Ama and Popo’s External Conflict

POPO: [ To DI-GOU ] She does not have enough love for you. You are not Christian. JENNY: And when you find that side, sometimes you have to leave in order to come back in a better way. POPO: [ To DI-GOU ] She cannot stand to be around you. Act 2, p. 216. Here we see that Popo tries to tell Di-Gou the meaning of Jenny’s words. Even though Di-Gou has told her that he can understand her but she insists to do it. She blames him because he is not Christian and it is the reason why he will not undertand the testimony that Jenny tells them. Popo acts like an announcer at baseball game, but in this case, she acts like an announcer from God. However, the way she translates Jenny’s words is wrong. It is not what Jenny wants to say. Jenny’s words mean something that refers to her grandmothers, Ama and Popo. She tries to tell them what her feeling being in the family and that loves between them is not enough. She wants to admonish Ama and Popo but they misunderstand her because they are very fanatic. They think that Jenny wants to judge Di-Gou by saying that. It makes Popo interpret her words to Di-Gou in diferrent meanings. In the play, Ama and Popo are shocked because everytime they talk about religion, Di-Gou shatters their illusions by revoking his Christian past and insisting that their aunt, See-goh-poh was not a Christian heroine, but rather a wretched outcast. Popo assumes him to have bad memory while Ama’s prejudice against the non-Christian, Communist regime makes her assume that Di-Gou has been brainwashed, laboring in a rice field, and being remotely controlled by the Communist when he were in there: “wires in their heads....force them work all day and sing Communist songs”. Their fanaticism is worsen when it comes to physical abuse towards Di- Gou. They do not only think that he is controlled by demon but they also think that they shoul beat Di-Gou anr tortures his physic to make the demon out of his body. POPO: Di-gou, if we do not punish your body, demon will never leave. AMA: Then you will return to China. POPO: And you will die. AMA: Go to Hell. Act 2, p. 222. They really think that it will work and Di-Gou’s belief to God will back. They do not care of Di-Gou’s body because they think by torturing his body will make the demon afraid and leave him alone. They keep forcing Di-Gou, with Joanne and Hannah’s help, to make him give his testimony about God’s mercy to him when he was out of China and in trip with See-goh-poh which began his faith. In fact, Di-Gou tells them that at that time he was only eight and he did not remember that. He insists not to tell them anything. However, Ama and Popo does not give up. They think they must punish Di-Gou’s body to drive out the demon and make him speak. They stated that the Lord was beat, nails drive through His body for human’s sin, that is why, Di-Gou’s body must suffer so that he can speak the truth and admit with his tounge that See-goh-poh was a great evangelist. Their fanaticism is not only shown in that part but also in the whole conversation in the play. One more statement that shows their fanaticism is clearly depicted by Popo’s saying in Family Devotion : “if God has plan for us, we live; if not [She looks at DI-GOU.] we die. [She sits.] Okay. That’s all.” Act 2, p. 216. When she says that she believes in God, she means it. She does not think about the free will that God has given to human. This sentence shows Popo’s real faith to God that she believes that all her life and death is determined by God, not herself. Nothing can change it. Ama definitely agree with Popo so she does not deny her sister’s saying. They believe without doubt that all of their life is in God’s hand. Even when God said that He has plan for them to die, then they will die. Despites the fanatic way that comes from Ama and Popo, Di-Gou shows his love and loyalty to his sisters. Firstly, he is coming all the way from China to America just to meet them because he misses them so much. When Ama and Popo sees him for the first time since many years, they do not ask him about his life or his condition so far or at least let him talk about his life during these times. They rather ask him if he still believes in God. Di-Gou’s loyalty to his sisters is also shown by the way he treats them. He is really happy when he meets his sisters, his nieces and their husbands, and his grandson and grand daughter. He never meet them for his whole life but he really treats them like his own family. He adapts with the house’s situation. When her sisters force him to remember the thing that is untrue, he tries to tell them the truth slowly. He loves his sisters so much that he doesn’t want to hurt their pride. Not only forcing him to believe in See-goh-poh’s ministry, they also force Di-Gou to believe in God and Christianity. Then, when he refuses, they beat him and whip him with an electricical cord believing that his rejection of Christian is caused by a communist demon inside him, as revealed in the text below : AMA: [ To DI-GOU ] Look up to God [ POPO and AMA force DI-GOU to look up .] DI-GOU: Please [ DI-GOU breaks away from the sisters’ grip, but they knock him down .] POPO: Now-is time to join family in Heaven. AMA: Time for you to return to God. HANNAH: [ To JOANNE ] Look-they’re converting Di-gou. POPO: Return. Join us for eternity. AMA: Pray now. [ POPO and AMA try to guide DI-GOU to the neon cross .] DI-GOU: Where are we going? AMA: He will wash you in blood of the lamb. POPO: Like when you are a child. Now You bow down AMA: There is too much Communist demon in him. We must cast out demon. POPO: Now, tie him on table. DI-GOU: This is ridiculous. Stop this. Act 2, p. 222. He does not want to hurt them by the fact, that is why he does not force them back. He tries to make both his sisters know the truth but he doesn’t insist them. Even though he is beaten by his sisters, he just does nothing and is not angry with them. He just simply said that it it ridiculous and they should stop it. Di-Gou’s loyalty to his sisters is the real good thing found in this story but it becomes a matter when he gives them his love and loyalty too much. He definitely knows that his sisters are religious and fanatic, if he does not come to America to meet them, maybe this problem will never ever happened. Besides, if He is a little strict to them and show his patriarchy power, maybe his sisters will respect him more. He does not need to be rude to them or dominate them to get honour, but if he can show at least his self-esteem and leadership as the oldest man in the family, his sisters will listen to him. He could fight back when they beat him and whip him with an electrical cord, not in physical way by beating them back, but by his attitude toward them. He deserves to be treated well as one of the family members and he has right to be served as the guess in the house. However, he does not defend his right. He lets them to tie him on the table, beat him and punish him just because of something that he believes as the truth. He lets them think that they are right. His loyalty to his sisters is shown in the wrong way. It leads to the whole conflict between him and his sisters.

2. Ama and Popo’s Internal Conflict

Inner conflict always confronted the characters’ thought with his feeling, as stated by Holman and Harmon, inner conflict always puts “two elements within the person” 1986: 107. Internal conflict also defines as a struggle that takes place in a characters mind. For example, a character may have to decide between right and wrong or between two solutions to solve a problem. Sometimes, a character must deal with his or her mixed mind, feelings and emotions. As mentioned in the previous chapter about the conflict theory, the internal conflict happens within the character himself without outside forces. The conflict appears between the characters’ feeling and thought. In the play, Ama and Popo’s internal conflict occurs at the end of the story when Di-Gou speaks in tongue about See-goh-poh. AMA: [ Looking up from the ground ] He is speaking in tongues He has returned [ Everyone falls to their knees. ] Act 2, p. 224. When Di-Gou rises up and starts speaking in tongues, the gas grill bursts into flame, and Chester is suddenly fulled with words so that he can interprets the revelation. Ama and other family members think that Di-Gou has returned to God, that the demon has gone and he would believe in God again as they thought he did. Di-Gou speaks in tongues but instead it tells different story with Ama and Popo’s belief. Di-Gou says that he went with See-goh-poh on her first evangelism tour when he was eight years old. They traveled together through the summer heat to a small village in Fukien. At that place, he witnessed their aunt, See-goh-poo gave birth out of wedlock to an illegitimate child whose birth she passed off as immaculate. Di-Gou even watched See-goh-poh breasfed the baby and heared the milk sucking. Hearing this story, Ama and Popo spring up and deny all that Di-Gou has said. They cannot believe that See-goh-poh was a liar and that her evangelism was just a front, an excuse to travel and a cover-up of her illegitimate child. They assume that Di-Gou and Chester have demon and it is not from God. Ama and Popo want to believe in their own faith and family stories so that they challenge Di-Gou to match his stories against theirs. And then, they begin a ritualistic battle. They give questions and answers to each other. Some of their questions have the same answers but some of them do not. In fact, they start to doubt their own belief, that is why they try to stop Di-Gou telling the truth. [ POPO’s tounges become weaker; she starts to falter .] AMA: See-goh-poh was a great- DI-GOU: Only on her tours could she see both China and her baby. AMA: She was a great…a great evangelism…many… DI-GOU: Where is she buried? AMA: …many miracle… DI-GOU: She is not buried within the walls of the church in Amoy. AMA: …many miracle a great evangelist… [ POPO collapses ] DI-GOU: [ Pause ] I come to bring you back to China. Come, sisters. To the soil you’ve forsaken with ways born of memories, of stories that never happened. Come, sisters. The stories written on your face are the ones you must believe. [ AMA rises from her chair ] AMA: We will never believe this [ She collapses into the chair, close her eyes .] [ Silence ] Act 2, p. 226-227. Di-Gou’s vision reveals that See-goh-poo was a fraud and she claimed her evangelicalism to deceive her family. Di-Gou proclaims that because they now know the truth, their stories are meaningless. Ama and Popo finally know the truth but this is too dificult to believe. Their senses can hear the real story from Di-Gou’s revelation but their mind and heart do not want to accept the truth. This situation brings them to the fact to deal with. It tows them through their internal conflict. They cannot confront the truth told by Di-Gou. The harder they struggle to reject his story, the weaker they defend themselves. Finally, Ama and Popo cannot stand still to defend anymore. They become weak and perplexed by the truth and then collapse, firstly Popo then followed by Ama.

C. The Messages Revealed by the Conflicts

In reading literature, as well as a play, the reader will be served some questions in their mind. The question could be about how the readers see the play, what the readers’ responses through the characters, plot, theme or symbols found in the play, and what the play’s author wants to say or what the implied messages that he wants to tell the readers by arranging the internal elements. These questions can encourage the readers to go deeper in analyzing each word or each element of the play. It will lead the every words and form special function and the meaning. This process of analysis supports the readers to feel close to the work Guerin, 2004:93. From this part, the writer wants to show some messages which are taken from the main characters’ description and their conflicts. As Holman and Harmon said 1986:108, conflicts can show motivation and goal that want to be achieved. Moreover, conflicts also imply something that the author wants to convey. Conflicts may help the readers to know the central idea or the theme of the story “ obviously the central conflict of the story is intimately related to this theme... stanton, 1964 : 17. Since the conflicts in the play have been analyzed previously, the writer can start analyze the message found in it. However, the writer also has to interpret the messages because there are some messages in the play which are indirectly implied since David Henry Hwang, as the author of the play, does not convey the messages directlty. As we know, the messages in the literature work like play can be seen from some elements, such as irony, symbol or sign, character and conflict. There are some messages that the writer found in the play based on the previous conflicts that have been analyzed. The first one that the author wants to show the reader is about excessive. Everything that is too much is not good, for