“Uncle likes her best,” I said resentfully “He likes nobody. But he wonders how far she might go.”
TOBG p, 234 It is very clear that family obsession can turn someone into stone hearted beast
which presses other member of family in order to fulfill his needs. He is no longer assuming that the other member of a family is a human, he assuming that they are a
tool to fulfill his obsession. We can see that very clear when Uncle Howard turns into Anne to get the king. It is all because he saw Anne as more useful tool than Mary. He
saw Anne as a very bright way to lead him to get his obsession. And he would not let it go; he is too smart and too blind to not use Anne in this big challenging task of the
family. This is where family obsession turns into her and Anne is more than ready to do it.
b. Ambition
Human needs have functioned to help the human survive and live. This is the very basic understanding of human needs. But by the time is changing and so are the
human needs. In the beginning, they just need food, clothes and shelter from the weathers but by the development of human civilization, they need a lot of needs for
their life such as variety flavor of food, lavish house, sophisticated vehicles to ride, or most fashionable clothes to wear. These needs also can give them prestige as a person,
and hoping to get more respect from the society. And to get those things human need to have a lot of money to buy them. Based on those matters, many people try hard to
get better life to fulfill their needs. Human thinks that material can give them a lot of satisfaction. They can get
popularity, achievement, prosperity and respect from other human with material success. Since human only focuses on material and the way how to get the material to
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get the happiness and success, some people choose the wrong way against the moral values. It becomes no matter right or wrong as long as they get their purpose, in this
occasion, material success. And this is why human turns into a very ambition creature. Ambition is the desire for personal achievement. It provides the motivation
and determination necessary to help give direction to life. Ambitious people seek to be the best at what they choose to do for attainment, power, or superiority
httpwww.wikipedia.com, accessed on 1 August 2010. It can be concluded that people who have ambition on their mind or who already controlled by their own
ambition can do anything to make their ambition become real. They become self- centered person who doesn’t care about other people’s life. As long as they get what
they really want to get, although it brings devastation to other people, they are blinding themselves. The goal of this ambition is a very pure of pride and self
satisfaction. In The Other Boleyn Girl, Gregory depicts what can bring satisfaction in
human’s life. In the early life of 16
th
century in England, human classification is truly happened. There was a kind of stratification based on material which appeared social
classes to distinguish a person from high social class to low social class person. These differences off course brings unbalance is that period of social life. As a human being
that always tries to find out the best way of living, material is a really a matter of a measures. People try so hard to gain more and more material in order to taking part in
being a high social class people. This kind of desire mostly leads them into a very deep ambition to make it comes true.
Anne Boleyn is the very perfect example of self ambition. She is really eager to have the king as her husband in order to become the queen of England.
“So I shall be queen.” Anne said dreamily TOBG p,258
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Anne Boleyn already blind with her own ambition to become the queen of England. She is just like a selfish self centered fox, which will do anything to get what
on her mind. She doesn’t care about other feeling, even though it is her own sister feeling. Although for the first time the King already desires Mary, Anne tries to pull it
back to her. Her ambition leads her to cruelty. “I was born to be your rival,” she said simply TOBG p, 196
The quotation above is just like a very out loud speaks which stated that Anne is ready to bit her own sister. She is not ready to be defeated by her own sister Mary.
This is one of the symptoms that someone already mastered by ambition. A person would not let anyone bit him in processes to get what he wants; even it is his own
family. Anne already shouts an open invitation with her sister to fight to win king’s heart. And surely this championship brings Anne to become more eager to get her
ambition. It is natural where people get more exited when there is a competitor. Anne positioned Mary as her competitor and the goal is Anne should be the winner.
And Anne is not stupid, she armed herself with such good things to increase her quality as a women. Here Gregory tries to say that there are some good things
from being ambitious. In Anne’s case for example, to get what she wants she completed herself with good things to make it easier to her to fulfill her ambition.
People tend to armed themselves when they are going to go to a battle field. It is all about preparation. Mostly losers become a loser because they are lack of
preparation. Skill is taking a part, but without a preparation it will just taken apart. When people are full of preparation, then they are ready to compete. And Anne
Boleyn is more than ready to compete with her sister Mary. She met his look with her quiet confidence. “I was reared in
the most fashionable court in the world,” she said. “And I was not idle. I watched everything, and I learned all there
was to see. I know what is needed here.” TOBG p, 29
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Anne is smart girl though. She knows what is she doing, and she knows how to get what she wants. She knows how to make her family believe on her, and she
really knows how to make other people attracted on her. This is all because Anne is really confidence with herself. Moreover her ambition pushes her to be very
confidence which in some people point of view this is called pride.
“Why should I not do that?” I demanded passionately.” What makes you think that you could hold him and I could
not?”
Anne looked at me with her perfectly beautiful face as lovely as if it carved from ice. “Because the woman who
manages him will be one who never stops fro a moment remembering that she is there for strategy. You are all ready
for pleasures for bed and board. But the woman who manages Henry will know that her pleasure must be in
managing his thoughts, every minutes of the day. It would not marriage of sensual lust at all, though Henry would
think that was what he was getting. It would be affair of unending skill.” TOBG p, 53-54
From the quotation above it can get a clear understanding that Anne purpose to marry with Henry is not because she loves her. It is all because Henry is a king, and
Anne thinks that if she marries with Henry she might control his thoughts as well as the future of England. Although she knows that it is so hard to winning the king and
becoming the queen of England. Moreover because her aim is just for power and no love, she already prepared herself for no joy during the marriage with the. It is all just
about obsession, power and how to make it comes true. Anne paused before opening he door. “You don’t marry a
king for joy.” TOBG p, 199
Anne already desires Henry since the beginning of The Other Boleyn Girl novel, but it is not that clear. Gregory tries to make it as a color of grey to make it
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more interesting. But still it shown and still from the very beginning Anne’s purpose is not love, but power to control and manage the king. In this very beginning of the
novel Anne still tries to represents her family to get her ambition. It means that she tried to say that it is not hers but family’s ambition.
“I’m surprised you don’t try for him yourself.” “I thought of it,” she said honestly.” Any woman in
England today would be bound to think of it.” “What matters is that one of us catching the king. It hardly
matters which one. If his taste is for Mary and she has his acknowledgement son then my family becomes the first in
the kingdom. Without rival. And we can do it. We can manage the king.” TOBG p, 59
For some people being labeled with ambitious person is not a good thing. But for
Anne, she no longer cares. She already deaf, blind, and stone hearted because of her ambition. Ambition brings such a sense of human degradation in Anne’s life. It is
slowly corrupted a human side of Anne such as shame. She turned her head away. “If he’d been a proper man he’d
have gone on loving me,” she said, her voice harsh. “If I had been the other way round I’d never have married while
my lover was free. He gave in, he let me go. I’ll never forgive him. He’s dead for me. I can be dead for him. All I
want o do is to get out of his grave and get back to the court. All that there is left for me is ambition.” TOBG p,
168
The first person who feels Anne’s ambition is Mary. She is the one who Anne tries to
defeat. Her ambition raises a feeling of hate in Mary’s heart. Mary already in love with the king, and then Anne come along with her ambition to get the king away from
Mary’s hand. There is no doubt why this all of ambitious things ended with a hate in Mary’s heart.
“I hate her.” I said simply. “I could happily watch her die of her ambition.” TOBG p, 234
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This is a very strong statement shows how Mary’s feeling about Anne. She feels
betrayed by her own sister. She feels so hurtful and tries to change her kindness to Anne into hate. Anne’s ambition brings misery not just for Mary but also for herself.
How does it feels to be hated by your own sister and that’s what Anne feels now. Mary’s behavior changes rapidly to Anne. She no longer gives a kindness nor a
respect to her. She left Anne with her own ambition and loneliness. While actually Anne really needs her at her side. She uses to be very arrogant to confess that she
needs Mary, but her condition asked her to confess. “Where are you going?”
“Hever. Uncle Howard says I can.” “But what about me?” She demanded.
At the desperate one in her voice I looked at her more closely. “What about you? You have everything. What in
God’s name do you wan more?” TOBG p, 272
“Mary” Anne’s voice was sharp “I heard you,” I said, not turning my head.
“Look at me” I glance up at her
“You have to come back with me, I can’t manage without you.” “I don’t see why---“TOBG p, 306
From the quotation above, Mary coldness brings misery to Anne. She feels
abandoned, and alone. But with what she did to Mary, seems like it is worth it. Anne’s ambition already brings her a misery at the first place. She abandoned by people that
she love and use to be used. Loneliness always comes to her, and slowly it is killing her inside.
Anne’s ambition is not just making Mary as a victim, but also George. When George tries to tell Anne who he really are, Anne’s respond is very disappointed him. This is
happened when George confessed that he felt in love with a man.
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But her advice was not for his benefit. “You endanger me.” She said. “The king’ll never marry me if you bring shame
to us.”
“Is that it?” he demanded, in sudden rage. “Is that all that matters? Not that I am in love and tumbled like a fool into
sin. Not that I can never be happy, married to a snake and in love with a heartbreaker, but only, only, that Mistress Anne
Boleyn’s reputation must be without blemish? TOBG p, 295
Anne’s ambition makes her forgot how exactly to behave. George as her brother
needs her in order to give such a care and attention to what is he facing now. In the 16
th
century, being a gay is a very hard sin and can bring a hard punishment to whoever had it in their life. George is a gay, he is still fragile of it, unconfidence and
afraid, he hopes that his sister especially Anne, can give her such a suggestion about his problem. But in fact Anne is just thinking about her own goods.
Anne Boleyn’s ambition again brings misery to her life. She no longer cares about other person’s life even it is her own brother. She becomes very selfish and self
centered. Whatever brings good to her she will cares and whatever will brings bad to her in order to fulfill her ambition, she will tries to solve it and make it never appear.
Anne’s first thought after getting the queen and becomes a queen of England is she will very happy. Everything will be under her control, even the king himself. She
thought that her family will be untouched as the most powerful family in the United Kingdom. Unfortunately she is wrong.
After getting Henry on her arms and becomes the queen of England, everything starts harder. Anne has to pay more attention and give more efforts to
make her still catching Henry’s attention. It is also to prevent Henry from seeking to other girl. And it makes her exhausted.
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She quivered in his grip and then the anger went out of her and her shoulders slumped. “I’m so tired,” she whispered.
TOBG p, 286 Anne is almost gives up to everything. Moreover people at the court know that
Anne’s plan and ambition is no longer works. They already knew that Anne already tried so hard to get the king. And the worse are they know that King Henry looses his
desires to Anne, and this derives Anne crazy. Everywhere else we were on unending public show.
Everyone watched Anne for the slightest clue that the king was loosing interest, or he had finally had her. TOBG p,
286
Social judgment also happens to Anne. People in the court an outside the court never agree that she is their queen. They think that she is a witch and a whore at the same
time. But Anne and the Boleyn’s ambition had opened a great
crack in that unity and now everyone could see in to the void. And the king was married to a woman who knew
desire, ambition, and greed and longed fro satisfaction. TOBG p, 527
“They would be saying that se must have some sin on her soul, some dealing with the devil or some witchcraft,” he
said flatly. TOBG p, 549
Even the women at the dockside shouted “Whore” at Anne during Queen Katherine’s trial. TOBG p, 652
In the The Other Boleyn Girl, the setting of the 16
th
century shows very clear that divorced is can not allowed. England has a very strong relationship to Rome and to
Catholic Church. In Catholic divorce is not allowed, and by what happened to King Henry and Queen Katherine’s marriage, people think that Anne Boleyn is a whore and
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a witch at the same time. How come Henry divorces his wife and turns into Anne and said that his marriage with Katherine is consummated. They blame Anne for this they
blame Anne for everything. Henry’s beloved citizens can not accept what Anne did to Henry and to their lovely
queen, Katherine. In their mind there is only one queen and she is Queen Katherine. Anne is a witch and a whore and she can not be accepted to be a Queen of England.
The people would never forgive. Queen Katherine maybe all but prisoner in the cold marshes of Huntingdonshire, but
she was not forgotten. TOBG p, 527 Anne feels very disrespectful, and it’s not just come from the society but also from the
king himself. King Henry also thinks that the woman whom he married with is a whore and he regrets his marriage with Anne. He feels that he already being fooled by
Anne with so many tricks Anne used to use to have him with her. Moreover Anne’s ambition to keep Henry still with her, leads her to a position where she can not
manage her temper and it makes Henry sick of it all. “No,” he said coldly. “If I had a horse as bad tempered-as
you I would feed it to the dogs.” TOBG p, 579
“It is you who are a whore, not her” he shouted. “Don’t think I have forgotten what you will do to get into a king’s
lap. Jane Seymour will never know half the tricks you used on me, madam French tricks Whore tricks. They no longer
enchant me, but I don’t forget them. TOBG p, 584
Off course these denial, hate, and mocking brings stress to Anne. She feels very lonely like nobody on earth cares to her. At this moment Gregory portrays the very
sharp and bright scene in her novel that Anne’s ambition already shows its impact to her personal life. She becomes very lonely, careless and hatred.
….In truth, at the moment, she is the loneliest woman on the world. TOBG p, 523
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“Do I have to be always alone?” Anne demanded. “Walk alone, pray alone, bed alone?”TOBG p, 581
Even if Anne tries to ask for a help to her family, they already turns back and no
longer see her. They knew that Anne ambition is jut her ambition, not them. They use to think that she is doing her ambition in the name of the family. Bu they get it all
wrong. She walks alone, she just making her family as her tools to fulfill her ambition. Here Gregory tries to emphasize that ambitious person is always working
for himself, and considering other people as his tools to get what he wants. I turned my head and looked out the window. I knew I
looked sullen. “And where do you think Anne will take you?” I burst out. “She won’t work for the good for the
family, she won’t do as she is bid. She’ll go for her own profits and her own land and her own titles.” TOBG p,
248
This is the worse part of being abandoned because of ambition. Anne firstly hated by
her own sister, and then her society and by the King, and the last is by her family. Anne already knows that it is all because her own fault. But she is too pride to ask
forgiveness. She is the queen of England, and she is not going to ask for an apologize. Her ambition corrupts another part of human’s side in Anne’s life, humble. But
actually Anne is too tired of all of this, and somehow she whispered to herself that she needs a death.
She did not open her eyes. “I shall sleep”. She whispered. “And I wish to God that I could never wake up.” TOBG p,
547 Anne already shows her hopelessness and becomes so weak. In desperateness of
loosing people that she loves she still thinking how to manipulate the king and not loosing him. In order to be untouched she has to give an heir to Henry. No matter how
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big Henry’s hate to her, as long as she gives him an heir she will be untouched. Nobody can argue her position as a queen. And this is the goal of her ambition.
Gregory tries to show in her novel that Anne’s ambition leads her to a very mad plan of her own. People who leads by ambition can do whatever it takes to make his dream
comes true, and so does Anne. She loses her child so many times, while without a son her position becomes very fragile. Anne already tried to get laid with the king but
Henry already lose his desires to Anne “Some nights he cannot do it. Some nights he can not get
hard at all. it’s disgusting. I have to lie underneath him while he haves around and sweats and grunts. And then he
gets angry, and he is angry with me As if I had nothing to do with it” TOBG p, 535
This situation leads Anne to make up a mad and a very risky plan. In order to get an
heir Anne tries to search for another lover even she tries to have sex with her own brother George. Anne already loses her mind, her ambition leads her to something
really terrible and far away from human’s habit. Anne losses her worth as a woman, as a human and as a Queen. And the source of it is because of her ambition.
This very mad plan at last unveiled by the King. And Anne ended her life by being beheaded. And the worse is, she is beheaded by her own husband. As a king it is
Henry’s duty to give a statement to somebody. Without any sorry nor regret Henry asked Anne to be beheaded.
Behind her he executioner’s went up and up and up in the morning light. Even then, I look toward the watergate for
Henry to come. And then the sword come like a flash of lightning, and then her head was off her body and the long
rivalry between me and the other Boleyn girl was over. TOBG p, 659
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Anne Boleyn tries so hard to get her ambition comes true. She is nothing but a woman who mastered by ambition of materialism in order to have power and rising her social
class. Although she tries so hard to overcoming her dream all that she got just hatred from other people, loneliness, misery and death to herself.
Ambition also corrupts a sense of human in her life. He becomes very greedy, selfish, self-centered, shameless, too proud of herself and never think about other
people’s life even it is her own family. Anne turns into beast which ready to use people as her dolls and tools to get what she wants. Bu until the end of her life she
never ever feels the benefits of being ambitious and materialist. Although she become what she wants to be a Queen of England, but it never pleased her. All that she got is
just misery and ended with death.
4.2. The Impact of Anne Boleyn’s Materialism to the Other Major Character George Boleyn
