32 analyzing the dialogues and actions of the characters in the novel. Since it is
talking about something that a society believes, I use the socio-cultural-historical approach to find the seven principles in the novel. These are the seven principles
of Bushido in the novel:
4.1.1 Gi
The first value in Bushido is Gi. It means rectitude or justice. They have to be able to make a decision in every situation whether it is good or bad. It has deep
meaning for Japanese. This novel tells us about a young girl named Totto-chan who has very unique characteristics.
Somehow those characters bring so much trouble for Totto-chan at school. One of the effects is Totto-chan is expelled from the old school. It becomes Totto-
chan’s mother concern. The reason Mother worried was because although Totto- chan had only just started school, she had already been expelled. Fancy being
expelled from the first grade 11 After Mother gets some explanations from Totto-chan’s homeroom
teacher, Mother thinks she has to do something to Totto-chan. It is not fair for the other students at school being disturbed with Totto-chan actions. Mother decides
to find another school which can understand Totto-chan and teach to get along with other people 16.
After searching everywhere, Mother finds out that there is a school which may be suitable for her only daughter. The school name is Tomoe Gakuen.
Mother takes Totto-chan to Tomoe. She hopes Tomoe Gakuen will accept Totto- chan as a student.
33 From the beginning, Tomoe Gakuen is already unusual and special. The
school gate is very unique. Totto-chan cannot believe in what she sees. She is amused by Tomoe Gakuen’s appearance.
When she saw the gate of the new school, Totto-chan stopped. The gate of the school she used to go to had fine concrete pillars with the name of the
school in large character. But the gate of this new school simply consisted of two rather short posts that still had twigs and leaves on them 17.
Not only the gate but also the classrooms made from the unused railroad car 18. Totto-chan is surprised with all those things. Those things are so
different with her old school. She never imagines that there was a school like Tomoe. Knowing the school’s environment, Totto-chan cannot stand any longer
to be a part of Tomoe Gakuen as a student. For its classrooms, the school had made used of six abandoned railroad cars. To Totto-chan it seemed something you
might dream about. A school in train 18 Besides the unique appearance of Tomoe Gakuen, the teachers are also
different. One of those teachers is the headmaster itself, Mr. Kobayashi. When the first time Totto-chan meets Mr. Kobayashi, she is already asked to tell everything
about herself. Without a doubt, Totto-chan starts to talk. She cannot stop telling stories about herself to Mr. Kobayashi.
Neither before nor since did any grown-up listen to Totto-chan for as long as that. And, besides, it would have amazed Mother and her homeroom
teacher to think that a seven-year-old child could find enough to talk about for four hours nonstop 23.
After the long talk, Totto-chan officially becomes one of the students at Tomoe. She likes both Tomoe Gakuen and Mr. Kobayashi so much. Every day
34 she goes to school, she goes with full of joy. She gets a lot of friends and new
experiences. The other uncommon thing at Tomoe is the lesson. Every school usually
has scheduled for their daily lessons but not at Tomoe. The teacher at Tomoe comes to the class only for writing the list of the lessons for a day on the board.
Then, the teacher let the students choose the lesson. They can choose to start with their own favorite lesson.
Schools normally schedule one subject, for example, Japanese, the first period, when you just do Japanese; then, say, arithmetic the second period
when you just do arithmetic. But here it was quite different. At the beginning of the first period, the teacher made a list of all the problems
and questions in the subjects to be studied that day. Then she would say, “Now, start with any of these you like. 29”
Implementing that system, the teacher can observe the progress that the students have made. Furthermore, the teacher can observe the students’ interest.
The students are free to start the day with the lesson they like first, then they learn the lesson they dislike. This system makes the students to be able to manage the
lessons they have for a day. Besides, the students are free to ask to the teacher when it is necessary or the teacher will come to the students to give some
explanation until the students understand about the problem. The teacher also gives them independent task. At Tomoe, there are no students just sitting and
listening to the teacher quietly. As a new student of Tomoe, Totto-chan gets a lot of new experiences and
new friends. She can adapt herself well. One day, she gets an accident after using the toilet. Her favorite purse falls down into a cesspool. She is curious where it
can be. She does not want to cry and give up. She tries to find her favorite purse
35 back. She digs the cesspool until she makes a pile around it. The headmaster
passes by and asks Totto-chan. He is not mad to Totto-chan because of the dirt she makes. He thinks Totto-chan is doing an important task for her.
“What are you doing?” he asked Totto-chan. “I dropped my purse,” she replied, as she went on ladling, not wanting to
waste a moment. “I see,” said the headmaster, and walked away, his hands clasped behind
his back as was his habit when he went for a stroll. Time went by and she still hadn’t found the purse. The foul-smelling pile
was getting higher and higher. The head master came by again. “Have you found it?” he inquired.
“No,” replied Totto-chan, from the center of the pile, sweating profusely, her cheeks flushed.
The head master came closer and said in a friendly tone, “You’ll put it all back when you’ve finished, won’t you?” Then he went off again, as he has
done before 45.
Most of the teachers may think what Totto-chan have done is wrong. It makes Totto-chan look as a naughty girl. It is different with the headmaster, Mr.
Kobayashi. Mr. Kobayashi chooses not to mad to Totto-chan. In the other hand, he asks her willingness to put all the piles to the cesspool after she had finished
her task. Since Mr. Kobayashi trusts her, Totto-chan keeps the promise to put it all into the tank after finishing her task. To engraft the meaning of Gi, Mr. Kobayashi
encourages Totto-chan to do so. The meaning of Gi is also revealed when Daddy has to make decision
about his future. At that time, Japan is in war and there is not enough food. Daddy is a famous violist at that time. He is asked to play wartime music and as the
payment he will get some food supplies. For sometimes, Daddy thinks about the offer. He knows that he has to support his family but he has his own idealism
