B. Deconstruction Theory
The wave of
Postmodernism has influenced many cultural fields, including sociology,
philosophy,
architecture, visual arts, music and literary criticism. One of the most popular postmodernist tendencies within aesthetics is deconstruction. As it
is currently used, deconstruction is a Derridean approach to textual analysis.
Postmodern literary criticisms rejected the notion that literary text has objective meaning and true interpretation. All such claims to objectivity and truth can be deconstructed, in one
version of deconstruction.
The term of Deconstruction firstly come from Jacques Derrida on his book “of Grammatology”. Before the writer explains more about deconstruction theory,
firstly we have to know deconstruction‟s background. Deconstruction theory basically is a theory of structuralism.
Structuralism is an ideology of substances, which is the structure itself. Structural method was found by F. Saussure. Saussure makes a distinction between
langue and parole. Langue is the formal grammatical system, and then parole is the daily utterances which use by speaker to express themselves. Even though the usage
of individual language is important, but for Saussure it cannot become the object of study for linguists which oriented to scientific. Saussure gives the highest hierarchy
to the speech or langue, then parole or writing is only follow the langue. It is assumed that language exists because the system of differences and the essences of
this system is binary opposition. It refers to two mutually exclusive term such signifiersignified, speechwriting, langueparole. Binary opposition in linguistics are
the same with metaphysical assumption of western philosophy such as goodevil, mindbody, natureculture, manwoman, presenceabsence, rightwrong, and so on
which considers the first element is the center, origin, and principle, and then consequences, the other elements as second and marginal.
Derrida criticizes method of Saussure‟s structuralism method. At the first, Saussure makes a distinction between langue and parole, Saussure also gives the
highest hierarchy to the speech, but for introducing the theory Saussure use the writing, so there is a contradiction in Saussure theory, and Derrida wants to
deconstruct about this methods. According to Derrida, structuralism pointed to the logocentrism. Logocentrism emphasizes the privileged role that logos, or speech,
has been accorded in the Western tradition.
18
In binary opposition there is western philosophy tradition, such Derrida said it has a logos or truth. Norris 2003
translated by Inyak Ridwan Munzir “karena oposisi biner dalam bahasa berjalan
berdampingan dengan oposisi biner dalam tradisi filsafat barat, maka menurut Derrida istilah-istilah tersebut adalah milik Logos-
kebenaran atau „kebenaran dari kebenaran‟. Sedangkan istilah istilah yang kedua adalah representasi palsu dari
yang pertama, atau bersifat inferior. Tradisi ini dinamakan logosentrisme dan dipergunakannya untuk menerangkan asumsi adanya hak itimewa yang disandang
istilah pertama dan „pelecehan‟ terhadap istilah kedua.”
19
So based on the explanation, Derrida wants to against the concept of logocentrism.
A deconstructive reading shows how a text is dependent upon the presuppositions of a metaphysics of presence of logocentrism.
20
It correlates to Saussure method which gives the hierarchy to the words. Speech, for Saussure is the unity
of signifier and signified which combine together and equally, which is forming a sign. The metaphysic of presence is one assumption is that something physically signifier, and
18
http:www.iep.utm.eduderrida Accessed on September 25, 2010
19
Christopher Norris, Membongkar Teori Dekonstruksi Derrida Jogjakarta: Penerbit Ar- Ruzz, 2003. p 10.
20
Richard Kearney, Twentieth-Century Continental Philosophy: Routledge History of Philosophy
Volume VIII. USA: Routledge Taylor Francis Group, 1994, p. 371.
something over the physically signified can presence as together, and this possibilities only found in speech, not writing.
The goal of deconstruction, therefore, is to Locate a point of otherness within philosophical or logocentric conceptuality and then to deconstruct this conceptuality
from that position of alterity.
21
In deconstruction Derrida tries to deny binary opposition of langueparole, presenceabsence, etc, and finally there‟s a refusal to
the absolute truth or logos. Writing, for Derrida, is the play of the communication and language unsure. Writing is the process of changing meaning continually, and
this change make writing there‟s in outside of the absolute truth reaches. Différance is a term that Derrida coins on the basis of a pun that the French
language makes possible. The pun is possible because in French the word différer
can mean either to differ
Differ means „be different
or to defer
whereas defer means „put something off until later‟
, depending on context. Derrida presents différance as
the development of Saussure‟s insight that in language there are only differences.
22
Here is the part of particularly of that term, it proves the writing is higher than speech, as Derrida said. Difference is the play of the different, the traces of
differences, and spacing. The process of difference is refusing to the absolute meaning, transcendental meaning, and universal meaning which claimed by
Saussure and by modern thinkers generally. The trouble with the text is that it might not convey the right impression, the
true impression, and it might therefore be misleading. A rhetorical frontier has been drawn between the truth of things and the text. According to this historical
prejudice: the text is on the outside, the truth of things is hidden away on the inside.
21
Ibid. pp. 368-369
22
Ibid. p. 382.
However, according to the same logic, the truth of things only remains hidden inside because it is essentially outside the text, in some far off yonder.
There‟s always gap between signifier and signified, between text and its meaning. This gap causes the searching of absolute meaning impossible. So, for
what modern human search and pursue is about a single truth is nothing. There is no single truth which can we hold, because one certain thing is the uncertainly itself.
Everything must be differed while we play with the different. It is the thought of Derrida, and post modernity is the play with uncertainty.
C. Character and Characterization