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CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY
This chapter elaborates the object of the study, the approach being used in the study and the method of conducting the study.
3.1. Object of the Study
The object of this study is a classic Soviet realist novel called Mother, or MATъ [Mat] in Russian language, written by a famous Russian author, Maxim
Gorky. The novel was first published in 1906 in Russia and had since been translated to more than 26 languages in 106 editions by 1946 alone, and has since been filmed
into some versions. In this study, I use the English translation of the novel entitled Mother, translated from Russian by Margaret Wettlin and published by Foreign
Language Publishing House, Moscow. This is an undated version of the novel, yet, after some search in the internet, I found that this English version was published in
1949. It is said that the novel is the single longest and phenomenal work of Maxim Gorky which became the pioneer of Soviet genre of socialist realism. The novel
pictures vividly the reality of socio-political condition of the period after 1905 bourgeois revolution which installed feudalism structure of society in Russia.
The novel principally tells the story of a mother named Pelagea Nilovna, widow of an ill mannered factory worker, Mikhail Vlassov. She lives with her son,
Pavel Vlassov, in a poor factory settlement. The social condition in the settlement is miserable, as shown in the hopelessness of the workers of being oppressed by the
authority. They do monotonous hard work in a poor working condition. Their only reliefs are alcohols, fighting and domestic disturbance. Often, they go to taverns so
that they can seep a little happiness by getting drunk. Everybody seems to get used to such a life so that they think that something different would only increase their
hardship and bitterness of their lives. Thus lives Pavel Vlassov, a young factory worker who brings the new idea of socialism into the settlement. Pavel and his
comrades’ purpose is to raise awareness of the working people that their misery of life is caused by the feudalism structure of society. He spreads forbidden leaflets and
books throughout the settlement in order that, eventually, the working people unite to fight for their rights.
The novel is divided into two parts. The first part pictures the efforts of the mother, Pelagea, in grasping revolutionary ideas brought by her son, Pavel. She
notices that Pavel is an unusual young man whose behavior is radically different from other fellow workers in the settlement. This bothers the mother’s mind, especially
when knowing that Pavel and his friends are disbelievers. Whereas, Pelagea is a devout Christian. On the other hand, Pelagea also is also sympathetic to what Pavel’s
idea of liberating the working people, despite her being confused of the new words that Pavel and his friends often use during the discussion. The peak is when Pavel and
his friends are arrested and jailed when leading a May Day rally. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
In the second part of the novel, Pelagea has accepted the new idea, although at the first time she was skeptical and hesitant. By this time, Pelagea has become part of
the struggle and the underground movement to stir up people. The climax is where she openly spreads the leaflets while being caught by the government spy and finally
beaten to death. Pelagea and Pavel are the main characters of the novel, but there are some
other important characters. There is Andrei Nakhodka, or the khokhol, or the Ukrainian in Russian language. He is the second closest person to Pelagea after Pavel.
There are also Nikolai Ivanovich, Nikolai Vesovshchikov, Sasha, Sophia and Rybin. All of them are Pavel and Pelagea’s comrades in the movement.
3.2. Approach of the Study
Kategori