Theoretical Framework REVIEW OF LITERATURE

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CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY

A. Object of the Study

The object of this research is The Shrunken Head of Pancho Villa, a play written by Luis Valdez. This play was written by him while he was still a student at San Jose State College. The first publication of the play was in 1967 by El Teatro Campesino . Later it was published in 1989 along with five other plays in Necessary Theatre: Six Plays About the Chicano Experience by Arte Publico Press in Houston, Texas. This play consists of 53 pages and it is divided into 5 acts. Valdez firstly directed this play for El Teatro Campesino in 1968 and later 1970. Since then, some directors staged this play. This play is about a Mexican-American family who lives in the United States. They are Pedro, the father, Cruz, the mother, Belarmino, the oldest brother which is a head, Mingo, a Mexican-American son, Lupe, a daughter, and Joaquin, a Chicano son. The parents are Mexican immigrant who has been living in the United States for a long time. The brothers, Joaquin and Mingo, are become the main focus on this play. Joaquin who always finds trouble in the hood and Mingo who wants to let go of his root and become Anglo-American. 20

B. Approach of the Study

To analyze the play, the researcher uses sociocultural-historical approach. This approach is the most suitable for analyzing the play because the play itself contains socio-cultural and historical background. “Literature is considered as a social institution. This view sees literature as “social creation”” Wellek, 1956: 94. Rohrberger and Woods in Reading and Writing about Literature says that critics whose major interest is the sociocultural-historical approach insist that the only way to locate the real work is in reference to the civilization that produced it Rohrberger, 1971:9. This implies that the critics will focus on the relation between the play and the reality happens in the society at the specific time where the play takes place. Furthermore, Rohrberger and Wood add that “it’s necessary to investigate the social background in which a work was created and which it necessarily reflects, because literature is not created in emptiness and expresses ideas significant to the culture that produces it ” Rohrberger: 1971: 9. This means that a play always connects to the cultural and historical background of the society. This theory strengthens what Rohrberger and Wood state in relation of the theory mentioned in the preceding paragraph. This approach sees a literature as a representative of an age and society, including economic, social, and political system. From the explanation above, this criticism helps the researcher to reveal the influence of American Dream towards Mingo. 21

C. Method of the Study

The method that is used to collect data for the thesis is library research. This method is used since the setting of time which the play takes place is in the past. The research can only be done with collecting data from the library as it is impossible to directly observe something that happens in the past. Thus, the researcher only looks and collects data from library and trusted web articles. There are many steps taken in analyzing this research. First, the researcher starts with reading the play. From the reading, the researcher finds that the play has interesting topic. Then the researcher re-reads and is understanding the whole play. From the understanding, the researcher finds that the American Dream found in one of the characters is more interesting to be explored than comparing between the two main characters. After absorbing the play, the researcher finds that the American Dream thoughts in one of the characters influence his own characteristics. The second step is preparing the problem formulations, which later become the question which has to be answered. In this part, the researcher reads the play more carefully in order to find the right topic. After that, the researcher finds that one of the characters has deeper relation to American Dream. Thus, the researcher is interested in analyzing this topic. The third step is collecting data, references, and theories related to this play from both library and online sources. In this part, the researcher uses library research. The information collected is mostly from printed books and some from trusted internet sources. Next, the researcher sorts the contents which can be used.