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CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter is divided into three parts, namely, the theoretical description, the theoretical framework and the context of the novel. The theoretical description
discusses the underlying theories which are related to the meanings of the Bennets’ struggles in solving their life problems. The theoretical framework
concludes all relevant theories which can help the writer to answer the formulated problems. The context of the novel presents the setting and some parts of the
novel.
A. Review of Related Theories
In this part, the writer review the theories which are directly employed in the study. The meaning of struggle is the main focus of this study. The meaning of
struggle will be presented in two ways; literal meaning and true meaning. Furthermore, the theories are used to support the analysis of the meaning of
struggle.
1. Marxist Theory
Marxisms main concern is class. “The history of all hitherto existing societies is the
history of class struggles” The Communist Manifesto, p.1. The key to understand Marx is his class definition. A class is defined by the ownership
of property. In relation to property, there are two great classes of society. Karl Marx divides society into two classes, namely, the bourgeoise and the proletariat.
7 The bourgeoisie is the upper class society which has power to oppress the lower
class, while the proletariat is the lower class society which does not have any power to fight against the oppression from the bourgeoisie. McHenry 2005
states, “According to Marx and his theories, the bourgeoisie will take any means necessary to oppress the proletariat and remain in control.” The bourgeoisie will
use any oppression to the proletariat to maintain their status, resource, and power. Oppression, in other words, is not a relationship between individuals. Oppression
is a social relationship in which capital benefits through the subjection of a certain group in society McNally, 1983 It is based on a material interest. As long as
there are social relations that produce oppressed beings, it will be needed and possible to attack these relations by fighting the oppression.
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels focus much of their work on the differences between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. Nevertheless, throughout
Pride and Prejudice there are continuous class differences present, and the
struggles between these different classes and the strong desire of upward social mobility is ever present. This is very natural according to Eagleton 1976, who
states that “the social mentality of an age is conditioned by that ages social
relations. This is nowhere quite as evident as in the history of art and literature”
p. 5 In other words, Jane Austen is describing the world as she sees it and all the social class
es’ conflicts that the society of her time was subjected to. In Marxist literary criticism, there are several fundamental terms and
ideas. The most important part is the theory that a society consists of a base and a superstructure
. The base is the economic structure of a society and the
8 superstructure is the kind of state, the laws, and the politics, that exist to claim the
power of the social class. In other words, the superstructures important function is to claim that the power of the bourgeoisie is over the proletariat. The base and
superstructure form society and in a society class, they act to keep the ruling class in power. However, the ruling class in power provokes class conflict to exist.
Marx emphasizes class conflict as the dynamics of social change. Karl Marx explains that change is not random, but the result of a conflict of interests.
One of the Marxism followers, Gramsci, denotes the term struggle as a part of social classes. Gramsci uses the term hegemony to denote the
predominance of one social class over others Donaldson, 2008. In social classes, people will struggle to change their social class status. As Williams 1977 states,
“in a class society, all beliefs are founded on class position, and the systems of belief of all classes . . . are then in part or wholly false” p. 55. Therefore, social
classes provoke social struggles to exist. Social struggles are provoked to exist because people from different social classes will struggle to make their social
class become higher. Behind every social struggle, there will be social action. Simmel 1950 believes social action always involves harmony and conflict, love
and hatred p. 74. Thus, social action is the fundamental base of the existence of social struggles.
2. Power and Powerless Theory
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