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4.2 The Causes of the Act of Violence in Little Thumb
4.2.1 The Act of Violence in Little ThumbLegend From the structural analysis that has been done, it can be concludedthat the
plot contained in Little Thumb legend moves forward. This is in accordance with the plot of folklores in general which is simple without anyplot that moves backward.
The plot is ended with woodcutter family happiness for their children survived because of the ingenuity and courage Little Thumb and their lives are
affluent with money belonging the Ogre. It will be explained the various types of violence contained in the legend
Little Thumb. a.Physical Violence
Physical violence occurs when someone uses a part of their body or an object to control a person’s actions.Physical violence described in this legend is mostly
done by the Ogre. But, his seven little daughters do it.
The Ogre
In this legend, the Ogre is a figure who likeseat little children. For find moredetails, it can be seen in this case below:
‘They knocked at the door, and a good woman opened it.She asked them what they wanted.Little Thumb told her they were
poor children who had been lost in the forest, and begged her, for Gods sake, to give them lodging.The woman, seeing that they
were good looking children, began to weep, and said to them, Alas, poor babies, where are you from? Do you know that this
house belongs to a cruel ogre who eats up little children?
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In addition, the Ogre did the acts of physical violence by killing theirownchildren even though it was due to negligence. He thought that those
children are Little Thumb and his brothers. For find moredetails, it can be seen in the case below:
‘He then went, groping all the way, into his daughters room. He came to the bed where the little boys lay. They were all fast
asleep except Little Thumb, who was terribly afraid when he felt the ogre feeling about his head, as he had done about his brothers.
Feeling the golden crowns, the ogre said, That would have been a terrible mistake. Truly, I did drink too much last night.
Then he went to the bed where the girls lay. Finding the boys caps on them, he said,
Ah, hah, my merry lads, here you are. Let us get to work. So saying, and without further ado, he cut all seven of his
daughters throats.
The second description of story above is an example of physical violence committed by the Ogre. The Ogre is the most cruel character in this
story because he had killed seven daughters with his own hands. His habit of eating little children and animals can also be categorized into physical
violence.
The seven little daughters of the Ogre
The character of Ogre’s daughters do not play a lot in this legend. They are described as the characters who did a physical violence by killing
small children to suck their blood.
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For find moredetails, it can be seen in the case below: ‘The ogre had seven little daughters. These young ogresses all had
very fine complexions, because they ate fresh meat like their father; but they had little gray eyes, quite round, hooked noses, and
very long sharp teeth, well spaced from each other. As yet they were not overly mischievous, but they showed great promise for it,
for they had already bitten little children in order to suck their blood.’
b. Emotional Violence Emotional violence occurs when someone says or does something to make
aperson feel stupid or worthless.Emotional violence described in this legend is done by the Woodcutter and his wife.
The Woodcutter and His Wife
They area figure whocan not protect their children because theyabandoned the children in the dangerous forest.
For find moredetails, it can be seen in the case below: ‘They all went out, but Little Thumb never told his brothers one
syllable of what he knew. They went into a very thick forest, where they could not see one another at ten paces distance. The
woodcutter began his work, and the children gathered up the sticks into bundles. Their father and mother, seeing them busy at
their work, slipped away from them without being seen, and returned home along a byway through the bushes.’
The behavior of children abandoned in the forest including emotional violence because it may endanger them. Forest is a place full of
temptations and dangers. By leaving hisseven children in the forest, it can be saidthat they intimidated their children; causing fear to gain control.
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c. Verbal Abuse
Verbal abuse occurs when someone uses language, whether spoken or written, to cause harm to a person.Verbal abuse described in this legend is done by
the ogre and the woodcutter.
The Ogre Verbal abuse had done by him, can be seen as he threatened to kill
Little Thumb and when he insulted his wife with abusive words. In this legend,the Ogre said a abusive word to his wife. The treatment
can be categorized as an act of verbal abuse that hurts the feelings of his wife.
For find moredetails, it can be seen in the case below: Ah, hah he said. I see then how you would cheat me, you
cursed woman; I dont know why I dont eat you as well. It is fortunate for you that you are tough old carrion. But here is good
game, which has luckily arrived just in time to serve to three ogre friends who are coming here to visit in a day or two.
The Ogre also doverbal abuse against Little Thumb and his brothers such as treathened to kill them.
For find moredetails, it can be seen in the case below: ‘With that he dragged them out from under the bed, one by one. The
poor children fell upon their knees, and begged his pardon; but they were dealing with one of the cruelest ogres in the world. Far from
having any pity on them, he had already devoured them with his eyes. He told his wife that they would be delicate eating with good savory
sauce. He then took a large knife, and, approaching the poor children, sharpened it on a large whetstone which he held in his left hand.’
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The Woodcutter or Father of Little Thumb
Verbal abuse shown from the attitude of woodcutters threatenedto beat his wife if she did not stop blaming her for the loss of their children.
For find moredetails, it can be seen in the case below:
‘The woodcutter at last lost his patience, for she repeated it more than twenty times, that they would be sorry for it, and that she was
right for having said so. He threatened to beat her if she did not hold her tongue.’
Woodcutter can be said to do verbal abuse because he allowed her children to be in a place filled with danger.It causes children to feel sad
since they are neglected and have a fear to face the dangers that exist without protection.
d. Psychological violence Psychological violence occurs when someone uses threats and causes fear in a
person to gain control.Psychological described in this legend is done by Little Thumb, Mother of Little Thumb and Broter of Little Thumb.
Little Thumb
In this legend, the main character who represents the character of Little Thumb is shown as victim of violence abondoned by his parents,
his brothers who always understimate him, as well as the ogre who threatened to eat it. Besides being in the position of victims, it has also
become a person who acts violence as seen indirectly, he became the
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cause of death of Ogre’s children and when he tricked the Ogres wife so that he get the money belonged to the Ogre.
For find moredetails, it can be seen in the case below: ‘Little Thumb, who had observed that theogres daughters had
crowns of gold upon their heads, and was afraid lest the ogre should change his mind about not killing them, got up about
midnight, and, taking his brothers caps and his own, went very softly and put them on the heads of the seven little ogresses, after
having taken off their crowns of gold, which he put on his own head and his brothers, that the ogre might take them for his
daughters, and his daughters for the little boys whom he wanted to kill.’
Little Thumb did psychological violence when he committed fraudagainst the Ogres wife to get possession of the Ogre although the
Ogres wife is very well against him and his brothers.
For find moredetails, it can be seen in the case below:
‘He immediately went to the ogres house, where he saw his wife crying bitterly for the loss of her murdered daughters.Your
husband, said Little Thumb, is in very great danger. He has been captured by a gang of thieves, who have sworn to kill him if he
does not give them all his gold and silver. At the very moment they were holding their daggers to his throat he saw me, and begged me
to come and tell you the condition he is in. You should give me everything he has of value, without keeping back anything at all,
for otherwise they will kill him without mercy. Because his case is so very urgent, he lent me his boots you see I have them on, that I
might make the more haste and to show you that he himself has sent me to you.
Mother of Little Thumb
She did psychological violence in terms of the division of affection that are unfair to the children. Sheprefers love her eldest son only
because like her.
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For find moredetails, it can be seen in the case below:
I am so glad to see you, my dear children; you are very hungry and tired. And my poor Peter, you are horribly dirty; come in and
let me clean you. ‘Now, you must know that Peter was her eldest son, whom she loved above all the rest, because he had red hair, as
she herself did.’
Brothers of Little Thumb
These figures represent the figure of children who are committhe act
ofviolence, especially psychological abuse to underestimate their brother.
For find moredetails, it can be seen in the case below:
‘He was very little, and when born no bigger than ones thumb, for which reason they called him Little Thumb.The poor child bore the
blame of everything that went wrong in the house. Guilty or not, he was always held to be at fault.’
From the description of the characters, it can be concluded that almost all the characters to do violence in different types. Only one character
that does not do violence that is the Ogre’s wife. She became a victim of violence by Little Thumb.
Violence and other forms of abuse are most commonly understood as a pattern of behaviour intended to establish and maintain control over family,
household members, intimate partners, colleagues, individuals or groups. While violent offenders are most often known to their victims intimate or estranged
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partners and spouses, family members, relatives, peers, colleagues, etc., acts of violence and abuse may also be committed by strangers.
Violence and abuse may occur only once, can involve various tactics of subtle manipulation or may occur frequently while escalating over a period of
months or years. In any form, violence and abuse profoundly affect individual health and well-being. The roots of all forms of violence are founded in the many types of
inequality which continue to exist and grow in society.
Violence and abuse are used to establish and maintain power and control over another person, and often reflect an imbalance of power between the victim and the
abuser.
4.2.2 The Causes of the Act of Violence in Little Thumb Legend
All acts of violence that occurred in this legend are caused by some various factors, whether it is form character itself, like a character from the Ogre who
committed the murder because he likes to kill, nor of urgent situation as the woodcutter who abandon their children because of economic problem.
All the sequence of events in this legend show causes and effectsas well as increased violence that occurred. From the events of the abandonment Little thumb
and his older brothers, until the events of the Ogre’s daughters killed by anOgre himself.
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Based on the cause and effect of acts of violence committed by the characters, it can be seen that those violences consists of violence committed because
of the desire of the actors of violence, such as the Ogre threatened to kill Little Thumband his older brothers because he really wants to eat them, and violence due
to other factors outside himselves, such as the condition that forced the actors of violence. For example, the woodcutters who abandoned the children in the forest.
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CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONAND SUGGESTION
Kategori