Meanwhile, she forced him to write until he told her that it was an awful story about writing.
Since he had lost his desire to write, his desired goal to create a better novel was substituted or alternated by drinking the whiskey. He said it to her that
drinking made him feel the way when he was going to write something. In other words, he felt secure enough that by drinking it he would get the same satisfaction
as the way he used to write the stories. From the description above, it can be said that Roger’ ambition to write was
not realized because he substituted his goals to make a decent writing by drinking much whiskey and absinthe.
d. Rationalization
Rationalization can be called as an effort to find out seemingly acceptable reasons for his behaviour to hide the truth from others. It occurs when individual
gives good reason rather than the true reason for his behaviour. Ruch 1971: 474 states that, “rationalization is unconscious process of divesting seemingly logical
explanation for a situation that would otherwise result in loss of social approval or self-esteem”. It can be said that rationalization permits someone to behave
rationally in order to make logical reasons. In other words, it is a form of making excuses. By means of rationalization
it justifies the false reasons that individual seem to have to approve his weaknesses. As mentioned by Hilgard 1962: 512, rationalization does not mean
‘to act rationally’; it means to justify conduct according to personality desirable motives that we seem to have acted rationally.
The mechanism of rationalization is an important way in which the ego attempts to cope frustration that seems to have rational but it actually brings to
justify to oneself and other. This reaction to frustration occurred to Roger in the barroom of the New Orleans in a conversation with Helena.
It was in the evening. He was still very worried and he was drinking the absinthe. She knew there was something happening with him namely he was upset
but he told her that he was all right. To hide his true feeling that he was at a loss he gave her a false reason to justify his present behaviour. Let us observe the
dialogue.
‘It’s all right about the stories.’ ‘No, It’s not all right with you. I couldn’t love you as much as I do and not
know when you’re upset.’ ‘I’m not upset, ’he lied. ‘And I’m not going to be upset, ‘he resolved.
‘Let’s talk about something else,’ The Strange Country: 735. He told her that he was not upset. In reality, he gave her false reason. By giving
false reason, he concealed his failure, so that he saved his self-esteem from disapproval. So he found satisfying reason for his actions that he knew it was not
the correct one Crow, 1973: 184. Emotionally, his reason was satisfying rather than telling the truth. He tried to justify himself that he was all right.
Another evidence of Roger’s rationalization happened when he was lay down very quietly in the bedroom of Eau de Tavel. He was desperate because the
loss of his stories. He had never had despair before. Now he could do nothing except facing the unpleasant reality painfully. But she believed that someday he
really could write better. Therefore, she tried to encourage him in order not to be sad. She felt pity with him. On the contrary, he told her that he was not so sad. He
said about it to Helena.
‘What were they that were gone, ‘the girl asked. ‘Eleven stories, a novel and poems.’
‘Poor poor Roger.’ ‘No. I wasn’t so poor because there were more inside.
Not them. But to come. The Strange Country: 740.
What he said represents a form of rationalization. Actually, he anticipated defending himself against criticism from her. This statement is strengthened by
Crow 1973: 184 that individual attempts to protect his ego by explaining his behaviour in such way that he will avoid criticism from others. His statement with
‘No I wasn’t so poor because there were more inside’ means that he had another stock writing materials for his next stories.
Besides that, he only tried to defend himself by saying another false reason with ‘Not them. But to come’. He said it in a defensive tone just to justify what he
did was to convince her. He made her sure, that someday he would write other stories better. Therefore, he said to her that there were something hidden after a
great loss. His expression reflects that he didn’t want to have a shame in front of her. Thus, he gave emotionally satisfying rather than real reason.
e. Repression
