Gender stereotype as experienced by Eva in tillie Olsen`s short story ``Tell Me a Riddle``.

GENDER STEREOTYPE AS EXPERIENCED BY EVA

IN TILLIE OLSEN’S SHORT STORY “

TELL ME A

RIDDLE”

AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra

in English Letters

By

IMAN JUNIARTO RAHARJO

Student Number: 124214040

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS

FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA

ii

GENDER STEREOTYPE AS EXPERIENCED BY EVA

IN TILLIE OLSEN’S SHORT STORY “

TELL ME A

RIDDLE”

AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra

in English Letters

By

IMAN JUNIARTO RAHARJO

Student Number: 124214040

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS

FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA

vii

기적은 노력의 다른 이름이다.

–

강태준,

아름다운

그대에게

viii

FOR

THE ALMIGHTY GOD

PO DUITT LISTYAWAN

TAN ENG SIEN

LENNY YULIASARI RAHARJO

PO GIOK IE

ix

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

As I have finished writing this research, I want to say thank you all my teachers. To my Professors in the English Letters Department, especially Bu Sri Mulyani. Thank you for believing my weirdness as well. Thank you for the patience, guidance, and help! You are the best! I have started this project since 2014 and I am completely aware that I cannot go through all of these years without the help from all of the people who support me. I would like to thank God who has been guiding my way since I was born. I thank God for His love and guidance in every step I take in my life. This would be impossible without You.

I would also thank my parents for all their patience and support. I am sorry that I cannot make you guys proud sooner than this. For mom, thank you for the life lessons and patience. I’m so sorry that I cannot be home as often as I used to, but I am and always be the little kiddo back home. Please bear my randomness and stay healthy. For dad, don’t get old too fast, I beg of you. For Wak Ie, thank you for taking care of me in Jogja. Moving to a whole new city was hard at first, but you always make sure that I am in my best condition everyday. I could never repay your love. Further, I would like to thank to my sister, Lenny. Thank you for coping up with my weirdness too. Thank you for patiently waiting for me. We could finally go to the graduation ceremony together now as we planned in the past.

x

I also would like to thank Laura, Soraya, Ame, Laras, Lolita, Nimas, and Arum. You guys are always there for me in school. For Nikki, thank you for the help while I was doing this research. For Menyon and Rico, thank you for staying up late and accompanying me when I have to rewrite this all over. For Lembaga Bahasa Universitas Sanata Dharma and my new little family of KKN 47, you guys are one of my miracles in the process of finishing this Undergraduate Thesis!

To Professor Na Younsook in Handong University, Hanna Lee, and Nancy Qunqar, a lot of people helped me to finish this, but you guys are the ones who inspired me to start it. Thank you for the awesome ideas! To Lee Heekyoung seonsaengnim and Seo Daeyoung seonsaengnim, thank you for always reminding me to finish this research. Saranghaeyo, seonsaengnimdeul!

Iman Juniarto Raharjo.

xi

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE………...………. ii

APPROVAL PAGE ………. iii

ACCEPTANCE PAGE………..……….. iv

LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH ……….………... v

STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY ………..…….. vi

MOTTO PAGE ………. vii

DEDICATION PAGE………... viii

ACKNOWLWDGEMENTS……… ix

TABLE OF CONTENTS……….. xi

ABSTRACT………... xiii

ABSTRAK………... xiv

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ... 1

A. Background of the Study ... 1

B. Problem Formulation ... 4

C. Objectives of the Study ... 4

D. Definition of Terms ... 5

CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ... 8

A. Review of Related Studies ... 8

B. Review of Related Theories ... 10

1. Theory of Characterization ... 10

2. Women as “Angels” and “Monsters”... 11

3. Theory of Liberal Feminism ... 11

4. Theory of Gender Hierarchy ... 13

C. Review of Related Backgrounds ... 15

D. Theoretical Framework ... 17

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ... 20

A. Object of the Study ... 19

B. Approach of the Study ... 20

xii

CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS ... 23

A. Eva and Her Roles Related to Gender ... 23

1. Eva as a Housewife ... 24

2. Eva as a Mother ... 30

3. Eva in the Context of Gender Hierarchy ... 35

B. Eva’s Reaction: Eva as “Angels” and “Monsters”... 39

1. Eva as a Woman ... 39

2. Eva as an “Angel” and a “Monster”... 46

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ... 48

BIBLIOGRAPHY ... 51

xiii ABSTRACT

IMAN JUNIARTO RAHARJO. GENDER STEREOTYPE AS

EXPERIENCED BY EVA IN TILLIE OLSEN’S SHORT STORY “TELL

ME A RIDDLE” Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2017.

“Tell Me a Riddle” is a short story written by Tillie Olsen. It was published as a part of a four story collection in 1961. The story focuses on the marriage of an aging Russian immigrant couple named Eva and David. As the story took place in the 1950s –1960s, after the big depression, women’s roles are not that big in the society. The society views that women should focus on taking care of the family and their houses as the men and boys were sent to wars. The research is about gender stereotype experienced by Eva as the main woman related to her roles in the society.

This thesis is divided into two main analysis. The first is the portrayal of Eva as a housewife and a mother in the story related to the gender role existed in the society and the second is Eva’s reaction to the stereotypes set by the society addressed towards her as a woman. As a woman, Eva is bounded to the roles of being a mother and a housewife after marriage. The story then tells about Eva, the representation of women, and her struggle to deal with the stereotype in the society.

In making the analysis, the method that is used to collect data for the thesis is library research. The study collects and examines data from library and web articles. There are two big steps taken in analyzing this research. First, the researcher starts with reading and understanding the whole short story using the feminism approach. The second step is collecting data, references, and theories related to this short story both from library and online sources.

Based on the analysis, the researcher presents two findings in this thesis. The first one is related to the stereotype addressed towards Eva related to her roles in the society. The society stereotyped her as a housewife and a mother and she is oppressed in the process of the stereotyping. The second finding is related to how Eva reacts to the stereotype. She does not fall into the stereotypes as she yearns for freedom and stands up for herself at the end of the story. Women are depicted into either one of the two different figures in the 1960s. It is affected by the categorization of women according to men and the Victorian values adopted in America. Women are seen as either the angels or the monsters. Eva is presented as both “angel” and “monster” in the story. There is no clear limit to describe women. The theory of woman as an angel and monster cannot describe Eva, the representation of women, as she has her own character development throughout the story.

xiv ABSTRAK

IMAN JUNIARTO RAHARJO. GENDER STEREOTYPE AS

EXPERIENCED BY EVA IN TILLIE OLSEN’S SHORT STORY “TELL

ME A RIDDLE”. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2017.

“Tell Me a Riddle” adalah sebuah cerita pendek yang ditulis oleh. Cerita ini diterbitkan pada tahun 1961 sebagai salah satu begian dari empat cerita pendek yang dikumpulkan menjadi satu. Cerita pendek ini mengisahkan kehidupan sepasang imigran dari Rusia yang telah lama menikah. Berlatar belakang tahun 1950-1960an, peran perempuan dalam masyarakat tidaklah besar. Hal ini dipengaruhi oleh zaman malaise. Masyarakat berpendat bahwa perempuan sebaiknya menetap di rumah dan merawat anggota keluarga mereka sementara laki – laki pergi ke medan perang. Penelitian ini berisi tentang stereotipe gender yang dialami oleh Eva sebagai tokoh wanita utama dalam cerita ini dan representasi wanita pada umumnya.

Analisa dalam penelitian ini dibagi menjadi dua. Bagian pertama adalah penggambaran Eva sebagai seorang wanita yang memiliki kewajiban sebagai ibu rumah tangga dan seorang ibu dari tujuh orang anak. Hal ini terkait dengan perannya dalam masyarakat. Bagian kedua menunjukkan reaksi Eva terhadap stereotipe – stereotipe terhadap wanita yang ada dalam masyarakat patriarki.

Dalam melakukan analisa, peneliti mencari dan mengusut data dari buku – buku di perpustakaan. Penelitian ini menggunakan sumber tertulis dan situs web yang kemudian dianalisa dengan pendekatan feminisme. Ada dua langkah yang diambil dalam melakukan analisa dalam penelitian ini. Pertama, Peneliti memulai dengan membaca dan memahami seluruh isi cerita pendek “Tell Me A Riddle”. Langkah kedua adalah pengumpulan data, referensi, dan teori yang berhubungan dengan cerita pendek ini dari buku – buku di Perpustakaan dan sumber daring.

Berdasarkan analisa yang ada, peneliti menyajikan dua penemuan dalam penelitian ini. Pertama, Eva dideskripsikan distereotipekan sebagai seorang istri dan ibu rumah tangga dan dia mengalammi tekanan dalam proses pembentukan stereotype tersebut. Kedua, Eva tidak jatuh ke dalam jerat stereotipe tersebut karena ia tetap membela dirinya di akhir cerita. Perempuan dideskripsikan menjadi dua figur dalam masyarakat. Mereka disebut sebagai “Malaikat” atau “Monster”. Hal ini dipengaruhi oleh penilaian laki – laki terhadap perempuan dan nilai pada era Victoria yang diadopsi oleh Amerika. Meski demikian, Eva memiliki perkembangan tersendiri dalam cerita pendek ini. Dia adalah seorang “malaikat” dan “monster” dalam waktu yang bersamaan. Teori pembagian perempuan menjadi “malaikat” dan “monster” tidak dapat mendeskripsikan Eva karena dia adalah Eva. Tidak ada batasan dalam mendeskripsikan Eva ataupun peremuan – perempuan lainnya.

1

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

A. Background of Study

As Britain still struggled to rebuild a devastated country caused by World War II in the 1960s, women had a hard time back then. According to Nicholson (2015: 4), they were years of frustration at wartime gains lost, whereas others preferred to go back to the certainties of their pre-war lives. Nicholson stated that women might have had the vote on the same terms as men since 1929, but for most that was pretty well the limit of their equality: working women were paid much less than men and despite the responsibilities and sheer hard graft many had endured in wartime, were still regarded as submissive and inferior beings. Furthermore, Nicholson also explained that Educational opportunities were limited. The 1944 Education Act, formally known as An Act to reform the law relating to education in England and Wales, was supposed to give everyone equality, but that is not how it worked out. Many teachers and parents had narrow expectations for girls whose destiny was to be married. Women are still depicted to be housewives or mothers. They had the duty to take care of their husbands and children respectively.

Faced with such social background as the foundation, the short story “Tell Me a Riddle" written by Tillie Olsen, focused on the marriage of aging Russian immigrant couple named Eva and David. The short story was first published as a part of a four story collection in 1961. The story focused on David and Eva as

they got estranged in their forty-seventh year of marriage. At the moment, they had the conflict of how to spend their retirement. David wanted them, both David and Eva, to move out of their house to a place called Haven as their children were all adults now. David tried his best to persuade Eva, but to no avail. Eva still wanted to stay in the house even if it meant that she had to take care of the house by herself. The reason was simple, Eva sees her house as a comfort zone and doing house chores becomes something that she is comfortable with.

David does not care about her wife’s opinion and even threatened to sell the house without Eva’s agreement. Here, Eva is shown as a woman with no rights to voice her own opinion. As the story took place in the 1950s – 1960s, after the big depression, women’s roles are not that big in a society. People still have the medieval mindset about how women should focus on taking care of the family. This kind of mindset came out because boys were sent to wars and they were seen more precious and useful than women.

Despite her current situation after marriage, Eva herself used to be an activist before she was married to David. However, she completely focused her life to be a full time housewife. From this point, it could also be seen that Eva’s life changed completely after the marriage. Related to the situation in the 1950s – 1960s stated in the beginning, Eva lost her freedom as a woman in the society.

Concerned with women’s role in 1960s, the researcher uses the feminism approach to focus on Eva and see what are the stereotypes addressed to her as a women after marriage, and how she reacts to the stereotypes. The term feminism itself derives from a French word, féminisme, during late 19th century. The issue

of rights for women first became prominent during the French and American revolutions in the late eighteenth century. This movement becomes a literary critic as the characterization of woman and woman’s authorship in literature are being questioned.

According to Madsen (2000: 3), feminism is a social and political movement. Feminism is about changing the way that people see male and female rights, and campaigning for equal ones. Some feminists believe that all genders should always be treated in exactly the same way. They also believe that there are important differences between men and women as they are also categorized by gender. However, they believe that these differences should not lead to any unfair treatment of women by men.

The researcher also relates Eva’s condition in the short story to Gilbert and Gubar’s theory of women as “Angels” and “Monsters” (1984) to see how she is presented in the story as a woman. Then, the researcher looks back to the Victorian era and through the poem “The Angel in the House” as this poem is the fundamental and initial beginning of how women are expected to be in the society.

The researcher is interested in this topic because in this era, some men still talk about how women are meant to do specific tasks based on their gender. For example, cleaning the house and preparing meals for the family. By doing this research, the researcher tries to find the stereotypes experienced by the character Eva. The researcher also tries to show how she reacts to the stereotypes addressed towards her as a women in the story Tell Me a Riddle.

As the short story takes place in the US during the 1950s and 1960s, the researcher hopes to show the readers if the standards of ideal women in the Victorian Era actually affect how women are expected or seen to be in the next century. In the end, the researcher also hopes for men to have better view on women and women can be encouraged not to fall into the similar possible stereotypes shown in the story.

B. Problem Formulation

In revealing the gender stereotypes through the story, the researcher focused on problems stated below.

1. How is Eva presented in Olsen’s “Tell Me a Riddle” related to her gender roles as a housewife and a mother in the society?

2. As a woman, how does Eva react to the stereotypes set by the society addressed towards her in Olsen’s “Tell Me a Riddle”?

C. Objective of the Study

This research’s goal is to find out how the character Eva as a woman, without the influence from the society, reacts to the stereotypes given by the society in the nineteenth century. The first objective is to understand further about Eva’s characterization in the novel and what kind of gender stereotypes that she undergoes. The second objective is to reveal the influence of social stereotype addressed towards women in the society.

D. Definition of Term 1. Gender

Lisa Unger (in Brannon, 1948: 8) states that gender describes the traits and behaviors that are regarded by the culture as appropriate to women and men. Gender is thus a social label and not description of biology. Carolyn Sherif (in Brannon, 1948: 8) also shares the similar definition of gender, saying that it is a scheme for social categorization of individuals.

On this, Ridgeway (2011: 13) states that many people still stick to the traditional ideas that men and women should behave in ways that fall into specific categories determined solely on their socially constructed identities, their gender. However, male or female gender-specific identities are irrelevant in modern society. Gender is socially developed over time and are not based on natural human behavior.

2. Stereotype

Patterson (1991: 8) states that stereotyping is an oversimplified, usually pejorative, attitude people hold toward those outside one's own experience who are different. They are a result of incomplete or distorted information accepted as fact without question.

Based on this, Patterson defines a stereotype as a widely belief that an individual is a member of a certain group based on characteristics (1991: 8). Stereotype is needed in order to acknowledge the characteristicss of certain groups. However, a great deal of inaccuracy in social perception may happen due to the process of overgeneralization within social perception.

3. Gender Stereotype

By combining the two definitions above, gender stereotypes can simply be defined as a widely belief that an individual is a member of a certain group based on traits and behaviors that are regarded by the culture as appropriate to women and men. Brown (2014: 9), shares that gender stereotypes are generalizations which start when children are introduced to certain roles that are typically linked to their biological sex.

Furthermore, Brown (2014: 11) also explains that the term "gender role" is used to refer to society's concept of how men and women are expected to act and behave. Gender roles are based on norms, or standards, created by society. Gilbert and Gubar (1984: 57), also share the thought that such grouping can be positive or negative, but they rarely communicate accurate information about others.

Based on the definitions given above, it can be concluded that a gender stereotype is a generalization about the gender attributes, differences, and roles of individuals and/or groups.

4. Victorian Values in America

According to victorian-era.org, the Victorian era is often thought of as a time when society and its rules were rigid and strict. It is based upon a group of principles or standard of moral conduct including practicing sexual restriction and zero acceptance of criminal activity. Other characteristics that describe the values of the Victorian Era include hard work, honesty, the sense of duty and responsibility towards people in regards of their gender (http://www.victorian-era.org/victorian-era-morality.html) (4 May 2017).

The term Victorian America is used to refer the Victorian values adopted in the America. According to Bayley (2008), the elite were in total control of society and its politics at the start of the Victorian era. The elite were made up of about 300 families which were firmly established as the traditional ruling class. However, new values, such as individualism developed throughout the Victorian America. Similar to the American Dream, the idea is that, if they work hard enough, all men can become wealthy. Eventually, it can be concluded that Victorian values refer to the social condition which conducts the standard of moral during the Victorian era. It also includes separation of people in regards of their gender.

8

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

The researcher divides this chapter is divided into four sections. The first section is the review on the related studies of Tell Me a Riddle. It can be related to the topic. The second section is the review on the theories that are applied to analyze the problems stated on the problem formulation. The third section talks about the review on Victorian era related to the poem “Angel in the House” written by Coventry Patmore, and the last section is about the application of the review on related studies and theories.

A. Review of Related Studies

Set in America during the 1960s, “Tell Me a Riddle” tells the struggles of creating individuality different from stereotypical images of mid-century women. The situation is explored through Eva. The short story was published as a part of a four story collection in 1961. Tell Me a Riddle became the main title of that collection and it received the 1961 O. Henry Award. In 1980, “Tell Me a Riddle” was adapted into American drama film directed by Lee Grant.

Some students of Sanata Dharma University have discussed the topic of feminism as well. Didikyudono (2003) in his thesis, A Portrayal of Liberal Feminism of Victorian Age: A Feminist Study of William Makepeace Thackeray’s Vanity Fair, wrote that the goal of liberal feminism is to gain the equality between

women and men in every aspect of life by means of education. Didikyudono focuses on how women gain equality from the education that they have. Della Putri (2011), in her thesis The Ideas of Feminism in the Victorian Era Revealed in the Characteristics of Women Characters also shares the similar idea by stating that the idea of feminism is equality and opportunity as the women characters are given the opportunity to be equal with men.

On this, Jabbra (2008) in her journal entitled Theories of Gender Hierarchy for an Introductory Women’s Studies Class states that gender hierarchy plays an important role in discussing women’s role in the society. Gender

hierarchy focuses on how cultures in a society influenced the view of a gender. In some societies men may dominate over women. In others, women may dominate over men. The knowledge of how a specific gender is placed in the society not only makes it easier for people to see if there is any gender inequality, but also helps people to understand the cultural background of a society better.

While it is true that Eva fulfils her duties as a housewife and a mother, she still finds herself alienated from her husband and her children, with whom she has nothing in common. She does not fit in despite the fact that she tries to play along with what the society expects her to be. The main concern in the story is with resentment between generations and unfulfilled expectations. The story probably relate more directly to Tillie Olsen’s own life

The thesis and journal stated above helps the researcher understand the values in the Victorian era adopted by the Americans and the story better. However, the researcher wants to be more specific with the feminism and the Victorian background in this undergraduate thesis. So, instead of focusing on the literary work during the Victorian era, the researcher is doing the research on how women have to deal with stereotypes in the work written in the 1960s. It is done to see if the standards of an ideal woman made during the Victorian era actually affect the future condition, especially in the 1960s.

B. Review of Related Theories

These are some theories to find the answers of the problem formulations 1. Theory of Characterization

According to Forster, there are two types of characters; those are “round” and “flat”. Round characters are usually can be found in the main characters. They usually change into someone better, or worse. Meanwhile, the flat character usually can be found in minor character, but not all of the minors are flat characters. “To the degree that round characters possess many individual and unpredictable human traits they may be considered as dynamic; that is, they demonstrate their capacity to change or grow” (1987: 121).

Murphy in Understanding Unseen (1972: 160-173) stated that there are nine ways to understand and explore about a character. They are personal description, character as seen by another, speech, past lives, conversation of others, reactions, direct comment, thought, and mannerism.

2. Theory of Women as Angels and Monsters

In The Madwoman in the Attic, Gilbert and Gubar (1984) examine Victorian literature from a feminist perspective. Gilbert and Gubar note the perception that women writers of the nineteenth century were bound in their writing to make their female characters either embody the "angel" or the "monster." This struggle is caused by male writers' tendencies to categorize female characters into two figures. Women are seen as either pure, angelic women or rebellious, unkempt madwomen.

In their argument, Gilbert and Gubar point to Virginia Woolf, who says women writers must kill the aesthetic ideal through which they themselves have been killed into art (in Gilbert & Gubar, 1984: 18). It means that they have to get out of the angelic stereotype of women set by men. By then, they can be free like the monsters and able to make arts with no limits.

While it may be easy to figure that feminist writers embody the "monsters", Gilbert and Gubar stress the importance of killing off both figures because neither accurately represents women or women writers. Instead, Gilbert and Gubar urge female writers not to fall to the said stereotypes, which they see as imposed by a reductionist patriarchal view of women's roles (1984: 18).

3. Theory of Liberal Feminist

Liberal Feminism began in the 18th and 19th centuries and has continued through to the present day. Throughout the history, the liberal feminist movement has been and continues to be focused on eliminating female subordination.

rooted in a set of customary and legal constraints that blocks women’s entrance to and success in the so-called public world. To the extent that society holds the false belief that women are, by nature, less intellectually and physically capable than men, it tends to discriminate against women (in Tong, 2009: 2). Its long history is a testament to how well it has been able to adapt and change to the many issues confronting women.

Mary Wollstonecraft represents the beginning of the liberal feminist movement. According to Tong, she wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, in which she makes the case that women need to be educated just as well as men so that they can grow up to be moral and autonomous human beings (2009: 12-13). Then in the 19th century John Stuart Mill and Harriet Taylor wrote about women needing to be more involved in society.

While Harriet Taylor called for women to work outside the household as well as raise children, John Stuart Mill believed that women should be recognized as fully rational and worthy of the same civil liberties and economic opportunities as men (in Tong, 2009: 17). Though many of their thoughts differed, both Mill and Taylor supported the suffrage movement.

After the passage of the 19th amendment liberal feminism was quiet until the 1960's when it awoke during the civil rights movement by realizing that similar to race discrimination there was a great deal of sex discrimination in the system. There are several critiques of liberal feminism. One is that liberal feminism focuses too much on women becoming like men and it unnecessarily denigrates the importance of traditional female roles (2009: 35).

Another critique attacks liberal feminism because it emphasizes the rational above the emotional while humans need both. It also questioned liberal feminism's focus on the individual and not on the community (2009: 38). A combination of historical approach and liberal feminism focuses on its racist, classist and heterosexist past (2009: 40). It concerns on the past lives of women in the society.

Mainly, liberal feminism focuses on gender justice. Liberal feminists believe that their philosophy positively answers each of these critiques and though liberal feminism at one time was racist, classist, and heterosexist, it has overcome these issues.

4. Theory of Gender Hierarchy

Before the 1950s, the term “gender" was used only in terms of grammar, and only to distinguish a category of words that are called 'feminine nouns' from other words that are masculine nouns. Many European languages that come from Latin like Spanish, French, and Italian have nouns that are either feminine or masculine in gender. For example, in Spanish, house (casa) is feminine, and day (día) is masculine. Some languages like German even have three genders. Outside of their grammatical category, the word 'gender' was not used to refer to people.

At that time, when one spoke about someone being either male or female, the word used was sex. In 1955, the word gender is used referring to people. It refers to their sex, but not quite the same.

According to Jabbra, the meaning of the word gender began to change in 1955. A scientist studying the similarities and differences between men and women began to use the word gender in new ways that referred to people's behavior (2008: 229). John Money created the term gender role and began to use it to mean something different from sex. As mentioned earlier, there is a difference between sex and gender. According to Money, the word sex describes the body. Sex organs and sex chromosomes show what sex someone is. The word 'gender' describes someone's personality or character (in Jabbra, 2008: 229). It says if someone feels or acts more like a female (feminine) or more like a male (masculine).

In response to this, Peterson & Runyan assert that gender should be understood as a social, not physiological, construction: femininity and masculinity, the terms that denote one’s gender, refer to a complex set of characteristics and behaviors prescribed for a particular sex by society and learned through the socialization process (1993: 17). In other words, society confines males and females to particular masculine and feminine character profiles, not biology. This means that gender is not fixed. Gender should be considered an adjustable and flexible concept, as opposed to the more static tendency of biology.

The nature of hierarchy in general requires ones to be dominant and the others to be subordinate. Different people performing different functions in cooperation with each other will form themselves into a hierarchy. As it is clearly stated that men and women are different and they cannot be compared to one

another in the first place, they will naturally fall into a hierarchy. However, hierarchy is indeed important because it allows for cooperation instead of competition between men and women.

Based on the understanding of gender stated above, gender hierarchy indeed focuses on how cultures in a society influenced the view of gender ina hierarchical manner. As mentioned earlier, men may dominate over women in some societies. In others, women may dominate over men.

C. Review of Related Backgrounds Women’s Role in Victorian Era

The Victorian era when Queen Victorian reigned was between 1837 up to 1901. This period is marked by the reform act in 1832 and the extreme diversities with the industrial reforms, cultural progress, scientific advancement on one hand and poverty and wars on the other.

According to Flanders, the Victorian era identified four classes as a part and parcel of their social structure which was the Nobility, Middle Class, Upper Working Class and Lower Working Class. People in the respective categories were expected to remain within their class and any slight change from one class to another was considered to be a serious offence. In all these categories, the role of the women remained unchanged. They were supposed to live a highly restrictive life with their life centered round their husband and subsequently their children. (2003: 12)

Women who belonged to the nobility class lived and enjoyed a life of luxuries. These women spent most of their time attending tea parties and balls and the remaining time they would spend in knitting and horseback riding. Women had several attendants to look after them. They were expected to be highly educated. Their main job was to effectively instruct the servants on what is to be done and to groom younger girls of the same class (nobility) to become women.

After the noble class, came the middle class. These people were not as rich as the nobles though many of the people of this class tried mingling with the noble class people. The women belonging to this class were expected to take education, help in the family business and try to get married into the nobility.

At the close of the Victorian era, few women of this class were self employed by being a nurse or a writer. Women of the Upper-class usually got married and had jobs and run the family. Lastly, the Under-class women, who came from extreme poverty and took up low jobs like that of prostitution, laborers, or any activity which involves physical exertion. Unlike the Upper-class women, these women mostly remained single all their lives as they were more in number as compared to male.

The only duty cast upon a Victorian woman was to keep her husband happy and raise her children for which they groomed right from their childhood days. The rights which the women enjoyed were similar to those which were enjoyed by young children whereby they were not allowed to vote, sue or even own property. They had no choice but to accept all that which was already decided for her by the society at large by way of customs.

While in America, the influence of Victorian period on the lifestyle, culture, religion and other aspects on America is addressed as the Victorian America. According to victorian-era.org, The Civil War in America was responsible for bringing about a change in the American culture. The impact of the Victorian culture can be clearly seen after the Civil War. Some of the popular cities with the influence of Victorian values related to the forms of the buildings in America are Boston, Chicago, Buffalo, Albany and some areas of Brooklyn (http://www.victorian-era.org/victorian-era-america.html) (20 November 2016).

D. Theoretical Framework

The researcher studies about the gender stereotypes experienced by Eva as a woman in Tillie Olsen’s short story “Tell Me a Riddle”. The purpose of this undergraduate thesis is to answer the problems formulated in the previous part.

Thus, the study of the related theories and studies will be taken as a data to solve the problems. The researcher uses library research to gather the data and uses liberal feminism approach as the topic is related to how women are treated and expected to be in the 1950s – 1960s.

First, the researcher uses the theory of liberal feminism as a foundation to view the whole short story, especially on how women are being treated. Then, the researcher shows how Eva is portrayed as a woman, a housewife, and a mother in the society with the theory of gender hierarchy and liberal feminism perspectives.

The theory of gender hierarchy is also used to see Eva’s position in the society.

To answer the second the second problem, the researcher relates Eva’s conditions in the story with the theory of women as angels and monsters. This then gives clearer information on how women are basically categorized or stereotyped as angels and monsters. After that, the researcher’s analysis on Eva’s reaction gives better idea on which group she belongs to according to those categorizations. However, there is a slight reminder that Gilbert and Gubar themselves also mention that these categories do not accurately describe women.

19 CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY

A. Object of the Study

The object of this research is “Tell Me a Riddle”, a short story written by Tillie Olsen. It was published as a part of a four story collection in 1961. Tell Me a Riddle served as the main title of that collection. The research is about gender stereotypes as experienced by Eva, the main woman character in the short story.

This short story consists of 116 pages. As it received the 1961 O. Henry Award, Tell Me a Riddle has been called "a powerful study of the politics of voice", "an American Classic, and described as "beautifully crafted and painfully real in the issues of family that it raises” as a whole collection. The version used for this research is the Dell-Laurel Edition published in 1976 by Dell Publishing Co., Inc. This version of Tell Me a Riddle consists of 125 pages in total and the short story “Tell Me a Riddle” alone consists of 54 pages.

As mentioned, the story focuses on the marriage of an aging Russian immigrant couple named Eva and David. As the story took place in the 1950s – 1960s, after the big depression, women’s roles are not that big in the society. The society thinks that women should focus on taking care of the family and their houses as the men and boys were sent to wars. In the story, Eva becomes a housewife and she falls into the gender stereotyping on how a woman is expected to be after she gets married. The story then tells about Eva’s struggle to deal with the stereotypes as a woman in the society.

B. Approach of the Study

To analyze the short story, the researcher uses the liberal feminist approach. According to Madsen, this approach concerns with gender justice as second-wave feminism started to take place in the twentieth century. Liberal Feminists believe that women must maintain their equality through their own actions and choices. They also argue that society holds the false belief that women are lower than men (2003: 8). Basically, liberal feminists refuses to accept the thought that men and women are not equal despite the fact that they are biologically different. Liberal feminists also believe that women can make their own choices and those choices represents their freedom. Women are considered as free if they are able to choose and not being told what to do,

This approach is the most suitable because the short story itself has a woman as the heroine and it happened in the 1950s-1960s. From the explanation given, this criticism helps the researcher easier to find how Eva is portrayed as a woman with the roles of being a housewife and a mother. Later, her reactions to the stereotype towards her roles can also be seen as one of the results.

Madsen also states that feminism is a social and political movement. Feminism is about changing the way that people see male and female rights, and campaigning for equal ones (2000: 3). This research then focuses on the relation between the short story and the reality happens in the society at the specific time, the 1960s, related to the movement.

C. Method of the Study

The method that is used to collect data for the thesis is library research. The study only looks from and collected from library and some from trusted web articles. There are two big steps taken in analyzing this research. First, the researcher starts with reading and understanding the whole short story. The second step is collecting data, references, and theories related to this short story both from library and online sources. The researcher tries to find other sources and apply the theories based on the feminism perspectives.

From the reading, the researcher is interested with how women are treated in the society during the 1950s – 1960s. Thus, the feminism approach is specified into liberal feminism approach. After understanding the short story, the researcher applies the gender hierarchy theory and finds that there is a specific standard on how women are expected to be or act since they live in a strong patriarchal society at that time.

Through the liberal feminism perspectives, the researcher tries to see how women are being treated during the era. Then, the researcher will relate Eva’s condition with the theory of women as angels and monsters. From here, the researcher finds that as a woman, Eva is seen as a figure whose only duties are to keep her husband happy and take care of the children. It goes accordingly to how women are expected to be during the Victorian era. In relation to the theory of Angels and Monsters by Gilbert and Gubar, the researcher also finds that women

are either stereotyped as angels and monsters with the angel being the one who are likeable to men and the monsters are the ones who cause anxiety towards men since they are rebellious. The poem “Angel in the House” provided in the previous part then also gives clearer information on how women are basically categorized or stereotyped as angels and monsters.

The researcher concludes that Eva is treated unfairly since she has no freedom to even voice her own opinion and her husband gets to decide everything for her. Based on the analysis, the researcher sees that Eva belongs to the angelic type since she is formed and depicted as the ideal type of wife in the era of 1960s. The poem “The Angel in the House”, the short biological review of Tillie Olsen, and the understanding of women’s role in Victorian Era are provided to understand the context easier. With these, the researcher looks back to the Victorian era and use the poem “The Angel in the House” as this poem is the foundation and initial start of how women are expected to be in the society.

While the understanding of women’s role provides better understanding of how women lived during the era, the poem gives the background information on why women are expected to be who they are even. This poem will be the foundation on how women is seen and expected to be during the 1950s – 1960s, even until this present days.

23

CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS

In this chapter, the problems formulated in the earlier chapter are answered. Based on the problems formulated, this chapter is divided into two parts. The first part describes how the character Eva undergoes related to her roles as a housewife and a mother in the story “Tell Me a Riddle”. The second part is how the character Eva react to the stereotypes, set by the society, addressed towards her as a women in the story Tell Me a Riddle written by Tillie Olsen.

A. Eva and Her Roles Related to Gender

As mentioned, “Tell Me a Riddle” was published as a part of a four story collection in 1961. Tell Me a Riddle served as the main title of that collection. Out of the four stories, “Tell Me a Riddle” is placed the last and the story tells about the marriage of an aging Russian immigrant couple named Eva and David. In spite of the fact that the collection consists of four different short stories, the first three stories are related to Eva’s family. The previous three separated stories tell each of Eva’s child and their struggles with their own family and the society in relation to racism. The three stories then lead the readers to Eva as the heroine. With that said, researcher discusses about the characteristics of Eva as she is the protagonist of the short story “Tell Me a Riddle”. The researcher chooses Eva as she fits the idea of feminism best in the story.

This subchapter shows two of Eva’s different sides as a figure in the society. Even though it is divided into two small parts accordingly to Eva’s role in the society, Eva’s roles are interrelated. As a person, the society stereotyped her as a woman with the duty as a housewife and a mother. So, Eva here is presented as David’s wife and a mother of her seven kids.

1. Eva as a Housewife

Eva has been married to David and she has been a victim of gender inequality in the process as she is treated unfairly and is at lost compared to David. She has limited access in the society and she has no room to express her opinion. As a housewife, she is expected to be in the house and run the errands. This part explains how Eva’s relationship with David is portrayed related to the gender stereotyping which exist in the society.

As a woman, Eva is expected to be a housewife by the society. As the story is written in the nineteenth century, the standard of a “good” woman is affected by the devotion of Queen Victoria. The Queen’s domestic life sets the ideal life for the women of this age. It includes women to take care of her husband and her children above all else as a sole purpose of living.

The poem “The Angel in the House” by Coventry Patmore shares the similar view and gives contribution on how to treat women in this era. As a woman, Eva is given limited access in the society and limited chance to voice her opinion. She also bears the responsibility to take care of her husband and her children while David gets to go out and socialize. There are some parts which show how Eva has no rights to say her own opinion.

“I will sell the house anyway,” he flung at her one night.

“I’m putting it up for sale. There will be a way to make you sign.”

(Olsen, 1976: 78)

David tells Eva that he is going to sell the house. Rather than telling Eva in advance and discussing it together, he just tells Eva that the house is up for sale.

From here, it can be seen that David does not consider Eva’s opinion and feeling.

This act also shows that David sees Eva, who is a woman, as a second-class citizen. He does not appreciate Eva or sees her as a person. It shares the similar thought that men are considered superior compared to women. Such understanding is very common at that time. When Eva tries to voice her disagreement, David’s reaction is no different.

“You cannot sell the house”

“I will. We are going to the Haven. Then you would not hear the television when you don’t want to. I could sit in the social room and watch. You could lock yourself up and smell your unpleasantness in a room by yourself –for who would want to come near you?”

“No, no selling.” A whisper now. (Olsen, 1976: 78)

This is the occasion where Eva’s opinions are being ignored by David.

From this part, it is indicated that he does not give Eva any room to voice her opinion and she is left without any other choice. David’s reaction with harsh

words also does not show any respect to Eva as his wife. There is a hint of gender inequality addressed towards Eva as a woman. She is oppressed and she has no choice but to listen to her husband. More than that, she is not even allowed to go out of the house ever since they are married in the first place.

As mentioned earlier that being an ideal woman includes taking care of her husband and her children above all else as a sole purpose of living, women also have limited access to actually go out and socialize. The same situation is also experienced by Eva as a woman. David, the man, forbids Eva from leaving home as she has to take care of the family. However, he can go out and have meetings with his lodge, playing cards as the men are allowed to go out whenever they are pleased. The following is one of the proofs that David forbids Eva from going out.

“A reading circle. Chekov they read that you like, and Peretz. Cultured people at Haven that you would enjoy.”

“Enjoy!” She tasted the word. “Now, when it pleases you, you find a reading circle for me. And forty years ago when the children were morsels and there was a Circle, did you stay home once so I could go? Even once? You trained me well. I do not need others to enjoy. Others!” Her voice trembled.

(Olsen, 1976: 75)

David tries to convince Eva to move in to Haven by telling her that there is a reading club, addressed as a circle, in Haven. Eva likes to read and the reading club discusses the books that she likes. However, Eva gets mad when she hears David’s offer. She claims that only now David acknowledges Eva’s fond of reading. Other than showing the grammatical errors in their conversation as Russians, the conversation also shows that there used to be a reading circle that Eva wants to join, but she cannot do so as she has to take care of the children and David never helps. Eventually, Eva becomes more comfortable being alone and the house has become her comfort zone. The proof can be seen from the following.

“And her social duty (for she will not o out to luncheons or meetings) the boxes of old clothes left with her, as with a life practised eye of finding what is still wearable within the worn (again the magnifyingglass superimposed on the heavy glasses) she scans and sorts – this for rag or rummage, that for mending and cleaning, and this for sending away.” (Olsen, 1976: 77)

Researcher notes that Eva does not go to luncheons or meetings to socialize. Instead, she is scanning and sorting the old clothes as a form of socializing. She sees her daily routines as duties she has to finish rather than a call of heart. As she sorts, it is seen that such duty requires a skill which gets better as the time goes by. It implies that she has been doing this for a relatively long time and she is used to it already.

In relation to David’s action of purposely not acknowledging Eva’s interest of reading in the past, a similar act is also done by David. As a man in the house, David pretends not to hear what Eva says. This kind of situation also shows the impact of the traditional thought that men are considered as superior figures compared to women. Men do not listen to anyone but himself, just like how David sells the house without minding Eva’s opinion.

“You are the one who always used to say: better mankind born without mouths and stomach than always to worry for money to buy, to shop, to fix, to cook, to wash, to clean.”

“How cleverly you hid that you heard. I said it then because eighteen hours a day I ran. And you never scraped a carrot or knew a dish towel sops.”

(Olsen, 1976: 74)

This part happens on one of the many times when David convinces Eva to move in to Haven. This part shows that Eva’s words are being ignored by David while he actually can hear them all clearly. However, this part also conveys more meaning than what it seems. Other than showing David’s ignorance, Eva’s reply actually reveals the unspoken rules of the patriarchal society. There is a structure in the society in relation to gender. Men have privilege as they are the dominant ones at that time, and it is not the only time David shows the said privilege.

“She is going to find every speck of dirt”

“Don’t, Nancy, I’ve told you – it’s the only way she knows how to be useful. What did the doctor say?”

“A real fatherly lecture.” (Olsen, 1976: 80)

In her days as an old woman, Eva and David are often invited to Paul’s house on the weekend to have dinner together. Paul is one of Eva’s kids and he is married to Nancy. It is just after a regular Sunday dinner with Paul’s little family that Nancy insists on cleaning the kitchen instead of Eva. Nancy tells her that she does not need to do it because she will do it later. Actually, Nancy knows very well that Eva is a meticulous person. She will not stop cleaning the kitchen until it is clean thoroughly. However, David tells Nancy not to stop Eva from cleaning the kitchen as it is the only way she knows how to be useful. It indicates that there is a traditional way men see women during this era. Women are seen as figures that are useful only when it comes to doing house chores and doing chores itself is considered as a low job. Men are better just because they get to do other things.

Eva gets weaker as she gets older. She is later diagnosed a small kidney disorder. Paul, one of Eva’s children, invites David and Eva for a regular Sunday

dinners together with Paul’s wife, Nancy. On their third Sunday together, Paul notices that Eva looks different lately from the way she crumples on the couch.

“Have you thought maybe Ma should let a doctor have a look at her? Asked their son Paul after Sunday dinner, regarding his mother crumpled on the couch, instead of, as was her custom, busying herself in Nancy’s kitchen.”

“Why not the President too?”

“Seriously, Dad. This is the third Sunday she’s lain down like that after dinner.Is she that way at home?”

“A regular love affair with the bed.”

When Paul asks David’s opinion if Eva should be checked by a doctor, David sarcastically replies that the President should see her too. Then, Paul tries to convince David by asking if that is the way Eva usually acts around the house.

David only says that she regularly has an affair with the bed as an answer.

From David’s reply, it implies that Eva is indeed weak that she only lies on the bed regularly. However, instead of showing concerns, David sees her as a woman who fails to do her duty as a wife as she just sits around on the bed. It also shows that David does not have any interest in Eva despite her significant difference in appearance. David thinks that they seem to be estranged as a couple.

After that third dinner, David tries to convince Eva to move to Haven by saying that she will be healthier there. After trying for some times, Eva is still going strong on her decision. One night, David leaves for a meeting in spite of Eva’s weak condition after the test results comes out. Eva begs David to stay because she feels like she needs him. Instead, he mocks her for constantly changing her mind, and leaves her behind, sobbing and cursing him.

“One night, she asked him: “You have a meeting tonight? Do not go… Stay with me.”

He had planned to watch ‘This Is Your Life,’ but half sick himself from the heavy heat, and sickening therefore the more after the brooks and woods of the Haven, with satisfaction he grated:

“Hah, Mrs. Live Alone And Like It wants company all of a sudden of solitary when she was a girl exile in Siberia. ‘Do not go, Stay with me.’ A new song from Mrs. Free as a Bird. Yes, I am going out, and while I am gone, chew this aloneness good, and think how you keep us both from where if you want people, you do not need to be alone.”

“Go, go. All your life you have gone without me.”

After him, she sobbed curses he had not heard in years, old country curses from their childhood.

When he returns, Eva lies on a cot on their sun-porch. She stays there for a week, and she refuses to talk to or go near him. He finds the bed seems empty without her. One day, he hears her singing an Old Russian love song as she gets wet from the rain. He insists she come inside, but has to help her because she is so weak. At this time, David realizes that they are estranged as a couple indeed.

David feels like he does not know Eva anymore. Only after Eva is dead does David realize that Eva has been alone all along from the way she chooses to sing old songs. Eva does not consider David’s existence in her days. He is never there and he regrets it, but it is too late. To conclude, Eva is oppressed as a housewife as she cannot do what she wants and she is shown as a weak figure compared to David. It is related to the unspoken rule of the patriarchal society mentioned earlier. There is a structure in the society and men have the advantages as they are higher in position compared to women.

2. Eva as a Mother

As a mother, Eva has the duty to raise seven kids. Their names are Clara, Lennie, Hannah, Vivi, Paul, Sammy, and Davy. Later in the story, it is also revealed that Davy, the youngest, dies in his childhood. He is rarely mentioned in the story. Being a mother of seven, Eva is shown as a busy mother. Her daily routines are filled with hectic house conditions.

“Mother, I told you the teacher said we had to bring it back all filled out this morning. Did you even ask daddy? Then tell me which plan and I’ll check it: evacuate or leave the city or wait for you to take me away. (Seeing the look of straining to hear.) It’s for disaster, grandma.”

“Vivi in the maze of long, the lovely drunkenness. The old noises; screaming of a mother flayed to exasperation; children quarrelling; children playing; singing; laughter.”

Morty, Vivi’s little son always comes near his grandma whenever she is around. He climbs up to Eva as he wants to play with her. He tells her about one of the assignments in school that needs to be filled up by tomorrow for disaster. After Vivi sees the two interact, she immediately recalls her old days in the past. She remembers the atmosphere and the condition back then. The house is noisy and the children are up to their own things. They play around, laugh, sing, and quarrel. Eva wants them to stay silent, but she seems to have a slight problem in nursing them as she is the only adult and there are seven of the kids. Even from Vivi’s point of view as one of the children, Eva is flayed to exasperation at that time.

Despite the fact that Eva has a hard time in doing some tasks as a mother, she always gives her best. She takes care of them all by herself and she even breastfeeds them all. The children, except Davy, also grow up to be healthy and well-mannered. Vivi also looks up to Eva as she also becomes a mother.

“Nursing the baby: My friends marvel, and I tell them, oh it’s easy to become such a cow. I remember how my mother seemed nursing my brother and the milk just flows... Was it Davy? It must have been Davy...”

“Lowering a hem: How did you ever... When I think how you made everything we wore... Tim, just think, seven kids and Mommy sewed everything... Do I remember you sang while you sewed? That white dress with the red apples on the skirt you fixed over me? Was it Hannah’s of Clara’s before it was mine?”

“Washing sweaters: Ma, I will never forget, one of those days so nice you washed clothes outside; one of those spring days it must have been. The bubbles just danced while you scrubbed, and we chased after, and you stop to show us how to blow our own bubbles with green onion stalks... you always...”

“Strong onion, to still make you cry after so many years, her father said to turn the tears into laughter.”

Vivi recalls her childhood days with her mother a lot. It shows some of the chores that Eva has to do as a part of raising her children. Despite the fact that Eva sees her house chores as a duty that has to be done rather than a call of heart like mentioned before, she is doing it happily and she does not take her emotion on her children. Instead, she is able to play and communicate well with the children.

From Vivi’s perspectives, it is also shown that she sees Eva as a successful mother. She looks up to her as a role model of a “good” mother. Even though she seems to have a bit of problem in nursing the children as shown in the previous part, she does great in general. She sews all of her children’s clothes, and finds comfort in the middle of her chores by playing with the bubbles. From here, it can be seen that David is never really in the picture to help Eva and she does all the work alone.

David’s reaction to Eva’s hard work also indicates that David is indeed not impressed and he looks down on Eva as a mother. Instead of feeling grateful, he turns Eva’s work and Vivi’s memory into laughter. It is not the first time David

reacts that way. He acts in the similar way multiple times as showed in the previous part when Paul suggests taking Eva to the hospital and when Eva begs him not to leave her. Later that night, Vivi also invites David and Eva to spend some nights with their family. It is done to help Eva feel better about her condition. David accepts the offer, but Eva shows the otherwise after she sees that Vivi is busy with loads of works at home.

“Blind to around you as always: the little ones sleep four in a room because we take their bed. We are two more people in a house with a new baby and no help.”

“Vivi is happy so. The children should have their grandparents in a while, she told me. I should have my mommy and daddy….”

“Babbler and blind. Do you look at her so tired? How she starts to talkand she cries? I am not strong enough yet to help. Let us go home.” (To reconciled solitude)

(Olsen, 1976: 95)

As it is mentioned that Vivi sees Eva as a successful mother, Vivi looks up to Eva as how a “good” mother should be. As a result, Vivi acts like Eva when it comes to her life as a woman. She focuses on running errands around the house while taking care of her children and husband. Despite the fact that Vivi asks Eva and David to stay with her little family for a while, Eva is the only one realizes that the newlywed has given up their main bedroom for the parents. It is done so Eva and David can stay in a more comfortable way in the house.

More than that, Eva is also the only one to see that Vivi is actually tired. Her tiredness can be seen from her appearance and the way she acts. However, David claims that Vivi is happy with her current condition and fails to see Vivi’s hardships as a housewife. The researcher sees that Eva wants to help Vivi as she receives similar treatments from her husband in being a housewife. However, she Eva is too weak to do so. She then calls David blind and she invites David to go back to their old place. Her action shows that she cares about Vivi as her mother and she does not want Vivi to experience the same hardships Eva experiences in relation to women’s role in the society.

As a mother, Eva is also shown to have an estranged relationship with Clara, the oldest child in the family. At first, Eva does her job as a mother without affection involved at first. As she becomes more comfortable with becoming a mother, the connection with her other children also grows naturally. However, Clara has become the victim as she receives the least care from her mother.

Now one by one the children came, those that were able. Hannah, Paul, Sammy. Too late to ask: and did you learn with your living, Mother, and what do we do now?

Clara the eldest clenched:

Pay me back, Mother, pay me back for all you took from me. Those others you crowded into your heart. The hands I needed to be for you, the heaviness, the responsibility.

Is this she? Noises the dying make, the crablike hands crawling over the covers. The ethereal singing.

She hears that music, that singing from the childhood; forgotten sound – not heard since, since… And the darkness breaks like a cry: Where did we lose each other, first mother, singing mother?

Annulled: The quarrels, the gibing, the harshness between; the fall into silence and the withdrawal.

I do not know you, Mother. Mother, I never knew you. (Olsen, 1976: 116)

On the day Eva dies, Clara is one of Eva’s children who happen to be able to come. Upon seeing her mother lying down lifeless, she recalls her old days being the oldest child in the family. Clara sees Eva as a mother who cherishes the other siblings better than her as the oldest child, even though it is not really the case. A part of Clara wants her mother to pay back all the times she has lost, when she needs Eva the most. Another part of her, however, also regrets it. Clara is even curious on how they become estranged as a mother and a daughter themselves. This big question itself is the riddle, the main problem, in the short story.

In conclusion, Eva is seen as the epitome of how a “good” mother should be by her children. She goes along with what the society wants her to be. She always does her best despite the fact that she does her job out of obligation in the beginning. She shows cares to her children and she does not want her daughters to experience the same stereotypes related to women’s roles.

3. Eva in the Context of Gender Hierarchy

As explained in the previous part, gender hierarchy focuses on how cultures in a society influenced the view of gender in a hierarchical manner. Men may dominate over women in some societies. In others, women may dominate over men. In the case of patriarchal society, the men dominate over the women. Patriarchal society commonly takes place in 1960s. Liberal feminists describe it as a systemic bias against women. The society perceives women in relation to their role in society. Later, liberal feminists conclude that oppression of women came from the underlying bias of a patriarchal society.

It is mentioned earlier that there is a certain structure in the patriarchal society. The structure is gender itself. Gender denotes the social phenomenon of distinguishing males and females based on a set of identity traits. Men and women are constructed to behave and interact in ways that reflect their gendered identities. The gendering process then produces socially constructed differences. As the result, the relationship between men and women also comes in a hierarchical manner.

Since the story of “Tell Me a Riddle” takes set in the 1960s, the story portrays the current situation set during the era. Eva, as a woman is receiving the unfair treatment from the society based on her gender. She is expected to act like how a woman should act in the society. The women during the era are supposed to live a highly restrictive life with their life centered round their husband and subsequently their children. As explained in the second chapter that there is a categorization of women, the roles of these women remain unchanged. The only duty cast upon a woman is to keep her husband happy and raise her children for which they are trained right from their childhood days. The rights which the women enjoyed were similar to those which were enjoyed by young children whereby they were not allowed to vote, sue or even own property.

Out of the four category explained in the second chapter, the researcher concludes that Eva belongs to the Upper Working Class. The reason is because she is married to David. She also has the duty to raise her children. Eva comes from a family with poverty as the background and has to do the house chores which require physical works. However, she is different from the Lower Working Class women as these women come from poverty and took up low jobs like prostitution, laborers, or any activity which involves physical exertion. These women also remain single all their lives, mostly. As a woman of Upper Working Class, Eva cannot enjoy a life of luxuries. She is also not expected to take education and help in the family business. She receives just enough and it can be seen from her ability to read and speak English as she is of Russian descent. As

mentioned earlier, she sings Russian songs towards the end of the story as Russian is her mother language.

In relation to the theory of gender hierarchy, categorization can unintentionally and intentionally happen in a society. Physically speaking, men and women are different, which is natural for Eva and David to fall under a certain structure in the society. However, the standard of how both women and men should act in a society is socially constructed. As the result, men and women are bound to fall under cultural stereotypes. In categorizing the differences between men and women, one is automatically participating in the process of judgment and stereotyping.

The same thing also happens to David and Eva. In the story, the structure does not stop there. Other than being divided as female and male biologically, they are also expected to be a woman and a man. This is due to the cultural background and traditional traits of masculinity and femininity in the society they live in. This caused David to be able to out and play cards and socialize with other people and Eva has to stay home and take care of the children, doing house chores as well. The society believes that David is the masculine one as he is a man and Eva is the feminine one as she is the woman. Specifically, Eva is expected to be a “good” housewife by pleasing David and doing whatever he orders. Then, she is also expected to be a “good” mother to her children by doing whatever possible to make sure they grow up well. The proof can be seen from how she David never provides enough money and Eva ends up borrowing some money from people and she also has to manage the family finance.

On top of that, it can also be seen from the previous part that David never appreciates Eva as his wife. Despite the fact that Eva selflessly gives her best to keep the family together, David acts like it is very common thing and Eva is indeed meant to do all the works. This also reveals the characteristic of gender stereotype in the story. Even if a woman does all her might for the family, it does not need to be complimented as it is her duties to do so. This then leads to a gender inequality in the society. Gender binary is also shown in this part as women are associated to the feminine duties in the society.

Researcher also tries to connect the story “Tell Me a Riddle” to Tillie Olsen’s background. Researcher finds that there are a lot of similarities between the character Eva and the author Tillie Olsen. Some of the most essential ones include the fact that they both are in a sense Russian. They also cannot have high level of education because they are women, and they both lose their freedom upon marriage. Based on these facts, researcher concludes that the character Eva represents Tillie Olsen and women in general. Olsen’s biography also provides better idea about gender stereotypes addressed towards women that time.

To conclude, Eva is a woman oppressed by the traditional view in society. The society wants her to act in certain manners and fulfill certain standards as well. In order to be considered as a “good” woman in the society, she has to fill these standards. Also, there is a structure in the society and men have the advantages as they are higher in position compared to women. This is the unspoken rule of patriarchal society. In Eva’s case, she plays along with the roles assigned to her as she feels responsible for her husband and children.

B. Eva’s Reaction: Eva as “Angels”and “Monsters”

Eva and David are married for forty seven years long. Being a housewife

and a mother, Eva has endured hardships for a long time while raising her kids on

her own. Now that the kids are all grown up, they have their own family and Eva

is used to being alone in the house already. From being a busy mother and a

housewife, she becomes a less active woman. Eva spends much of her time simply

sitting around, resting in the house. All she wants now is solitude and silence.

Different with the previous part, researcher highlights Eva’s side as a woman of her own in this subchapter. She is bound to the roles of being David’s wife and the mother of her children. However, the way she handles problems and the way she reacts as a woman, without the influence of the society, becomes the main point. This part also analyzes Eva as a woman according to the theory of Angels and Monsters by Gilbert and Gubar. Later, Eva’s character development throughout the story can be seen through this theory.

1. Eva as a Woman

As their latest conflict is on how to spend their retirement days, David asks Eva to move to a place called Haven. It is a Florida retirement community managed by his lodge. From the beginning, Eva refuses by saying that she feels more comfortable being in the house rather than anywhere else. She spends her days as a mother of the children in house, it is natural that the house becomes her comfort zone and she wants to rest there in her old days.

53

APPENDICES

1. The Summary of “Tell Me a Riddle”

Eva and David has been married for forty seven years and they

have seven children in total. With the children all grown up and having

their own family, they are left alone in their house. The two of them have

different ways of spending their old days. Eva wants to stay in the house

surrounded by solitude and David plans on moving in to Haven, a Florida

retirement communitymanaged by his lodge.

As a mother and a housewife, Eva was given the duty to take care

of the children. David, on the other hand, got to go outside and socialize

while Eva struggled to raise the children. Due to this, Eva and David's

relationship ended up with tensions. It had been repressed during the years

of raising children, but have resurfaced because they live alone for now.

Eva wanted to have the freedom that she could never have in her

days of raising the children. She wanted to stay in the house, but David

wanted to sell the house. The family then arranged a dinner together in to

discuss the matter further, but Eva later was diagnosed with cancer. It is

caused by her way of living. She had too many chores and was too

stressed.

The family decided to send David and Eva so they could visit their

grandchildren. Instead of getting a reconciliation, their relationship

became more distant as Eva could not bring herself to open up to her

asking to go back to their old house. However, David kept taking her to

other places in hopes that she could relax. Eva grew sicker and she insisted

that she needed to go back.

Their children came to visit. Clara, the eldest, silently scolded Eva

for the neglect she felt because of the other children, but mourned at the

same time to the fact that she never knew her mother. Eva grew lighter and

sicker, and David wished her a quick death. He did not leave the house,

and stayed by Eva's bed. In her fever, she sand and spoke softly to herself,

songs that had nothing to do with him or their children. David felt hurt and

excluded from Eva's world, he realized that they are now estranged.

David began to mourn their lives and the monstrous events of the

twentieth century. As he cried, he thought that his grandchildren's lives

were much easier. He thought of asking the doctor to let Eva died, as he

saw her. She continued to speak nonsense to him, repeating phrases from

their past, particularly about raising the children. David was torned apart

by sorrow, and eventually lies next to Eva in her bed, holding her hand.

The next day, Eva died, and David burst into tears.

2. The Poem “The Angel in the House”

In relation to the theory of women as angel and monster by Gilbert and Gubar, the image of an ideal woman during the Victorian Era also comes from the poem “The Angel in the House” by Coventry Patmore. It was an extremely popular poem in the mid nineteenth century Victorian Era

and set the standard for the ideal woman. Typical of literature in this time period, it depicts a woman whose sole purpose for living was to care for her

husband and her children above all else. Her role in the society is passive. Here is an excerpt from “The Angel in the House” to prove how women are

viewed in the era.

Man must be pleased; but him to please Is woman's pleasure; down the gulf

Of his condoled necessities She casts her best, she flings her breast (Patmore, 1854, Canto IX, Book I, line 1-4).

If the woman did her job properly, she is stereotyped as an angel. If she stepped out of bounds of this standard of life, she was stereotyped as a monster. This poem is also the basis for Virginia Woolf’s theory: “Before we women can write, we must ‘kill’ the ‘angel in the house’.”

The Victorian Era lasted for sixty four years, during which the Queen Victoria reigned from 1837 to 1901. The Queen’s devotion to her husband, Prince Albert and to her domestic life set the ideal life for the women of this age. In this patriarchal society, the “angel” represents this ideal of domestic bliss and the “monster” represents anything other than the ideal. In other words, if a woman were not completely “selfless”, contented to do nothing more than to make sure her husband and children were well-fed, clean, dressed and happy, then she would be represented by men as a “monster”.

3. Historical Review on Tillie Olsen

Researcher also did a historical research on the author Tillie Olsen in

order to find out if the author Tillie Olsen is a feminist. Tillie Olsen isthe first generation of American feminists. According to TilleOlsen.net, the author Tillie Olsen was born to RussianJewish immigrants in Wahoo,

Nebraska and moved to Omaha while a young child. She was living among the city's Jewish community. At age 15, she dropped out of Omaha High School to enter the work force. Over the years Olsen worked as a waitress, domestic worker, and meat trimmer

(http://www.tillieolsen.net/about-tillie.php) (14 September 2016).

A great depression happened around 1930 and women had a hard time due to the wars. They could not express themselves well. As mentioned, Tillie also decided to become an activist. She was inspired to educate people about gender equality and racism. She became popular for her work as an activist during the 1980s and 90s. Based on this fact,

researcher can make a conclusion that the author Tillie Olsen tries to relate her experiences in the past into the story “Tell Me A Riddle”.

ABSTRACT

IMAN JUNIARTO RAHARJO. GENDER STEREOTYPE AS EXPERIENCED BY EVA IN TILLIE OLSEN’S SHORT STORY “TELL

ME A RIDDLE” Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters,

Sanata Dharma University, 2017.

“Tell Me a Riddle” is a short story written by Tillie Olsen. It was published as a part of a four story collection in 1961. The story focuses on the

marriage of an aging Russian immigrant couple named Eva and David. As the story took place in the 1950s –1960s, after the big depression, women’s roles are not that big in the society. The society views that women should focus on taking care of the family and their houses as the men and boys were sent to wars. The research is about gender stereotype experienced by Eva as the main woman related to her roles in the society.

This thesis is divided into two main analysis. The first is the portrayal of Eva as a housewife and a mother in the story related to the gender role existed in the society and the second is Eva’s reaction to the stereotypes set by the society addressed towards her as a woman. As a woman, Eva is bounded to the roles of being a mother and a housewife after marriage. The story then tells about Eva, the representation of women, and her struggle to deal with the stereotype in the society.

In making the analysis, the method that is used to collect data for the thesis is library research. The study collects and examines data from library and web articles. There are two big steps taken in analyzing this research. First, the researcher starts with reading and understanding the whole short story using the feminism approach. The second step is collecting data, references, and theories related to this short story both from library and online sources.

Based on the analysis, the researcher presents two findings in this thesis. The first one is related to the stereotype addressed towards Eva related to her roles in the society. The society stereotyped her as a housewife and a mother and she is oppressed in the process of the stereotyping. The second finding is related to how Eva reacts to the stereotype. She does not fall into the stereotypes as she yearns for freedom and stands up for herself at the end of the story. Women are depicted into either one of the two different figures in the 1960s. It is affected by the categorization of women according to men and the Victorian values adopted in America. Women are seen as either the angels or the monsters. Eva is presented as

both “angel” and “monster” in the story. There is no clear limit to describe

women. The theory of woman as an angel and monster cannot describe Eva, the representation of women, as she has her own character development throughout the story.

ii ABSTRAK

IMAN JUNIARTO RAHARJO. GENDER STEREOTYPE AS EXPERIENCED BY EVA IN TILLIE OLSEN’S SHORT STORY “TELL

ME A RIDDLE”. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra,

Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2017.

“Tell Me a Riddle” adalah sebuah cerita pendek yang ditulis oleh. Cerita ini diterbitkan pada tahun 1961 sebagai salah satu begian dari empat cerita pendek yang dikumpulkan menjadi satu. Cerita pendek ini mengisahkan kehidupan sepasang imigran dari Rusia yang telah lama menikah. Berlatar belakang tahun 1950-1960an, peran perempuan dalam masyarakat tidaklah besar. Hal ini dipengaruhi oleh zaman malaise. Masyarakat berpendat bahwa perempuan sebaiknya menetap di rumah dan merawat anggota keluarga mereka sementara laki – laki pergi ke medan perang. Penelitian ini berisi tentang stereotipe gender yang dialami oleh Eva sebagai tokoh wanita utama dalam cerita ini dan representasi wanita pada umumnya.

Analisa dalam penelitian ini dibagi menjadi dua. Bagian pertama adalah penggambaran Eva sebagai seorang wanita yang memiliki kewajiban sebagai ibu rumah tangga dan seorang ibu dari tujuh orang anak. Hal ini terkait dengan perannya dalam masyarakat. Bagian kedua menunjukkan reaksi Eva terhadap stereotipe – stereotipe terhadap wanita yang ada dalam masyarakat patriarki.

Dalam melakukan analisa, peneliti mencari dan mengusut data dari buku – buku di perpustakaan. Penelitian ini menggunakan sumber tertulis dan situs web yang kemudian dianalisa dengan pendekatan feminisme. Ada dua langkah yang diambil dalam melakukan analisa dalam penelitian ini. Pertama, Peneliti memulai dengan membaca dan memahami seluruh isi cerita pendek “Tell Me A Riddle”. Langkah kedua adalah pengumpulan data, referensi, dan teori yang berhubungan dengan cerita pendek ini dari buku – buku di Perpustakaan dan sumber daring.

Berdasarkan analisa yang ada, peneliti menyajikan dua penemuan dalam penelitian ini. Pertama, Eva dideskripsikan distereotipekan sebagai seorang istri dan ibu rumah tangga dan dia mengalammi tekanan dalam proses pembentukan stereotype tersebut. Kedua, Eva tidak jatuh ke dalam jerat stereotipe tersebut karena ia tetap membela dirinya di akhir cerita. Perempuan dideskripsikan menjadi dua figur dalam masyarakat. Mereka disebut sebagai “Malaikat” atau

“Monster”. Hal ini dipengaruhi oleh penilaian laki – laki terhadap perempuan dan

nilai pada era Victoria yang diadopsi oleh Amerika. Meski demikian, Eva memiliki perkembangan tersendiri dalam cerita pendek ini. Dia adalah seorang

“malaikat” dan “monster” dalam waktu yang bersamaan. Teori pembagian

perempuan menjadi “malaikat” dan “monster” tidak dapat mendeskripsikan Eva karena dia adalah Eva. Tidak ada batasan dalam mendeskripsikan Eva ataupun peremuan – perempuan lainnya.