Marxism amongst Russian Intellectuals in the Early 1890`s as Depicted through Three Years` Characters - USD Repository

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MARXISM AMONGST RUSSIAN INTELLECTUALS
IN THE EARLY 1890'S AS DEPICTED THROUGH
THREE YEARS' CHARACTERS
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters

By
SITA MAGFIRA
Student number: 084214108

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

2014

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MOTTO

"Men have forgotten this truth," said the fox. "But you must not forget
it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed."

The Fox in The Little Prince

"If there is any kind of God it wouldn't be in any of us, not in you nor
me, but just this little space in between. If there 's any kind of magic in
this world, it must be in the attempt of understanding someone sharing
something. "

Celine to Jesse in Before Sunrise

There is no hurry. We shall get there some day.

Pooh in Winnie the Pooh

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for mama.
om.
papa.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Procrastination was in the air when I wrote this thesis. That is why I
should say thank you to everyone (especially my mother) who always
reminds me to finish this thesis. I also thank Universe for giving me the spirit
against the procrastination and the little girl in me who prefer to play rather
than to finish the study.
I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation for Sanata
Dharma University, especially for the English Letter Department. I thank her
for becoming a pleasant study place for years. I give my deepest gratitude to
my advisor Dr. F.X. Siswadi, M.A., for the correction and guidance during
the process of finishing the thesis. For my co-advisor, A.B. Sri Mulyani
M.A., Ph.D., I would like to thank for the priceless corrections and
evaluations.
I will never forget the lesson from all my friends, every inspiring
individual, who I cannot mention one by one. Thanks to Umi, Yuke, and
Uniph who let me borrowed their laptops to finish this thesis since mine is

broken. May Universe bless you all!
I thank Suluh Pamuji for becoming my partner in dealing with things
in daily life. The last but not the least, I should say thanks to my Pisces friend.
Half of this thesis writing process was done to make me forget that he is
swimming in my mind.
Sita Magfira

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE ..................................................................................
APPROVAL PAGE ........................................................................
ACCEPTANCE PAGE ...................................................................
MOTTO PAGE ...............................................................................
DEDICATION PAGE ................................……………………….
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN KEASLIAN KARYA……………….

LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH ……
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT…………………………………………
TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................

Page
i
ii
iii
iv
v
vi
vii
viii
ix

ABSTRACT .....................................................................................
ABSTRAK .....................................................................................
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ....................................................
A. Background of the Study .....................................................
B. Problem Formulation ...........................................................

C. Objectives of the Study.............................…………............
D. Definition of Terms ..............................................................

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xii
1
1
6
6
7

CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL REVIEW..............………….........
A. Review of Related Studies............................……..........…...
B. Review of Related Theories...................................................
1. Theories on Characters.....................................................
2. Theory on Characterization……………………………..
3. Theory on Literature and Society……………………….
C. Review on Marxism amongst 1890's Russian Intellectuals…
1. Theory on Social Class………………………………….
2. Theory on Exploitation………………………………….

3. Theory on Art……………………………………………
D. Theoretical Framework……………………………………...
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY…………………………………
A. Object of the Study………………………………………….
B. Approach of the Study………………………………………
C. Method of the Study………………………………………...
CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS………………………………………...
A. Description of the Characters……………………………….
1. Round and the Flat Characters………………………….
2. Major and Minor Characters……………………………
B. Marxism amongst 1890's Russian Intellectuals as Depicted
through in the Early 1890's………………………………....
1. The Intellectuals………………………………………..

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10
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40

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2. The Social Classes…………………………………….
3. The Exploitation…………………………………........
4. The Art…………………………………………….......
CONCLUSION……………………………………………………
Bibliography……………………………………………………….
Appendix…………………………………………………………...

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ABSTRACT
SITA MAGFIRA. Marxism amongst Russian Intellectuals in the Early
1890's as Depicted through Three Years' Characters. Yogyakarta:
Department of English Letter, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University,
2014.
It is hard to talk about Russia without talking about its history of
communism. The reason is that it was in Russia the first communist government,
as the result of the revolution, established. Seeing Marxism as the starting point
of communism, this research focuses on Marxism. In Russia, Marxism got its
peak of popularity amongs the intellectuals in 1894. For Three Years was written
by Chekhov (a Russian author) in 1895, this research argues that Three Years
depicts Marxism amongst Russian intellectuals in the early 1890's. Examining
Marxism amongst Russian intellectuals, this research focuses on Three Years'
characters which are characterized as intellectuals. Those characters are Laptev,
Yulia, Yatsev, and Kostya.
There are two main problems formulated in this research. The first is how
the characters (intellectuals) are described in the story. The second is how those
characters represent Marxism amongst Russian intellectuals in the early 1890's.
The writer used socio-cultural -historical approach in analyzing the
formulated problems by doing several steps. The first step was conducting a

close reading on the novel and formulating the problems based on the topic. The
second step was collecting data and theories. The writer used library research in
this study to get references which are necessary. The data are taken from books,
articles, other related studies, encyclopedias, and internet. The next step was
analyzing the work by applying those data. The last step was drawing the
conclusion of the whole analysis.
Three Years' characters can be seen as the representative of Marxism
amongst Russian intellectual in the early 1890's. Their characteristics as a round
and flat characters represent the situation of the capitalistic and the noncapitalistic system in Russia at that time. Their characteristics as major and
minor characters represent the capitalist and non-capitalist power in Russian
society at that time. Moreover, their characteristics in terms of social classes,
exploitation, and art are closely related to the ideas of Marxism.

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ABSTRAK
SITA MAGFIRA. Marxism amongst Russian Intellectuals in the Early
1890's as Depicted through Three Years' Characters. Yogyakarta: Jurusan
Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2014.
Sulit untuk tidak mengaitkan Rusia dengan komunisme. Alasannya,
pemerintahan komunis pertama kali hadir di Rusia sebagai hasil dari
revolusi. Memandang Marxisme sebagai titik tolak komunisme, penelitian
ini fokus pada Marxisme. Di Rusia, Marxisme mengalami puncak
popularitasnya di kalangan intelektual Rusia pada 1894. Sebab Three Years
ditulis oleh Anton Chckhov (pcnulis Rusia) pada 1895, penelitian ini
memandang bahwa Three Years menggambarkan Marxisme di kalangan
intelektual Rusia pada awal era 1890an. Sebab mengkaji Marxisme di
kalangan intelektual, penelitian ini fokus pada karakter-karakter dalam Three
Years, khususnya yang didcskripsikan scbagai intelektual. Karakter-karakter
itu adalah Laptev, Yulia, Yattsev, dan Kostya.
Terdapat dua rumusan masalah dalam penelitian ini. Permasalahan
pertama adalah baguimunu kurakter-kurukter (para intclcktual) tcrscbut
didcskripsikan dalam ccrita. Pcrmasalahan kedua adalah bagaimana mereka
merepresentasikan Marxisme di kalangan intelektual Rusia pada awal era
1890an.
Penulis menggunakan pendekatan sosial-kultural-historis untuk
menganalisa permasalahan-permasalahan di atas dengan mengambil
beberapa langkah. Pertama, membaca karya sastra tersebut dengan seksama
dan merumuskan masalah berdasarkan isu yang ada. Kedua, mencari data
pendukung dari beberapa buku, artikel, penelitian, ensiklopedia, dan internet.
Berikutnya, menganalisa karya sastra tersebut dengan mengaplikasikan data
temuan. Terakhir, menarik kesimpulan setelah semua rumusan masalah
terjawab.
Karakter-karakter dalam Three Years merepresentasikan Marxisme
di kalangan intelektual Rusia pada awal era 1890an. Karakteristik mereka
sebagai tokoh yang bulat dan datar merepresentasikan sistem kapitalisme dan
sistem non-kapitalisme di Rusia pada waktu itu. Karateristik mereka sebagai
tokoh utama dan figuran merepresentasikan kekuasaan kapitalisme dan nonkapitalisme di Rusia pada waktu itu. Selain itu, karakteristik mereka terkait
kelas sosial, eksploitasi, dan seni sangat erat hubungannya dengan ide-ide
dalam Marxisme.



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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A.

Background of The Study
It is hard to talk about Russia without talking about its history of

communism. The reason is because it was m Russia the first communist
government, as the result of the revolution, established. According to Modern
Russia, Russian revolution which brought communist government is an important

event in world history as can be seen from the quotation below.
The most important event of the twentieth century was the Russian
revolution. In November 1917, Communism ceased to be a theory; it
became the means of governing one of the world's largest states.
(Robottom, 1969: i)
Although Desember 1991 was the time of communism's downfall in Russia (with
the replacement of United of Soviet Socialist Republic by the Commonwealth of
Independent States as its symbol), until today the effect of communism remains
there. Steven Rosefielde in Russia in the 21st Century: The Prodigal Superpower
stated that despite today's Russia is more open than under communism, its part of
economic, government, and society are quite the same as ones under communism:
Economic liberty has been greatly expanded. People are making headway
transforming paper civil rights into realities, and democratic institutions
are being built despite the persistence of political authoritarianism. But the
deadhandof the past hasn't completely withered. Russia has "modernized"
itself by adopting most of the trappings of the West, but it has not become
westernized. Its consumers still aren't economically sovereign, its
government isn't democratically responsive to the electorate, and Russian
society is blatantly unjust (2005: 1-2).
It is important to add that currently a Russia newspaper published an article
reported that 60 percent of Russian believed communism as a good system.

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(http://rbth.ru/news/20 1311 0/12/about_60_percent_of_russians_see_communism_
as_good_system_-_poll_30755.html). The report is the result of a survey done to
about 1,000 Russian aged from 18 to 60 years old. The report supports
Rosefielde's statement that the effect of communism remains in Russia.
In An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Marxism, Socialism, and Communism,
Wilczynski states that communism is another name for Marxism. On the other
hand, Tom Bottomore, in his A Dictionary of Marxist Thought, differentiates
communism and Marxism by saying that communism is the aim of Marxism.
Though there are different opinions on seeing communism and Marxism, one can
still learn that both are connected.

It is important to declare that the writer of this research, just like
Bottomore, separates the definition between communism and Marxism. The writer
of this research sees communism as the aim of Marxism. Moreover, that
perception (communism is the aim of Marxism) becomes the reason of why this
research focuses on Marxism rather than communism. According to the writer of
the research, it is impot1ant to study something that enables communism to exist,
which is Marxism itself. In other words, in the writer opinion, it is significant to
examine the process of establishing communism with Marxism as its starting
point. The writer of this research also considers not to discuss Leninism and
Stalinism (two other 'ism's that popular in Russia and commonly known have a
strong relation with Marxism) for both are the interpretation of Marxism. In the
writer's opinion, it is necessary to get a good understanding about the basic, which
is Marxism, before going to the interpretations.

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Before going further, the writer needs to state that though the trial of using
Marxism to create a communist government did not success, such as what
happened in Russia, it is still important to study Marxism. Living in today's
capitalistic world with all of its consequences, for example: the rich gets richer
while the poor gets poorer, the exploitation of nature to obtain more profit, the
alienation of human (as the illustration: human make things that they cannot buy
once those things are in the store), and so on, Marxism gets its signifance as a
criticism on this capitalistic world. As a criticism, Marxism leads people to think
about the possibility of a new world where, for example, there are equality for
mankind, preservation of nature, and human can afford things they made.
In his introduction for The Steppe and Other Stories, David Campbell
informs that Marxism got its peak of popularity among Russian intellectuals in
1894. Based on that information, the writer thinks that it is significant to study
about Marxism among them. It is because Russian intellectuals had a noteworthy
position in making way for Marxism revolution as one can learn from the
quotation below.
To some extent the theme of the Russian revolution is the bridging of this
gap between the universities and the peasants, the combination, as in some
chemical formula, of the intellectuals an the masses, and this was the point
where the revolution became really explosive (Moorehead, 1958: 31)
Russian intellectuals made the way to the Russian revolution became easier
because they analyzed what had to be done in order to make the revolution.
Moreover, some of important people in Russian revolution such as Lenin, Stalin,
Trotsky, can be considered as intellectuals.

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Literary works often have connection with history. It reports and
represents history. Using that perspective, the writer uses Chekhov's Three Years
as a historical report of Marxism amongst Russian intellectuals. Three Years is
chosen by determining several reasons. First, Three Years was published in 1985,
only one year after Marxism got its peak of popularity among Russian
intellectuals in 1894. The writer assumes that Three Years captured the event. The
assumption comes without no reasons. Lived in 19th century, Chekhov saw the
development of Russia. He caught the social development in Russia and wrote
them in his works (20 12: 2). That might be the reason why most (if not all) of his
works used Russia as the setting. Virginia Woolf in her essay "The Russian Point
of View" tells about Chekhov 's awareness of the social condition.
Chekhov is aware of the evils and injustices of the social state; the
c.ondition of the pca::;anl::; appeals him the reformer's zeal it; nul his-thut is
not the signal for us to stop. The mind interests him enormously; he is a
most subtle and delicate analyst ofhuman relations. (Woolf, 1953: 181)
Chekhov's attention to the social condition is also recognized by Josef
Melnik. In his essay "The Hope of 1905", Melnik states "I dedicate this work to
the memory of Anton Chekhov because he has mourned, like few others, the
. wretchedness and servility of Russian life" (Kohn. ed., 1957: 167). As a good
photographer of Russia's social condition, Chekhov might depict the moment
when Marxism became popular amongst the intellectuals. Moreover, Chekhov
himself was one of Russian intellectuals so he was in the best position in
describing the situation via his works.
The nineteenth century of Russian intellectuals 'defined itself by agitating
for social reform. Its members. lntellegently, were critical thinkers who
regretted the political state of their country under tsarism' (Chamberlaim,
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2004: 3). They raised awareness of the Russia's economic and political
backwardness, under-development and the plight of its rural population
throughout the century; Chekhov participated in this work. (Whyman,
2011: 10)
Second reason for choosing Three Years exists in the work itself. The
writer sees that Chekhov reports the moment of Marxism's popularity amongst
Russian Intellectuals in the early 1890's through Three Years' characters. Many of
Three Years' characters are intellectuals. Laptev, one of the characters, for

example, is a merchant who inherits a factory from his father. Before inheriting
that factory, Laptev studied in Moscow. He used to fight the exploitative ways
operated in the factory. Once he became the leader of the factory, he tried his best
to make the situation better.
Another example is Kostya, an orphan boy who grew up in Laptev's
family then became a lawyer in Moscow. In one of his dialogues, his perception
that a work of art has a value only if dealing with serious social problem can be
seen. In his book entitled Anton Chekhov, Rose Whyman tells "Chekhov
discussed attitudes to art by means of a debate on avant-garde art and utilitarian
art between his characters in Three Years." (2011: 11). Those lines are connected
to Kostya's perception on art. Utilitarian art, which means art for the sake of
something, is a concept of art that often discussed by marxist.
In this research, the writer traces the history of Marxism in the circle of
Russian intellectuals, especially in the early of 1890s. The writer wants to find
out how Marxism amongst Russian intellectuals at that time was by tracing the
history.

In this research, the writer decides to focus on the theories those

generally produced and discussed by Russian Marxist intellectuals at that time and
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effected their way of thinking and acting. The reason for focussing on theories is
because this research deal with intellectuals and theory is closely related to
intellectuals. By using their thinking ability and expertise on several matters,
intellectuals can discuss or even produce theories as well as those theories can
effect their way of thinking and/or acting. Later, the writer shows how that
moment is depicted in Three Years' characters. Hopefully, the writer's reading on
this case can give meaningful information about Marxism amongst Russian
intellectual. In addition, the writer also hopes this research supports the idea that
literary works cannot be separated from the social situation in where it was
written.
B.

Problem Formulation

To make the analysis well organized, two problems are formulated into
following questions:
I.

How are Three Years' some selected characters described?

2.

How do Three Years' some selected characters represent marxism amongst
Russian intellectuals in the early 1890's?

C.

Objectives of the Study

Through this research, the writer answers the questions in the problem
formulation. Since there are two questions in the problem formulation, the
objectives of the study are divided into two parts also.
First, the writer tries to find out how Chekhov's arranged Three Years'
characters. The writer chooses to examine characters rather than other instrinsic
elements with spesific reason. Since the writer wants to get the picture of

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Marxism amongst Russian intellectuals at that time, the writer considers to
analyze an intrinsic element that refers to quite the same thing with the word
intellectuals. Characters is the answer. It is because characters in fiction, though

not all of them, are human being as intellectuals are also human being. Second,
the writer tries to reveal Chekhov's caption of Marxism amongst Russian
intellectuals through his characters. The writer tries to find out about Marxism
amongst Russian intellectuals. The writer collects historical data to find out about
that. It is important to collect historical data in order to get comprehensive
understanding on Marxism in the Russian intellectuals at that time.
Hopefully, those objectives can encourage and can be used as references
for other students who are interested in doing further researches on the same topic.
When those two objectives have been reached, the result helps the writer to find
out that there is correlation between fiction and fact; that there is correlation
between Three Years and Marxism amongst Russian intellectuals.
D.

Definition of Terms

1.

Marxism

Marxism is a set of ideas and a method based on Karl Marx's ideas and his
closest collaborator, Frederick Engels. It is a set of ideas and a method to change
the unequal, unjust, and exploitative nature of the capitalist world (Bottomore,
2001: 348). The way of changing the capitalist world, according to Marxism,
might be in the form of political up to the cultural struggle which promote
resistance to capitalism. The political struggle might be in form of making a
revolutionary party while the cultural struggle might be in the form of art which

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seek to improve the social condition. The successful strugle to change capitalistic
world, according to marxism, will bring communist society.
2.

Intellectuals

Intellectual are well educated people who enjoy activities in which they
have to think seriously about things (Hornby, 2010: 781). Hornby's can be
classified as a general definiton of intellectual. Meanwhile, a definition of
intellectuals which is related to Marxism comes from Gramsci in his The Prison
Notehooks: Volume I. In one page of the book, while discussing the role of

intellectuals in a revolutionary organisation, Gramsci explicitly mentions the
definition of intellectuals as quoted below.
There is no organisation without intellectuals ... in other words without the
existence of a group of people specialised in conceptual and philosophical
elaboration of ideas (2011: 644).
In other words, intellectuals, according to Gramsci, are those who have ability in
conceptual and/or philosophical elaboration of ideas. Elaboration of ideas itself
refers to the act of producing and/or developing ideas.
By considering those two definitions, the term intellectuals that will be
used in this research refers to "well educated people who able in conceptual
and/or philosophical elabration of ideas". This research deals with Russian
intellectuals in the early 1890s.
3.

Capitalist

Capitalist refers to class that has means of production (capital) and
employers of wage labor ( 1981: 78). Persons are capitalist if they occupy the
position with regard to the persons engaged in the process of production. Their

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position is also expressed in things, in this case, their capital. (20 12: 14-15).
4.

Non-Capitalist
The non-capitalist refers to the class that has no means of production and

no employers of wage labor (1981: 78). The non-capitalist is divided into two: the
middle class and the proletariat. While the proletariat is dependant to the capitalist
in a very technical work (for example, working in the capitalist's factory as a
shoe-maker), the middle is modem wage-laborers. In the growth of capitalism,
middle class refers to the professionals, civil servants, and white-collar workers.
The chief characteristic that differentiated the proletariat and the middle class is
the possession of significant human capital. The middle class is working based on
their

proficiency

and

intelligence

meanwhile

(http://www.nyu.edu/projects/ollman/docs/class.php).

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the

proletariat

are

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CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL REVIEW
This chapter is divided into four parts. The first is the review on some
studies conducted on the works of Anton Chekhov and the position of the present
study among those critical writings. The second part is the review on related
theories. It is the description of theories used as the knife to surge the works. The
third part is the review on the marxism amongst Russian intellectuals in the early
1890s. It supports the analysis of this study since socio-cultural-historical
approach is applied in this study. The last part is the theoretical framework. It is
the explanation of the contribution of the theories reviewed in solving the
problems fonnulated in this study.
A.

Review of The Related Studies

There are few studies related to Three Years. It is because Chekhov is wellknown for his plays and short stories while Three Years is a novella (short novel).
There are three studies that the v;riter chooses in this part. Two of them are studies
on Three Years while another one is a study on Chekhov's The Cherry Orchad.
The first two studies are chosen, of course, because both are study on Three Years.
On the other hand, the last one is included here because it is a study on the
representation of Russian social condition through the characters which is closely
related to this research.
The first study belongs to Vladimir Yennilov. In general, he studies the
relation between Chekhov's biographical background and Chekhov's works. In
his "The Great Worker; What Is Talent?", Yennilov relates one of Three Years'

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characters, Laptev, with Chekhov as seen from this quotation below.
Alexei Laptev, one of the characters in Three Years, expresses Chekhov's
constant awareness of the difficulties encountered by a man of the people
finding his path in life. As Laptev said, "I simply cannot adapt myself to
life, become its master... All this ... I explain by the fact that i was born a
slave, the grandson of a serf. Many obscure folk like us fall by the wayside
in the struggle to get into the right path." (1957: 149).
Yermilov states that Laptev, as an intellectual, faced the same thing as Chek:hov
faced. That same thing is the awareness of finding his path in life. To support his
statement, Yermilov attaches Chekhov's letter to his friend, Lazarev-Gruzinksy. In
the letter, Chekhov considered himself as a bourgeois gentleman since he was
born in a merchant family. However, Chekhov understood that such people cannot
endure that status for such a long time. Therefore, he tried to find his own way.
From the letter, people can learn Chekhov's awareness that similar to Laptev's
awareness. Yennilov also states that there is another similarity between Chekhov
and Laptev. The similarity is the fact that both were born in a merchant family.
The second study is Savely Senderovich's. Entitled "Chekhov 's Last

Testament", Senderovich's study states that Chek:hov's Three Years shows an
association between literature and social condition in Russia, such as the condition
of its countryside. Senderovich shows the association between literature and the
condition of Russia's countryside which is revealed in Three Years by telling that
one of Three Years 'characters wrote novels about the condition of land owning in
Russia.

"Three Years' character's novels described only the countryside and

gentry estates (2009: 18). Moreover, Senderovich also states that Three Years
shows Chekhov's unhappiness of being famous without being understood.

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The standard public discourse was situated in the socio-economic sphere,
and a writer was expected to expose relevant problems. This sphere wasn't
alien to Chekhov, a keen observer of social life, but his task was to go
deeper, into the existential problems of human life, and that was what the
public turned a deaf ear to (2006: 24).
In Three Years, according to Senderovich, Chekhov put his comment on how
misleading the concentration in art can be. Senderovich uses the scene where
Yulia and Laptev watched and perceived painting as his argumentation. In that
scene, Yulia overjoyed the picture for being looked live and real. However, Yulia
was far from understanding (2006: 26). According to Senderovich, Yulia
represents the misleading of concentration in art.
The last study belongs to Sherly Lomban, a student of Sanata Dhanna
English Letters Department year 1999. In her undergraduate thesis The
Representation of the Russian Social Condition In the Nineteenth Century
Through the Characters in Anton Chekhov s The Cherry Orchad, Lomban

examines how Russian social condition in the nineteenth century revealed through
the characters in Chekhov's The Cherry Orchad. It can be seen from quotation
below.
The Cherry Orchard is a play that centers on the complications with major
changes in the entire society. The recent freedom of the serfs and the
decaying power of the aristocracy are two more general aspects of Russian
social condition in the nineteenth century which affects the play (2006: 37)
In her research, Lomban describes the social condition of Russian in the
nineteenth century. According to Lomban, The Cherry Orchad 's characters
represent the social condition. As an example, she describes that in Russia cencus
of 1897, there were several categories of social classes in Russia. They were
hereditary nobility, the upper classes in the towns, the poorer classes of the towns,

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peasants, and the urban classes. Then she describes how one of the characters in

The Cherry Orchad, named Lopahin, represents the existence of one of those
social classes. Lomban considers Lopahin as a representation of hereditary
nobility. According to Lomban, Lopahin differentiated himself from the upper
classes as the hereditary nobility also differentiated themselves from upper classes
in nineteenth century of Russian society.
Lopahin's first speech in the act one is important because it immediately
introduces Russia's newfound class nobility... Lopahin, born as a serf, is
now a wealthy, well-dressed landowner. Lopahin notes difference between
himself, a nouveau rich, and aristocratic members of the upper class
(2006: 38).
Having the reviews from Yermilov, Senderovich, and Lomban, the writer
of this research needs to write this research deeper. Although both Yennilov and
Senderovich also examine Three Years, especially its characters, but their topics,
as mentioned above, are different from the writer's. Moreover, although Lomban
tries to show the representation of the Russian social condition through Chekhov's
work, this research is different from Lomban's. It is because this research only
focusses on the condition of marxism amongst Russian intellectual as depicted in

Three Years' characters. By considering those studies above, the writer believes
that this research will bring new perspective on studying Chekhov's Three Years
since this research's topic has never been studied before.
B.

Review of Related Theories

1.

Theories on Characters
Abrams in A Glossary of Literary Terms defines characters as "The

persons represented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the

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reader as possessing particular moral, intellectual, and emotional qualities (2008:
42)."

In short, based on Abrams' definition, it can be said that characters are

persons in literary works. According to Abrams, the reader can interpret characters
by inferences from what the persons say and their distinctive ways of saying it
(the dialogues) and from what they do (the actions).
E.M. Forster in The Aspect of the Novel supports Abrams's idea about
characters as the persons in literary works. Forster states that actors in a story are
usually human. That is why a character can be mentioned as people. Although, in
some stories, the characters are animal, the author still uses that quality of human
being as the characteristcs of the animals (2002: 46). Harvey (2002: 30) states that
what human being seen in others is only what we are able to see and this ability
then form for other part of our character. This ability, in Harvey's opinion, is used
by authors to create fictional character. Authors put the tacts of people around
them and through their imagination creating a fictional character. However,
differences between people in the real world and in the created world of the
author's work exist (Forster, 2002: 44).
Forster, still in The Aspect of the Novel, also introduces two tem1s to
distingush characters in a literary works, specifically in novel. Those two terms
are round character and flat character. Round characters is complex in
temperament and motivation and is represented with subtle peculiarity. For
example, round characters are able to shift their point of view towards the same
thing along the story. Since round characters are able to make up their mind, they
might have intemal conflict in the story. On the other hand, flat character is built

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around a single idea or quality and is represented without much individualizing
detail.
Forster also states that flat characters are not in themselves as big
achievements as round ones. However, he mentions that flat characters have
advantages. First, they are easily recognized by the reader's emotional eyes
whenever they come in. Second, they are easily remembered by the the reader
afterwards since they were not changed by circumstances, which gives them in
retrospect a comforting quality and preserves them when the book that produced
them may decay (2002: 49). In short, round characters are those who develop
(through their changing) from the beginning until the end of the story while flat
characters are those who do not. Next, Forster gives a clue to differentiate tlat
character and round character.
The test of a round character is whether it is capable of surprising in a
convincing way. If it never surprises, it is flat. If it does not convience, it is
a flat pretending to be round. And by using it sometimes alone, more often
in combination with the other kind, the novelist achieves his task of
acclimatization and harmonizes the human race with the other aspects of
his work. (2002: 55)
From that qoutation above, one can learn that it is possible to find a combination
of flat character and round character in characters on the literary works. One can
also understand that it is possible to confuse between flat character and round
character since the author might create a flat character like a round character.
Moreover, there is another classification of characters. Based on the
importance, the characters are divided into two kinds: major and minor characters.
Major character is the main focus in a literary work as stated by Henkle in

Reading the Novels: An Introduction to the Techniques of Interpreting Fiction.
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"Major character has a fullest attention for the readers; if we understand them, we
presumably understand the focal experiences of the novel... the major characters
in a novel perform a key structural function" ( 1977: 92).
Henkle said it is because upon the major characters we (as the readers)
build expectation and desires that makes them play a key structural function.
Henkle also states that whether a novel is effective or not it "depends upon the
ability of major character to express and dramatize the human issues of the book"
(1977: 92).
On the contrary, minor character is character with limited function in the
literary works. Mostly, minor character works as the partner of the major
characters, whether as the major character's friend or enemy, to improve the story
and to fulfill the context of the story. The minor characters are presented in limited
ways in which the major characters are not. In general, minor characters are less
complex, less intense, and present what is often only one side of the experience
(Henkle, 1977: 95-97).
2.

Theory on Characterization

According to M.J. Murphy, characterization

IS

the presentation of the

characters' personalities including their attitudes, appearance, motives, and
actions, which are created to be life like. Murphy in Understanding Unseen: An

Introduction of English Poet1y and the English Novel for Overseas Student states
that there are nine ways of characterization, of presenting the characters.
a. Personal Description

The author characterizes the character by describing the character's appearances

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in details such as the character's face, skin, eyes, hair, clothes, and so on.
b. Character as Seen by Another
One can analyzed a character through other characters' sight and opinion on the
character.
c. Speech
The author gives us an insight into certain character through what that person
says. Whenever that character speaks, whenever the character is in a conversation
with another, whenever the character puts forward an opinion, and so. The point is
readers will understand certain character through that character's own words.
d. Past Life
In examining a character, it is important for the reader to note characters' past life.
The reason is, by letting the reader learns something about a character's past life,
the author can give us a clue to events that have helped to shape a person's
character. This can be done by givmg direct comment through the person's
thought, through the person's conversations, or through the medium of another
person.
e. Conversation of Others

Reader can also understand a character by examining the conversation of other
characters and the things they say about the character. People do talk about other
people and the things they say often come with clues about the character of the
person they talked about.
f. Reaction
Reader will know what kind of person a character

17

IS

by exammmg how the

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

character reacts to various situations and events.

g. Direct Comment
The author might give comments and descriptions on character directly.

h. Thoughts
The author can give us direct knowledge of what a character is thinking about, of
what is in a character's mind.By using this way, the author can tell the reader what
different characters are thinking about.
i. Mannerism

The author can describe certain character's mannerism, habits, or idiosyncrasies
which may tell us something, whether positive or negative, about the character
(1972: 161-173).
The writer thinks that the characters in Three Years can be analyzed by
using Murphy's theory of characterization. However, this research uses only eight
from those nine ways of characeterization in the analysis. Those eight ways are
characters as seen by another, speech, past life, conversation of others, reactions,
direct comments, thoughts, and mannerism. So, personal description is not being
used in the analysis. The personal description is excluded because the writer of
this research thinks it is not necessary to answer the questions of this research.
C.

Theory on Literature and Society
Elizabeth Langland in Society in the Novel defines society m a wider

sense, not merely peoples and their classes but also their costums, b'eliefs and
values,

their

institution

-legal,

religious,

cultural-and

their

physical

environment. When it comes to the novels, Langland states that society also can

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be revealed through human relationships, through characters' patterned interaction
and their common expectations of one another (1984: 6).
Using the argument that "the writer's need to create a society consonant
with the formal ends of the work itself (1984: ix)" as her starting point, Langland
sees society is performing a precise function in novels. That precise function of
society is as an element in a structure that is, at least in part, self-referential. By
stating that society is a self-referential structure, Langland wants to say that the
author describes the society of his work based on the society in the real life.
Therefore, Langland emphasizes that studies of society must acknowledge society
as a concept and a construct in fiction (1984: 4) as she writes "If society is a
concept and construct in art, it is also a concept and construct in life. (1984: 5).
However, it is important to note that society, as a concept and construct in
art, according to Langland, never simply replicates a world outside.
Society in novels does not depend on points of absolute fidelity to an
outside world in details of custume, setting, and locality because a novel's
society does not aim at faithful mirror of any concrete, existent thing
(1984: 5)
Furthermore, Langland states that the intersection of art and society is important.
However, it may be impossible to reach absolute literary realism. The reason is, in
the literary works (Langland specifically refers to the novels), the author selects,
arranges, and organizes the element of the society. What the author does,
according to Langland, has a meaning. The depiction and meaning in a literary
work is not simply a mechanical reproduction of something "out there" (society);
literature is free to produce its own meaning (1984: 5-6).
Rather than simply stating that the relationship between the society in the
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fiction and the society in the real world (human's everyday life) is a mimetic one,
Langland argues that their relationship is an evaluative one. People, according to
Langland, read a literary work not for fidelity to the worlds that they have
experienced. People read for gathering a perspective through the autonomy of art.
That autonomy of art is its ability to generate terms for evaluation independent of,
yet connected, an existent world (1984: ix).
C.

Review on Marxism amongst Russian intellectuals in the early 1890's

Before reviewing marxism amongst Russian intellectuals in the early
1890's, the writer thinks that it is important to give a short review on modem
capitalist and industrial economy in Russia. It is because Marxism, as the writer
stated in the first chapter, exists to fight capitalism. So, in this part, the writer
presents review on modem capitalist and industrial economy in order to give a
clear background on the growth of Marxism in Russia, specifically amongst its
intellectuals in the early 1890's.
In Basic HistOfy of Modem Russia: Political, Cultural, and Social Trends,

Hans Kohn writes that modem capitalist and industrial economy was brought to
Russia under the autocracy of Alexander III. At the first time, the purpose is in
order to make the modernization of the military establishment possible. Kohn
mentiones that the great progress of the modem capitalist and industrial economy
in Russia was the building of railroads. Meanwhile, the first step of modem
capitalist and industrial economy in Russia was taken in 1880's with the
introducing modem labour as its sign. Still according to Kohn, another important
person in the industrialization of Russia was Sergei Witte, a specialist of railway

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transportation that later became the minister of ways of communication then the
minister of finance (1957: 52-53).
Russian industralization under Witte was top-heavy. Heavy industry was
favored by the governmnet in every way, but light industry lagged behind
and consumer goods were therefore very expensive and inaccessible to the
masses... All these developments helped to create for the first time an
active middle class and especially an industrial proletariat in Russia
(Kohn, 1957: 54).
The Russian industrialization then brought bad effects. First,

the burden of

taxation fell heaviest on the peasantry. They had to pay a very high rate of interest,
much more they could economically afford. Second, famine happened in Russia in
1891. Third, driven by their misery, many peasants migrated to the city and thus
provided a supply of cheap labor. At the same time, the factory laws were not
enforced, and the condition of the labor were miserable (1957: 53-54).
Russian revolutionary movement growth with those situations as its
background. In 1883 (which is also the year of Karl Marx's death), the first major
Marxist figure arrived in the Russian scene (1958: 41 ).The figure, later called the
father of Russian Marxism, is George Plekhanov. Plekhanov started his activities
that related to marxism since 1883 by founded a party called the Liberation of
Labour (the first marxist group in Russian history) which its principal object was
to apply marxism systematically to the Russian scene (1957: 55). Alan Moorehead
in The Russian Revolution even considers Plekhanov as the one who dominated
Russian marxist movement for more than twenty years and acted as the teacher of
some important people in left scene of Russia such as Lenin and Trotsky. "During
most of that time not Lenin nor Trotsky nor any of the others would have dreamed
of challenging his intellectual superiority. They sat at his feet, eager to pay
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homage and to learn (1958: 41)."
It was in 1891, year of famine, Plekhanov's idea got Russian public's

attention. "The famine marked a fundamental turning point in Russian public
life ... The viewpoint of Plekhanov and his associates had become the viewpoint of
all Russian intellectuals (Wolfe, 1964: 104 ). The spread of Plekhanov's idea
continued for years later. In his introduction for The Steppe and Other Stories,
David Campbell informs that marxism got its peak of popularity among Russian
intellectuals in 1894. Kohn states that in 1895 Plekhanov's disciples began to
carry marxist propaganda into factories and workshop. Kohn also mentions that
St. Petersburg and Moscow as the two towns where the idea of marxism growth,
specifically amongst the intellectuals. St. Petersburg and Moscow became the
central towns of the spread of marxism since both were universities towns and
industrial towns (1957: 19-57).
This research of course sees Marxism is different from leninism and
stalinism, two 'ism' those emerged in Russia as the interpretations of marxism.
There are several reasons on seeing they are difterent. First, leninism and
stalinism did not existed in 1890s. Second, there are different perspectives among
th.;m on how to reach communist society.
Their different perspectives are be explained in this paragraph. Marxism
believes that communist society could only evolve out of the political and
economic circumstances created by a fully developed capitalism. It believes that
the future of the communist society depends on the workers that have
revolutionary consciousness. Those points are explained in quotation below:

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The working class was supposed to develop a sense of class solidarity and
a revolutionary consciousness due to increasing poverty because of
machines replacing workers. These circumstances would also result in a
·decrease in profits, resulting in a concentration of capital where less and
less businesses would survive and so the Capitalist enemy would become
of
antagonism
increasingly
targeted
and
a
focus
(http ://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Marxism-Leninism).
In Russia, Lenin interpreted Marxism and introduced Leninism. Lenin
perceived that the workers in the industrialized nations, including Russia, were
not developing the revolutionary consciousness that Marx foresaw. According to
him, the imperialist powers had temporarily circumvented the process Marx
envisioned, by exporting capital and products to their colonies and, in tum,
claiming the wealth and raw materials of these colonies. That condition caused the
postpone of revolutionary ambition among workers since the capitalist could
provide its workers with enough benefits and keep them satisfied. Lenin argued
proletariat party as the way to create communist society in that situation as quoted
below:
Lenin insisted that only a "vanguard party" of the proletariat needed to
foster the necessary revo