An Analysis on the Water Crisis Effects towards the Social and Individual Life Depicted

in Verbinski’s Rango

Submitted by:

HANGGIT SETYANINGATI

J1A015001

MINISTRY OF RESEARCH TECHNOLOGY AND HIGHER EDUCATION

JENDERAL SOEDIRMAN UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF HUMANITIES

ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE STUDY PROGRAM

PURWOKERTO

2018
 INTRODUCTION

Environment is an important element for living things to live their life. In this case,

environment has a specific function as living place for all components. The balance between

all components in environment must be maintained to get a good life quality. For example,

human does not waste plastic carelessly. This action will bring an amazing impact toward all

components on earth. If there is no plastic in our land, or we can say that our land is free from

non-organic things, so the land will stay fertile. A fertile land will keep the crops grow finely.

A good crop will create a lot of oxygen for living things and also keep the water supply so

there is no water crisis. It shows that one small thing which is done by human will bring a

good effect for entire life things on earth. However, it is not easy to be done. The basic

character of human which is always less satisfy for what they have gotten become the main

problem in maintaining the balance of nature.

As we know, nowadays, humans are competing to create a new invention more and

more to develop the civilization and also to satisfy themselves. Unfortunately, this action is

not only bringing the positive impacts but also the negative ones. For example an invention of

plastic which now has been used wide. Indeed, it cannot be denied that plastic ease human’s

life. It can be used as the components for making furniture, gadget, utensil, and so on.

However, who knows that this invention brings a big negative impact for live if we do not use

it wisely. Plastic which is thrown away everywhere will caused an infertile land. As a

consequence, the crops will grow unwell, and it will decrease the amount of oxygen’s

production too. Moreover, the bad crops quality will also affect the water supply. The amount

of clear water will decrease day by day that will make humans are difficult to find it when the

dry season comes. It becomes the worst condition because we know that water is one of the

important things in our life. Without water, life will be unbalanced.

 From what the researcher has mentioned above, we know that water crisis will affect

the life of living things, in this case human life. This condition also appears in animation film

directed by Gore Verbinski entitled Rango. This film is about a lizard named Rango which is

chosen as the sheriff and asked to bring the water back to the Dirt town. Water crisis which

happens in this town bring the effect towards the social and individual life of the society.

Some people become so selfish and keep water for their own business. To analyze the

relation between the nature condition and social condition in Rango, Ecocriticism theory by

Cheryll Glotfelty is the suitable theory to be used. Ecocriticism is the study of the relationship

between literature and the physical environment (Barry, 2002). By using this theory, the

researcher tries to find out the effects of water crisis in Dirt towards the social and individual life

of the society depicted in Rango.

 DISCUSSION

In this chapter, the researcher tries to analyze the effects of water crisis in Dirt towards

the social and individual life of the society depicted in Rango. The narrations and the actions of

the characters shown in the movie are used as the evidence to support the analysis. Rango has

to look for a new place to live after he was fallen from his cage. He decides to walk to the

desert. Here, the desert is shown in a very hot temperature. Moreover, the cactus which

naturally has water supply in its own body, ran dry and the color becomes brown. This early

scene has described a little bit about the condition there. At night, Rango decides to take a

rest inside a dry big water pipe. Unfortunately, he is shocked in the next morning by the

water which flows through the pipe. Then he tries to take the water because he is so thirsty,

but it quickly infiltrate to the desert because of its hot temperature. Here, he meets Beans who

then scold Rango because he has wasted the water. However, Beans and Rango then go

together to Dirt town to get water. From Beans’s dialogue, we can know that every

Wednesday the town people have a routine ritual and after that they will get water. “Today is

Wednesday. Wednesday when we all get to it” (18:35). When Beans says this sentence, she

looks so happy. It can be seen from the change of her expression. Her eyes become very

bright and she smiles too. She is also very enthusiastic when she spurs her pig who pull the

cart. It shows that people in the town are very happy because they will get the water soon.

Seem that water is the most precious thing for them.

After they get into Dirt, Rango finds no difficulty to socialize with the inhabitant. Bar

becomes the first place he visited to end up his thirst. When he orders a glass of water, people

inside the bar laugh at him. “Cacti juice, that’s what we have” (22:35). Then it is known that

Dirt people are no longer consuming water because it is hard to be found. They just drink a

cactus juice to replace their needs of water. However, from what is shown in the movie,

cactus juice is actually not a good choice for them because it puffs a smoke. Moreover, when
a fly try to drinks it, he directly die. It is an irony which happens in Dirt. People willingly

consume cactus juice to fulfill their needs of water. That is the first change of social life in

Dirt. They are accustomed to drink cactus juice or just keep their thirst.

The long term water crisis also caused people no more saving their water on the bank.

“But people don’t make a deposit on Wednesday more” (26:25). If we look at the fact,

indeed, the condition is not possible for the people to save their water. How can they save it if

they have no enough water to drink for tomorrow. This is the second change of the society.

They are no more thinking for their future by saving water on the bank, they just focus to

keep living for tomorrow. The decrease of the water supply on the bank makes the new rule is

made. The bank reduces the amount of water credit. Moreover, for them who already have a

credit, they are not allowed to take it again. “I don’t have any other choice Beans. It has been

so hard. We can give you no more credits” (25:31). The worst, water supply on the bank is

only available for 5 days more. This condition creates an anxiety in society’s circle. They are

afraid they cannot get water anymore. It makes some people try to steal the water from the

bank. The first thief is three gophers. Rango and his friends believe that those three thieves

has succeeded stealing the water, but the fact, they find nothing in the bank. They just find an

empty gallon on the desert when they back home. It means, there is another thief who steals

the water before they come. “Someone has robbed that bank before we robbed it” (01:12:33).

Later, Rango and his friends know that the thief is the Dirt major. He steals the water and

keeps it for his business. Not only get the water from the bank, the major also make a

conspiracy by stealing the water from the pipe. That is why the people cannot get water

anymore from the faucet. The worst, Dirt people do not know that their major is the cause of

the water crisis. Those two robbing incident show the effect of water crisis toward the

individual life of Dirt people. They become more selfish and ready to take a risk to get their

needs.
 CONCLUSION

In conclusion, there are at least two effects of water crisis toward social life, and one

effect toward individual life. In social life, water crisis has changed the people’s habit from

drinking clear water into drinking cactus juice which is bad. Second, it creates the society no

more think about their future by saving water on the bank. They just focus to live their life

today and tomorrow. In individual life, water crisis makes the people become more selfish. It

is proven by two robbing incident. They try to rob the water from the bank and use it for their

own business without thinking about other needs.

REFERENCES

Rango by Gore Verbinski

Barry, Peter. 2002. Beginning Theory : An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory.