course was simply a bait to extract my confession: if I did not confess, he would withdraw his recommendation as a punishment for my dishonesty……
p. 84-85. Although Tsurukawa is Mizoguchi’s best friend, but he does not tell that he is
the person who caused the girl’s miscarriage. Even when Tsurukawa ask him for the truth, Mizoguchi still does not admitted his crime p. 83.
Mizoguchi is a cold hearted person, though his meanness only in his thought. His meanness can be seen from the way he likes in dealing with evil thought.
“If the people of this world, “I thought, “are going to taste evil through their lives and their deeds, then I shall plunge as deep as I can into an inner world
of evil.” p. 69. Please let the evil that is in my heart increase and multiply indefinitely, so that
it may correspond in every particular with that vast light before my eyes Let the darkness of my heart, in which that evil is enclosed, equal the darkness of
the night, which encloses those countless lights” p. 71. The deed of mine, which at the time had aroused no guilt feelings in me, that
deed of trampling on the girl’s stomach, had gradually begun to glitter in my memory. The glitter of evil. Yes, that was it. It may have been a very minor
evil, but I was now endowed with the vivid consciousness that I had in fact committed evil. This consciousness hung like some decoration on the inside
of my breast p.86. The quotation above shows how Mizoguchi really enjoy his thought about
evil. With those thought, it makes Mizoguchi have sense of cold- hearted.
B. Mizoguchi’s Reason in Satisfying His Belongingness and Love Needs
Most people must experience the feeling of love. That is why love becomes a common theme in human’s daily life. Love is not merely about romance between
man and woman which involved passion and desire. Love is use to describe the PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
general feeling that most people have in the inside of their life. Hauck 1983:16 said that many people would put love as their most important human need. Considering
this reason, no wonder that people will say that life without love is empty. Love cannot be touched but people can feel it. For example: love between parents and their
children. Children cannot touch their parents’ love but they feel it. The children felt their parents’ love through their parents’ action. The children felt the affection and
attention from their parents’. Love is considered as the key of life, because it brings happiness, though sometimes love also brings sadness or even madness. For example:
a young boy does a suicide because he felt that his parents do not care about him. He felt that his parents are much care of his younger brother. The matter may be looks
simple but the effect can be horrible. Another example, young men decided to end up his life because his girlfriend wants to break-off.
Those cases show that everyone needs love, everyone wants to be loved. Attention, affection, appreciation, closeness, caring, and warmth can be considered as
part of love. For example: love between mother and her children, love between friends, love between brother and sister, etc. A person who lives without love is
almost the same thing that he lives without life. Maslow says that the failure to satisfy these needs can cause someone get psychological problem and behave negatively
1981: 372. That is why people want to satisfy their belonging and love needs. In this study, the writer sees that the main character wants to achieve the belonging and
love needs. He wants to be accepted by others. There are some reasons that make Mizoguchi tries to achieve the belonging and love needs.
First, Mizoguchi tries to achieve the belongingness and love needs because he feels lonely. Loneliness becomes Mizoguchi’s basic cause that makes him want to
love and to be loved. According to Weiss, loneliness can be defined as a chronic, distressful mental state whereby an individual feels estranged from or rejected by
peers and is starved for the emotional intimacy found in relationship and mutual activity 1973: 214. Weiss also point out that there are some causes of loneliness.
First is being abused or rejected by others, second is being unable to fit in. The last cause is felt broken hearted or missing someone else. Mizoguchi experiences those
three causes. When Mizoguchi was still in the old neighborhood in his uncle’s house and in
his former school, Mizoguchi felt rejected by the people around him; in fact he felt that even the world reject him p. 14. Mizoguchi feels lonely because his schoolmate
never gives attention to him. Mizoguchi does not have a chance to build a friendship with his schoolmate. Mizoguchi suffers from a severe case of stuttering. This
affliction makes him the object of ridicule amongst his schoolmates; his schoolmates always humiliate him p. 7. Taunted by his schoolmate make him feels lonely.
When his father takes him into the Golden temple for the first time, he feels happy because finally he can see the real Golden temple. After his father’s death, he
moves to the Golden temple; he wishes that he could find a warm relationship with the people in it. When Mizoguchi joins in the Golden temple for the first time, there
is one person who pays attention on him. His name is Tsurukawa. Although Tsurukawa is coming from a wealthy family, but he treats Mizoguchi nicely. When
Mizoguchi has a problem, he is there helping Mizoguchi to solve his problem p. 84. Unfortunately, Tsurukawa is considered as the only friend that Mizoguchi has in the
temple. Once again, Mizoguchi often received derision and insults from his surrounding, only Tsurukawa who does not humiliate him. Mizoguchi seems
wondered about Tsurukawa’s behavior, Tsurukawa never teasing Mizoguchi about his stuttering. In fact, Tsurukawa does not care about that sort of thing at all p.44.
Both of them are often spend their time together. This matter makes Mizoguchi want to stay close with him. Unfortunately, when both of them are in college, they have to
separate. Both of them want to make a new friendship in the new environment. Remembering that Mizoguchi often receive derision, insults even rejected, he
becomes less confident. Since he does not have any courage’s to make a new friendship, once again Mizoguchi feels lonely.
Since Tsurukawa was the only person I knew, I found myself willy-nilly speaking to him and to no else. After a few days, however, I began to think
that there was little point in our having emerged with such trouble into this new world if we continued to see only each other. Tsurukawa evidently felt
this also, and thereafter we made a point of not staying together during recreation hours and each of us tried to develop new friendship for himself.
With my stuttering, however, I lacked Tsurukawa’s courage, and as the number of his friends increased, I became more and more isolated p.91.
Mizoguchi has difficulty in making a new friendship with other people. One
day, Mizoguchi’s courage is being tested. He has trouble in logic subject, so he has to find a person who can help him, whether he wants to or not. He needs to make an
interaction with someone else to help him. Finally, he decided to approach one of the students. His name is Khasiwagi. Mizoguchi has courage’s to approach that man
because none of the other students used to approach him. The reason Mizoguchi has courage to approach Khasiwagi because physically Khasiwagi is a cripple; he has two
clubfeet p.91. Although Kashiwagi is a cripple, the way he treats Mizoguchi is different from Tsurukawa. Khasiwagi often mention about Mizoguchi’s lack p. 93.
After making conversation and trying to know one another, Mizoguchi starts interested in making friendship with Khasiwagi. Although Khasiwagi is a cripple
man, but he never feels lonely p. 103. This reason makes Mizoguchi interested in making friendship with Khasiwagi. Another cause that makes Mizoguchi feel lonely
is because he is unable to fit in. Before he enters the temple and knows Tsurukawa, he feels that he cannot fit with the rest of the crowd.
Both the speaker and his listeners were stationary like monuments. I was sitting by myself on the ground a few yards away. Such was my manner. Such
was my manner toward the May flowers and toward that pride-filled uniform and toward those bright peals of laughter p. 7.
Being unable to fit in make Mizoguchi feels lonely. After he knew
Tsurukawa, the condition were quite changes. Tsurukawa’s presence makes Mizoguchi feel that he is not totally alone. However, his problem in making
adaptation with his surrounding still continues; wherever Tsurukawa’s goes Mizoguchi is always there. Mizoguchi could not stay away from Tsurukawa 49-52.
This situation continued until both of them has to separate when they are in college. It is quite hard for Mizoguchi to find a new friend. After for a while, Mizoguchi has a
new friend, Khasiwagi. Though both of them are friends but Mizoguchi does not treat PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
Khasiwagi as a friend suppose to do. Mizoguchi is unable to build friendship with Khasiwagi as close when he is with Tsurukawa.
The last cause of his loneliness is that he missing someone. In this case, Mizoguchi lost someone that he really cares about. He misses his only best friend,
Tsurukawa. One day Tsurukawa has to go home to his home town because he has some family trouble. Mizoguchi does not really feel lonely, since there is Khasiwagi
who can replace Tsurukawa for a while. Then that condition changed when the Superior tells to the acolytes that Tsurukawa is dead because of an accident. Hearing
that news, Mizoguchi feels shocked and he starts to cry. It shows that Tsurukawa have an important meaning in Mizoguchi’s life. The condition is different when his
father died, he even does not cry at all. Mizoguchi felt sorry because since he is closed with Khasiwagi, a little bit he started to neglect Tsurukawa.
…, but now, having lost him, I realized that his death severed the one and only thread that still connected me with the bright world of daylight. It was
because of the lost day-light, the lost brightness, the lost summer, that I was crying.
How could I possibly make sure of Tsurukawa’s death in my mind without having seen his corpse and without having attended his funeral? The problem
tormented me p. 127. The quotation shows that Mizoguchi obviously feels sad and quite depressed.
Tsurukawa’s sudden death seems shocked Mizoguchi, since Tsurukawa is the only person who helps him every time he get problem. Once again, after Tsurukawa’s
death, Mizoguchi started to live in his loneliness. He does not meet the girl anymore and becomes less friendly toward Khasiwagi.
The other cause is that Mizoguchi does not get enough affection from his parents. Born with unattractive looking and stammer, make Mizoguchi does not have
enough confident. Considering his condition, his parents should give him a support and cheer his life up with love. A man who grows without love, respect, and affection
can become a person who lives in pressure condition, while the other man who has love, respect and affection can bring such a good influence toward his personality
development. As the only child, he experienced lack of love from his parents. According to Maslow, it is important to fulfill the belongingness and love needs.
Being loved and accepted is instrumental to healthy feelings of worth. Not being loved generates futility, emptiness, and hostility 1981: 372. That is why, when
people are fail to achieve love, the growth and the development of their ability will be troubled.
Affection or attention from parents is very important in building the basic character of a child. For example, there is a case; a kid who born with one normal
eye. He can be considered as a handicap person, because he does not have two normal eyes. If his parents give him such attention, love and care, the kid will not lose his
confident. When another person tries to humiliate him but his parents always by his side to support him, the kid will be stronger enough to accept his condition. In fact,
the kid is able to grow up with full confident. Mizoguchi’s is not a handicap; he merely does not have good looks and can
not speak fluently. His looks were against him. The matter that he has to deal with is that his surrounding treats him as an abnormal person. In his life; he seems did not
get truly affection and attention also support especially from his parents. Because of that, Mizoguchi seems does not have close relation with his parents. It was proved
when his father died, he did not cry. Mizoguchi also could not accept his mother as part of his life. He feels disturbed by his mother existence.
“I am now under the care of the Rokuonji,” I told her “and I wish you would not visit me until I become a full fledged priest.” p.59
Even during the summer time I did not once visit the place where Mother was making her home p. 130.
The quotation shows that Mizoguchi does not care enough toward his mother.
His boyhood trauma still follows him, and it makes him difficult to forgive his mother and get closer to her. At that time Mizoghuchi was still thirteen years old boy.
At that age, he should felt the warmth of a family, but on the contrary he sees his mother making adultery in front of his eyes p. 54-55.
However, out of that matter, his parents still take their responsibility as parents. Since they have financial problem, they sent Mizoguchi to the temple.
Besides sending their son to get better education, their hidden ambition can be reached. When his parents try to give an appropriate education for their child; it is
merely to satisfy their own ambition, so their son can be what they want to be. His parents want him to be a priest and become a Superior. In this case, their parents want
Mizoguchi to become Superior in the Golden temple. At the first time, he does not realize his parents’ plan but then he finally knows it. Mizoguchi’s father realizes that
his life is no longer enough, so he sends his son to the Golden temple. He takes this step as his first move to make his son as a priest and then become a Superior p. 61.
His parents’ wish makes Mizoguchi lives in pressure and it makes him feel uneasy. Mizoguchi can not choose his own way. Mizoguchi’s mother demanded that
in the future, Mizoguchi has to be a Superior. The only thing for you now is to become the superior of the Golden temple
here. You must see that the Father really gets to like you, so that you can take his place when the time comes for him to leave. You understand, dear? That’s
all your mother will be living for now” p.60. …Then she had appended the following sentence: “I don’t want to die until I
have seen you with my own eyes as a priest in the Golden temple” p.130. Then Mother’s hand reached out and began slapping me feebly across the
cheek. “You undutiful son Have you no sense of your obligations?”
…..Of course, you’ll have to make your humble apologies to the Superior. I’ve apologized myself, but now you’ll have to go and beg him from the
bottom of your heart to forgive you…….But you’re going to have to turn over a new leaf this time, or it’ll be the death of your poor old mother I mean it,
son It’ll be the death of me if you don’t change yourself. And you’ve got to become a great priest…But the first thing is to go and make your apologies.”
p. 199-200.
The quotation shows that her mother has her own ambition as a single parent. She demands his son to be what she wants to be. After his father dead, his mother
ambition is getting stronger. Living in pressure makes Mizoguchi feels uneasy p.130. Everyone has right to get freedom. No one have right to compel someone to
do what they want, including parents. When a child can not be what his or her parents’ demands, he or she can feel sorry. The problem may not end in the matter of
feel sorry but the child may also end with depressed. When a son is failing to fulfill his parents’ wish, parents should not blame their son. This action can make the
children feel useless. It happens because as a son, he feels that he already failed to make his parents proud of him.
The feeling of being useless can evoke self- hatred and this act can cause him behave negatively. He can hurt himself; even can caused him to do suicide. In daily
life, people can meet this kind of case. A boy ended his life by hung himself because he can not reach the first position in his class. He did this because he was afraid that
his parents would mad at him. Another impact can be worst, when parents blame their son because of their failure, it can evoke hatred toward their parents. This matter also
can be happen to anyone else, not only between parents and children. It can be happen between teacher and pupils, people in the neighborhoods, etc.
This condition can be seen in Mizoguchi’s life. He lives under pressure, he can not live peacefully. His wishes living in harmony with the people in the temple
already vanished. He even can not live in harmony with the Superior. Mizoguchi also lack of love from his Superior. In matter of fact, he never knows whether the Superior
really cares about him or not. Mizoguchi seems live in pressure, when he sees the Superior having a date with geisha, he afraid that the Superior will find him out p.
160. The Superior makes Mizoguchi lives in pressure with his own way. On the following day I waited for the Superior to call me in for scolding. This
would be an opportunity for me to explain myself. But, just after that previous occasion when I had trampled on the prostitute, the Superior now began to
torture me by passing the matter over in silence. Whatever the facts of the matter may have been, the Superior’s silence again
became a source of uneasiness that pressed on me day after day p. 162. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
As a Superior, he should be wise, patient and open minded. Mizoguchi does not see that in Superior’s attitude. He sees that the Superior only thinks about himself
and let the acolytes live in lack ness, and leave him in pressure.
C. The Effect of Mizoguchi’s Failure in Achieving the Belongingness and Love Needs toward His Life
