There were several steps required to work on this study. First, the writer conducted a deeper reading on the play in order to comprehend the story well and
find the detail. After reading the play, the writer found something interesting to discuss which was, the struggle of a japanese woman immigrant to adjust to the
isolated life in California perceived through postcolonial feminism point of view. In order to do more research on it, the writer used several theories from internet,
essays and literary theory books after the writer finished collecting data from the text.
The next step was applying theories and approach that is already presented earlier to answer the problem formulation. The theory of character and
characterization and theory of gender stereotype were used to reveal the characteristics of the main character through the dialogue and hidden narration as
the object of this study was a play, while the theory of postcolonial feminism was used to reveal the postcolonial perspective seen through the main female character
in the play. After the first problem was answered, then the second problem could be answered as well by reflecting the postcolonial feminism concept, theory of
gender stereotype and theory of hybridity to the first problem, then, the writer would relate it to the Japanese immigrant historical background. By answering
those two problem formulation, the writer could analyze how the characteristics and roles of Chizuko Sakata contributed to reveal her struggle as an Issei widow
seen through postcolonial feminist perspective and finally the writer could draw a conclusion based on the analysis on it.
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CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS
This chapter aims to analyze how the struggle of Chizuko Sakata as an Issei widow in Wakako Yamauchi’s
The Music Lesson
is revealed through postcolonial feminist perspective. First of all, it is important to know how
Chizuko is depicted in the play. Chizuko Sakata is chosen since the writer wants to see how a first-generation Japanese woman immigrant who lacks of opportunity
attempts to adjust to an isolated agricultural life in California and her struggle to maintain her culture in a foreign land. From the description of Chizuko Sakata, the
writer can see the way she strives to overcome the hardships and play her roles in the family. In this part, the writer also discusses how patriarchy dominates the
Japanese woman immigrant’s life.
A. The Description of Chizuko Sakata
1. Chizuko Sakata as a Breadwinner
It has been seven years since her husband’s death and Chizuko realizes that it is getting more and more difficult to survive in California without a
husband. It is not easy for Chizuko to play ‘double roles’ both a homemaker and a
breadwinner. In patriarchy, breadwinner is to define a man while homemaker defines a woman. Right after her husbands funeral, she continues working and
does not waste even a second to mourn because she has to pay all her husbands debts. During her settlement in California, she runs a piece of land and grows
crops to earn money. Her children, namely, Ichiro, Aki and Tomu also help her
farm. Chizuko is willing to work from dawn to dusk to support her family even without a husband.
NAKAMURA.
looking around and lowering his voice
That women never lets up. Works like a man. Maybe better, eh? Yamauchi, 1996:411
NAKAMURA. And the day after he was buried, she’s out there plowing the field. Yamauchi, 1996:413
NAKAMURA. Can you believe it? A woman behind the ass of a horse the day after her mans funeral. It aint right. So I tell her, Chizuko-san, you
got a right to cry. Take time out to cry. She says no. So I say, Ill do your plowing. Stay home for a while. And you know what she said?
Yamauchi, 1996:414
NAKAMURA. She says thats the way she cries, by working. Yamauchi, 1996:414
What Nakamura says in his conversation with Kaoru shows us the toughness of Chizuko as a breadwinner. It also proves how she attempts to bear
the pain of losing a husband in order to make a living for her family because she knows that everything is no longer the same, she has to go on struggling no matter
how hard life will be. NAKAMURA. Yeah. She got lucky with tomatoes a couple of years ago
and paid back all her old mans debts. People never expected to see their money again, but she did it. She paid them back. Now she never borrows-
lives close to the belly-stingy, tight. Thats the way she stays ahead. Not much ahead, but... Yamauchi, 1996:413
Chizuko endeavors to stand on her own feet, since there is nobody she can depend on but herself. She cannot count on her children too much because they
have to go to school therefore they cannot help her mother so often. Chizuko makes an effort to pay all the debt even though she does not make much money
from farming, it means she does not want to owe anybody. From her attitude, we
