Background of the Study

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CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

Symbol has a certain power. Many things in this world symbolize meanings. People can find any symbol in any circumstances, places, occasions, religion, work of art, etc. Flag symbolizes freedom and is a symbolic of the nation‟s ability to feed the countrymen and the ability to protect them against all odds and crisis. As the example can be seen in “For a man to kiss a ladys hand is very old-fashioned politeness in some societies; in other situations it may be a discrete indication of affection. In Britain a new prime minister kisses the Queens hand on appointment: this is a formal token of appreciation of her trust in him. ” http:wiki.answers.comQ. It is also said that a hug is a universal symbol. The cross is one of the earliest and most widely used Christian symbols. In the broadest sense it symbolizes the religion of Christianity. There are numerous variations of the cross as a Christian symbol, but the two main themes are crosses with or without a depiction of Christ hanging on it. The reason for this is that some focus on the fact that he died on a cross to pay for our sins as seen in “More specifically, it represents and memorializes Christs death. A great variety of crosses has developed, some with specific symbolic meaning and others that have simply become culturally associated with certain groups. ” http:www.religionfacts.com. It is also said that red color symbolizes intense passion, aggression and courage. It can also symbolize sexual impulses, danger and shame. Red is usually not a favorite color for negotiations or meetings and is great for drawing attention to things. When looking at literary work, it is impossible to see it all in a literal form. There is always some sort of symbolism that occurs within the body of the text. It can be defined differently by many people. It is because symbolism is created by the author. However, it can be contradicted or have a completely obscure meaning to the reader. Symbolism can be used to describe any mode of expression, which refers to something indirectly through the medium of something else. Symbolism used to suggest ideas or thought directly. The writers depicted reality through the symbols and they expressed atmosphere effects, suggestions of feeling etc., the creation and use of symbols is a way of expressing abstractions in a work of literature. Symbols have widely been used for different purposes, in logic, semantics, theology, fine arts and letters. Symbol is applied only to a word or set of words that signify an object or event which itself signifies something else. Symbolism means what the author wants people to feel or know as a reader by including a key phrase or something that represents something else. Symbols are important element to get an easy understanding in discussing literature. A symbol is something that stands for something else. It can represent feeling, ideas, experience, object, etc. symbols are so powerful in discussing literature. Symbol has certain power in literary work. When people discussing the work of literature or fiction, symbol is a good start to find out what the work is about. According to Alfred Koryzbski and S.I. Hayakawa in their book General Semantics, use symbol for to designate what other writers call a sign. A symbol is a sign which has further layers of meaning. In other words, a symbol means more than it literally says. According to Evangelous Christos, in interpreting literature, it is important to remember that a poem or a short story means more than the writer consciously intended. Many images signs in a work of literature will have personal, cultural, and universal association of both reader and writer. http:web.mst.edu. One of the well known literary works with a symbolic journey is Robert Frost‟s “The Road Not Taken.” In the poem there is a man who has come to a crossroad in his life. One path is traveled on frequently while the other path is not. He has to make a decision as to what path he should take. No matter what, he knows that he cannot turn back once he has made the choice, but it is implied. He chooses the path less traveled and, in turn, it happens to be the best choice he had ever made. Many people have analyzed this poem and they have different interpretation and ideas what this poem means. Some people say it is about suicide. Some people say it is about life changes. There is no something wrong about what people say about the meaning of this poem. Therefore, the interpretation of a literary work actually merges itself with the reader. To analyze the literary work there needs to be a beginning. And the writer used „symbol‟ to begin her research study. In this study, the writer wants to share the topic, the use of symbolism in a short story entitled “The Chrysanthemums” written by John Steinbeck. A red chrysanthemum means I love you. A white one stands for truth. And a yellow chrysanthemum means love “is not returned”. This flower also symbolizes hope for the future”. The word chrysanthemum comes from the Greek words “chrysos” which means gold and “anthos” which means flower. The writer wants to find out why the author uses the chrysanthemums as the symbol rather than another flower and also to find out the power of using the chrysanthemums as the symbol in the story related to what happened in the major character‟s life. According to the writer, this sort story is appropriate in doing this research study because in the short story there are so many symbols and their power as symbols. In John Steinbeck‟s short story, “The Chrysanthemums,” he uses the flower to symbolize his main character‟s thoughts and ideas. The Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck is about a frustrated w oman Elisa who feels a strong sense of feminism and loneliness in her life. She seems to be oppressed by a male-driven society. The title itself depicts as a symbol of the nature of Elisa. The author compares Elisas character with the Chrysanthemums who both have a strong and rough exterior but deep inside have a compelling sense of beauty. The Chrysanthemums represent her repressed feelings and desires.

B. Problem Formulation