commits an act of incest with his mother. She bore his child, a baby boy, which Dodge drowns and bury in the field behind their farmhouse. The act destroys the
family. Dodge stops planting crops in his fields and took to smoking, drinking, and watching television from a lumpy old sofa. Halie, apparently seeking
salvation, turns to religion with eagerness. She becomes a member of Christian church with guidance of the hypocritical Father Dewis. Tilden becomes insane
with guilt and grief, spends time in jail in New Mexico, and has only recently returns to the farmstead, perhaps to set everything right. The secret is drawn out
into the light of day, and the family curse apparently lifts, with the arrival of Vince, Tildens estranged son, and his girlfriend, Shelly.
B. Approach of the Study
The study uses formalistic approach to analyze the play. This approach helps interpret or evaluate literary works that focused on features of the text itself
especially properties of its language rather than on the contexts of its creation biographical, historical or intellectual or the contexts of its reception. Besides,
this approach looks for relationships of system related metaphor, symbols, myths, images and allusion. According to Kennedy and Gioia, formalist approach might
as well be called as unique form of human knowledge that needs to be examined on its own term, to a formalist, a poem or story is not primarily a social, historical
or biographical document; it is a literary works that can be used to understand only by reference to its intrinsic literary features, those element that is found in the
text itself 1995: 71. Concerning the study is focused on the symbol of a 17
character therefore, the formalist approach is used. Moreover, it pays more attention on the symbol in the literary works. However, the recognition of symbol
deals with the observation of words. Therefore, the Formalist approach is considered as the proper one to finds the values of symbolism and analyzes the
meaning of the play.
C. Method of the Study
This thesis uses a library research as the method of the study. The primary source is Sam Shepard’s Buried Child. The secondary sources are books, which
provide the theories that are needed in analyzing the play such as René Wellek and Austin Warrens Theory of Literature, Robert’s Fictions and Esslin’s The
Field of Drama. In conducting this study there steps to be done. The first was by reading
the whole story again and again in order to gain well understanding of the content of the story. This study used one of the intrinsic elements to develop the analysis
further. The second step was by finding some theories or any sources that support
the analysis. The source contains the supporting issues were collected and those become references to limit and develop analysis of this study.
The third step was stimulating the problems, which were going to lead the study to find the symbol as the focus of the study.
The forth step was identifying the element of the play to be discussed. The element was symbols. The suitable approach was the formalist approach. This
18 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
