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4. THE DESCRIPTION OF FEMINISM 4.1
Social Problems of Francie’s Life
A Tree Grows In Brooklyn is one of feminism novel. Actually, the story
of this novel does not figured by all of women but this novel called as a feminism novel because this novel talks about a struggles of woman to fight her dream and
her existance. There are five main characters in this novel. They are Katie Nolan, Johnny Nolan, Francie Nolan, Neeley Nolan and McScane, but the author focuses
on woman character namely Francie and Katie Nolan because this research is analyzed based on the feminism research. However, the author only interested for
one main character. She is Francie Nolan because this novel tells about her long journey to get her dreams. That is why all of this analysis related with Francie
Nolan but the others main character are needed to complete and to build a great story of A Tree Grows In Brooklyn.
Blumer 1971 and Thompson 1988 says thatthe definition of social problems is a condition that is formulated or expressed by an influential entity that
threatens the values of a society that affect the majority of members of the public. The entity may be a general discussion or become a topic reviews in the media,
such as television, internet, radio and newspapers. Social problems arise due to the significant difference between the values in the society with the existing
reality. Which can be a source of social problems that such a process of social and natural disasters.
The existence of social problems in the community established by the institution that has special authority such as community leaders, government,
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social organizations, community meetings, and so forth. But who decides that something is a social problem or not, is a society which is then disseminated via
an entity. And the severity of the social problems that occur can be measured by comparing the ideal with the reality of something that happened Coleman and
Cresey, 1987. And to facilitate observing social problems, Stark 1975 divides
the social problems into three kinds:
a.Conflict and gaps :poverty, inequality, environmental issues etc. Poverty, inequality and environmental issues are the exampels of social
problems that can be able to influence the growing of someone character. Poverty may be comes for the situation from own family but inequality and
environmental issus definetely comes from environtment. b. Deviate characteristic : mental disorder, crime, juvenile delinquency etc.
Deviate characteristis will growing up in someone if she or he is borned in disorder family and environment. Without a good guideness from family,
maybe this deviate characteristic can be able to influence the someone character.
c. Human development: family problems, the elderly, population etc. Actually family problems give a big effect for human development. The
growing up of people depend on their own family. It is caused family is a place while someone can be accepted just the way she or he is.
In the novel, there are some social problems faced in the midst of the family and even the society in which Francie grew up. Of course the environment
in which we live and also parenting of our parents are very influential in our
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development. For it is written below some of the social problems experienced by Francie in families and communities.
4.1.1 Poverty
Socio-economic circumstances certainly affect the development of children, if we note that the presence of sufficient economic, material environment
faced by children in the wider family, he gets wider opportunities to develop a variety of skills he can not develop if there is no infrastructure. Socio-economic
life of the family Francie is not good. This can be shown through the house even environmental conditions become Francie family residence. As written in the
following excerpt:
“ Late in the afternoon the sun slanted down into the mossy yard belonging to Francie Nolan’s house, and warmed the worn wooden
fence.” Smith, 1947:15
Francie home state is very simple existence. Staying in the district of stackingmakes it recognize a tree that calls the Tree of Heaven. The trees
are not as beautiful as its name. This tree grows narrow region, on the pile of garbage and being the only tree that grows between the cement. The tree
grows slowly, but only in the district flats. That is why the tree is also known as the tree likes the poor. However, Francie loves the tree. She feels
free if can fantasize over the tree everyday. Seeing the economic conditions make the mother ofFrancie,
namely Katie Nolan has to take part in the search for a living for their familys needs. It is also based on the lack of responsibility of the Francie’s
father, namely Johnny Nolan who only spend a result of his work for
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drunkenness. Whereas, Johnny only work as asinger in a bar who does not remain. If there is a call, he will work. However, if nothe just spend time at
the bar to have fun with his friends and sometimes take over a job as a barmaid. This is evident in the following quote:
“ Mama worked as a janitress and kept three tenement houses clean. Who would ever believe that mama scrubbed floors to make a living
for the four them? Everyone said it was a pity that a slight pretty woman like Katie Nolan had to go out scrubbing floors. But what
else could she do considering the husband she had, they said. They admitted that, no matter which way you looked at it, Johnny Nolan
was a handsome lovable fellow far superior to any man on the block. But he was a drunk.” Smith, 1947:25
Katie Nolan has to work hard as a clean-up officer to fulfill the needs of their families. Based on Johnny conditions, we can see that he is less responsible
men. This situation makes Katieworks hard. But this is also makes Johnny increasingly feel failed to become a husband and a child of his family. Sometimes
Johhny regrets of his decision for getting marriage and has a family. He argues that his family makes him becomes unhappy man. The situation is noted in the
quote below: “ I drink because I don’t stand a chance and I know it. I couldn’t
drive a truck like other men and I couldn’t get on the cops with my build. I got to sling beer and sing when I just want to sing. I drink
because I got responsibilities that I can’t handle. There was another long pause. Then he whispered, “ I am not a happy man. I got a wife
and children and I don’t happen to be a hardworking man. I never wanted a family.” Smith, 1947:55
Johnny live their lives. Behind his disappointment to himself, in fact he was very fond of her two children is Francie and Neeley. Only he does not know
how to please her family. This situation forces Francie and Neeley have to work in their young age. Francie is six years old and Neeley is five years old.Both of them
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must work to help their parents. Work as a collector of junk into their daily work. The Brooklyn almost all children as they work as a collector of used goods.
Although this work is referred to as a lowly job, but Francie and Neeley enjoy this job as a way for them to help their parents meet the needs of their daily lives. As
contained in the following excerpt: “ For Francie, Saturday started with the trip to the junkie. She and her
brother, Neeley, like other Brooklyn kids, collected rags, paper, metal, rubber and other junk and hoarded it in locked cellar bins or in boxes
hidden under the bed.All week Francie walked home slowly from school with her eys in the gutter looking for tin foil from cigarette
packages or chewing gum wrappers. This was melted in the lid of a jar. The junkie wouldn’t take an unmelted ball of foil because too
many kids put iron washers in the middle to make it weigh heavier. Smith, 1947:17
The poverty happened in Francie’s family makes them live simply. Even while all the members ofher familiy already have their respective jobs, but it does
not allow them to enjoy a meal with as they pleased.Katie sometimes have to think of a unique way so that both her son and her husband also enjoyed every
meal served by it. This situation often makes Francie has its own admiration for her mother. The situation can be seen in the following excerpt:
“ The Nolans practically lived on that stale bread and what amazing things Katie could make from it. She’d take a loaf of stale bread, pour
boiling water over it, work it up into a paste, flavor with salt, pepper, thyme, minced onion and an egg if eggs were cheap, and bake it in
the oven.” Smith, 1947:66
4.1.2 Environment
The environment is very large role in influencing a persons personality. Environmental theory reveals that the relative influence of the three aspects of the
environment. The three aspects are :
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1. A situation where we are, 2. How we treat parents,
