53 to evaluate how the profession of writer in the particular milieu affected in what
was written. Through this analysis, the writer expects that the research will be successful and it is necessary for all the people who interested in sociological
analysis.
H. Focus of the Research
As explained above, the research focuses to analyze the extrinsic of the novel such as social, culture and economy of rural Arkansas in Grisham’s “A
Painted House” and its reflection in rural America of the twentieth century.
I. Questions of the Research
Based on background of the research, there are some questions to be discussed:
1. How is the social life of rural Arkansas in the novel “A Painted House”
? 2. How does the novel reflect the social condition of American life in the
twentieth century?
J. Objective of the Research
1. To know the social life of rural Arkansas in the novel “A Painted House”
. 2. To know the reflection of the social condition of America in the
twentieth century.
54
K. Significance of the Research
Through this research, the writer wants to share the widest perception of human relation, and correlate the literary work to the progress of social, cultural,
and economic life. Moreover, it can give enlightenment to the other researchers in exploring the social condition by using sociological analysis and mimetic theory.
L.Method of the Research
The method of this research involves some important aspects that complete the research:
1. Research Methodology
The research uses qualitative method, which the writer disentangles the novel facts, and then followed by sociological analysis and mimetic theory.
2. Research Instrument
In this research, the writer uses himself to study the text of the novel and finds other resources to complete the research references.
3. Data Analysis
The collected data of the research is analyzed based on sociological analysis and mimetic theory by a Hungarian philosopher, Georg Lukacs.
55
4. Unit Analysis
The unit analysis of this research is a novel entitled “A Painted House” by American author; John Grisham, published in 2001.
5. Research Time and Place
The research is started on the 9
th
semester of 2007-2008 academic year at English Letters Department of Jakarta Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic
University and it will be finished in equal time.
56
CHAPTER TWO THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
A. Literature and Reflection of Life
Literature
6
presents a life portrait and the essential part of social reality, which includes human interaction, society and events that happen in one
individual. Sometimes, it can be reflected in a community, in which describes a particular culture. The role of literature in social world is to recreate some
relations, such as social, culture, economy and so forth; thus it reveals the conflict and the strained situation among the communities.
A literary work is “a mirror” of human life; however, it portrays bad and good things of human. As quoted from the dictionary of literature terminology, “a
literary work is a portrait of society life; moreover, it portrays the author’s personal life”
.
7
A literary work is a possibility world that produced by an author. In producing the work he or she has to provide a worth and saleable work for the
society tastes, and the work will be success if it can reflect the time, so the society will appreciate the work as long as it represents their social, cultural and economic
life.
6
The term literally is “acquaintance with letters” as in the first sense given in the Oxford English Dictionary, from the Latin “littera” meaning “an individual written character letter”.
The has generally come to identify a collection of texts of work of art, which in Western culture are mainly prose, both fiction and non-fiction, drama and poetry. Anonymous, Literature,
Literature. Accessed on April 11, 2007. http:en.wikipedia.orgwikiLiterature, p.1
7
Laelasari and Nurlailah, Kamus Istilah Sastra, Bandung: Nuansa Aulia, 2006, p.136
57 In any case, an author is also the member of society, which has to establish
a communication between the author and the reader. Through the communication, the literary work can be distributed to the reader as the devotee of literature. In the
communication process, the author has been sending a message to the reader.
8
In this case, the literary work is described as the message and its content must be
recognized between them in order to be comprehended accurately. Literary work is the representation of a world; consequently, the reader has
to embody it actively. As a result, the reader will find the author’s ideology within the work. Actually, the author has a particular language to inform the ideology to
the reader. So, the reader has to be smart in interpreting the author’s ideology. The literature is able to be informative and creative, it does not only offer the
information; yet, it is related to the esthetics experience, which includes into the art and transformed through the language.
According to Swingewood, literature is not only created to overcome the scientific object analysis; however, it also gets into the ground of social life to
reveal the way of human to recognize their society. Meanwhile, the other sociologist; Hogart, said that “without the full literary witness, the student of
society will be blind to the fullness of a society life” .
9
In this case, literature does not full express the life, because the author occasionally does not make it on purpose; nevertheless, literature still describes
8
Sapardi Joko Damono, Kita dan Sastra Dunia, Baca Artikel. Accessed on September 20, 2007. http:www.mizan.comportaltemplateBaca Atikelkodeart222, p.4
9
Ibid .
58 the invisible aspects of society life. However, literary work has an important duty
to be a pioneer that gives admission to occurred social symptoms in society life. Literature is the social institution that uses language medium. Moreover, it
“provides life” and almost of the life consists of social reality; occasionally, it
“imitates” the nature and world of human.
10
One of literary work genre that portrays a society life is fiction. This genre dominates to perform the complete
narrative aspects and involves the society culture. The language that used in fiction is easy and understandable; generally, it is also used by the society.
11
Accordingly, it can be interpreted that fiction is fairly sociologic and represents the society social, cultural and economic life.
B. Sociological Analysis
