The Technique of the Data Collection

her by denying the child‟s emotional responsiveness, terrorizing, and isolating her. There was another idea too, stirring in my mind. A seed of something. This is too much, I said to myself. Too much, even for Mother. She could never have known how bad it was going to be. Then I had a thought that shocked me with its suddenness. Did she know? Did she know exactly and still send me out with him? Was it arranged? No, I couldn‟t believe that she‟d let this happen. But the doubt was there now, and my mind whirled round as fast as the train wheels. Stevens, 2008: 238. Her mother is being abusive towards Tess by forcing her to visit the place of the punters. Tess has the thought that mother is innocence in this case since her mother continuously sends her out to visit the punters whenever mother receives orders from them. Since her mother sends her regularly, Tess interprets that anything which mother tells her would not be harmful for her. Her mother also soothes her by saying to her that everything is going to be fine. This creates the sense of „trust‟ for Tess. Then, her mother also tells Tess that her mother needs her help, especially in increasing the family‟s income by going to the punters‟ place. In addition, her mother tells Tess that she does not have to worry about the sexual abuse she will receive from the punters. She said to Tess that the punters would not dare to touch Tess‟ private organs since mother puts the fear of God in them. “„Oh, don‟t worry about that,‟ said Mother, waving a hand. „It‟s sorted. I put the fear of God in him. If he tries that again, I‟ll have his guts for garters.” Stevens, 2008: 145-146 As Tess thinks about this deeply, she starts to realize that she is being abused psychologically by her mother. Tess realizes that her mother has already known what has happened in the punters‟ house, where she receives the sexual abuses. It turns out that her mother is the woman behind the scene. Her mother has already known the sexual abuses Tess receives but still sends her to the punters continuously. „Don‟t you get it, you little cow? I want you to do this. If you don‟t, God will punish me for being a bad mother. I must be a bad mother if my own child won‟t do what I want.‟Stevens, 2008: 43. Tess‟ mother also psychologically abuses Tess by terrorizing her. Terrorizing could be defined as the act of threatening a child Howe, 2005: 94- 96. Her mother orders Tess to be involved in crime by stealing in the grocer‟s, although Tess refuses because she knows that it is wrong and against the law. Then her mother threatens Tess by telling her that her mother would be punished by God if her mother‟s wish is not fulfilled. A similar threat is also received by Tess when she is playing games in her room with her siblings. As us girls started to cry, Mother spoke. „There‟s one thing you can do to help me,‟ she said. „What, Mum, what? We‟ll do anything.‟ „You can all keep quiet for the next hour. Then God might take pity of me.‟Stevens, 2008: 41. In thi s scene, Tess‟ mother psychologically abuses Tess and her siblings by ordering them to be quiet while being locked in the room. The children are not allowed to make any noises since it could disturb mother‟s party. If the children do not obey her, mother will lie on them by saying that God has sent a punishment to her since she cannot manage her children Stevens, 2008: 41. Her mother gives the fear to the children by assuring them that God had made her face appear like a monster, and by obeying her is the only solution to cure her since God might take pity of her. This psychological abuse could be considered as a combination between terrorization and isolation. The reason is because in doing the terror, she