Rebellion Against Educational Institution In J. D Salinger’s Novel The Catcher In The Rye

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REBELLION AGAINST EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION IN J. D SALINGER’S NOVEL THE CATCHER IN THE RYE

A THESIS

BY :

DARATHIA BR BRAHMANA REG. NO. 110705024

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

FACULTY OF CULTURAL STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF SUMATERA UTARA MEDAN 2015


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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, my praise and gratitude are directed to my creator Jesus Christ who gives me strength and love everyday. I thank Him who always gives me health and capability during the process of writing this thesis as my last assignment to finish my study at the Faculty of Cultural Studies University of Sumatera Utara.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my first supervisor, Drs. Parlindungan Purba, M.Hum and my second supervisor Drs. Mahmud A. Albar, M.Hum for their supporting advices, constructive comments and encouragement during the period of supervising and finishing this thesis. I also thank to the Dean of Faculty of Cultural Studies, Dr. H. Syahron Lubis, M.A, the Chairman of English Departement, Dr. Muhizar Muchtar, M.S, and the secretary of English Departement, Rahmadsyah Rangkuti, M.A, Ph.D, and all the lecturers for all the valuable knowledge, guidance and facilities that they have given to finish my study in the Faculty of Cultural Studies University of Sumatera Utara.

My deepest gratitude is given to my beloved parents who always support me and pray for my success. I contribute this thesis for both of you who make me proud to be your daughter. All paths that are open for me in every aspect of my life are made by your endless praying and hope. Thank you for both of your support and love. Thank you for always giving me courage to keep on fighting until the end of my journey in finishing my thesis. Thank to both my brother Abraham and Samuel for being the most handsome and funny brothers that I ever had. Both of you are my motivation to show the world that we can pursue our dream if we still believe it.


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My special thanks are also due to my bestfriends Debora N. Ginting, Elsa Gloria, Ernawati Damanik, Tantri Weri Sinaga, Sulastri Situmorang, Sonya Priscillia, and Yupi Hanna Satrini. Thank you for being the best friend-sister alike that always crazy and lovely at the same time. Thank you for your sincere favor that you give every time I needed it. Thank you for your honest critique that can make me learn to be a better person. Thank you for never stopping my craziness and letting me becoming myself during our time together. And thank you for giving me the experience of having a lot of noisy sister which I will never earn from my biological parents.

Finally, i realizes that this paper is still far for being perfect. But, i hope this thesis will be a valuable contribution to the readers. I warmly welcome and highly appreciate the advices, constructive criticism and suggestion to develop this thesis.

Medan, 13rd June 2015

Darathia Br Brahmana 110705024


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ABSTRAK

Skripsi ini berjudul Pemberontakan Terhadap Institusi Pendidikan dalam Novel The Catcher in The Rye karya J.D Salinger. Skripsi ini meganalisis pemberontakan terhadap sekolah dengan cara menguraikan jenis-jenis pemberontakan yang dilakukan oleh karakter utama dan alasan-alasan yang mendorong karakter utama untuk melakukan tindakan tersebut. Sekolah dari sudut pandang karakter utama tidak lagi berfungsi sebagai sarana pendidikan bagi anak atau remaja. Sekolah lebih menjadi sarana bagi para siswa untuk menunjukkan kehebatan mereka. Hal ini menyebabkan munculnya permasalahan di dalam sekolah tersebut dimana banyak terjadi pengkasifikasian yang menempatkan setiap siswa berdasarkan kehebatan dan keunggulan mereka. Guru tidak lagi berperan sebagai tenaga pengajar dan membimbing siswanya untuk menjadi manusia yang bermoral. Mereka bersifat pilih kasih dan memperlakukan siswanya secara tidak adil. Hal tersebut mengakibatkan rusaknya moral para siswa dan mendorong karakter utama untuk memberontak terhadap institusi pendidikan.

Skripsi ini menggunakan jenis penelitian kualitatif dan penelitian perpustakaan, sehingga penulis menggunakan beberapa sumber data yang didapatkan dari perpustakaan dan internet dalam pengerjaan skripsi ini. Disamping itu, analisa skripsi ini juga didukung dengan menggunakan kutipan-kutipan dari novel The Catcher in The Rye.


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ABSTRACT

This thesis entitled Rebellion Against Educational Institution in J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in The Rye. This thesis analyzes rebellion against school as an educational institution from the kinds of rebellion which is done by main character and the reason that affects him to do rebellion. School from the main character’s view does not work as a medium to educate students. School has turned the students to be hypocrite through the elitism standard that it implements upon student. Classification among students is general. Teacher does no longer work as medium to educate students. They treat students unfairly and fail to be a good role model upon the students. This situation breaks the students’ morality and triggers the main character to rebel against educational institution.

This thesis is using Qualitative Reasearch and Library Reasearch, so the writer uses some data sources which are collected from library and internet. Besides, the analysis of this thesis is also supported by using quotations from The Catcher in The Rye.


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TABLE OF CONTENT

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ... i

ABSTRAK ... iii

ABSTRACT ... iv

TABLE OF CONTENT ... v

Chapter I INTRODUCTION ... 1

1.1 Background of The Study ... 1

1.2 Problems of The Study ... 3

1.3 Objective of The Study ... 3

1.4 Scope of The Study ... 4

1.5 Significance of The Study ... 4

1.6 Method of The Study ... 4

1.6.1 Data and Data Source ... 4

1.6.2 Technique of Collecting Data ... 5

1.7 Review of The Related Literature ... 6

Chapter II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ... 7

2.1 General Concept of Novel as Literature... 7

2.1.1 Intrinsic Elements of The Novel ... 8

2.1.2 Extrinsic Elements of The Novel ... 14

2.2 Marx Criticism ... 14

Chapter III METHOD OF RESEARCH ... 21

3.1 Data and Data Source ... 21

3.2 Technique of Collecting Data ... 22


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Chapter IV REBELLION AGAINST EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION IN J.D. SALINGER’S NOVEL THE CATCHER IN THE RYE

... 24

4.1 Holden’s Rebellion Against School ... 24

4.2 Holden’s Dissatisfaction Toward School ... 31

4.3 The Failure of School ... 43

Chapter V CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION ... 53

5.1 Conclusion ... 53

5.2 Suggestion ... 55


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ABSTRAK

Skripsi ini berjudul Pemberontakan Terhadap Institusi Pendidikan dalam Novel The Catcher in The Rye karya J.D Salinger. Skripsi ini meganalisis pemberontakan terhadap sekolah dengan cara menguraikan jenis-jenis pemberontakan yang dilakukan oleh karakter utama dan alasan-alasan yang mendorong karakter utama untuk melakukan tindakan tersebut. Sekolah dari sudut pandang karakter utama tidak lagi berfungsi sebagai sarana pendidikan bagi anak atau remaja. Sekolah lebih menjadi sarana bagi para siswa untuk menunjukkan kehebatan mereka. Hal ini menyebabkan munculnya permasalahan di dalam sekolah tersebut dimana banyak terjadi pengkasifikasian yang menempatkan setiap siswa berdasarkan kehebatan dan keunggulan mereka. Guru tidak lagi berperan sebagai tenaga pengajar dan membimbing siswanya untuk menjadi manusia yang bermoral. Mereka bersifat pilih kasih dan memperlakukan siswanya secara tidak adil. Hal tersebut mengakibatkan rusaknya moral para siswa dan mendorong karakter utama untuk memberontak terhadap institusi pendidikan.

Skripsi ini menggunakan jenis penelitian kualitatif dan penelitian perpustakaan, sehingga penulis menggunakan beberapa sumber data yang didapatkan dari perpustakaan dan internet dalam pengerjaan skripsi ini. Disamping itu, analisa skripsi ini juga didukung dengan menggunakan kutipan-kutipan dari novel The Catcher in The Rye.


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ABSTRACT

This thesis entitled Rebellion Against Educational Institution in J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in The Rye. This thesis analyzes rebellion against school as an educational institution from the kinds of rebellion which is done by main character and the reason that affects him to do rebellion. School from the main character’s view does not work as a medium to educate students. School has turned the students to be hypocrite through the elitism standard that it implements upon student. Classification among students is general. Teacher does no longer work as medium to educate students. They treat students unfairly and fail to be a good role model upon the students. This situation breaks the students’ morality and triggers the main character to rebel against educational institution.

This thesis is using Qualitative Reasearch and Library Reasearch, so the writer uses some data sources which are collected from library and internet. Besides, the analysis of this thesis is also supported by using quotations from The Catcher in The Rye.


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CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

In general, literature is supposed to be a kind of imaginative writing with less importance. It is regarded so because everything in literature has finished being read within a few minutes or some hours. Activity of reading literature is time consuming that makes the work of literature paid less attention than other kind of writing. Literary writing tends to be subjective which is far from being objective such as scientific writing.

Literature offers understanding in terms of knowledge if it is not accepted as science. The difference between science and art is not that they deal with different objects, but that they deal with the same objects in different way. In particular, literature is a portrait of life. As work that portrays humans’ life, literature deals with many aspects of life. Some major aspects that are covered by literature consist of social, economy, religion, and education. Education throughout school as the institution has been portrayed in many literature with various ways. For example, in the novel entitled Laskar Pelangi by Andrea Hirata, the novel shows the existence of school that shows human’s struggle for education. Dead Poets Society by Tom Schulman reflects education as the medium for human to find their identity

The Catcher in the Rye in the other hand portrays school from different point of view. If in the previous example the novel portrays school as tools for helping student’s development, in this novel school is portrayed as institution that causes


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rebellion from the main character. The novel tells story about a teenager named Holden Caulfield who rebels against his school. Holden hates the people in his school. He does not like the artificiality of the people created by the school. Holden does not attend important occasion in the school and intentionally fails every subject even when he is able to pass it. Every students in Holden’s school try to show their greatness in different way, even when it forces them to make a bragging story. Students try to oppress other student to get respect and courtesy from teacher and their colleagues. Education is distinct, but to define the smart and the stupid one. Fairness is exist, but its existence is fair enough to make the strong student bully the weak. Holden gets oppressed by the condition where his parents want him to be successful by attending the school. However, the fact that he does not want to be in the school that implements the elitist standard and create discrimination, construct personal depression within himself. He questions the role of school and he rebels against the school’s failure.

Holden sees whether each students in his school are trying to push one another in many different ways when he attends it. Superiority has been common tools for each students to show their grandeur. The school transforms into wild jungle where people who cannot defend their self with courtesy will be preyed and ignored. In addition, teachers have lost their part as a medium to help students. This situation causes Holden to rebel because school can’t help the student to solve their problems.

The analysis of this thesis is centered on the main character’s rebellion in terms of not believing the role of school as education institution. Holden’s rebellion will be analyzed from the aspect of reason. Holden Caulfield is not satisfied towards


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school because the teachers fail to educate character model to treat people equally. School is only a device for people to emphasize their prestige that they have by attending it. The Education about moral is not important for either the students or teachers as long as the ambition of being a prestigious member of elitist school can be fulfilled to get compliance from society. This condition is contrast with the basic task of school. It also causes Holden as the main character to rebel against his school. By analyzing Holden’s rebellion in this novel the writer not only hopes to figure what kind of rebellion done by Holden against the educational institution, but also able to reveal the reasons that affect him in doing rebellion against his school. This is the reason as well as the background of this thesis to discuss about rebellion against educational institution through the main character in J.D. Sallinger’s novel The Catcher inthe Rye.

1.2 Problem of the Study

In this analysis, some questions have appeared to make deeper comprehension about the issues. Some problematic questions that emerge according to this analysis are:

1. How did Holden Caulfield’s rebellion against his school portray in the novel? 2. What caused the main character to rebel against his school?

1.3 Objectives of the Study

In relation of the problem, the objectives of this analysis are:

1. To identify Holden Caulfield’s rebellion against educational institution

(school) portrayed in the novel.


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1.4 Scope of the Study

In research, it is important to limit the analysis on specific data that has been chosen. The data will be collected from the novel “The Catcher in The Rye by J. D Salinger”. The scope of this thesis is directed on Holden Caulfield’s rebellion toward school and his dissatisfaction on school institution as an instrument of creating gap or class stratification in society. The role of school has failed to construct strong personality among students to live in harmony without any gap.

1.5 Significance of the Study

This thesis is intended to help for better understanding about the novel. By reading the thesis, the readers are expected to find the reason of why rebellion produced by the main character emerges. The writer hopes this analysis would be useful for readers to enlarge their knowledge about Holden Caulfield’s rebellion from different perspective by considering the background that caused him to do it. The writer hopes the reader can understand about the bad impact of social gap that is resulted by school as an educational institution

1.6 Methodology

1.6.1 Data & Data Source

The data of this thesis are taken from the text of the novel. So, the text of the novel is selected in terms of quotations. The quotations are classified into context of rebellion against school, which is supposed relevant with the analysis. Because of that, the data are not the whole text of the novel.


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The primary data source of this thesis is The Catcher in The Rye novel written by J.D. Sallinger. Besides the primary source, the internet and other critical books about literature in particular about novel are treated as the supporting or secondary data source.

1.6.2 Technique of collecting Data

The first step dealing with the novel is reading it several times in order to understand not only the story, but also the meaning of the text in terms of word, phrase, sentence, and clause as chosen in the text. The next step is to select the text by classifying them through quotations. They are written as proof to strengthen idea of the analysis. The selection of the text is related to context of rebellion against school that is done by the main character. In reference to this, the sense of rebellion against school is limited to what the main character says, what he has done, and what other characters say about him.

1.6.3 Method

The method, which has been applied in this thesis, is descriptive qualitative method. The analysis is done by interpreting the text and then describing the phenomena of rebellion as portrayed in the novel. The analysis has nothing to do with numbers or statistics as being done in quantitative research method.

1.7 Review of Related Literature

In completing the analysis, the writer used some books and sources to find the information in order to support the data. They are:

Salinger (1951) is the main object of this thesis. Sallinger in this novel portrays the condition of school as an appalling institution that sets classification and


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creates discrimination. This phenomena creates rebellion in this novel that will be showed by the main character through his attitude and response toward school as an educational institution.

Eagleton (1976) in his book entitled Marxism & Literary Criticism analyzes the element of literature from the Marxist point of view. Character in the novel is seemed to be equal as human in real life. That is why they are confronted with social problems. Human response toward certain phenomena is affected by their conscious. The changing in human life is the cause of social interaction and their necessity.

Renne Wellek & Austin Waren (1956) in their book Theory of Literature discusses particularly about the relation about literature and society. The novelist is treated as a social agent because he or she is the member of society. The novelist observes and writes social phenomenon that happen in society. Then, he summarizes them in the form of literary works either poem, prose or novel or even drama. Therefore, literature is in short a portrayal of social life imaginatively. In this book, the function of literature and what literature is about are clearly stated. Simply to say, this book is helpful to understand literature both practically and theoretically.


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CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE

2.1 General Concept of Novel as Literature

The term literature originated from Latin literaturra. The term expanded

toward European Nation and was absorbed in the European languages, such as:

literature in English, littérature in French language , literatur in German language and literatuur in Dutch language. Literraturra was derived from word “littera” and “gramma” which means “letter”.

From the meaning, it can be understood that literature deals with text and writing that can be read. However, not every writing text can be regarded as literature. Several aspects must be fulfilled by certain text in order to gain the label of literature. According to Abrams (1999) in Glossary of Literary Terms, there are certain criterions that need to be fulfilled in seeing work as literature.

It is either aesthetic worth alone or aesthetic worth in combination with general intellectual distinction. Within lyric poetry, drama, and fiction, the greatest works are selected on aesthetic grounds; other books are picked for their reputation or intellectual eminence together with aesthetic value of a rather narrow kind: style, composition, general force of presentation are the usual characteristics singled out. This is a common way of distinguishing or speaking of literature. By saying that 'this is not literature', we express such a value judgment; we make the same kind of judgment when we speak of a book on history, philosophy, or science as belonging to 'literature ' Abrams (1999:198).

In general, there are four major forms of literature. They consist of poetry, prose, drama and novel. Each of them are different in form, but they represent the essence of life as what Robert (1993:1) says in his book Literature: An Introduction


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to Reading and Writing that literature refers to compositions and tell stories dramatize situations, express emotions, and analyze and advocate ideas.

From all the literary genres that have been mentioned, novel is the most recent to be included into the genre. Although novel is the newest genre in literature, the popularity of novel as literary work is massive and widely known by many people. In short, novel becomes the most common literary work that introduces people toward literature.

Wellek and Warren in The Theory of Literature (1956: 282) define the novel as a picture of real life manners of time in which it is written. It means everything that is described in a novel that is written by their authors based on the true story or on the experience of his or her life. The story a novel, even though it is fiction can be true in real life. The story about social phenomena and daily issues that the novel represents is closely related with human’s life (Klarer1994: 11).

2.1.1 Intrinsic Elements of the Novel

Intrinsic element is the elements that come from the literary work and affect the existence of it. In short, intrinsic elements build up the literary work. The elements that compose the intrinsic of the novel are:

a. Character

Abrams in his book A Glossary of Literary Terms (1999: 190-191) says that Characters are the persons represented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with particular moral, intellectual, and emotional qualities by inferences from what the


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persons say and their distinctive ways of saying ways of saying it (dialogue) and from what they do (the action). The grounds in the characters' temperament, desires, and moral nature for their speech and actions are called their motivation.

From the explanation, it can be understood whether the existence of character in literary work is very decisive because character is the doer in literary work. Things that they do and things that happen to them are the focus of how the story will develop and affect other intrinsic elements.

b. Theme

Theme is an element of a story that binds together various other essential elements of a narrative. Theme gives readers better understanding of the main character’s conflicts, experiences, discoveries and emotions. Through themes, a writer tries to give his readers an insight into how the world works or how he or she reflects human life.

c. Plot

Plot is an ordered, organized sequence of events and action. Plot in this sense is found in novels rather than in ordinary life, life has story but novels have a plots and stories. As E.M. Forster explains it, a story is a narrative of events that arrange in their time sequence, whereas a plot is a narrative of events with the emphasis falling on causality. Not all commentators would agree that causality is a distinguishing feature, but they would agree that there is a necessary distinction to be made between the incident which is told in a novel in their chronological order and actual


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narrating of these events in perhaps quite a different order in the novel Hawthorn (2001: 96).

Plot is the movement of the story. It determines the progression of event. By analyzing the plot, the reader can get better understanding about what will happen in the next sequence.

According to Mario Klarer (1998:15) plot is the logical interaction of various thematic elements of a text that lead to change of the original situation as presented at the outset of narrative. An ideal traditional plot line encompasses the following four sequential levels: Exposition - conflict – climax - resolution

1) Exposition

Exposition is the phase of events in fiction or drama in some situations that introduces the characters or the background story. Introducing from this figure are, origin, physical characteristics, and nature. (Siswanto 2008: 159). Exposition is the opening of the story that sets a scene and introduces the main character, situation, events existing before an action is prepared to begin a story. It also provides other background information that the reader needs in order to understand and to follow the events.

2) Conflict

Conflict is the tension in the story. Conflict always happen when there are two competing interests. This conflict can occur in one figure (inner-conflict) or between the two figures such as between figures with the public or between figures with environment, between the character and nature


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figures, and between people and gods. (Siswanto 2008: 159). Conflict is the essence of fiction and it creates plot.

According to Klarer (1994), there are four kinds of conflict that could be found in the story of the novel. They are:

2.1 Man versus Man (Conflict that pits one person against another)

In this case, one person faces the problem with the others which causes a conflict. In here, there are contradictions to get something from the quarreled thing.

2.2 Man versus Nature (A run-in with the forces of nature)

This conflict expresses the insignificance of a single human life in the cosmic scheme of nature. On the other hand, it tests the limits of a person’s strength and his willing to live by fighting against his destiny.

2.3 Man versus Society

The values and customs where everyone else lives are being challenged by the main character. The character may come to situation where he is contrast with his society as the result of his own convictions. The character may bring others around to a sympathetic point of view toward him, or it may be decided that society was right after all.

2.4 Man versus Self (Internal conflict)

Not all conflict involves other people. Sometimes people are dealing with their self which causes internal conflict. Human is separated between two choices that make them quarreled with their self. The internal conflict is


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representation of characters’ inner-strength from their way in dealing with their self.

3) Climax

Climax is the point of the greatest tension in a work of literature and the turning point in the action. In a plot line, the climax occurs after the rising action and before the falling action. A climax is the highest point in an ascending series of incidents in fiction. A climax will exist if there is a conflict. It is a point, at which the fortune of the protagonist undergoes a change influencing his heart or mind (Siswanto 2008: 159). Climax according to Stanton (1965: 16) is a conflict which has reached the high intensity, when the thing is something unavoidable. It means that based on the claim and logical story, the event should accord climax completely and determine the development of the story. Climax is the point between two or more opposite situation and. It considers how the problem will be resolved. In climax there are turning points that determine the end of the story. The climax is the result of the crisis. It is the highest point of the story for the reader. It is the moment of the highest interest and greatest emotion. The point at which the outcome of the conflict can be predicted.

4). Resolution

A resolution is the last event in a novel or the outcome of a conflict. The main character has finished solving his problem and the result is in a


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happy or sad ending. Resolution refers to stage where the crisis or conflict is resolved.

d. Point of View

The story is represented by the author through narrator. The view of narrator in telling the story is called point of view. In telling the story there are four types point of view.

First Person

The narrator is the character in the story who can reveal only personal thoughts and feeling. Things that he or she sees are told by other character.

Third-Person Objective

The narrator is the outsider who can report only what he or she sees and hears. This narrator can tell us what is happening but he cannot tell us the characters’ thoughts.

Third-Person Limited

The narrator is an outsider who sees into the mind of one or main character.

Omniscient

The narrator knows everything about the story because he or she can see through all the characters’ thought.


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e. Setting

Time, place, and social environment are the main components of the setting. Setting helps the reader to define the time and location where the story taken place. Like other intrinsic elements, the elements of setting can also be found inside the story. However, some literary works do not directly mention the setting. Reader must able to define the time or set of location based on the situation which is explicitly portrayed by the author.

2.1.2 Extrinsic Elements of the Novel

Opposite to the intrinsic, the extrinsic elements of the novel cannot be found inside the literary work. The extrinsic elements are not the elements that build up the story from the inside. It affects the existence of the story through historical, cultural and social background. Author is the main object of these backgrounds. In short, these elements are affecting the story through the author. As the other social creatures, the authors’ life receives the influence from their society. The author’s way to explain his work and preserving the story contains the historical cultural and social aspect that may occur during the time when the author wrote their work. The expert believes that the relation between individual and authors is the relation under social circumstances. Relation of a literary work to the segment of society that its fiction represents or to which the work is addressed (Abrams, 1999:208).

2.2. Marx’s Criticism

During the development of socio analysis, some experts lessens the analysis of human and their social phenomena into Marx's criticism which become the main key in exposing the conflict that happen in society. Today, conflict theorists find


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whether Marx’s criticism is able to uncovered the role of economic in social group as the main factor which causes inequality. This inequality result social conflict between any groups in which the potential for inequality background mostly based on human objective to be enormous. Conflict theorists note that unequal groups usually have conflicting values and agendas, causes them to compete against one another. This constant competition between groups forms the basis for the ever‐changing nature of society.

Marxist criticism is part of larger body of theoretical analysis which aims to understand ideologies-the ideas, values and feelings by which men experience their societies at various times. And certain of those ideas, values and feelings are available to us only in literature (Eagleton, 1976: v). This idea is comprehend with the analysis of human response since human response toward their social phenomena is the result of their attitude and feelings. The phenomena in society give human certain experiences. This experience will affect human response toward society and toward the value that amends in it.

There is visible in the diffusion and development of the Marxist vision in literature (Parson, 1999:9). It is obvious that in analyzing the phenomena in literary work, Marxist criticism also has a very important role. Literature covers many aspect of life. The things that happen in literary work are inseparable with the facts that really occur in human life. The social phenomena that happen in reality sometimes become the inspiration of certain author to construct their story. This condition make the analysis of literary work and the phenomena that happen in its character can be observed through Marx’s Criticism.


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Based on the clarification above, it is prevalent that action and reaction from human in society can be analyzed from the view of Marx’s Criticism. The subjects that correspond to be investigated are view of society that focuses on social processes of tension, competition, and change that emphasizes power and inequality.

Marxism is a scientific theory of human societies and of the practice of transforming them; and what that means, rather more concretely, is that the narrative Marxism has to deliver is the story of the struggles of men and women to free themselves from certain forms of exploitation and oppression (Eagleton, 1976: v).

According Karl Marx and his fellow thinker Friedrich Engels, the basic principles that causes human to struggle and to have conflict with his insitutions are:

1. Material Production (Economy)

The evolving history of humanity of its social groupings and relations, of its institutions, and of its ways of thinking are largely determined by the changing mode of its "material production"—that is, of its overall economic organization for producing and distributing material goods (Abrams, 1999: 147).

In human relation with the social living, economical background gives big impact toward human changes. In the social humans enter particular stages where they are restrained by social demand to fulfill material production (economy). Since it is important in defining their position in society, humans are pressed to fulfill the demand. This situation causes indispensable relation between human will and their development stage where they are forced by their society to accomplish the production of


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material wealth. The the social, political and intellectual life process in general. As the result of this relation, human beings are shaped by their social environment which close to them. It is not the being, but, on the contrary, their social being that determines their consciousness (Eagleton 1976: 2).

At a certain stage of human development, their nature as decent human being has changed in society as the result of accomplishing material and economy as the social demand. Humans become ambitious toward material and compete with other in order to gain economical aspect that determines their position in society. This situation creates conflict in society that separates human bases on their economical background. It forces human to come in conflict with the existing relations of the social forces through material production. From forms of development of the economical forces, these relations turn into human fetters and causes rejection that ends of being a rebellion.

In short, material production (economy) holds immense function in creating conflict for humans and their society. Material production puts society as a tool to oppress individual to gain particular position. It changes human consciousness and it stratifies the individual base on their ability to gain particular social demand. The phenomena in human life are general while the way of human in receiving it is particular.


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It is part of a social history where an element in that complex structure of social perception ensures the situation where one social class has power over the others. This condition is either seen by most members of the society as ‘natural’, or not seen at all. (Eagleton: 1976: 3).

In the fundamental mode of interaction, effect changes in the class structure of a society, establishing in each era dominant and subordinate classes that engage in a struggle for economic, political, and social advantage (Abrams, 1999: 148). Marxist criticism will analyses literature in terms of the historical conditions which produce certain class domination and the response against it.

Marxist criticism does not merely analyzes literary about when the work get published and whether they mention the working class. More deeply Marxist criticism concerned with how the development of human struggles appears over the time. Not only through the delineation in novel but also through it relations which represent particular history of the real social condition. It aims to explain the literary work more fully; and this means a sensitive attention to its forms, styles and meanings. But it also means grasping those forms, styles and meanings as the products of particular history (Eagleton, 1976: 2).

3. Ideology

Human consciousness is constituted by an ideology. That is, the beliefs, values, and ways of thinking and feeling through which human beings perceive, and by recourse to which they explain, what they take to be reality (Abrams, 1999: 148). That is why human ideology can be regarded as one of


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the most important aspect in creating rebellion from certain character. Human ideology become one of the most important thing in affecting human perspective, and when the value that emerges in society contrast with their ideology, human tend to reject the social norm and decide to rebel. We do not understand ideology because we grasp the part it plays in the society as a whole. It consists of a definite perception, which underpins the power of a particular social class. This is not an easy task, since ideology is never a simple reflection of a ruling class’s ideas, on the contradictory, ideology reflects humans’ viewing about the whole essence of their living. To understand an ideology, we must analyze the precise relations between different classes in a society; and to do that means grasping where those classes stand in relation in society (Eagleton, 1976: 3).

It is important here to grasp the precise meaning for Marxism of ideology. Ideology is not in the first place a set of doctrines; it signifies the way men live out their roles in class society, the values, ideas and images which tie them to their social function and so prevent them from a true knowledge of society as a whole (Eagleton, 1976: 8).

In short, ideology is a tool for human to free their self from the boundaries of social boundaries. By having an ideology, human will be able to filter what is good and what is not good to be absorbed from the social value, since not all the values that are resulted by social interactions gives positive impact toward human living. Ideology helps human to keep their perspective about something. In Marxist view, ideology help human to prevent the existence of hypocrisy and insincerity. Ideology detaches human


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from the trammel of social function that tend to classify people and encourage human to rebel against inequality in society.

The analysis of Marxist Criticism will gives further explanation that can help the author in analyzing the phenomena related with stratification and inequality aspect that creates rebellion from the main character in this analysis. The existence of literature that covers issues like inequality that creating rebellion as the subject of analysis clarifies its relation with Marx’s criticism. Literature in here tries to make sense the representation of human lives and portray human and the phenomena around them as actual as it can. This situation produce the possibility of Marxist Criticism to analyze the phenomena in literature as it analyzes the phenomena in real life


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CHAPTER III

METHOD OF RESEARCH 3.1. Data & Data Source

The primary data of this thesis is the novel that becomes the source of analysis. The novel is The Catcher in the Rye. The text of the novel has been read several times in order to get particular text in reference to the analysis. Thus, the text is selected and classified in the form of quotations. The selected quotations are treated as primary data in the analysis. The quotations are in the form of group of sentences which are taken from the text of the novel. The selection is done for classification because they must be regarded as supporting opinions in the analysis. Other books such as literary books are applied to strengthen the analysis in the form of quotations too. The difference between the two is the former is directed for the analysis, the latter is for the additional opinion for the analysis need about rebellion that becomes the theme of consideration in this thesis. The text presented in the novel help to support the writer’s analysis. The whole text will be read, but only certain investigation relates with rebellion against school from the main character will be quoted in this thesis.

Other sources that the writer uses as a reference to write this thesis are information from the internet and related books that will support the writer clarification about rebellion against school in this novel. The using of other paper from certain writer which ever analyzes this novel will also be considered as the asset of data source and will be used to clarify the analysis.


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3.2. Technique of Collecting Data

In analyzing the novel, the most important data collecting procedure that someone can do is by reading the novel more than once. By analyzing the novel means that we understand not only the mere story but also the whole contain that the author wants to expose. By reading the novel several times the writer of this thesis expects to find the most precise statement from the novel to support the idea about rebellion.

The first step dealing with the novel is reading it several times in order to understand not only the story, but also the meaning of the text in terms of word, phrase, sentence, and clause as chosen in the text. The next step is to select the text by classifying them through quotations. They are written as proof to strengthen idea of the analysis. The selection of the text is related to context of rebellion which is done by the main character. In reference to this, the sense of rebellion is limited to what the main character says, what he has done, and what other characters say about him.

3.3. Method of Collecting Data

In the analysis of rebellion that is reflected in the novel The Catcher in The Rye by J.D. Sallinger. An elaboration of research design should be arranged to support the statement that will be written in this thesis. Based on that reason, the simplification of method is urgently needed. The research design that will be coherently available in analyzing certain data from the novel to support this analysis is descriptive qualitative method.


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By using this method the writer will describe and analyze certain data and give interpretation about it. The data is not the whole text but certain quotation and paragraph from the novel. The interpretation based on descriptive qualitative method toward this quotation, sentence and paragraph should be coherent with the term rebellion which is the focus of this thesis and should be able to support the author of this thesis in summarizing conclusion in the last chapter.

The chart of the method can be summarized in the pattern below :

Researcher

Primary Data Source:

J.D. Sallinger’s novel The Catcher in The Rye

Data: Quotations Selected from the text of the Novel.

Descriptive Qualitative Method: Interpret and Analyze the Quotations

Conclusion


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CHAPTER IV

REBELLION AGAINST EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION IN J. D SALINGER’S NOVEL THE CATCHER IN THE RYE

4.1. Holden’s Rebellion Against School

Holden Caulfield is the name of the main character in the novel entitled The Catcher in the Rye. He becomes the focus of the analysis because the story is viewed from his perspective. Holden’s perspective contains delicate form of teenage attitude where they sometimes become the creation of their society or school in this case. Holden’s perspective about his school generates his rebellion against school that he regards as one of the shattered product of social needs that tend to create classification. Holden as the main character rebels upon his school as his way to reject the impact that it gives upon the students. He shows his rebellion by not attending the school’s classes and important events in his school, intentionally failing in his lesson, opposing his teacher and finally ends up of leaving the school.

One of Holden rebellion that can be seen through the novel is his action by not attending the school’s classes. Holden refuses to attend the classes that have been scheduled in his school. He prefers to be absent from the class because of his disappointment about the failure of the teacher and his classmate to build the spirit of equality while studying. Holden rebels by not attending most of the classes in his school because he does not like the situation in the class. Either the teacher or the students have been blinded by their arrogance to discriminate other in studying process. This condition has produced a situation where certain people hold dominance toward others. School class from what Holden sees has become the place for smart


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people to dominate another student and push them to the corner. In Holden’s point of view, the school class does not work as place for students to learn but it has changed into a narrower scope of discrimination where students are treated differently. The school class in Pencey School is the place where smart people show off their knowledge and humiliate the other who are considered as incapable in studying. They did this discriminative action in order to gain mark and compliance from teacher. People who are regarded as incapable students will be treated as jokes and even the teachers who were supposed to treat students fairly, never hear their opinion.

"Oh, sure! I like somebody to stick to the point and all. But I don't like them to stick too much to the point. I don't know. I guess I don't like it when somebody sticks to the point all the time. The boys that got the best marks in Oral Expression were the ones that stuck to the point all the time--I admit it. But there was this one boy, Richard Kinsella. He didn't stick to the point too much, and they were always yelling 'Digression!' at him. It was terrible, because in the first place, he was a very nervous guy --I mean he was a very nervous guy--and his lips were always shaking whenever it was his time to make a speech, and you could hardly hear him if you were sitting way in the back of the room. When his lips sort of quit shaking a little bit, though, I liked his speeches better than anybody else's. He practically flunked the course, though, too. He got a D plus because they kept yelling 'Digression!' at him all the time For instance, he made this speech about this farm his father bought in Vermont. They kept yelling 'Digression!' at him the whole time he was making it, and this teacher, Mr. Vinson, gave him an F on it because he hadn't told what kind of animals and vegetables and stuff grew on the farm and all. (p.99).

The character of students in Pencey has been transformed to be discriminative. They all become discriminative because the teachers as their role education model have lost their sense in educating the morality for the student. From the quotation above it can be seen a clear discrimination in the Oral Speech class where one of the students named Richard Kinsella becomes the victim of bullying in his class because he tells a speech about his village. It can be seen from Holden’s statement that


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students on that class always try to criticize his speech. They never agreed with Richard Kinsella’s statement. The teacher who sees this situation does not even try to sentence the students who try to oppress his friend during the studying process. In contrast, the teacher is agreeing with the smart students by giving Richard an F mark. From this phenomena, it can be seen whether teacher always sided on the smart students. This situation has adjusted discrimination where the one who had power and influence will always win against the weak.

Other aspect that makes the character of Richard Kinsella is being attacked by other students is because his rural background. People in this class do not like his background as a child who is raised in the low class community. Beside of his incapability as a student, his background also becomes the reason why he is being bullied.

The clear stratification and discrimination is happened in most of the class that Holden attended. In addition to this fault, the teacher fails to fix this wrong conception. Holden’s action by not attending each class is one of his ways to refuse the wrong conception of stratification and discrimination that most of the students in the classroom adapt. This phenomena of discriminating people in the classroom does not suit with Holden’s ideology as someone who believe that classroom suppose to be a decent and comfort place for students to learn, not only theoretical subject but also moral value from the teacher. He refuses the concept of discrimination that most of his classmate applies because it changes them to be immoral. Holden’s action by not attending the class is one of his rejection toward the wrong value applied in his classroom. From Holden’s perspective classroom in Pencey never become a place for student to learn. Attending the class is equal with wasting the time since it never


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become a place that supports the students’ to understand the knowledge either in theoretically and morally.

Holden’s rebellion that can be seen through analyzing the novel is his action by not attending important occasion in his school. Holden refuses to attend important occasion in his school as one of his way to reject school. He dismisses the parents-teacher meeting which more look like flattering occasion. The purpose of people to attend this occasion is only to show their grandeur and to show off their material wealth. Holden dislike this kind of thing, because this activity is prevalently show human hypocrisy and their egoistic nature to discriminate people base on their economic background. In certain occasion in his school, Holden sees that people who come from wealthy background will gather with the other wealthy family and other who come from the unwealthy family will be put aside. They will be ignored since they are regarded as the people who come from the lower background. They are ignored and looked down on. Holden does not want to attend the important occasion in his school because he sees hypocrisy is prevalent throughout this occasion. Each people tend to gather in-group and tell about their supremacy and wealth. From Holden’s view, important school occasion like this is the way for teacher to build relation with parents whom they consider to be beneficial in their social life. Holden does not like this situation, because it triggers teacher tendency in classifying their student. Holden decides to dismiss the school’s occasion. He does not like the way of teacher praising certain students in front of their parents to get sympathy from their wealthy family.

In the novel, the writer shows Holden’s rebellion through his failure in several lessons. This action done by Holden can be considered as one of his action to rebel. It


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can be seen from Holden’s conversation with one of his teacher named Mr. Spencer. Mr. Spencer is Holden’s history teacher. He visits Mr. Spencer in order to say discord before he left Pencey Prep, the school that he attends. Mr. Spencer cares about Holden’s education since he is well acquainted with Holden’s parents. Mr. Spencer starts asking Holden about his lesson and his failure in several subjects. Holden answers his teacher’s question by giving a justification if he knew what he did and it is not necessary to worry about him since he is old enough in taking responsibility of his decision.

"What's the matter with you, boy?" old Spencer said. He said it pretty tough, too, for him. "How many subjects did you carry this term?" "Five, sir."

"Five. And how many are you failing in?" "Four."

"I flunked you in history because you knew absolutely nothing." "I know that, sir. Boy, I know it. You couldn't help it."

"I'd like to put some sense in that head of yours, boy. I'm trying to help you. I'm trying to help you, if I can."

"Look, sir. Don't worry about me," I said. "I mean it. I'll be all right. I'm just going through a phase right now. Everybody goes through phases and all, don't they?" (p.6)

Holden fails in most of the lesson that he takes. This thing is one of the biggest scandals in the school because most of the students of Pencey Prep is smart and come from the high family background. Their parents want them to attend this school in order to gain credit as high-class students. It is general that parents who put their children in an elite educational institution like Pencey School wants their children to be clever. By intentionally failing his lesson, Holden clearly rebels upon his school. He wants to show the school that not everybody in the school can be shaped, as a person who discriminate other based on their economical background. Holden’s action by intentionally flunking his lesson subject can be considered as one of


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Holden’s form of rebellion. He is denying the standard of being a smart student from Pencey school because he thinks smart students from Pencey School is immoral. He intentionally fails in most of the subject to show his rejection toward the school’s immoral value. He wants to make the schools embarrass through his action. He refuses to be like other students in his school who are able to perform the image of smart high-class student but tend to discriminate other. He rebels against the school and its discriminative standards.

Holden’s rebellion can also be seen through his statement that always opposes his teacher. Holden does not like most of his teacher since they are one of the aspects that cause his rebellion against school. They have broken Holden’s trust upon school because they never teach the students in Pencey School about the real moral values and equality. Holden ignores his teacher instruction of being a good student. He does not belief his teacher are capable to help him become a good student because the teacher himself is not a good person. They are human who obsessed with power and material wealth. They tend to discriminate their students base on their family background in order to gain advantage from their parents. Holden always opposes his teacher statement when they give him advice as one of his way to rebel against their hypocrisy that have broken the school.

"Why, may I ask?"

"Why? Oh, well it's a long story, sir. I mean it's pretty complicated." I didn't feel like going into the whole thing with him. He wouldn't have understood it anyway. It wasn't up his alley at all. One of the biggest reasons I left was because I was surrounded by phonies. That's all. They were coming in the goddam window. For instance, they had this headmaster, Mr. Haas, that was the phoniest bastard I ever met in my life. Ten times worse than old Thurmer. On Sundays, for instance, old Haas went around shaking hands with everybody's parents when they drove up to school. He'd be charming as hell and all. Except if some boy had little old funny-looking parents. You should've seen the way


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he did with my roommate's parents. I mean if a boy's mother was sort of fat or corny-looking or something, and if somebody's father was one of those guys that wear those suits with very big shoulders and corny black-and-white shoes, then old Hans would just shake hands with them and give them a phony smile and then he'd go talk, for maybe a half an hour, with somebody else's parents. I can't stand that stuff. It drives me crazy. It makes me so depressed I go crazy. I hated that.

Old Spencer asked me something then, but I didn't hear him. I was thinking about old Haas. "What, sir?" I said.

"Do you have any particular qualms about leaving Pencey?"

"Oh, I have a few qualms, all right. Sure. . . but not too many. Not yet, anyway. I guess it hasn't really hit me yet. It takes things a while to hit me" (p.7)

Holden’s decision by leaving the school is his final decision in showing his rebellion against the education institution. Holden cannot stand the school and its failure since it does not work like what it has to be. The teachers never try to justify their mistake in educating the students and the students never try to learn to reduce discrimination. Hypocrisy develops among the member of the school since it is the only way they can be approved by their colleagues. This situation has made the main character revolts and decide to rebel against the school which end up by Holden leaves Pencey.

Holden’s decision by leaving his school is a form of rebellion against school, which function as institution rather than educational medium for the students. The school has failed to teach morality among the students and doesn’t help the students to overcome their crisis. The teacher is also major factor why Holden decide to rebel. As one of the important element that moves the school’s system teacher has failed to guide the students. The teachers also tend to discriminate the students. They put them in the compartmentalization of the smart, the rich, the strong and the weak students. His rebellion by leaving the school is his dissatisfaction toward school and teacher who doesn’t try to fix the broken system back into the right track. In addition, teacher


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uses the system in the school to gain their own advantage. Their love upon the students is conditional since they treat the student base on their economic background.

4.2. Holden’s Dissatisfaction Toward School

The story mainly focuses on rebellion from the main character named Holden Caulfield. Holden is a 17 years old teenager who criticizes his school in applying elitism pattern in educational living. Elitism standard is common in school since it become the basic reason for improving the school’s image in society. However, elitism standard also create abrupt impact toward school and its elements. It creates stratification among the students and destroys teachers’ moral value as an important person who educates students. Holden confuses toward elitism social pattern implemented by school because by implementing it, the school will not able to produce decent education for human during their learning process. Holden’s general distrust toward school that adapts stratifying elitism standards from society correlates with his distrust for the classification in society. His attitude towards these educational institutions is his reflection of denying the values of classifying people, which is general in society. Holden’s rebellion against his school is because he feels his school adapts the abrupt values of discrimination from society.

Holden dissatisfies toward school because it does not give favor for him to understand morality. Since society is really affected by social elitist standard such as material success and wealth, school as its product also imposes those materialistic perspectives on its subject.


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Holden’s dissatisfaction against the academic institution becomes the breeding grounds for his rebellion against school. Holden finds the educational institution as platform for constructing stratification ideas repressively uses the elitist standard from society. It is prevalent in the story that Holden describes the elitism standard in his school provide nothing for students’ moral development. The representation of Pencey as glamorous educational institution contradicts with Holden’s experience of having no use to attend it. Holden views educational standards as a violation of trust. It does not give solution to people in their youth about understanding morality. In the other case people like Holden also doesn’t have capability in showing his attitude since he is a minority who becomes the victim of this elitist based stratification standard.

Holden describes Pencey School as appalling environment largely because of the high-class people who attend the school like him applies the concept of elitism in this institution. School implements standard upon their students. In Holden’s case, the standard is disdainful since it only gives one side advantage upon the institution. Students or Holden in the other side suffer with the standards because it presses them to be someone they do not want to be.

“You probably heard of it. You’ve probably seen the ads, anyway. These advertise in about a thousand magazines, always showing some hotshot person on a horse jumping over fence. Like as if all you ever did at Pencey was play Polo all the time. I never even once saw a horse anywhere near the place” (p.1).

From the quotation above it can be seen that Pencey sets an image of elitist prestigious school through the advertisement that shows “the hotshot guys playing Polo”. This situation is very contrast with the fact that Holden experiences. He cannot understand the elitist standard that this school implements and question it


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purposes. He doesn’t find the image of the advertisement is useful because in fact, the school is fail in constructing the students’ identity. The image in the advertisement doesn’t correspond with what Holden sees during attending the school. Not every student is able to play Polo as what it is pictured in the ads, and not much of them are behaving like a man who regard an honor.

In Holden’s case, it can be seen that school really works as an institution that advertise and set an image of elitism in order to gain profit. The school wants to emphasize their position as the education institution that can make each person who attends it become elitist and respectable. The image that the school prepares only gives benefit upon the school that applies it, which is to keep their image and invite more parents to submit their children into this school.

From the explanation, it can be analyzed that parents require their children to attend school to let their children absorb the values of elitism from these institutions. This condition is happening because parents also have certain intention. They want their children to give an elite image to the family so their family will be respected in their social living. In the novel, Holden’s parents want him to absorb the concept of elitism from Pencey School. This makes Holden dissatisfies upon his parents because his parents is involved in pushing him into the standard of elitism that he dislikes. Elitism standard from Holden’s view has created stratification in the school environment.

Sometimes I can't even look at them, especially if they're with some dopey guy that's telling them all about a goddam football game. On my right, the conversation was even worse, though. On my right there was this very Joe Yale-looking guy, in a gray flannel suit and one of those flitty -looking Tattersall vests. All those Ivy League bastards look alike. My father wants me to go to Yale, or maybe Princeton, but I swear, I


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wouldn't go to one of those Ivy League colleges, if I was dying, for God's sake (p.46).

He begins to questions his parents because they do not act like family who will give protection and support but like institution that set a standard upon him to live. Holden’s parents want him to attend Pencey so he will get bigger opportunity in attending prestigious college. However, the standard that his parent have set, put Holden in depressive stage. Along with the method of putting their children in prestigious school, there are particular intentions that the parents have upon their kids. Parents want their kids to be successful so that they will get compliment from their work colleagues and children will increase the image of their family in social class. If their children succeed, parents will proudly show their children off in important family occasion. In other case, parents will blame their children for their inability in following parents’ order if they are not successful and will compare them with their colleagues’ children who are more successful. This standard of living from parents clearly emphasizes whether parents is also involved in implementing the idea of stratification upon their children. It makes Holden confuses and dissatisfies toward his parents because they also supports the hypocrisy and stratification, the thing that Holden hate the most.

"Stop swearing. All right, name something else. Name something you'd like to be. Like a scientist. Or a lawyer or something."

"I couldn't be a scientist. I'm no good in science." "Well, a lawyer--like Daddy and all."

"Lawyers are all right, I guess--but it doesn't appeal to me," I said. "I mean they're all right if they go around saving innocent guys' lives all the time, and like that, but you don't do that kind of stuff if you're a lawyer. All you do is make a lot of dough and play golf and play bridge and buy cars and drink Martinis and look like a hot-shot. And besides. Even if you did go around saving guys' lives and all, how would you know if you did it because you really wanted to save guys'


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lives, or because you did it because what you really wanted to do was be a terrific lawyer, with everybody slapping you on the back and congratulating you in court when the goddam trial was over, the reporters and everybody, the way it is in the dirty movies? How would you know you weren't being a phony? The trouble is, you wouldn't." "Daddy's going to kill you. He's going to kill you," she said. (p. 92-93)

Implementing the standard of living in the family actually is the farthest gap that can split a family. Parents who implements the standard in family is emphasizing about conditional love that they give upon their children. Parents give love upon their children so the children will gain something into the family. From the other view, conditional love from children sides put the situation where they have to fulfill family standard that have been set by their parents in order to gain love. This situation clearly puts the children in difficult situation because conditional love that they parents show have split them with their parents. These conditional loves has broken their trust upon their parents and make them being unable to be open to their own parents.

This familial standard puts the children in the situation where they have to afford better social class in society in order to get love from their family. Children have to follow the instruction and control from their parents so that they can afford the standard of their family. This situation shows whether parental love is conditional. Conditional love from parents toward their children provide situation where parents is taking control over their children. This situation contradicts with youth’s necessity during their puberty where at this period they need someone who listens to their indecisions. They prefer to be heard about their opinion and their personal view upon something. This conditional love puts the children in the state of lonesome. They are unable to show their opinion toward the closest environment


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they are living with (family and school) and they are forced to be someone they do not want. This situation creates insecurity from the children’s side, which is represented by Holden Caulfield’s rebellion through the novel.

The feeling of insecurity tends to affect someone to avoid the thing that makes him insecure. In Holden’s case, he is denying accepting the standard of being an elitist person that has been defined by his parents since his parents has broken his trust and force him to adapt the elitism and materialism that makes him insecure. Holden prefers in running away from his family. He is also going from the living values that his family applies like attending prestigious school that has been set for him. Children who reach the age of puberty are not meant to be forced to adapt certain standard which does not fit with their consciousness. Many of them reach the borderline at which they can no longer be physically coerced. They all become better in some degree at fighting back or rebelling.

Holden’s decision by going away from school is largely a reaction to status and elitism standard of his parents. In specific, his action is a rejection of class stratification. Teenage are attempting themselves from their parent’s social class. The rebellion is general action against high-class education as an elite system. Children as Holden is dissatisfy toward his parents who sets him in the elitist standard. Parents who have traditionally had the position to determine schools for their children are those of the middle and upper classes, educated and affluent, who have wide connection and resource to find the best education institution for their children. They tend to be antagonistic and ignore the moral needs of their children.


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From Holden’s view, it can be analyzed that his parents is functioning like an institution because they set standard and value for him. The closest institution to a youth’s identity is the family, and it is through the questioning of the family structure that many rebellions from teenage are also questioning their own identities. Largely because the family is an immediate, determined source of identity for a child, the image is largely determined by familial standards, youth are commonly identified by the fact that they must become better than their parents and their grandparents.

It is neither common nor reasonable for many young people to view these institutions like school not as helpful but harmful to them. The majority of them began to resent their school as oppressive forces aimed at forcing them to fulfill the image of success people who lives in the highest classes of stratification in society. Therefore, educational institution is a clear target for Holden to rebel.

The school implements elitism standard to gain courtesy and to emphasize its image in society. The implementation of elitism standard in the school shows whether school is explicitly showing the effort of stratification. The standard sometimes tends to be controlling and strict because each student has to live within the norms and values, which doesn’t fit with every student. In Holden’s case, he refuses the elitism standard in his school because it causes egoistic nature within the students. The students become arrogant and individualist since they are lack of knowledge in controlling their ego.

This situation creates Holden’s dissatisfaction toward school. He does not see things in the school that reflect the nature of school as medium for helping the students in overstepping their problematic phase in living. Instead of giving their


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students solutions, school has turned their student to be someone they are not. From this situation, other problem will happen toward the students namely crisis of identity. Crisis identity is the issue relates with young people or teenage anxiousness. The issue emerges due to their consciousness upon their self and the phenomenon that happen in the environment.

Pencey Prep is this school that's in Agerstown, Pennsylvania. You probably heard of it. You've probably seen the ads, anyway. They advertise in about a thousand magazines, always showing some hotshot guy on a horse jumping over a fence. Like as if all you ever did at Pencey was play polo all the time. I never even once saw a horse anywhere near the place. And underneath the guy on the horse's picture, it always says: "Since 1888 we have been molding boys into splendid, clear-thinking young men." Strictly for the birds. They don't do any damn more molding at Pencey than they do at any other school. And I didn't know anybody there that was splendid and clear -thinking and all (p.1).

From the explanation, it can be seen whether Holden’s dissatisfaction upon his school is based on his own experience about school that fails to educate its students. Holden dissatisfies toward the school since it does not help to educate the students about finding their true identity. Students who are lack in guidance will assume the image of a Polo player from the advertisement as their identity. The identities that will make them get respectability in society and the image that will make their parents proud. This situation has made the students to be self-identity determiner where they are trying to make the identity for their self. The criterion of Pencey prep students in determining their image is Polo player from the school’s advertisement. This image emphasizes power and manliness toward every student. The students tend to think if they follow the image of powerful and manliness that the image represents, they will get respect. Their position as self-identity determiner who establishes their own identity will disintegrate their progression to be a man


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since the school does not educate them and give them a guidance to be a kind human being.

By determining their self-identities, the students are actually defective. They are able to follow the image but they are failing to learn the essence that the image represents. This situation indirectly creates violation among the students, because each of them wants to get respect and being powerful. Some of them then try to prove whether they are more powerful by bullying the other students. This situation creates stratification where the strong and popular students try to victimize other students who are weaker than they are. They want to show their environment whether they have been succeed to be a strong person as the institution has created. A strong and respectable person like a Polo player.

In Holden experience, school works as the institution which applying certain image and push their students to follow the standard and norms of elitism. This situation emerges perplexity among the students who is under pressure but still wonder about their own identity. They cannot express their own self and have to wear a mask to be someone they do not want. This condition makes a gap among the students between they who want to live within the standard and they who deny the standard. Their confusion doesn’t find any solution since the teacher never gives explanation about why they have to be someone they don’t want to.

This issue is very close with puberty, the phase of human living that wonders about everything and needs guidance about the phenomena in social living. From the explanation, it can be seen whether crisis identity among the students in Pencey


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School is obvious. Crisis identity does not only happen toward Holden Caulfield, but also toward the other students who get the education in this institution.

The teachers push the students to live on this elitist standard. Teachers’ force upon students is their method in gaining acknowledgement as a good high-class teacher from society. The teachers differentiate the students based on their supremacy and advantageous, which students can bring upon them. This situation makes the students under pressure. School as the education institution supposes to be a channel for its students to learn. Like in family case, Holden thinks whether school is repressive. The teacher in this institution do not give a help upon the students. In addition, they apply conditional love to treat the students where the one who able to follow the standard will be well accepted by school and colleagues.

Ed Banky was the basketball coach at Pencey. Old Stradlater was one of his pets, because he was the center on the team, and Ed Banky always let him borrow his car when he wanted it. It wasn't allowed for students to borrow faculty guys' cars, but all the athletic bastards stuck together. In every school I've gone to, all the athletic bastards stick together (p.23).

Holden is representative of character who separates himself from his school. His rebellion is his less capability in articulating his own predicament. He essentially lacks the capacity to conceptualize either his aesthetic experience or his inner conflicts about the institution that he attends. Holden’s rebellion is his representation of his dissatisfaction. His decision by leaving the institution is a clear form of his dissatisfaction toward school as the education institution. Holden is a victim of school’s failure that makes him doesn’t fit in any educational circumstances. His inability in showing his opinion is a clear form that he is oppressed by the school’s elitism.


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Holden does not able to speak his mind although he knows that there are many things to change regard with the school’s failure. He is silenced by the norm and value in society which tend to side on the institution.

"What school do you go to?" she asked me. She probably wanted to get off the subject of Romeo and Juliet.

I told her Pencey, and she'd heard of it. She said it was a very good school. I let it pass, though (p.60).

This condition results inner conflict within Holden’s consciousness. In one side, he knows if there are things to change related with society’s perspective about his school. The elitist image of this school in society has made society think about Pencey as prestigious school obviously will bring kindness in every aspect of its educational circumstances. In the other side, Holden does not able to speak his opinion whether the prestigious school that he attends is actually defective. He cannot straighten the social perspective about Pencey School since the society has been doctrined by elitism standard where schools with high-prestige always provide the best education for the students.

Coinciding with attitude against stratification, many youth who lives from Holden’s view experience social institutions like school as a product of creating a label. The school is a form of organizational rules for showing prestige to enforce the elitist standards upon human. This suggests some of the basic elements of an institutional theory where individuals pursue their own interests and maintain prestige to gain compliance. This way put particular changing of human quality to view people from their background. Human is changing from kind human being into human who are obsessed with materialism. This nature then becomes the basic of classification among human that happen in society.


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The rebellion action against education system largely originated from the fact that many youth are currently products of the elitist system from school and teachers. Many youth are against the academic institution because they are confined by it. A movement of youth that questioning school as educational institution, proves the changing in educational roles in giving knowledge. School’s role is more likely to be institutional, where everything is organized in order to gain particular advantage for the teacher and the school’s image. The system is made not for providing justice upon the student but it is made so the students can be easier to be controlled. Instead of giving knowledge, school is more likely to be a devilish institution, which creates hypocrite and polisher people.

The condition where schools push students to live in the elitism standard and in the spirit of discriminating other becomes the basic reason for the main character to rebel against school. Holden finds whether the institution is creating the idea of stratification and discrimination among its students. School is a tool to emphasize image and strengthen the students’ position in society. The image of Pencey as glamorous educational institution contradicts with the reality that the students must face where they are forced to erase their virtue of kind human being. Students have to adapt with the school’s elitist standard, which push them to be hypocrite. Holden views this situation as a violation of student’s trust upon the school. Schools have disobeyed its basic function to educate and guide the students to be a moral person.

The students are shaped to be hypocrite people. They have to be hypocrite because only this is the reason for them to be accepted by the schools and social environment. The society has been influenced by the image of Pencey School as an elite school institution that produces elitist student so the students must perform the


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figure that they school has in order to get admission from their environment as the students from Pencey School.

“She asked me where I went to school now, and I told her Pencey, and she said Pencey was a very good school. Even if I'd wanted to, I wouldn't have had the strength to straighten her out. Besides, if she thought Pencey was a very good school, let her think it” (p.108).

This condition relates with Holden Caulfield situation. Holden is strongly influenced by his environments. He is influenced by the family, school, and elitist standard of living. It is not surprising that Holden experiences pressures because each of those environment. Holden rejects his school because he feels upset upon his school. He cannot live under the elitist standard that creates stratification made by hypocrite people in his school. He chooses to run away from it by quit from his school. This situation creates a dilemma within Holden’s conscious because his parents are eager to see him become a successful person by attending such prestigious school. This situation dissatisfies Holden because his parents push him to live in social class, in his family social class. Holden’s dilemma is reasonable since these two closest environments press him. He can no longer attend the school because he hates it. Keeping being under the educational institution makes Holden depressed. In the other hand, Holden cannot go back to his home and meet his parents since his trust has been broken by his parents who want him to be a member of hypocrite society.

4.3 The Failure of School

From Holden’s experience the nature of school as one of social product is evident. School portrayed in this novel implements economical aspect as their way of classifying each student in the school. Pencey, the school that Holden attends is one


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understanding the existence of classification in his school. On his failures in absorbing classification values, which breaks morality and Holden own ideals, Holden needs emotional support from his environment especially from parents and teachers who are the closest colleagues in dealing with his depressing stages. In addition, he needs places to stand and to rely on. He deserves get opportunities for emotional support from school without being pushed to enforce the school’s elitist standard.

None of this, of course, is provided by the school for Holden and another student like him. The task of school has been burdened with the hard work of improving prestige in society. The school cannot support the students and cannot promote good instruction upon its students, and much of it, it is creating elitist standard and classifying instruction, which bind the students. This school is fail in helping students with moral anxiousness. School in the other hand, does not prevent stratification that will certainly serve abrupt personal identity and reduce moral values. Best of all, morality approach in educational system in Pencey School has been broken. It breaks character education effort with stratifications and high elitist standard. It does not stand a real chance of shaping each student the qualities that they need to become caring and respectable human being.

Holden’s rebellion against his school is because of the stratification values that schools promote. It can be observed whether Holden’s rebellion against Pencey School is contemporary his rejection toward stratification values mirrored by the school patterns. Holden rejects the school’s value through his rebelling action.


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The final thing that makes Holden rebels is the failure of school that fails to create human who respect equality in society. Human is the inhabitant of society and it stands generally because school actually renders human to occupy the social environment. Humans and schools are affected to each other. School is the medium for human to get education and it influences the development of human personality. The existence of school that fails to educate human who respect equality will create discriminative people in society because society will be the place for human interaction after they graduated from school. Since students from school are lack of equality respect, they will tend to implement the idea of classifying people when they join society. As the result of the abrupt moral education, stratification will become general phenomena in society. Based on Holden view, this condition of stratification in society proves that school as educational institution has been fail to shape an equal environment in society. Holden blames the school for the social gap that exists in society.


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CHAPTER V

CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

5.1 Conclusion

Based on the analysis of this thesis from the previous chapter, the writer would like to make the following conclusion in order to help the reader to understand the novel. First understanding that the writer wants to transfer toward the reader of this thesis is how Holden Caulfield as the main character portrayed rebellion against school in the novel. From the novel, it can be seen whether Holden Caulfield portrays his rebellion by doing these actions:

1. Refusing to attend most of the school’s classes and important event in his school

Holden regards classroom as a place for discrimination where smart and powerful students will always be heard and get respect from the teacher. Important school’s occasion in Holden’s school has become a location for teacher, students, and parent to show their supremacy and hypocrisy. He dismisses it to show his rejection toward human egoistic nature to classify and discriminate people.

2. Intentionally failing in his lesson

His action by purposefully failing the lesson is to gain scandal in his school and to smear the school’s image in society.


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3. Opposing his teacher

Even though he does not confront his teacher with violation, Holden’s opposing his teacher through his word is his reaction to show his hatred for the teacher’s hypocrisy and injustice against the student.

4. Leaving the school

His decision by leaving the school is his way to leave all the dysfunctional values that has been set by his parent for him. He refuses to be the part of discriminating environment.

The second objective is to find the reason that caused main character to rebel against his school. From the analysis Holden rebellion’s attitude toward school as educational institution is based on two premises:

1. The school dissatisfies Holden

The school dissatisfies Holden because it tends to discriminate students base on their family or economy background. School as the educational institution has failed to create equality among its students since the teacher and the system of school treats students differently. It triggers Holden’s dissatisfaction that become the basic of his rebellion. 2. The school has failed in educating the students

School has failed to be the place for the students to get education for becoming a decent human being. The school has transformed into miserable places that push their students and make them under pressure


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5.2. Suggestion

Rebellion is an action against social value. It is usually considered as a harmful reaction and need to be prevented. The social opinion about rebellion as an action against something is always negative without considering the reason and background why such rebellion can appear in certain environment. By analyzing rebellion from its reason the reader can understand whether this action is not always relates with negativity. The reason that covers it sometimes brings compassionate mission toward human.

In short, rebellion against school that is portrayed in the novel The Catcher in the Rye is done for good reason. The main character rebels against the school institution since it becomes the breeding ground for discrimination in society. An activity in social life that tends to differ human base is needed to be questioned and opposed. It does not bring advantage upon human relationship and have to be fixed in order to create harmony in human life.


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