Post - Colonial Analysis In Angela's Ashes Novel By Frank Mccourt

POST-COLONIAL ANALYSIS IN

ANGELA’S ASHES

NOVEL

BY FRANK MCCOURT

A THESIS

Submitted to Letters and Humanities Faculty In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for

the Strata One Degree (S1)

FATMAHWATI RANAJAYA 109026000151

ENGLISH LETTERS DEPARTMENT FACULTY OF ADAB AND HUMANITIES

SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY JAKARTA

i

Faculty. State Islamic University Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, 2015.

The study of this research focuses on the perceptions, actions and phenomena of the main character in Angela’s Ashes novel by Frank McCourt which defines the position of Ireland as the Orient toward England and America as the Occident. The main character namely Frank McCourt who dreams to leave Ireland to get a better and successful life. This research analyzes the main

character’s perceptions, action and phenomena that occur to him that arise the differences between the orient, Ireland, and the occident, England and America.

The data are collected from some books and they are analyzed by reading, understanding, classifying, and identifying. The method of this research is qualitatif descriptive because this analysis also explains certain events which relates to other events. This research uses the theory of Orientalism from Edward W. Said that explains the relation between East or Orient and West or Occident. The Orient in the novel Angela’s Ashes is occupied by Ireland and the Occident is by England and America

The study analyzes some characteristics of the main character, Frank McCourt and the relation of Ireland, England and America through his point of view, action, and phenomena that occur to him. The result of this study reveals that Ireland in the novel depicts the East’s characterization that is always negative and inferior, while England and America depicts the West’s characterization

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

The writer would like to thank to Allah SWT, the Most Gracious and Most Merciful for all the favor to complete this thesis. Many salutation and benediction to the Greatest Prophet Muhammad SAW for his covenying the words of God, the light of humanism and peace.

The writer would like to deliver her deepest thankful to her beloved parents, (Alm) H. Ahmad Ranajaya and Hj. Rusmiyati for the support, prayer, motivation and strength they have been giving to the writer. The writer also would like to thank to her beloved husband Puji Agus Riyanto who always give the writer the privilege of pursuing the interest in University and financially supporting the writer to complete her bachelor degree.

Many words of thanks are also addressed to her advisor Ahmad Zakky, M.Hum, for his time, guidance, kindness, and motivation to finish this paper. The special thanks is also dedicated to :

1. Prof. Dr. Sukron Kamil, M. Ag., the Dean of Faculty of Adab and Humanities, State Islamic University Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta.

2. Drs. Saefudin, M.Pd., the Head of English Department.

3. Elve Oktafiyani, M.Hum., the Secretary of English Letters Department. 4. The Lectures and the Staffs of Faculty of Adab and Humanities.

6. The writer’s big family : Ratimah, Mulyono, Mulyadi, Sugiarti, Anto, thanks for your support and generiousity.

7. The writer’s best friends : Molalita, Halimatus Sadiyah, Virgy, Nurul. Thank you so much for the time that have been spent together and for filling my day with your cheerfullness.

8. The big Family of Literature Class 2009, the writer will always miss them. 9. For those the writer cannot mention the name either directly and indurectly

helping the writer in finishing the thesis. Hopefully, this writer’s work will be

useful for those who are interested in it. May Allah blesses us. Amen.

Jakarta, June 2015

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT ... i

APPROVEMENT ... ii

LEGALIZATION ... iii

DECLARATION ... iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ... v

TABLE OF CONTENT ... vii

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of Study ... 1

B. Focus of The Study ... 8

C. Research Question ... 8

D. Significance of The Study ... 8

E. Research Methodology 1. The Method of Research ... 9

2. The Objective of Research ... 9

3. The Techniques of Data Analysis ... 9

4. The Instrument of Research ... 10

5. Unit of Analysis ... 10

6. Place and Time of Research ... 10

CHAPTER II THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK A. Previous Research ... 11

B. Character and Characterization ... 14

C. Theory of Orientalism by Edward W. Said ... 17

CHAPTER III RESEARCH FINDINGS A. The Characteristics of Frank McCourt ... 24

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2. England as The Occident ... 44

3. America as The Occident ... 47

CHAPTER IV CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION A. Conclusion ... 58

B. Suggestion ... 59

BIBLIOGRAPHY ... 61

1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

A. Background of The Study

Etymologically, the post colonial derived from the word 'post' and

„colonial’, while the word colonial itself is derived from the root word colonia, Roman language, which means farm or settlement.1 Therefore, etymologically, colonial does not mean occupation, possession, colonization, and other exploitation connotation. Colonial negative connotations was arising after the inbalanced interaction between the natives and the settlers.

Postcolonial theory is a theory that is used to analyze various cultural phenomenon, such as: history, politics, economics, literature, and so on, which occurred in the countries of the former colonies of modern Europe. The post colonialism, as a term, is still problematic. As a marker, it marked a few things including: the era of post-colonialism, critical attitude towards Colonialism, region once or still occupied by Colonialism and how the expression of the colonizing and colonized.2 In its most basic forms it has

tended to focus on what one group of writers call 'the imperial process from the moment of colonization to the present day. It has emphasized the loss of identity, language, culture, sense of place and integrity which post-colonial

1 _{Prof. Dr. Nyoman Kutha Ratna,}

Teori, Metode, dan Teknik Penelitian Sastra (Yogyakarta:

Pustaka Pelajar, 2007), p. 205

2 _{Zainul Maarif, Pos-Oksidentalisme Identitas dan Alteritas Pos-Kolonial (Jakarta Timur: Dapur}

peoples have suffered. Maarif also added that at least five typical postcolonial issues, namely Colonialism and Imperialism, the discourse of the colony, the binary opposition, feminism and gender, and ideology and identity.3 These losses it sees as continually and persistently registered in the post-colonial societies and cultures which arose out of the dissolution of the European Empires in the first half of the twentieth century.4

According to Shelley Walia, post-colonial project was first proposed by Frantz Fanon in his book Black Skin, White Masks and the Wretched of the Earth (1967). Fanon was a psychiatrist who developed a very careful analysis of the psychological and sociological effects caused by colonization. Fanon concluded that through colonial dichotomy, colonizer-colonized, oriental discourse has spawned psychological alienation and marginalization very powerful.5 In the Anglo-American world was pioneered by Edward W. Said with his book Orientalism (1978) analyzes the imbalance relationship between East and West. Other figures are Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Homi K. Bhabha, and Sara Suleri.6

The elements of post colonialism can be found in a variety of literary works such as short stories, poetry, novels and plays. The hallmark of postcolonialism is the fact that the object is the texts relating to the territory of the former European colonies in general, the symptoms of post-colonial

3 _{Ibid., p. 3}

4 _{Colin Graham,}

Post-Colonial Theories and Irish Culture, Cork University Press, Accessed on

03.29 pm March 23th 2015, http://www.jstor.org/stable/29735754, p. 29-30

5 _Ratna,

Op. Cit., p. 206

6 _{Nyoman Kutha Ratna, Sastra dan Cultural Studies Representasi Fiksi dan Fakta. (Yogyakarta:}

3

cultural arise, contained in a variety of text study of the East, which was written by the orientalists, which are called the oriental texts (from the word orien that means East). Nonetheless, as a result of the dominance of the Western intellect, many works that describe the imbalance relationship between the West imbalance with Eastern societies written by intellectual who has been constructed by the natives of Western thought.7 Postcolonial vision trace the patterns of thought of orientalis group in order to establish the superiority of the West, with the logical consequence that East inferiority may occurs. Therefore, the target is the subject of a collective vision of the intellectual West that view the oriental groups based on Edward Said's understanding.

One of the territory of the former European colonies is Ireland. Ireland is an island situated in the Atlantic Ocean and separated from Great Britain by the Irish Sea. Ireland, Irish Éire, country of western Europe occupying five-sixths of the westernmost island of the British Isles.8 In this context, Britain as the part of European had colonized Ireland for more than 800 years. Therefore, it has long been called an internal colony of Britain for Ireland. The English made a concentrated effort to colonize Ireland in the 17th century. Settlers were planted and Irish society was split between an English-speaking landed gentry and the local Irish-English-speaking, landless or nearly

7 _{Ratna, Op. Cit., p. 206-207}

8 _{Sean Key, Ireland, Accessed on 03.13 pm March 22th 2015,}

landless peasantry.9 Thus, Ireland can be identified as a colonized territory, and the Republic of Ireland is often considered as a postcolonial state.

The English controled the life of politic in Ireland. The English landlord did not only take the advantage economically, but also take the authority in social and politic in Ireland. Thus, it caused the poverty in Ireland increased year by year.10 Especially at the time Ireland faced Great Famine that addressed Irish to the huge imigration because of starving. The famine was a turning point in Irish history because of a fungus disease which made the potato plants to rot in the ground, giving off an appalling stench and crop failure affected the whole island Before the famine, land was subdivided; all the boys got a piece of the family estate (which grew smaller and smaller with each generation). After the famine, the oldest son got the estate and the younger siblings, with no way to stay in Ireland, emigrated to the US, Canada, Australia and Britain. Today, there are 40 million Irish-Americans.11 Because of the huge emigration to the US, Ireland faced West and the influences of West, especially America has increased in Ireland.

One of literary works which contain elements of the postcolonial in Ireland is a novel titled Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt 1996. Frank McCourt's himself acclaimed book Angela's Ashes is subtitled "A Memoir of A Childhood.

9_{Rick Steves and Pat O’Connor, Ireland’s History in a Nutshell, Accessed on 03.46 pm March}

22th 2015, https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/articles/irelands-history-in-a-nutshell.

10 _{Eriz Miernawati,}

Sharing: Amerika History, Accessed on 05.15 pm July 31st 2015,

http://elizmiernawat.blogspot.com/2014/10/amerika-history.html.

11 _{Anonymous, The Great Famine, Accessed on 02.17 pm March 21st 2015.}

5

A memoir is defined as an "account of the personal experiences of an author" and so should offer its author the opportunity to assume representational control of his or her own memories. Definitions indicate that memoir is less objective than an autobiography as the latter is an "account of a person's life written by that person". The difference between an autobiography and a memoir is that an autobiography claims to give an authoritative and comprehensive account of the story of the author's life; while a memoir reminisces about specific instances in the author's life, with the implication that the events are recounted as memories which emphasize personal experiences and are thus open to interpretation. In this context, a memoir allows its author the space to create and explore his or her own interpretation of the past. 12

The above explanation shows that the difference between autobiography and autobiographical memoir is presenting a text that provides an understanding and authority of a writer's life story, while memoir presents a text to commemorate any specific things of life of the author, with the intention that the events which happens to be retold as a memorial to emphasize a personal experience, and therefore, there will be interpretations of the author to the personal experience. In this context, memoir lets writers the opportunity to create and develop their own interpretation of his past life.

Angela’s Ashes is a successful novel, becoming one of the most highly acclaimed nonfiction works of the decade. The book won numerous awards, including the National Book Critics Circle Award, Royal Society of Literature Award and the Pulitzer Bestseller list for over two years. Angela’s

Ashes novel is an emotional and wonderful autobiography that captures Frank

McCourt’s personal history with great depth and appeal. It allows its audience

to gain much insight into his life, through his clever choice of events and

12 _{Aoileann Ni Eigeartaigh, Angela’s Ashes: An Memoir of An Irish Childhood. Accessed on 03.56}

themes, pure honesty, use of techniques such as characterization, humors and emotional and dramatic language.

This novel tells the story of an Irish-American’s childhood namely

Frank McCourt. Frank and his family had just moved from New York back to his parents' homeland, Ireland. Frank was born in America in Depression Era and is the eldest son of the couple Malachy McCourt and Angela Sheehan. Frank possess many brothers, they are Malachy who is one year younger than Frank, Oliver and Eugene, twin brother of less than one year, and Margaret, the sister who had died. Margaret's death which is the main factor of McCourt family returned to Ireland. More troubles plague the McCourts in Ireland:

Angela has a miscarriage, Frank’s two younger twin-brothers die, and

Malachy continues to drink away the family’s money.

Frank’s childhood is described as a time of great deprivation, but of good humor and adventure as well.13 How they survive only from allowances of St. Vincent de Paul, the father who is hard to get a job as a northern Irish accent and bad properties. And the habit of drunkenness father which is uncontrolled until forced her mother to beg for the sake of her children cope with hunger. In the end, they all always hungry and shortcomings.

Frank experienced poverty as a child can not be separated from social influence in Ireland. In addition to telling about the condition of his life and his family, Frank also tells how the lives of others around him, such as

13 _{Anonymous, Angela’s AshesFrank McCourt : Plot Overview. Accessed on 15.38 pm March}

7

neighborhoods, schools, and workplaces in Ireland. Many of them has the same dream like Frank to go to another country, like England and America to get a better life. They, including Frank, admire how well the system of life in other countries and argue that only by leaving Ireland, they can get the proper and succesful life. Frank himself has a big dream to return to his homeland, America, one day, and hoping to achieve a better life in the country that holds

„the land of freedom’. After quitting school, in addition to feed him and his

family, he worked to collect money to be able to go to America, from being a writer of the threathening letters for customer, a telegram boy, a messenger boy and many other jobs.

The story in the novel are using the first person point of view that is Frank McCourt’s point of view. Through his view, it is very interesting to see how he, as the main character show the depiction of the ex-colonized or the Orient that is occupied by Ireland and the ex-colonizer or the Occident that is occupied by England and America.

To learn how colonization progress influenced countries both the colonized and colonizer, it will be easily studied by a theory used in literary works, namely orientalism. Orientalism is a theory was created by Edward Said. It is a theory that shows the position of Orient and Occident.

Because the novel of Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt is one example of orientalism practice which the author can define the position of the orient and occident through the main character, the writer chooses the theory of orientalism to analyze the novel.

B. Focus of The Study

This study will focus on Frank McCourt as the main character shows the point of views, action, and phenomenon within the text that describe the position of Ireland as Orient and England and America as Occident by using Orientalism theory of Edward Said.

C. Research Question

To facilitate researcher in analyzing this novel, researcher developed two formulas related issues with the focus on:

1. How is Frank McCourt as the main character described in Angela’s Ashes novel by Frank McCourt 1996?

2. How is the relationship of Ireland as the Orient toward England and America as the Occident described in Angela's Ashes novel by Frank

McCourt’s view as the main character? D. Significance of The Study

The benefits of this research is to enrich our knowledge about condition of Ireland after colonization, especially in the time of Depression Era as the setting of this novel. Furthermore, the writer is to reveal domination of England and America towards Ireland by using orientalism theory of Edward Said.

9

E. Research Methodology 1. The Method of Research

Research methods that will be used by researcher is a qualitative research method. Qualitative research methods is the analysis done by linking social facts with the text of literary works by involving authors, author social environment, and others. Another sort of research which the writer will take is descriptive research which explains about one phenomenon which has a correlation with the recent accident.14

2. The Objective of the Research

The objective of this study is to answer the issues related to the research question which was developed by researcher. This study intends to demonstrate the process of research in explaining the Orient and Occident through Frank McCourt as the main character through the point of views, actions and phenomena that occurs within the text

3. The Technique of Data Analysis

This researcher will start this study by reading the novel Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt repeatly and more thoroughly, then identify and analyze the words of Frank McCourt that show his point of views, actions and phenomena within the text that contain the position of Ireland as the orient toward England and America as the occident.

4. The Instrument of Research

The researcher will involve herself as a major instrument in this study. The writer will firstly analyze the characterization of the main character, Frank McCourt. Later on, the writer will consider the words or point of view of Frank McCourt by marking the sentences that show the view and correlation of the Orient and Occident, then interpret and analyze those sentences by using Orientalism theory by Edward Said. 5. Unit of Analysis

The unit of analysis of this study is novel Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt, published by Scribner in 1996.

6. Place and Time of Research

This study will be conducted in 2015 and is placed on the campus of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, precisely in the campus library.

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CHAPTER II

THE THEORITICAL DESCRIPTION

A. Previous Research

There are some researches related to Angela’s Ashes 1996 by Frank McCourt, they are a thesis titled An Analysis of Moral Development In

Angela’s Ashes by MJ Tarigan from University of North Sumatra14, a journal titled Angela’s Ashes : Class Struggle and the Dream of Betterment by Hamid Farahmandian from University Putra Malaysia15 _{and an essay titled}

Frank

McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes: A Picture of an Irish Childhood by Emilia Stopar from Lund University, Sweden. 16

MJ Tarigan in her thesis titled An Analysis of Moral Development In

Angela’s Ashes explains about how the main character Frank experience his moral development. Based on the definition of moral development which is the process through which children develop proper attitudes and behaviors toward other people in society, based on social and cultural norms, rules, and laws, Tarigan is interested to analyze moral development in this novel

14

MJ. Tarigan, An Analysis of Moral Development In Angela’s Ashes, Accessed on 11.00 pm May

22th, 2015. http://repository.usu.ac.id/handle/123456789/25546.

15 _{Hamid Farahmandian, Angela’s Ashes : Class Struggle and the Dream of Betterment, Accessed}

on 11.16 pm May 22th, 2015.

http://www.iiste.org/Journals/index.php/RHSS/article/view/8359/8556.

16 _{Emilia Stopar, Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes: A Picture of an Irish Childhood, Accessed on}

because he found that the main character in this novel, Frank, undergoes moral development through conflicts and incidents he experiences in his life.

Tarigan uses extrinsic approach which is a kind of approach which analyzes the literary work and its connection with other knowledge and external factors such as biography, history, society, religion, psychology and so on. Tarigan uses extrinsic approach by connecting the story with other knowledge and relate it with psychology in order to get deeper understanding about moral development that usually experienced by children

Meanwhile, Hamid Farahmandian in his journal analysis titled

Angela’s Ashes : Class Struggle and the Dream of Betterment explains how the class struggle and its effects on the society and characters in novel

Angela’s Ashes. The choosing of his analysis’s aim is viewed from the story

of Frank McCourt as the author of the novel who experiences th financial and social troubles in both the United States and his homeland, Ireland. To accomplish his goal, he uses the theory of Marxism.

He focuses on economic issues and class issue which is examined to

three issues, they are „Alienation’, „Religion’, and „Revolution’. Dividing the

issues into three issues is caused of the effect of social troubles to the character, Frank McCourt, who has the class struggle and the dream going to

United States. Hamid aims to see which one the primary cause of Frank’s

leave to United States is. And finally, in the end of his analysis, he concludes that Frank leaved Ireland to the United States because of alienation that he

13

feels in Ireland due tothe oppression and religion on its head which leads to an revolution in his inside regarding his future life based on the experience from hispast and family troubles suffered during the first nineteen years.

Later, Emilia Stopar in her essay titled Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes: A Picture of an Irish Childhood aims to investigate how Frank McCourt pictures Irish childhood in Angela’s Ashes and then decide whether this is a realistic and true picture, or whether McCourt exaggerates in his descriptions. Stopar focuses on aspects of childhood that McCourt brings up, relates and critizes those aspects. In the investigation, Stopar also really concerns to the role of Catholicism in Irish and what life was like in Ireland during the period.

Stopar divides her focus into four stages. Firstly, the focus on Ireland and Irish childhood in a historical and cultural context, where historical facts will be compared with how Ireland is described in the novel. Secondly,

attention paid to Catholicism’s influence on various institutions and on

people. Thirdly, the positive aspects of Irish childhood brought up. Lastly, the

negative aspects of such a childhood as well as McCourt’s criticism of these

aspects dealt with.

In this research, the writer purposes to examine the novel Angela’s Ashes by using Orientalism of Edward W. Said to understand, analyze and explain how Novel Angela’s Ashes 1996 by Frank McCourt depicts the relationship of East and West between Ireland and America through the

conversation, actions, perceptions of the main character, Frank McCourt and phenomenon that occurs to him within the text.

B. Character and Characterization

By definition, character means roles. Characters can be a person, community, race, mental and moral attitude, the quality of reason, famous people, figures in literature, reputation, signs or letters. 17

As a literary term, a character is a person created for a work of fiction.18 As Kennedy said that a character is a person. Though several of literary works are using animal or plant as a character, the character still describes human personalities.19 Meanwhile, Robert Diyanni states on his book that characters posses the kind of reality that dreams have a reality no less intense for being imagined.20Abrams also defined that character is the person presented in a dramatic or narrative work who are interpret by the reader being endowed with moral, dispositional and emotional qualities are expressed in what they say.21

Robert Diyanni has classified the character into two classification. They are major and minor character. 22The major character is an important

figure at the center of the story’s action or theme. Major character is

17 _{Albertine Minderop, Metode Karakterisasi Telaah Fiksi. (Jakarta: Yayasan Obor Indonesia,}

2005) p. 2

18 _{Jane Barchman Gordon & Karen Kuehner, Fiction The Elements of the Short Story (New York:}

McGraw Hill Glencoe, 1999), p. 95

19_{X. J. Kennedy,}

An Introduction to Fiction: Third Edition (United States of America: Little,

Brown and Company, 1983), p. 45.

20 _{Robert Diyanni,}

Literature Approach to Fiction, Poetry and Drama (New York: McGraw Hills,

2004), p. 54

21 _{M.H. Abrams, A Glosary of Literary Terms (New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1971), p. 22} 22 _{Diyanni, Op. Cit., p. 54}

15

sometimes called a protagonist. The term protagonist refers to the main or central character in fiction.23 The protagonist may also be the most sympathetic character. It means that the protagonist can arouse your concern and sympathy. Rather, a more neutral and accurate word to describe the opponent of protagonist is antagonist. An antagonist is a character whose

conflict with a protagonist may spark the story’s conflict. The antagonist may

also represent a major threat or obstacle to the main character by their very existence without necessarily actively targeting him or her. Together, the protagonist and antagonist comprise the major characters or forces in fiction.

Meanwhile, minor character is a character whose function is partly to illuminate the major character. 24 Their degree of importance depends on their function. Minor characters primarily function as foils, stereotypes, or pieces of furniture. The role of minor character enable us to discover what the major character thinking or planning. Some of minor characters are typically contrast physically and/ or in personality with the main character. The contrast can emphasize the characteristics of the main characters. Furthermore, minor characters are often static or unchanging, they remain the same from the beginning of a work to the end.

There are other classification of characters. They are round and flat character. Round character is a three-dimensional character complex enough to be able to surprise the reader without losing credibility.25 Because the round characters exhibit many characteristics, some of which may be

23 _{Gordon & Kuehner, Op. Cit., p. 96} 24 _{Diyanni, Op. Cit., p. 54}

contradictory and being called “incalculability of life”. Such characters are

said to be fully and well developed. In contrast, flat character is deemed incapable of surprising the reader because flat character only has some simple characteristics.

Approaching a character is similar as how we approach a human. We need to observe their actions, to listen to what they say and how they say it, to notice how they relate to other characters and how other characters respond to them, especially to what they say about each other. Furthermore, to analyze a character, we can concern on the action, the speech or the physical detail of the character. To recognize characters in a fiction an author does many efforts to bring readers into the story and it will ease readers, later, to catch personalities of characters. This effort of author called characterization. Characterization is the means by which writers present and reveal character.26Characterization is the art and technique of representing fictional personages, depends upon action or plot as well as narration and point of view. 27Characterization is also called as the character creation that is what the author does to bring a character to life, to provide the reader with a sense

of that character’s personality. Authors can characterize or develop a

character directly or indirectly.

Characterization methods in the study of literature is described the method of disposition of the figures contained in a literary work. How to determine, in this case, the imajinatif- figures, and determine the nature or

26 _{Diyanni, Op.Cit., p. 55}

27 _{Alison Booth, J. Paul Hunter, and Kelly J. Mays, The Norton Introduction to Literature (New}

17

character figures is very different.28 Minderop states that in presenting and determining the characteristics of the character, in general, the author uses two ways or methods in his works, namely the direct method (telling) and indirect methods (showing).29 Telling methods rely on the exposure of characteristic on exposition and commentary directly from the author. This direct method includes characterization through the use of names, characterization through appearance, and characterization by the author. Meanwhile the showing method shows the author puts himself outside the narration to provide an opportunity for characters to show their characterization through dialogue and action.

C. Theory of Orientalism by Edward W Said.

Orientalism is a theory relates to relationship between West and East. It started during latter part of eighteenth century and early years of the nineteenth when colonialization term was finally changed to be more vague and acceptable. This theory was invented by Edward W. Said.30 In his book entitled Orientalism (1978). Said examines the vast tradition of Western

“constructions” of the Orient. The tradition of Orientalism has been a

28 _Minderop,

Op. Cit., p. 2

29_{Ibid,. p. 6} 30

Edward Said is a literary and cultural theorist who was born in Jerusalem, Palestine in 1935. Said, who was known as an internationally reowned literary and cultural critic is Old Dominion Foundation Professor in the Humanities at Colombia University, where he has taught English since 1962. He was educated at Victoria College, Cairo, Mount Hermon School, Massachusetts, and a Princeton and Harvardn University. In literary world, he is greatly known as the master of a theory called Orientalism.

„corporate institution’ for coming to terms with the Orient, for authorizing

views about it and ruling over it.31

Orientalism can be discussed and analyzed as the corporate institution for dealing with the Orient –dealing with it by making statement about it, authorizing views of it, describing it, by teaching it, settling it ruling over it: in short, Orientalism as a Western style for dominating, restructuring, and having authority over the Orient.32

The success of modern Europe in the control of its colonies are not solely caused by physical force. In this connection, there are other forces which in some ways even more role, namely discourse. Orient which is the

central of Said’s analysis is actually a production of Western discourse, a

means of self-definition of Western culture as well as of justifying imperial domination of Oriental people. Thus, the group of Western intellectual develop science projects on the East nation called Orientalism.33 With generates various aspects of the study of Eastern nation, then it can be known strength and weakness of the East, so that it can be easier to be mastered.

The Orient geographically exists separately from the Western World,

but the “Orient” does not merely refer to a geographical location. It also very

profound political and cultural conotation.34 This “Orient” has become the

“other” or the “third world” or “the colonized” of the West.

According to Schwab’s notion, “Oriental” identifies an amateur or

professional enthusiam for everything Asiatic, which was wonderfully

31 _{M.A.R. Habib, A History of Literary Criticism (London: Blackwell Publishing, 2008), p. 744} 32 _{Edward W Said, Orientalism (London: Penguin Books, 1991), p. 3}

33 _{Nyoman Kutha Ratna,}

Teori, Metode, dan Teknik Penelitian Sastra. (Yogyakarta: Pustaka

Pelajar, 2007), p. 209

34 _{Wang Ning, Orientalism versus Occidentalism?, New Literary History. Accessed on 01.11 pm}

19

synonymous with the exotic, the mysterious, the profound, the seminal.35 East is also likely to be seen as homogeni where the people are anonymous mass rather than an individual, their actions are determined by instinctive emotions (lust, terror, amok, etc.) rather than by conscious choice or decision.36 Emotions and the reaction is always determined by racist considerations (for example they are like this or that because they are Asian or black, or oriental) rather than by aspects of the status or condition of the individual (for example because maybe they are coincidentally a big brother, or uncle, or a collector of antique ceramics)

As the invaders, which itself had been preparing for specific purposes, then science, translations, and other studies it produces, including literature, not as a whole to contain the true objectivity, but rather occurs cultural biases. Description and analysis of the texts of oriental biased so that the West remains the West and the East will be further east. Knowledge of the East never be a genuine reason in due to the people who tell it are closely related and have a particular interest in colonialism. Therefore, their objectivity is objectivity according to their own ideas, which is thought of Western society.

Said menyebutkan karya-karya kelompok orientalis sebagai teks-teks predatoris, yang secara perlahan-lahan akan mengisap kekuatan bangsa Timur. Orientalisme dengan demikian tidak terbatas sebagai pengetahuan, melainkan sebagai kekuasaan. Oleh karena itulah, disebutkan bahwa orientalisme bukan mitos melainkan mesin, dalam bentuk imperialism antropologis, yang digunakan untuk menghasilkan pernyataan-pernyataan yang berbeda mengenai dunia Timur. 37

35 _Said,

Op. Cit., p. 51

36 _{Peter Barry, Begining Theory: Pengantar Komprehensif Teori Sastra dan Budaya (Yogyakarta:}

Jalasutra, 2010) p. 225

The term of orientalism, in Said’s opinion, can be defined by three

ways. First is by viewing orientalism as a mode or paradigm to differ West and East by a certain epistemology and ontology. Next, orientalism can be also understood such a kind of West institution which focuses on East people and tradition as its topic. The last, orientalism essentially is the official institution of Western that takes its care into East. In other words, orientalism is likely the institution created by West to spread an understanding of East which its truth was blown away or sometimes group of lies and myths38.

The opposite side of the Orient is the Occident. Occident is position for Europe or West and orient is a term for East or usually Asia. Recently, the area range of occident is identified as Europe and United States. However, Japan, until recently an emblem of the East, has increasingly been accepted as a member of the West in international organizations as well as in popular culture.39 Orient, is covering Asia, Africa and Latin America. Besides,

occident call themselves as “West”, “The First world”, “Self”, and “The Center” while orient call themselves as “East”, “The Third World”, “The

Other” and “Periphery”40

Occident is reflected as a colonizer and orient is as a colonized. Because the relationship between occident and orient is as colonizer and colonized, it is impossible to discuss one side only. The relationship between

38 _{Akhyar Yusuf Lubis, Dekonstruksi Epistemologi Modern: Dari Postmodernisme, Teori Kritis,}

Poskolonialisme Hingga Cultural Studies (Jakarta: Pustaka Indonesia Satu, 2006), p 216

39 _{Fernando Coronil,}

Beyond Occidentalism: Toward Nonimperial Geohistorical Categories.

Cultural Anthropology. Accessed on 01.11 pm April 14th, 2015. http://www.jstor.org/about/terms.html, p. 53

21

Occident and Orient is a relationship of power, of domination, of varying degrees of a complex hegemony.41 These two sides have distinctive power and characterizations and both are in contradiction. Eventhough they are contrastive, they have same function which is to define the power of each other.

Furthermore, occident and orient are two groups in forming the orientalism theory. The occident is a group with high superiority and great in any aspects. As opposite side, the orient is an oppressive group and inferior. Characters of the occident are always positive that it is masculine, independent, civilized, rational familiar, strong, educated and modern. On the contrary, the orient is in negative side that it is feminine, wild, weak, irrational, uneducated, and primitive.42 No matter how characterizations of both the occident and orient are, they are a result of human’s creation. Their

presence helps each other to define their position.

As a colonizer, occident always practiced many methods in dominating its colonized country. In colonialization era, the occident bluntly imperialized to extend its domination area. However, though colonialism have ended, postcolonial regions are not necessarily free from colonialism. Although it has been bustled by struggle for independence throughout colonial countries, colonialism still re-sticking with a new model called noecolonialism.43

41 _{Bill Ashcroft, et.al.}

The Post-Colonial Studies Reader (London: Routledge, 1995), p. 89

42 _{Lutfi Hamadi, Edward Said: The Postcolonial Theory and The Literature of Decolonization}

(European Scientific Journal June 2014 /SPECIAL/ edition vol.2), p. 39

Neocolonialism denotated the continuing of economic hegemony of invaders, in which post-colonial state still relies on his old master.44 Countries of the former colonies tend to depend on the West that is the invaders of their own, especially in the economic and political sectors is still not stable. The values that are universal; discipline, respect for the achievements, and the fulfillment of basic human needs as a reason why theystill depend on the West. Furthermore, Maarif points out that West is very close to people's awareness of developing countries. Clothing, art, science, technology, architecture, language, lifestyle and mind, to just mention a few examples, almost all of them oriented to the West.

Third world people's attitudes towards the West is varied. There were facing West with rejection (discontinuities). Instead some are addressing the West with absolute acceptance and relevance (continuity).45 The countries that adopt Secularism-Scientific choose the attitude of acceptance and relevance. For them, the West is the prototype of renewal and a source of knowledge. All are from the West accepted, while the products of tradition tends to be abandoned. But on the other hand, they tend to sacrifice the identity and eroded in westernization.

In brief, according to Said, orientalism contains at least the following connotation. First, it refers to a mode of thinking based on the difference in ontology and epistemology between Orient and Occident. the Orient and Occident are in separate hemispheres on earth, opposing each other in may

44_{Ibid., p. 3} 45_{Ibid., p. 30}

23

respects due to their striking differences, politically, economically, and even linguistically. Second, it refers to a way of dominance of the powerful West over the weak East and its oppression of the latter.46

46

24

In this chapter, the writer would like to analyze the depiction of Orient and Occident relationship among Ireland, England and America by revealing some related data to explain the result of analysis. The first thing the writer would like to do is to describe and analyze the characterization of main character, Frank McCourt in the novel Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt. Later on, the writer will explain the position of Ireland, England and America through the perceptions, action, and phenomena that occur to the main character.

A. The Characteristics of Frank McCourt

Frank is a child who was born in America but grows in Ireland. He is the eldest son of Irish parents, Angela Shehaan and Malachy McCourt. In his four

years old, Frank and his family returned to their parents’s homeland, Ireland

whose citizen were still depend on and influenced by its old master, England. The worse poverty that he experiences in Ireland has set his mind about the image of

Ireland that he has stated in the first page of the novel as “the miserable Irish Catholic childhood.”(McCourt, 1996: 11). The better life that is offered by England and he experienced in America draw him to leave and go out from Ireland to find his successful and better life for his family.

Frank becomes the major character in this novel because he is the most important character who takes whole part in the story. Frank can be also called as

25

the protagonist character because the novel focuses on his life who struggles to pursue his dream to go back to America.

The characteristics of Frank will be clearly revealed on some point of his traits below:

1. Dreamer

Frank has a habit of dreamer since he was three years old. He is keening to dream about many things that could make him happy, but sometimes impossible. It can be firstly seen when he was live in Brooklyn, America, in his three years old. At the time, her mother was getting sick because of

Margareth death, Frank’s youngest sister. She stayed in the bed all day and

hardly moving. Therefore, Frank must had responsibilities to take care his brothers, Malachy, and the twin, Oliver and Eugene who is only less one year. Fortunately, his neighbours came and help him, they were Mrs. Leibowitz and Minnie MacAdorey. They were taking care of them very well by giving them foods and taking care the twins.

“Malachy and I sit on the floor drinking from mugs. We spoon the soup into the twin’s mouths. It is lovely and hot and tasty. My mother never makes soup like this and I wonder if there’s any chance Mrs.

Leibowitz could ever be my mother.” (McCourt, 1996: 38)

When Mrs. Leibowitz gave them the soup, Frank was so delighted. Frank started dreaming to have her as her mother so that he could have a soup everyday. It was not only Mrs. Leibowitz that gave them foods, but also Minnie MacAdorey.

“She goes down the hall and bring back a pot of mashed potatoes for

all of us. There is plenty of salt and butter in the potatoes and I wonder

like this all the time. If I could have Mrs. Leibowitz and Minnie for

mothers at the same time I’d have no end of soup and mashed

potatoes. (McCourt, 1996: 39)

Minnie MacAdorey also gave them a pot of mashed potatoes and, again, Frank started to dream her to be her mother too. The quotations above show that Frank is a dreamer. Seeing the kindness of his neighbour in America, he cannot hold his self to dream of having them as his mother because of the lack of food that he experience in his family. As the poor, Frank only simply dreams about what can make his life better than now, such as the nourishing food that is offered by Mrs. Leibowitz and Minnie MacAdorey.

It is not only his poor life, but also his physical condition that draw him to be a dreamer. In his thirteen years old, he and his family must stayed in his uncle’s house, Laman Griffin. It was because Frank and his family had evicted from their old house for they had not payed the rent cost of the house to rent man since four weeks. A few months living in

Laman’s house, he instead got a problem with Laman Griffin. Laman has promised to Frank for letting him borrow his bicycle by requisitioning Frank to clean his chamber pot47 everyday. One day, Frank reminded his uncle about the promise, otherwise Frank himself forgot his job to clean the chamber pot that day. Laman who was drunk that day get angry to Frank. Frank was getting offended started to insult his uncle and made him

27

attack Frank. His weak body could not defense every punch of Laman Griffin. And it made him run away from Laman’s house and never willing

to come back. He left the house and follow the streets. In his walk, he was instead dreaming:

“I dream of how I'll get back at Laman someday. I'll go to America

and see Joe Louis. I'll tell him my troubles and he'll understand because he comes from a poor family. He'll show me how to build up my muscles, how to hold my hands and use my feet. He'll show me how to dig my chin into my shoulder the way he does and how to let go with a right uppercut that will send Laman flying. I'll drag Laman to the graveyard at Mungret where his family and Mam's family are buried and I'll cover him with earth all the way to his chin so that he won't be able to move and he'll beg for his life and I'll say, End of the road, Laman, you're going to meet your Maker, and he'll beg and beg while I trickle dirt on his face till it's covered completely and he's gasping and asking God for forgiveness for not giving me the bike and

punching me all over the house” (McCourt, 1996: 295)

The quotation above shows that Frank is clearly a dreamer. He dreams of having the nice body and the strenght to his body by going to America and meet American people, Joe Louis. So that he can fight Laman and win the fighting because the strong body he has from Joe Louis. He dreams that he can make Laman take a knee in front of him and beg him to sorry. Implicitely, he also dreams of a dignity that make him being regarded by other people, in this case, Laman Griffin. It can be seen from the words

“he'll beg and beg”. The begging that Laman does can means a regarding to Frank and give a dignity to himself.

2. Envious

The appearance of Frank is not attractive. It can be seen since Frank was a child. It can be seen when his aunts, Delia and Philomena was

visiting his house to see the condition of his mother after losing her daughter, Margaret. It was Frank that welcome them, but they only asked his name and his age then passed him. Until they meet Malachy and smile.

“Malachy runs smiling to the big women. When he smiles you can see

how white and straight and pretty his teeth are and you can see the shiny blue of his eyes, the pink of his cheeks. All that makes the big

women smile and I wonder why they didn’t smile when they talked to me.” (McCourt, 2996: 43)

From the quotation above, Frank seems jealous to his brother’s

appearance. He wonders why people who meet him are never interested in him like Malachy does. He realizes that he is not like his brother, Malachy, whose appearance is like an American whom Frank always describe by the white and pretty teeth (McCourt, 1996: 138). Frank who really admire to everything about America is getting jealous of Malachy who physically

has American’s characteristic with his white and pretty teeth and always seems charming and bring the smile to everyone whenever he goes.

Frank does not only get jealous of the fortune Malachy has in his appearance, he also get jealous of the fortune of his neighbour that get the better life than his. At the time when there was a war in England, English agents were recruiting Irishmen to work in their munition factories and the pay was good. People’s around Frank mostly had their fathers go to England and started working there. Frank could see the significant changes in their lifes.

“The new rich people go home after Mass on Sundays all airs and stuff themselves with meat and potatoes, sweets and cakes galore and they think nothing of drinking their tea from delicate little cups which stands in saucer to catch the tea that overflows and when they lift the

29

cups they stick out their little fingers to show how refine they are.[...] They have electricity now so they can see things they never saw before ... [...] at dinnertime and teatime the new rich mothers stand at their doors and call to their children, Mikey, Kathleen, Paddy, come in

for yeer dinner. Come in for the lovely leg o’lamb and gorgeous green peas and the floury white potatoes” (McCourt, 1996: 217)

Frank sees his neighbour whose father work in England can have electricity and the great foods in their house such as meat, potatoes, sweets, and cakes. They also act the way rich people act, by sticking out their little fingers when dringking a tea to show how refine they are. At the

time like that, Frank’s family do not have anything to be proud, they just

have tea and bread. It is because Frank’s father does not go to England but

only sit by the fire in the kitchen. Seeing the changes of their neighbours, Frank said to his father:

“I say to him, Why can’t you go to England, Dad, so we can have electricity and a wireless and Mam can stand at the door and tell the

world what we’re having at dinnertime?” (McCourt, 1996: 218)

Frank suggests his father to go to England too like his neighbours do. It is because Frank also want to be like his neighbours that have electricity, great food and can show off his new wealthy to others. The statement

above show that Frank is an envious person. Frank’s suggestion for his

father shows that Frank is envious with the life of their neighbours can get from working in England.

3. Disobeying

Frank is also known as the disobeying person. It can be seen when he worked in Eason. Ltd that distribute English newspapers and The Irish Times, a Protestant paper. He had been warned by the manager, Mr.

McCaffrey, not to read them or he could lose his Faith. However, He ignored the prohibition and kept running into those English and Protestant newspapers. to know the information about English.

“I keep reading The Irish Times and wondering if it's an occasion of sin though I don't care. As long as Theresa Carmody is in heaven not coughing I don't go to confession anymore. I read The Irish Times and The Times of London because that tells me what the King is up to every day and what Elizabeth and Margaret are doing. I read English women's magazines for all the food articles and the answers to women's questions.” (McCourt, 1996: 352)

From the quotation above, Frank who is curious about English people does not scare about the dangerous of consequence. Frank is not afraid of losing the Faith or getting the sin that has been warned by his manager of reading those papers

The paper I like is the News of the World. It's banned in Ireland but people sneak it in from England for the shocking pictures of girls in swimming suits that are almost not there. Then there are stories of people committing all kinds of sins you wouldn't find in Limerick, getting divorces, committing adultery.(McCourt, 1996: 301-302) .The curiousity that Frank has about the life in England also gets him to the newspaper that even is banned in Ireland. Even the papers is illegal to be read by Irish people, he instead joins to the people who ignore the prohibition. He is excited about everything that is never found in Ireland like the pictures of girls in swimming suit and stories about other sins like divorcing and commiting adultery. For knowing the news about all those things, Frank is courageous to disobey the rule in Ireland.

31

4. Unconfident

Everytime he goes to school, he never go through the proper street. He prefers to take the lanes rather than take the street to reach school because

they will meet the boys from Christian Brother’ School and Crescent Collage48 who are come from the rich class, in contrast, he is just the boy who come from the lane with a mess appearance.

“We go to school through lanes and back streets so that we won't meet the respectable boys who go to the Christian Brothers'School or the rich ones who go to the Jesuit school, Crescent College. The Christian Brothers' boys wear tweed jackets, warm woolen sweaters, shirts, ties and shiny new boots. We know they're the ones who will get jobs in the civil service and help the people who run the world. The Crescent College boys wear blazers and school scarves tossed around their necks and over their shoulders to show they're cock o' the walk. They have long hair which falls across their foreheads and over their eyes so that they can toss their quiffs like Englishmen.” (McCourt: 1996, 272) It is clearly that Frank is not confident to be faced with the boys of

Christian Brothers’ School and and Crescent Collage. He is willing to avoid meeting them in the street because he is ashamed of his poor appearance and feel inferior. They are looking superior by their apperance

in Frank’s eyes, where their appearance are mostly similar to the

Englismen.

B. Post-Colonial Analysis

Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt is using the main character’s point of

view. The perceptions and action of the main character, Frank McCourt, and

48_{Christian Brothers’ School or Irish Christian Brothers is a term of the member of religious}

phenomena that occur to him considers to three different countries, Ireland which occupies the Orient while England and America is the Occident. The writer does not consider Ireland as the Orient based on its geografical location that is in East, but deciding based on its position as the post-colonial country. The explanations below will assist to define Ireland as the Orient and England and America as the Occident through Frank’s view.

1. Ireland as the Orient

Ireland is a place where Frank with his family live after their returning from America. He exactly lives in county Limerick, Ireland. The Ireland’s

suffering which is a background of the poverty experienced by Frank and his family becomes the main factor of Frank’s wish for going back to America to reach the better life.

a. The Lower Class Country

The freedom of Ireland from English colonization has been declared since 1919. However, the story of this novel still depicted the situation of Ireland that has not been completely independent. It is because people in Ireland still depend their life on English. It can be seen in this novel when English agent start recruiting Irish men to work in their munition factory at the time the war is on between English and German, as Frank said below:

“What is Dad to do? There’s war on. English agents are recruiting

Irishmen to work in their munitions factories, the pay is good, there

are no jobs in Ireland, and if the wife turns her back to you there’s no

short-age of women in England where the able men are off fighting Hitler and Mussolini and you can do anything you like as long as you

remember you’re Irish and lower class and don’t try to rise above your

33

In this novel, England is a background of Ireland’s history that has crucial impacts toward the condition of Ireland at the time. Inasmuch as England is the old master that ever ruled Ireland for approximately eight centuries in the past times, the life in Ireland are still interfered by the English. The phenomenon above shows the position of both Ireland and England where Ireland that is roled as the worker in England was placed in the lower position than England that provide the job for Ireland. Additionally, at the statement above, Frank has straightforwardly said about the position of Ireland itself where Frank regards the Irish as the lower class from the words you’re Irish and lower class that have to behave their selves when they are working in England. It is clearly show that Ireland is a lower class country.

There is no jobs in Ireland can indicate that Ireland still depends on other country to reach the prosperity, especially on its old master, England. It makes Ireland are still called as the dependent country because of its dependence on English. The dependence of Ireland toward its old master, England, in economic field show that Ireland represents the Orient chatacteristic that is dependent where England provides jobs in their munitions factories and they recruit the Irishmen that have no job in Ireland.

b. The Lack of Opportunity

The lack of opportunity is experienced by Irish especially for people who are from the lower class or poor poeple. It is caused by the class

system which is still exist in Ireland. In Ireland, the class system is really strong. The class system firstly can be seen from the place where they live. There are names of place of living in Ireland, there are avenue, road, street, terrace, mews, place, close, lane. The lowest class people are they who lives in the lane where the houses are very worst. In contrast, the highest class people are they who live in the Avenue. Frank describes people who live in Avenue are rich, and where houses have gardens. (McCourt, 1996: 358).

Everyone is able to know the class of people through the place where they live. It can be seen when Frank was applying a job and firstly having an interview from the manager of Eason. Ltd. The manager, Mr. McCaffrey asked him to write a paragraph explaining about the reason of him come for the job and how he proposes to rise in the ranks of Eason and Son, Ltd. When the manager read the address of Frank, he was so surprised.

Frank Mcourt,

4, Little Barrington Street, Limerick City,

County Limerick, Ireland

“What’s this? Says Mr. McCaffrey. Do we have here a twisting of

the truth?

I don’t know, Mr. McCaffrey

Little Barington Street. That’s a lane. Why are you calling it a street?

They call it a street, Mr. McCaffrey

Don’t be getting above yourself, boy. You live in a lane, not a street.

[...] you live in a lane and that means you have nowhere to go but up. (McCourt, 1996: 335)

35

The manager was surprised because Frank writes his address, Little Barrington as the street, instead of Little Barrington lane that is the fact. The manager reminds him that it is lane and can not be changed to be street even only the name. The conversations above shows that a name of place which is a lane cannot be changed to be another state which is street. It also implies that people who are from the lane are banned to wish a higher level of place.

People who are from the lane also get discriminative treatment.

There’s no opportunity for them to reach a higher level of their life such as

working in the civil service or government, go to university or even run the world. It can be seen when Frank avoided to meet the boys from Chritian

Bothers’ School by taking the lane instead of the street everytime he goes

to school. He avoided them because of their appearance that looks luxurious.

“We go to school through the lanes and back streets so that we won’t meet the respectable boys who go to the Christian Brothers’ School or the

rich ones who go to the Jesuit school, Crescent College. The Christian

Brothers’ boys wear tweed jackets, warm woolen sweaters, shirt, ties and shiny new boots. We know they’re are the ones who will get jobs in the

civil service and help the people who run the world. the Crescent College boys wear blazers and school scarves rossed around their necks and over

their shoulders to show they’re cock o’the walk. They have long hair

which falls across their foreheads and over their eyes so that they can toss

their quiffs like Englishmen. We know they’re the ones who will go to

univeristy, take over the family business, run rhe government, run the world. We will be the messenger boys on bicycles who deliver their

groceries or we’ll go to England to work on the building sites.” (McCourt,

Frank sees the boys of Christian Brothers’ School as the repectable

boys who comes from rich family. It can be seen from their appearance by wearing tweed jackets, warm woolen sweaters, shirt, ties and shiny new

boots. They’re are the ones who will get jobs in the civil service, go to

university and run the world. It is different with him and the boys from the lane that will be the messenger boys on bicycles who deliver their groceries or go to England to work on the building sites. The statement above shows that people who are from the lane is only able to work for filling the daily necessaries without any opportunity for increasing the level of life for instance working as a messenger boy. There will be only boys who have much money and good appearances that can have the opportunity to be success. Frank realizes that the opportunity will not come for him who is from the lane.

The class distinction has also gotten him fed up and realizes who himself is and it makes him to bury his dream to be a Jesuit49.

“I'd like to be a Jesuit some day but there's no hope of that when you grow up in a lane. Jesuits are very particular. They don't like poor people. They like people with motor cars who stick out their little

fingers when they pick up their teacups.” (McCourt, 1996: 245)

Frank has a dream to be a Jesuit. Frank sees that the life of a Jesuit is very peaceful. He can see it everytime he go to Jesuit Church for a Mass. They live in the warm place, sleep in a bed with sheets blankets pillows, get up to a nice warm house and a warm church with nothing to do except

49 _{Member of a Roman Catholic religious order called the Society of Jesus that was founded by}

37

say Mass hear confession. But, in the statement above, Frank realizes that he is a person from lane. And there is no hope for people from the lane like him to be a Jesuit. They prefers to take the boys from the rich people, like people with motor cars who stick out their little fingers when they pick up their teacups. It shows that there is no opportunity, especially for poor people to be a part of Jesuit as the particular organization of the country.

Another proof that shows the lack of opportunity in Ireland is the

moment someone from Christian Brothers slaps the door in Frank’s face.

Frank who is known as the smart boy is not also given an opportunity to

reach the higher level of his school. It can be seen when Frank’s teacher,

Mr. O’Halloran, told Frank’s mother about how bright Frank is and suggest him to continue his school to secondary school. Mr. O’Halloran send him to Christian Brothers’s School. But, when Frank and his mother went to Christian Brothers to inquire about further schooling, the people from the school instead slamed the door in his face and refused him.

“She knocks on the door at the Christian Brothers and says wants to

see the superior, Brother Murray. He comes to the door, looks at my mother and me and says, What?

Mam says, This is my son, Frank, Mr. O’Halloran at Leamy’s says

he’s bright and would there be any chance of getting him in here for

secondary school?

We don’t have room for him, says Brother Murray and closes the door in our faces.” (McCourt, 1996: 289).

The rejection above has completed the proof about the lack of opportunity for poor people to get the success eventhough they are very

smart and talented. They are not seen by conscious choice or decision, but, they are prefered to be seen by appearance rather than by aspects of condition of the individual.

c. The Uncivilized Country

In the early pages, Frank has stated the condition of Ireland, especially the weather. The weather in Ireland is really worse that can cause many kinds of disease perch to the body.

“Out in the Atlantic Ocean great sheets of rain gathered to drift

slowly up the River Shannon and settle forever in Limerick. The rain dampened the city from the Feast of the Circumcision to New Year's Eve. It created a cacophony of hacking coughs, bronchial rattles, asthmatic wheezes, consumptive croaks. It turned noses into

fountains, lungs intobacterial sponges. “(McCourt, 1996: 11)

The condition of Ireland which is always wet is implied above from the rain that gathered and settle forever in Limerick. The rain itself has indicates the cold and wet circumstance of Ireland that led to a lot of different kinds of diseases can attack Frank and the people who live in Ireland.

The condition of Ireland is also depicted through how Frank compare Ireland with the downstair room in his house. His new house that is placed in Roden Lane has two rooms on the upstair and two rooms on the downstair. In the winter months, the downstair is fulled by flood because the rain come down the lane and poured in under their door. Meanwhile, in the upstair, the room is dry and warm. Frank gives the names for the downstair and upstair according to their condition to make him easy call

39

both of them. The downstair is called as Ireland and the upstair is called as Italy.

It's cold and wet down in Ireland but we're up in Italy. (McCourt, 1996: 235)

Frank compares the condition of Ireland with the downstair room in his house which is cold, wet and filled by terrible flood. This comparation implies that Ireland is the worse place to live that the condition can threat their healthy.

The risk of healthy does not only comes from the damp weather in Ireland. It is also caused by the condition of the house that is indeed worse for Frank and people around him. There is no lavatory in their house, but the only lavatory they have is placed beside of his house that is the lavatory for the whole family in the lane. It means that he must split up the lavatory with many people and it is awfully worse for their healthy. The condition of Ireland has leads it as the uncivilized country where it has no the well system of life in their country as the providing of lavatory for each house, especially poor people.

Instead of using the lavatory that is placed outside the houses, Frank see them use the chamber pot for having a pee. The first time Frank sees that habit of using the chamber pot is when Frank firstly arrived in Ireland from his long journey from America in his four years old. Frank and his family firstly went to his grandparents’ house in Belfast50_{and sleep over in}

50 _{Port and capital city of north Ireland}

there for a few days. On one night, Frank got up and poked his father asking for a toilet. But his father instead ordered him to use the chamber pot placed under the bed. Frank felt astonished while he firstly sees the chamber pot.

“I want to ask him what he’s talking about for even I’m bursting I

feel strange peeing into a pot with roses and maidens cavorting, whatever they are. We had nothing like this in Classon Avenue where Mrs. Leibowits sang in the lavatory while we clutched ourselves in the hall.” (McCourt, 1996: 49)

Frank feel strange about the chamber pot and even he really need to have a pee, he can not use the chamber pot at all. Frank is unfamiliar to that habit. In the statement above, Frank compares this habit with the life in Classon Avenue, Brooklyn, America. He says in the quotation above that in America, there is nothing like this where people using the chambor pot for the toilet. In contrast, everyone in America has a proper live where people can have toilets and life happily like Mrs. Leibowitz who is singing in toilet.

All Frank experiences above show that Ireland is not a good country for living in due to its condition that harm their healthy because of how the life in Ireland that is seemly not proper for health. Thus, Ireland can be said as the uncivilized country which is the characteristics that can depict Ireland as the Orient.

d. The Conservative Country

As Frank said in the early pages about the miserable Irish Catholic childhood (McCourt, 1996:11), it is clearly that Frank lives in the religious

41

country. This image shows that Ireland applies its religion rule tightly and maintain the people from any harm things that can break their Faith. It can be seen when Frank read his favorite newspaper that containing any kinds of news of the world that iss actually banned in Ireland.

“The paper I like in the News of the World. it’s banned in Ireland but people sneak it in from England for the shocking pictures of girls in swimming suits that are almost not there. Then there are

stories of people commiting all kinds of sins you wouldn’t find in Limerick, getting divorces, commiting adultery.” (McCourt, 1996:

301-302)

Frank explaines the informations that contained in the paper. The news are about the pictures of girls in swimming suit, the news of divorcing and commiting adultery. Frank has stated that those things is the things that rarely and even never found in Ireland. It implies that those information has contrasted to the tradition in Ireland that in this context never show the pictures of girls in swimming suit, never doing the divorcing, and never doing a commiting adultery. The prohibition shows that Ireland is a conservative country that is desiring to preserve traditions than receiving any new information of the world that can change their tradition.

In addition, Ireland also have rejected any innovation of the world that they consider it can contaminate their religious country. It is when Frank was commanded to go to every shop by his manager in Eason Ltd to find out the John O’London’s Weekly51 _{and tear out the page of sixteen.}

51_{A weekly literary magazine that was published by George Newnes Ltd of London between 1919}

“Tis all about birth control and that’s banned in Ireland.”

(McCourt, 1996: 348).

Frank had commanded to tear out the page of sixteen because it

contains information about „birth control’. Frank and Mr. McCaffrey runned into every shop, grabbed the magazines, and torn the page of sixteen. The noisy has get the shop owners scream and wonder what they

have done to the magazines. But, Frank’s manager tell them that this is the

government order, as he said below:.

“Mr. McCaffreys tells them, Government orders, ma’am. There is

filth in John O’London this week that’s not fit for any Irish eyes and we are here to do God’s work.” (McCourt, 1996: 148)

The statement above shows how conservative Ireland is. They do

that for regarding it as the God’s work and for saving the Irish. Birth

control itsself is one of innovation form that is result of new era. But, Ireland chooses to refuse it instead of receive it as the form of innovation. The refusal of the innovation can be the reason of Ireland called as the conservative country that keep their tradition to not to control the birth, but receive the birth as the gift from God that can not be controlled and refused.

In brief, this conservative characteristics has similation to the Orient charateristics of primitive that is not developed, original or derived from the anything else.

e. People’s attitude

Based on Frank’s experiences with the priest, Frank has been

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took him to the St. Joseph’s to see the sacristan, Stephen Carey, who is in

charge of altar boy. But Stephen refused him and slammed the door after

Frank’s face. The second is the time Frank went to Christian Brother’s

School with his mom to continue his school to secondary school. But, he is also refuse and slammed the door by the face. And the third is the time he was also slammed the door by the face when he is willing to confess the sin to the Jesuit but he is in a drunk condition at the time. He just wanted to confess the sin for what he has done that is a sex relationship he does with the sick girl, Theresa Camody, and feel guilty over her dead because he has make her sinned for the sex relationship before marriage. Those refusal have lead Frank to a negative thought that Ireland priest is not pleasant. Frank compares the Ireland priest to American priest he seeing in movies. Frank assumes that American priests are pleasant that will not chase him away and will not be discriminative as Ireland priest does.

I’m fifteen now and I pass churches without stopping. I’ll have to

wait till I go to America where there are priests like Bing Crosby in Going My Way who won’t kick me out of the confessional like Limerick priests”.

I still have the sin, the abscess, and I hope it doesn’t kill me entirely

before I see the American priest.(McCourt, 1996: 330)

Frank regards what he has done with There Carmody is a big sin. He affraid for getting a refusal again by the priest like what he has experienced before. He always passes the church and never stopping. He just want to confess his sin to priest in America like the priest like Bing

Crosby who is the actor as the priest he sees a movie who will not kick him out.

His experiences about those refusal shows the rude and discriminative behaviour of people in Ireland. Those behaviour has indicated the condition of people in a country that is uncivilized where civilized pepople must be a person who is polite, calm and act in reasonable way. Those uncivilized behaviour has finally addresses Ireland as the Orient where the people is uncivilized.

2. England as The Occident a. Higher Class Country

In this novel, Frank often similizes the rich people in Ireland to the life of English people, it can be thorugh their habit, their appearance, and their accent. Everytime he meets or see the rich people, he always relate them to the English life. as the quotation below.

“We work all day moving boxes and bags to the shed outside. Mam opens all the windows to air the house and let out the smell of the hair oil and the years of no air. She says it's a relief to be able to see the floor again and now we can sit down and have a nice cup of tea in peace, ease and comfort, and won't it be lovely when the warm weather comes and we might be able to have a garden and sit outside

with our tea the way the English do.”(McCourt, 1996: 281)

At the time Frank moved to his uncle’s house, Frank got excited to the nice house where there is garden in the backyard (McCourt, 1996:279). He imagined how he can imitate the habit of English by enjoying the nice

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weather and having the tea in the lovely garden. Frank regarded those classy habits as the habit of English people.

The other habit of rich people in Ireland can be seen through the way they talk. When Frank becomed a telegram boy, he met many kinds of people from the poor to the rich.

“People in the big houses have English accents and they don't tip telegram boys.”(McCourt, 1996: 315)

As Frank often meets rich people, he can recognize their habit. They mostly use Engish accent everytime they talks. The using of English accent becomes a trend in a circle of rich people. Those habits above has implies that English habit is a high class habit.

The way Frank follows the habit of English people and the way Frank tell about English accent of the rich people in Ireland has indicated that English habit is the classy and modern habit for him. It represent England as the Occident that is characterized as the modern side.

b. Land of Opportunity

As English agent start recuiting Irish people to work in their munition factory, most people around Frank has themselves going to England. The family whose father in England are looking better than before, such as their appearance with their new clothes, the more delicious and nourishing food they have in dinner, and their home that is more brighter with electricity. Feeling envious seeing their life changes, Frank encouragely suggested his father to also go to England.

people. The culture of English also still dominate Ireland as the habit and accent that is still used by Irish people for the pride. It can also be a prove of England colonization in the past time. This shows the superiority of English that address it as the Occident. Besides, America which becomes the country Irish people depends their future on is dominate the thought of Irish people especially Frank. It gets America as the Occident because of the image of its supriority through the freedom, the opportunity, the wealthy live that are available there.

Therefore, relates to orientalism theory by Edward W. Said about the relationship of West and East where West or Occident is superior and East or Orient is inferior, it can be concluded that Ireland, as the Orient, is less developed country with its traditional culture and thoughts than England and America. Besides, this Angela’s Ashes novel is one example of orientalism practice to spread West or Occident domination over East or Orient which England and America occupies as the Occident and Ireland as the Orient.

B. Suggestion

This research analyzed the post-colonial issues that focuses on the story in the novel which reveals relation West and East by using the Orientalism theory from Edward Said through the point of view of main character of this novel. Based on the analysis above, the writer would like to suggest to the reader and further researcher to more concern in analyzing the post-colonial issues in literary works.

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The next researcher also can analyze other literary works, such as film, poem, lyrics by paying attention to the relation between West and East and use orientalism as the theory of the study.

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APPENDIX