Background of the Study

breadwinner, while female is positioned in the domestic sphere including nurturing the children For the domestic sphere and mothering activity, Andrea O‟ Reilly argues that patriarchal motherhood is a kind of repressive act for mother‟s own selfhood because it gives no power for mothers to arrange their own mothering activity. 12 It restrains women‟s authority to determine their own mothering. Because of the restraining toward mothering activity, patriarchal motherhood can be seen as an oppressive act for women because it pressures, regulates, and dominates women and their mothering. The restraining of mothering then affects the mothering practice in which mother will spend most of the day to take care of her daughter without involving the father and other family members. As a consequence, both mother and her daughter are less involved in community or social practice. Portia is Bowen‟s character who becomes the victim of patriarchal motherhood because her mother does not introduce or help her to socialize or recognize others‟ existence earlier in her life. It constructs Portia‟s identity as the dependent, submissive and passive subject. Bowen seems to emphasize that patriarchal motherhood does not produce a secure attachment between the mother and her daughter because the close relationship between them has shaped symbiotic relation that binds Portias ability to leave mothers side. It is explained by Jasmine Lee Cori that secure individual who gets a secure attachment from their mother will note themselves as strong, 12 Andrea O‟Reilly. Feminist Mothering, ed. NY: State University of New York Press, 2008, p. 10 competent, valuable, lovable, and special. 13 However, Portia is described differently where she sees nothing special about herself and her family. 14 Bowen challenges patriarchal motherhood that creates sexist childrearing where a girl is unconsciously constructed by the mother to be a feminine figure that is commonly characterized as the dependent and passive subject. To help the daughter leave the dependent relationship with the mother, more involvements from a father or other relatives in childrearing practice should be made. It can help the mother to have more quality times for themselves outside the house, and it will also help the daughter to recognize and know other people‟s existence through sharing the childrearing practice with other relatives. The Death of the Heart is Bowens evidence about the negativity of patriarchal motherhood where restraining toward mothering practice will affect the development of the daughters identity. By being a „good mother for Portia, Irene bears and protects Portia with all of her loves and instructions without being interfered by other relatives. Bowen describes patriarchal motherhood as the cause of imposition of the mothers desire to her daughter which later makes them as the imaginary unity or oneness. The consequence for Irenes mothering practice is that Portia becomes closed figure to mother and has clumsiness to build the relationship with other people. Moreover, the daughter who does not have enough experience to interact with other people will face difficulty in her first interaction with others. The 13 Jasmine Lee Cori. The Emotionally Absent Mother: A Guide to Self- Healing and Getting The Love You Missed. NY: The Experiment, 2010, p. 41 14 Elizabeth Bowen. The Death of The Heart. NY: Anchor Books A Division of Random House, Inc, 2000, p. 52 All subsequent references to this novel, abbreviated The, will be used in this thesis with pagination only. inadequate experience in interacting with other people limits the daughter‟s knowledge toward other people‟s characters and needs. When Portia starts to recognize others‟ existence with their different needs and characters, she realizes her own lacking identity. Knowing herself as the lacking subject will stimulate the daughters need to complete her self-knowledge in order to be recognized and accepted as the part of a community or society. The daughters status as the lacking subject and also the seeking for maternal forms are two related things that influence her shift to the symbolic father. Since self-identification to the mother is ineffective to preserve the daughters knowledge of life, a shift to the symbolic father is initially regarded as the solution for the motherings problem. Initially, symbolic father is seen as the solution for mother-daughter attachment because it provides knowledge of identity for the daughter. Unity with the same sex parent, that is the mother, is argued by Mikkel Borch- Jacobsen and Douglas Brick as the „male identification for the daughter. 15 This argument reflects that attachment to same- sex parent represents the metaphorical masculine identity for the daughter. Thus to complete her feminine identity, a shift to different sex parent, a symbolic father, must be made. Therefore, knowledge of identity provided by the symbolic father is dangerous for the daughter because it leads to the formation of feminine gender identity. It is explained by Bowen in her novel that symbolic father, who is represented by society, demands Portia to be a mature woman. Symbolic father restraints Portias self-freedom because she has to obey all of the feminine rules 15 Mikkel Borch-Jacobsen and Douglas Brick. “The Oedipus Problem in Freud and Lacan”. Critical Inquiry 20.2 Winter, 1994: p. 273. JSTOR. Web. 6 Apr. 2016 from society. Symbolic father found in this novel represents social law and patriarchal culture that constitute feminine gender identity for Portia. Symbolic father also forbids re-attachment to maternal forms. It is narrated by Bowen that Portias relatives forbid her to be a childish figure. Portias relatives reject childish manner being spoiled and restrain Portias pleasure. Society in this novel is described as an image of a selfish and modern community which cannot fulfill Portias demand for familial bonding. The selfish character from Portias relatives cannot help Portia to feel maternal attachment or mothers love in life. The forbidden pleasure from society triggers conflict in Portias mind where she finally questions other peoples interest in her life. The absence of nurturance and attention from society stimulates Portias retreat from all of the social orders. The forbidden pleasure and the inability of society to provide familial bonding or the sense of love represent symbolic father as the lacking subject. Instead of helping the daughter to complete her self- identity, the symbolic father actually limits her self-freedom. Symbolic father imposes feminine rules that must be obeyed by a girl in order to be accepted as the mature woman in society. The limitation to Portias pleasure then triggers her desire to return to maternal attachment. This desire is materialized through constructing female friendship with Matchett and Mrs. Heccomb. Since these two figures are able to preserve nurturance for Portia, then she becomes dependent on them. Moreover, knowledge and experience of social oppression from those female friends make them as the dominant subject for Portia. They help Portia out from male threat by PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI controlling and deciding Portias action; for what she can do and what she cannot do. Even though female friends seem to help Portia resist the social oppression through their prohibition toward Portias relation with the male, it restrains Portias ability to develop her self-development to socialize with others. This study notes that the return to maternal attachment through female friendship constructs female domination to other womens identity. It may release the desire for pleasure and maternal attachment, but in fact, it oppresses Portias self-freedom. Thus, to subvert the concept of the patriarchal system that sets Portias feminine gender identity, Bowen represents a power of sisterhood. Acknowledgment of individual identity and self-freedom are actually important in order to avoid the oppression of other people. To get the acknowledgment of individual identity, differences of identity between individuality must be clearly stated. The differences of identity can be achieved through inter-subjective dialogue. Further, inter-subjective dialogue should evoke constructive critiques and sheer disruption so that it can help Portia to be aware of her own ability and deficiency. Through dialogue between women, they know each others interests and demands. Sisterhood helps the emergence of inter-subjective dialogue that eliminates the imaginary desire for unity with other people. 16 So, instead of being adhered to other peoples conviction and demands, sisterhood helps the women involve in constructive dialogue, to share experience and burden, and allows the women to be the speaking subject instead of the object of speaking. Sisterhood in this novel shows how female friendship becomes the effective way to help Portia 16 Kirsten Campbell. Jacques Lacan and Feminist Epistemology. London NY: Routledge, 2004, p. 104 recognize her self-subjectivity, become speaking subject, resist the social construction of womanhood. The problem of social construction of womanhood represented in this novel helps this study to learn and to reveal more about the effect of cultural practice from patriarchal mothering and social law toward the construction of feminine gender identi ty. Understanding Bowen‟s work about patriarchal mothering and social oppression can raise awareness toward the negativity of patriarchal culture which has set feminine gender model for woman. The cultural practice of feminine gender model limits the ability of Portia to develop her competence and freedom to express her manner and opinion, or to be the speaking subject. Overall, the concept of female friendship proposed in this study is a response toward the patriarchal concept that has restrained the development of womans self- identity and constructed „woman definition. Sisterhood helps the woman to deconstruct the definition of being a „woman by rejecting the feminine stereotype, such as being passive and subjugated one. Proposing the discussion of sisterhood in this study is valuable to describe how female friends help Portia to get her autonomy. The inter-subjective dialogue between women helps them to be aware and critical toward their own competency and oppression.

1.2 Research Questions

The problem of the study can be formulated as follows: 1. What is the influences of Portia‟s self-identification with her mother and symbolic father toward her identity development? PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 2. How does sisterhood help Portia resist the social construction of womanhood?

1.3 Objectives of the Study

This study aims to challenge the patriarchal culture that influences the construction of Portia‟s immaturity and dictates her feminine gender identity. It is started from challenging mothers function in family, which limits womens chance to develop her mothering technique, for instance by involving others in childrearing practice. This study focuses the discussion on the negative effect of patriarchal motherhood toward the development the daughters identity. Patriarchal motherhood interrupts earlier socialization process to other people since maternal practice focuses on mother only. Symbiosis and dependency on mother are found during the process of patriarchal motherhood. It causes the daughters inability to build socialization process with other people in society and the daughters needs to re- feel maternal attachment from others. This study also reveals the weakness of symbolic father. In psychoanalysis, symbolic father is seen as the solution for Portia‟s fragile identity because it helps her to recognize feminine identification and to be recognized as the part of society, as the mature woman. Therefore, it is found in the novel that symbolic father forbids attachment to maternal forms. This forbidden attachment makes symbolic father as the lacking subject since the daughter still seeks maternal attachment in her life. Hence, symbolic father fails to provide nurturance and autonomy which are needed by Portia during her self-identification with society. Finally, to subvert patriarchy and to stimulate Portias awareness toward her self-identity, the notion of sisterhood is proposed in this study. The concept of sisterhood represents a challenge and subversion toward social construction of womanhood through its function in evoking self-autonomy for Portia. Sisterhood awakens the awareness toward self-ability and self-deficiency to resist the social construction of womanhood.

1.4 Urgency of the Study

This study gives priority to the importance of sisterhood in helping the awakening of womans self-awareness toward the social construction of womanhood. Relationship with other women allows them to construct inter- subjective dialogue which supports the evocation of critiques toward self- deficiency. By knowing self-competence and self-deficiency, the daughter can change her direction of life, to resist the oppression from society and to construct her self-freedom. The principal points in sisterhood; inter-subjective dialogue critiques and sheer disruption, will help women to develop her self-identity. Sisterhood allows transformation and revolutionary change in womens perspective about their self- freedom and identity. A woman is no longer defined as the passive and subjugated figure, but as the speaking subject who has her own self-freedom in expressing manner and thought.

1.5 Thesis Outline

This study divides the discussion into five chapters. The first chapter is a part of introduction which discusses the background of the study, research questions, objective of the study, urgency of the study, and thesis outline. The PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI second chapter consists of review of related studies that includes previous studies conducted toward Bowen‟s The Death of the Heart and review of related theories regarding several thoughts and theories relate to mother-daughter relationship, the social construction of identity and sisterhood. The third chapter is problematizing Portia‟s social construction of womanhood, while the fourth chapter discusses sisterhood as resistance toward the social construction of womanhood. The last chapter is the conclusion of this study. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 14 CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Review of Related Studies

Based on the general issue of patriarchal mothering and social construction of womanhood in Bowens The Death of the Heart, some critics have evaluated the novel‟s emphasis on the effect of mothering and symbolic law toward the construction of Portia‟s identity. Literary critics who see the issue of mother- daughter‟s bond as a negative effect on the development of Portia‟s identity are Victoria Warren, Neil Corcoran, Barbara Seward, and Alfred McDowell. Other critics, such as David Daiches, Alfred McDowell, and Bettany Chaffin have focused their analysis on the symbolic law which constructs gender identity for women, and its negative effect to women‟s self-freedom. Mothering and symbolic law are analyzed by those critics using the psychoanalytic theory which emphasizes the lack of phallus as the reason for Portias shift to the symbolic father. Therefore, the evaluation based on psychoanalytic theory shows the failure of the mother and the symbolic father in constructing Portias subjectivity. The primary mother and secondary symbolic father identification do not provide autonomy and nurturance for Portia. Thus to liberate Portia from those two identifications, another critic, Neil Corcoran, has analyzed the role of substituted mother Matchett who helps Portia return to her repressed desire, to revisit the childish memory and to re-feel maternal attachment. Therefore, Corcoran‟s study does not completely reveal Portia‟s self-freedom because of the dominant role of