Using Different Point of View

116 Here are some data revealing children‟s opinion about tattoo, parents, mental illness, and divorce. The first is children‟s perception about tattoo. In this story, there are two groups of people who agree and disagree about tattoo. The ones who agree are Dolphin and Oliver. They see tattoo as a beautiful and artistic things. They do not care about society‟s way of seeing tattoo where it sees tattoo as a bad thing and people who have it are bad as well. Moreover, they want to have tattoo when they get older. The data supported are below. „I think your mum is so beautiful,‟ said Oliver. I stared at him hard to make sure he wasn‟t taking the mickey. But Oliver looked totally earnest , blinking rapidly, his long tufty fringe way past the rim of his glasses. „I think she‟s beautiful too,‟ I said. „I especially love her tattoos. They look so special. They‟re not a bit like the usual ordinary red and blue sort .‟ Wilson, 1999: 70 The datum above explains that Oliver loves tattoos. He thinks that Marigold‟s tattoos are special. In addition, he wants to cover his body with tattoos when he is grown up. It is proven by his sentence, „My tattoo,‟ said Oliver. „Oh I can‟t wait till I‟m grown up. I want to have tattoos all over Wilson, 1999: 136.‟ It indicates that Oliver as a child, see tattoo from an honest and pure perception. He honestly thinks that tattoo is a beautiful and artistic thing. The way Oliver thinks is just like children in general that they love something colorful and artistic. One more datum showing that children love tattoo is Dolphin‟s hope below. 117 No, as I got older my mousey hair would darken and I‟d be raven black at twenty, with my own green eyes outlined with sooty lashes. I‟d have clear white skin with just one exquisite secret tattoo on my shoulder, a little black witch Wilson, 1999: 156. One more datum showing that children love tattoo is Dolphin‟s hope above. The datum shows how Dolphin wants to have one exquisite secret tattoo when she has grown up in her 20s. She does not care about society‟s perception about tattoos. She knows people see Marigold as a bad person having so many tattoos, but she is not afraid to have tattoo when she is older. The way children see tattoo is also shown by another datum below. Brian and other students in Dolphin‟s class love tattoo which Dolphin makes for Brian. Even though it is only a drawing, not the real tattoo, but it is similar to a real tattoo. Well, I had to bribe him a little, inking a Death by Harley skull and bike tattoo on his forearm. It‟s the tiredest tattoo in the book—million of guys all over the world flash identical biceps —but Brian thought it dead original and seriously cool . Some other kids started clamouring me to tattoo them too Wilson, 1999: 128. The datum highlights on the words original and seriously cool and clamouring me to tattoo. It is told that Dolphin at first inks Brian a tattoo and the result is that Brian, as another child character in the story, thinks the tattoo is cool. After that, other kids in the class room together ask Dolphin to ink them tattoo as well. It shows the enthusiasm of children about tattoo. Just like Oliver and Dolphin, they see it as a beautiful, creative and artistic thing. They are very honest as they do not take society‟s consideration about tattoo. 118 However, as previously explained, there is one group of society that sees tattoo as a bad thing. Here, Dolphin describes those people‟s opinion, including Star who does not agree about tattoo that Marigold has. „You said it was sick and pathetic getting yourself tattooed again and again. You said you‟d save up for laser treatment to get them removed. You said ,‟ Star said, her voice raising. „I said a whole load of stuff to make you happy, darling. But I love all my tattoos. They‟re all so special to me. They make me feel special.‟ „They make you look like a circus freak,‟ said Star. There was sudden silence. We stood looking at each other in shock and embarrassment, hardly able to believe what Star had just said. Even Star seemed astonished. „OK, I‟m a freak,‟ said Marigold shakily. „I don‟t care. I don‟t have to conform to your narrow view of society, Star. I‟ve always lived my life on the outside edge ‟ „Now you‟re sounding like some corny old film. Why can‟t you act normal? Wilson, 1999: 13‟ The conversation between Star and Marigold indicates that Star is influenced by the society‟s point of view in seeing tattoo. She says that her mother is like a circus freak and it is very mean to say that. It indicates that people with tattoo, based on the society‟s perception, are freak. It is affirmed by Marigold‟s saying that Star has a narrow view of society and it proves Star has been influenced by the society in seeing tattoo from a narrow perception. Tattoo is not always bad and people having tattoo are not always bad. Her mother acts “differently” because she has mental disorder not because she has tattoo. Society has thought and talked about Marigold and her tattoo and it influences Star in thinking about her mother‟s tattoos as well. Marigold also understands that Star hates all of her tattoos and to make her happy, she 119 is willing to cover her body with paint. “„…But it will be better better better, no more tattoos, Star hated them, she hated me, but now they‟re gone, until the laser , could I use a razor? No, too red, I want white, pure light, th at‟s right…” Wilson, 1999: 158. Dolphin also tells how another character disagrees about tattoo. It is Miss Hill who sees tattoo as a bad thing, especially for children. She asks Brian to remove the tattoo Dolphin draws for him. Moreover, she warns all children in the class room not to have silly pictures all over themselves which mean tattoo. Miss Hill here is clearly under society‟s value in seeing tattoo as a bad thing. Another example can be seen from the below quotation. „Brian Barley What is that black all over your arm?‟ She didn‟t appreciate Brian‟s skin art. She sent him off to the cloakrooms to have a good scrub with soap . „And I‟m warning anyone else stupid enough to ink silly pictures all over themselves, I‟m quite prepared to bring a bar or carbolic soap and a scrubbing brush to school and I‟ll scrub it off myself Wilson, 1999: 129.‟ From the data above, it is seen how certain child characters think about tattoo differently and how society sees tattoo. They are observed by Dolphin and Dolphin reports those opinions to the readers. The point of view of children is also about parents. More specifically, Dolphin as the narrator, tells how she feels to be a child without a dad. She dee ply wants a family with a mother and a father figure. From Dolphin‟s 120 point of view which is very honest, Wilson wants the readers to understand how it feels not to have a father figure and how child wants to have a father badly. It seems reliable and more believable when it is told from Dolphin, the child character, instead of a third point of view as the readers can feel like real how she badly wants a father. The next example is from the datum below. I shushed, I settled, I stopped. I liked Mr Harrison so much…Whenever he was on playground duty they clustered round him and hung on his hand, like he was their dad. I wished he was my dad. I wrote a story called MY DAD Wilson, 1999: 132. The datum above presents how Dolphin as a child without father figure wants a father. She imagines if Mr. Harrison were her father as he is lovable and kind to all children. It shows how she deeply wants a father. Another datum below also shows how much she wants a father by imagining in her deep heart a father figure like Star who finds her biological father. Deep deep down I‟d always had this dream that one day I‟d meet my dad, my Micky, and he‟d be almost as good as the real first Micky and he‟d love me because I was his little girl, his Dolphin… It was such a deeply embarrassing dream that I hardly ever dared think it. I could feel my face going red. I knew it was sad and pathetic Wilson, 1999: 175. Even though Dolphin feels embarrassed to think about a father figure, she still imagines that someday she has a father. I liked a bright happy book too about a mum and a dad . The colours glowed inside the neat lines of the drawing. I traced round them with my finger. I tried to imagine what it would be like living n a picture book world where monsters are quelled by a look and you feel safe back in your own bed and you have a spotty mum and a stripy dad with big 121 smiles on their pink faces and they make you laugh Wilson, 1999: 67- 8. The datum above shows how Dolphin wants a complete family. Deep inside of her heart, she wants to have a mother and a father who can make her laugh. It is shown from the way she chooses a story. She chooses a story about a mother and a father which becomes a signal that she is longing for a perfect family with a mother and a father figure. The next thing that Dolphin tells to the readers from her point of view is the matter of divorce. From the conversation she has with Oliver, it is seen how children hate divorce since it means their parents have to live separated. Moreover, when their parents finally have another girlfriend or boyfriend, they hate it more. From this kind of point of view, the readers can understand how painfu l to be the victim of divorce since it is delivered from children‟s honest perspective. „So does mine,‟ said Oliver. „Headaches and crying and stuff. I have to extra quiet and make her a cup of tea and give her some aspirin.‟ „Really?‟ I said, my heart beating. I hadn‟t realized other mums could act like that too. „It‟s since she and my dad split up. He‟s got a girlfriend.‟ Oliver whispered the word girlfriend as if it was shocking. „I don‟t like her.‟ „So? My mum had lots of boyfriends. Star and me have hated nearly all of them .‟ Wilson, 1999: 71 The above datum reveals how children hate divorce and the effect of divorce itself. Oliver tells her mother often gets headache since she splits up with his father. He also tells Dolphin that he has to be very quiet and make her a cup of tea and some aspirin to his mother just to make his mother calm. It signals 122 the burden a child has after the parents split up. Oliver needs to take care of her mother and taking his father‟s role. In addition, he hates the fact that his father has a new girlfriend after splitting up with his mother. This supported as well by Dolphin saying she and Star hate nearly all of Marigold‟s boyfriends. This bad situation is commented by children‟s way of seeing about divorce and it is revealed that they are painfully hurt by the effect of divorce. Dolphin also reports how Star thinks about divorce. She wants to yell at her biological father who has left Marigold when she is in need a husband. She thinks her father is a bad father since he leaves Marigold and Star. Star says this kind of opinion because she feels suffering by the absence of a father figure in her family. She also thinks that Marigold becomes crazy because her father leaves her. It indicates the effect of divorce that is got both by woman and child. “„Wouldn‟t you like to meet him, though? What would you say?‟„I‟d say what sort of a father are you, walking out on Marigold and driving her crazy ,‟” Star paused Wilson, 1999: 76. From all the data above, it is seen that children in fact have way of thinking and seeing something that adults might not understand. Dolphin as the narrator reveals those ways of thinking and seeing. 123

c. Employing Sensitive Issues

In most of the conventional children stories, issues that are discussed are only general issues. The topics are mostly about kindness, magical things, revenge, and others. Issues such as mental disorder, poverty, single parent, bullying, abuse, alcohol, premarital relationship, etc, are hidden from children. As previously stated, these topics are no longer problems, but subjects which need to be spotlighted. Children need to be familiar with those sensitive topics in order to make them active in thinking. When they or their friends experience one of those sensitive issues, they will not see it as a bizarre thing. In addition, they will be able to face it and perform action to help anyone who has to face those kinds of problems. Wilson deconstructs the conventional children stories by presenting some sensitive issues in The Illustrated Mum. She tells those sensitive issues in a smooth, interesting, even funny way in order to make children as readers understand more easily the topics. Also, she does it to make children absorb well that those sensitive issues do not need to be hidden from them. As they grow older, they need to recognize those sensitive issues that can be happening anywhere and anytime in their life. One of sensitive issues in this novel is about divorce. Oliver reveals that his parents have split up. “ „ It‟s since she and my dad split up . He‟s got a girlfriend.‟ Oliver whispered the word girlfriend as if it w as shocking. „I don‟t like her.‟ Wilson, 1999: 71.” 124 Another sensitive issue is mental disorder. In this story, there are two mental disorders Wilson shows. They are bipolar or manic depression suffered by Marigold and dyslexia which is suffered by Dolphin. “She‟s starting to get really manic, you know she is. Totally out of it . I don‟t know what she‟s going to do next. Neither does she. She might clear off again tonight and not come back for a fortnight Wilso n, 1999: 40.” It shows how Dolphin describes her mother‟s condition. „ I‟m not stupid, you know,‟ I said fiercely, pushing the workbook away. „I know,‟ said Oliver. „You‟re dyslexic.‟ „Does that mean I just can‟t write properly?‟ „That‟s it. You should have special help.‟ „I don‟t want to be special needs. Yeah, dyslexic—that‟s what they called me at my last school but one. How do you spell it then? Wilson, 1999: 130‟ Wilson tries to reveal how a dyslexic feels by showing it through Dolphin and Oliver ‟s conversation. The issue about dyslexia is told in smooth way even children can laugh at it. Dolphin says she is not stupid and Oliver says she just cannot write properly. It can give the readers view that dyslexics are not stupid, they only have difficulty to write. It can support children with dyslexia or children who have dyslexic friends to understand their friend‟s condition and how to cope with that. Issue related to bullying is also presented by Wilson in this novel. She presents the way Dolphin is bullied by her classmates such as Ronnie Churley, Yvonne and Kayleigh. Dolphin often experiences verbal bullying from her friends. “„Bottle Nose lives in a squat‟ Yvonne repeated, and 125 another girl came out of a toilet and started joining in, and another silly little kid not even in our year Wilson, 1999: 64.” It shows how Dolphin is given silly name and mocked by her friends. Nevertheless, Wilson tells bullying in a funny and smooth way. violence is another sensitive issue in The Illustrated Mum. It is seen from the experience of Dolphin who is being slapped by her mother. Wilson tells to the readers that it can happen to anyone including children. by understanding both physical and psychological abuse, children are hoped to understand how to face it and cope with it. “Marigold slapped me hard across the cheek . I reeled back, catching my breath Wilson, 1999: 113.” Slapping someone‟s cheek is one example of physical violence. Wilson shows that even parents sometimes can do physical abuse to their children when they are in bad mood, anger, or desperation. Poverty is also experienced by many families nowadays. Children need to understand that not all children are born in a rich family. Some of them are born in a poor family where they have no television, refrigerator, and fan. By introducing children to poverty issue, they will be able to help their friends who are not as lucky as they are. „I wish I could watch television,‟ I said. The rental firm had taken our television and video recorder away last week because Marigold hadn‟t kept up the payments. She promised she‟d see about getting us a new set but she hadn‟t done anything about it yet Wilson, 1999: 20.