indicates that Tom is an introverted person at that time. He does not share things with friend.
JIM: Shy, huh? Its unusual to meet a shy girl nowadays. I dont believe you ever mentioned you had a sister.
TOM: Well, now you know. I have one. Here is the Post Dispatch. You want a piece of it?
4.2 Tom’s life in the Matriarchal Family
In order to give background viewpoint of the analysis of Tom’s life in the matriarchal family, this part will firstly exemplify the reasons why the family is
called matriarchal family. Then, the relationship in the matriarchal family will be analyzed to know Tom’s life. By knowing the relationship in the family, I can
conclude Tom’s life.
4.2 .1 The Reason Why the Family is called Matriarchal
The description of the matriarchal family is a path to the analyses of Tom’s life the matriarchal family. This description will exemplify the ideas that later will be
the starting points or references to do the analyses. Additionally, by referring to this description of the matriarchal family, I can enlighten more clearly and meaningfully
the ideas I would like to utter. The family consists of the father of the family, Amanda, the mother of the
family, Laura, Tom’s elder sister, and Tom himself. They live in an apartment which depicts poverty to the dweller Williams 1696-1697.
The Wingfield apartment is in the rear of the building, one of those vast hive-like conglomerations of cellular living-units that flower as warty growths
in overcrowded urban centers of lower-middle-class population and are symptomatic of the impulse of this largest and fundamentally enslaved section
of American society to avoid fluidity and differentiation and to exist and function as one interfused mass of automatism.
The apartment faces an alley and is entered by a fire-escape, a structure whose name is a touch of accidental poetic truth, for all of these huge
buildings are always burning with the slow and implacable fires of human desperation. The fire-escape is included in the set - that is, the landing of it
and steps descending from it. …. Downstage is the living-room, which also serves as a sleeping-room for Laura, the sofa is unfolding to make her bed.
The father of the family has left the family for a long time. He used to work as a telephone man and he felt in love with long distances. Then, he left the job from the
company, and he went out of town for the woman he had dreamt of. The family only notices his last message through a picture post-card from Mazation, on the Pacific
coast of Mexico, saying only two words “Hello—Goodbye” Williams 1698. After the father’s irresponsible leaving, Amanda is the one who is in charge to
lead the family. It is proven by her dominancy in the family. For example, when she orders Tom, the family breadwinner, to eat properly but in unacceptable manner
according to him Williams 1698. AMANDA [to her son]: Honey, dont push with your fingers. If you have to
push with something, the thing to push with is a crust of bread. And chew chew. ….
For sure, only a woman who has authority can do such a thing—a leader does. She is
dominant because she controls and decides matter in the family. For instance, she asks Tom to find a gentlemen caller for Laura so that she will have someone to take
care of her Williams 1712-1713. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
AMANDA: Will you? [He opens door. Imploringly.] Will you? [He starts down
.] Will you? Will you, dear? TOM [calling back]: YES
Another example that Amanda decides matter in the family is that when she insists Laura to use ‘Gay deceivers’ Williams 1720.
LAURA: Mothe r, what are you doing? AMANDA: They call them Gay Deceivers
LAURA: I wont wear them AMANDA: YOU Will
Amanda’s dominancy in the family indeed leads to intense changes of the family,
especially to Tom’s character traits. The leaving of the father is the beginning of the problems in the matriarchal
family because the fundamental function of the family as stated by Soekanto 1990: 85 cannot be afforded by Amanda. She cannot fulfill simultaneously her roles as a
mother and a father. Since she is not the breadwinner of the family, she does not have full control of the family in term of sincere willingness: Amanda’s children
hardly ever do what she wants sincerely.
4.2 .2 Tom’s Relationship in the Family
