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CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS
In this chapter, the writer answers the questions formulated in chapter I. The writer of this research analyzes the problems with sufficient understanding
into three parts. The first part discusses about the gossips in Cecily von Ziegesar‘s
Gossip Girl which is questioned in the first problem formulation. The second part shows the conflicts in the story in relation with the gossips. The results are
compiled to figure out the answer for the third question. Hence, the third part in this chapter discusses about the influences of gossips toward the conflicts which
have been mentioned previously.
A. Gossips in Cecily von Ziegesar’s Gossip Girl
I n Cecily von Ziegesar‘s Gossip Girl, gossips play a quite prominent role
in bringing the reader to understand the plot. Based on psychology science, gossip is every person‘s behavior, egalitarian in practice and in allure Wert, 2004: 76. It
is a ―form of discourse between persons discussing the behavior, character, situation, or attributes of a
bsent others‖ Fine, 1997: 422. Gossips itself cannot be judged as something that is always bad.
Therefore, the writer in this research distinguishes them through their function. It is important to differentiate the functions from the two different points of views;
the gossipee and the gossipers. Spacks 1985: 6 herself differentiates gossips into three characteristics; destructiveness, avoidance and competition, and intimacy. It
is then developed by Foster 2004: 83-86 trying to differ gossips into four
functions. They are gossip functioning as information, entertainment, friendship and influence. In this part, the writer of this research analyzes the gossips based
on the gossipee‘s and the gossiper‘s point of view through the classification that has mentioned before in a psychological perspective.
1. Gossips among Mrs. Bass, Mrs. Coates, and Mrs. Archibald
The first gossips emerging early in the story are about Mr. Waldorf‘s
changing and Cyrus Rose‘s ugliness. Mrs. Waldorf, who was depressed because of her infamous divorce, eventually procures her confidence since she met Cyrus
Rose. The changing of her appearances contributes a topic for her friends to talk about. The fact that Mrs. Waldorf changes a lot grabs her friends‘ eagerness to
have a gossip. The gossips are spread out among Mrs. Bass, Mrs. Coates, and Mrs. Archibald:
―She does look thinner,‖ Blair heard Mrs. Bass whisper to Mrs. Coates. ―But I‘ll bet she‘s had a chin tuck.‖
―I bet you‘re right. She‘s grown her hair out—that‘s the tell-tale sign. It hides the scars,‖ Mrs. Coates whispered back. p. 11,
The content of the gossips among them are not destructive for the
gossipee, Mrs. Waldorf. It is a common thing for someone to discuss about other who changes a lot. They try to speculate what Mrs. Waldorf has done to change
herself through gossip. Instead of denigrating the one that being talked about Stewart, 2004: 37, for Spacks, they merely do that for avoidance and
competition, as many gossipers do in a cocktail party gossip 1985: 6. Measuring who is up and who is down to reveal complacencies is the goal. Mrs. Waldorf
who was widely known to be depressed has recovered though her physical changing. Mrs. Bass, Mrs. Coates, and Mrs. Archibald do not show any intention
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