Iris' struggle to reach her dream in red at the bone by Jacqueline Woodson

This research aims to explore Iris’ struggle to reach her dream issue in Red At The Bone novel by Jacqueline Woodson. In the story, Iris is the mother of Melody, who left her child and family to reach her dream of achieving a bachelor's degree. This research has two research questions: (I) What factors make Iris want to reach her dream? (II) What are Iris’ make decision after reaching her dream? To answer the research questions, the researcher uses the original text of Red At The Bone novel and journal articles. This research uses a descriptive-qualitative approach to analyze Iris’ struggle issue. The researcher applies this method to the conversations and events in Red At The Bone's novel. The researcher also uses this approach to describe how Iris overcomes her struggle and achieves her dream. This research uses the psychoanalysis theory of Sigmund Freud to reveal the issue of Iris’ struggle. Iris was pregnant during her high school days with her boyfriend, Aubrey. However, Iris did not want to abort her pregnancy. Although Iris gave birth to Melody, Iris did not give up her dream of achieving a bachelor's degree. Iris's actions in achieving her bachelor’s degree are driven by several factors, which are her ambition, her family’s support, and her economic condition. Each factor leads to each own struggle. Moreover, Iris has another dream, which is to become an excellent mother. Therefore, Iris decided to return home after finishing her college. In addition, Iris represents an oppressed desire because of society’s expectations.