The influence of Pecola`s parents on her abnormal behaviors as reflected in Toni Morrison`s the bluest eye - USD Repository
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THE INFLUENCE OF PECOLA’S PARENTS ON HER ABNORMAL
BEHAVIORS AS REFLECTED IN TONI MORRISON’S THE BLUEST EYE
A Thesis
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
in English Language Education
By
Winny
Student Number: 031214145
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM
DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION
FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2008
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to express my gratitude to those who helped and supported me in
completing this thesis with their knowledge, attention, and love. First of all, I would
like to give my deepest gratitude to Jesus Christ for His grace and His never endinglove. I thank God for His blessings.
It is a great pleasure for me to express my greatest gratitude to my major
sponsor Drs. L. Bambang Hendarto Y., M.Hum., for his guidance, support, advice,
criticisms, and patience. He has given me many suggestions and corrections to my
thesis. And, I would also like to thank all of my lecturers in PBI for teaching me the
best knowledge and skills. I would also like to thank all staff in Sanata Dharma
university for their services and help.
My sincere gratitude goes to my beloved parents for the support,
understanding, and prayers in doing this thesis. My deep love also goes to my brother
Irsan Iriawan. I thank him for the encouragement that he has given me until I
finished this thesis. I give my special gratitude to my parents in law who always give
me support and encouragement so that I could finish this thesis. I also want to thank
all my brothers and sisters in law, Indarto, Popo, Iboy, Meme, and Chen for the
prayers. My best gratitude goes to my dearest husband, Indra Krisna who always
reminds me of finishing this thesis and has always been there for me through this hard
time. I thank him for his support, time, and prayers for me. I dedicate this thesis to my
family.
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I would also thank all of my brothers and sisters in campus, Gereja Keluarga
Allah, and Kids Impact, Debby, Helen, Rinma, Bunga, Dera, Tika, Priska,
Melon, Diana, Lina, Abed, Bunda Julia, Bu Nita, Redo, Hendrik, Hotma, Thyaz,
and Kak Bobo for the friendship, support, and prayers.
Last but not least, my deepest gratitude is for those who have directly or
indirectly helped and supported me in writing this thesis.
Winny
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ABSTRACT
Winny. (2008). The Influence of Her Parents on Pecola’s Abnormal Behaviors as
Reflected in Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye”, Yogyakarta: Faculty of Teachers
Training and Education, Department of Language and Arts Education, English
Education Study Program, Sanata Dharma University.
Human behavior is influenced by many factors. The most important factor is
family because it is the starting point of one’s personality development where a child
learn the values of life and social relationships in the society by watching her parents.
The Bluest Eye, a novel written by Toni Morrison, talks about Pecola Breedlove who
has abnormal behaviors. She behaves abnormally because of the treatment from her
parents.
The aim of this study is to answer the two questions which are stated in the
problem formulation. The first is how the characters of Pauline and Cholly Breedlove
are described and the second is how do Pauline and Cholly Breedlove influence
Pecola’s abnormal behaviors.
In answering the questions in the problem formulation, some theories were
applied. They were theory of critical approaches, theory of character and
characterization, theory of behavior, and some theories of psychology. The method
applied in this study was library research. The sources used were two kinds. The
primary source was obtained from the novel The Bluest Eye written by Toni Morrison
and the secondary sources were obtained from books on literary works. Because this
study was concerned with behavior, psychological approach was applied in analyzing
the problems.
The finding of the first analysis shows Pauline Breedlove, Pecola’s mother, is
a crippled and lonely woman. Beside being crippled and lonely, she is also an
unconfident and irresponsible mother. She never cares about her daughter and she also
abandons her family because she considers her family as a burden for her. The first
findings also answer the characteristics of Cholly Breedlove, Pecola’s father. He is a
high-tempered and revengeful man. And as a father, he is irresponsible in taking care
of his family, especially his daughter. He rapes his own daughter twice.
The finding of the second analysis reveal the influence of her parents on
Pecola’s abnormal behaviors. There are three abnormal behaviors of Pecola. The first
is on Pecola’s dream of having “the bluest eye”. The second is on Pecola ‘s way of
seeing others. And, the third is on Pecola’s way of avoiding her reality of life.
Finally, besides giving suggestions to the future researchers concerning
possible future research on Pecola, another suggestion is for the implementation of the
novel in teaching English, especially in teaching reading by using novel The Bluest
Eye as the main source.
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ABSTRAK
Winny. (2008). The Influence of Her Parents on Pecola’s Abnormal Behaviors as
Reflected in Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye”, Yogyakarta: Fakultas Keguruan
dan Ilmu Pendidikan, Jurusan Bahasa dan Seni, Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa
Inggris, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Kebiasaan manusia dipengaruhi banyak faktor. Faktor yang paling penting
dalam pembentukan kebiasaan adalah keluarga karena keluarga adalah titik awal dari
perkembangan kepribadian dimana anak akan belajar nilai-nilai hidup dan hubungan
sosial dalam masyarakat dengan cara mengamati orangtuanya. The Bluest Eye sebuah
novel karya Toni Morrison bercerita tentang Pecola Breedlove yang yang memiliki
kebiasaan abnormal. Ia memiliki kebiasaan abnormal dikarenakan oleh perlakuan
kedua orang tuanya.
Tujuan dari skripsi ini adalah untuk menjawab dua pertanyaan yang terdapat
dalam rumusan masalah, yaitu yang pertama bagaimana karakter dari Pauline dan
Cholly Breedlove dideskripsikan dan yang kedua bagaimana Pauline dan Cholly
Breedlove mempengaruhi kebiasaan Pecola yang abnormal.
Dalam menjawab pertanyaan diatas, beberapa teori diterapkan, antara lain
teori pendekatan kritik, teori tokoh dan penokohan, teori kebiasaan, dan beberapa
teori psikologi. Sumber yang digunakan dalam skripsi ini ada dua macam. Sumber
utama didapatkan dari novel The Bluest Eye yang ditulis oleh Toni Morrison dan
sumber kedua didapatlan dari buku-buku tentang literature. Karena skripsi ini
berkaitan dengan kebiasaan pendekatan psikologi diterapkan untuk menganalisa
masalah.
Hasil analisis yang pertama menunjukkan Pauline Breedlove, ibu dari Pecola
adalah seorang wanita yang pincang dan kesepian. Selain pincang dan kesepian, ia
juga adalah seorang yang tidak percaya diri dan ibu yang tidak bertanggungjawab. Ia
tidak pernah peduli dengan anak perempuannya. Ia juga menelantarkan keluarganya
karena menganggap keluarganya sebagai beban. Hasil analisis yang pertama juga
menjawab karakter Cholly Breedlove. dia adalah ayah dari Pecola. Ia adalah orang
yang mudah marah dan pendendam. Dan sebagai seorang ayah, ia tidak
bertanggungjawab dalam mengurus keluarganya, terutama anak perempuannya. Ia
memperkosa anak perempuannya sendiri dua kali.
Hasil analisis yang kedua menunjukkan pengaruh orang tua terhadap
kebiasaan abnormal Pecola. Ada tiga kebiasaan abnormal Pecola. Yang pertama
adalah mimpi Pecola untuk mendapatkan “the bluest eye”. Yang kedua adalah cara
Pecola memandang orang lain. Dan yang ketiga adalah cara Pecola menghindar dari
kenyataan hidupnya.
Akhirnya, disamping memberikan saran-saran untuk penelitian yang akan
datang mengenai Pecola, untuk penelitian mengenai penerapan novel ini dalam
pengajaran Bahasa Inggris, terutama dalam mata kuliah membaca dengan
menggunakan novel The Bluest Eye sebagai sumber utamanya.
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TABLE OF CONTENT
Page
TITLE PAGE……………………………………………………….
i
PAGES OF APPROVAL………………………………………....
ii
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY……………………
iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .……………………………………….
v
ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………
vii
ABSTRAK……………………………………………………………
viii
TABLE OF CONTENT…………………………………………….
ix
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study ……………………………………………
1
1.2 Problem Formulation ………………………………………….
4
1.3 Objectives of the Study …………………………………………
4
1.4 Benefits of the Study ……………………………………………
5
1.5 Definitions of Terms ……………………………………………
5
CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1 Review of Related Theories ………………………………..
8
2.1.1 Critical Approaches ……………………………….
8
2.1.2 Character and Characterization ……………………
10
2.1.3 Behavior ……………………………………………
15
2.1.3.1 Factors Influencing Abnormal Behavior…..
16
2.1.3.2 The Influence of Parental Behavior on Children’s
Behavior …………………………………..
2.1.4 Children Psychological Development ………………
18
20
2.1.5 Family ………………………………………………
23
2.2 Criticism ………………………………………………………
25
2.3 Theoretical Framework ………………………………………..
27
CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY
3.1 Subject Matter ………………………………………………….
29
3.2 Approach of the Study ………………………………………….
30
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3.3 Method of the Study …………………………………………….
30
CHAPTER 4 ANALYSIS
4.1 The Description of Pauline and Cholly Breedlove………………
32
4.1.1 The Description of Pauline Breedlove …………………
33
4.1.1.1 Crippled………………………………………
33
4.1.1.2 Lonely ………………………………………..
34
4.1.1.3 Unconfident …………………………………..
36
4.1.1.4 Irresponsible…………………………………..
38
4.1.2 The Description of Cholly Breedlove…………………..
40
4.1.2.1 Irresponsible…………………………………..
40
4.1.2.2 High-Tempered……………………………….
41
4.1.2.3 Revengeful……………………………………
43
4.2 The Influence of Her Parents on Pecola’s Abnormal Behaviors…
44
4.2.1 On Pecola’s dream of having “The bluest eye”………..
44
4.2.2 On Pecola’s way of seeing others………………………. 50
4.2.3 On Pecola’s way of avoiding her reality of life…………. 54
CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
5.1 Conclusions………………………………………………………… 58
5.2 Suggestions………………………………………………………… 60
5.2.1 Suggestions for Future Researchers……………………… 60
5.2.2 Suggestions for English Teachers……………………….. 60
BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………………. 63
APPENDICES………………………………………………………………… 66
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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
This chapter consists of five parts. The first part is background of the study. It
explains the reason for choosing the novel The Bluest Eye as the subject of the study.
The second part is the problem formulation. In this part, some interesting parts of the
novel are formulated into two problems to discuss. The third part concerns the
objectives of the study. The fourth describes the benefits of the study. The last part is
the definition of terms. This part discusses some important definitions related with the
discussion.
1.1 Background of the Study
According to Lidz, a person’s basic personality is formed in his childhood
because of the effect brought from his phase. Childhood gives a big contribution to
human behavior (54). The family takes the most important factor in shaping the
child’s behavior. In childhood, a child gets education from his family. A child learns
something by imitating his parents or the members of his family.
Medinnus, in his book Child and Adolescent Psychology Behavior and Development
states that “Parents also strongly influence a child’s behavior and social development
by serving as models for children’s behavior” (416). Parental behavior toward a child
can also strongly determine how well the child achieves social intimacy, personal
autonomy, and as understanding of his place in the social environment (Craig 411). It
means that what parents do to their child will great give effect to the achievement on
his society and environment. Children learn their first experience of life in family and
they tend to imitate their parents’ behavior.
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Works of literature, like novel, can portray such issues as Toni Morrison’s novel
entitled “The Bluest Eye”. This novel is an example of novel that tells the influence of
parental behavior on children. The novel tells a story of a character named Pecola
Breedlove. She is an eleven-year-old black girl who believes that the bluest eye will
make her beautiful. She is the victim of her own parents. Her mother, Pauline
Breedlove is a person who does not now how to take care of her family well and
considers her family as a burden for her. Pauline has bad background family. She has
many siblings and her family has neglected her so she does not have any idea of how
to take care of her children. Pecola’s father, Cholly Breedlove, is abandoned by his
father. His auntie raises him, and when he grows up, he looks for his father, but his
father rejects him. Because Pauline is uneducated, she always believes in superstition
that she and her whole family have been cursed because they are very ugly. Pauline
and Cholly Breedlove have bad family background and that makes them not know
how to take care of their children and how to be a good model for their children.
Pecola lives in the situation where she blames herself because of her ugliness. She
thinks that if she had the bluest eye, her parents would like her.
In this novel, we can see the harm of lack of family support in child’s behavior.
Toni Morrison tries to reveal this problem in The Breedlove family. The parents only
care for themselves. Cholly is always drunk and never takes care of his wife and his
children, Pauline cares more her employer’s child than her own children, and Pecola
blames herself for everything that happens to her because she is born ugly. Pecola
hates her ugliness, which makes her teachers and classmates ignore her. For a long
time, she has hoped and prayed for blue eyes, which will make her beautiful and
change all the evil in her life to goodness. Pecola has a problem with her behavior.
She develops abnormal behaviors, like she thinks she can change what others see by
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changing herself into beautiful and wishing for the bluest eyes. She is a lonely and
imaginative girl. She finally goes mad by believing that her cherished wish has been
fulfilled and that she has the bluest eye.
What happens to Pecola suggests that family plays an important role in shaping
children’s behavior. A family is entrusted to fulfill a child’s biological needs, to
nurture, and at a same time to enculture and lead the child to go trough an integrated
personality development. Nurturance concerns not only the filling of the child’s
physical needs but also his emotional needs for love, affection, and a sense of security
(Lidz 46).
In our modern society, however, many psychological problems have plagued the
children because the coalition between a father and a mother is broken. The parents
who are supposed to be the examples for their children cannot carry out the duty well.
I choose this topic to remind the readers about the importance of family to children
behavior. Even though the story in this novel is fictious, it does not mean that it
cannot happen in real life. Lack of family loyalty can cause bad impact on children
behavior.
Seeing the fact above, I would like to focus this study on the influences of parents
on Pecola Breedlove’s abnormal behaviors, Pecola is chosen as the focus of the
analysis because of two reasons. Firstly, the novel is very interesting, especially for
me. I am interested in exploring more about the central character’s abnormal
behavior. It is known that one’s behavior depends on what he or she learns in
childhood. Here, I will learn more about how parents influence one’s behavior.
Secondly, it is interesting and tempting to learn about the life and the struggle of life
in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye. In that novel, we can learn about life through one
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of the major characters’ personalities and the messages implied in this novel. Through
the story, we can learn that family support is very important in someone’s life.
1.2 Problem Formulation
In order to analyze the topic in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, I limit the
discussion into two problems formulated as follows:
1. How are Pauline Breedlove and Cholly Breedlove described?
2. How do Pauline and Cholly Breedlove influence Pecola’s abnormal
behaviors?
1.3 Objectives of the Study
This study is conducted to reveal the importance of parents’ role in children
behavior in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye. There are two objectives of this study.
The first is to analyze the characteristics of Pauline Breedlove and Cholly Breedlove.
Secondly, it is to reveal the influences of her parents on Pecola’s abnormal behavior.
1.4 Benefits of the Study
This study hopefully can give benefits to the readers, because this novel is worth
reading and it may inspire us to understand the message which is implied in this novel
that life is a choice. We have to choose the best way in our life and be responsible for
our own choice. This study hopefully can inspire anyone who is interested in studying
Toni Morrison’s novels, and especially for “PBI” students who are teacher candidates.
By knowing the findings of this analysis they will obtain more knowledge about the
influences of family on one’s life which will be useful for them in the future.
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1.5 Definitions of Terms
There are some terms in this study which need explaining further to avoid the
ambiguity and misunderstanding.
1.5.1
Family.
According to Pikunas, family is an enduring social group based on marriage
and blood relationship, exercising hereditary and environmental influences of prime
dimensions on offspring (60). Horton and Hunt (216) state that family is the basic
social institution from which other institutions have grown as increasing cultural
complexity made the necessary. Therefore, family is very important in forming one’s
behavior.
1.5.2
Character
Mary Rohrberger and Samuel H. Woods define a character is a person who
involves and acts put in a story in particular time and place (20-21). Abrams in
Glossary of Literary Terms states that characters are “the persons presented in the
dramatic or narrative work who are interpreted by the readers as being endowed with
moral and disposition qualities that are expressed in what they say (the dialogue) and
by what they do (the actions) (21)”. So, by analyzing the characters of the novel, we
can conclude that the character is a good or bad person.
1.5.3
Behavior
Loftus (155) states that behavior is a physical realization of someone’s
psychological condition. It means that people will behave based on their
psychological condition. In other words, behavior is a potrait of someone’s
psychological condition. In this study, I want to analyze the abnormal behavior that
Pecola suffers from. Based on the character that I observe firstly, I categorize the
abnormal behavior of Pecola.
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1.5.4
Parents
In A Comprehensive Dictionary of Psychological and Psychoanalytical Terms,
Horace B. English states that there are two definitions of parent. The first is an
organism that has produced offspring. The second definition is a father or a mother.
The word parental is the adjective of the word parent which means having the quality
of parent. Thus, parents’ role is the role of the persons who are child’s own parents;
while parental role is the role of a person who has the quality of parent.
1.5.5 Influence
Influence is defined as power to affect somebody’s character, beliefs or
actions through example, for admiration, etc (Hornby, 437).
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CHAPTER 2
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Some theories are applied to support the analysis in chapter four. The related
theories are explained in this chapter in order to help the readers have a clear
description about the foundation of the study. This chapter consists of review of
related theories, criticism and theoretical framework.
2.1 Review of Related Theories
In order to analyze the influence on Pecola’s strange behavior, I need some
theories to support the study. In this part, there are seven subchapters. The first is
critical approaches. The second is character. The third part is behavior. The fourth
concerns the factors influencing abnormal behavior. Then, the next part is the children
psychological development. The sixth part is the influence of parents’ behavior
toward children’s psychological development. And, the last is family.
2.1.1 Critical Approaches
Literature is one of works of art which is said to have an aesthetic value. The
aesthetic value will give result in an aesthetic response that is, in a way, an evaluative
judgment which is given to the work of literature by the readers. The
evaluative judgment will be less worthwhile if it is only based on some subjective
statements.
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Mary Rohrberger and Samuel H. Woods, in their book Reading and Writing
about Literature (1995) state that to have a reasonable judgment, we need to employ a
means which is called a critical approach. In short, we can say that it brings us to a
better understanding of its nature, function, and positive values. Rohrberger and
Woods present five approaches to analyze a novel. These approaches are used in order
to understand the positive aesthetic values of literary work. These approaches are the
formalist approach, the biographical approach, the sociocultural-historical approach,
the mythopoeic approach, and the psychological approach (6-19).
The first approach is the formalist approach. This approach tries to examine
the literature work about reference to the fact of the author’s life without reference to
the genre of the work or its place in development of the genre or in literary history,
and without reference to its social milieu. This criticism emphasizes merely on the
work of literature itself and its esthetic meanings. It regards literature as “a unique
form of human knowledge that needs to be examined on its own terms”. It means that
all elements necessary for understanding the work are contained within the work
itself. Its main goal is to determine how such elements work together with the text’s
content to shape its effects upon readers (7).
The second approach is the biographical approach; this approach leads the
reader to try to learn as much as they can about the author’s life and the development
of the author. This knowledge is applied to understand the writings because the
proponents of this approach demands that a work of art is a reflection of a personality
(9). The third approach is the sociocultural-historical approach which takes us to
analyze a novel based on the civilization that produces the novel. Civilization is
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defined as the attitudes and actions of a specific group of people. The subject matter
of the novel itself is those attitudes and actions (12).
The last two approaches are the mythopoeic and the psychological approach.
Based on the mythopoeic approach, the readers will be able to analyze a novel by
trying to discover certain universally recurrent patterns or a human thought. The
universally recurrent pattern are those that found first expression in ancient myth and
folk rites and are also basic to human thought that they have meaning for all men (15).
Then the last approach is the psychological approach, which is an approach that
brings the readers to analyze the novel from the psychological point of view of human
beings. Freud’s theory about human is used to analyze the characters in a novel (18).
2.1.2 Character and Characterization
A character is an important element in a story. The author creates a character
in the story to make the story alive. The author builds the character similar with the
real people in the world. Stanton (17) states that character refers to individuals that
appear in the story and refers to the mixture of interests, desires, emotions, and moral
principles that makes up each of these individuals. Thus, in brief it can be said that
character is the person in the story who has the characteristics like common human
being in the real life. He has temperament and moral that is expressed in his speech
and action in the story.
Rohrberger and Woods (20-21) define a character as a person who involves
and acts out in a story in particular time and place. The statement above means that
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character in fiction is a person who thinks, does and acts in certain time and place in
the story. He has characteristics like human beings in real life.
Abrams (20) makes it clearer by stating that character is a person presented in
a dramatic and narrative work, which is interpreted by the reader as being endowed
with moral, and disposition qualities of mind and it can be found out in the dialogue
and the action in the story. Holman and Harmon (82) support Abram’s definition that
in character, the reader finds idea of the moral constitution of human personality, the
presence of moral uprights. Besides, the reader can also find the simpler notion of the
presence of creatures in art that seem to be human beings of one sort of another.
A character has an important role in a novel; it makes the story more
meaningful because the author could convey the message of the story to the readers
through the characters. A character can be a creature or an imitation of human being
in which a reader can find moral constitution of human personality.
According to Milligan, there are two kinds of characters. They are major and
secondary characters. The major characters are those who appear more often in the
story then the other characters. Whole secondary characters are those who appear less
in the story (195).
Forster differentiates flat character from round character. A flat character has a
steady characteristic, which means that the characteristic does not change from the
beginning of the story until the end of the story (46-51). In order to analyze the
characters I the novels more easily, it is important to know how the author presents
the characters in the story. That is why the theory of characterization is needed.
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Characterization in a novel is aimed to get complete description of the
character. According to Holman and Harmon (81) characterization is a creation of
imaginary persons. The character introduced by the author in details, so that the
readers might obtain a complete description of certain character.
Murphy (161-173) states nine ways to make the characters understandable to
the readers. The explanation of each way will be given as follows:
2.1.2.1 Personal description
The author may portray a person’s character based on appearance and
clothing. By looking at the person’s clothing, the reader may see the character’s
appearance. On the other hand, the author may also portray his character using his
skillful ‘voice of adjectives’ the term used by Murphy which means what the
characters are like and the author gives the reader the character’s appearance in detail:
skin-color, hair, eyes, etc (161).
2.1.2.2 Character as seen by another
The author may also describe the character through the eyes and opinion of
others, instead of describing the character directly. He/she represents the character’s
performance and personality by letting other characters in the story convey their
readers what they are like, based on the character that they encounter. The readers
may gain the description as a reflected image (162).
2.1.2.3 Speech
The author describes one of the characters in the story through what he/she
says. Whatever the character says, he/she is giving some clues to his/her character
(164).
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2.1.2.4 Past life
The author may give the past life of one character in the story in order to
understand the character. By learning something from someone’s past life in the story,
the author respects events that have helped to shape a person’s character. The author
may reveal person’s character by giving direct comment, through the person’s thought
or through conversation with others (166).
2.1.2.5 Conversation of others
Through conversations with other characters, the author may give clues to the
readers in order to show the person’s character. People often talk about people and the
thing they say may give us reference to the character of the person spoken about
(167).
2.1.2.6 Reactions
The character often reacts to various situations and events which may reveal
his/her character. Using this kind of characterization, the author presents a clue to the
readers who might expect to find the quality of the characters in dealing with carious
situations and events they encounter (168).
2.1.2.7 Direct comment
On one occasion, the author may give comments explicitly about his
characters and gives his opinion about the characters in the story. In other words, the
author has the possibility to describe or comment on a person’s character directly
(170).
2.1.2.8 Thoughts
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The author is able to give readers direct knowledge of what a person is
thinking about. He can do what we cannot do in real life, he can tell the readers what
different people are thinking. Here, the author is able to reveal the inmost thoughts of
a person as if he were the secret listener. So with the picture of ideas in the character’s
mind, whether it is good or bad the readers can guess the nature of the character well
(171).
2.1.2.9 Mannerism
The author may describe a person’s mannerisms or habits, which may also tell
readers something about his character. The author reveals the habits of the character
both the positive and negative ones (173).
2.1.3 Behavior
Human beings always interact with others. A human interacts and adapts his
environment for his evolution and growth as long as his actions do not deviate from
the adaptation against his environment.
This adaptation is called adjustment.
When the attitude or the behavior of an individual seems to be extraordinarily
uncommon, it will raise various problems and difficulties, as mental health will
appear in mind when dealing with an extraordinary activity. When someone cannot
interact and adapt with his environment properly, it can be claimed that he suffers
from mental abnormality. It is very difficult to obtain the meaning of abnormal
behavior, because we cannot decide whether a person is normal or abnormal easily. It
means that people who seem to be normal in daily lives can suddenly behave
strangely. Maybe they do it unconsciously (Baron, 15).
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Maslow states that, “much of human behavior can be explained by the
individual’s tendency to seek the personal goal that makes life rewarding and
meaningful” (Hjlle and Ziegler, 368). It means that one forms his behavior in order to
achieve the goal in his life and try to make his life meaningful.
Human behavior can be distinguished into normal behavior and abnormal
behavior. A person is considered normal if his/her behavior conforms to, or not
deviating from the usual or the average norm, not suffering from mental disorder or
mental deficiency. If his/her behavior deviates from this norm, he or she is considered
abnormal (Ross 8).
2.1.3.1 Factors Influencing Abnormal Behavior
According to Lidz (1986), the factors influencing abnormal behavior are
divided into six parts. The first factor is hereditary factor. It happens in psychosa case,
tuberculosis disease, neurosis, idiocy, psychosa syphilistic (by syphilis disease).
The second factor is pre-natal factor. Some causes are responsible for this.
First, it is caused by lack of nutrition, infection and wounds, poisoning during
pregnancy. The next is during pregnancy the mother suffers from cholera disease,
typhoid fever, chronical tropicana malaria, bof, syphilis, mazelen, and tuberculosis.
These interfere the baby. The baby’s blood is poisoned, and it causes abnormality in
the brain system. It can be also caused by sedative medicine consumption by mothers
intoxicates the baby. Next, it happens when the mother suffers from psychosa
(lunacy) in the middle of pregnancy, or before delivery. Panic, shocks and stressful
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situation also cause the abnormality. Finally, when the mother experiences a heavy
stroke in the stomach and it hits the head of the fetus or another part of its body (31).
The third factor influencing abnormal behavior is birth. There are a lot of risks
during the delivery. Either the mother or the baby may suffer from risks. Especially
when she gives the first birth. Solid pressures in the uterus hamper the baby’s head.
The pressures cause intracranial haemorrhage or serebral haemorrhage. The fourth
factor is post-natal. The hindrance and the accidents occur in the first three years.
Factors causing the abnormality are like traumatic experiences, the head injury, and
stiff; the baby suffers a high temperature and also an infection (32)
The fifth factor is psychosocial. This covers five causes. The first is traumatic
experience in the childhood. This psychological trauma leaves scars in a child’s life
until she or he grows up. Psychological trauma is the experience that destroys the
sense of security, sense of ability, pride, and it will be hard to recover from the
trauma. The second is called parental deprivation, lacks of love from the parents; the
parents do not provide their children with love and enough attention in their lives.
They do not give their children emotional stimulation that is, warmth, psychical
contact, intellectual stimulation, affection, and social stimulation. The third cause is
the relationship between children and their parents. It creates a lot of problems and
obstacles in their lives, such as rejections, overprotection, unrealistic demands, over
permissive actions, and parents that over spoilt the children. The next cause is the
parents themselves. Family structure can determine the variety of communication
among the members. A certain family structure makes an unhealthy communication
pattern, and it will influence the emergence of obstacles of the members. The last is
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heavy stress. It is the condition that makes people under pressure. The heavy stress
can also be caused by the frustration in losing his pride, norm conflicts in the society
and modern life style pressure (34).
The last factor influencing abnormal behavior is socio cultural. For example,
people become the victims in the discrimination based on a certain group or political
affiliations, economic recession and unemployment, and social changes and
technological achievements (35).
2.1.3.2 The Influence of Parental Behavior on Children’s Behavior
Robinson
states that abnormal behavior in the individual is usually a reflection or “symptom” of
unhealthy family (in Sue 104). He also says that behavior is ruled largely by the
attributes of the family, especially the way the parents behave towards their children.
In those statements, it can be clearly understood that parents take the biggest part in
shaping their children’s behavior. Parents have the major share of responsibility for
socializing the children. If parents behave towards the children as though they are
worthwhile, the children are likely to develop a positive self-image and sense of selfworth. This sense of self is needed by all people to endure through defeats, conflicts,
and many other stressors.
According to Sullivan, parents who do not see their children as worthwhile
persons or belittle and antagonize the children may cause the children to develop a
negative self-image (93-94). Erik Erikson also stresses child-parents relationship. He
points out that parental love and attention are important in the children’s development
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of a sense of trust. How trust develops in the children depends very much on the
parents (56).
According to Craig, parents’ behavior also affects children’s behavior in three
ways (322). First, parents serve as models for the child to identify with and imitate. A
child will imitate the actions that he sees from his parents. If he sees his father usually
beat his mother when they have a fight, the child will automatically beats his friends
when he is unpleased. Second, most parents have specific expectations about the way
they want their children to respond and behave. Children take a look on how their
parents behave in daily life. They will consider an event as a positive thing if their
parents give a positive response. Finally, parents control the rewards and discipline
the child receives. It means that when parents give rewards to their children when they
have good grades in schools, that will motivate the children to learn hard to get the
best grade in schools.
Based on several research studies, it can be said that restrictive parents tend to
have dependent, obedient, and compliant children. Kagan and Moss, find that the
long-term effects of childhood restrictiveness are much more stable in girls than boys
(325). Most dependent girls remain this way as adults because dependence is often
expected of girls. Therefore, this behavior is reinforced, as they grow older. Boys are
expected to be assertive, and they soon learn to inhibit signs of dependence.
According to Craig, parental behavior on a child can also strongly determine how well
the child achieves social intimacy, personal autonomy, and an understanding of his
place in the social environment (411).
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2.1.4 Children Psychological Development
According to Erikson (81-88) there are eight stages of development. Erikson’s
stages of development emphasizes on the importance of individual’s interaction with
the social environment in shaping behavior. The following are the explanations.
The first stage is 0-1 year old. At the beginning of the first year of life, the
baby spends most of the time eating and sleeping. In this stage, the baby builds the
trust on his mother. The ability to do all these things may develop a sense of basic
trust (101). The second stage is 2 to 3 years old. In this stage, the child learns to
control himself. If he succeeds, he will feel proud. And failing to do so brings him the
feelings of shame and doubt, which lead the child to leave this stage with a lasting
sense of insecurity. In this stage, children’s curiosity is growing stronger; the infants
absorb the information very quickly and learn to imitate it (82).
The third stage is 4 to 5 years old. The child begins to master skills and tries
hard to perform well. The danger of this stage is the development of guilt. The child
has already begun to learn what is forbidden. However, his ambitions are unlimited
and he may become aggressive and manipulative in trying to achieve his goals (83).
As in Freudian system, this is the time of Oedipus Complex.
The forth stage is 6 to 12 years old. This stage is more or less equivalent to the
Freudian period of latency. Gradually, his interest in playing is passed over by a
concern to produce and to learn how to use the tools of work. The danger in this stage
is that if the child fails to master the tasks of school and home, he may develop a
lasting sense of inferiority. In this stage, the child begins to understand what happens
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in his society (84). If the child’s needs are not fulfilled in his family, he will feel that
something is missing in his life and tries to find his own identity.
The fifth stage is 13 to 19 years old. According to Erikson, this stage is just
beginning to form an identity. Adolescents begin to sense their individuality. They
become aware that they have the strength to control their own destinies and to define
themselves and their goals (85).
The sixth stage is 20 to 30 years old. Young adults are ready and eager to unite
their identities with those of others. They seek relationship of intimacy, friendship and
working relationship, as well as loving. They are ready to develop the strength they
will need to fulfill commitments to others, even though commitment needs some
sacrifice and compromise. Erikson states that the danger in this stage lies in isolation.
It is the inability to take chanced with one’s identity by sharing true intimacy. An
unstable identity may take one avoid relations with others and lead him/her to
isolation (99).
The seventh stage is 31 to 65 years old. This stage sees the development of
generativity. It is concern with establishing and guiding the next generation. In
general, this means that adults want to have children to whom they can transmit their
values. More broadly, generativity includes productivity and creativity. By not giving
to the need for generativity, one risks stagnation, in which impoverished personality
and regresses into self-concern (103).
The last stage is 66 to… years old. People in this stage perceive that others
have lived differently and they are prepared to defend the dignity of their own lifestyles. One creates one’s own life style within the culture or civilization in which one
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lives. The danger is that one may feel desperate because of the nearness to death. One
may feel that one’s life has been without meaning and there is no time to go back and
begin again. They can show to the young a feeling of completeness that can
counteract with the feeling of being helpless and dependent, of being finished with
life (105).
According to Craig (396), middle childhood (ages 6 to 12) is the time when
the child is adjusting to the new environment of school, is forming close ties with
people outside the home, and is developing work and play habits along with many
new interests. During this period, the child experiences many new things and
challenges which prepare him for adolescence and adulthood.
2.1.5 Family
According to Pikunnas, family is an enduring social group based on marriage
and blood relationship (58). As a primary group, the family with children is bound
together by kinship and intimate relations marked by care, affection, and support, as
well as mutual sharing in various activities and concerns. The leading functions of
family are providing affection, support, and companionship, bearing and raising
children, teaching and transmitting culture, religion, economics, and moral to the
young, developing personalities, dividing and discharging labor within the family
outside.
Horton and Hunt (216) state that family is the basic social institution from
which other institutions have grown as increasing cultural complexity made the
necessary. Therefore, family is very important in forming society in which it is the
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basic institution, which develops the society. Further, they say that family is very
important in children rearing and to fulfill human needs. Family must carry a lot of
functions such as conceiving and raising the children, caring for the ill and aged, etc.
Besides, the members of a family have certain responsibilities toward one another.
The World Book Encyclopedia (24-25) explains that most people belong to
two families during their lives, the first as the children and the second as parents.
Marriage becomes the beginning of a family life. When a woman and a man get
married, they become the husband and the wife and are responsible for supporting and
caring for the children. The success of a marriage depends on what the members want
and how they live.
Family is also a chief vehicle for ensuring a smooth or a rough start life since
family makes up the basis for every society. It serves three vital humans needs found
everywhere. First, the family provides for the protection and early training of infants.
Human infants are perhaps the most helpless of all living creatures. They must be fed,
washed, and dressed. They cannot move far by themselves. As they grew older, they
must be trained to be a responsible member of the society. Third, the family sets up a
division of labor so that each member of contributes something. The man usually
earns a living while the women looks for the children. Both parents care for the
children, who also assume responsibilities as they grow up.
Family plays the important roles in the children development. According to
Sullivan if parents behave properly, they will develop good self-image and self-worth.
But if their parents do not see them their children as worthwhile persons, they will
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cause the negative self-image development (93-94). Children will understand who
they are and their roles in social life for the first time in family.
Children receive their first training in their home. Kaalish states that parents and
other significant figures probably have the greatest influence of values and attitudes
because the parents have the authority in estimating child’s attitudes (55). Parents are
models for the children, whether consciously or unconsciously, they will copy the
models. The children live with parents, so they internalize the parents’ values such
education, religion, humanism, and work. It will be easier for children to adapt to the
family and the closest people value, which he interacts, rather than other people.
2.2 Criticism
Rohrberger and Woods in Reading and Writing about Literature state their
opinion that after the readers understand the literary work, they will judge and value
any work of literature, and the judgments on the work of literature is called criticisms.
Each person might make different critics depends on the taste of each person (3).
Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye which becomes the subject of my study, also
receives many criticism from critics. Toni Morrison is a very talented Afro-American
author who receives a Nobel Prize for literature. She was the first black woman to
receive such award. The Bluest Eye was her first novel. The story talks about an AfroAmerican little girl who wishes to have blue eyes with a hope that her life could be
better.
With all of the writing talents, revealing ideas in the novels, and the dedication
to the literary world she has, Toni Morrison succeeds in getting attention of many
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criticisms. There are many critics and literary experts who try to analyze her work.
They also give comments and criticisms on her. Her works have been seen not only as
exemplifying the struggle of a particular people, but also as illustrating the problems
and emotions of all human beings. She is admired for her use of language and her
interesting narrative devices.
Those criticisms, comments, ideas, and appreciations have given the
contributions to literature directly and indirectly. They give the contributions directly
because they dedicate those criticisms to the author himself/herself or to the work of
literature. The purpose of those criticisms are aimed to let the authors know what their
strengths and weaknesses are, so the authors may improve the work of literature based
on those criticisms. The authors also have a chance to acknowledge and to focus on
the weaknesses in themselves; so, they can be more motivated to improve.
Sue Houchins states that Toni Morrison focuses almost exclusively on AfricanAmerican
characters,
and
draws
upon
black
folk
traditions
(http://www.georgetown.edu/bassr/heath/syllabuild/iguide/morrison.html accessed on
April 20, 2008). It is true that in all of her literary works, such as dramas and novels,
she uses African-American people as the major characters. Although Toni Morrison
also put some white characters in her novels, but they do not have the major roles and
do not play as much roles as the African-American characters do. In her novel, The
Bluest Eye that I used as the pr
THE INFLUENCE OF PECOLA’S PARENTS ON HER ABNORMAL
BEHAVIORS AS REFLECTED IN TONI MORRISON’S THE BLUEST EYE
A Thesis
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
in English Language Education
By
Winny
Student Number: 031214145
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM
DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION
FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2008
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to express my gratitude to those who helped and supported me in
completing this thesis with their knowledge, attention, and love. First of all, I would
like to give my deepest gratitude to Jesus Christ for His grace and His never endinglove. I thank God for His blessings.
It is a great pleasure for me to express my greatest gratitude to my major
sponsor Drs. L. Bambang Hendarto Y., M.Hum., for his guidance, support, advice,
criticisms, and patience. He has given me many suggestions and corrections to my
thesis. And, I would also like to thank all of my lecturers in PBI for teaching me the
best knowledge and skills. I would also like to thank all staff in Sanata Dharma
university for their services and help.
My sincere gratitude goes to my beloved parents for the support,
understanding, and prayers in doing this thesis. My deep love also goes to my brother
Irsan Iriawan. I thank him for the encouragement that he has given me until I
finished this thesis. I give my special gratitude to my parents in law who always give
me support and encouragement so that I could finish this thesis. I also want to thank
all my brothers and sisters in law, Indarto, Popo, Iboy, Meme, and Chen for the
prayers. My best gratitude goes to my dearest husband, Indra Krisna who always
reminds me of finishing this thesis and has always been there for me through this hard
time. I thank him for his support, time, and prayers for me. I dedicate this thesis to my
family.
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I would also thank all of my brothers and sisters in campus, Gereja Keluarga
Allah, and Kids Impact, Debby, Helen, Rinma, Bunga, Dera, Tika, Priska,
Melon, Diana, Lina, Abed, Bunda Julia, Bu Nita, Redo, Hendrik, Hotma, Thyaz,
and Kak Bobo for the friendship, support, and prayers.
Last but not least, my deepest gratitude is for those who have directly or
indirectly helped and supported me in writing this thesis.
Winny
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ABSTRACT
Winny. (2008). The Influence of Her Parents on Pecola’s Abnormal Behaviors as
Reflected in Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye”, Yogyakarta: Faculty of Teachers
Training and Education, Department of Language and Arts Education, English
Education Study Program, Sanata Dharma University.
Human behavior is influenced by many factors. The most important factor is
family because it is the starting point of one’s personality development where a child
learn the values of life and social relationships in the society by watching her parents.
The Bluest Eye, a novel written by Toni Morrison, talks about Pecola Breedlove who
has abnormal behaviors. She behaves abnormally because of the treatment from her
parents.
The aim of this study is to answer the two questions which are stated in the
problem formulation. The first is how the characters of Pauline and Cholly Breedlove
are described and the second is how do Pauline and Cholly Breedlove influence
Pecola’s abnormal behaviors.
In answering the questions in the problem formulation, some theories were
applied. They were theory of critical approaches, theory of character and
characterization, theory of behavior, and some theories of psychology. The method
applied in this study was library research. The sources used were two kinds. The
primary source was obtained from the novel The Bluest Eye written by Toni Morrison
and the secondary sources were obtained from books on literary works. Because this
study was concerned with behavior, psychological approach was applied in analyzing
the problems.
The finding of the first analysis shows Pauline Breedlove, Pecola’s mother, is
a crippled and lonely woman. Beside being crippled and lonely, she is also an
unconfident and irresponsible mother. She never cares about her daughter and she also
abandons her family because she considers her family as a burden for her. The first
findings also answer the characteristics of Cholly Breedlove, Pecola’s father. He is a
high-tempered and revengeful man. And as a father, he is irresponsible in taking care
of his family, especially his daughter. He rapes his own daughter twice.
The finding of the second analysis reveal the influence of her parents on
Pecola’s abnormal behaviors. There are three abnormal behaviors of Pecola. The first
is on Pecola’s dream of having “the bluest eye”. The second is on Pecola ‘s way of
seeing others. And, the third is on Pecola’s way of avoiding her reality of life.
Finally, besides giving suggestions to the future researchers concerning
possible future research on Pecola, another suggestion is for the implementation of the
novel in teaching English, especially in teaching reading by using novel The Bluest
Eye as the main source.
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ABSTRAK
Winny. (2008). The Influence of Her Parents on Pecola’s Abnormal Behaviors as
Reflected in Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye”, Yogyakarta: Fakultas Keguruan
dan Ilmu Pendidikan, Jurusan Bahasa dan Seni, Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa
Inggris, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Kebiasaan manusia dipengaruhi banyak faktor. Faktor yang paling penting
dalam pembentukan kebiasaan adalah keluarga karena keluarga adalah titik awal dari
perkembangan kepribadian dimana anak akan belajar nilai-nilai hidup dan hubungan
sosial dalam masyarakat dengan cara mengamati orangtuanya. The Bluest Eye sebuah
novel karya Toni Morrison bercerita tentang Pecola Breedlove yang yang memiliki
kebiasaan abnormal. Ia memiliki kebiasaan abnormal dikarenakan oleh perlakuan
kedua orang tuanya.
Tujuan dari skripsi ini adalah untuk menjawab dua pertanyaan yang terdapat
dalam rumusan masalah, yaitu yang pertama bagaimana karakter dari Pauline dan
Cholly Breedlove dideskripsikan dan yang kedua bagaimana Pauline dan Cholly
Breedlove mempengaruhi kebiasaan Pecola yang abnormal.
Dalam menjawab pertanyaan diatas, beberapa teori diterapkan, antara lain
teori pendekatan kritik, teori tokoh dan penokohan, teori kebiasaan, dan beberapa
teori psikologi. Sumber yang digunakan dalam skripsi ini ada dua macam. Sumber
utama didapatkan dari novel The Bluest Eye yang ditulis oleh Toni Morrison dan
sumber kedua didapatlan dari buku-buku tentang literature. Karena skripsi ini
berkaitan dengan kebiasaan pendekatan psikologi diterapkan untuk menganalisa
masalah.
Hasil analisis yang pertama menunjukkan Pauline Breedlove, ibu dari Pecola
adalah seorang wanita yang pincang dan kesepian. Selain pincang dan kesepian, ia
juga adalah seorang yang tidak percaya diri dan ibu yang tidak bertanggungjawab. Ia
tidak pernah peduli dengan anak perempuannya. Ia juga menelantarkan keluarganya
karena menganggap keluarganya sebagai beban. Hasil analisis yang pertama juga
menjawab karakter Cholly Breedlove. dia adalah ayah dari Pecola. Ia adalah orang
yang mudah marah dan pendendam. Dan sebagai seorang ayah, ia tidak
bertanggungjawab dalam mengurus keluarganya, terutama anak perempuannya. Ia
memperkosa anak perempuannya sendiri dua kali.
Hasil analisis yang kedua menunjukkan pengaruh orang tua terhadap
kebiasaan abnormal Pecola. Ada tiga kebiasaan abnormal Pecola. Yang pertama
adalah mimpi Pecola untuk mendapatkan “the bluest eye”. Yang kedua adalah cara
Pecola memandang orang lain. Dan yang ketiga adalah cara Pecola menghindar dari
kenyataan hidupnya.
Akhirnya, disamping memberikan saran-saran untuk penelitian yang akan
datang mengenai Pecola, untuk penelitian mengenai penerapan novel ini dalam
pengajaran Bahasa Inggris, terutama dalam mata kuliah membaca dengan
menggunakan novel The Bluest Eye sebagai sumber utamanya.
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TABLE OF CONTENT
Page
TITLE PAGE……………………………………………………….
i
PAGES OF APPROVAL………………………………………....
ii
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY……………………
iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .……………………………………….
v
ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………
vii
ABSTRAK……………………………………………………………
viii
TABLE OF CONTENT…………………………………………….
ix
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study ……………………………………………
1
1.2 Problem Formulation ………………………………………….
4
1.3 Objectives of the Study …………………………………………
4
1.4 Benefits of the Study ……………………………………………
5
1.5 Definitions of Terms ……………………………………………
5
CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1 Review of Related Theories ………………………………..
8
2.1.1 Critical Approaches ……………………………….
8
2.1.2 Character and Characterization ……………………
10
2.1.3 Behavior ……………………………………………
15
2.1.3.1 Factors Influencing Abnormal Behavior…..
16
2.1.3.2 The Influence of Parental Behavior on Children’s
Behavior …………………………………..
2.1.4 Children Psychological Development ………………
18
20
2.1.5 Family ………………………………………………
23
2.2 Criticism ………………………………………………………
25
2.3 Theoretical Framework ………………………………………..
27
CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY
3.1 Subject Matter ………………………………………………….
29
3.2 Approach of the Study ………………………………………….
30
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3.3 Method of the Study …………………………………………….
30
CHAPTER 4 ANALYSIS
4.1 The Description of Pauline and Cholly Breedlove………………
32
4.1.1 The Description of Pauline Breedlove …………………
33
4.1.1.1 Crippled………………………………………
33
4.1.1.2 Lonely ………………………………………..
34
4.1.1.3 Unconfident …………………………………..
36
4.1.1.4 Irresponsible…………………………………..
38
4.1.2 The Description of Cholly Breedlove…………………..
40
4.1.2.1 Irresponsible…………………………………..
40
4.1.2.2 High-Tempered……………………………….
41
4.1.2.3 Revengeful……………………………………
43
4.2 The Influence of Her Parents on Pecola’s Abnormal Behaviors…
44
4.2.1 On Pecola’s dream of having “The bluest eye”………..
44
4.2.2 On Pecola’s way of seeing others………………………. 50
4.2.3 On Pecola’s way of avoiding her reality of life…………. 54
CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
5.1 Conclusions………………………………………………………… 58
5.2 Suggestions………………………………………………………… 60
5.2.1 Suggestions for Future Researchers……………………… 60
5.2.2 Suggestions for English Teachers……………………….. 60
BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………………. 63
APPENDICES………………………………………………………………… 66
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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
This chapter consists of five parts. The first part is background of the study. It
explains the reason for choosing the novel The Bluest Eye as the subject of the study.
The second part is the problem formulation. In this part, some interesting parts of the
novel are formulated into two problems to discuss. The third part concerns the
objectives of the study. The fourth describes the benefits of the study. The last part is
the definition of terms. This part discusses some important definitions related with the
discussion.
1.1 Background of the Study
According to Lidz, a person’s basic personality is formed in his childhood
because of the effect brought from his phase. Childhood gives a big contribution to
human behavior (54). The family takes the most important factor in shaping the
child’s behavior. In childhood, a child gets education from his family. A child learns
something by imitating his parents or the members of his family.
Medinnus, in his book Child and Adolescent Psychology Behavior and Development
states that “Parents also strongly influence a child’s behavior and social development
by serving as models for children’s behavior” (416). Parental behavior toward a child
can also strongly determine how well the child achieves social intimacy, personal
autonomy, and as understanding of his place in the social environment (Craig 411). It
means that what parents do to their child will great give effect to the achievement on
his society and environment. Children learn their first experience of life in family and
they tend to imitate their parents’ behavior.
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Works of literature, like novel, can portray such issues as Toni Morrison’s novel
entitled “The Bluest Eye”. This novel is an example of novel that tells the influence of
parental behavior on children. The novel tells a story of a character named Pecola
Breedlove. She is an eleven-year-old black girl who believes that the bluest eye will
make her beautiful. She is the victim of her own parents. Her mother, Pauline
Breedlove is a person who does not now how to take care of her family well and
considers her family as a burden for her. Pauline has bad background family. She has
many siblings and her family has neglected her so she does not have any idea of how
to take care of her children. Pecola’s father, Cholly Breedlove, is abandoned by his
father. His auntie raises him, and when he grows up, he looks for his father, but his
father rejects him. Because Pauline is uneducated, she always believes in superstition
that she and her whole family have been cursed because they are very ugly. Pauline
and Cholly Breedlove have bad family background and that makes them not know
how to take care of their children and how to be a good model for their children.
Pecola lives in the situation where she blames herself because of her ugliness. She
thinks that if she had the bluest eye, her parents would like her.
In this novel, we can see the harm of lack of family support in child’s behavior.
Toni Morrison tries to reveal this problem in The Breedlove family. The parents only
care for themselves. Cholly is always drunk and never takes care of his wife and his
children, Pauline cares more her employer’s child than her own children, and Pecola
blames herself for everything that happens to her because she is born ugly. Pecola
hates her ugliness, which makes her teachers and classmates ignore her. For a long
time, she has hoped and prayed for blue eyes, which will make her beautiful and
change all the evil in her life to goodness. Pecola has a problem with her behavior.
She develops abnormal behaviors, like she thinks she can change what others see by
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changing herself into beautiful and wishing for the bluest eyes. She is a lonely and
imaginative girl. She finally goes mad by believing that her cherished wish has been
fulfilled and that she has the bluest eye.
What happens to Pecola suggests that family plays an important role in shaping
children’s behavior. A family is entrusted to fulfill a child’s biological needs, to
nurture, and at a same time to enculture and lead the child to go trough an integrated
personality development. Nurturance concerns not only the filling of the child’s
physical needs but also his emotional needs for love, affection, and a sense of security
(Lidz 46).
In our modern society, however, many psychological problems have plagued the
children because the coalition between a father and a mother is broken. The parents
who are supposed to be the examples for their children cannot carry out the duty well.
I choose this topic to remind the readers about the importance of family to children
behavior. Even though the story in this novel is fictious, it does not mean that it
cannot happen in real life. Lack of family loyalty can cause bad impact on children
behavior.
Seeing the fact above, I would like to focus this study on the influences of parents
on Pecola Breedlove’s abnormal behaviors, Pecola is chosen as the focus of the
analysis because of two reasons. Firstly, the novel is very interesting, especially for
me. I am interested in exploring more about the central character’s abnormal
behavior. It is known that one’s behavior depends on what he or she learns in
childhood. Here, I will learn more about how parents influence one’s behavior.
Secondly, it is interesting and tempting to learn about the life and the struggle of life
in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye. In that novel, we can learn about life through one
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of the major characters’ personalities and the messages implied in this novel. Through
the story, we can learn that family support is very important in someone’s life.
1.2 Problem Formulation
In order to analyze the topic in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, I limit the
discussion into two problems formulated as follows:
1. How are Pauline Breedlove and Cholly Breedlove described?
2. How do Pauline and Cholly Breedlove influence Pecola’s abnormal
behaviors?
1.3 Objectives of the Study
This study is conducted to reveal the importance of parents’ role in children
behavior in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye. There are two objectives of this study.
The first is to analyze the characteristics of Pauline Breedlove and Cholly Breedlove.
Secondly, it is to reveal the influences of her parents on Pecola’s abnormal behavior.
1.4 Benefits of the Study
This study hopefully can give benefits to the readers, because this novel is worth
reading and it may inspire us to understand the message which is implied in this novel
that life is a choice. We have to choose the best way in our life and be responsible for
our own choice. This study hopefully can inspire anyone who is interested in studying
Toni Morrison’s novels, and especially for “PBI” students who are teacher candidates.
By knowing the findings of this analysis they will obtain more knowledge about the
influences of family on one’s life which will be useful for them in the future.
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1.5 Definitions of Terms
There are some terms in this study which need explaining further to avoid the
ambiguity and misunderstanding.
1.5.1
Family.
According to Pikunas, family is an enduring social group based on marriage
and blood relationship, exercising hereditary and environmental influences of prime
dimensions on offspring (60). Horton and Hunt (216) state that family is the basic
social institution from which other institutions have grown as increasing cultural
complexity made the necessary. Therefore, family is very important in forming one’s
behavior.
1.5.2
Character
Mary Rohrberger and Samuel H. Woods define a character is a person who
involves and acts put in a story in particular time and place (20-21). Abrams in
Glossary of Literary Terms states that characters are “the persons presented in the
dramatic or narrative work who are interpreted by the readers as being endowed with
moral and disposition qualities that are expressed in what they say (the dialogue) and
by what they do (the actions) (21)”. So, by analyzing the characters of the novel, we
can conclude that the character is a good or bad person.
1.5.3
Behavior
Loftus (155) states that behavior is a physical realization of someone’s
psychological condition. It means that people will behave based on their
psychological condition. In other words, behavior is a potrait of someone’s
psychological condition. In this study, I want to analyze the abnormal behavior that
Pecola suffers from. Based on the character that I observe firstly, I categorize the
abnormal behavior of Pecola.
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1.5.4
Parents
In A Comprehensive Dictionary of Psychological and Psychoanalytical Terms,
Horace B. English states that there are two definitions of parent. The first is an
organism that has produced offspring. The second definition is a father or a mother.
The word parental is the adjective of the word parent which means having the quality
of parent. Thus, parents’ role is the role of the persons who are child’s own parents;
while parental role is the role of a person who has the quality of parent.
1.5.5 Influence
Influence is defined as power to affect somebody’s character, beliefs or
actions through example, for admiration, etc (Hornby, 437).
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CHAPTER 2
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Some theories are applied to support the analysis in chapter four. The related
theories are explained in this chapter in order to help the readers have a clear
description about the foundation of the study. This chapter consists of review of
related theories, criticism and theoretical framework.
2.1 Review of Related Theories
In order to analyze the influence on Pecola’s strange behavior, I need some
theories to support the study. In this part, there are seven subchapters. The first is
critical approaches. The second is character. The third part is behavior. The fourth
concerns the factors influencing abnormal behavior. Then, the next part is the children
psychological development. The sixth part is the influence of parents’ behavior
toward children’s psychological development. And, the last is family.
2.1.1 Critical Approaches
Literature is one of works of art which is said to have an aesthetic value. The
aesthetic value will give result in an aesthetic response that is, in a way, an evaluative
judgment which is given to the work of literature by the readers. The
evaluative judgment will be less worthwhile if it is only based on some subjective
statements.
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Mary Rohrberger and Samuel H. Woods, in their book Reading and Writing
about Literature (1995) state that to have a reasonable judgment, we need to employ a
means which is called a critical approach. In short, we can say that it brings us to a
better understanding of its nature, function, and positive values. Rohrberger and
Woods present five approaches to analyze a novel. These approaches are used in order
to understand the positive aesthetic values of literary work. These approaches are the
formalist approach, the biographical approach, the sociocultural-historical approach,
the mythopoeic approach, and the psychological approach (6-19).
The first approach is the formalist approach. This approach tries to examine
the literature work about reference to the fact of the author’s life without reference to
the genre of the work or its place in development of the genre or in literary history,
and without reference to its social milieu. This criticism emphasizes merely on the
work of literature itself and its esthetic meanings. It regards literature as “a unique
form of human knowledge that needs to be examined on its own terms”. It means that
all elements necessary for understanding the work are contained within the work
itself. Its main goal is to determine how such elements work together with the text’s
content to shape its effects upon readers (7).
The second approach is the biographical approach; this approach leads the
reader to try to learn as much as they can about the author’s life and the development
of the author. This knowledge is applied to understand the writings because the
proponents of this approach demands that a work of art is a reflection of a personality
(9). The third approach is the sociocultural-historical approach which takes us to
analyze a novel based on the civilization that produces the novel. Civilization is
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defined as the attitudes and actions of a specific group of people. The subject matter
of the novel itself is those attitudes and actions (12).
The last two approaches are the mythopoeic and the psychological approach.
Based on the mythopoeic approach, the readers will be able to analyze a novel by
trying to discover certain universally recurrent patterns or a human thought. The
universally recurrent pattern are those that found first expression in ancient myth and
folk rites and are also basic to human thought that they have meaning for all men (15).
Then the last approach is the psychological approach, which is an approach that
brings the readers to analyze the novel from the psychological point of view of human
beings. Freud’s theory about human is used to analyze the characters in a novel (18).
2.1.2 Character and Characterization
A character is an important element in a story. The author creates a character
in the story to make the story alive. The author builds the character similar with the
real people in the world. Stanton (17) states that character refers to individuals that
appear in the story and refers to the mixture of interests, desires, emotions, and moral
principles that makes up each of these individuals. Thus, in brief it can be said that
character is the person in the story who has the characteristics like common human
being in the real life. He has temperament and moral that is expressed in his speech
and action in the story.
Rohrberger and Woods (20-21) define a character as a person who involves
and acts out in a story in particular time and place. The statement above means that
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character in fiction is a person who thinks, does and acts in certain time and place in
the story. He has characteristics like human beings in real life.
Abrams (20) makes it clearer by stating that character is a person presented in
a dramatic and narrative work, which is interpreted by the reader as being endowed
with moral, and disposition qualities of mind and it can be found out in the dialogue
and the action in the story. Holman and Harmon (82) support Abram’s definition that
in character, the reader finds idea of the moral constitution of human personality, the
presence of moral uprights. Besides, the reader can also find the simpler notion of the
presence of creatures in art that seem to be human beings of one sort of another.
A character has an important role in a novel; it makes the story more
meaningful because the author could convey the message of the story to the readers
through the characters. A character can be a creature or an imitation of human being
in which a reader can find moral constitution of human personality.
According to Milligan, there are two kinds of characters. They are major and
secondary characters. The major characters are those who appear more often in the
story then the other characters. Whole secondary characters are those who appear less
in the story (195).
Forster differentiates flat character from round character. A flat character has a
steady characteristic, which means that the characteristic does not change from the
beginning of the story until the end of the story (46-51). In order to analyze the
characters I the novels more easily, it is important to know how the author presents
the characters in the story. That is why the theory of characterization is needed.
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Characterization in a novel is aimed to get complete description of the
character. According to Holman and Harmon (81) characterization is a creation of
imaginary persons. The character introduced by the author in details, so that the
readers might obtain a complete description of certain character.
Murphy (161-173) states nine ways to make the characters understandable to
the readers. The explanation of each way will be given as follows:
2.1.2.1 Personal description
The author may portray a person’s character based on appearance and
clothing. By looking at the person’s clothing, the reader may see the character’s
appearance. On the other hand, the author may also portray his character using his
skillful ‘voice of adjectives’ the term used by Murphy which means what the
characters are like and the author gives the reader the character’s appearance in detail:
skin-color, hair, eyes, etc (161).
2.1.2.2 Character as seen by another
The author may also describe the character through the eyes and opinion of
others, instead of describing the character directly. He/she represents the character’s
performance and personality by letting other characters in the story convey their
readers what they are like, based on the character that they encounter. The readers
may gain the description as a reflected image (162).
2.1.2.3 Speech
The author describes one of the characters in the story through what he/she
says. Whatever the character says, he/she is giving some clues to his/her character
(164).
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2.1.2.4 Past life
The author may give the past life of one character in the story in order to
understand the character. By learning something from someone’s past life in the story,
the author respects events that have helped to shape a person’s character. The author
may reveal person’s character by giving direct comment, through the person’s thought
or through conversation with others (166).
2.1.2.5 Conversation of others
Through conversations with other characters, the author may give clues to the
readers in order to show the person’s character. People often talk about people and the
thing they say may give us reference to the character of the person spoken about
(167).
2.1.2.6 Reactions
The character often reacts to various situations and events which may reveal
his/her character. Using this kind of characterization, the author presents a clue to the
readers who might expect to find the quality of the characters in dealing with carious
situations and events they encounter (168).
2.1.2.7 Direct comment
On one occasion, the author may give comments explicitly about his
characters and gives his opinion about the characters in the story. In other words, the
author has the possibility to describe or comment on a person’s character directly
(170).
2.1.2.8 Thoughts
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The author is able to give readers direct knowledge of what a person is
thinking about. He can do what we cannot do in real life, he can tell the readers what
different people are thinking. Here, the author is able to reveal the inmost thoughts of
a person as if he were the secret listener. So with the picture of ideas in the character’s
mind, whether it is good or bad the readers can guess the nature of the character well
(171).
2.1.2.9 Mannerism
The author may describe a person’s mannerisms or habits, which may also tell
readers something about his character. The author reveals the habits of the character
both the positive and negative ones (173).
2.1.3 Behavior
Human beings always interact with others. A human interacts and adapts his
environment for his evolution and growth as long as his actions do not deviate from
the adaptation against his environment.
This adaptation is called adjustment.
When the attitude or the behavior of an individual seems to be extraordinarily
uncommon, it will raise various problems and difficulties, as mental health will
appear in mind when dealing with an extraordinary activity. When someone cannot
interact and adapt with his environment properly, it can be claimed that he suffers
from mental abnormality. It is very difficult to obtain the meaning of abnormal
behavior, because we cannot decide whether a person is normal or abnormal easily. It
means that people who seem to be normal in daily lives can suddenly behave
strangely. Maybe they do it unconsciously (Baron, 15).
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Maslow states that, “much of human behavior can be explained by the
individual’s tendency to seek the personal goal that makes life rewarding and
meaningful” (Hjlle and Ziegler, 368). It means that one forms his behavior in order to
achieve the goal in his life and try to make his life meaningful.
Human behavior can be distinguished into normal behavior and abnormal
behavior. A person is considered normal if his/her behavior conforms to, or not
deviating from the usual or the average norm, not suffering from mental disorder or
mental deficiency. If his/her behavior deviates from this norm, he or she is considered
abnormal (Ross 8).
2.1.3.1 Factors Influencing Abnormal Behavior
According to Lidz (1986), the factors influencing abnormal behavior are
divided into six parts. The first factor is hereditary factor. It happens in psychosa case,
tuberculosis disease, neurosis, idiocy, psychosa syphilistic (by syphilis disease).
The second factor is pre-natal factor. Some causes are responsible for this.
First, it is caused by lack of nutrition, infection and wounds, poisoning during
pregnancy. The next is during pregnancy the mother suffers from cholera disease,
typhoid fever, chronical tropicana malaria, bof, syphilis, mazelen, and tuberculosis.
These interfere the baby. The baby’s blood is poisoned, and it causes abnormality in
the brain system. It can be also caused by sedative medicine consumption by mothers
intoxicates the baby. Next, it happens when the mother suffers from psychosa
(lunacy) in the middle of pregnancy, or before delivery. Panic, shocks and stressful
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situation also cause the abnormality. Finally, when the mother experiences a heavy
stroke in the stomach and it hits the head of the fetus or another part of its body (31).
The third factor influencing abnormal behavior is birth. There are a lot of risks
during the delivery. Either the mother or the baby may suffer from risks. Especially
when she gives the first birth. Solid pressures in the uterus hamper the baby’s head.
The pressures cause intracranial haemorrhage or serebral haemorrhage. The fourth
factor is post-natal. The hindrance and the accidents occur in the first three years.
Factors causing the abnormality are like traumatic experiences, the head injury, and
stiff; the baby suffers a high temperature and also an infection (32)
The fifth factor is psychosocial. This covers five causes. The first is traumatic
experience in the childhood. This psychological trauma leaves scars in a child’s life
until she or he grows up. Psychological trauma is the experience that destroys the
sense of security, sense of ability, pride, and it will be hard to recover from the
trauma. The second is called parental deprivation, lacks of love from the parents; the
parents do not provide their children with love and enough attention in their lives.
They do not give their children emotional stimulation that is, warmth, psychical
contact, intellectual stimulation, affection, and social stimulation. The third cause is
the relationship between children and their parents. It creates a lot of problems and
obstacles in their lives, such as rejections, overprotection, unrealistic demands, over
permissive actions, and parents that over spoilt the children. The next cause is the
parents themselves. Family structure can determine the variety of communication
among the members. A certain family structure makes an unhealthy communication
pattern, and it will influence the emergence of obstacles of the members. The last is
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heavy stress. It is the condition that makes people under pressure. The heavy stress
can also be caused by the frustration in losing his pride, norm conflicts in the society
and modern life style pressure (34).
The last factor influencing abnormal behavior is socio cultural. For example,
people become the victims in the discrimination based on a certain group or political
affiliations, economic recession and unemployment, and social changes and
technological achievements (35).
2.1.3.2 The Influence of Parental Behavior on Children’s Behavior
Robinson
states that abnormal behavior in the individual is usually a reflection or “symptom” of
unhealthy family (in Sue 104). He also says that behavior is ruled largely by the
attributes of the family, especially the way the parents behave towards their children.
In those statements, it can be clearly understood that parents take the biggest part in
shaping their children’s behavior. Parents have the major share of responsibility for
socializing the children. If parents behave towards the children as though they are
worthwhile, the children are likely to develop a positive self-image and sense of selfworth. This sense of self is needed by all people to endure through defeats, conflicts,
and many other stressors.
According to Sullivan, parents who do not see their children as worthwhile
persons or belittle and antagonize the children may cause the children to develop a
negative self-image (93-94). Erik Erikson also stresses child-parents relationship. He
points out that parental love and attention are important in the children’s development
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of a sense of trust. How trust develops in the children depends very much on the
parents (56).
According to Craig, parents’ behavior also affects children’s behavior in three
ways (322). First, parents serve as models for the child to identify with and imitate. A
child will imitate the actions that he sees from his parents. If he sees his father usually
beat his mother when they have a fight, the child will automatically beats his friends
when he is unpleased. Second, most parents have specific expectations about the way
they want their children to respond and behave. Children take a look on how their
parents behave in daily life. They will consider an event as a positive thing if their
parents give a positive response. Finally, parents control the rewards and discipline
the child receives. It means that when parents give rewards to their children when they
have good grades in schools, that will motivate the children to learn hard to get the
best grade in schools.
Based on several research studies, it can be said that restrictive parents tend to
have dependent, obedient, and compliant children. Kagan and Moss, find that the
long-term effects of childhood restrictiveness are much more stable in girls than boys
(325). Most dependent girls remain this way as adults because dependence is often
expected of girls. Therefore, this behavior is reinforced, as they grow older. Boys are
expected to be assertive, and they soon learn to inhibit signs of dependence.
According to Craig, parental behavior on a child can also strongly determine how well
the child achieves social intimacy, personal autonomy, and an understanding of his
place in the social environment (411).
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2.1.4 Children Psychological Development
According to Erikson (81-88) there are eight stages of development. Erikson’s
stages of development emphasizes on the importance of individual’s interaction with
the social environment in shaping behavior. The following are the explanations.
The first stage is 0-1 year old. At the beginning of the first year of life, the
baby spends most of the time eating and sleeping. In this stage, the baby builds the
trust on his mother. The ability to do all these things may develop a sense of basic
trust (101). The second stage is 2 to 3 years old. In this stage, the child learns to
control himself. If he succeeds, he will feel proud. And failing to do so brings him the
feelings of shame and doubt, which lead the child to leave this stage with a lasting
sense of insecurity. In this stage, children’s curiosity is growing stronger; the infants
absorb the information very quickly and learn to imitate it (82).
The third stage is 4 to 5 years old. The child begins to master skills and tries
hard to perform well. The danger of this stage is the development of guilt. The child
has already begun to learn what is forbidden. However, his ambitions are unlimited
and he may become aggressive and manipulative in trying to achieve his goals (83).
As in Freudian system, this is the time of Oedipus Complex.
The forth stage is 6 to 12 years old. This stage is more or less equivalent to the
Freudian period of latency. Gradually, his interest in playing is passed over by a
concern to produce and to learn how to use the tools of work. The danger in this stage
is that if the child fails to master the tasks of school and home, he may develop a
lasting sense of inferiority. In this stage, the child begins to understand what happens
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in his society (84). If the child’s needs are not fulfilled in his family, he will feel that
something is missing in his life and tries to find his own identity.
The fifth stage is 13 to 19 years old. According to Erikson, this stage is just
beginning to form an identity. Adolescents begin to sense their individuality. They
become aware that they have the strength to control their own destinies and to define
themselves and their goals (85).
The sixth stage is 20 to 30 years old. Young adults are ready and eager to unite
their identities with those of others. They seek relationship of intimacy, friendship and
working relationship, as well as loving. They are ready to develop the strength they
will need to fulfill commitments to others, even though commitment needs some
sacrifice and compromise. Erikson states that the danger in this stage lies in isolation.
It is the inability to take chanced with one’s identity by sharing true intimacy. An
unstable identity may take one avoid relations with others and lead him/her to
isolation (99).
The seventh stage is 31 to 65 years old. This stage sees the development of
generativity. It is concern with establishing and guiding the next generation. In
general, this means that adults want to have children to whom they can transmit their
values. More broadly, generativity includes productivity and creativity. By not giving
to the need for generativity, one risks stagnation, in which impoverished personality
and regresses into self-concern (103).
The last stage is 66 to… years old. People in this stage perceive that others
have lived differently and they are prepared to defend the dignity of their own lifestyles. One creates one’s own life style within the culture or civilization in which one
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lives. The danger is that one may feel desperate because of the nearness to death. One
may feel that one’s life has been without meaning and there is no time to go back and
begin again. They can show to the young a feeling of completeness that can
counteract with the feeling of being helpless and dependent, of being finished with
life (105).
According to Craig (396), middle childhood (ages 6 to 12) is the time when
the child is adjusting to the new environment of school, is forming close ties with
people outside the home, and is developing work and play habits along with many
new interests. During this period, the child experiences many new things and
challenges which prepare him for adolescence and adulthood.
2.1.5 Family
According to Pikunnas, family is an enduring social group based on marriage
and blood relationship (58). As a primary group, the family with children is bound
together by kinship and intimate relations marked by care, affection, and support, as
well as mutual sharing in various activities and concerns. The leading functions of
family are providing affection, support, and companionship, bearing and raising
children, teaching and transmitting culture, religion, economics, and moral to the
young, developing personalities, dividing and discharging labor within the family
outside.
Horton and Hunt (216) state that family is the basic social institution from
which other institutions have grown as increasing cultural complexity made the
necessary. Therefore, family is very important in forming society in which it is the
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basic institution, which develops the society. Further, they say that family is very
important in children rearing and to fulfill human needs. Family must carry a lot of
functions such as conceiving and raising the children, caring for the ill and aged, etc.
Besides, the members of a family have certain responsibilities toward one another.
The World Book Encyclopedia (24-25) explains that most people belong to
two families during their lives, the first as the children and the second as parents.
Marriage becomes the beginning of a family life. When a woman and a man get
married, they become the husband and the wife and are responsible for supporting and
caring for the children. The success of a marriage depends on what the members want
and how they live.
Family is also a chief vehicle for ensuring a smooth or a rough start life since
family makes up the basis for every society. It serves three vital humans needs found
everywhere. First, the family provides for the protection and early training of infants.
Human infants are perhaps the most helpless of all living creatures. They must be fed,
washed, and dressed. They cannot move far by themselves. As they grew older, they
must be trained to be a responsible member of the society. Third, the family sets up a
division of labor so that each member of contributes something. The man usually
earns a living while the women looks for the children. Both parents care for the
children, who also assume responsibilities as they grow up.
Family plays the important roles in the children development. According to
Sullivan if parents behave properly, they will develop good self-image and self-worth.
But if their parents do not see them their children as worthwhile persons, they will
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cause the negative self-image development (93-94). Children will understand who
they are and their roles in social life for the first time in family.
Children receive their first training in their home. Kaalish states that parents and
other significant figures probably have the greatest influence of values and attitudes
because the parents have the authority in estimating child’s attitudes (55). Parents are
models for the children, whether consciously or unconsciously, they will copy the
models. The children live with parents, so they internalize the parents’ values such
education, religion, humanism, and work. It will be easier for children to adapt to the
family and the closest people value, which he interacts, rather than other people.
2.2 Criticism
Rohrberger and Woods in Reading and Writing about Literature state their
opinion that after the readers understand the literary work, they will judge and value
any work of literature, and the judgments on the work of literature is called criticisms.
Each person might make different critics depends on the taste of each person (3).
Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye which becomes the subject of my study, also
receives many criticism from critics. Toni Morrison is a very talented Afro-American
author who receives a Nobel Prize for literature. She was the first black woman to
receive such award. The Bluest Eye was her first novel. The story talks about an AfroAmerican little girl who wishes to have blue eyes with a hope that her life could be
better.
With all of the writing talents, revealing ideas in the novels, and the dedication
to the literary world she has, Toni Morrison succeeds in getting attention of many
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criticisms. There are many critics and literary experts who try to analyze her work.
They also give comments and criticisms on her. Her works have been seen not only as
exemplifying the struggle of a particular people, but also as illustrating the problems
and emotions of all human beings. She is admired for her use of language and her
interesting narrative devices.
Those criticisms, comments, ideas, and appreciations have given the
contributions to literature directly and indirectly. They give the contributions directly
because they dedicate those criticisms to the author himself/herself or to the work of
literature. The purpose of those criticisms are aimed to let the authors know what their
strengths and weaknesses are, so the authors may improve the work of literature based
on those criticisms. The authors also have a chance to acknowledge and to focus on
the weaknesses in themselves; so, they can be more motivated to improve.
Sue Houchins states that Toni Morrison focuses almost exclusively on AfricanAmerican
characters,
and
draws
upon
black
folk
traditions
(http://www.georgetown.edu/bassr/heath/syllabuild/iguide/morrison.html accessed on
April 20, 2008). It is true that in all of her literary works, such as dramas and novels,
she uses African-American people as the major characters. Although Toni Morrison
also put some white characters in her novels, but they do not have the major roles and
do not play as much roles as the African-American characters do. In her novel, The
Bluest Eye that I used as the pr