Background of the Study

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1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Klarer, 1999: 1 said that literature comes from the word littera latin which is the smallest element of alphabetical writing. This definition looks simple in describing what literature is all about, because not all written works can be considered as literature. He further said that the definition. usually includes additional adjective such as ‘aesthetic’ or ‘artistic’ to distinguish literary works from text of everyday use such as newspaper, legal documents or even scholarly writing. Literature can be divided into three genres; poetry, prose, and drama. Prose, as a genre of literature tells a story and portrays people in society. As a form of prose, novel can be defined as a long fictional story in book form that express the idea of man’s life experience through the novelist’s skill. Novelist frequently focuses on tensions between individuals and society Peck, 1984:102. Therefore novel can be considered as work of imagination in prevailing social problem such as gender, race, or class prejudice of a novel. Black people in America become victim of discrimination from the white. The black are discriminated, because here are race stratification and social stratification that differentiate them from the white. The African Americans discrimination means wrong doing of white people against black people. Discrimination of the African Americans not only in one aspect, but also in many aspects of life, that can be seen in public services, such as in housing, bus or Universitas Sumatera Utara 2 transportation, hospital, library, education and Justice. That can be the discrimination action could cover all aspect of live, because everybody could discriminate, not only to the minorities but also among the majorities as the well. Racial discrimination action always done by violence behavior, for example: the Black people get seriously injured or injustice treatment. In the fact this behavior can be a danger treatment and give more disadvantages to people or group who became the aimed from discrimination action, even though the violence will annoy the nation life3 also caused an extraordinary of crimes. In America, the Black unjust treatment and cruelty by the white, just because their race identity. At the moment, the black were insulted, oppressed, and even killed by the white. The white were against to the black as minority group caused the white became dominant and supposed the different race between the black and white as a hostility symbol and a reason for making practice discrimination toward the black. The topic of racial discrimination also appears in literary works, like in novel. It is not only can happen to the poor and the weak but also can happen to the rich and even powerful people basically, discrimination action could happen to everybody in any parts of the world, no matter who you are and where ever you are. Bowling 2002:38 says, “Discrimination consists of unequal, unfavorable and unjustifiable treatment based on a person’s sex, gender, ‘race’, ethnicity, cultural, religion, language, class, sexual preference, age, physical disability or any other improper ground. It include refusal to offer employment, pay fair wages, to provide housing or medical treatment or to provide a commercial or social service.” Universitas Sumatera Utara 3 The novel of The Help is written by Kathryn Stockett in New York, America. This novel is narrated through the point of views of two main characters in rotating chapters that focus on each of their experiences. There are two main characters, namely Aibileen Clark and Minny Jackson, two middle-aged black maids working for the white families: they experiences racial discrimination as the black people usually have. The novel takes place in Jackson Mississippi, America in 1963, during the dawning of the civil right movements in the United States. As the focus of this paper, the writer will describe of the discrimination between black and white found in Kathrtn Stockett’s novel The Help. Universitas Sumatera Utara 4

1.2 Problem of the Study