her Superior Mother may react. It can be seen from her speech with Father Kuzdek Murphy1972: 164.
“Have you spoken to Mother Superior about this?” “N…” Her voice failed and she began again. “No, Father.”
“Do you feel that you should?” “I’m … I’m afraid to.”
“But Sister Agnes is your spiritual advisor. You must place your trust in her.”
“I don’t think she’ll believe that this all started a long time ago, way before I ever spoke to this man about anything personal.” p. 145
The problem that Sister Regina faces really disturbs her life. Because of that, she wants to tell her family by letter. Again, she does not do that for every letter
will be read by Sister Agnes before being sent. But the letter went unposted, because once again their Constitution dictated
that all outgoing mail be placed, unsealed on the superior’s desk. Sister Regina put the letter away in her drawer, resenting the fact that she could
never send it, adding yet another notch on her tally of repressions. p. 148
Considering that matter, Sister Regina postpones to tell her family. Meanwhile, she continues her life and does not forget to pray, asking any solution
to God. When she goes to school as usual, she sees Sister Mary Charles punishing a student with her strip of rubber. Sister Regina feels angry to Sister Mary Charles.
She hates Sister Mary Charles but she never shows it up because Sister Mary Charles is her senior. Sister Regina does not do anything to save the students from
Sister Mary Charles. From her manner, it can be seen that Sister Regina is not brave to oppose her senior, Sister Mary Charles Murphy, 1972: 173.
She pictured what was happening and hated it. Her anger flared and she questioned who was sinning, herself for blaming Sister Mary Charles, or
Mary Charles for venting her wrath on that boy. Sister Regina had a theory that Mary Charles was a frustrated old maid who’d never had a proposal of
marriage and had grown more and more bitter over it as the years advanced. p. 174
4.2 Sister Regina’s Maternal Instinct
As a nun, Sister Regina has lived in convent with the other nuns since she was a child. Thus, since that time, she has been isolated from outer life, including
her family and people outside the convent. Every nun has to take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. One of the
rules is obedience that forbids Sister Regina to be too close to the seculars. However, the nuns still can do social activity to serve God like teaching in school.
That is what Sister Regina does. She is a teacher of parochial school. In this school, she teaches the third grade students, and through her job she can have
communication with other people outside the convent. Sister Regina is known as a good and patient teacher in facing her students.
She understands well the behaviors usually happened in teenage. Considering that, she knows how to face or treat them. p. 18
As said above, the Holy Rule forbids every nun become too close to the seculars. This is the most difficult for Sister Regina to swallow. Dealing with
children makes her have some special students in her heart. However, she keeps trying to be neutral. But, at this time, she has an unusual situation. One of her
students has just lost her mother. Knowing that, Sister Regina takes a very pity on her and also feels scared. Sister Regina knows well the woman who just died. That
woman is Krystyna, Mr. Olсzak’s wife, the janitor of the school. She keeps questioning why it has to happen to Krystyna. She is too soon to leave her sweet
daughters and her husband. Sister Regina feels scared imagining the children’s reaction when they know the truth.
Horror had sent her heart clubbing at the thought of those two little girls in the classroom behind her and this hardworking and gentle man with whom
they were all so familiar. p. 20
Sister Regina’s favorite students, Anne and Lucy, are Mr . Olсzak’s children
whose wife just passed away. As a teacher, especially a nun, she is not allowed to play-favorite with her students. However, Sister Regina cannot deny herself that she
likes those children better than the others. It is now her duty to call them because her father is waiting for them to tell that their mother is died.
Sister Regina touched her on the shoulder and felt a welling inside such a she’d never experienced before, made up of empathy and love for this child
who had blithely bid her mother goodbye this morning with absolute trust that she’d be there at home waiting at the end of the school day. p. 22
From the statement above, it can be seen that there is something special bursting from Sister Regina’ heart when she touches Anne’s shoulder. This kind of
feeling suddenly comes out and she does not know the reason. As cited by Feist 2006: 24, Freud says that unconsciousness relates to phenomena that we are
unaware of. This is exactly the same as what Sister Regina feels. Sister Regina is used to pushing
her special affinity to Olсzak’s children, but at this time, when she makes a physical contact with her, she suddenly feels a feeling she never had
before. Sister Regina feels something she does not understand. Since that time, Sister Regina’s motherhood starts growing. According to
Freud, as cited by Feist 2006: 24, instincts are beyond our awareness but nevertheless motivate most of our words, feelings, and actions. It is like a dynamo
that gives us energy. In the novel, we can see that Sister Regina has a strong desire to hug those children, an attitude the Holy Rule forbids. Although hugging is only
her dream, but Sister Regina is sure that buy giving them a hug she can comfort the PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
