Slaves`s struggles in America in the 1800s in Mark Twain`s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - USD Repository

  SLAVES’ STRUGGLES IN AMERICA IN THE 1800S IN MARK TWAIN’S THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

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

  By

ADOLPHUS SATRIA KURNIAWAN

  Student Number: 074214051

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2011

  SLAVES’ STRUGGLES IN AMERICA IN THE 1800S IN MARK TWAIN’S THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

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

  By

ADOLPHUS SATRIA KURNIAWAN

  Student Number: 074214051

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2011

NO FEAR NO SHAME NO SLOTH

  

(De Britto College) Dedicated to My Beloved Father and Mother, My

  Beloved Sister, Brother, and Niece

  

LEMBAR PERNYATAN PERSETUJUAN

PUBLIKASI KARANGAN ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN KAMPUS

  Yang bertandatangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa sanata Dharma: Nama : Adolphus Satria Kurniawan Nomor Mahasiswa : 074214051 Demi kepentingan ilmu pengetahuan saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul Slaves’ Struggles in

  

America in the 1800s in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

  beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin dari saya maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.

  Demikian pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenarnya. Dibuat di Yogyakarta. Pada tanggal : 21 September 2011 Yang menyatakan, Adolphus Satria Kurniawan

  

ACKNOWLEDEGEMENTS

  First of all I would like to thank the Lord for His blessing, so that I can finish my thesis. He always strengthens me. A deep gratitude goes to my advisor, Dewi Widyastuti, S.Pd., M.Hum., for her guidance, time, suggestions from the beginning of this thesis until it is finished. I thank my co-advisor, Dr. F. X.

  Siswadi, M.A., for his time to criticize and give advice to this thesis. I thank her for the help. I also thank the lecturers and staff of the English Letters Department.

  I believe that without their patience, I cannot finish my study and this thesis.

  My special gratitude goes to my beloved mother, father, sister, brother, and my niece. I also thank my aunt Adi Jemangin and uncle Jono. I thank them for the prayer, love, care, support, finance, and everything they have given. I also thank them for always being present for me.

  The next gratitude goes to Van Deventer Maas Stichting for the scholarship so that I can finish my study and this thesis. My gratitude also goes to Pratomo Adi Saputro and his beloved family for the help, support, and advice. I thank Robertus Yudha Widya P., Kharisma Dhita R., and Stefani Dwi Astuti for the advice, references, and helps. I also would like to thank Stella Soehardi, Laurencya Helenne, and Umi Lestari. The last but not the least gratitude goes to staff and Mitra of Library of Sanata Dharma University.

  Adolphus Satria Kurniawan

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

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

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

iii  

  ACCEPTANCE PAGE ……………………………………………………….... iv  

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

  

DEDICATION PAGE ………………………………………………………….  

vi

  

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ……………………………………………………  

vii

  

LEMBAR PERNYATAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI ………………..…  

viii

  

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

ix  

  

ABSTRACT ……………………………………………………………….……

x

  

ABSTRAK ……………………………………………...…………………..…..  

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

  1 A. Background of the Study……………………………………….…………....  

  5 B. Problem Formulation …………………………………………...…...……..  

  C. Objectives of Study …………………………………………….....……….

  5  

  D. Definition of term ………………………………………………….………

  6  

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

  7 A. Review of Related Studies ………………………………………...………  

  10 B. Review of related Theories ……………………………………..……...…..  

  1. Theory of Character and Characterization ………………...……..

  10  

  2. Theory on Setting ……………………………………........………..

  15  

  17 C. Review on Historical Background ………………………………..………..  

  17

  1. African American Past Life …………………………..……...……  

  21

  2. Slaves Struggles ………………………………………….………..  

  24 D. Theoretical Framework ………………………………...……………...…..  

  25 CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ……………………………….…………  

  25 A. Object of the Study ……………………………………...…………..……..  

  26 B. Approach of the Study ……………………………………..………………  

  27 C. Method of the Study …………………………………..…...………………  

  28  

CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS ……………………………..……………………

  28 A. Jim’s Description ……………………………………...……...……………  

  44 B. White’s Oppression toward Black People ……………….……..………….  

  54 C. Jim’s Struggle to Survive from White American Society ……...………….  

  63  

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ……………………………………..….……..

  65 BIBLIOGRAPHY ……………………………………………………...………  

  67 APPENDIX ………………………………………………………….…………  

  

ABSTRACT

  ADOLPHUS SATRIA KURNIAWAN (2011). SLAVES’ STRUGGLES IN

  

AMERICA IN THE 1800S IN MARK TWAIN’S THE ADVENTURES OF

HUCKLEBERRY FINN. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of

Letters, Sanata Dharma University.

  In the 1800s in America, Black people worked on plantations as slaves. In their daily life, oppression from White, as their owner, became the regular feature that made their life bleak. Because of the oppression, the slaves struggled in many ways. To understand the slaves’ struggles, the writer chooses Mark Twain’s The

  Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

  There are three problems formulated which are composed in this thesis. the first problem is to find out the characteristics of Jim. The second problem is to show the oppression that Jim experienced from White American society in the novel. The third problem is to reveal slaves’ struggles in the 1800s in America as represented by Jim.

  The method of the study is library research. The writer uses the sociocultural-historical approach to examine the novel. While the theories which are used are theory on character and characterization, theory on setting, and the review on historical background about slaves’ past life and slaves’ struggle in the 1800s in America. The theory on characteristic is used to reveal Jim’s characteristics. The theory on setting and the review on historical background is used to reveal White’s oppression toward Black people and Jim’s struggles.

  Jim is the character who is examined in this thesis. He is a Black man who becomes a slave. During the slavery, Jim is oppressed by the whites. The first oppression comes from Miss Watson as his owner. Jim is planned to be sold to Orleans. The plan makes Jim decide to run away. His destination is Cairo. During his running away he also experienced oppression from the Whites. Due to the oppressions, he struggles to survive. His struggles to survive from Whites’ oppression are in many forms. Related to his inferiority, he decides to run away and hide. He used to continue his running in day time so that he did not meet the White. The writer concludes that his characteristics lead him to avoid the White rather than face the White.

  

ABSTRAK

  ADOLPHUS SATRIA KURNIAWAN (2011). SLAVES’ STRUGGLES IN

  

AMERICA IN THE 1800S IN MARK TWAIN’S THE ADVENTURES OF

HUCKLEBERRY FINN. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra,

Universitas Sanata Dharma.

  Pada tahun 1800an di Amerika, orang-orang berkulit hitam bekerja di perkebunan sebagai budak. Dalam kehidupan setiap harinya, penindasan dari orang-orang kulit putih, sebagai pemiliknya, menjadi ciri umum yang biasa terjadi yang membuat hidup para budak tersebut menjadi suram. Karena penindasan tersebut, budak-budak tersebut bereaksi dalam berbagai cara. Untuk memahami perjuangan budak-budak tersebut, penulis memilih karya sastra milik Mark Twain yang berjudul The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn.

  Ada tiga rumusan masalah yang tersusun dalam skripsi ini. Rumusan masalah pertama bertujuan untuk mencari karakteristik dari Jim. Rumusan masalah kedua bertujuan untuk menunjukkan penindasan yang dialami oleh Jim dari masyarakat kulit putih dalam novel. Rumusan masalah ketiga bertujuan untuk mengungkap perjuangan budak-budak pada tahun 1800an di Amerika seperti yang digambarkan oleh Jim.

  Metode yang digunakan dalam skripsi ini adalah penelitian pustaka. Penulis menggunakan pendekatan sejarah sosial dan budaya untuk membahas novel tersebut. Sementara itu, teori yang digunakan adalah teori tentang karakter dan karakterisasi, setting, dan tinjauan latar belakang sejarah tentang kehidupan masa lampau budak-budak dan perjuangan-perjuangannya pada tahun 1800an di Amerika. Teori tentang setting and tinjauan tersebut digunakan untuk mengungkap penindasan oleh orang kulit putih terhadap orang-orang kulit hitam dan mengungkap perjuangan-perjuangan Jim.

  Jim adalah tokoh yang dibahas dalam skripsi ini. Dia adalah orang berkulit hitam yang menjadi seorang budak. Selama perbudakan, Jim ditindas oleh orang- orang kulit putih. Penindasan yang pertama kali muncul berasal dari Nona Watson sebagai pemiliknya. Rencananya, Jim akan dijual di New Orleans. Rencana tersebut membuat Jim memutuskan untuk melarikan diri. Tujuan Jim adalah Cairo. Selama pelariannya tersebut, Jim juga mengalami penindasan penindasan dari orang kulit putih. Karena penindasan tersebut, dia berjuang untuk bertahan. Perjuangannya untuk bertahan dari penindasan tersebut ia lakukan dalam berbagai cara. Sehubungan dengan karakter Jim sebagai orang yang rendah, dia memutuskan untuk melarikan diri dan bersembunyi. Dulu ia melanjutkan perjalanannya pada malam hari sehingga ia tidak bertemu dengan orang-orang kulit putih. Penulis menyimpulkan bahwa karakter Jim membuat Jim menghindari orang-orang kulit putih dari pada menghadapinya.

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study Basically, all people were born equal. From racial perspective, they cannot

  choose to be born as a certain race. This phenomenon shows that all people should be treated in the same way. In fact, there is discrimination that is still found in social life. Even, the discrimination occurs in occupational things that people always deal.

  People have to work to fulfill their daily needs. Daily needs here can be in the form of material goods or service that can lead people into prosperity.

  Besides, the process of gaining will determine the history. This belief is supported by this quotation, “Theses historians believe that the desire for material goods and well being drives all people and determines history” (Kellogg, 1995:129).

  The process will influence many aspects of life. It will influence cultural and social aspect. Unfortunately, some people do not gain the daily needs in the right way. It means that the way will create certain culture and social life based on the process.

  One example of the process is slavery. In the slavery, the labors are forced by the owner to gain the profit. Here the labors are exploited and treated as property that have to work hard to fulfill the owner’s needs.

  There were White and Black people who were the main race which involved in this slavery era. It is also stated that “The attitude that views African

  1 American slaves as inferior beings establishes race, not class, as the divider between white and black” (Kellogg, 1995:130). It means that black people are the part who is exploited.

  African Americans were brought to America for the first time in 1619. They were brought to Jamestown. At that, time they worked in the tobacco fields as Kellogg stated in his American History: The Easy Way that “Slavery was a factor in American life since the first colony. African Americans were brought to Jamestown in 1619 to help create wealth by working in the tobacco fields” (1995: 131). While in the 1800s, African American people worked on plantations as slaves.

  African American suffered because of physical violence they got from the slave-owners. Besides, they were also traded. “On the whole, life for the slaves was bleak” (Kellogg, 1995:131). This quotation implies that slavery resulted in bleakness.

  Oppression became the regular feature of plantation life. The slave-owners used oppression to control their slaves. “The masters of these large enterprises exerted severe control over their slaves” (Henretta et al., 1987: 102).

  Because of all the treatments that slaves got, they reacted in many ways. They expressed their discontent by working slowly and carelessly as stated by Henretta et al. (1987:102) in America’s History to 1877 that “other slave expressed their discontent by working slowly and carelessly, or they stole plantation goods and exchange them with one another”.

  Other slaves also ran away as quoted in the following They forbade their black workers to leave the plantation without special passes and, to enforce these regulations, installed special night watches and rural patrols. Beatings and whippings become regular features of plantation life, and penalties for resistance-disobedience, refusal to work, running away-increased in severity (Henretta et al., 1987: 102). Disobedience, refusal to work and running away become some reactions toward the White’s bad treatments. Based on this condition, the topic was chosen to show how slaves struggle to survive based on the condition.

  To understand the slave’s struggles, the writer chose Twain’s The

  Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

  because the novel tells about slavery as Short states in his introductory of Four Great American Novels. He states There can be no better way to absorb a knowledge of certain aspects of slavery, for instance, than through its pages, for unlike the statements in history books, what knowledge Huckleberry Finn gives, it gives completely, as full-bodied intuitions (1946: xxxviii). Furthermore he explaines that the novel enables the reader to feel as if the reader really experiences the adventure in the raft like Huckleberry and Jim.

  The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a story about two characters who

  try to escape from their own problems. The first character named Huck escapes from his father because of the bad treatment he got. Huckleberry also escapes from Miss Watson who tries to civilize him. While the second character named Jim is a slave who escapes from his owner because he would be sold by his owner. Furthermore, Jim tries to escape from slavery so that he can reach Cairo where he can have better life. In Cairo, Jim hopes he can get money to save his wife and children from slavery.

  When Huck meets Jim in an island, Huckleberry decides to help Jim to be free. The adventure was not that easy. During the adventure they meet so many characters who will show depiction of White people’s oppression toward slaves and they are very helpful to reveal the slaves’ struggles.

  Although The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is story about Jim and Huckleberry, the focus of this study is Jim. Jim becomes the focus due to his role as slave. Besides, Jim becomes the focus because he is the character in the novel who represents the life of slaves in terms of the oppressions he gets from the Whites and the struggles he does to keep survive. His role as a slave will be used to reveal slaves struggle in facing Whites treatments, while Huckleberry helps the writer to reveal Jim’s characteristics by his speech related to his role as the narrator of the story and friend of Jim during Jim’s running away.

  The other reason why the writer chose this novel is because there are some details that occur in this novel as well as occur in the 1800s in America. The details are about the phenomena which the slaves meet during the slave period. The examples of those details are the society which treats the slaves roughly, the slave trade, and the use of dogs to hunt slaves. Therefore, this novel is the perfect literary work to research the topic.

  The writer discussed slavery in America in the 1800s because there was not only exploitation occurring in the slavery, but also racial discrimination.

  Besides, there is also the depiction of slavery as it was viewed from social and cultural sides so that people can learn some things in relation to social and cultural aspect of life. These reasons make slavery become a worthwhile topic to study.

  B. Problem Formulation

  In order to make the study organized, the research questions below are formulated as the guide and limitation of the subject that will be discussed.

  1. How is Jim described?

  2. How do White American society oppress black people in the 1800s as reflected in the novel?

  3. How does Jim struggle to survive from White American society’s oppressions in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?

  C. Objectives of the Study

  There are three objectives of this study. The first objective is to find out the characteristics of Jim. The second objective is to show the oppression that Jim experienced from White American society in the novel. The last objective of this study is to reveal slaves’ struggles in the 1800s in America as represented by Jim.

  After the characteristics of Jim are revealed, the writer try to analyze the struggles of Jim based on the oppression he got. After the struggles are revealed, the writer will analyze the influences of his characteristics toward the struggles he does.

D. Definition of Terms

  There are some definition that writer wants to define in order to avoid misunderstanding in the study.

  1. Struggle

  Based on Mifflin’s The American Heritage Dictionary of English

  

Language (1996: 1782), struggle is “to be strenuously engaged with the problems

  or an undertaking, to progress with difficulty”. In the context of slavery, the form of struggle usually deals with hope of finding greater opportunities and better treatment (Franklin, 1988: 151). It means that the problem is enslavement. From those two theories, the writer defines the struggle of slaves as finding greater opportunities and better treatment in life from being a slave.

  2. Slave

  Slave is “one who is abjectly subservient to specified person or influence” (Mifflin, 1996: 1694). From this definition, slave is someone who has to obey certain person by force.

  3. Slavery

  According to Roth, Slavery is “a system in which one person is owned as property by another person and forced to perform labor for the owner” (1995: 810). It means that slavery is kind of system which force somebody to work for his owner.

CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW A. Review of Related Studies There are some related studies that have been done on Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. One of them is an undergraduate thesis by Wivina Thomas, the student of English Letters Department of Sanata Dharma University, entitled The Characters’ Dialect and Their Social Background in Mark Twain’ The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This study reveals the social

  background from the dialect of the character. In this study, the author uses Tom Sawyer’s dialect which uses ain’t and hain’t. These words often occur in the speech of the Southern areas and Black English. Besides, the author also uses Jim’s dialect which also uses Black English to reveal the social background. He said that those two characters are considered as low class in the English speaking society because they use ain’t and hain’t instead of isn’t and hasn’t. He stated that “People who use these words (ain’t and hain’t) instead of the standard isn’t or hasn’t are considered as lowest class in the English speaking society” (2007: 40).

  This study can be used to reveal the characteristics of the characters because a characteristic of character is influenced by the social background.

  Another study, a study on freedom and equality, was done by Edelbertus Witu in 1998. He wrote an undergraduate thesis entitled The Fight for Freedom

  

and Equality in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This thesis

  focuses on how Huckleberry fights for freedom and equality. Besides, he includes

  7 the fight of Jim as slave to be free from slavery. It is stated “Jim searches freedom of being free from slavery” (1998: 32). By this quotation, it seems that Jim had a bad treatment from someone else or other people. The character that treats him badly is Miss Watson, a White American. This thesis will be appropriate to help a researcher to find the treatment that slave got for further research because the author shows the quotations that contains treatment which slave got. For example, it is stated that “The reason Jim runs away to the river is shown in the text” (1998: 32).

  Fransiskus Ransus also wrote his undergraduate thesis on Huckleberry Finn entitled The Development of Human Self-Protection in Mark Twain’s The

  

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In this study, he used moral philosophical

  approach to analyze the novel. This novel reveals that Huckleberry Finn is a portrait of human being who attempts to realize and actualize his potencies. Those processes resulted in the cause of self-protection. Self-protection itself also is influenced by two conditions that are crisis and awakening. Crisis will be the entrance for self-improvement, while awakening will reform and change human life smoothly and harmoniously to human life-protection. It is stated clearly in his study that

  Crisis is an entrance door for self improvement. It is also an exit door to arrive at a better life. The second is awakening. Awakening/ awareness is created with the womb of human crisis. As soon as it exists, it reforms and changes human life by leading it to flow smoothly and harmoniously to human life-protection (Ransus, 2000: vii). It can be concluded that this study focus on human development by considering some aspects or condition such as crisis and awakening that lead somebody into self-protection.

  W. H. Auden also writes about The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in his article entitled “Huck and Oliver”. He compares Mark Twain’s The Adventure

  

of Huckleberry Finn with Charles Dicken’s Oliver Twist. He compares them in

  order to see the difference concept between European reader and American reader in some points.

  The first point is the comparison about the attitude toward nature. He said it in the following quotation.

  One of the great differences between Europe in general and America is in the attitude towards nature. To us over here, perhaps, nature is always, in a sense, the mother or the wife; something with which you enter into a semi- personal relation. In the United States, nature is something much more savage; it is much more like-shall we say?-St. George and the dragon (Smith, 1963: 112).

  The quotation shows that the nature, based on European reader perspective, the image of nature in European literature is something semi personal, while nature in American literature is something wild.

  The second point is the comparison about culture. He talk about culture derives from Huckleberry’s decision to save Jim from the slavery. He said that what Huckleberry does is pure act of moral improvisation. Then he stated the profound difference between American and European literature in the following quotation.

  Here we come to a very profound difference between America and European culture. I believe that all Europeans, whatever their political opinions, whatever their religious creed, do believe in doctrine of natural law of some kind. That is to say there are certain things about human nature, and about man as a historical creature, not only as a natural creature, which are eternally true (Smith, 1963: 114). While about American culture, he said, “Americans are often called, and sometimes even believe themselves to be, liberal optimist who think that the world is gradually getting better and better” (Smith, 1963: 114).

  In drawing the conclusion between American and European culture, Auden’s statement is slanted because he does not give the evidence from what Oliver Twist does so that Auden can conclude that Europeans believe in doctrine of natural law of some kind. He just makes a conclusion only from what Huckleberry decides to save Jim.

  My study entitled Slaves’ Struggles in America in the 1800s in Mark

  

Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn will be different from those three

  studies. My study will focus on slavery that is experienced by Jim. It will reveal the struggle of slaves. This study will also include the characteristics of some characters and oppressions from White people toward Black people as slaves which are helpful to reveal the struggle.

B. Review of Related Theories

1. Theory of Character and Characterization

  According to Abrams, characters are the persons presented in a dramatic or narrative work. They have certain qualities called characteristics.

  Characteristics of characters in dramatic or narrative work can be interpreted by their dialogue and actions. It is similar to what Abrams stated in Glossary of

  Literary Terms (1981: 20) as quoted in the following

  Characters are the person presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with moral, dispositional, and emotional qualities that are expressed in what they say-the dialogue- and by what they do-the action.

  From the quotation, the characteristics of characters on a literary work can be interpreted by their dialogue and actions. It means that certain statements and actions will express certain characteristics. This quotation implies that a characteristic of a character will also be expressed by other characters’ dialogue and action which refer to that character.

  M. J. Murphy in his Understanding Unseen also explains the characterization in some ways. There are nine points that Murphy explains.

  a. Personal Description

  What is meant by personal description is the characteristics of certain character can be interpreted from his personal appearance and clothes. Certain appearance and clothes will give clues related to his characteristics. He stated that “The author can describe a person’s appearance and clothes” (Murphy, 1972: 161). Besides personal appearance and clothes, personal descriptions also cover the face, and skin (1972: 162).

  b. Character as Seen by Another

  Author also describes the characteristics of certain character using the opinion of other characters. He stated that “instead of describing a character directly the author can describe him through the eyes and opinions of another” (Murphy, 1972: 162). Here the author convinces the reader through his choice of words and phrases such as unquiet eyes, dim smile, and rare sound of her voice. (1972: 163).

  c. Speech

  Similar to what Abrams says in Glossary of Literary Terms, Murphy also explains that the clues of the characteristics can be found through the speech of the character. It can be seen in the following quotation.

  The author can give us insight into the character of one of the persons in the book through what that person says. Whenever a person speaks, whenever he is in conversation with another, whenever he puts forward an opinion, he is giving us some clue to his character (Murphy, 1972: 164). From the quotation Murphy shows that giving opinion through the speech can be the clue to reveal the characteristics.

  d. Past Life

  Past life here means that character’s experiences can shape the characteristics of a character. It can be delivered to the reader through the direct comment by the author, the person’s thought, through his conversation or through the medium of another person. It is shown in this following quotation.

  By letting the reader learn something about person’s past life the author can give us a clue to events that have helped to shape a person’s character. This can be done by direct comment by the author, through the person’s thought, through his conversation or through the medium of another person (Murphy, 1972: 166). From the quotation it can be concluded that the story of the character’s past life that can shape character’s characteristics can be delivered through the speech of the characters and by the comment of the author.

  e. Conversation of Others

  In this part, Murphy still explains the characterization through the characters’ speech. He states it in the following quotation.

  The author can also give us to a person’s character through the conversations of other people and the things they say about him. People do talk about other people and the things they say often give as a clue to the character of the character of the person spoken about (Murphy, 1972: 167). Here he explains that characteristics of a character can be revealed through other character’s conversation.

  f. Reactions

  In this part, Murphy explains almost similar to what Abrams explains related to the character’s action. Murphy states that “the author can also give us a clue to a person’s character by letting us know how that person reacts to various situations and events” (1972: 168). From the quotation, it can be said that action here is in the form reaction. Reaction is explained as a clue to know the characteristics of a character.

  g. Direct Comment

  To know the characteristics of a certain character, an author can give a comment about him directly. It is similar to what Murphy said in Understanding

  Unseen.

  He stated that “the author can describe or comment on a person’s character directly” (1972: 170). It means that the author states directly what the characteristics of a character are.

h. Thought

  A characteristic also can be revealed through what he thinks. From what he thinks we can know his characteristics directly. It is explained in the following quotation.

  The author can give us direct knowledge of what a person is thinking about. In this respect he is able to do what we cannot do in real life. He can tell us what different people are thinking. In the novel we accept this. The reader then is in privileged position; he has, as it were, a secret listening device plugged into the inmost thoughts of a person in a novel (Murphy, 1972: 171).

  In this quotation, the writer concludes that although the character gives direct opinion, the reader still needs to interpret what kind of qualities the character has.

i. Mannerism

  Besides the reactions, an action of character can be in the form of mannerism. From the character’s manners, the characteristics will be revealed.

  Murphy stated that “the author can describe a person’s mannerism, habits, or idiosyncrasies which may also tell us something about his character” (1972: 173).

  He gives an example of a manner from what Dickens uses such as smiling (1972: 173).

  Harmon also explains the theory of character and characterization in A

  th

Handbook to Literature 9 Edition. According to him, character is a brief

  descriptive sketch of a personage who typifies some definite quality (2003: 87). It means that character is like a sketch of somebody who has certain characteristics.

  Harmon divides characterization in three divisions. There are direct exposition, action, and representation within character (2003: 88). According to him, explicit presentation through direct exposition is illustrated by an action. While an action without any comment by the author is expected that the reader will conclude the characteristics through the action itself. Out of the action with or without direct comment, he explains that characteristics can also be revealed through other characters. Harmon stated that one of characterizations is the representation from within a character, without any comment from author, of the impact of actions and emotions on the character’s inner self (2003: 88). It means that the characteristics of the character can be seen from other character’s point of view.

  2. Theory on Setting Setting according to Abrams is concerned about the time and place of an action occurs. He said, the setting of a narrative or dramatic work is the general locale, historical time and social circumstances in which its action occurs; the setting of an episode or scene within a work is the particular physical location in which it takes places (1981: 175).

  In the quotation Abrams stated that social circumstances is included as part of setting. If social circumstances is part of setting, it means that society where and when the action takes place also influences the literary work.

  In a literary work, setting influences the personalities, action and way of thinking of the characters. There are some literary works which are influenced by the setting but there are also some literary works which are not influenced by the setting. Each era will make certain characteristics of characters in literary work.

  These fact were stated by M. J. Murphy in Understanding Unseen: An

  

Introduction to English Poetry and English Novel (1972: 141) as quoted in the

following.

  The setting of the novel is the background against which the characters live out their lives. In some novels the setting is important, whilst in others it is less so. The setting can be concerned with the place in which the characters’ live and also the time in which they live. These have a great effect upon the personalities, actions and way of thinking of the characters.

  In the quotation, Murphy stated that the background which the characters live influences character’s personalities, actions and way of thinking. Setting is not always important in certain literary works.

  Society in the novel can be the reflection the society in the real life. Although it is a reflection of the society in the real life, the society in the novel is not always absolutely the same as the society in the real life. It means that the detail is not always exactly the same. This fact is similar to what Elizabeth Langland stated in Society in the Novel. She stated in the following quotation.

  If society is a concept and construct in art, it is also a concept and construct in life. Society in novels does not depend on points of absolute fidelity to an outside world in details of costume, setting, and locality because novel’s society does not aim at a faithful mirror of any concrete, existent thing (1984: 5). She stated that the society in art is also concept in life. This statement shows how society in the novel becomes reflection of society in life. But the society in the novel is not the same with the society in life absolutely in details such as the costume, setting, and locality.

C. Review on Historical Background

1. African American Past Life

  In general, there are some acts that can be called an oppression. An act is categorized as an oppression when it is against humanism. It is similar to Freire’s quotation, “An act is oppressive only when it prevents men from being more fully human” (1973: 42). Here, he stated that an act which makes somebody far for being human is an oppressive act.

  Dehumanization according to Freire is a distortion of vocation of becoming more fully human (Freire, 1973: 28). Then admitting dehumanization will lead the oppressed into cynicism and despair. Admitting dehumanization will raise struggles. Struggles will be possible if dehumanization is not given by destiny but the result of unjust order that raises violence in the oppressor. This process will automatically dehumanize the oppressed. Freire stated the similar thing in the following quotation.

  This struggle is possible only because dehumanization, although concrete historical fact, is not given by destiny but the result of an unjust order that engenders violence in the oppressors, which in turn dehumanizes the oppressed (1973: 28).

  Here, implicitly, in the oppression there is an element that occurs from the oppressor. The element is violence that leads into dehumanization.

  Humanism itself is a study of human beings as human beings. Holman and Harmon said, “Humanism suggest any attitude that tends to exalt the human element or stress the importance of human interest, as opposed to the supernatural, divine elements-or opposed to grosser, animal elements” (Holman and Harmon,

  1986: 242 ). It means that humanism is concerned about how human being is really treated as a human, not as anything else, as animal for example.

  Another expert, Professor Mary Ann Leiby, in her article entitled “Three Form of Oppression” defines oppression as the systematic exploitation of one social group by another for its own benefit. It involves institutional control, ideological domination, and the imposition of the dominant group's culture on the oppressed group. He gives examples of oppression such as sexism, racism, enslavement and classism. (www.elcamino.edu/faculty/mleiby/worddocs/forms_of_oppression.doc 4:27 pm

  4 October 2010) While in narrower scope, oppressions found in slavery will be discussed to show the oppression in the period of slavery in America in the 1800s. This period of time is taken because the setting of the novel which is examined here is taken in the slave period in the 1800s in America. It will start from the growth of cotton as the background of the birth of slavery in America.