Theoretical Framework REVIEW OF LITERATURE

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CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY

A. Object of the Study

Fistful of Colours, a novel by Suchen Christine Lim was published by SNP international, Singapore in 1993 and awarded the inaugural Singapore literature prize in 1992. The story is built up layer by layer. The present is built on the past and the present is an indicator of what the future might be. The author is able to bring in the story of the forefathers of Singapore around the turn of the century, the ordinary people responsible for the shaping of Singapore. Lim, 2003: Cover page The object of this undergraduate thesis was developed from the layers of various stories and perspectives that have been built by the society of early Singapore. Besides, the object of the study were also covered through the eyes of young generation, Suwen‟s family and her friend‟s historical background, despite the perspective of young generations, the writer also would like to take the history boundary of nations builders as the object of the study too since the focus of this thesis is to analyze the process of influence of society in the Singapore‟s history towards Suwen‟s feminist behaviour and thought. There were the Chinese coolie, malay writer, and Indian doctor. Fistful of Colourscovered broader issues, from the ethnic diversity, the relationship between art and history, until the pursuit of personal artistic freedom. A Singapore novel fiction in english had truly attempted to explore the complexity of Singapore‟s diversity in race and culture, a complicated fight that faced by women to fulfil their inner self manhood. The characterization was readable and reflect multicultural concerns, the book is packed with flavour of the past and reflect the coming future. Fistful of Colours is an elegant, multi layered reflection of what it means to be Singaporean, through a single day in the life of Suwen and her family history, uncover s the many hopes and trials of singapore‟s early immigrant community. Through Suchen Christine Lim‟s masterful of storytelling and vibrant language, the Singapore of yesterday and today converge. Lim, 2003: Cover page

B. Approach of the Study

The writer used the psychoanalytic approach to analyze the process and the development of human behaviour and thought within Suwen‟spsyche whether accepting or resisting the society‟s influence. As stated by Freud, that the human‟s pyschewas divided into the conscious and the unconscious which driven and awakened by desire, pleasure, and dreams Barry, 2002: 97 . Suwen‟spsyche in the unconscious realm would be developed into three levels of personality, id,which consists of dreams and self desire, egoas the reality principle, andsuper- egoas moral principle. Freud‟s point of view about the feminism is constructed rather than natural given, this case supported by Mitchell‟s Psychoanalysis and Feminism in 1974 which concerned on the feminism, “something learned or acquired, rather than „natural‟” Barry, 2002: 130. Freud viewed men‟s dominant authority to become the notion of penis envy that concerning the biological factor as the emblem of social power within the society especially women. Thus the argumen runs, the notion of penis envy need not to be taken as simply concerning the male physical organ itself what ever might have been Freud‟s intentions, but as concerning what organ as an emblem of social power and the advantages which go with it. Barry, 2002: 131 The notion of penis envy unveiled the condition where women had no authority or concern toward their own body and social life, therefore the condition is called social castration, “which signifies women‟s lack of power” Barry, 2002: 131, place and time also influenced on how feminism shown the condition of being shaped. According to Freud, the unconscious has taken a great contribution in the development of human‟s behaviour and thought beyond the reach of human‟s conscious, the unconscious is determi ned from human‟s social experience, such as repression, desires, conflict. The development of the unconscious was built within the stage of social parenting in the family, driven by desire, pleasure, fear of loss and repression. Fear and desire are condensed into a single dream which connected human behaviour and thought in the frame of conscious mind. The purpose of dream and condensation above is to put the materials of desire to be modelled into something which images, symbols, and metaphors can representate it and tranlate it into languages. The purpose of devices like displacement and condensation is two fold. They fashion this material into something which can be represented in a dream, that is, into images, symbols, and metaphors. Barry, 2002: 99 Freud believes that dream is an ultimate desire which representates safety condition, memories, and fears all of them and wrapped and covered in the shadow of conscious mind, with such condition like that dream is related to the