that a true feminist should not limit herself to a certain sexual encounters. Further, she notes that feminists theory takes the view that pornography does not, in fact,
violate the norms of heterosexuality but operates to sustain them 1995: 212.
b. Radical Cultural Feminism
Radical cultural feminists believe that women are better than men. They differ from radical libertarians who raise the idea of being androgynous, these
radical-cultural feminists express the view that it is better to be femalefeminine than it is to be malemasculine. Thus, women should not try to be like men instead
they should try to be more like women by emphasizing women values.Radical cultural feminists argue that femininity is better than masculinity. Women should
pursue gender equality with feminity and sexual relation must relate with emotions not just pleasure.
She rejected the pluralist model of androgyny, according of women and men have separate but supposedly equal and complementary traits, and the
assimilation model of androgyny, according to which women and men exhibit feminine as well as maculine traits. As she saw it, both of these
models of androgyny were deficient because neither of them asked whether the concepts of masculinity and feminity are worth preserving 2009: 59.
Besides, they
view pornography as women’s sexual abuse where women are put as the object of men’s sexual pleasure. Pornography basicly leads to sexual
harassment which ables men to opress women. Radical cultural feminists reject all forms of pornography and prostitution because it is only connected with pleasure
and makes women as men’s sexual fulfillment Tong, 1998: 97-104. The difference of radical cultural feminism with radical libertarian feminism
is also located on reproduction system. While radical libertarian feminists think of PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
reproduction control towards women and supporting abortion, the radical cultural feminists states that womens oppression is not caused by female biology and
reproductive possibilities but rather by mens jealousy of womens reproductive abilities. That is why the radical cultural feminists reject reproduction control
towards women because it is linked as men’s control through woman’s natural ability.
C. Theoretical Framework
There are three theories which are used to analyze Ladders to Fire. Those are theory of character and characterization, theory of feminism, and theory of
radical feminism. Firstly, by using the theory of character and characterization, the writer analyzes the women’s characteristics in the novel which are revealed
through the dialogue and author’s descriptions. There are many women characters in Nin’s Ladders to Fire, yet the writer’s concern is only on the three women
characters who are Lillian and Djuna since they are the main characters in the novel. Their actions, dialogues, thought, and experiences are examined in order to
get deeper understanding of the characters, which is related to the concept of radical libertarian feminism.
Secondly, the theory of feminism is used to answer the second questionabout how Li
llian and Djuna’s characteristics reflect the ideas of radical libertarian feminism. Since the theory of feminism is various, the writer’s focus is
on radical libertarian feminism to make it specific. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
The radical libertarians encourage women to explore both feminine side and masculine side of themselves. They also concern
women’s freedom in all life aspects including sexual preference in social life. The ideas of radical libertarian
feminism can be seen in Ladders to Fire through how the women characters break the old custom of patriarchal society and let women have such freedom to fulfil
their passion and sexual preferences. The relation between women’s characteristics and their struggle shows that they reflect the idea of feminism,
particularly radical libertarian feminism. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
23
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
Ladders to Fire is a novel by Anais Nin, an American author, which consists of 190 pages. She was born on February 21 1903 to Cuban parents in France. Nin
spent her time in Spain and Cuba but lived most of her life in the United States where she became an author. As an author, Nin wrote many journals and books.
She was better known as a person who recorded everything in her diaries and regarded as one of finest erotic literature writers. For Anais Nin, her writing and
her life were not separable, they were both part of the same experience. She claimed that “it is the fiction writer who edited the diary” ohioswallow.com, June
28, 2016. Ladders to Fire was published in 1946 by Swallow Press in New York. This is the first volume of the series Cities of the Interior, the other four novels of
the series are Children of the Albatross 1947, The Four-Chambered Heart 1950, A Spy in the House of Love 1954, and Seduction of the Minotaur 1961.
Ladders to Fire reveals the struggle of two women named Lillian and Djuna to reach their true happiness and pursue their passions by having freedom in their
sexual preference. The author of this novel, Anais Nin, expressed herself through the women characters. In her life, Nin was well known as an erotica writer who
bravely wrote about sexual life. At that time, she could liberate herself from society’s limitation through her writings.
Nin’s works generally tell a story about how women fight toward sexism in that era. The explosion of the feminist movement in 1960s gave feminist
perspectives on Nin’s works. She had a special appeal to feminists yet Nin disassociated herself from the political movement at the moment. Noel Riley
Fitch, the author of Nin’s biography book, noted that Nin’s works has changed many women in the world and gives
different perspectives about women’s roles in the society.
“She would talk in very Lawrencian language about following your own desires and needs, living freely,” Fitch said. “Women still adore her. They
say she changed their lives.” news.usc.edu,August 9, 2016. Moreover, Fitch also quoted
a statement toward Nin’s works from Kate Millet, the author of Sexual Politics, “the first real portrait of the artists as a woman.”
Ladders to Fire is one of Anais Nin’s novels which has different attitude
about women’s sexual life in that era. This novel becomes the representation of how women fight toward sexism in the society. In this first volume of the series of
Cities of the Interior, Nin introduces all the characters who are Lilian, Djuna, Helen, Sabina and Jay, the male character. As Gunther Stuhlmann also states in
the foreword of Ladders to Fire that all characters are presented fully in the first volume, Ladders to Fire. They are developed later in the succeeding volumes. As
each book came out, however, it was received as if it were an independent novel Nin, 1946: ix.
Ladders to Fire is divided into two parts, the first part is This Hunger and continued with Bread and the Wafer. There are two main characters who are
Lillian and Djuna who struggle to pursue their passion and natural desire. They PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
