this “failure of feminity”. Women are still, to certain extent, expected to value children and taking care of the home and family as a priority; women who deviate
from this convention are often viewed with judgement. Regarding to those problems, feminism theory reveal the truth that men and women should be equal
politically, economically, and socially. Similarly, Caroline Mooser states that the empowerment approach, which
recognizes the triple role of women in the family, economic production and the community, and recommends challenging the social structure and oppresive
situation women have to suffer. Women have to increase their power not in terms of domination over others, but in terms of gains over their self-esteem and internal
force. This means women have the right to decide about their own life and to influence social change, through their ability to gain control over crucial natural
and cultural resources Moser 1992:49. Palestinian women in this novel, especially the daughters, has represented the
feminist movement. Their thoughts and views, the job opportunity they got and politic organization they joined are the results of the education background that they
experienced. Stromquist said in The practical and the theoretical bases for empowerment
that cognitive, psychological and political are part of
empowerment’s components. These components are related to the understanding of women’s condition of subordination cognitive; the development of feelings that
women can act upon to improve their conditions psychological; the ability to organize and mobilize for social changes political. 1993:50 This can be related
to Sime 1991:50. He adds that in political perspective searches for a democratic society through the full participation of all people in social life regardless of their
race, social status and gender. It also looks forward for people to achieve peace, tolerance, and solidarity. It promotes the empowerment of minority groups, popular
and marginal sectors of society, and women to be able to influence social and political decisions.
They have proved that their life as Palestinian women, who was still under Israel occupation, could be an educated women with excellent thoughts and views,
their contribution to their society, family and nations. As Nagat El-Sanabary informed in Women’s Education in Developing Countries that some Middle Eastern
countries have well-developed education systems. Generally, the more developed and diversified the education system, the better are the educational opportunities
for girls and women 1993:147.
C. Theoretical Framework
There are some theories used and related in this study. Those theories helped the researcher to answer the questions of problem formulation in the previous
chapter. The theory of character and characterization can be used as the reference to
identify the characters. It provides information and limitation on how characters depict themselves in a work of literature. This theory is very useful and helpful to
observe the characteristics of the characters in the texts. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
The theory of patriarchy are used to help the researcher analysing how the female characters, the mothers’ part experienced patriarchy practice in their life. In
conclusion, the researcher wants to give a description about the Palestinian women’s life under patriarchy rules that depicted in the mothers’ era in 1948.
The theory of feminism is very important to help the researcher answering the question on feminism. Since this study focusing on women’s life in two
different era, patriarchy rules and the education influences, the theory of feminism is very helpful to answer the problems and drawing conclusion.
22
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
This section consists of four parts: object of the study, approach of the study, and research method.
A. Object of the study
Michael Gorkin and Rafiqa Othman ’s novel Three Mothers, Three Daughters
is the source of the study. The object of the study is how education in Palestine have a big role in these women’s life. This literary works consists of 92 pages. Its content
focuses on presenting six remarkable life narratives from Palestinian women living in the Occupied Territories and Israel. By selecting three motherdaughter pairs
from very different social and political circumstances, they represent, in dramatic scope of life, many elements of the twentieth-century Palestinian experience.
Three Mothers, Three Daughters is a novel written by Michael Gorkin and his co-writer Rafiqa Othman in 1996, and was published by University of California
press, also in 1996. It has been translated to various language, and is published in many countries. Three Mothers, Three Daughters is an excellent source that
documents the life experiences of Palestinian women who have witnessed very difficult personal and national events. It is also a good example of how life stories
introduce complex questions of identity and perspective into larger national histories.
Several themes emerging from these life stories. Issues of formal education, the nationalist struggle, marriage, maternity, and the role of Islam in everyday life
are debated by the six women in this story. Their lives have been touched deeply by the loss of Palestine, although some are more open than the other about their
political involvement. One mother-daughter pair have been very affected, many of the daughter’s siblings have been imprisoned and tortured because of their
involvement with the PLO and the first Intifada. By contrast, another pair shows lack of interest in political involvement, but they are still affected with the trauma
of clashes with the Israeli government, family separation, and the loss of property and honour due to the 1948 war. In the stories of family, motherhood, and
partnership that has been told from all of the accounts, authors of the novel are telling the reader with a full picture of how complex everyday people’s lives are. In
the case of the Palestinians, these issues are bound up in the nationalist cause, which could cause a more complicated problems.
B. Approach of the Study
In analysing the novel, feminism approach is used. The researcher wants to specify more on the educational aspect, because this part shows how the problems
that arise in this topic. The other aspects, such as patriarchal and characters, helped the researcher developed this research to be a quality research that can be used by
others for scientific matters. The purpose of feminist approach is to explain the effort in the characters’ struggle, and to show that the women there have taken a
giant leap forward by being an educated women and how they dreamt of being equal to men.
C. Method of the Study
There were some steps in this analysis. The first step was collecting the data, such as why these women was ruled by the patriarchal society in the first place,
what their reaction was towards patriarchy, and how they respond to it through educational aspects and what their aspirations were for the future. The data were
collected by reading the novel and understand it deeply. The next step was analysing the data. The analysis of the data was based on
the problem stated in the problem formulation in Chapter I. To answer the first problem, the intrinsic features of the data have to be found, such as the characters,
their story, and their message towards the society. Then, the second problem in the problem formulation was answered by
applying the theories in Chapter II. This was done in order to show the effect of the events happened in the women’s life and how it affects their future, especially in
educational aspect. The final step then was to draw conclusion from the result of the analysis.
