The intimidations experienced by Katherine Watson related to women role

21 CHAPTER III RESEARCH FINDINGS

A. The intimidations experienced by Katherine Watson related to women role

in film Mona Lisa Smile Mona Lisa smile tells about a woman lecturer at Wellesley College, a University that prepares women to manage household and teaches how to become good housewives to their husband. The title of Mona Lisa smile in this film suggests similar situation of the main character in Mona Lisa Smile film that always smiles, although in fact a pile of dilemma destroy her. This condition has a similarity with the famous painting of Leonardo Da Vinci titled Mona Lisa smile. Even though Mona Lisa’s lip is adorned with smile but there is a deep sadness implied in her eyes 20 . In this chapter, the writer discusses Katherine Watson as a main character in Mona Lisa Smile film. As a main character, Katherine Watson is described as a beautiful woman see the picture 1 and 2. Although her costume and make up is not really conspicuous among women at Wellesley College but her beauty is admitted by Giselle Levy, one of her students in Wellesley. This is showed in Giselle’s attempt to show Katherine’s appearance. See the quotation below. 20 Santi, Jika Anda mengira bahwa film ini akan berkisah tentang karya pelukis ternama Leonardo Da Vinci, maka Anda salah. Accessed on November 16, 2008 http:majalahopini. wordpress.com20081020resensi-film-monalisa-smile.. 20.34 pm 22 Giselle : Do I look a little bit like her? Connie : Like who? Giselle : Katherine Watson. Betty : You mean, crap is art? Giselle : I think shes fabulous. In the dialogue above, Giselle praise Katherine’s appearance. She even tries to look like her although her friends do not agree with her and insult Katherine. However she keeps defending her opinion by imitating Katherine’s appearance in front of mirror See picture 3. It shows that Katherine is a beautiful woman and it admitted by one of her students, Giselle. In this film Katherine Watson is also described as an educated woman. It is shown when she studies at UCLA graduate school. Katherine : And I got to go to graduate school. Connie : UCLA, right? Katherine is not only an educated woman but she is also a woman who is aware about education especially for women. That is why she becomes teacher in Oakland State senior high school. Her awareness about education is also shown when she wants to teach at Wellesley College. In the opening of this film, Katherine is also depicted as a persistent woman. It is narrated that Katherine has wanted to teach at Wellesley College all her life. She pursues it until she gets it. Here is the quotation narrated by her student, Betty: All her life she had wanted to teach at Wellesley College. So when a position opened in the Art History department. She pursued it single-mindedly until she was hire, It was whispered that Katherine Watson a first-year teacher from Oakland State. Made up in brain what she lacked in pedigree . Which was why this bohemian from California. Was on her way to the most conservative college in the nation. 23 From the narration above, we can see that it is very difficult to get a position at Wellesley College but Katherine tries so hard to get that position. She pursues it until she is hired. And her effort is not useless. She gets the position as an Art History teacher. In this film Katherine’s appearance is narrated and visualized as a perfect woman. However that condition does not avoid Katherine from accepting intimidations from people around her in Wellesley. The first disrespectful treatment she experienced is when she teaches her class. Initially her students try to outsmart her. All of her students have already mastered all the material in syllabus that she will teach. Her face is very pale at that time see the picture no 4. And then her students disregard her by leaving the class although the class is not finished yet see the picture 5. This situation makes Katherine fells insecure. Katherine : Could someone please get...? Thank you. By a show of hands only how many of you have read the entire text? Susan : And the suggested supplements. Giselle : Long way from Oakland State? Katherine : Well, you girls do prepare. Betty : If youve nothing else for us, we could go to independent study. Katherine also gets disrespectful treatment from one of her student, Betty when she warns Betty’s attendance in her class. She wants her students discipline in her class. Katherine does not give looseness attendance to her students that get married. 24 Betty : Well, thank God I didnt miss the paint-by-numbers lecture. I was on my honeymoon and then I had to set up house. What does she expect? Katherine : Attendance. Connie : Most of the faculty turns their heads when the married students miss a class or two. Katherine : Then why not get married as freshmen? That way you could graduate without actually ever stepping foot on campus. Betty : Dont disregard our traditions just because youre subversive. Katherine : Dont disrespect this class just because youre married. Betty : Dont disrespect me just because youre not. Katherine : Come to class, do the works or Ill fail you. Betty : If you fail me, there will be consequences From dialogue above, Katherine wants her students discipline in her class. But Betty uses the college’s policy to refuse Katherine’s rules in her class. Katherine is very angry and she tries to ridicule the students. But Katherine’s opinion about the college’s policy for married students gets disrespectful treatment by Betty. Katherine gets the hard protest by Betty. She assumes Katherine disregard the rules that established by the college that give looseness attendance to their student have get married. She also assumes that she disregard the college’s policy because she is not married. She also thinks that Katherine is subversive that wants to change the tradition that they hold in Wellesley College. Katherine’s opinion about a marriage is what offends some of her students and this makes her look like an unorthodox, subversive, and a liberal woman according to the standards of that time. Betty thinks that Katherine brings a negative inspiration for the Wellesley girls because she applies a modern way of teaching and suggests a new idealism about how to be a woman; therefore she tries to find a way to get rid of her. 25 Married Wellesley girls have become quite adept at balancing obligations. One hears such comments as: I baste the chicken with one hand and outline the paper with the other.” While our mothers were called to work for Lady Liberty. It is our duty, nay, obligation to reclaim our place in the home bearing the children that will carry our traditions into the future. One must pause to consider why Miss Katherine Watson instructor in the Art History department has decided to declare war on the holy sacrament of marriage. Her subversive and political teachings encourage our Wellesley girls to reject the roles they were born to fill. Seeing from the quotation above, Betty assumes that Katherine is one of woman that confronts a marriage. It makes Katherine feels angry. She feels that it is a slander because she never encourages her students to reject the roles that they believe, although she is not marriage. She just assumes that every relationship is not always to be ended with marriage. Because she thinks marriage is not the one purpose of her life. There are many options beside marriage and caring family such as having higher education and career. Giselle : She got engaged over Christmas The students : Congratulations Giselle : Im sorry to blab. Joan : Its just so romantic. How fantastic Katherine : We split up. Joan : What? Katherine : We split up. Well, that was fast. Well, not every relationship is meant for marriage. In her professional life at Wellesley, Katherine gets intimidation from President Carr, the head Master of Wellesley College. Katherine is warned that her contract in college will be finished if she continues to interact with the students outside the subject as she has been doing for all this time. 26 President Carr : I have been getting some calls about your teaching methods, Katherine. They are a little unorthodox for Wellesley. We are traditionalists, Katherine. Katherine : Yes, I noticed. President Carr : So if you would like to stay here. Katherine : Is that a question? President Carr : More a discussion. Katherine : About my staying here? President Carr : Youll have your formal review in May. Until then a little less modern art. President Carr : Happy holidays. Katherine : And to you From the dialog above we can assume that the faculty cannot accept Katherine’s modern methods of teaching in her class at Wellesley because they are still traditional. And they think Katherine’s way of teaching is unorthodox for Wellesley. She must stop the way of her teaching such as give a new material beyond the lecturer and give her lesson out of class. She must follow the rules established. So, they warn Katherine that she could be if she still continues to teach the student with her own way, she will be fired. Although she gets complaint from boards of Wellesley about her ways in teach and she will be fired if she does not follow the rules established. But she defends her idealism to teaching the students with her own way. However, Katherine takes all the intimidations as a motivation to make positive changes at Wellesley College. She wants to change the mindset of her students that still hold the tradition established by the college. Katherine sees teaching art history as an opportunity to open the girls’ minds, enabling them to see all the possibilities that life has to offer beside marriage and family. Her efforts to 27 open the young women’s minds at Wellesley College represent feminist ideas. Those will be discussed in the next discussion.

B. Katherine and Feminist Ideas