24 These four conflicts are representing the trouble faced by Dawan after winning the
scholarship. This quotation below shows it. Dawan felt a strong need to struggle for her rights but knew this new will
and determination would count for very little, without some outside source of support. Her father would not listen to her argument; Noi, out of
conviction, and her mother, out of fear, had refused to act on her behalf. And now even her brother was threatening to speak out against her for
himself. To whom could she turn to seek help? p. 56
Dawa n‟s conflict with her father comes from father‟s hesitation to Dawan‟s
ability to get education. Dawan‟s conflict with her brother comes from Kwai‟s doubt whether she is able to fulfill her responsibility as a winner of the
scholarship. In addition, Dawan also has a conflict with her aunt. Her aunt is afraid if Dawan is influenced by terrestrial pleasure offered by the City. The last
is her conflict with a monk. Dawan disagrees with monk‟s perception that happiness only comes from Buddha‟s Teaching.
4.1.2.1 The Conflict between Dawan and Her Father
The hardest conflict faced by Dawan is with her father. He is so doubtful of Dawan to get education. As a farmer and patriarch, he has a big responsibility for
viability of all family members and has an absolute right for a final decision. There is no one can change his conviction.
According to Dawan‟s father, a woman do not have right to get education. There is no need for a woman to study and gets higher education. Her father says
to Dawan, “Because you‟re only girl, because there‟s nothing you can do, even with fancy education, because...
” p.105. Another quotation shows how Dawan‟s father does not support Dawan to continue her study. He prefers to give his
25 permission to Kwai, his son, rather than to Dawan, her daughter. Her father says
to Kwai , “If you‟d won, of course it‟d be different,”....”You‟re a boy, and more
schooling would have been useful for you” p.55. Those quotations above depict Dawan‟s father thinking is covered by a
traditional concept about a woman. This concept very influences her father‟s
decision of Dawan for getting education. Realizing this situation, Dawan chose to fight against her father decision by explaining and convincing her father that she
can do more in education if her father let her go willingly. This quotation shows it.
„There‟s a wide, wide world out there, Father, and so many things I want to learn and
see and do. .... Don‟t keep me caged in now, let me have my chance to fly out too‟„So, you want me to open your cage door,
Dawan, and you think you‟ll soar off and do great things for us all, for the village, and the country, even the world?‟ „I can try father,‟ Dawan
breathed, her heart pounding. „I can try.‟ p. 106 From this quotation above, it is clear that Dawan really wants to study.
However, before going to City, Dawan needs her father‟s permission as well. That is why, she just not convinces him to let her go but she also begs her father‟s
permission. Dawan says to her father, “I won the prize. I can go to the City and study more now.... “Can‟t I” p. 28?
Conflict with her father has led her to an inconvenient situation. On one side, she wants to continue her study in City in order to get better education. In the
other side she still needs her fath er‟s permission to let her go which it is difficult
to get because of her father‟s hesitation.
26
4.1.2.2 The Conflict between Dawan and Her Brother
