Background of the Study

1

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

This chapter deals with the background of the study, problem formulation, the objectives of the study, benefits of the study, and definition of term. The background of the study gives explanation about the topic and the reason why the writer chooses the novel and the topic. In the problem formulation, the writer presents three formulated questions which guide to the analysis of the novel. The objectives of the study state the focus of this study. The benefits of the study explain the advantages of the study and the definition of some terms related to this study is presented to avoid misunderstanding.

A. Background of the Study

There is no one who can live alone in this world. Everyone needs friends. Friendship is naturally built among several people who know and understand each others. James and Savary 141 state that everyone needs a best friend. A best friend could be male or female. Usually, we share special bond with our best friend. Toward a best friend we build a deeper relationship than toward other friends. Aristotle 214 says “No one would choose to live without friends, even if he had all other goods.” There are so many reasons for having friends except avoiding loneliness. Beebe 413 says there are three reasons of having friends. First, we need friends to be included in some activities of others or of our own; secondly, we need 2 friends to control and to be uncontrolled, dealing with the stability and comfort in our interactions with others; thirdly, we need friends to give and receive love, support, warmth and intimacy. Besides, we need them to help us cope with stress and uncertainty, to take care of our physical needs and even to help us in the development of our personality. According to Aristotle 215 friendship is like a concord. When people are friends they have no need of justice, but when they are just, they need friendship in addition. Friendship also seems to hold states together, and lawgivers apparently devote more attention to it than to justice. For concord seems to be something similar to friendship, and concord is what they most strive to attain, while they do best to expel faction , the enemy of concord. When people are friends, they have no need of justice, but when they are just, they need friendship in addition Aristotle 215. Friendship is one of life experiences which can be portrayed in a work of literature like the novel. An author can use a novel to portray real life in the real world in the form of writing. Van de Laar and Schoonderwoerd 163 say “a novel is a work of art in so far as it introduces one into a living world: in some respects resembling the world one lives in.” Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns is one of the novels which tells about friendship. It portrays the friendship between two young women who live together as the wives of a man. Rasheed is the man, Mariam as the second wife, and Laila as the third wife. The first wife has died. Rasheed lives in a small house with his two wives, Mariam and Laila. They are jealous of each other. Rasheed does not care about Mariam. However, actually Laila understands what Mariam feels. Rasheed really wants a son. Mariam can not 3 give him a son. Then, Laila is pregnant which makes Rasheed very happy. Unfortunately, Laila gives him a daughter so Rasheed is very disappointed. He is unhappy, suspicious and becomes more abusive. As the time goes by, Mariam and Laila are like enemies who have signed a peace agreement. Mariam and Laila become close friends. They build a friendship naturally. Everyday they share what they feel. Mariam helps Laila to treat her daughter. Mariam loves her so much. They always sit together and tell about their experiences. They seem like a team. They are like a team of two wives who care each other. They have a great friendship. One day, Laila meets her first love, Tariq. Laila tells about their daughter, Aziza. Aziza is Tariq’s daughter. Finally, Rasheed knows about their relationship, even the fact that Aziza is not his daughter. Rasheed is very angry. He psychically assaults Laila and Mariam sees them. Spontaneously, she grabs a shovel and kills Rasheed. Mariam sacrifices herself for her friendship. Then, she is punished. She asks Laila to leave Kabul and live happily together with Tariq and her children Aziza and Salmai. Laila always remember Mariam, as her sister, best friend, and also savior. I chose Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousands of Splendid Suns and focused on Mariam and Laila because their friendship was unique. How could two wives of one man become best friend. Even one of them sacrificed herself to help the other. This novel is interesting because the story is unique. The story is unpredictable. The reader can not guess the end of the story exactly. I am also interested in 4 studying about friendship because it happens in real life. No one who has no friend in this world.

B. Problem Formulation