37 interaction with Mark and make a special relationship with him. By using
Erikson’s theories of human development, the researcher found out a part of the novel when Suwen sometimes avoids Mark after they have a conversation in a
day. There was something indecisive in her feeling towards him. Warm, almost
affectionate at times, and then quite unaccountably, she turned cool. Take last Saturday. Suwen had refused to accept a lift from him, insisting on
going home with Zul and Jan instead, even though it had been quite late and Zul would have had to go out of his way to take her home. And yet, all
evening, Suwen had sat next to him. Quite close. Once or twice, he had even managed to rest his arm upon her shoulders, the nape of her neck
resting to him, and he had thought that she was comfortable with him at last, until she had abruptly insisted on leaving with Jan and Zul. p. 20
Due to the fact that her mother does not play her role well during her childhood, Suwen fails to find a good relationship with her mother. As Erikson
1963 says that the role of a mother is important in the childhood to make a good relationship with others. The danger
of Suwen’s action in isolating herself is she is not able to make a special relationship with a man.
It is shown by Suwen’s action and reaction in responding Mark’s feeling and expressing her feeling to
Mark. She sometimes becomes talkative and feels enjoy with him but she sometimes avoids meting and talking to Mark p. 120. Thus, Suwen finds being
virgin as the consequence of her action in avoiding men.
38
CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS, AND SUGGESTIONS
This chapter consists of three sections; they are the conclusions, impilcations, and suggestions. The first section contains the conclusions of this
study. The second section contains the implications in education and the last section contains the suggestions for the future researchers.
A. Conclusions
There are two points that can be concluded from this study. The first finding
is Suwen’s characteristics which are seen in Suchen Christine Lim’s Fistful of Colours. The second finding
is about Suwen’s motivation in keeping her virginity.
In Fistful of Colours, Suwen is described as a thirty nine year old woman. She is a painter and she is also an art teacher in a college. She has some
characteristics which are described through the novel by the author, Suchen Christine Lim. The characteristics of Suwen are insecure, introvert, well-educated,
and obedient. Insecure is one of Suwen
’s characteristics which isrevealed in the novel. Her insecure character is shown from her conversation with others and her
thought. She often compares herself to Nica because she thinks that Nica is better than her. Morever, she does not realize that she has a good skill in painting and
she is one of the best artists in Singapore actually.
39 Suwen never shares her problems to others and she keeps her problems
and stories in her mind. Furthermore, she also does not have many best friends in her life and she only has Nica, Jan, Zul, and also Mark as her best friends. Nica
sometimes tries to make her share her problem but it often fails. Suwen is also described as a well-educated woman in the novel. Her
mother sends her abroad in order to get a good education there. She has a brilliant idea of her painting which makes her one of the best artists. Furthermore, her well
–educated character is shown by her reaction towards her friend’s anger. Suwen’s motivation in keeping her virginity is affected by her childhood
and bad experience. Her parents do not play their role well and guide her during her childhood. In other words, she has lost the figure of her parents since she was
a child. Due to the fact that her parents do not play their roles well, she fails to make a good interaction with others, especially men.
Suwen’s basic mistrust towards her mother, her friends, and others is arisen as the effect of her relationship with her mother. Because she fails to trust
her own mother as a good mother, she fails to trust others, including herself. Her basic mistrust also makes her distrust any men and it makes her keep her virginity.
Her bad experience also influences her motivation in keeping virginity. When she tries to regard her stepfather as her own father, her stepfather tries to
rape her in her room. Unfortunately, her mother blames her for that incident. Due to that fact, Suwen fails to get a figure of a father in her life. In addition, that
incident makes her isolate herself from men. In other words, she avoids making a special relationship with men because of her bad experience.
