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CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW
A. Review of Related Studies
The novel Is it possible? was first published in 1971 though It has received few criticisms, reviews, and analysis from various critics. Thus, it is
crucial for the writer to state some of those analyze in this brief explanation in order to prove the urgency and the originality of this thesis.
In the novel, the narrator plays an important role in the story because all details that are presented in the story are narrated by a Maasai, Lerionka who is
the main character. By clear description of the location and condition of the setting the narrator shows the life of people during Postcolonialism in the
Maasailand. As a new emerging country there are a lot of problems appearing. The conflict between the modern world and the tradition is the biggest problems
revealed in the novel especially in the sense of education. In addition, those are the common problems that are faced by most of postcolonial countries.
According Dorsey from the journal Silence of a Maasai Novel: Is it Possible? stated:
By a standard of eduring popularity. Is It Possible? is an eminently successful novel. It is an engrossing and inspring story of vividly distinct
characters and suspenseful episodes. It has a serious thesis which generally is demonstrated rather than preached. It is still optional reading
in the secondary curriculum of two nations. It accords with the view which official Kenya and Tanzania hold regarding education among the
Maasai.
It is from conviction that the author appeals to Maasai to accept education and integration into the second world, and it is from conviction
that he displays only placid aspects of Maasai culture to all others. http:www.jstor.orgstable521606
The above statement explain that the novel is very inspiring about the
Maasai society. The idea is more understandable through action than words. It is optional reading for secondary school curriculum of two countries. These two
countries have agreeded to educate the Maasai, the author of the novel wants the Maasai society to accept education and intergration to the modern world and he
showed the Maasai culture to the modern world. There is a similarity between the main character of the novel and the
author. Ole Kulet grew up in what he terms as an extremely conservative Maasai community. He was taken to school by force through the intervention of the
colonial government whose requirement that all children be taken to school was met with resistance by the Maasai elders. It is these tensions that are captured in
his first novel, Is it possible? Surprisingly, in this novel which Ole Kulet published at the age of twenty five, Lerionka becomes a novelist later in Daughter
of Maa 1987 http:business.highbeam.com438419article-1P3-1230668511-1- narrative-mirror-fictional-autobiography-and-problem. The story is based from
the authors background and experience. The main idea behind the novel makes the newspaper online Arusha
Times brings the issue about whether or not Maasai youth could balance their community way of life and modern lifestyle. A review by Naseli Saseka states as
follows:
“Drought, Famine and other natural disasters have been killing livestock, the sole life line of Maasai people and this has prompted most youths
from the pastoralist communities, to flee to urban areas in search of alternative way of survival.Education then becomes a stumbing block, as
most of us are hardly past class seven, which is normally not enough for one to get a proper job. Maybe it is high time that Maasai youths stop
relying on cattle and start getting proper education. We appeal to those who
are already
educated, to
assist who
aren ’t”
http:www.arushatimes.co.tz200433street_talk.htm The writer comes to realize how important education is for Saseka,
though its not enough to get a job from just passing elementary school. He wants Maasai youth to stop relying on cattle which they consider a main priority but get
a proper education in order for them to survive in the urban areas. By focusing on the modernity and the characterization of the main
characters, the writer aims to reveal the means of education which in this sense is modernity. This discussion is about the influence of western education towards
the characteristics and the conflicts of the main characters. There are some changes about the characterization of the main characters after realizing the
importance of education. Moreover, the writer wants to reveal the role of modernity by the main characters in the novel.
B. Review of Related Theories
1. Theory of Characterization
Robert Stanton in An Introduction to Fiction states that the important evidence of all is the character’s own dialogue and behavior. Every speech or
action is not only a step in the plot, but also a manifestation of character Stanton,1964: 18.
In A Glossary of Literary Terms character is identified as “the person
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