CHAPTER IV MATERIALISM IN THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL
4.1 The Impact of Materialism to Anne Boleyn Personal Life a. Family Pressure
Family is a smallest part of the society. In a family there is a social connection between father, mother, children and other family’s member. This is the very first
place where human grow and having a character development. This is why, family taking a very big role and very important part in human’s life. People’s behavior and
attitude is shaped in his family such as they way they talk, think, act and react. Children often imitate their family’s member behaviors, even there is a terms which
says that someone’s behavior is a reflection of his family. As a part of society, the goal of family is making its member as a good
member of society. To make it real, family usually teach their children how to be a good member of society by choosing the best school, the best environment, and the
best method of growing children due to character shaping. This responsibility and society pressure sometimes brings devastation to a family. Parents always afraid that
their children could not be as what they hope and get a bad label from society. Social judgment that one family is failed in raising their children is always become a
nightmare to a parents. And the achievement of having good children is getting a respect from a society which parents always dream of. This condition leads parents
start to give a pressure to their children. Family pressure could happen for reasons but mostly it leads by social
judgment. Parents always care with social label to their family. Instead of increasing their quality of raising children, they choose to press their children become of what
Universitas Sumatera Utara
they want. Family starts being selfish by not concerning what their children want, but turn into what family wants. Family often uses their children devotion as a weapon to
press their children and to fulfill their own goals. In Gregory’s The Other Boleyn Gil, it portrays the life of England in the
beginning of the 16
th
century. In this period happened the classification of human based on economical thing or material thing. Such as slave and landowner, ordinary
people and duke with his duchess etc. This is why so many people struggle to increase their family status or their social status by such things. For example is by arranging a
marriage with someone who has a higher social class. In this terms mostly family or parents do take a role to make it happened. They are considering their children as tolls
to fulfill their ego, having a higher social class without being alarmed what their children exactly want. While as children, they can not do anything, they are too afraid
to rebel and get such punishment from their family. Bu the main reason is because of their devotion to their family.
Family devotion is demonstrated in the way that the three Boleyn siblings do whatever their parents ask of them. They sacrifice their personal desires for the good
of the family. They are siblings who are tied together through a combination of social and familial pressures and expectations. While they can no do anything, their family
becomes crazy in making their own obsession come true. In the very beginning, family pressure is not straightly happened to Anne, for
the very first time they push it to Mary because the King desires her “if the king has her, and she conceives his bastard, then we
have much to play for” TOBG p, 28
This is where anything started. Their uncle Howard already gave a command to do whatever it takes to win the King. If this is happened by the words “then we
Universitas Sumatera Utara
have much to play for” shows clearly that he represents his Boleyn-Howard family wants to have more power if they have the King. In this very beginning part Howard-
Boleyn family already shows who they really are, material chaser. They can do anything to fulfill their goals even though its sacrifice their own child desire. But still
it is hard for Mary to do it because she already married with William Carey. “I can’t do it,” I said out loud
“Sir, I am sorry, but I love the queen. She is a great lady and I can’t betray her. I promise before God o cleave only
to my husband, and surely I shouldn’t betray him? I know the king is the king; but you can’t want me to?Surely?Sir, I
can’t do it.” TOBG p,29
From the statement above, although Mary tries to rebel but we can see that she shout it up with very polite words. It really clears that children have no rights to rebel
their family even Mary is too afraid to rebel her family’s big plan. Gregory keeps showing what really happened in 16
th
century where children have no rights to say what they want. Children are just member of a family. Family’s point of view to their
children is they just a kid and they don’t know what they are saying. Although Mary tries to express her objection to what her family plan but sure it is useless.
“What am I supposed to do with this delicate conscience?” he asked the air above the table. TOBG p,29
Her uncle Howard makes it straight that any kind of rebel is not acceptable.
Even he thinks that this is just a “delicate” rebel, means that it has no power to rebel him. Because the one who rebelling him is as a children in family and as an uncle he
is the one who have more power than them who control everything and can not be rebelled.
Universitas Sumatera Utara
Uncle Howard is very appropriate character which shows family pressure really clear. He thinks that his thought is the best for the rest of the family. He is a
type of a man that can easily press someone who hasn’t much power as he has in order to get what he wants. I this case, children is the one who hasn’t power as much
as he has. Children have no rights to say what they want let alone rebel what their family asked them to do.
Everything seems like made each other. The family pressure is always win not just because the pressure it self, but also the devotion from children to their family.
Gregory tries to emphasize the devotion of the children through the conversation between Mary and Anne.
“D’you know better than you mother?” Anne asked bluntly “Of course not”
“Better than
you father?Your uncle?”
I shook my head “They are planning a good future for you,” Anne said
solemnly. TOBG p,32
These sisters have the same mindset that the family knows what’s better for them. As a good sister, Anne tries to warn her sister what a child should do. And as a
good child Marry agrees with her. Marry too afraid to rebel her family although she knew that it is all wrong. Moreover there is a faith in her mind that parents or family
knows what best for her. It is not her who decided her future but her family does. Her family uses this kind of faith and trustiness to more press her. Even they don’t want to
see any kind of failure during the process of making their own obsession comes true. In the process of getting the king Mary did something wrong and make her
family becomes angry with her. Again in this position Mary as a children already turns into tools to make their obsession comes true. They do not assume that Mary is a
human who can make mistakes. They assume that Marry is a tool to fulfilling their needs. And as a tool perfection is a must.
Universitas Sumatera Utara
“You had him in your hand and you lost him. What did you do wrong?” TOBG p, 57
“You must have done something. At the jousting he had your kerchief under his breastplate. You must have done
something to upset him after that.” TOBG p, 57
“For God’s sake.” Uncle Howard glared at my mother. “You assured me that she had been properly brought up.
Half her life spent in the French court and she whines at him as if she were a shepherd girl behind a haystack?”
TOBG p, 57
Uncle Howard becomes very angry with Mary when she did something wrong. It is all because he is too afraid that his obsession of getting material and power would
be failed. His obsession and family obsession already control him. So every single mistake is not acceptable. He can not think more clear to solve the problem; moreover
there is a chance that his plan would be failed. “Don’t you think there are Seymour girls dancing for him at
this very moment?” TOBG p,58 This is why he becomes very furious and out of control. Once he saw a chance
to become a very powerful and have a lot of material because the king desires Mary. Now it’s like that chance will come to an end and he is not ready yet to give up on
everything while the process of getting his ambition already begin. That is the source of family pressure, obsession about something that leads with using other family
member as tools to fulfill it. Actually at this time Anne already shows that she is actually can do what her
family asked Mary to do. She thinks that she can do it better than Mary. And as an eldest sister it is supposed to be her that given a task which very challenging and have
a great impact toward her family. Anne already jealous with her sister and starts to think that she can replace Mary in this family task.
Universitas Sumatera Utara
Anne gleamed her spiteful little smile “---All she has to do when she returns is to behave so well that she enchants the
most educated, the most witty, the most handsome prince in Christendom. D’you think she can do it?” TOBG p,58
From the quotation above Anne tries to give a solution how to win king’s heart. At the beginning of the quotation she act like a good sister who giving advice
for the sake of the family. But she ended her statement with a question which shows that she hesitates on Mary’s ability. By asking “D’you think she can do it?” Anne tries
to emphasize that Mary is no longer the right person to do that task. In addition, Anne already give the solution in the beginning of the quotation, it shows that Anne tries to
say that she is the right one to do that ask. She is the one who give solution for the problem to be solved, so why other person should in charge, why not her?
Anne’s effort to ensure her family works. She really knows how to behave and ensure other people about her ability. Furthermore, it is her family that needs to
believe on her. She already knew how her family is look a like, and she knows how to handle it in case to make them believe on her.
Uncle Howard’s attention had moved from me and my future as the brood mare for the family. Instead he was
looking at Anne as if he had seen her for he first time. “Not many maids on your age think as clearly as you.”
She smiled at him. “I am a Howard like you” TOBG p, 59 From the quotation above it is very clear that her uncle already impressed
with Anne’s suggestion. Once a gain, this is her family who needs to be ensure and she knows how to do it. By saying “I am a Howard like you” Anne tries to win her
uncle’s heart and tries to make her uncle count on her. If she is a Howard just like him, she may have the same thought with her uncle. Moreover it would not too hard
to lead her to fulfill family obsession.
Universitas Sumatera Utara
“Uncle likes her best,” I said resentfully “He likes nobody. But he wonders how far she might go.”
TOBG p, 234 It is very clear that family obsession can turn someone into stone hearted beast
which presses other member of family in order to fulfill his needs. He is no longer assuming that the other member of a family is a human, he assuming that they are a
tool to fulfill his obsession. We can see that very clear when Uncle Howard turns into Anne to get the king. It is all because he saw Anne as more useful tool than Mary. He
saw Anne as a very bright way to lead him to get his obsession. And he would not let it go; he is too smart and too blind to not use Anne in this big challenging task of the
family. This is where family obsession turns into her and Anne is more than ready to do it.
b. Ambition
Kategori