Approach of the Study Method of Study

35 Further, to intepret the change of Otoko’s sexual pattern seen from the characterization, Murphy’s nine ways of characterization will be used. They are personal description, character as seen by another, speech, past life, conversation with others, reactions, thoughts, direct comment of the author, and mannerism. As it had been explained, Otoko’s sexual pattern was devided into two, heterosexual and homosexual. Back to the definition of the term homosexuality, it is sexual behavior or sexual relationship between individuals of the same sex. Otoko was a hetero sexual person when she was young, then she shifted into homosexual in her adulthood. 1. A Heterosexual Person Otoko had a relationship with a man when she was young. The story began with the desire of Otoko’s past lover named Mr. Oki Toshio to meet her when he was in his middle age after twenty four years past. Oki’s desire awoke his memory of Otoko and their love story. That had come to mind again this year end, and he had impulsively decided to go to Kyoto. He had also been stirred by a defiant wish to see Ueno Otoko again after all these years, and to listen to the bells with her Kawabata, 1996:4. The theory of characterization by Murphy was applied. According to the theory, the quotation above was direct comment from the author and past life. It was a direct comment from the author to describe Oki’s feeling and thought about his will to see Otoko. It also showed that Otoko was not a homosexual from the first place. Oki used 36 to see Otoko at the past time, then after few years he wanted to see her again to listen the bells with her. He wanted to celebrate the new year eve with Otoko, his past lover. Slowly tying his necktie, he suddenly recalled Otoko saying: Ill tie it for you. Let me.... She was fifteen, and those had been her first words after he had taken her virginity. Oki himself had not spoken. There was nothing he could say. He had been holding her tenderly close, stroking her hair, but he could not bring himself to speak. Then she had slipped out of his arms and begun to dress Kawabata,1996:4. The conversation between Otoko and Oki happened in the past, therfore theory of past life was applied. Otoko was a heterosexual in the past time. She had a relationship with Oki when she was fifteen years old. Oki had took her virginity, which was the most precious thing to a girl, when she was just a teenager. Otoko was only fifteen years old. She was at her most innocent age when Oki took her virginity. It could be said that she was really naive that all she knew was she loved Oki so much that she let him took her virginity. Startled by its fresh, poignant beauty, Oki turned round to her. She touched his shoulder, nestled her face against his chest, and said: I love you. It had also seemed strange that a fifteen-year-old girl should call a man twice her age Sonny-boy. That was twenty-four years ago. Now he was fifty-four. Otoko must be thirty- nine Kawabata,1996:5. Theory of direct comment of the author, speech and personal description were applied to quotation above. It showed that their love story was not as simple as any other love story. Otoko was fifteen years old when she was in relathionship with Oki while Oki was thirty two. The difference of their age did not bother her at all. It showed from the way she called him with “Sonny-boy”. According to Merriam 37 Webster Dictionary, the word “sonny” was a call to address a younger man or boy which is used by an older person. It was also a metaphor for a sweet call. It came from sunny, which meant cheerful and happy. If such call is applied in a relationship, it means a sweet call. Otoko did not treat him as a person older than her. She saw him as her lover no matter how old he was. The way Otoko called Oki with that nick name was the reprensentation of her feeling toward Oki. She love him as lover. “He was reminded of the thin cry of a newborn baby.... At sixteen, in the seventh month of carrying his child, Otoko had given birth. The baby was a girl.” Kawabata, 1996:6. Theory of past life was applied to this quotation. It described that during her relathionship with Oki, Otoko has given birth to a baby girl. It was seven months of carrying the baby when she was sixteen years old, but unfortunately the baby died. The baby was a girl. Those behavior showed that at that time Otoko’s sexual orientation was straight. She was in relationship with Oki whom she had sexual intercourse with, thus she got pregnant and given birth to a baby girl. Oki had called his novel A Girl of Sixteen. It was an ordinary, straightforward title, but in those days people thought it shocking that a teen-age schoolgirl should take a lover, have a premature baby, suffer a lapse of sanity. Probably that was why it had been so successful. It was the tragic love story of a very young girl and a man himself still young but with a wife and child: only the beauty of it had been heightened, to the point that it was unmarred by any moral questioning Kawabata, 1996:17. Theory of direct comment of the author and past life was applied to the quotation. It happened in the past time. Oki wrote his love story with Otoko in a novel. It was A Girl of Sixteen. It told about their love story in detail. A tragic love 38 story of a very young girl and a man with a wife and child. Otoko was a mistress. Oki had had a wife and child when he was in love affair with Otoko. The way he wrote his novel showed his actual thought and feeling of his relationship with Otoko. He only took advantage from their tragic love story. He wrote the novel without thinking of Otoko’s feeling. “He had not known Otoko in the full flower of her youthful beauty. She was sixteen when they parted” Kawabata, 1996:15. To this quotation, theory of direct comment was applied. It mentioned that Otoko got parted from Oki when she was sixteen years old after Otoko given birth to a baby girl. It was the last time Otoko had a relationship with a man. 2. A Homosexual Person Homosexual is is sexual behavior or sexual relationship between individuals of the same sex. In the broader sense, it is a sexual attraction toward individuals of the same sex even though there is no overt practices are involved. Otoko shifted from heterosexual to homosexual at her thirties. Otoko was in relationship with her protegee, a girl named Sakami Keiko.”It seemed that Otoko was living in a guest house on the grounds of a certain temple, along with a girl who was her protégée” Kawabata, 1996:3. The direct comment of the author clearly showed that Otoko lived together with protegee who is actually her lover. They never parted since then.