The relation between vampire characters and their society in Bram Stoker`s Dracula and Stephenie Meyer`s Twilight as reflection of Freudian structures of personality : a comparative psychoanalysis study - USD Repository
THE RELATION BETWEEN VAMPIRE CHARACTERS AND
THEIR SOCIETY IN BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA AND
STEPHENIE MEYER’S TWILIGHT AS A REFLECTION OF
FREUDIAN STRUCTURES OF PERSONALITY:
A COMPARATIVE PSYCHOANALYSIS STUDY
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters
By
EDWARD LEWA USU
Student Number: 044214011
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2009
THE RELATION BETWEEN VAMPIRE CHARACTERS AND
THEIR SOCIETY IN BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA AND
STEPHENIE MEYER’S TWILIGHT AS A REFLECTION OF
FREUDIAN STRUCTURES OF PERSONALITY:
A COMPARATIVE PSYCHOANALYSIS STUDY
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters
By
EDWARD LEWA USU
Student Number: 044214011
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2009
PERNYATAAN KEASLIAN KARYA
Saya menyatakan dengan sesungguhnya bahwa skripsi yang saya tulis ini tidak memuat karya atau bagian karya orang lain, kecuali yang telah disebutkan dalam kutipan dan daftar pustaka, sebagaimana layaknya karya ilmiah.
Yogyakarta, 20 April 2010 Edward Lewa Usu
(Penulis)
I can refuse no one, how could I if the Lord Himself wills it so and refuses nothing when I asked Him?
(Padre Pio, 6.7.1917) This thesis is dedicated to
The Lord, my parents, my lecturers
and those who believed me
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN
PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS
Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma: Nama : Edward Lewa Usu NIM : 044214011
Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul
THE RELATION BETWEEN VAMPIRE CHARACTERS AND THEIR
SOCIETY IN BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA AND STEPHENIE MEYER’S
TWILIGHT AS A REFLECTION OF FREUDIAN STRUCTURES OF
PERSONALITY: A COMPARATIVE PSYCHOANALYSIS STUDYBeserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan ini saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam bentuk lain, mengelola dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin dari saya maupun royalitas kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.
Demikian pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenarnya. Yogyakarta, 20 April 2010 Yang menyatakan, Edward Lewa Usu
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to express my humble gratitude to the Lord Jesus Christ, whose accompaniment and blessings have enlightened me thus far in the process of finishing this thesis, months after months. My most affectionate gratitude goes to my mother, Christina Titien, my late father Silvester Antonius Kodhi, and also my two lovely sisters, Sylvia Wise and Lelyana Selah.
My sincere gratitude goes to Drs. Hirmawan Wijanarka, M.Hum., my advisor, for his endless and thorough guidance and advice while the writer was working on this thesis. My sincere gratitude also goes to Modesta Luluk Artika Windrasti, S.S. my co-advisor, for the guidance and the help.
I am grateful to my all of my best friends: Pama Jubata, Rissaksana Sinuksmandria, Dibson Williamsyah, Patricius Wolo, Putu Rizki Saputra, Nanang Prasetyo, Hermas Bram, Bara Diska Putra, Martha Dani, Stella Marissa Yuda Wahu, the English Letters Gamers Fellowship, Flores-Indonesian United Community (PFI), and many others that could not be mentioned by name here, for their sincere brotherhood and companionship.
Finally, my most profound undying love goes to the lady of my dreams, Huang Fung Lie. “You complete me.”
Edward Lewa Usu
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE ................................................................................................... i
APPROVAL PAGE ......................................................................................... ii
ACCEPTANCE PAGE .................................................................................... iii
MOTTO PAGE ................................................................................................ iv
DEDICATION PAGE ...................................................................................... v
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PUBLIKASI ..................................................... vi
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................. vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................. viii
ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................... x
ABSTRAK ........................................................................................................ xi
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ............................................................... 1 A. Background of the Study ................................................................ 1 B. Problem Formulation ...................................................................... 5 C. Objectives of the Study ................................................................... 5 D. Definition of Terms ......................................................................... 6
CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL REVIEW ................................................ 8
A. Review on Related Studies ............................................................. 8 B. Review on Related Theories ........................................................... 101. Theory of Characters and Characterization ................................ 10
2. Theory of Three-part Model of Personality ................................ 12
3. Theory of Individuation .............................................................. 14 C. Theoretical Framework ................................................................... 16
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY .............................................................. 18
A. Object of the Study ......................................................................... 18 B. Approach of the Study .................................................................... 21 C. Method of the Study ........................................................................ 22CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS ........................................................................... 24
A. The Description of Count Dracula and Edward Cullen ................... 241. The Description of Count Dracula ............................................... 24
a. Physical Appearance ............................................................... 24
b. Background as a Vampire ...................................................... 26
c. Life as a Vampire .................................................................... 32
2. The Description of Edward Cullen .............................................. 35
a. Physical Appearance ............................................................... 35
b. Background as a Vampire ...................................................... 37
c. Life as a Vampire .................................................................... 41 B. The Freudian Three-part Model of Personality Reflected by Count Dracula, Edward Cullen, and Their Society ..................... 45
a. Count Dracula’s Id .................................................................. 45
b. Count Dracula’s Superego ...................................................... 48
c. Count Dracula’s Ego ............................................................... 51
2. Edward Cullen’s Structures of Personality .................................. 53
a. Edward Cullen’s Id ................................................................. 53
b. Edward Cullen’s Superego ..................................................... 54
c. Edward Cullen’s Ego .............................................................. 54 C. How Count Dracula and Edward Cullen Relate to Their Society .... 62
1. Count Dracula and His Society .................................................... 62
2. Edward Cullen and His Society ................................................... 65
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ................................................................... 68
BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................ 74APPENDICES ................................................................................................ 77
1. The Summary of Bram Stoker’s Dracula ....................................................... 77
2. The Summary of Stephanie Meyer’s twilight ........................................... ..... 78
ABSTRACT
EDWARD LEWA USU (2009). The Relation between Vampire Characters
and Their Society in Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight
as a Reflection of Freudian Structures of Personality: a Comparative
Psychoanalysis Study. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of
Letters, Sanata Dharma University.Literary works contain many unusual and imaginative things, including vampires, mythical blood-sucking creatures commonly depicted with human features. This study compares two famous works that feature vampire characters: Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight. There is a fundamental difference in how the vampire characters are presented in the works. This study compares how the vampire characters relate to their respective society.
There are three objectives of this study. Firstly, this study discovers how Count Dracula in Dracula and Edward Cullen in Twilight are described based on Abrams and Murphy’s theory of character. Secondly, it discovers how Count Dracula and Edward Cullen reflect the three-part model of personality, based on Freud’s theory. Lastly, it discovers the form of Count Dracula and Edward Cullen’s relation with their society, based on Jung’s theory of individuation.
Psychoanalytic approach is applied because this study utilizes some chief theories in psychoanalysis, namely Freudian three-part model of personality and Jungian individuation. Library research is applied as the method of the study.
Based on the analysis, Count Dracula has frightening physical appearance. He became a vampire to gain immortality and power. He lives in an ancient castle and feeds on human’s blood by force. Edward Cullen has favourable physical appearance. He became a vampire not on his own will, but to save his life. He lives in a well-kept house and feeds on animals’ instead of humans’ blood. In Count Dracula’s personality, the major part reflects the id, a very little part reflects the superego, and no part reflects the ego. In Edward Cullen’s personality, some part reflects the id, some part reflects the superego, and some part reflects the ego. As Count Dracula’s structures of personality do not function normally, he fails in the first aspect of individuation, the process of self integration, and the second aspect, the objective relationship with the outside world. As a result, he does not achieve synthesis. He gets condemnation and conflicts with the society. As Edward Cullen’s structures of personality function normally, he succeeds in the first aspect of individuation, but he partly fails in the second aspect due to his different psychological reality from the individuals in the society. As a result, he can be familiar with his personal psychology, but cannot achieve synthesis with the outside world. He still exists as part of the society without any conflict, but he is regarded as an outsider. Thus, Count Dracula and Edward Cullen’s identity as vampires plays a role in shaping their personality and psychological reality, but does not determine their success or failure in their relation with their society.
ABSTRAK
EDWARD LEWA USU (2009). The Relation between Vampire Characters
and Their Society in Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight
as a Reflection of Freudian Structures of Personality: a Comparative
Psychoanalysis Study. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra,
Universitas Sanata Dharma.Karya sastra kerap mengandung hal-hal khayal, termasuk vampir, makhluk penghisap darah berwujud manusia dalam legenda. Studi ini membandingkan dua karya sastra terkenal dengan tokoh utama vampir: Dracula oleh Bram Stoker dan
Twilight oleh Stephenie Meyer. Tokoh vampir ditampilkan dengan sangat berbeda
dalam kedua karya tersebut. Studi ini membandingkan bagaimana kedua tokoh vampir berhubungan dengan masyarakat berdasarkan teori psikoanalisis.
Studi ini bertujuan untuk menjawab tiga permasalahan utama. Pertama, studi ini membahas penggambaran tokoh Count Dracula dalam Dracula dan Edward Cullen dalam Twilight berdasarkan teori karakter Abrams dan Murphy. Kedua, studi ini membahas bagaimana Count Dracula dan Edward Cullen mencerminkan tiga bagian kepribadian berdasarkan teori Freud. Ketiga, studi ini meneliti bentuk hubungan Count Dracula dan Edward Cullen dengan masyarakat di sekitar mereka berdasarkan teori individuasi Jung.
Pendekatan psikoanalisis dipilih karena studi ini menerapkan teori-teori inti dalam bidang psikoanalisis, yakni teori tiga bagian kepribadian Freud dan teori individuasi Jung. Studi ini menggunakan metode penelitian perpustakaan dalam mengumpulkan data.
Hasil analisa menunjukkan bahwa Count Dracula memiliki penampilan fisik mengerikan. Ia menjadi vampir demi hidup abadi dan kekuasaan. Ia tinggal di kastil tua dan menghisap darah manusia dengan paksa. Edward Cullen memiliki penampilan fisik menyenangkan. Ia diubah menjadi vampir untuk menyelamatkan nyawanya. Ia tinggal di rumah yang terawat dan hanya menghisap darah hewan. Dalam kepribadian Count Dracula, sebagian besar mencerminkan id, sebagian kecil mencerminkan superego, dan tak terdapat ego. Dalam kepribadian Edward Cullen, sebagian mencerminkan id, sebagian mencerminkan superego, dan sebagian mencerminkan ego. Karena struktur kepribadian Count Dracula tak berfungsi normal, ia gagal dalam aspek pertama individuasi yaitu proses integrasi diri dan aspek kedua individuasi yaitu hubungan obyektif dengan dunia luar. Hasilnya, ia tidak mencapai sintesis. Ia ditentang dan mengalami konflik dengan masyarakat. Karena struktur kepribadian Edward Cullen berfungsi normal, ia berhasil dalam aspek pertama namun gagal dalam aspek kedua karena realita psikologisnya berbeda dengan individu-individu di masyarakat. Hasilnya, ia dapat mengenal psikologi pribadinya, namun tak dapat mencapai sintesis dengan dunia luar. Ia menjadi bagian dari masyarakat tanpa ada konflik, namun ia dianggap sebagai orang asing. Kesimpulannya, identitas mereka sebagai vampir berperan dalam membentuk kepribadian dan realita psikologis mereka, namun tak
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study One of the characteristics of literature is estranging. A wide array of
unusual things which are far from the ones normally encountered in real life, be it characters, places, or events, are abound in literary works. The examples are unusual non-human characters with human characteristics, usually based on myths or legends in various cultures, such as vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and many more.
An example of such characters is the vampire. Oxford Advanced Learner’s
Dictionary defines vampire as “the body of a dead person that is believed by some
to leave its grave at night and suck the blood of living people” (Hornby, 1995: 1320), while Roxanne Rhoads in her article “The Erotic Vampire: How Literature Has Changed the Image of Vampires” states that vampires are originally “bloodsucking creatures that prowled the night and preyed on the weak and the poor” (http://www.associatedcontent.com/page.shtml?content_type=article& content_type_id=416037).
As discussed by Matthew Gibson in his article “Vampires and Vampire Fiction”, the idea of the vampire might have originated from local legends in various cultures since the beginning of the millennium, including the Hindu goddess Kali, as well as the Magyars and Huns in Eastern Europe (http://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1670). Vampire started th
to figure prominently in literature in the 18 century especially in German and English literature, for example in Gottfried August Bürger’s poem Lenore in 1773, Goethe's ballad Die Braut von Korinth (The Bride of Corinth) in 1797, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem Christabel in 1797 (Summers, 128: 274).
One of the most famous fictions on vampire is Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Published in 1897, it has been considered as the birth of modern vampire myth in literature (http://www.associatedcontent.com/page.shtml?content_type=article& content_type_id=416037). It became such a landmark in vampire literature that the name of the main character, Count Dracula, has been “known to many people who have not read the novel, and who may even not know that it is the title of a novel” as the synonym of vampire character, as discussed by Valerie Pedlar in
The Literary Encyclopedia (http://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&
UID=5509).More than one century after the publication of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, a novel called Twilight by Stephenie Meyer was published and gained widespread popularity, especially among young readers. As discussed by Christine Seifert in her article, it has sold more than 50 million copies and “has done the unthinkable: knocked Harry Potter off his pedestal as prince of the young adult genre” (http://bitchmagazine.org/article/bite-me-or-dont). The novel features Edward Cullen, a century-old vampire in 17-year-old body, as one of the main characters.
Although both are fictions with a vampire character as one of the main characters, the two novels have many differences. Other than obvious ones such as over a hundred years’ difference in publication years, differences in genre and target audience, there also lies a more fundamental difference, namely the difference in how the vampire characters are presented.
The vampire character in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Count Dracula, is an aristocratic old man “clad in black from head to foot” (Stoker, 1897: 24), with “blazing red” eyes (1897: 52), “white sharp teeth” (1897: 166), and other physical oddities. He lives alone in a castle and is described as “cunning”, “devil” and heartless (1897: 280). Perpetually bloodthirsty, he always tries to kill human beings and drain their blood. In turn, the human characters in the novel, such as Jonathan, Mina, Quincey, and Dr. Van Helsing, try to chase and kill him. To put it briefly, the character of Count Dracula is the typical image that most people have in mind upon thinking about vampire characters.
On the other hand, while clearly described as a vampire character as well as possessing some common traits of vampire, the main character of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight, Edward Cullen, has several aspects which differ from Count Dracula or other typical vampire characters. For instance, he has the physical appearance of a handsome seventeen-year-old boy, goes to high school like any other adolescent human beings, drinks animal blood rather than human blood, and thus does not kill humans. Undoubtedly, the vampire character in Meyer’s
Twilight is so far different with the one in Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
This topic appeals to the writer to examine using theories from the realm of psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis was originally a practice in psychology to treat emotional and psychological disorder based on Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud’s new model of how human minds operate, with key ideas such as the development phases and the division of human mind into conscious and unconscious (Bressler, 1999: 148). Psychoanalysis reading was originally used for individual cases only, but now it can also be applied to a larger scope of entities, for instance a society or a literary work. In psychoanalytic literary criticism, psychoanalytic critics “make large-scale applications of psychoanalytic concepts” to literary history or literary work (Barry, 2002: 105).
According to Freud, every person’s behavior results from the interaction of three forces, namely the id, ego, and superego. This notion is known as “tripartite human psyche” or three-part model of the human personality (Pettijohn, 1987: 245-246). A well-balanced interaction between those forces creates a well- balanced person with well-balanced behaviors.
In this study, the writer examines the three-part model of personality in both Bram Stoker’s and Stephenie Meyer’s vampire characters while also treating their respective society as one of the forces in the three-part model, namely as the superego. By examining the relation between the forces in the three-part model of personality, the writer aims to provide explanation about the differences in Count Dracula and Edward Cullen’s characteristics and their relation with their respective society.
B. Problem Formulation
In order to guide the subjects under discussion, the research questions are formulated as follows:
1. How are Count Dracula in Stoker’s Dracula and Edward Cullen in
Meyer’s Twilight described? 2. How do Count Dracula, Edward Cullen, and their society reflect the
Freudian three-part model of personality? 3. How do Count Dracula and Edward Cullen relate to their respective society based on the Freudian three-part model of personality?
C. Objectives of the Study
This study aims to answer the problems formulated above. The first objective of the study is to discover how the characters of Count Dracula in Stoker’s Dracula and Edward Cullen in Meyer’s Twilight are described. The second objective is to discover how Count Dracula, Edward Cullen, and their respective society reflect the Freudian three-part model of personality. The third objective is to discover the form of Count Dracula and Edward Cullen’s relationship with their respective society based on the Freudian three-part model of personality.
D. Definition of Terms
To avoid any misunderstanding, the key terms used in this study are defined as follows.
1. Three-part Model of Personality
Three-part model of human personality or “tri-partite human psyche” is the theory suggested by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud, which states that every person's behavior is the result of the interaction of three forces, namely the id, superego, and ego (Pettijohn, 1987: 245-246).
2. Id
The id is the most basic instinctual or biological drives, which “unconsciously and impulsively seek immediate pleasure and consider nothing else” (Pettijohn, 1987: 245).
3. Ego
The ego is “a conscious faculty for perceiving and dealing intelligently with reality” which mediates between the id and superego (Pettijohn, 1987: 244- 245).
4. Superego
The superego, also known as conscience, is the moral aspect of the personality which consists of instilled values, such as societal and parental values, and functions to restrain the id (Pettijohn, 1987: 245).
5. Vampire
Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines vampire as “the body of a
dead person that is believed by some to leave its grave at night and suck the blood of living people” (Hornby, 1995: 1320). Montague Summers in The Vampire: His
Kith and Kin defines vampire as “living, mischievous and murderous dead body”
who “attack people sleeping quietly in their beds, suck out all their blood from their bodies and destroy them” (1928: 2).
CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW A. Review of Related Studies The first related study is an English Education Program undergraduate
thesis by Emanuella Mau entitled “An Analysis of Count Dracula as the Major Character in Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Its Resemblance to That of Prince Vlad the Impaler”. As denoted by the title, this study also compares two vampire characters, namely Count Dracula from Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Vlad the Impaler, a legendary figure who was the Prince of Wallachia, in Eastern Europe,
th
in the 15 century. In this thesis, Mau examines the resemblances between Count Dracula and Vlad the Impaler in their habits and behaviors towards human beings.
Socio-cultural-historical approach is used in this study.
As a result of the study, Mau discovers that the characters of Count Dracula and Vlad the Impaler share a number of resemblances. Both of them enjoy murdering and torturing human beings albeit with different methods, are well-organized in doing anything, and are cunning and evil (Mau, 2002: 65).
The second related study is an article by Christine Seifert entitled “Bite Me! (Or Don't)”, which was published in the August 2008 edition of Bitch
Magazine . Seifert discusses the abstinence message in the Twilight series from a
feminist point of view. The novel depicts Bella and Edward, a couple of teenaged lovers who refrain from sexual intercourse since Edward, a vampire, might easily kill Bella, a human, and thus sex would be very dangerous for her. The Twilight series has created a successful new sub-genre of teen romance, “abstinence porn”, which is “sensational, erotic, and titillating,” and as a result the novel has attracted many devoted fans who obsess over “Edward and Bella’s chaste but sexually charged relationship” and “delight in Edward’s superhuman strength to just say no” (http://bitchmagazine.org/article/bite-me-or-dont).
At a glance, it seems very good, especially considering this novel’s massive popularity among young readers, especially girls. However, while Meyer implies sex as something dangerous which must be avoided by teenagers, she also depicts woman as the powerless and dependent side in a romantic relationship through the character of Bella. In the novel, Edward has taken on the role of protector of Bella’s human blood and chastity, although both her blood and chastity are in fact always endangered when he is nearby. Throughout their premarital abstinence, Bella is not in control of her body; she is absolutely dependent on Edward’s determination to protect her life and her virginity. She is the object and the means of Edward’s ability to prove his self-control. Thus, the control is still held by Edward as the man.
This notion is supported by Breaking Dawn, the third novel in the series in which the couple has already married and Edward has turned Bella into a vampire.
Bella is described as “a throwback to a 1950s housewife” who has no interesting hobbies and disregards the world around her, while Edward spends his whole day “to go to either saving Bella from danger or watching her when she sleeps” (http://bitchmagazine.org/article/bite-me-or-dont). Bella is also described as totally self-sacrificing: she lets her human self die to save their half-vampire baby and she tries to like it when Edward “makes love” so violently that she wakes up bruised the next morning. That way, from the feminist point of view, the novel’s abstinence message still objectifies Bella in the same ways that “real” porn might (http://bitchmagazine.org/article/bite-me-or-dont).
Like Emanuella Mau’s thesis, this study also presents a comparison between two vampire characters. However, while Mau’s study examines the similarities between the fictional Count Dracula to the allegedly real Vlad the Impaler, this study examines the differences between two fictional vampire characters from different eras and different genres, Bram Stoker’s Count Dracula and Stephenie Meyer’s Edward Cullen. Furthermore, while Seifert’s article analyzes the character of Edward Cullen from feminist point of view with the novel’s abstinence message as the focus, this study analyzes the differences between Count Dracula and Edward Cullen using psychoanalytic theories and psychoanalytic approach.
B. Review of Related Theories
1. Theories of Character and Characterization
Character is one of the intrinsic elements of a story. Abrams in his book A
Glossary of Literary Terms defines characters as:
the persons presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the readers as being endowed with moral and dispositional qualities that are expressed in what they say – the dialogue – and by what they do – the action. The grounds in a character’s temperament and moral nature for his speech and actions constitute his motivation (Abrams, 1981: 20). From the definition above, it can be concluded that the moral and emotional qualities of the characters can be seen through their speech and action. In creating the personalities of the characters, an author generally blends several methods skillfully together so that the reader is often unaware of the skill with which the author is revealing characters and personalities piece by piece. As a result, in successful literary works, the readers tend to think of the author’s creations as real people (1981:173).
Murphy in his book Understanding Unseen: an Introduction to English
Poetry and the English Novel for Overseas Student defines characterization as the
process in which an author describe the characters in his or her work, in order to “convey to the reader what sort of people they are” and “make the reader get to know and understand them” (Murphy, 1972: 161). He lists nine methods to describe a character in literary works, namely through personal description such as physical appearance and clothes, direct comment from the author, description or comment about the character through other characters’ point of view, other characters’ conversation about the character, the character’s speech, past life, thoughts, mannerism or habits, and reactions to various situations and events (1972: 161-171).
Characters can be classified into several types. Based on the character’s qualities, Abrams classifies characters into two types, flat and round. Flat characters are presented with simple details and are “built around a single quality”, while round characters are “complex in temperament and motivation and is represented with subtle particularity” (1981: 24). Based on the changes undergone by the characters, Holman classifies characters into two types, static and dynamic. A static character undergoes little or no change at all. A dynamic character is modified by his or her actions and reveal the consequences of the actions (1986: 83).
2. Theory of Three-part Model of Personality
Sigmund Freud, an Austrian neurologist, is considered as “the intellectual founding father” of psychoanalytic literary criticism, upon whose theories and techniques this criticism is based.
The foundation for all forms of psychoanalytic criticism irrefutably belongs to Freud and his theories and techniques developed during his psychiatric practice. Whether any practicicing psychoanalytic critic uses the ideas of Jung, Frye, Lacan, or any other psychoanalyst, all must acknowledge Freud as the intellectual founding father of this form of criticism (Bressler, 1999: 159).
One of Freud’s chief theories is known as the tripartite human psyche or the three-part model of human personality, which he published in his book The
Interpretation of Dreams in 1900 then in his paper “The Ego and the Id” in 1923
(Pettijohn, 1987: 245-246). This theory states that every individual’s behavior is the result of the interaction of three forces, namely the ego, the superego, and the
id (Pettijohn, 1987: 245-246). The ego and part of the superego forms the
conscious mind, or “the part of personality that we are aware of in everyday life”, while the id and another part of the superego forms the unconscious mind, which is the larger part of our personality that is not readily available to us but has strong influence on our actions (Pettijohn, 1987: 244).
The id is the most basic instinctual or biological drives in an individual’s personality. It “unconsciously and impulsively seek immediate pleasure and consider nothing else” (Pettijohn, 1987: 245), or as discussed by Kasschau, operates based on the pleasure principle, thus seeking to fulfill desires instantly without considering the consequences (Kasschau, 1995: 272). The id consists of two major instincts, Eros and Thanatos. Eros or the life instinct is manifested for instance in sexual urges to reproduce, while Thanatos or the death instinct is manifested in aggressive urges to destroy (Pettijohn, 1987: 245).
The superego is the moral aspect in an individual’s personality, which is commonly known as conscience. It consists of instilled values, such as values learned from the family and society as an individual grows up, and operates based on the moral principle (Pettijohn, 1987: 245). It functions to restrain the id and to compare the ego’s actions with an ideal of perfection and rewards or punishes the ego accordingly, for instance through guilty feelings or low self-esteem (Morris, 1990: 452).
The ego is the conscious, rational, and thoughtful part in an individual’s personality. As the dominant force in the personality of a well-adjusted person, it consists of “a conscious faculty for perceiving and dealing intelligently with reality” (Pettijohn, 1987: 244-245), and as discussed by Kasschau, operates based on the reality principle (1995: 272). It functions as the mediator between the id, superego, and reality; based on the condition in reality, it delays satisfying the id’s desires until it can do safely and successfully (Morris, 1990: 451).
Ego has the most difficult function, because it has to satisfy three elements: the id, the superego, and reality. If the id is not satisfied, an individual will feel extreme tension of longing, anger, or desire. If the superego is not obeyed, he or she will feel guilty and inferior. If the external reality is not responded appropriately, he or she will get negative reactions from other individuals, the society, or cause some harm to himself or herself, for instance starvation (Kasschau, 1995: 272).
3. Theory of Individuation
The theory of individuation is proposed by Carl Gustav Jung, a Swiss psychologist who worked with Sigmund Freud and was a part of the psychoanalytic community in the 1950’s. He developed on psychology theories, including Freudian psychoanalysis theories, further. Later, Jung’s school of psychology is known as analytical psychology or Jungian psychology, while individuation is the central concept described in analytical psychology (Jung, 1989: 209).
Individuation is defined in Collected Works of C.G. Jung, Volume 6:
Psychological Types as “the process by which individual beings are formed and
differentiated; in particular, it is the development of the psychological individual as a being distinct from the general, collective psychology” (Jung, 1976: 757).
Individuation is considered as the goal of an individual’s psychological development. The objective of individuation process is “the synthesis of the self” (Jung, 1981: 278). According to Daryl Sharp in Jung Lexicon, the objective does not mean overcoming one’s personal psychology or becoming perfect, but rather “to become familiar” with one’s personal psychology (Sharp, 1991: 82).
Jung states that individuation has two aspects. The first aspect is the internal integration of an individual’s psychology, and the second aspect is the individual’s objective relationship with everything outside him or her, including the society.
Individuation has two principle aspects: in the first place it is an internal and subjective process of integration, and in the second it is an equally indispensable process of objective relationship (Jung, 1966: 448). Related to the first aspect, to experience individuation, a person firstly must have increasing awareness of his or her “unique psychological reality, including personal strengths and limitations” (Sharp, 1991: 82). Therefore, individuation “depends on a vital relationship between ego and unconscious” (1991: 82). Related to the second aspect, a person must also be able to deeper appreciate humanity in general (Sharp, 1991: 82). This is supported by Jung’s ideas that an individual is not just a separate being, but is a part of collective relationships.
As the individual is not just a single, separate being, but by his very existence presupposes a collective relationship, it follows that the process of individuation must lead to more intense and broader collective relationships and not to isolation (Jung, 1976: 758).
Individuation does not shut one out from the world, but gathers the world to itself (Jung, 1976: 758). According to Jung, every individual cannot fully become integrated with the collective sphere or the society. As a result, every individual has some feeling of guilt in his or her relation with the society. To redeem this guilt, he or she must make or do something which reflects the values of the society.
That is the guilt which the individuant leaves behind him for the world, that is the guilt he must endeavor to redeem. He must offer a ransom in place of himself, that is, he must bring forth values which are an equivalent substitute for his absence in the collective personal sphere (Jung, 1954: 1095). As the reward if the individual can produce values that are equivalent to the society’s values, the society will give esteem to him or her. On the contrary, as the punishment if the individual fails to produce equivalent values, the society will give condemnation to him or her.
The individuant has no a priori claim to any kind of esteem. He has to be content with whatever esteem flows to him from outside by virtue of the values he creates. Not only has society a right, it also has a duty to condemn the individuant if he fails to create equivalent values (Jung, 1954: 1095). Lastly, if an individual forces to raise his or her way as a norm, there will be conflicts with collective norm.
C. Theoretical Framework
This part will discuss the contribution of the theories above to answer the problems formulated in the first chapter. Firstly, Abrams’ theory of characters, Murphy’s theory of characterization, and Abram and Holman’s theory of types of characters are used to answer the first problem regarding how the characters of Count Dracula in Stoker’s Dracula and Edward Cullen in Meyer’s Twilight are described. By applying these theories, the writer can discover both Count Dracula and Edward Cullen’s characteristics. Secondly, Freud’s theory of three-part model of human personality is used to answer the second problem regarding how Count Dracula, Edward Cullen, and their society reflect the Freudian three-part model of personality. Lastly, Jung’s theory of individuation is used to answer the third problem regarding how Count Dracula and Edward Cullen relate to their respective society based on the Freudian three-part model of personality.
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY A. Object of the Study This study is a comparison of two works of fiction. Therefore, the object
of the study is comprised of two novels, namely Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight.
Dracula is a novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. It was first published by
Archibald Constable and Company in May 1897. As discussed in The Literary
Encyclopedia , this novel is classified under the genre of gothic, horror, and even adventure novel (http://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=5509).
The myths and folklore of vampire have been existing in various cultures since the beginning of the first century, from the Hindu goddess Kali in Asian culture to Eastern European cultures such as the Magyars, Huns, and Transylvannia, which became a source of inspiration for Stoker in writing the novel Dracula (http://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1670).
However, as discussed by Roxanne Rhoads in her article “The Erotic Vampire: How Literature Has Changed the Image of Vampires”, the novel
Dracula has been considered as the birth of modern vampire myth in literature,
which pertains until today’s literature (http://www.associatedcontent.com/ page.shtml?content_type=article&content_type_id=416037). Not only in literature, but the novel has also been adapted to many movies all through the century, such as Dracula (1931), The Horror of Dracula (1958), and Bram
Stoker's Dracula (1992), as well as hundreds other movies featuring Count
Dracula as the character, as listed in the Internet Movie Database (http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0002561).
This novel is presented as a series of journal entries, letters, and articles from the characters. An English solicitor Jonathan Harker was sent to Count Dracula’s castle in Transylvania to give information on a house that Count Dracula just bought in London. He found many weird and frightening things in the castle. He managed to escape although he was badly stressed. Meanwhile, Dracula moved to London to find more victims and bit Lucy Westenra, the best friend of Harker’s fiancée Mina Murray. Dr. Seward, the friend of Lucy and her fiancé Arthur Holmwood, called his mentor Professor Van Helsing. They tried to cure Lucy, who had turned into a vampire, but failed. Meanwhile, Mina went to meet Harker in Budapest. They got married there and returned to England. Van Helsing, Dr. Seward, Arthur, Arthur’s friend Quincey, Harker, and Mina worked together to destroy the undead Lucy and Count Dracula. While they were working to destroy Dracula, he attacked Mina and turned her into a vampire. The team managed to send him back to Transylvania and destroyed him there, lifting the curse off Mina, although Quincey was killed there.
Meanwhile, Twilight is a novel by American author Stephenie Meyer. It was first published by Little, Brown, and Company in October 2005. Twilight is the first of four books in the Twilight series, followed by New Moon, Eclipse, and
Breaking Dawn . In the article about Twilight in Bitch Magazine, this novel is classified as “young adult book” as well as “teen romance” (http://bitchmagazine.org/article/bite-me-or-dont).