The responses of chinese women toward the practices of patriarchal culture as seen through Adeline Yen Mah`s Falling Leaves - USD Repository

  THE RESPONSES OF CHINESE WOMEN TOWARD THE PRACTICES OF PATRIARCHAL CULTURE AS SEEN THROUGH ADELINE YEN MAH’S FALLING LEAVES AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

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

  By

ANINDITYA PUTRI ARUMSARI

  Student Number: 074214012

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

  THE RESPONSES OF CHINESE WOMEN TOWARD THE PRACTICES OF PATRIARCHAL CULTURE AS SEEN THROUGH ADELINE YEN MAH’S FALLING LEAVES AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

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

  By

ANINDITYA PUTRI ARUMSARI

  Student Number: 074214012

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

  A Sarjana Sastra Undergraduate Thesis

  THE RESPONSES OF CHINESE WOMEN TOWARD THE PRACTICES OF PATRIARCHAL CULTURE AS SEEN THROUHG ADELINE YEN MAH’S FALLING LEAVES

  By

ANINDITYA PUTRI ARUMSARI

  Student Number: 074214012 Approved by

  nd

  Ni Luh Putu Rosiandani, S.S, M. Hum. August 12 , 2011 Advisor

  nd

  Drs. Hirmawan Wijanarka, M. Hum. August 12 , 2011 Co-Advisor

  Take time to laugh for it is the music of the soul (Anonymous)

Do what you can, for who you can,

with what you have, and where you are

  

(Anonymous)

God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with Him

  (Anonymous)

  

LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN

PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIK

  Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma: Nama : Aninditya Putri Arumsari Nomor Mahasiswa : 074214012

  Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul:

  

The Responses of Chinese Women toward the Practices of Patriarchal

Culture as Seen through Adeline Yen Mah’s Falling Leaves

  Beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikannya di Internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin ataupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.

  Demikian pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenarnya. Dibuat di Yogyakarta Pada tanggal: 7 September 2011 Yang menyatakan Aninditya Putri Arumsari

  

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Jesus Christ for His never ending blessing and guidance throughout my whole life, especially during the times I spent in finishing my thesis. Without His blessing I will not be able to finish my thesis. I would like to thank my advisor, Ni Luh Putu Rosiandani, S.S, M. Hum., for the advice and guidance which helped me in the process of writing my thesis. I also would like to thank my co-advisor, Drs.

  Hirmawan Wijanarka, M. Hum., for giving me precise correction and suggestion to complete my thesis. I would like to thank my thesis examiner, Dr. F.X.

  Siswadi, M.A., for his questions and suggestions to enrich my thesis.

  I would like to thank my father, Rachmad Haryadi, and my mother Endang Miyastuti who always give their unconditional love to me. I thank them for always supporting me in every situation in my life. I also thank my brothers Daniel Dimas Putra and Teofilus Tri Haryadi, who are very valuable in my life.

  For my friends in Sanata Dharma University, thank you for the time that we have spent together during these four years. My big thanks are for my best friend Sarah Jasmine who always makes me smile. I thank her for the shoulder when I am crying and having problems. I would like to thank Ayu who always gives me valuable ideas for the development of this thesis. My friends Sondang, Lala, Tata, Tina, Ria, Tika and Maris thank you for the wonderful years that we have spent with much laughter and joy.

  Lastly, my gigantic gratitude goes to Wewe, who always encourages me from the distance. Thank you for the support and the precious time that we have spent during these three years.

  Aninditya Putri Arumsari

  

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE ..................................................................................................... i

APPROVAL PAGE ............................................................................................ ii

ACCEPTANCE PAGE ...................................................................................... iii

LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI………………..iv

MOTTO PAGE .................................................................................................. v

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................ vi

TABLE OF CONTENTS……………………………………………………...viii

ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................... x

ABSTRAK ....................................................................................................... ..xi

  4. Grandmother ........................................................................... 33

  4. Grandmother ........................................................................... 45

  3. Grand Aunt .............................................................................. 43

  2. Aunt Baba ............................................................................... 40

  1. Adeline .................................................................................... 39

  B. The practices of Patriarchal Culture in the Family ............................. 37

  5. Lydia ....................................................................................... 35

  3. Grand Aunt .............................................................................. 32

  

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ...................................................................... 1

A. Background of the Study…………………………………………….1 B. Problem Formulation .......................................................................... 4 C. Objective of the Study ......................................................................... 5 D. Definition of Terms ............................................................................. 5

CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL REVIEW ..................................................... 7

A. Review of Related Studies .................................................................. 7 B. Review of Related Theories ................................................................ 10

  2. Aunt Baba ............................................................................... 29

  1. Adeline .................................................................................... 27

  

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY .................................................................. 22

A. Object of the Study ............................................................................. 22 B. Approach of the Study ........................................................................ 23 C. Method of the Study............................................................................ 24

CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS ............................................................................... 26

A. The Characterization of Female Characters………………………….26

  C. Theoretical Framework ....................................................................... 20

  3. Theory of Feminism ................................................................ 19

  2. Theory of Patriarchal Culture .................................................. 13

  1. Theory of Character and Characterization .............................. 10

  5. Lydia ....................................................................................... 49

  1. Adeline .................................................................................... 53

  2. Aunt Baba ............................................................................... 54

  3. Grand Aunt .............................................................................. 56

  4. Grandmother ........................................................................... 59

  5. Lydia ....................................................................................... 61

  

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION .......................................................................... 64

BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................... 69

APPENDIX: Summary of Falling Leaves .................................................. 71

  

ABSTRACT

  Aninditya Putri Arumsari. The Responses of Chinese Women toward the

  

Practice of Patriarchal Culture as Seen through Adeline Yen Mah’s Falling

Leaves. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata

Dharma University, 2011.

  In this study, the writer analyzes a novel written by Adeline Yen Mah entitled Falling Leaves. It portrays the patriarchal culture which is adopted by the Chinese society. The novel reveals that Chinese women are considered insignificant and they must bend down to the authority of men in their families.

  

Falling Leaves clearly describes about many obstacles that Chinese women must

face as the victim of the practices of patriarchal culture in their families.

  There are three problems formulated in this study. The first problem is how the female characters are described. The second problem is how the practices of patriarchal culture are experienced by the female characters and the last problem is about the responses given by each female character toward the practices of the patriarchal culture. In this study, the writer focuses on explaining the five female characters; Adeline, Aunt Baba, Grand Aunt, Grandmother, and Lydia.

  The method used in this study was the library research method. The sources applied in this study were primary and secondary sources. The primary source was the novel Falling Leaves itself and the secondary sources were books and articles. The applied theories in the analysis were the theory of character and characterization, which was applied for the first problem, theory of patriarchal culture, which was applied for the second problem, and theory of feminism, which was applied for the third problem.

  The result of the analyses after answering those three formulated problems above showed that the characteristics of the female characters became the factor which determined their fate living in the patriarchal culture. For the example was Lydia’s characteristic which was not courageous. Her characteristic made her experienced the patriarchal culture because she did not have courage to rebel. Patriarchal cultures found in Falling Leaves were in form of the practice of footbinding custom, an arranged marriage, and the men domination in the family. The female characters gave different responses toward the practices of patriarchal culture. Grandmother who came from the old generation conformed herself toward the patriarchal culture. Grand Aunt, although she came from the old generation, she had awareness toward her future, so that she decided to rebel.

  th

  Adeline, Aunt Baba, and Lydia who lived in the early 19 century decided to show resistance toward the patriarchal culture. Their decision to resist was influenced by the existence of feminist movements, where its target is to release women from the oppression given to them. So that the existence of feminist

  

ABSTRAK

  Aninditya Putri Arumsari. The Responses of Chinese Women toward the

  

Practice of Patriarchal Culture as Seen through Adeline Yen Mah’s Falling

Leaves. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata

Dharma, 2011.

  Dalam skripsi ini penulis menganalisa sebuah novel karangan Adeline Yen Mah berjudul Falling Leaves. Novel tersebut menggambarkan kebudayaan patriarki yang diadaptasi oleh komunitas Cina. Novel ini menyatakan bahwa kaum wanita di Cina dianggap tidak berarti dan mereka harus tunduk pada kekuasaan kaum lelaki di keluarga mereka. Falling Leaves dengan jelas mendeskripsikan tentang rintangan-rintangan yang kaum wanita harus hadapi sebagai korban dari praktek budaya patriarki di keluarga mereka.

  Terdapat tiga rumusan masalah dalam skripsi ini. Rumusan masalah pertama tentang bagaimana tokoh-tokoh wanita dideskripsikan dalam novel. Rumusan masalah kedua tentang bagaimana praktek kebudayaan patriarki yang dialami tokoh-tokoh wanita dan rumusan masalah ketiga tentang bagaimana tanggapan tokoh-tokoh wanita dalam novel terhadap praktek kebudayaan patriarki di keluarga mereka. Dalam skripsi ini, penulis memfokuskan penjelasan terhadap lima tokoh perempuan; Adeline, Aunt Baba, Grand Aunt, Grandmother, dan Lydia.

  Metode yang digunakan dalam skripsi ini adalah metode studi pustaka. Sumber-sumber yang dipakai dalam skripsi ini terdiri dari sumber utama dan sumber kedua. Sumber pertama adalah novel Falling Leaves sendiri, dan sumber kedua adalah buku dan artikel. Teori-teori yang digunakan dalam analisis adalah teori karater dan karakterisasi, yang digunakan untuk rumusan masalah pertama, teori kebudayaan patriarki, yang digunakan untuk rumusan masalah kedua, dan teori feminisme, yang digunakan untuk rumusan masalah ketiga.

  Hasil dari analisis di atas menunjukkan bahwa sifat-sifat dari tokoh-tokoh perempuan adalah faktor yang menentukan nasib mereka yang hidup di dalam kebudayaan patriarki. Contohnya adalah sifat Lydia, yang tidak pemberani. Sifat tersebut membuat Lydia mengalami praktek kebudayaan patriarki di hidupnya karena dia tidak mempunyai keberanian untuk melawan. Kebudayaan patriarki yang terbadapt di novel Falling Leaves berupa praktek adat pengikatan kaki, perjodohan, dan dominasi laki-laki di dalam keluarga. Tokoh-tokoh perempuan memberikan tanggapan yang berbeda-beda terhadap praktek kebudayaan patriarki. Grandmother yang hidup di generasi tua menyesuaikan diri dengan kebudayaan patriarki. Grand Aunt, walaupun dia hidup di generasi tua, tetapi dia mempunyai kesadaran terhadap masa depannya. Dia melakukan perlawanan untuk membebaskan dirinya dari praktek kebudayaan patriarki. Adeline, Aunt Baba, dan Lydia yang hidup di awal abad kesembilan belas memutuskan untuk menunjukkan adalah untuk membebaskan wanita dari penindasan yang diberikan kepada mereka. Sehingga keberadaan pergerakan feminisme membawa kesadaran terhadap beberapa tokoh wanita di Falling Leaves untuk melawan praktek kebudayaan patriarki dan mendapatkan kebebasan mereka.

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study Located in Southeast Asia along the coastline of the Pacific Ocean, China

  is the world’s forth largest country after Russia, Canada, and the US. The population in China is around 1.3 billion people. One of China’s greatest treasures is her long, rich history. China is also famous as a country which has many cultures, and Chinese literature testifies to the country’s rich heritage. Falling

  

Leaves is one example of Chinese literature written by Adeline Yen Mah. In this

  novel Yen Mah cleverly retells about Chinese history and culture while telling her true story. In the story Yen Mah tells about her life under the practices of patriarchal culture in her family. In this thesis, patriarchy in Chinese family will be further analyzed in order to get a clear picture of patriarchal culture experienced by Adeline and other female characters in Falling Leaves.

  Maggie Humm, in The Dictionary of Feminist Theory, defines patriarchy as: “a system of social relations in which the class ‘men’ have power over the class ‘women’ because women are sexually devalued” (1995:200). Some experts argue about the concept of patriarchy. Gayle Rubin argues that if we use the term sex-gender system patriarchy will be only one form, a male dominant one, of a sex-gender system (1995:201). Firestone defines patriarchy in terms of male control of women’s reproduction (1995:201). Each feminist theory has different patriarchy in a materialist context. “They argue that the capitalist mode of production is structured by a patriarchal sexual division of labor” (1995:201). For example, Heidi Hartmann defines patriarchy as a set of social relations with a material base operating on a system of male hierarchical relations and male solidarity (1995:201). She denies that patriarchy is universal and unchanging and claims that its intensity changes over time. Mary Daly argues that patriarchy is itself the prevailing religion of the entire planet. It means that patriarchy does not happen periodically but permanently (1995:201).

  Although there are many different arguments about patriarchy whether patriarchy can change over time or permanent, experts still define it as a system which makes men in a favorable position because men have authority to control women.

  China is a country which has a strong patriarchal culture, especially in the family. According to Lloyd E. Eastman in his book entitled Family, Field, and

  

Ancestors , there is a Confucian ideal of womanhood repeated constantly over the

  centuries: To be humble, yielding, respectful, and reverential; to put herself after others, these qualities are those exemplifying woman’s low and humble estate. To retire late and rise early; not to shirk exertion from dawn to dark, this is called being diligent. To behave properly and decorously in serving her husband; to be serene and self-possessed, shunning jests and laughter, this is called being worthy of continuing the husband’s lineage. If a woman possesses the above-mentioned three qualities, then her reputation shall be excellent (1988:19).

  From the statement above woman is expected to serve the husband and the in-laws, but her behavior is restricted. It means that she has no freedom to do

  In Chinese family, the birth of the daughter is considered less important than the birth of the son. The parents only expect to have one daughter to take care of their future sons one day. “Most families probably hope that one – but no more than one – of their children would be a girl” (Eastman, 1988:21). Besides, most parents do not let their daughter to get proper education because it may be dangerous for the future of young girl’s marriage, as stated in an article entitled “Women in Chinese Culture” by Jenkins: “It was considered unwise to educate women, supporting the belief that ‘in a woman stupidity is a virtue’” <http://www.kwintessential.co.uk>. Instead of giving them a proper education, parents only teach their daughter how to write and read. This is the idea of patriarchy that has been invested by parents to their daughter.

  In the Chinese family, a daughter is forced to bind her feet. This custom is called footbinding. Footbinding is a custom beginning around 970 A.D.

  Footbinding is a custom that requires young girls to tightly wrap their feet in bandages so that their feet will stay at desired 4 inches. According to historical accounts, there is a story about why the custom of footbinding begins. The story is stated in the article entitled “History of Footbinding”, by Sadler:

  Footbinding began around 970 A.D., during the rule of Li Yu. The ruler’s favorite consort, Yao-niang, performed a dance atop a golden lotus pedestal that had been specially built. She had wrapped her feet in long strips of silk cloth, much like a ballerina in toe shoes today. Li Yu was so overwhelmed with the beauty of her movement as she danced that other court maidens followed suit, and “Golden Lotus” became an euphemism for their delicately bound feet <http://www.josephrupp.com/history.html>. In the story, this custom is created to please the ruler, Li Yu. This custom is forced to bind her feet by her mother in hope that one day there will be a good man to pick her as a wife. At that time no men will marry an unbound feet woman because men really adore a bound feet woman. In their opinion, small feet can bring sexual pleasure to them. This custom is created to please man so that this custom is included as a patriarchal culture, besides, the existence of this custom restricts women in all aspects of their life, such as their social life, education, and work, because most women with bound feet cripple as the effect of footbinding so that they can not walk easily and all they can do is to stay at home (Eastman, 1988:24). Footbinding is a cruel custom which portrays the patriarchal culture practiced by Chinese family and the most ironic thing that girls are forced to bind their feet by their mothers who raise them with patriarchal thought.

  The writer realizes that the topic is worth to study, especially for someone or whoever wanting to learn about patriarchal culture, especially in Chinese society. This thesis includes the explanation about feminist awareness that some characters have in the novel and how their responses against patriarchal culture which makes them suffer, although there are some characters that react otherwise; they just follow the rules as a victim of patriarchal culture and do not make any movement to make a better life.

B. Problem Formulation

  1. How are the female characters described in the novel?

  2. How are the practices of patriarchal culture revealed through the female

  3. How are the responses of the female characters toward the practices of patriarchal culture in their family described?

  C. Objectives of the Study

  This study is aimed to learn about the female characters in Falling Leaves who experience many difficulties in their life under the practices of patriarchal culture in their family. The first objective is to describe the female characters in order to have a clearer and deeper understanding about them and their significant roles in the novel. Furthermore, the description of the female characters will help to reveal about the practices of patriarchal culture that existed in Chinese families.

  The second objective is to describe about the practices of patriarchal culture and explain about the difficult life of female characters under the patriarchal culture practiced by their family. The third objective is to find out the response of each female character in the novel; about how they react under patriarchal culture in their family, whether they approve or against it.

  D. Definition of Terms

  It is important to know the definition of terms frequently used in this study in order to be able to understand its content, as well as to avoid misunderstanding to specific technical terms. The writer provides the definition of prominent terminologies, which are taken from some reliable sources as described below:

  1. Patriarchy According to Maggie Humm, in her book entitled The Dictionary of

  

Feminist Theory , patriarchy is “a system of social relations in which the class

  ‘men’ have power over the class ‘women’ because women are sexually devalued” (1995:200).

  2. Culture According to R. Linton, in his book entitled The Cultural Background of

  

Personality , culture is “a configuration of learned behaviors and results of

  behavior whose component elements are shared and transmitted by the members of particular society” (1945:32).

  Based on the definitions of patriarchy and culture above, the writer sums up that patriarchal culture is the learned behavior which men have power to control women, and that behavior is transmitted by the people in the certain society.

CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW This chapter consists of three basic points. The first point is the review on

  related studies, including the comment done by the people, conducted for or related to the works of Adeline Yen Mah. In the first point, the writer also provides some studies on the topics of patriarchal family and footbinding which are done by some experts. The second point is the review on related theories, describing the theories which are used to this study. There are three theories to be discussed in this study; theory of character and characterization, theory of patriarchal culture, and theory of feminism. The last point is the theoretical framework.

A. Review of Related Studies

  Literary works are opened for responses from the readers. Many kinds of the readers’ responses toward the literary works are bearing some criticism.

  Wellek and Warren mentioned that the criticism can be in forms of appreciation, analysis, comment, or judgment, and either objective or subjective suggestion (1995:336). In this part, the writer presents a criticism in form of appreciation to the study of Falling Leaves. Besides, the writer also provides some studies on the topic of patriarchal family and footbinding that are done by some experts. The criticism in form of appreciation is given by a reader named Roland Oliver. He praises Adeline Yen Mah who can write such an amazing autobiographical novel and present the Chinese cultures and history all at once.

  If you want something inspirational to read, this is a good book to start with. Not only is it autobiographical, but it also gives insight into Chinese culture, history (highlights many of the historical events that spans China from 1930’s to 1998), and even a bit of how the family business is run. This should be a must read for Asian American Studies <http://cambreenotes.com/book-review-falling-leaves-by-adeline-yen- mah/>.

  Oliver considers Falling Leaves as an inspirational novel to read because besides telling a story, Yen Mah also gives insight into Chinese culture and history; including the historical events that happen in China, for the examples are the Japanese occupation in China and the Revolution in China around 1949, so that this novel is helpful for someone who will make a research on Asian American Studies.

  Besides the criticism that is given by a reader, the writer also provides some studies on the topic of patriarchal family and footbinding. The study on the topic of patriarchal family is done by Sharon Wesoky, in her study entitled “Women in Patriarchal Society”. Wesoky states that in a patriarchal family a wife and children are bent down to the power of husband or father. Father has a power to control everything. Wife and children must obey all the decisions that a father has made.

  Individual families were normally set up on a patriarchal basis, with the husband and father determining fundamental conditions and making the key decision, and with humble obedience owed to this male authority. Patriarchal family structure rested on men’s control of most or all property, starting with land itself; marriage was based on property relationships and it was assumed that marriage, and therefore women<http://historyworld.org/Civilization,20womeninpatriarchalsocietie s.htm>.

  In the patriarchal family, women’s position is inferior to men’s position. Women are expected to obey and serve her husband. Men can have a wife or more, and if their wives can not bear any son to the family, concubines will be brought up into the family in hope that they can bear many sons. Otherwise, a wife is expected to be very loyal to her husband and a woman will be punished if she has an affair with another man. Men think that the way to prevent their wives from having an affair with other men is to isolate their wives in the house. These tragic situations portray how a patriarchal family looks like.

  Another study is done by Lloyd E. Eastman in his book entitled Family,

  

Field, and Ancestors . He analyzes footbinding as a custom appeared in the ancient

  China. Footbinding was a custom that existed in China for more than a thousand years. This custom began around 970 A.D. and banned since 1911 because this custom was a cruel custom that forced young girls to tightly wrap their feet in bandages so that their feet would stay at a desired 4 inches. “For girls, the most painful stage of the transition to adulthood began on the day that their mothers bound their feet” (1988:22). Eastman also analyzes that the effect of this practice to the girl’s body is crippling and she is isolated in the house because a girl with bound feet has difficulty to move and walk. “She had been crippled for life and was unable to move unaided far beyond the household walls” (1988:23).

  In conclusion, this thesis develops the studies that have already been order to see the impact of patriarchal system to the female characters in Falling

  

Leaves . This thesis also analyzes about a cruel custom of footbinding as a form of

  patriarchal culture in Chinese family. Although this thesis develops the studies above, this thesis still differs in some ways. This thesis is different from the study about patriarchal family, because in her study, Sharon Wesoky focuses on the impact of patriarchal family only on women whereas this study is also focus on the impact of patriarchal family on women and children, especially daughters. This study also reviews the work of Adeline Yen Mah’s Falling Leaves, using feminist point of view. This thesis tries to comprehend the feminist idea found in some female characters through their attitudes and behaviors. Since the foundation of this thesis is feminism, it can be said that this analysis is called feminist criticism.

B. Review of Related Theories

  Basically, theories are needed as a tool to analyze the work or to become a basic thought of the analysis. There will be three theories to be discussed in this study. The first theory reviewed is theory of character and characterization. The second is theory of patriarchal culture, and the third is theory of feminism.

1. Theory of Character and Characterization

  Talking about the works of literature, such as prose, drama, or even poetry is not far from the persons who are described in the work. The reader calls the person inside a literary works as the characters. Character is one of the most important elements in a work of literature. Abrams (1993:23) states that Character is the person presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with moral, dispositional and emotional qualities that are expressed in what they say - the dialogue and by what they do - the action. From the quotation above, Abrams tries to explain that character is the element in the literary works that gives information about the people who are included in that literary works. For the example is Adeline, the character of

  

Falling Leaves . Character is an important element in the literary works because

without characters, the story cannot be made.

  When talking about character, we can not separate it from characterization. Murphy, in his Understanding Unseens: An introduction to English Poetry and

  

the English Novel for overseas Students , shows nine ways of presenting the

  characters in a literary works (1972:171):

  a. Personal description The author gives a description on a person’s appearance and clothes. The readers are given the details about the appearance of the characters. For example parts of the body, skin color, hair, and the clothes he or she wears.

  b. Character as seen by another The author gives a description about the characters through the opinions, comments, views, and attitudes of other characters. The readers can get a reflected image of the character.

  c. Speech

  The author can describe a character by giving readers an insight into the characteristics through the way he or she speaks and the language he or she uses.

  The readers can learn about the characters from the sentences that are used by the characters.

  d. Past life The author can provide a clue to events that help to shape characteristics by giving the reader the character’s past life. It enables the readers to analyze the motives that the characters have when he or she has particular characteristics or does something special.

  e. Conversation of others.

  The author can provide a clue about characters through the conversation of other people and what they say about the characters. The readers will learn that what others say about a character may reveal what kind of characters he or she is.

  f. Reactions The author can describe characteristics by showing how the responses of a character toward various situations and events. The reaction may give a clue to what characteristics a character has.

  g. Direct comment The author directly describes and gives comments on the characters. This is the easiest way for the reader to understand about characteristics of a person because the reader will know what exactly the author wants to reveal.

  h. Thoughts

  The author can give the direct knowledge to the readers of what a person is thinking about. Such thing cannot be seen but can be represented through the character’s speech and attitudes. i. Mannerism

  The author can characterize a character through the mannerisms, habits, or idiosyncrasies

2. Theory of Patriarchal Culture

  Maggie Humm, in her book entitled The Dictionary of Feminist Theory, defines patriarchy as: “a system of social relations in which the class ‘men’ have power over the class ‘women’ because women are sexually devalued” (1995:200). Based on the quotation above, Maggie Humm equates patriarchy with male domination in which the men have power to control women because women are considered as the inferior one.

  Patriarchy is a culture practiced by Chinese Families. According to Lloyd

  E. Eastman in Family, Field, and Ancestors, the traditional Chinese family is: Conventionally defined as an economic unit composed of persons who are related by blood, marriage, or adoption and who partake of common property and a common purse. The family was, however, a protean institution, assuming diverse shapes, sizes, and generational depth – ranging from two persons of the same generation to fifty or more persons from four or five generations (1988:15).

  In his book, Eastman describes three forms of the Chinese family. The first is the small family consisted of father and mother and their unmarried children and usually numbered about three to six persons. The second is the large or joint family budget with their unmarried children, with two or more married sons and their sons’ wives and children, and possibly with their grandsons’ wives and children. The third is the stem family, in which the parents, unmarried children, one married son, and the son’s wife and children live in one household (1988:16).

  In Chinese family who adopt the patriarchal culture, father/husband is the one who controls everything in the house. That is why patriarchy can be said as male domination because father/husband is the one who has the absolute authority in the house. Sharon Wesoky, in her article entitled “Women in Patriarchal Society” explains about patriarchal culture in the family.

  Families with patriarchal basis are the families with the husband and father determining fundamental conditions and making the key decision, and women, with humble obedience owed to this male authority <http://historyworld.org/Civilization,20womeninpatriarchalsocieties.htm>.

  According to Hawk’s statement above, living under the patriarchal family means that living under the father/husband’s authority. All his decision must be obeyed by his wife and children. For sons, living under patriarchal family is not really difficult because although they have to follow their father’s rules, they still have privileges because they are the expected children, not like the daughters whose presence are considered as bad luck and can bring so many burdens to the parents (Eastman, 2000:20). In the next quotation, Eastman mentions some conditions that may happen to a daughter in Chinese family:

  If the newborn girl was not put to death by her parents or was spared the numerous other perils of early mortality from natural causes, she would be constantly reminded as she grew up that she was merely a “worthless girl”. A girl born farther down the sibling order, however, received less attention and careful nurturing. Girls tended to be weaned a few months earlier than a doctor, or beseeching the protection of the gods, longer than if boys became sick (2000:21). The quotation above describes the unfair treatment between sons and daughters in patriarchal family in Chinese society. The sons in their school age can enjoy education and they may have a bright future. Otherwise, daughters enjoy little education and in their teenage most of them are forced to enter an arranged marriage by their parents.

  In the Chinese society, there is Confucian (based on or believing the teachings of the Chinese philosopher) about the ideal of womanhood. In his book, Eastman states the Confucian ideal of womanhood, repeated constantly over the centuries:

  To be humble, yielding, respectful, and reverential; to put herself after others, these qualities are those exemplifying woman’s low and humble estate. To retire late and rise early; not to shirk exertion from dawn to dark, this is called being diligent. To behave properly and decorously in serving her husband; to be serene and self-possessed, shunning jests and laughter, this is called being worthy of continuing the husband’s lineage. If a woman possesses the above-mentioned three qualities, then her reputation shall be excellent (1988:19).

  The quotation above describes that a woman must be humble and obedient to the husband after the marriage. Women must be very diligent to do the domestic jobs and they have to serve their husband. The quotation above indicates that woman is considered inferior to men because she has to serve the husband and bend down to the husband’s authority.

  Arranged marriage is a form of the patriarchal culture practiced by the Chinese family. In the Chinese family, marriage is regarded as a family matter. It For the example, the parents are the one who choose the future spouse for their children. The groom or the bride may not be in love but they have to marry for the sake of their family. Eastman states that:

  Marriage in China was regarded as a family matter – by the family and for the family. The social and economic status of the bride’s family also entered into the groom’s parents’ decision. The status of the girl’s family should be high, but not too high. Marriage is a bond between two surnames, and each family recognized that an advantageous marriage could enhance its reputation and provide innumerable economic and political benefits. If the bride’s family status was too lofty, entertaining her parents (as was occasionally necessary) could be embarrassing and excessively costly; if its status was too low, the in-laws’ requests for loans and favors could be a nuisance (1988:24).

  Based on the quotation above, it can be concluded that in Chinese family, marriage is arranged by the parents. The point that becomes the consideration for the parents choosing the spouse for their children is the status of the future spouse. The future spouse must also have the high status to be accepted by the parents. Furthermore, Eastman states about women’s position in their new family after the marriage:

  For the groom’s family, the primary goal was to acquire a woman who, with the groom, could produce male offspring in order to perpetuate the family line. It was desirable, too, that she be temperamentally suited to the work and situation of her new family. A girl who was lazy or who had a foul temper could be a curse on the family forever; if she was sickly, she could be a burden; if she was too attractive, she might have extramarital love affair that would sully the family reputation (1988:24). The quotation above gives the explanation about the position of women after the marriage. For the groom’s family, women are considered inferior and insignificant. There are many rules that women must obey in the groom’s household. Women, besides being expected to have good behavior, they also have bear many sons to continue the family line. Eastman adds in his book that marriage is done to fulfill the goals of familism. The goals are to produce male heirs, to get a woman who can help doing the housework and also to take care of the parents-in-law in their old years:

  Marriage was simply not regarded as a means of enhancing the personal pleasure or happiness of the newly married couple. Instead, it was a means of promoting the goals of familism. Its purpose were to perpetuate the family by producing male heirs and to acquire a young woman who would ease the burden of work in the kitchen and assist in caring for her parents- in-law during their declining years (1988:25).

  The quotation above indicates that the marriage is done for the sake of the family and not to obtain the happiness between the groom and the bride.

  Another form of the patriarchal culture practiced by Chinese family is the practice of footbinding. Footbinding is a custom that requires young girls to tightly wrap their feet in bandages so that their feet will stay at a desired 4 inches. This custom is called footbinding. Footbinding is a custom began around 970 A.D. Lloyd E. Eastman in his book entitled Family, Fields, and Ancestors states about the history of the practice of footbinding. He states that the custom of footbinding at first spreads among the ladies of the court who want to imitate the dancers in the palace by compressing their feet. Then in the period during the Yuan Dynasty, the custom of footbinding begins to spread to the common classes:

  Footbinding originated among dancing girls in the palace during the late Tang or the Five Dynasties period (ninth to tenth century A.D.) The dancers achieved artistic effect by lightly binding their feet. Admiration for small-footed women then spread among ladies of the court, who emulated the dancers by moderately compressing their feet. It was during the period of the Yuan Dynasty (1271 – 1368) – that the practice spread to the common classes (1988:22).

  Eastman then adds that women who do not bind their feet are considered from the lowest class like has been stated in his book: “Those who retained their natural feet were usually from the lowest classes or were members of certain ethnic and cultural minorities” (1988:23). From the quotation stated by Eastman above we can conclude that the custom of footbinding originally comes from the upper class or the higher social status. Considering the fact that the practice of footbinding originally comes from the upper class, many families in China then begin to force their daughter and bind their feet. From that time a bound feet woman becomes a symbol of family’s wealth and high status in the society.

  The practice of footbinding is actually included as the form of patriarchal culture because the purpose of this custom is to please the man. According to Eastman, men really like the tiny feet of the bound feet women because it can bring sexual pleasure to them. For them, tiny feet can fire up their imagination the same like women’s sexual organs did:

  Men waxed rhapsodic over the beauty of the embroidered small shoes worn by women with bound feet; they were sexually aroused by the foot- bound woman’s swaying walk and uplifted buttocks; and they dreamed of caressing those golden lotuses, which fired their imaginations no less than did the woman’s sexual organs (1988:23). The quotation above is the explanation why men really like a bound feet woman; therefore men encourage women to bind their feet. At that time most men are looking for bound feet women to be married. In their opinion, small feet symbolize women’s beauty and the well-behavior of women. It is in line with Eastman’s statement that “Small feet were not only objects of beauty, but also therefore, did not easily find quality husbands” (1988:24). The statement of Eastman above also becomes the reason why most family in China forced their daughter to bind their feet because parents worry if their daughter can not find a husband since most men only want to marry bound feet women.

3. Theory of Feminism

  According to Guerin in his book entitled A Handbook of Critical

  Approaches to Literature , the goal of feminism is: