Well-educated Characterisation of Suwen

31 her life whereas she successfully gets and feels it from her stepfather. After that incident, Suwen hates her stepfather very much and she does not love him anymore. It is shown by her action in avoiding talking with her stepfather. He grabbed her breasts, squeesing them as he tried to plant his foul kisses on her lips. She scratched his face like a wild cat, and pushed him onto the bed. Then she ran into the bathroom and locked the door, her heart pounding with pain. She had tried to scream but no sound came out of her throat. It had been strangled by fear. He was bestial A beast The air was full of his immoral snorts and hisses. She shoved a clenched fist into her mouth and bit hard. She would not cry. She refused to cry. p. 16 By using Freud’s theories of defense mechanisms, the researcher found that Suwen’s bad experience makes her avoid talking about men and sex to others deeper. The reason is that she tries to repress and eliminate her bad experience in her mind by avoiding those topics. In the novel, she often gives a short comment when Nica talks about sex with her. Sex becomes a taboo thing to be discusses with others, sex was perceived as a threat and the road to damnation p. 76. Sex becomes a word which brings her to the bad experience so that she avoids talking about this topic. “You’re acting silly, avoiding Mark like this,” Nica was saying. “You do like him. But you don’t want to admit it. Not even to yourself. D’youwant to remain virgin forever or what?” “Oh, Nica Must you always bring things down to that level?” “What level? You talk as if sex is real-down. We all have feelings and urges. Nothing to be ashamed of” Silence. p. 255 Not only avoiding talking about sex and men, but Suwen also avoids talking about her family. She never talks about her family to others because she has a bad experience in the past. She feels afraid that she will recall the past 32 incident when she talks about her family to others. Furthermore, Suwen calls her stepfather “that man” because of what her stepfather has done towards her. Such things, however, Suwen would never reveal. She was not in the habit of talking to others about her family or lack of it. One could put it down to natural reticence. But, perhaps, it was more than that. The incident with her mother’s husband, “that man” as she referred to him inside her head, had clung to her like a body odour which would not go away. p. 104 Suwen’s bad experience also influences her to avoid interacting with men. In other words, she protects herself from her bad experience by avoiding the physical interaction or sexual activity with any men and not making any special relationship with them. In addition, she rejects some chances and situations which will make her to have a physical interaction with men. By using the theories of defense mechanisms, the researcher found that Suwen rejects to be kissed by Mark because she denies this situation which will make her recall her bad experience. Very gently, he turned her to face him snd took her into his arms, kissing her hair, then her shoulders. His mouth sought hers as their fingers laced and interwined like the flaments of aerial roots from the banyan tree. “No, Mark,” she broke away from him. “I’m...I’m sorry.” She turned and started to walk down the slope. He followed. In silence. p. 191 In order to protect herself from pain and bad experience, Suwen also chooses to remain unmarried. In other words, she chooses to be an unmarried woman rather than she should give up her virginity to men. She decides to keep her virginity because she does not want to recall the incident which will bring her to pain and suffering. 33

2. Suwen’s Personal Development

A past experience in childhood will influence an individual’s emotion and motivation in his behaviour unconsciously Freud, 1969. The individual’s emotion, instinct, motivation, and desire are formed during their childhood and also influenced by people around them, especially family. Due to that fact, an individual can find others’ motivation in doing something by analysing their childhood. In order to find out Suwen’s motivation in keeping her virginity, the researcher tries to analyse Suwen’s life during her childhood by using Erikson’s theory of human development. The reason is that there is a relationship between her childhood and her motivation in the adulthood. Furthermore, this study only uses two theories of human development because there are only two stages which are found in Suwen’s personal development.

a. Basic Trust vs. Basic Mistrust

In the early stage of childhood, the role of a mother is really important to build a basic trust between a child and a mother, and also between a mother and a child Erikson, 1963. A basic trust among an individual with others is built in this early stage and a mother has an important role in building the basic trust. When a mother fails to fill her role, the individual will fail to trust himself and others. Suwen never meets her mother until she is seven years old. Her mother never takes care of little Suwen and her mother also puts Suwen in a small village with her grandparents. Since her mother plays very little role in her childhood, she does not trust herself and others. This action influences her characters so that become an introvert person who never trusts others in social interaction.