Tom’s naughtiness is shown through his opposition when her mother says rudely to him. The naughtiness is also seen from his resistance to keep on watching movies
despite his mother forbids him. Tom’s depression of living in the family comes from the relationship with his mother. It is not full of affectionate feeling.
Furthermore, the burden he carries also adds his feeling to be more depressed. Tom has been through various things. They are affecting him to act in certain
ways. The most principal thing is that the relationship influences him to satisfy his painful or uncomfortable feeling though smoking or watching movies. From the
negative behaviors, I can conclude that it influences his personality as a young man to create the hatred inside him toward his mother.
4.3 .3 Tom’s Personality Traits after being Influenced by the Matriarchal
Family
A matriarchal family is the family that is led by a mother. It means that a father in the family is not available. The father is gone from the family or already
passed away. In this study, the father has left the family because of another woman. Tom has been through many things in the family relationship and life of the
matriarchal family. It influences him to decide many things as well. At this point, he will never obtain the energy to do his actions without having a motivation whether it
is internal or external. In the study, he possesses both of them. As stated by Wiwoho 2006: 61, Tom has the characteristics of taking choice by using his own standard
evaluation and being instructed or motivated to do something. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
Tom uses his own standard evaluation when he notices his father’s leaving. He considers that the leaving is not accountable. Since that time, he feels the hatred
inside himself for his father. He feels annoyed by his father’s leaving. The leaving of the father also motivates him to leave the fa mily—carefully plan it. The hatred
changes him to be a man who is revengeful and temperamental. On the contrary, he also needs to be instructed to do something. For example, when Laura asks him to
apologize to his mother Williams 1709 and when he is asked to find a gentlemen caller for Laura by his mother Williams 1712-1713. Initiatively, he must be able to
do them before he is instructed to do so, but he needs to be advised or motivated to do them. Tom’s internal and external motivation are the source of encouragement of
behaviors he has done. Of course, motivation covers many facets of Tom’s life. There are two main
problems faced by Tom in the family. The first is the absence of his father that creates a spot of hatred. The second is the bad relationship with his mother. The first problem
influences him to act hatefully to him. This hateful feeling is sometimes unconsciously carried in the relationship with his mother—released by smoking and
watching movies. It makes the relationship emptier. The absence of the father in the family influences the persons in the family,
especially Tom. The leaving of the father because of another girl has made him furious when a conversation pertains about him Williams 1714. The leaving also
stimulates the emerging of the upset feeling to the father. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
AMANDA: Comb your hair You look so pretty when your hair is combed [Tom slouches on sofa with evening paper. Enormous caption Franco
Triumphs. ] There is only one respect in which I would like you to
emulate your father. TOM: What respect is that?
AMANDA: The care he always took of his appearance. He never allowed himself to look untidy. [He throws down the paper and crosses to fire-
escape ] Where are you going?
TOM: Im going out to smoke. AMANDA: You smoke too much. A pack a day at fifteen cents a pack. How
much would that amount to in a month? Thirty times fifteen is how much, Tom? Figure it out and you will be astounded at what you could save.
Enough to give you a night-school course From the dialogues between Amanda and Tom above, I can conclude that
Tom awfully dislikes his father. He does not have respect for him anymore. The hatred inside his heart is automatically emerging because of the irresponsible leaving
of his father. The dialogues above also prove that the hatred for Tom’s father existed since the very first time his father left the family—after Tom noticed his father’s
leaving. Tom needs the existence of the father. In line with Dagun’s statement 1990:
17, he needs someone to fondle and organize him. The lack of the figure of the father as the good role model has decreased his honor to the family. I believe that the figure
of the father in the family is absolutely needed to direct Tom so that he can act properly and honorably to the parents. Moreover, he does not have the figure in the
family to talk and to act playfully with. He is enslaved by his own world. The irresponsible leaving of his father has instilled a spot of hatred that grows affluently
because Tom’s mother fosters it by behaving unacceptably to him. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
The hatred for the irresponsible father is kept safely in Tom’s heart. It sometimes turns into annoyance in his heart. The annoyance is expresses through
negatives behaviors because of the lack of the affectionate relationship with his mother. The absence of the chance to have a warm flattery from the father has
eliminated his ability to act honorably to his father. It also ensues to his mother which stimulated by the bad relationship. Having such a bad relationship, he cannot enjoy
himself as the breadwinner of the family. Pohan 1972: 177 states about the need of both parents as duumvirate in
directing the children. In Tom’s matter, he does not have any protection from both of his parents. Again, the condition is aggravated by the bad relationship with his
mother. Amanda, as his mother, cannot direct Tom because she depends on him. She does not have any control of him. This fact is seen from her inability to control Tom’s
negative habits. The fact that Tom hates his father is the consequence of the irresponsible
leaving. This fact is failed to be identified by Amanda. She also fails to identify that the hateful feeling to the father will also ensue on her. Consequently, she does not try
to conduct a good relationship with his son to erase it. Therefore, the relationship between To m and Amanda is not covered by love and sincere care. One of the
reasons of the failure of identifying the hatred is Amanda’s inability to be close to Tom emotionally.
As stated in the paragraphs above, the relationship between Tom and Amanda is empty. This condition makes Tom attempts to find satisfaction outside the apartment.
In their relationship, Amanda fails to notice what Tom truly wants. The relationship will be a bit warmer if she notices what he wants—acceptable treatment to him. I can
conclude that if Amanda can conduct a warm relationship with Tom, he will not act negatively. Here, the core problem is Amanda’s inability to make him comfort to be
the breadwinner of the family. Clearly, Tom cannot enjoy being a son. He has so many burdens that make him stressful because he must work.
Since the relationship with his mother is empty, he is depressed by the uncomfortable feeling of it. Tom agrees with his mother to find gentlemen caller for
Laura Williams 1712-1713 because he wants to implement his betrayal plan as quickly as possible. The uncomfortable condition of the matriarchal family influences
Tom to act unwisely when he talk to his mother. The leaving of his father has a great impact on him. It suppresses him to think as what his father did to the family—Tom
wants to leave the family. He has planned it carefully without being noticed by the family Williams 1715-1726.
TOM: I m planning to change. Im right at the point of committing myself to a future that doesnt include the warehouse and Mr Mendoza or
even a night-school course in public speaking.
JIM: What are you gassing about? TOM: Im tired of the movies.
JIM: Movies TOM: Yes, movies Look at them? …. But Im not patient. I dont want to
wait till then. Im tired of the movies and I am about to move JIM [incredulously]: Move?
TOM: Yes. JIM: When?
TOM: Soon JIM: Where? Where?
TOM: Im starting to boil inside. I know I seem dreamy, but inside - well, Im PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
boiling - Whenever I pick up a shoe, I shudder a little thinking how short life is and what I am doing - Whatever that means, I know it doesnt
mean shoes - except as something to wear on a traveler’s feet
JIM: What? TOM: Im a member.
JIM [reading]: The Union of Merchant Seamen. TOM: I paid my dues this month, instead of the light bill.
JIM: You will regret it when they turn the lights off. TOM: I wont be here.
JIM: How about your mother? TOM: Im like my father. The bastard son of a bastard See how he grins?
And hes been absent going on sixteen years JIM: Youre just talking, you drip. How does your mother feel about it?
TOM: Shhh - Here comes mother Mother is not acquainted with my plans It is obviously seen from the dialogues above that two main proble ms faced by Tom
is interrelated. Obviously, Tom is influenced by his father’s leaving. He is also influenced by the bad relationship with his mother. He is fed up with his trial to find
satisfaction outside the apartment and he plans to move. Certainly, Tom’s desire to leave the family as his father did will not be done if Amanda expresses herself
affectionately. The leaving of the father has instilled the painful feeling in Tom’s heart. It
influences him on how he reacts to certain matters. Sometimes, it makes him furious Williams 1714. The feeling affects the annoyance in his heart to show up. It makes
him as a bad-tempered man to respond to Amanda’s advising Williams 1698. It cannot be erased by Amanda because she does not notice and feel it. The bad
relationship between Amanda and Tom stimulates the accretion of the uncomfortable feeling. It makes Tom reacts offensively when he has problem with her. It makes
Tom to be a revengeful and a temperamental man. Encouraged by the hatred and the bad relationship, he finally leaves the family Williams 1741-1742.
Children absolutely need the present of their parents to be their guidance in all cases. If they lose one of them, it will degrade the children’s contentment in learning
new good things for the sake of their life.
Knowing the fact that Tom is influenced by the matriarchal family, I will thoroughly discuss Tom’s personality traits. The psychological approach and the
other thoughts as mentioned in chapter two help to do so. All the changes occur to Tom is affected by his being in the matriarchal
family. Amanda, the mother of the family, cannot conduct a good educational- environment for her children. She fails to fulfill the fundamental function of the
family as presented by Soekanto 1990: 85. Moreover, she loses her part to implement the importance of a parent’s roles in educating children, presented by
Joseph and Bird 1972: 29-45. This situation gives no chance, especially, to Tom to learn supportive personalities to take care the family sincerely in his life.
4.3 .3.1 Tom is Discriminative
