of realizing her identity as the Olinkan people. Then, she is married to Adam, the son of missionaries. Because of undergoing the female circumcision, her
characteristics change. She has a grudge to her circumciser. Her trauma returns to her. The change reaches its peak when she kills her circumciser which results in
her being given sentenced to death by the court.
B. Approach of the Study
This research uses the postcolonial approach. Since this research focuses on the tradition and identity crisis in the story, this approach is preference. According
to Barry, “postcolonial criticism draws attention to issues of cultural difference in literary texts,”so that this theory is appropriate to the issue in this research Barry,
2002: 198. Postcolonialism is used to analyse the effect of colonialism during and after
the colonialism era, so that it can be used in this research. In the novel of
Possessing the Secret of Joy
, colonization still happens in Africa through people cultures and mind. As some American missionaries go to some villages in Africa,
they colonize the native people using their value. The native people are oppressed indirectly by the American missionaries.Tashi, the main character, mingles with
the missionaries even she is married to their son, Adam. From this point, Tashi experiences what people called as hybridity. It makes this approach is relevant to
analyse the hybridity condition in Africa. In addition, Barry in his
Beginning Theory
mentions four characteristics of postcolonial criticism.
There are “an awareness of representations of the non- European as exotic or immoral „Other‟”, language, hibridity, and „cross-cultural‟
contact Barry, 2002: 194- 196.These characteristics are included in the story so, it is appropriate to use post-colonial approach in this research.
C. m
Method of the Study
The researcher uses a library research to conduct the definition of female circumcision, tribal tradition, and identity crisis. The primary source is Alice
Walker‟s novel entitled
Possessing the Secret of Joy
. The researcher uses printed resources such as books, journals, and thesis, also internet resources such as
internet sites; as the secondary source. There are some book that the researcher mostly uses, there are
Beginning Theory
2002,
Fiction
1991,
How to AnalyzeFiction
1966, and
Colonialism Postcolonialism
2007. The researcher began the analysis with close reading of the novel. Then, the
researcher read and collected theories and supportive data from books, journals, internet sites, thesis or other resources. After that, the researcher analysed the
intrinsic element of the novel using character and setting. By postcolonial approach, the researcher used postcolonial theory to elaborate the work and the
supporting data. The last, the researcher made a conclusion of the analysis. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
