Further, Irene is considered as the influential figure that constructs Portia‟s inner feeling or emotion
al condition. Since a daughter is like her mother Irene‟s emotional feeling will also affect Portia‟s psychological condition. They both
have similarity in physical and psychological condition. It is explained by Cori that attachment to mother‟s figure can also occur on a deeper level where the child
feels that she is part of her mother‟s heart and the mother‟s qualities feel like part of her, too.
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From this argument, it can be reflected that Irene and Portia have a similar personality. From this novel, Irene is described as a kind of temperamental
person. It is seen from her regret and guiltiness while doing something wrong to somebody. She has a sensitive feeling which makes her unable to control her
emotion, as it is narrated by Bowen below: Untaught, they had walked arm-in-arm along city pavements, and at
nights had pulled their beds close together or slept in the same bed —
overcoming, as far as might be, the separation of birth. Seldom had they faced up to society
—when they did, Irene did the wrong thing, then cried. How sweet, how sweetly exalted by her wrong act was
Irene, when, stopping crying, she blew her nose and asked for a cup of tea… The, 38
Just like Irene who always feels guilty while doing something wrong to
people, so does Portia. It is seen from her guilt to Eddie when they are in a serious argument about Portia‟s jealousy to Eddie, as it is narrated below:
He moved decisively to the drawing room door. “Oh stop, Eddie: Has this spoilt everything for you? I would rather be
dead than a di sappointment to you. Please… You are my whole reason
to be alive. I promise, please, I promise I mean, I promise not to hate anything. It is only that I have to get used to things, and I have not got
used to quite everything, yet. I‟m only stupid when I don‟t understand.”
“But you never will. I can see that.”
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“But I‟m perfectly willing not to. I‟ll be not stupid without understanding. Please
—” The, 134 Portia‟s accusation toward Eddie is motivated by her jealousy. However, her
sensitive feeling forces her to feel guilty for what she has done to Eddie. She accepts Eddie‟s fault. The temperamental and sensitive feeling shows her
childishness, as Eddie says: “You‟re always crying now. It‟s really awful, you know… .” The, 186 From this situation, this study argues that patriarchal
motherhood gives negative input to Portia‟s self-development. Instead of helping and preparing Portia to confront the real world or society, Irene hinders the
progress. It is reflected from Portia‟s previous argument with Eddie that Portia has to confront society. She has to understand other people‟s feeling and demand.
Thus for this situation, it can be concluded that Portia‟s self-identification to mother has not been secure enough. It does not provide a strong foundation for
Por tia‟s separation from mother and her socialization with other people.
After all, it can be noted that it is hard to find a woman who does not spend her time thinking she acts just like her mother. Paula Caplan emphasizes
that in all of the childrens thoughts, a mother is the standard and what she believes about her mother matters a great deal.
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Portia acts out Irene‟s physical and emotional characters which later construct her self-identity. Moreover, about
the importance of mother‟s existence in her daughter‟s life is explained by Cori as below:
The sense of self and of Mother is important anchors in our lives. Without them, we can feel disconnected, lost, and un-grounded in the
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Paula J Caplan. The New Don’t Blame Mother: Mending the Mother–Daughter Relationship.
London: Routledge, 2000, p. 29
world. … This feeling is often carried throughout life, unless efforts are made to change the situation.
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If mother- daughter‟s separation occurs, the daughter will lose the influential
figure in her life who will teach, love and guide her to see the world. Portia will lose her mirror who is supposed to be her role model in her life.
So, it can be concluded that self-identification to mothers figure fails to construct a complete identity for Portia. She is trapped into unity with Irene who
makes her unable to be an independent and mature subject. In imaginary unity with Irene, Portia becomes a passive and childish figure who does not have self-
competence to build the relationship with the social world.
3.2 Social Construction of Womanhood and the Forbidden Pleasure
This second sub-chapter reveals two negative effects of shifting relation to symbolic father; the imposition of feminine gender identity from society toward
Portia‟s life, and the inability of the symbolic father to provide familial bonding and maternal forms for Portia. In this novel, Bowen conveys that Portia should
recognize her feminine gender identity, understand certain proper manners that should be followed and obeyed by a girl. If gender performances are not made,
she will be rejected by others because she performs the lawless manner and uncontrolled emotion that disrupt other people. To avoid rejection from society,
Portia needs to follow social rule and demand. She must be aware of her gender identity, especially for being a mature woman. This maturity is determined by her
ability for not being childish. For this reason, Portia must accept certain feminine
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Cori, p. 80
rules that are imposed by society in the socialization process. Meanwhile, Portias need for maternal attachment influences the process of this socialization process.
Her shift to the symbolic father is triggered by her seek for mothers love and attention from other people. Thus by the emergence of this strong need, she
becomes submissive to other peoples demand. In other sides, Portia‟s desire for maternal attachment is forbidden in
symbolic realm. Symbolic father forbids re- attachment to mother‟s realm because
it limits Portia‟s maturity. This forbidden pleasure evokes Portia‟s resistance because she cannot find attention and love from other people. Symbolic father
cannot preserve Portia‟s need for autonomy and nurturance.
3.2.1 Portia’s Need for Maternal Attachment and the Social Construction of Womanhood
In The Death of the Heart, Bowen represents Irenes death as the root for Portias shift to the symbolic father. After Irenes death, Portia has to live with
Thomas and Anna in Windsor Terrace. However, in this new house, Portia cannot find her desire, which is self-freedom and mothers love. Coris previous argument
gives a view of Portias continuity on maternal attachment. „This feeling is often carried throughout life unless efforts are made to change the situation reflect
Portias dependency on maternal attachment, which might be anticipated by shifting her relation to the symbolic father.
Before starting the discussion about feminine identification in symbolic realm, it must be noted that the significant reason for Portias shift to the symbolic
father is to seek continuity to maternal attachment. Subsequently, Portias strong PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
dependency on Irene stimulates her desire to pursue maternal attachment by constructing the relationship with other people. After Irenes death, Portia must
continue her life by attempting to adapt herself with other people in Windsor Terrace, especially with Thomas and Anna. In relation with Thomas and Anna,
Portia keeps her desire for pleasure and self-freedom and also to get the maternal attachment from them. Freud asserts that nothing can be worse for us than the idea
of losing our sexuality and capacity to love and beloved.
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Portia‟s anxiety of losing her mother‟s love forces her desire to build good relation with Thomas and
Anna. Actually, while the return toward maternal attachment is chased through
relationships with other people, Portia must be ready to familiarize herself with others characters. Portia must learn to negotiate differences with others. To work
with the others differences, Portia initially must accept other peoples existence. Although Portia finds difficulty to adapt herself to new surrounding and people,
desire to pursue maternal attachment forces her to defeat the trouble. While she is with Anna and Thomas, she attempts to show her respect and obedient manner by
offering some help. For instance, she offers a help to put away Annas fur coat and to fill Thomas cigarette case. Further, to show her kindness to Anna, Portia
reassures that she has done everything in proper way, as she says: I put your things on your bed: was that right?
The, 18 Such kind of clarification indicates Portia‟s fear and anxiety for not doing anything in right order. The reason is that
she wants to do things well and without disappointing Thomas and Anna. Even
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Easthope, p. 31
though it is not easy for her to deal with that kindness, she keeps herself deal with it so that she can construct good relation with Thomas and Anna.
Porti a‟s humble and kind characters can be seen as one of her effort to
eliminate differences and build unity with others. Portia attempts to build good relation with Thomas and Anna, and she wishes that they will give a good
treatment for her too. In the process of constructing good relation with other people, there will be an emergence of ego-ideal. The ego- ideal leads Portia to
collaborate herself with a fantasy that people are fundamentally good-hearted.
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This fantasy makes Portia trust others as a good-hearted one who is able to help and provide maternal attachment for her. Ego-ideal stimulates her desire to seek
pleasure and avoid pain in her relationship with others. Initially, Portias desire for maternal attachment leads her to ignore others
differences. Ignoring others differences is seen as a way to re-create imaginary unity between Portia and other people. Portia represses her own desire to get
attached to other people. Therefore, repressing her own desire creates new trouble for Portia because she will be the object of others desire. Others get a chance to
enter and intrude into Portias life. In her relationship with Eddie, for instance, Portia trusts him because Eddie seems to show his kindness to Portia. He even
assists Portia to detest Anna. It is true indeed that Portia feels comfortable while she is with Eddie. Eddie brings many changes to her life. While she is with Eddie,
she finds freedom, she can tell her burden and secret to him. It might be said that, for the first time since Irene‟s death, she feels herself in the presence of someone
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diary. The, 70 With Eddie, Portia can tell her dislike toward Anna. Portia finds a similarity to Eddie since Eddie also shows his dislike toward Anna. Whereas
Portia feels comfortable to share her bur den to Eddie, she willingly obeys Eddie‟s
orders and becomes dependent to Eddie. Portia is attracted to Eddie because she can feel Eddie‟s attention to her.
Eddie also takes Portia‟s side when she tells him about Anna‟s bad treatment to her. With Eddie, Portia feels a secure relationship. Relationship with Eddie
awakens her self-confident because she knows someone is there for her and helps her to get her self-freedom. For Portia, Eddie can fulfill her need for love and
attention. Portia gets a smell of feeling while she is with Eddie, an emotional feeling to others which she has not been recognized, as she writes in her diary:
This house makes a smell of feeling. Since I have known Eddie I ask myself what this smell is more. The, 74
Therefore, Portia‟s dependency on Eddie makes her lose the self-identity. Becoming the only man trusted by Portia, Eddie easily controls Portias life. Eddie
allows Portia to write a diary but he asks Portia not to write about him and their relationship. Eddie also gets private chance to read Portias diary. In Portias case,
her passions for Eddies love and protection render the incapability of making such a reasonable agreement to refuse Eddies demands, as it is reflected from
Eddie and Portia‟s conversation about Portia‟s diary below: “Darling, I love you to want me to take it home… . But supposing I
went and left it in a bus?” “It‟s got my name and address, inside: it would probably come back.
But perhaps, though, you could put it in your pocket?” They squeezed the note-
book into his overcoat pocket. “As a matter of fact,” she said, “now there is you, I may not want my diary so much.” The, 72
