The old traditions that create life tragedy of Chieko, one of the major characters of Yasunari Kawabata`s The Old Capital - USD Repository

  

THE OLD TRADITIONS THAT CREATE LIFE TRAGEDY OF

CHIEKO, ONE OF THE MAJOR CHARACTERS OF

YASUNARI KAWABATA’S THE OLD CAPITAL

  

A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree

in English Language Education

  By Olivera Ika Candra Yuliastuti

  Student Number: 051214154

  

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM

DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION

FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

YOGYAKARTA

2012

  

THE OLD TRADITIONS THAT CREATE LIFE TRAGEDY OF

CHIEKO, ONE OF THE MAJOR CHARACTERS OF

YASUNARI KAWABATA’S THE OLD CAPITAL

  

A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree

in English Language Education

  By Olivera Ika Candra Yuliastuti

  Student Number: 051214154

  

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM

DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION

FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

YOGYAKARTA

2012

  "We can do no great things, only small things with great love"

  

(Mother Teresa)

  “Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it, boldness has genius, power, and magic in it”

  

(Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)

  "Learning is finding out what we already know. Doing is demonstrating that you know it. Teaching is reminding others that they know just as well as you. You are all learners, doers, and teachers"

  

(Richard Bach)

  This thesis is dedicated to my beloved parents:

  

ABSTRACT

  Yuliastuti, Olivera Ika Candra. (2012). The Old Traditions that Create Life

  

Tragedy of Chieko, One of the Major Characters of Yasunari Kawabata’s

The Old Capital. Yogyakarta: English Education Study Program, Department of

  Language and Arts Education, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, Sanata Dharma University.

  This study discusses Yasunari Kawabata’s The Old Capital. The novel tells the story of an adopted daughter named Chieko. Her life is filled with hardship and personal tragedy. First, she is abandoned by her biological parents; second, her love is betrayed by Hideo; third, her marriage is cancelled; and fourth, her loneliness for being left by her twin sister. However, she tries to face it with great motivation.

  The aim of this study is to see Chieko’s tragic life and how she deals with it. There are two problems to answer, namely, “How is Chieko described in the novel?” and “Why does Chieko have to go through her tragic life?”

  The method used in this thesis is the library research. Its main source is the novel The Old Capital by Yasunari Kawabata. Other sources are taken from related books, journals, articles, and the internet. The theories used are the theory of character and characterization, theory of tradition, theory of tragedy, and theory of motivation. The approach used is psychological approach.

  There are two findings. The first one shows that Chieko has got fair skin and has long hair. Her appearance is boring, uninteresting, and old fashion. She is also obedient, kind, honest, and talented. The second finding says that she is the victim of the practice of the old traditional value.

  It is suggested that further researchers deal with feminism versus traditional values and the symbolism in the novel. It is also recommended that the novel is used as the materials to teach Paragraph Writing.

  Keywords: tradition, tragedy, major character, The Old Capital

  

ABSTRAK

  Yuliastuti, Olivera Ika Candra. (2012). The Old Traditions that Create Life

  

Tragedy of Chieko, One of the Major Characters of Yasunari Kawabata’s

The Old Capital. Yogyakarta: Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan, Program

Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Universitas Sanata Dharma.

  Studi ini membahas novel Yasunari Kawabata yang berjudul The Old

  

Capital . Novel ini menceritakan tentang seorang anak angkat yang bernama

  Chieko. Hidupnya penuh dengan kesulitan dan tragedi pribadi. Pertama, ia dibuang oleh orang tua kandungnya; kedua, cintanya dikhianati oleh Hideo; ketiga, pernikahannya dibatalkan; dan keempat, kesepiannya karena ditinggalkan oleh saudara kembarnya. Namun, ia mencoba menghadapinya dengan motivasi yang besar.

  Tujuan dari studi ini adalah untuk melihat kehidupan tragis Chieko dan bagaimana ia menghadapi itu. Ada dua masalah untuk menjawab, yaitu “Bagaimana Chieko dideskripsikan dalam novel?” dan “Mengapa Chieko harus melalui hidupnya yang tragis?”

  Metode yang digunakan dalam tesis ini adalah penelitian kepustakaan. Sumber utamanya adalah novel Yasunari Kawabata yang berjudul The Old

Capital . Sumber lain diambil dari buku-buku terkait, jurnal, artikel, dan internet.

  Teori yang digunakan adalah teori karakter dan karakterisasi, teori tradisi, teori tragedi, dan teori motivasi. Pendekatan yang digunakan adalah pendekatan psikologis.

  Terdapat dua hasil. Yang pertama menunjukkan bahwa Chieko mempunyai kulit yang indah dan rambut yang panjang. Penampilannya membosankan, tidak menarik, dan ketinggalan zaman. Dia juga penurut, baik hati, jujur, dan berbakat. Hasil kedua menyebutkan bahwa ia adalah korban dari praktek nilai tradisional kuno.

  Disarankan kepada peneliti yang selanjutnya untuk mendiskusikan feminisme vs nilai-nilai tradisional dan simbolisme dalam novel. Hal ini juga dianjurkan sebagai bahan untuk mengajar Paragrah Writing.

  Kata kunci: tradisi, tragedi, tokoh utama, Ibu Kota Tua

  

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  I would like to give my greatest thanks to Jesus Christ for all of His blessings throughout my life; in my past, present, and future. I praise Him because I have finished my undergraduate thesis. Everything is possible with His love.

  I would like to sincerely express my deepest gratitude to my advisor,

  

Dr.Antonius Herujiyanto, M.A., for his time, guidance, support, patience,

  suggestions, and assistance in completing this thesis. I am very happy and proud that he has been willing to guide me in writing this thesis. Without his feedback, I am sure that this thesis would never have been completed. He is the kindest lecturer that I have met. I thank him and pray for his happiness and health.

  My next gratitude is for all lecturers of the English Language

  

Education Study Program for guiding and teaching me during my study at

  Sanata Dharma University. I also thank all staff of the English Language

  

Education Study Program secretariat, especially Mbak Dhaniek and Mbak

Tari, for giving me their best service and assisting me during my years of study at

  Sanata Dharma University.

  My deepest gratitude goes to my beloved parents Antonius Riyatmo and

  

Maria Rini Windarti for their never ending support, patience, and prayers. I am

  sorry for taking so much time in finishing my thesis. My gratitude also goes to my brothers Iput and Yoga. My special gratitude goes to my grandpa SY. Paiman

  

Siswosudarmo, my Uncle De Wik, and my Aunts Lek Anti and Lek Mami for

their prayers and motivation.

  I am especially thankful to my boyfriend, Benediktus Analius Giawa, for his time, patience, love, support, and care. I thank him for his big contribution in accompanying me while I wrote my thesis in the library almost every day for three months. His support has made me brave enough to step towards my future.

  I am grateful to my best friends Yuantari Ananingsih (Bow-bow),

  

Yohanna Kurnita (Nyit-nyit), and Triastuti Dian Kusumartini, for the

friendship, trust, adventure, laughter, tears, and support they have given me.

  Thanks for being my very best friends. Keep in touch, girls.

  I would like to thank Christopher Allen Woodrich for spending his valuable time proofreading every word I write, including my many mistakes. I would also like to thank all the teachers and students at SDN Tegalrejo I, TK

  

Indriyasana Baciro, and TK Kanisius Notoyudan for their support and prayers

so I can finish this thesis.

  I thank Mami Cika, Vita, Nova, Tunda and Indro for sharing and encouraging me to finish my thesis. Last but not least, I thank all my friends at

  PBI class of 2005 for their love and support in the process of writing this thesis.

  Olivera Ika Candra Y

  

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

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

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

DEDICATION PAGE ..................................................................................... iv

STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY ............................................. v

LEMBAR PERNYATAANPERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI ............................ vi

ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................... vii

ABSTRAK ......................................................................................................... viii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................ ix

TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................ xi

LIST OF APPENDICES ................................................................................ xiii

  CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study ................................................

  1 B. Aim of the Study .............................................................

  4 C. Problem Formulation ......................................................

  4 D. Benefits of the Study ......................................................

  5 E. Definition of Terms ........................................................

  5 CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE A. Review of Related Theories ...........................................

  7 1. Theory of Critical Approach .....................................

  7 2. Theory of Character ..................................................

  8 3. Theory of Characterization .......................................

  9

  4. Theory of Tradition .................................................. 10

  5. Theory of Tragedy .................................................... 15

  B. Theoretical Framework ................................................... 16

  CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY A. Object of the Study ......................................................... 17 B. Approach of the Study .................................................... 19 C. Method of the Study ....................................................... 19 CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS A. Description of Chieko’s Character ................................. 21

  1. Physical Description ................................................. 21

  2. Personality Description ............................................. 23

  a. Obedient .............................................................. 23

  b. Kind .................................................................... 24

  c. Honest ................................................................. 25

  d. Talented .............................................................. 27

  B. Chieko’s Tragic Life ....................................................... 28

  1. Chieko is Abandoned by her Biological Parents ........ 29

  2. Her Love Betrayed by Hideo .................................... 33

  3. Her Marriage is Canceled ......................................... 39

  4. Her loneliness for being Left by her Twin Sister ..... 43

  CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS A. Conclusions .................................................................... 47 B. Suggestions ..................................................................... 50

  1. Suggestion for the Future Researchers ....................... 50

  2. Suggestion for Teaching-Learning Process ................ 51

  

REFERENCES ................................................................................................ 52

  LIST OF APPENDICES

APPENDIX A The Summary of The Old Capital .......................................... 54

APPENDIX B The Biography of Yasunari Kawabata .................................. 56

APPENDIX C Lesson Plan ............................................................................ 60

APPENDIX D

  Learning Material .................................................................. 62

  

APPENDIX E The Picture of Obi ................................................................. 67

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION This chapter consists of five parts, namely Background of the Study, Aim

  of the Study, Problem Formulation, Benefits of the Study, and Definition of Terms. First, Background of the Study explains the importance of discussing Yasunari Kawabata’s The Old Capital. Second, Aim of the Study shows the goal of this study. Third, Problem Formulation consists of two questions, which describe the problems that will be analyzed. Fourth, Benefits of the Study shows advantages readers may get from the study. Fifth, Definition of Terms gives a short explanation about some terms related to study, which serves to avoid misunderstandings and misinterpretations.

A. Background of the Study

  Novels have been read by many people throughout the world. There is no age limit for reading novels; anyone, from children to adults, is able to read novels. Novels can drive readers’ feeling. The readers can feel happy, satisfied, scared, anxious, and/or sad when they read. Some novels teach about life, which helps the readers in their understanding of life. Van de Laar and Schoonderwoerd write that a novel has value because it shows new aspects of our daily life and gives meaning to life, so that life will be more valuable for us (1963, p.162). This encouraged the writer to carry out the study of a novel that can help further one’s understanding of life.

  Novels are works of literature. Van de Laar and Schoonderwoerd in An

  

Approach to English Literature describe novels as “a work of art insofar as it

  introduces us into a living world, in the respects resembling the world we live in, but with an individuality of its own” (1963, p.163). Therefore, literature and human life are highly related. They have a significant relationship each other.

  Old traditions are an interesting topic for discussion. A tradition is something that is inherited from the past to the present. (Shils, 1981, p.12). If something lasts only for a short time, then it cannot be called a tradition. However, if it can last for three generations then it can be called a tradition (Shils, 1981, p.15).

  Each country has different traditions, but not all can endure. Factors that can exacerbate the loss of tradition include globalization, industrialization, assimilation of specific cultural groups, and progress of the society mindset. Therefore, we are expected to maintain the tradition so that we can remember our ancestors. But not all traditions can be accepted. There are some old traditions that can cause tragedy. One example is an old tradition from Java, namely julung

  

caplok . That is the tradition in which a child born at twilight is believed to bring

  misfortune, leading to the parents abandoning it. The child becomes a victim of the old traditions of the region.

  Such a situation can be found in Yasunari Kawabata’s The Old Capital. It was published in 1962 and cited specifically by the Nobel Committee in 1968 when they awarded Kawabata the Nobel Prize for Literature. It was first translated into English in 1987 by J. Martin Holman. A revised edition of his translation was published in 2006 by Counterpoint. The original version of The Old Capital is in the Japanese language, under the title Koto.

  Through this novel, the author reveals the tragic life of an abandoned child named Chieko, one of the major characters of Yasunari Kawabata’s The Old

  

Capital . The character is described as one who lives in a family that still upholds

  the old traditions of Kyoto. She lives in a harmonious family and is loved, but she feels the tragedy of life. She feels alone and that she has been abandoned, betrayed, and humiliated.

  The old tradition that causes tragedy in Chieko’s life is an old one, namely twins not being accepted in society. Because of it she was abandoned by her parents. She became the victim of an old tradition of Kyoto. It is the beginning of the tragedies that she goes through.

  She is abandoned in front of the home of Takichiro and Shige. Takichiro is a Kyoto-based kimono designer and Shige is his wife who helps him run the slowly declining business. When Chieko is in middle school, Shige tells her that she was adopted. Chieko discovers something tragic, that she has been abandoned by her biological parents. Generally, an abandoned child is one who is not expected by his or her parents.

  Another tragedy is when Hideo betrays her love. Hideo is a weaver who really loves Chieko. He shows his love by weaving an obi for her. Chieko also loves him. One day Hideo meets Naeko, Chieko’s twin. Suddenly he falls in love with Naeko and proposes to her. It makes Chieko very surprised.

  Her status as an abandoned child creates a tragedy for her planned marriage. She really loves Ryusuke. Ryusuke also loves her. One day his father tells Takichiro that he wants to match Ryusuke with Chieko. However, Ryusuke’s father cancels the match when he learns that Chieko is only an abandoned child.

  The last tragedy is her loneliness after being left by her twin sister, Naeko. Naeko does not want to live with her. Naeko thinks that twin sisters are still not acceptable in the society. Other reasons include that she does not want to cause a trouble for Chieko and feels guilty her parents’ mistake.

  This study will explore the old traditions experienced by Chieko and their influences on Chieko’s life, especially on her tragic life. In other words, this study deals with the reason why Chieko must go through her tragic life.

  B. Aim of the Study

  The aim of the study is to examine Chieko’s tragic life and how she deals with it.

  C. Problem Formulation

  Based on the discussion, several problems can be formulated as follows:

  1. How is Chieko described in the novel?

  2. Why does Chieko have to go through her tragic life?

  D. Benefits of the Study

  By studying a novel, students of the English Education Study Program can obtain several benefits. Literary appreciation, especially of English literature, can be improved. Students can also learn a lot about tradition. They can learn new vocabularies, improve their knowledge about studying literary works, and find the pleasure of reading a novel.

  Meanwhile, for the lecturers of English Language Study Program, the novel The Old Capital may be used as a material to teach Paragraph Writing, Book Reports, Introduction to Literature, Cross Cultural Understanding, Prose, and Reading. Lecturers can also encourage students to love reading by using this novel.

  E. Definitions of Terms

  To avoid ambiguities, misunderstanding, and vagueness in this thesis and to provide an accurate analysis and explanation in resolving the previously- formulated problems, the writer will use some term definitions from several experts.

1. Character

  According to Abrams, the word character has two meanings. First is the character as a literary genre: a short, usually witty, sketch in prose of a distinctive type of person. Second is character as a person, in dramatic or narrative work, endowed with moral and dispositional qualities that are expressed in what they say and what they do (1993, p.20). In his book An Introduction to Fiction, Stanton says the word character refers to the individuals who appear in the story (1965, p.17). In this study, the writer utilizes the theory of character to find out the personality of Chieko, the main character of Yasunari Kawabata’s The Old Capital.

  2. Tradition

  According to Shils (1981, p.12), tradition means something that is inherited from the past to the present. If something lasts only for a short time then it cannot be called a tradition. However, if it can last for three generations then it can be called a tradition (Shils, 1981, p.15). The writer utilizes the theory of tradition to find out the traditions which happened in Chieko’s life.

  3. Tragedy

  According to Gordon, tragedy is human nature or the reasons why humans suffer. Since tragedy deals with how man faces his misfortunes, it helps us to define what man is and what he can be (1973, p.1). In this study, the writer is going to see Chieko’s tragic life.

CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE This chapter consists of two parts. The first part is a Review of Related Theories, which is subdivided into the Theory of Critical Approach, Theory of Character, Theory of Characterization, Theory of Tradition, and Theory of Tragedy. The second part states Theoretical Framework that describes how the theories reviewed are applied to solve the problem formulated in the first chapter. A. Review of Related Theories

2. Theory of Critical Approach

  Rohrberger and Woods state that a critical approach to literature necessitates and understanding of work’s nature, function and positive values contained in literary work, such as novel, to provide the means whereby readers can understand how literature is shaped (1971, p.3). There are five critical approaches defined by them, namely, the formalist approach, biographical approach, sociocultural-historical approach, mythopoeic approach, and psychological approach (pp.6-15). The first approach is formalist approach. This approach deals with the elements essential for an admiration toward the ideas and personality of the author to comprehend the literary object (p.6).

  The second approach is biographical approach. Biographical approach recognizes the need for an appreciation of ideas and personality of the author to understand the literary object (Rohrberger and Woods, 1971, p.6). The third approach is sociocultural-historical approach. This approach insists that a reference of the civilization that produces the work of art is merely the way to trace the actual work. The proponents of this approach define civilization as behavior resulting from the way people think and feel, and also the actions of a specific group of people; and show that literature takes these behaviors as the issue. Therefore, it is crucial that the critics examine the social milieu where a work was produced and which it reflects (p.9).

  The fourth approach is mythopoeic approach. This approach deals with the finding of a certain universally periodic mold of human notion, which is understood to find expression in noteworthy works of arts (p.9). The fifth approach is psychological approach. This approach deals with the attempt to discover and exhibit certain periodic molds. Furthermore, the psychological approach draws on a diverse body of knowledge.

  This study uses the sociocultural-historical approach to accomplish the analysis. The sociocultural-historical approach leads us to analyze the story in reference to the civilization in Japan. By using this approach it enables the writer to analyze the relation among the old traditions and life tragedy of Chieko, one of the major characters of Yasunari Kawabata’s The Old Capital.

3. Theory of Character

  Abrams gives two definitions of the word character. First, he states that character is “a literary genre: a short, usually witty, sketch in prose of a distinctive type of person”. Second, he states that character is “the person, in a dramatic or narrative work, endowed with moral and dispositional qualities that are expressed in what they say – the dialogue – and what they do – the action” (1993, p.20).

  Therefore, a character is the person in a narrative work and his or her traits or characteristics.

  In his book, An Introduction to Fiction, Stanton says the word character refers to the individuals who appear in the story (1965, p.17). Miligan (1983, p.195) says that there are two kinds of characters found in a story, the major and secondary characters. The major characters are those who appear more often than the other characters in the story. It means that the character becomes the center of the story and also its focus, from the beginning to the end. The secondary characters are those who appear less often in the story. It means that the characters only appear in a certain setting. The characters have less important roles than major characters’ role.

4. Theory of Characterization

  Rohrberger and Woods state that characterization is an author’s creative process in creating a character. This process consists of describing the character’s physical appearance, style, manner, thought, action and other’s opinion about him or her (1971, p.231). According to Murphy, there are nine ways an author may reveal the characters’ personality and traits to the readers. They are personal description, character as seen by another, speech, past life, conversation of others, reaction, direct comment, thoughts, mannerism (1972, pp.161-173).

  First is personal description, which means the author describes the characters’ appearances directly. Second is character as seen by another, which means the author uses another character’s opinions to describe a character. Third is speech, which means that what a character says can give the reader some clues to his/her character. Fourth is past life, which means the author gives a clue to characters’ past events that help the reader understand his or her character.

  Fifth is conversation of others, which means the conversation of other people and the things they say about a character can be a clue to the person’s characteristics. Sixth is reaction, which means the author helps the readers to recognize a person’s character by describing how that person reacts to various situations and events. Seventh is direct comment which means the author gives a comment on a person’s characteristic directly.

  Eighth is thoughts, which means the author can give his readers direct knowledge of what a person is thinking about. Ninth is mannerism, which means the author can tell his readers about the character’s characteristic from the character’s mannerisms, habits and idiosyncrasies. The writer utilizes the theory of characterization to analyze what sort of character Chieko is described in the novel. This is also to obtain the description of Chieko’s character.

5. Theory of Tradition

a. Tradition

  Tradition means many things. In its barest it is simply a traditum, anything that is inherited from the past to the present. That is no statement about what is inherited or in what particular combination or whether it is a physical object or a cultural construction; it says nothing about how long it has been passed or in what manner, whether orally or in written form (Shils,1981, p.12). The word tradition comes from the Latin traditio, which means a ritual, relief or object passed down within a society, still maintained in the present, with origins in the past. Originally, traditions are passed orally, without the need for a writing system (“Tradition”, n.d).

  According to Shils, the conception of tradition is silent about whether there is acceptable evidence for the truth of the tradition or whether the tradition is accepted without its validity having been established. The decisive criterion is that having been created through human actions, through thought and imagination, it is handed down from one generation to the next. (1981, p.12). A way of expressing the duration of a tradition is to speak of it in terms of generations. At a minimum, two transmissions over three generations are required for a pattern of belief or action to be considered a tradition (p.15).

b. Cultural Values

  According to Vansina, the cultural values of a society are those ideas and feelings which are accepted by the majority of its members as unquestioned assumptions. Cultural values are the prejudices and a society. Obviously the aims pursued by each individual are closely linked with these values. However, they also play a major role in the society as a whole, since they are ultimate guarantee of its functioning and perpetuation (1965, pp.95-96).

  Cultural values color testimonies in three main ways. First is through the medium of the first informant. It means that they determine the choice of what events to record and the significance attached to them. Second is through the medium of certain cultural concepts. It means that chiefly those concerning time and historical development, they distort chronology and the historical perspective. Third is through the medium of the past. It means that they make testimonies conform to cultural ideas, thus turning them into examples to be followed (Vansina, 1965, pp.97-108).

c. Japanese Tradition

  1) Twins must be separated Twins are not common in Japan. Back in the day, it was believed that having twins was a bestial act; hence it was common to hide this reality by doing separate registrations or in the case of Kawabata’s characters, to be abandoned. It is in understanding this old belief that found an appreciation for the author’s decision to put tension in Chieko discovering she had a twin up in the cedar village (Anonymous, 1936).

  Anthropologists have long suspected that twins are born less frequently than among whites in Japan. Japanese mothers Confirmation has been difficult because Japanese mothers believe that to bear more than one child at a time is a bestial act. Therefore, they often hide the birth of twins to separate their children from infancy. (Anonymous, 1936).

  2) Matchmaking Matchmaking is the process of matching two people together, usually for the purpose of marriage. Matchmaking is usually called as an arranged marriage.

  It is a practice in which someone other than the couple getting married makes the selection of the persons to be wed, meanwhile avoiding the process of courtship.

  Arranged marriages vary in both nature and duration of time from meeting to engagement. In arranged marriage, the parents may only introduce their son or daughter to a potential husband or wife. From that point on, it is up to the children to manage the relationship and make a choice. There is no set time period. This is common in Japan (“Matchmaking”).

  Parents applied the three criteria to screen their future son-in-laws or daughter-in-law. Those criteria are pedigree (bibit), quality (bobot), and rank (bebet) (Aida, 2000).

  Pedigree means origin. This relates to your family background, whether you have 'normal' well-behaved parents and siblings or not. A few decades ago, blue-blooded gentlemen who were related to the Kings and their associates were highly preferred. At the present time within the modern society, these titles of nobility mean almost nothing.

  Rank means social rank. Sometimes it doesn't really matter whether your salary is hardly enough to feed the family or not, as long as you have a 'big name' rank

  Quality means the quality of the person. Ideally, people who have done a lot of property fit this criterion. But quality can also be translated as weight. It means that the heavier you are - the wealthier you are (Aida, 2000).

  3) Obi Obi and kimono are the traditional clothing of the Edo period, (1600-

  1868). However, the obi did not become a prominent part of a woman’s ensemble until the mid Edo period. It was then that designers, weavers and dyers all focused their talent on creating a longer, wider and more elaborate obi. Obi measurement was then standardized to 360 cm long by 30 cm wide (Anonymous, 2001).

  Edo fashion was influenced by the design and style that entertainers wear. Women of the samurai class continued to wear the simpler kimono, tied together with an obi made of braided cords. Characterized by long, flowing sleeves, the kimono was accented by a large, loosely tied obi.

  For many years, the obi bow was tied either at the front or on the side. By the mid-Edo period, the obi bow was tied in the back position. It was said that this style started in the mid-1700s when a Kabuki actor, imitating a young girl, came on stage with his obi tied in the back. Another reason that the back position became more acceptable was that the sheer bulk of the wider obi became too cumbersome to be positioned in the front of the kimono.

  The Meiji era, (1868-1912) witnessed a revolution in the textile industry with the advent of electric weaving looms and chemical dying techniques from the West. During this time, a woman's kimono stopped to be worn in the free-flowing style of the earlier days. The new fashion was to tuck the kimono at the waist to adjust the length of the kimono to the woman's height. These tucks and folds were visible and became part of the art of tying the obi (Anonymous, 2001).

6. Theory of Tragedy

  According to Gordon, tragedy is a literary form that probes the nature of man or, more particularly, the reasons why man suffers. Since tragedy deals with how man faces his misfortunes, it helps us to define what man is and what he can be (1973, p.1). In this study, the writer is going to see Chieko’s tragic life.

  Morris Weitz described “a tragedy is the imitation of an action, which is both serious and has magnitude, and which is complete in itself, continues to provide the core of the representation of tragic action” (as cited in Drakakis and Liebler, 1998, p.3). Moreover, the tragic action consists of a series of related incidents which are formally organised into elements of plot involving such reversal and recognition. Through these processes tragedy arouses pity and fear, by which to accomplish its catharsis of such emotions.

  Lucien Goldmann as cited in Drakakis and Liebler described two essential characteristics of tragic man which should be noted if we are to see him as a coherent human reality.

  There are two essential characteristics of tragic man which should be noted if we are to see him as a coherent human reality: the first is that he makes this absolute and exclusive demand for impossible values; and the second is that, as a result of this, his demand is for all or nothing, and he is totaly indifferent to degrees and approximations, and to any concept containing the idea of relativity (1998, p.68).

B. Theoretical Framework

  Those theories are very helpful to support the analysis of the study. The writer provides some theories related to the critical approach, they are theory of character and characterization, theory of tradition, and theory of tragedy.

  First, the writer uses the theory related to the critical approach to help the writer in analyzing the novel. The writer uses sociocultural-historical approach to accomplish the analysis. The sociocultural-historical approach leads us to analyze the story in reference to the civilization in Japan. By using this approach it enables the writer to analyze the relation among the old traditions and life tragedy of Chieko, one of the major characters of Yasunari Kawabata’s The Old Capital.

  Second, the writer uses the theory of character and characterization to solve the first problem. Those theories are used to analyze what sort of character Chieko is described in the novel. This is also to obtain the description of Chieko’s character.

  Third, the theory of tradition and the theory of tragedy are used to solve the second problem the writer. The theory of tradition is used to identify the tragedies happened in Chieko’s life and the theory of tradition is used to identify the kind of tradition in Japan. Those theories are used to support the analysis which deals with the reason why Chieko has to go through her tragic life.

CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY This chapter consists of three parts, namely Object of the Study, Approach

  of the Study, and Method of the Study. Object of the Study states the work being discussed. Approach of the Study describes the approach used and the reasons for doing so, whereas Method of the Study explains the steps taken in analyzing the novel and how the approach is applied to answer the questions formulated in the problem formulation in Chapter 1.

A. Object of the Study In this thesis, the writer has chosen to analyze the novel The Old Capital.

  The author of The Old Capital, Yasunari Kawabata, was born in Osaka, Japan, on

  14 June 1899. He is a very famous author in Japan. His novel The Old Capital is one of the three novels cited specifically by the Nobel Committee in 1968, when they awarded Kawabata the Nobel Prize for Literature.

  The Old Capital was originally published in 1962 and first translated into

  English in 1987 by J. Martin Holman; a revised edition of his translation was published in 2006 by Counterpoint. The original version of The Old Capital is in the Japanese language and titled Koto. This novel consists of 182 pages and is divided into nine chapters. The Old Capital was adapted into Japanese feature film by Noboru Nakamura in 1963; the film is known in English under the title

  Twin Sisters of Kyoto ; this film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best

  Foreign Language Film. A second film adaptation was directed by Kon Ichikawa in 1980.

  The Old Capital tells about Chieko’s tragic life. Chieko is the adopted

  child of Takichiro and Shige. Takichiro is a Kyoto-based kimono designer and Shige is his wife, who helps him run the slowly declining business. When Chieko is in middle school, Shige tells Chieko that she is not her daughter. However, Takichiro and Shige do not tell her where she comes from. Shige says they stole a lovely baby from under the cherry blossoms at night at Gion Shrine and escaped in a car. In fact, Chieko was abandoned by her biological parents in front of the lattice door of the couple’s traditional kimono shop.

  One day, Chieko tells Shin’ichi, her childhood friend, that she is an abandoned child, a foundling. She also tells Hideo, a weaver. Both of these men love Chieko.

  At the festival the God of Yasaka in Otabisho, Chieko accidentally meets her twin sister Naeko. She does not believe that she has a sibling. Naeko lives on her own in small village in Kitayama. They look identical, to the point that Hideo thinks Naeko is Chieko. Hideo, who hopes to give an obi to Chieko, confuses the two.

  Chieko goes to Kitayama to meet Naeko. Chieko tells Naeko that Hideo will weave an obi for her, Naeko. She has explained to Hideo that it was not Chieko when he promises the obi at the festival. Then, Hideo goes to Kitayama village. He meets Naeko to give her the obi and invites her to go to the Festival of Ages. Unexpectedly, Hideo wants Naeko to marry him.

  Takichiro’s shop is having financial difficulties and Ryusuke, Shin’ichi’s brother, helps him. Chieko and Ryusuke fall in love. Initially Ryusuke’s father plans to marry his son to Chieko. However, after he knows that Chieko is a foundling, the marriage is canceled.

  One night, Naeko comes to Chieko’s house. That is the first and the last time she comes to Chieko’s house. Naeko does not want to stay with Chieko. She wants to live alone without disrupting Chieko’s life.

  B. Approach of the Study

  This study focuses on the old traditions that cause tragedy in the life of Chieko, one of the major characters of Yasunari Kawabata’s The Old Capital.

  This study uses the sociocultural-historical approach for its analysis because it takes some sociocultural aspects of reference as its basis. These approaches are then combined with an interest of the biography as well as knowledge of and interest in literary history. The writer needs to know the sociocultural aspects at that time, especially the old traditions in Japan. The sociocultural-historical approach help the writer to analyze Yasunari Kawabata’s The Old Tradition and understand the historical-cultural background related to the novel.

  C. Method of the Study

  The method used in this thesis is library research. In order to complete the study, the writer needed many sources that are divided into two kinds, namely primary (main) sources and secondary sources. Its main source is the novel The

  

Old Capital by Yasunari Kawabata. Other sources are taken from related books,

journals, articles, and the internet.

  There were some steps taken in order to find out the answer to the research problems, as follows below. First, the writer read the novel as the primary source several times. The first reading was used to gain a better understanding about the story, and subsequent readings were more in-depth, to ensure complete comprehension of the novel. While reading, notes were taken and important quotes underlined to support the analysis.

  Second, as much as information and data as possible was gathered by the writer. The information and data were found in books about literary theory and other sources related to the study, such as journals, articles, and internet.

  Third, the formulized problems were analyzed through the theories obtained in the previous step. This includes the characteristics of the major characters, which provided a better understanding of the reason why Chieko has to go through her tragic life. Finally, the novel was analyzed using the chosen approach, then compared to the original theory. From that, a conclusion was drawn.

  

CHAPTER IV

ANALYSIS This chapter aims to answer the questions formulated in Chapter I. This chapter is divided into two parts. The first part will discuss the Chieko’s character. The second part deals with the reason why Chieko has to go through her tragic life. A. Description of Chieko’s Character A major character is the focus of the story. He or she appears more often

  than other characters (Milligan, 1983, p.195). In the novel The Old Capital, Kawabata presents Chieko as one of the major characters in the story. Chieko appears from the beginning until the end of the story, because the story is about her tragic life. She serves as the center of the story.

  There are nine ways an author may reveal the characters’ personality and traits to the readers. They are personal descriptions, other characters’ views, speech, past life, conversation of others, reactions, direct comments, thoughts, and mannerisms (Murphy, 1972, pp.161-173). Those ways support each other in the analysis of the character Chieko.