Object of the Study

taken and which had not. Thus, after the previous studies’ main arguments were scrutinized, some points that needed further analysis were found. The two previous studies put their main bulk of arguments around Alma without paying equal attention to the other main character, John. This was the point that motivated this study to be conducted, i.e. John’s equal importance in the play. Thirdly, as the purpose of this study was to prove the importance of John in the play, a hy pothesis was born. The hypothesis was that William’s Summer and Smoke was created based on Saussurian binary opposition, and this could be seen from the symbols and the two main characters’ characteristics. Thus, research questions were formulated to conduct the study. The first research question dealt with the intrinsic elements of the play that writer believed would lead to the ultimate goal of this study, i.e. the characteristics of Alma and John as revealed by the symbols. The second and last research question would answer how binary opposition found in these symbols and the characteristics of the characters construct the narrative structure of the play. From the last research question, it was apparent that the approach for this study would be structuralism. The next step was to answer the research questions. However, before jumping to the analysis, this study needed to be equipped with theories related to the research questions. Thus, library research was done. This step was important to provide guidelines in conducting the analysis. Thus, theories on symbols, characters and characterization, structuralism and narratology were reviewed. Next, the time came to answer the previously formulated research questions. In answering the first questions, all the symbols found in the play were listed. After that, the analysis of symbols would be done to find the characteristics of Alma Winemiller and John Buchanan. For the last questions, the theory of A.J. Greimas’ three basic patterns was applied to see how the symbols and the characters construct the narrative structure of Williams’ Summer and Smoke. Lastly, the conclusion was drawn from the two analyses on the two research questions. As the last stage of this study, a review of the two previous analyses would also be contained in this last part. 32

CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS

A. Analyses on Symbols and Characters 1. Symbols Representing Alma and John, and the Characteristics Revealed Symbol identification is not an easy task. It requires special qualities from the doers i.e. sensitivity and sharp discernment. Not only that, it also demands wide and deep knowledge about not only of the related literary work but also of the other fields such as philosophy, theology, or history since symbols are often linked with these areas. Realizing this, writer conducts the analysis with the help of the primary source of this section, i.e. Chevalier ‘s The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols. This dictionary is chosen since it provides complete and thorough elaboration on symbols usually used in a literary text. Symbols in Williams ‘ Summer and Smoke are firstly identified. Then, each symbol undergoes in-depth scrutiny to reveal the characteristics of the characters being represented by the symbols. The symbols to be scrutinized are stone angel, human anatomy chart, telescope and microscope, water lily in Chinese lagoon, a stone pieta, summer, and smoke. The followings are the analyses of the symbols:

a. Stone Angel

The stone angel is the most prominent symbol of Summer and Smoke. Its prominence is clearly seen firstly, from its position in the stage. The author himself made special note ensuring its position in the stage by saying: