Theoretical Framework Criticism THEORETICAL REVIEW

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C. Theoretical Framework

This part explains briefly the contribution of the theories in analyzing and solving the problems of the study. This study involves the explanation on Postcolonial Literature, theory of Place and Displacement and theory of Cultural Identity to answer both the first and second research questions. Using these theories, the writer will be able to describe the main characters’ portrayed in those three short stories the first research question and to analyze the experience in exile, experienced by the main characters in those three short stories the second research question. The explanation on Postcolonial Literature provides important background to comprehend the text, while the theory of Place and Displacement offers great help to identify the ‘exile’ experiences, experienced by those main characters since it tells about the reason why the ‘dislocation’ feeling appears in those main characters in three short stories analyzed. In addition, the theory of Cultural Identity presents the way to analyze the main characters’ difficulties in facing the new environments and their struggle whether to maintain their cultural identity, or even resist against it. The Postcolonial Approach then is used as a tool to analyze the text since it relates much on the postcolonial reading.

D. Criticism

Once a literary work published for public, it may generate compliments, comments, suggestion or even critics from the readers. Like what was written in PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 18 the essay derived from Voices of the Gaps which were submitted by Nicholas Gipe, Lindsay Greco, Geri Spencer and Jackie Yang. They criticized Jhumpa Lahiri as ‘a popular young writer of Indian background who is a sort of representative figure for non-immigrant Americans who do not fully understand what it means to straddle the line between two cultures’. In an interview with India-West, Lahiri admits: “I am lucky that I am between two worlds. I do not really know what a distinct South Asian identity means. I do not think about that when I write, I just try to bring a person to life”. Thus, one main reason for Lahiri’s success as a writer is ‘because she writes for herself; she does not have critics or peers in mind when writing; she just writes’ http:voices.cla.umn.eduartistpageslahiri_jhumpa.php, accessed on December 15, 2010. Furthermore, it is said that Lahiri is able to demonstrate her point in writing by merely mentioning the issue that a character is facing and also able to draw her readers into the story not only through her detail but also by making them feel the emotional, physical, and mental needs of the characters. All nine of the stories in Interpreter of Maladies focus on the characters inability to communicate with people who are important in their lives. Another impressive aspect of Lahiris writing is her ability to write in the voices of both genders. This method of narration gives her the ability to balance the gender representation in her book http:voices.cla.umn.eduartistpageslahiri_jhumpa.php, accessed on December 15, 2010. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 19 Those three short stories, Mrs. Sen’s, This Blessed House and The Third and Final Continent are compiled in one book entitled Interpreter of Maladies with other six stories. All stories contain themes of conflict in relationships between couples, families and friends. Through these relationships she explores ideas of isolation and identity, both personal and cultural. The characters in both works frequently encounter crises of identity, which are tied to their inabilities to reconcile their American identity with their Indian identity. Particularly in the short fiction of Interpreter of Maladies, Lahiri often leaves these crises unresolved. As a result, her work gives us a rather bleak outlook on the future of her characters. We might imagine that this reflects some of Lahiris concerns about their real-life analogues. She often correlates her characters cultural isolation with extreme personal isolation, suggesting that the cultural isolation causes the personal. The instances in which this cultural isolation are resolved or avoided are generally accompanied by a similar resolution or avoidance of personal isolation http:voices.cla.umn.eduartistpageslahiri_jhumpa.php, accessed on December 15, 2010. Other remarks to Lahiri’s works come from Dr. Jaya Lakhsmi Rao V. She said that ‘Miss Lahiri’s endeavor to interpret the maladies of the mind that people suffer from and the unique manner in which she makes them realize their own flaws, certainly merit the Prize and the prestige she won with her maiden volume of short fiction’. With a remarkable insight she delves deep into the psychological depths of her characters and reveals their inner world by a fascinating yet deceptively simple style. We come across more reality than fancy in her fiction. It is hardly an exaggeration to say that her interpretation of the maladies itself acts like a potent medicine. Yet they are interesting and often make humorous studies of life http:www.cc.gatech.edu~vempalafamilyLahiri.html, accessed on December 15, 2010. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 20 The last comment comes from Anita George, who emphasizes on the issue of dual culture live in one body. She said that ‘Lahiri provides one shining example that raising a family with two different sets of cultural values can work, and that creating a single, cohesive identity out of the duality is the key to such success’ http:www.helium.comitems1131538-indian-american-immigration- literary-analysis-the-final-continent-jhumpa, accessed on December 15, 2010. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 21

CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY

This chapter will be divided into three parts. The first one is the Object of the Study. It describes the short stories that will be analyzed. The second is the Approach of the Study. It discusses the approach employed in the analysis, the description of the approach, the reason of selecting the approach and the procedure of the application of the approach. The last part is Procedure. It explains the steps in analyzing the three short stories chosen.

A. Object of the Study

The three short stories explored in this study are entitled Mrs. Sen’s, This Blessed House and The Third and Final Continent written by Jhumpa Lahiri, an Indian American author. Those stories can be found in a compilation called Interpreter of Maladies which contains nine short stories in total. It was published in India by HarperCollins in 1999. This compilation of short stories received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2000. Mrs. Sen’s tells the story of an Indian woman who takes a job as a babysitter for eleven-year old boy named Eliot while her husband is busy working. She defines herself as a ‘professor’s wife, responsible and kind, I will care for your child in my home 111’. She cares for Eliot when he is at her place. The only problem is that she cannot drive. Mr. Sen, who teaches mathematics at PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI