that he knows what he must do next. Your smile falters a little. "I know. But, it'll be a good start." (Maine, 2013, p. 216).
Based on the analysis above, Merrick shows three efforts to overcome his loneliness by having social contact. The first one with his secretary named Joan might have failed, but it is still counted as a Merrick's effort to kill his loneliness. His relationship with Joan gives him happiness, and even it's temporary and a trial for him. His failures with Joan also make him give up on finding his true love until he meets Rachael. Second, his relationship with Rachael is the most effective way to cure his loneliness. The intense communication and emotional connection make Merrick get his life better than before. Even if their relationship does not run well the first time, Merrick proves that Rachael is the good one for him. His struggle to have social contact with Rachael is a good deal. As a result, he becomes someone better.
The last is social contact with his sister named Heidi. Even if social contact is not portrayed in the story, his plan to invite Heidi to the Turtle Tear Hotel is a good start. His initiative must be counted as an effort to solve his loneliness. At least, he starts to get better and not keep the problem for a long time. This effort shows that Merrick slowly wants to end the misunderstanding between them.

CONCLUSION
After analyzing the data, it can be concluded that the main character, Merrick Rocha, in this novel experiences loneliness as the evidence that has been shown in Chapter IV. It is due to several reasons, namely; being unattached, alienation, dislocation, and being alone. In addition, through this analysis, it can be concluded that several outcomes lead Merrick Rocha to solve his loneliness, namely; active solitude, spending money, and making social contact. The Writer of this thesis will outline the conclusions one by one below; First, one of the reasons for Merrick Rocha's loneliness is being unattached. Second, after analyzing the data, the writer of this thesis also found alienation which causes Merrick Rocha's loneliness. The third is the dislocation. The writer finds that Merrick's loneliness is also stimulated by his habit. The last reason for Merrick Rocha's loneliness is alone.
Merrick Rocha dealt with his loneliness with active solitude, spending money, and social contact. Merrick chooses a positive way to overcome his loneliness. Sad passivity is not Merrick style to solve his loneliness. Having a relationship with Rachael is the main key to start Merrick's life becoming better.