Background of the Study

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CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

This chapter consists of five parts, namely background of the study, problem formulation, objectives of the study, benefits of the study, and definition of terms. The background of the study explains the reason for choosing the novel as the subject of the study. The problem formulation describes the questions that will be analyzed later. The objectives of the study deal with the aims of the study. The benefits of the study discuss the advantages of this study to the readers. The last part presents the definition of terms in order to avoid misconception in analysing this study.

A. Background of the Study

Homosexuality has been an exciting discussing topic since it is a complex phenomenon of which its existence is influenced by the causal factors. As stated by Coleman 1976, the causal factors involve the influence of the constitutional factors and psychosocial factors p. 594 . As we know that Ricky Martin’s gay confession became the hot entertainment issue in 2010. In Indonesia, the case of Ryan as a gay from Jombang also preoccupied publics in 2008. There are also some movies with gay theme produced in United States, China, Europe, Thailand, and even in Indonesia. The recent news related to homosexuality is about President Obama who announced that he supported gay’s rights. Those examples of phenomenon show that homosexuality has been a common issue nowadays. 2 However, the existence of a homosexuality phenomenon has two different reactions. One is in contra side and other is in pro side. The contra sides hold that a man should marry a woman and vice versa. Coleman 1976 adds that society regards a homosexuality as a mental disorder and being a homosexual is considered as a “sick” person in need of treatment p. 590. In contrast, the pro sides think that being a homosexual is a part of human rights. They think that it is one’s right to express their sexual behaviour. In addition, Coleman 1976 states that homosexuals may be well adjusted, well educated, and highly successful in their occupations p. 589. Many homosexuals have made outstanding contributions in music, drama, and other fields. Generally, every people have their own thinking about homosexuality. If one hears about the word homosexual, the first thinking that might come up is about a man who likes another man. It is because the word homosexual or homosexuality is identically to men. In fact, a homosexual refers to a person who has a tendency to be sexually andor romantically attracted to members of one’s own sex. The ter ms “gay” for men or “lesbian” for women are considered as the preferred terms today Huffman, M. W. Vernoy, and Judith Vernoy, 1997, p. 362. In addition, in his book, The Encyclopedia of Human Development and Education: Theory, Research, and Studies, Thomas 1990 states that there has been considerable confusion about homosexuality. It is because not everyone uses the term homosexuality with the same meaning. Thomas proposes the meaning of homosexuality as a preference for companions of the same sex p. 373. Besides, there is also a disagreement about the causes of homosexuality. It is reasonable 3 because every homosexual has different factors that cause his or her homosexuality. In the field of literature, the issue of homosexuality has been a theme in se veral literary works, one of which is E.M. Forster’s Maurice. As an English novelist in the 1900’s era whose works are widely acknowledged, E.M. Forster presents a story of homosexuals clearly. There are three homosexual characters in Maurice . They are Maurice Hall, Clive Durham, and Alec Scudder. In this study, the writer focuses on Maurice, as the main character of the story. Maurice lives with his mother and his two sisters. His father was dead when he was a child. It leaves him without a figure of a father. Maurice is described as a gay who is good looking and caring. He adopts a gentleman habits and dress. Maurice meets Clive, his senior, at his college. They become more intimate day after day. Finally, each of them confesses their love desire. Then, they establish the same-sex love. Since being closed to Clive, Maurice loves and cares about him so much. They successfully conceal their gay relationship from their families and friends. After two years, they break up because Clive decides to marry a girl. When Clive left him, Maurice still has a hope that he will come back. However when he knows that Clive really leaves him, he feels so frustrated. He then spends his time with many activities. While working as a stock broker, he also helps to run a Christian mission in his spare time. Actually, Maurice also does some efforts to revert to a normal man by visiting a therapist and a hypnotist to heal him. Unfortunately, his efforts are useless but then he finally found another gay, Alec. They promise to love each other and to be always together. 4 Forster depicts the life of a homosexual explicitly, such as creating three homosexual characters with different characteristics. He also shows the development of the character, especially Maurice, from he is a child until he becomes a man. Forster can describe about homosexuality clearly. It is understandable because E.M. Forster is a homosexual himself. It seems that he puts his personal experiences into the novel. The way Forster shows the relation of Maurice with Clive and even Alec as a homosexual couple is also interesting. It describes the changes in Maurice character in different condition. Based on the facts described above, it is interesting to find out about the life of homosexuals. Therefore, the writer wants to know about the characteristic of Maurice who is described as a homosexual in E.M. Forster’s Maurice. Further, the factors that make Maurice a homosexual and his character development as a homosexual are also interesting to be analysed. Hopefully, this study will contribute another description of a homosexual.

B. Problem Formulation