Background of the Study

thesis itself would be on the process of character‟s behaviour and thought development whether accepting or rejecting the society‟s influence. There are so many characters described in the novel, each of them embraced their own ideological thinking toward the issues that matter in the society thus, the writer took Suwen to be the representation of it. Suwen faces molestation and betrayal, which drives her to paint a controversial picture, and to leave Singapore for the small Malaysian town where her dream of becoming an artist first took root. Lim, 2003: Cover page The quoatation above has become the indication on why Suwen is chosen, because of her unique behaviour and thought was expressed with medium awareness of the life time – fulfillment in the high tense of social conflict between her family and friends. The response of Suwen‟s psychological preferences towards the issues in the society would be analyzed; this undergraduate thesis is set to give woman‟s personality development process by examining the inner strength within human being‟s psyche that always be the solution which connected the idea of self desire and public interests Suwen‟s way of living in the diversity of race and also colonialism is included in the framework of feminism, it can be traced with many critical approaches and principal theories that examine the human rights in the term of women liberation which were developed with many events and conflicts for many decades. The ideas were still growing and flexible, because of the development and the growing civilization itself. Every social conflict in Suwen‟s life as derived in the Fistful of Colors becomes a phenomena which gives us an interest of valuable education to study and debatable, an important study to reveal the effect of history towards the development of women‟s movement in feminist behaviour and thought in Singapore, the condition and the environment gave oppression and maintained it in the term of many aspects of life. The diversity of ethnic became “the specific cultural elements and historical condition that serve to maintain women‟s oppression.” Lindsey: 2010: 16 The topic of this undergraduate thesis is important to study because by conducting this thesiswomen are expected to invent their uniqe way to express their language against anything that will put them down again, breaking the regulations and norms within the society. Through this topic, women are expected to break their limitation, from within and outside themselves. The process of gaining individual‟s desire and dream is one of the most admirable thing that deserves to study, throughout their process, we can learn something beyond school of thought, we can study a lot of things from their struggle upon many difficulties that they have to face, especially women.

B. Problem Formulation

1. How is Suwen‟s characteristics described? 2. What kind of society does Suwen encounter? 3. How is the description of Suwen ‟s life and the process of her development in the middle of society‟s diversity in Singapore?

C. Objectives of the Study

The first objective of the study is to describe the characteristic of Suwen within Fistful of Colours. The second objective is about what kind of society Suwen encounters in Singap ore‟s diversity. Third objective is to analyze Suwen‟s behaviours and thoughts development in facing the social construct and society‟s diversity in Singapore.

D. Definition of Terms

1. Criticism

According to Abrams, criticism is kind of term to study the works of literature in particular ways, such as defining, classifying, interpreting and evaluating. Criticism is the overall term forstudies concerned with defining, classifying, analyzing,interpreting, andevaluating works of literature. Abrams, 1999: 50

2. Symbol

Symbol is the kind of sense of representation that signifies something in words or phrases that has reference beyond its object. It has indirect meaning but it contains thousands of meanings in the single or particular object. In discussing literature, however,the term symbol is applied only to a word or phrase that signifies an objector event which in its turn signifies something, or has a range of reference, beyonditself. Abrams, 1999: 311

3. Tension

Tension is the term in condition that refers to portray the serious and the ironic pattern of resolved stress and shows the harmony of every opponent tendencies. Other critics use tension to characterize poetry that manifests an equilibriumof the serious and the ironic, or a pattern of resolved stresses, or aharmony of opponent tendencies. Abrams, 1999: 316 6

CHAPTER II REVIEW OF LITERATURE

A. Review of Related Study

Resistance and Oppression in Suchen Christine Lim’s Novelsby SanthiMathyRamdas is to study the gender oppression in Lim‟s numerous novels, such as A Bit of Earth, Fistful of Colours, Gift from the Gods, and Rice Bowl. Under his study, Ramdas would like to highlight the resistance in female characters in the concepts of “subjugation”, “alienation”, “separatism”, “confrontation”, and “escapism” in gender oppression and patriarchal practices 2010: 97. Ramdas‟ study on Gender Oppression and Resistance aimed to resolve the confusion of the idea of patriarchy. The notion of men„s presence were the only things that created sickness to women‟s life in the social setting, thus the notion of patriachal practices lead another issue which caused women to oppress another in many manners without knowing condition. Such condition is called, gender oppression. Those ideas were much detested concept by feminist because it embodies all the ill that men can bestow upon women. the area, however, provides the forte from which patriarchy or social construct has recruited women to be agents of in oppressing another women in any manners. Ramdas, 2010: 97 Through Ramdas‟ study, he observed that Suchen Christine Lim portrayed the chinese w omen to be the contrary version of “obedient, unassuming, yielding, timid, respectful, reticent, and unselfish in character” Ramdas, 2010: 96. He also stated the characters within novel experienced the depression; loneliness 2010: