Background of the Study

2 itself is influenced by two major factors. The first major factor is human’s early experiences within the family and the second major factor is important events happening outside the home Hurlock, 1974. A literary work is unable to be separated from the real life since it is a presentation of the phenomena that happens in the world seen from the author’s point of view. In fact every event or phenomenon that happens in this life has its effect either on the individual who experiences it or the people around him. In this study, the writer is going to analyze Jean Rhys’s novel. Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea is interesting because of its content and writing style. This study brings the problems of the Creole existence and lays emphasis on Antoinettes feelings of alienation due to the socio cultural diversity. In this case the white Creoles are neither part of the black slave community or accepted as European either. Those problems influence the personality development of its main character, Antoinette. Wide Sargasso Sea, was published in England by Andre Deutsch in 1966. Wide Sargasso Sea is one of the novels that has a very dramatic story about the Creoles’s rejection in the Caribbean Island. The story is set just after the emancipation of the slaves, in that uneasy time when racial relations in the Caribbean were at their most strained. The novel of Wide Sargasso Sea tells about colonization, racial issue, displacement, Creolization and cultural differences. Meanwhile, the topic of this study is about personality development influenced by socio cultural diversity. This topic is interesting since there are many factors that influence people’s personality development. Those factors come from family and PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 3 environment. Environment itself includes social and culture, other people, and experiences outside the home. In this novel Jean Rhys sets out to show how the main character may have been driven to madness by the rejection from her family and environment. She enables us to see how the socio cultural diversity influences human personality development. Antoinette Mason lived in Jamaica in the mid 1830. During her lifetime, she had been discriminated from inside or outside the home. Antoinette lived with her family. Since the death of her father, Antoinette had been ignored by her mother, who was obsessed with her sick son, Pierre. She had only one friend, Tia, who later left her, stole her dress and thrown stone at her. The only person who loved and cares about her is Christophine, her nanny. Christophine practices obeah, or magic. Ironically Christophine’s magic cannot save her from her unhappy marriage which causes her to lose her happiness, name, money and freedom. It is because of the bad treatment from her husband who manipulates her life. How her mother’s treatment towards her has given significant influences to her personality development. Antoinette and her family as a Creole socially rejected from both of the black and the better of white communities. Antoinette becomes increasingly fearful of other people and her condition. The novel gives the readers a description of rejection experiences and things which probably we have ever seen before. It is hoped that by learning the influence of socio cultural diversity toward the main character in the novel, the readers can learn a lesson of what life is all about. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 4

1.2 Objective of the Study

The aim of this study is to see one’s personality development due to the existing of socio cultural diversity as seen in Antoinette, the main character of Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea.

1.3 Problem Formulation

Based on the information above, there are two questions to be discussed in this study: 1. How is Antoinette’s character described in this novel? 2. How is Antoinette’s personality development influenced by the socio cultural diversity around her?

1.4 Benefits of the Study

The study has the benefits for the readers generally and for the students or other researchers who want to conduct such kind of literary work. The readers can enrich their knowledge of literary study, particularly the Jamaica society and cultural aspect and how these socio cultural aspects can influence personality development. I hope that this study is to highlight the idea of the novel that would make the readers understand about the story of the Jane Rhys’s Wide Sargaso Sea.

1.5 Definitions of Terms

To understand this study easier, I will define the terms which have relationship with the topic presented. Those terms are: 5

1. Racial Discrimination

According to Rawins William Beck 1993: 436, racial discrimination is presents people are treated differently than others who similarly situated because they are members of a specific race. It can occur when individuals are treated differently because of unalterable characteristics, such as physical features, indigenous to their race.

2. Personality

According to International Encyclopedia of psychology 1996, personality is defined as the unique combination of thoughts, feelings, and behavior that make individual distinct from other.

3. Development

In Human Development 1961, Pikunas defines development as a series of sequential changes in an organism to lead to its maturity as a result of experience. In this study development refers to the increasing of the maturity as the result of maturity and better understanding.

4. Creole

According to American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language 1991, Creole is a person, a European descent born in the West Indies or Spanish America. In this study Creole is the light skinned European descendants born in the Caribbean.