16 yet so fully laden” p. 218. They emphasize more that symbols say more fully
and memorably than could be said, perhaps, in a long essay on the subject.
C. Theoretical Framework
The study begins with answering the research questions. First, the question is about the symbols in Sue Monk Kidds The Secret Life of Bees. Second, the
question is about the significance of the symbols. The formalist approach emphasizes in identifying symbols from content of
the text. As termed from Guerin and Klarer, this study focuses on the intrinsic and the element of the novel. The theories which are termed from Roberts and Jacobs,
Guerin, Kennedy and Gioia, Abrams and Harpam tell consist of the definition of symbols consistently. It is used to identify the object which appears as the symbol
and decide whether or not it is a symbol. The theories from Kennedy and Gioia, and Stanton which deliver about some characteristic of the symbol strengthen in
deciding the object as the symbol. Edgar, Arp and Jhonson deliver about the types of the symbol. It used to analyze how the author puts the object as the symbol in
the novel. It strengthens the ways in identifying object which appears as a symbol. The ways of interpreting the symbol is important in this study. The theory from
Arp and Johnson, Guerin, and Roberts and Jacobs explain about how to interpret the meaning of each symbol which appears in this study. The theories which
deliver about the function of the symbol also strengthen how the study brings the benefit for the reader. The theories are explained from Stanton, Arp and Johnson,
and Kennedy and Gioia.
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CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
Methodology is a tool to achieve the objective of the study. This chapter consists of four parts. First, object of the study which tells about the issue to be
discussed. Second, approach of the study which is used in the study. Third, method of the study explains the steps in conducting the study.
A. Object of the Study
The object of the study is a novel entitled The Secret Life of Bees. The Secret Life of Bees was first published in the United States of America by Viking
Penguin, a member of Penguin Putnam Inc. 2002. The novel consists of fourteen chapters in 549 pages.
The Secret Life of Bees spent more than one hundred weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. The novel also has sold more than four million copies.
It was chosen as the 2004 Book Sense Paperback Book of the Year and Good Morning Americas Read This Book Club pick, and was recipient of the
inaugural Literature of Life Award presented by The American Place Theatre. Sue Monk Kidd is also the author of several acclaimed memoirs and the recipient of
numerous literary awards, including Poets and Writers award. The novel tells about the life journey and the struggle of Lily Owens as an
adolesence in finding the truth of her mothers death. Lily Owens as the main character on the story draws as a curious, smart, and critical person. She grows up
