Lillian and Jay who always feel comfortable to talk and share their problem with Djuna. Djuna can always shelter people in any condition.
Besides, the author presents Djuna as a lesbian. Djuna has no interest to establish a relationship with man. She chooses being lesbian as her sexual
preference because she argues that men will not give women any opportunity to prove their strength. Therefore when Djuna meets Lillian whose equal power with
her, Djuna is attracted to Lillian. Djuna and Lillian’s relationship is a relationship
between two women whom both enjoy presenting devotion and affection. Her lesbian side is also shown through her action of denying Jay’s love. Djuna’s
hunger of love can only be fulfilled by the love of women.
a. Djuna’s Characteristics as Seen from Her Relationship with Men
Djuna has the quality of independent woman. Independence means a
freedom from outside control and someone who is considered as independent has hisher own self-governing. In her life, Djuna dreams of a society being free from
male domination. She hasan irresponsible father who abandons her into an orphan assylum. Having irresponsible father has built independent characteristic within
herself as described in the following description: Whatever was missing she became: she became mother, father, cousin, brother, friend, confidant, guide,
companion to all. This power of absorption, this sponge of receptivity which might have fed itself forever to fill the early want 1995: 40. Influenced by her
independent characteristic, Djuna has never been attached to someone in a courtship as she grows up. She does not believe in what being called as natural
relationship which involves man and woman, specifically in relationship with man.
Djuna wants to freely pursue her desire with no obstacle from her surroundings. Therefore, she avoids maternal and marriage life because she thinks
that both of those things will limit her freedom. This proves that Djuna is self- governed woman. In patriarchal society, it can be said that women are demanded
to provide society with children and it can be done legally through marriage. Marriage is considered as women’s function to satisfy a male’s sexual needs and
to take care of his household. These duties placed upon woman by society are regarded as a service rendered to her spouse Beauvoir, 1989: 427.
After marriage, women are obligated to raise children. This is then being said as natural calling for women. Yet some feminists argue that women should
have freedom to choose their own life without being limited by society assumption. Beauvoir in her book states that there is nothing natural in such
obligation; nature can never dictate a moral choce; this implies an engagement, a promise to be carried out. To have a child is to undertake as solemn obligation
1989: 522. Djuna’s decision to avoid maternal life also comes from her bad childhood
memory of being abandoned by her father. She has to take care over her siblings. All the obligation in her family has set her unfree. She can not have the same
rights as the other children because she is put into an orphan assylum. In the orphan, she has to look after her siblings. Djuna becomes mother, father, brother,
guide and companion for her siblings. Therefore, when she is grown up, she PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
obviously avoids maternal life such as raising or taking care of children becauseshe thinks that it will make her imprisoned with all the solemn obligation.
It is shown in her dialogue with Lillian: If they talked about her children and Djuna said: I never liked real children,
only the child in the grown-up, Lillian aswered: you should have had children.
“But I lack the maternal feeling for children, Lillian, though I haven’t lacked the maternal experience. There are plenty of children, abandoned children
right in the so-called grown-ups. While you, well you are a real mother, you have a real maternal capacity. You are the mother type. I am not. I only like
being a mistress. I don’t even like being a wife.” 1995: 46. Despite her independent characteristic, Djuna owns feminine characteristic
which is shown through her generousity and empathy. These feminine characteristics comfort her surroundings as one of them is Jay. One day, Jay
comes to Djuna and tells the problem in his relationship with Lillian. Djuna can calm and listen to Jay when he ne
eds a place to shelter on. It is shown in Jay’s statement toward Djuna:
“As if you expected a miracle every day. I can’t let you go now. I want to go places with you, obscure little places, just to be able to say: here I came
Djuna. I’m insatiable, you know. I’ll ask you for the impossible. What it is, I don’t know. You’ll tell me probably,. You’re quicker than I am. And you’re
the first woman with whom I feel I can be absolutely sincere. You make happy because I can talk with you. I felt at ease with you. This is a little
drunken but you know what I mean. You always seem to know what I
mean” 1995: 75. Jay’s statement above shows that Djuna’s feminine characteristics which are
soft and empathetic can comfort him. Jay can not find such the sincere feelings with Lillian because he argues that Lillian is just too powerful. Another feminine
side of Djuna is shown from her appearance which can impress Jay. “Your dress is green like a princess,” he said, “ I could swear it is a green I
have never seen before and will never see again. I could swear the garden is PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
made of cardboard, that the trembling of the light behind you comes from the footlights, that the sounds are music. You are almost transparent there,
like the mist of perfume you are throwing yourself. Throw more perfume on yourself, like a fixative on a water color. Let me have the atomizer. Let me
put perfume all over you so that you won’t disappear and fade like a water color.” 1995: 77.
Yet, Djuna does not interested with Jay or any other relationship with men. She refuses Jay and continues her relationship with Lillian.
