Rasheed`s aggression over his wives in Khaled Hosseini`s A Thousand Splendid Suns.

RASHEED’S AGGRESSION OVER HIS WIVES IN KHALED HOSSEINI’S A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS

A THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree

in English Language Education

By

Andreas Indra Pangarsa Student Number: 051214098

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA

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RASHEED’S AGGRESSION OVER HIS WIVES IN KHALED HOSSEINI’S A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS

A THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree

in English Language Education

By

Andreas Indra Pangarsa Student Number: 051214098

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA

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STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY

I honestly declare that this thesis, which I have written, does not contain the work or parts of the work of other people, except those cited in the quotations and the references, as a scientific paper should.

Yogyakarta, 20 September 2010 The Writer

Andreas Indra Pangarsa 051214098

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LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN

PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma:

Nama :Andreas Indra Pangarsa Nomor Mahasiswa: 051214098

Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul:

RASHEED’S AGGRESSION OVER HIS WIVES IN KHALED HOSSEINI’S A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS Beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, mempublikasikanya di internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin dari saya maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.

Demikian pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenarnya. Dibuat di Yogyakarta

Pada tanggal: 20 September 2010 Yang menyatakan,

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This Thesis is dedicated to

Bapak Silvester Sukirman, and Ibu Anastasia Sri

Susilawati

&

My lovely sister, Cicilia Rosilaningsih

“When there is a will there

is a way”

vii ABSTRACT

Pangarsa, Andreas Indra (2010). Rasheed’s Aggression over His Wives in Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program, Department of Language and Arts Education, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, Sanata Dharma University.

This study lifts husband-to-wife aggression theme from Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns. This theme is hopefully relevant to some recurring cases that literally happen in real life and expected to reflect and explain what the reasons are behind this very act. The writer opts to have Rasheed’s aggression as the central attention and intends to reveal what can possibly generate his cruel behavior toward his wives.

The problems formulated to solve in this thesis are (1) how are Rasheed’s aggressive behaviors over his wives described in the novel? and (2) what are the reasons of Rasheed’s aggression over his wives?

This study applied psychological approach to solve both of the problems formulated. The former was solved by the theory of aggression in regards to the kinds of aggressions that Rasheed commits on his wives. Meanwhile, the latter was resolved by the theory of aggression in which it provides the particular views to trace reasons of someone’s aggression.

The result of the study of Rasheed’s aggressive behavior yields findings that Rasheed’s is both psychologically and physically aggressive towards his wives. His psychological aggression can be sensed in his acts which are: keeping silent toward Mariam, responding to Mariam’s questions by harsh tone and sarcastic replies, faulting Mariam’s cooking, hurting Mariam when he reaveals his intention to marry Laila, undervaluing Mariam with unfavorable comparison to Laila, unjust faulting towards Mariam when Laila gets problems, and turning away his attention from the three (Mariam, Laila, and Aziza). While his physical aggression are physically insulting Mariam after repeatedly faulting her cooking, severely punishing both Mariam and Laila over leaving the house, and getting more abusive towards Laila, Mariam and Aziza. The second findings are of the second problem formulation solving which coins the reasons of Rasheed’s aggressive behavior by the help of the three points of view—ethological theory, drive theory, and social learning theory. The ethological theory provides Rasheed’s physical appearance and the presence of gun as the factors influencing Rasheed’s aggressiveness. The drive theory concludes that Rasheed’s act of aggression is generated from his frustration over his bitter ordeal in the past— once he lost his beloved boy, Zalmay. Besides, his frustration also comes from the food deprivation as a recurring result of losing his jobs. In this same case the social learning theory views the male domination over woman and the influence of Taliban’s ruling have given the role model to all husbands in Afghanistan to practice aggression on woman or wife.

The first suggestion derived from this study is an offer to study Mariam’s religious side that help her stay strong among many upheavals, or the role of parents in rearing their children as in comparing Mariam family and Laila’s. The

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second suggestion is an offer of teaching material for Intensive Reading II developed from A Thousand Splendid Suns’ excerpts.

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ABSTRAK

Pangarsa, Andreas Indra (2010). Rasheed’s Aggression over His Wives in Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Bahasa Inggris, Jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa dan Seni, Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan, Universitas Sanata Dharma.

Studi ini mengangkat tema agresi suami pada istri dari novel A Thousand Splendid Suns karya Khaled Hosseini. Tema ini diharapkan relevant dengan berbagai kasus yang sering terjadi di kehidupan nyata dan diharapkan juga dapat menjadi cerminan yang bisa memberikan penjelasan-penjelasan dibalik tindakan agresi. Penulis memilih agresi yang dilakukan oleh Rasheed sebagai perhatian utama dan ingin mengungkap alasan-alasan apa saja yang mendasari perlakuan-perlakuan kejamnya terhadap istri-istrinya.

Rumusan masalah yang akan dijawab dalam skripsi ini adalah (1) bagaimana tindakan-tindakan agesif Rasheed terhadap istri-istrinya? dan (2) apa saja alasan-alasan dibalik agresi-agresi Rasheed pada istri-istrinya?

Studi ini menggunakan pendekatan psikologi untuk menjawab kedua masalah yang telah dirumuskan. Rumusan masalah yang pertama dipecahkan dengan teori agresi dalam hal pengelompokan jenis-jenis agresi yang dilakukan Rasheed pada istrinya. Sedangkan rumusan masalah yang kedua dijawab dengan teori agresi dimana teori ini memberikan beberapa cara pandang dalam menemukan alasan agresi manusia.

Hasil studi tentang tindakan-tindakan agresif Rasheed menghasilkan temuan-temuan bahwa Rasheed bertindak agresif terhadap istri-intrinya baik secara psikologis maupun secara fisik. Agresi psikis Rasheed dapat dilihat dari tindakan-tindakanya seperti: mendiamkan Mariam, merespon pertanyaan-pertanyaan Mariam dengan nada yang kasar dan dengan jawaban sarkastik, mencela masakan Mariam, melukai hati Mariam ketika dia menyatakan keinginanya menikahi Laila, merendahkan Mariam dengan membandingkan kekuranganya dengan Laila, seta-merta menyalahkan Mariam ketika Laila mendapatkan masalah, dan mengesampingkan perhatian pada Mariam, Laila, dan Aziza. Sedangkan agresi fisik yang dilakukan oleh Rasheed diantanya: secara fisik menyakiti Mariam setelah berulang kali mencela masakanya, dengan kejam menghukum Mariam dan Aziza karena meninggalkan rumah, dan semakin kejam pada Mariam, Laila dan Aziza. Penemuan yang kedua adalah dari penyelesaian rumusan masalah yang kedua yang memberikan alasan-alasan dibalik tindakan agresif Rasheed dengan bantuan tiga pandangan—teori ethology, teori drive, teori social learning. Teori ethology menjelaskan bahwa kondisi fisik Rasheed dan adanya pistol sebagai faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi agresifitas Raheed. Teori drive menyimpulkan bahwa tindakan agresif Rasheed desebabkan oleh kefrustrasianya atas pengalaman pahitnya di masa lalu—kehilangan anak lelaki yang begitu dicintainya, Zalmay. Disamping itu, sumber kefrustrasianya juga berasal dari kekurangan makanan karena berkali-kali kehilangan pekerjaanya. Dalam hal yang sama ini teori social learning memandang dominasi kaum pria pada kaum wanita dan pengaruh pemerintahan yang dikuasai Taliban telah

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memberikan role model pada semua suami-suami di Afghanistan untuk meng-agresi wanita atau istri.

Saran pertama yang dikembangkan dari studi ini adalah tawaran untuk meneliti tentang sisi religius Mariam yang membantunya tetap kuat meghadapi berbagai pergulatan-pergulatan hidupnya, atau peran orang tua dalam membesarkan anak-anaknya seperti pada perbandingan antara keluarga Mariam dan Laila. Saran yang kedua adalah materi yang ditawarkan untuk megajar Intensive Reading II yang dikembangkan dari penggalan cerita dalam novel A Thousand Splendid Suns.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

There are a thousand splendid helpers that help me bring this quite burdening thesis into a finish line. Without all of them I would have never managed to get this done and this is my happiest moment when I have a chance to single them out one by one to say thank you.

My first gratitude is toward my Almighty God who I know as Jesus Christ who gives me splendid blessings and loves spread through all people around me.

The second, I would like to express a big thank you to my parents, Bpk Silvester Sukirman and Ibu Anastasia Susilawati who never forget to worry about their son’s study and of course who never forget to pray for his beloved son. Without their supports—materially and spiritually—I would never been able to get my study done.

The third, I would like to say thank to my beloved sister, Cicilia Rosilaningsih, and all my big family who always give their hands once I need it.

The fourth, I am indebted to all lecturers at English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma who make me learn English as well as grow up to be a fully human. My deepest thank you goes to Mrs. V. Triprihatmini, S.Pd., M.Hum., M.A. for her guide to me in composing my thesis.

The fifth, I owe a favor to all my friends who help me collect and maintain my spirit to finish this very job. The most debt I wish I could pay is due to Andre, Ruma, Koko, Angga-Mui, Yebe, Pandu, Shodiq, Sano, Kris, Adit, Deni, Sancrut, Imel, Dinar, Mayang, Mega, Puri, Putri, Molen, Rindang, Berlin, Antris, Taju,

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Ari, Bunga, Frans, Rere who happen to be in my small but coziest speaking class. Big thanks also I would like to express to all my great friends Bagus, Chandra, for their spirit and modesty I can learn that we are necessary to say thank you.

The sixth, I feel indebted to be a part of my village community at Jatiningsih which provides me with many good examples along with some chances to learn and grow up. It has been a real pleasure to befriend with all people in my neighborhood.

The seventh, I would like to personally express my gratitude to Andre for planting the seed of loving reading in my habit and providing me many useful information which really helps me so I could confidently start and finish my thesis. My personal gratitude also goes to Ucik who provides consultations about psychological matters, especially aggression which is my topic of study.

The eighth, my deepest gratitude goes to the board of examiners of my thesis defense. They are Mrs. C. Tutyandari, S.Pd., M.Pd., Miss Made Frida Yulia, S.Pd., M.Pd., Mrs. V. Triprihatmini, S.Pd., M.Hum., M.A., Mrs. Henny Herawati, S.Pd., M.Hum., and Mr. Bambang Hendarto, S.Pd., M.Hum. I thank them for the opportunity they give to me to come to my final steps in my study along with their priceless advises both on my thesis and on my preparation to face my future.

The ninth, I owe much dept to all library staffs at Sanata Dharma Library which never fail to give me smiles and greeting anytime I enter that place. Those dedicated people always make me stronger and grateful of being part of Sanata Dharma Library.

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I have just realized that it is impossible to name all my helpers, therefore, let this tenth gratitude comes to those I have mentioned and I have not as my

prayer and may God bless them and pay back for their kindness to me.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

TITLE PAGE ... i

APPROVAL PAGES ... ii

STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY ... iv

LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS………... v

PAGE OF DEDICATION ... vi

ABSTRACT ... vii

ABSTRAK ... ix

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ... xi

TABLE OF CONTENTS………...xiv

CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study ... 1

B. Problems Formulation ... 3

C. Objectives of the Study ... 3

D. Benefits of the Study ... 4

E. Definition of Terms ... 4

1. Aggression and Aggressive behavior ... 4

2. Taliban ... 5

3. Hazara ... 5

xv CHAPTER II. THEORETICAL REVIEW

A. Review of Related Theories ... 7

1. Theory of Literary Approach ... 7

2. Theory of Aggression ... 9

a. Aggression and Its Types ... 9

b. Tracing the Views, the Concomitants and Foreground of Aggression ... 10

1) Some Points of Views to Address Aggression ... 10

a) Psychoanalytic Instinctual Theory’s Point of View ... 11

b) Ethological Theory’s Point of View ... 12

c) Aggressive Drive Theory’s Point of View ... 13

d) Social Learning Theory’s Point of View ... 14

2) The Concomitants and Instigators of Aggression ... 15

B. Review of Related Studies ... 16

1. Studies of Aggression ... 16

2. Studies of Thousand Splendid Suns ... 17

C. Theoretical Framework ... 18

CHAPTER III. METHODOLOGY A. Subject Matter ... 20

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C. Method of the Study ... 21

CHAPTER IV. ANALYSIS

A. Rasheed’s Aggressive Behaviors over His Wives ... 23 1. Psychological Aggression ... 24 a. Keeping Silent toward Mariam ... 24 b. Responding to Mariam’s Question by Harsh

Tone and Sarcastic Replies ... 25 c. Faulting Mariam’s Cooking ... 26 d. Hurting Mariam when He Reveals His Intention

to Marry Laila ... 26 e. Undervaluing Mariam with Unfavorable

Comparison to Laila ... 27 f. Unjust Faulting toward Mariam when Laila Gets

Problems ... 28 g. Turning Away His Attention from the Three

(Mariam, Laila, and Aziza) ... 29 2. Physical Aggression ... 30

a.Physically Insulting Mariam

after Repeatedly Faulting Her Cooking ... 30 b. Severely Punishing both Mariam and Laila

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c. Getting More Abusive towards Mariam, Laila,

and Aziza ... 32

B. The Reasons of Rasheed’s Aggression over His Wives……… ... 34

1. Reasons Viewed from Ethological Theory ... 35

a. Rasheed’s Physical Appearance ... 35

b. The Presence of a Gun ... 36

2. Reasons Viewed from Drive Theory ... 37

a. Frustration Generated from Rasheed’s Bitter Ordeal in His Past ... 37

b. Deteriorated by Frustration of Food Deprivation and Lost of Jobs ... 39

3. Reasons Viewed from Social Learning Theory ... 40

a. The Male Domination over woman ... 40

b. The Influence of Taliban’s Ruling ... 41

CHAPTER V. CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS A. Conclusions... ... 43

B. Suggestions…….. ... 45

1. Suggestion for Future Researchers ... 45

2. Suggestion for an Implementation of the Excerpts of A Thousand Splendid Suns in English Language Teaching and Learning ... 46

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REFERENCES...47

APPENDICES Appendix A: The Summary of A thousand Splendid Suns ... 49

Appendix B: Biography ... 51

Appendix C: Syllabus of Intensive Reading II ... 52

Appendix D: Lesson Plan ... 54

Appendix E: The Implementation of the Excerpts of A Thousand Splendid Suns in Teaching Intensive Reading II ... 56

Appendix F: The excerpts of A Thousand Splendid Suns (chapter 16) ... 59

1   CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this chapter is to provide the reader orientation of the selected topic, aggression in A Thousand Splendid Suns. This chapter will comprise five subdivisions, namely, background of the study, problem formulation, objective of the study, benefits of the study, and definition of terms.

A.Background of the Study

This literary study is aimed to study of human’s deviant behavior within the scope of household generated from a make-belief case of husband-to-wife aggression. The concern to converse with is a portrayal of a life after marriage— that will be proven it is not always so sweet to be enviable—taken from A Thousand Splendid Suns. The author who previously has borne The Kite Runner as his debut upholds aggression within a family as a main theme background in his second masterwork. Over the shroud of a prolonged war which rapidly rampages the buildings while keeping mounting the dead toll this aforementioned issue looms to draw more devastating pictures. Despite the pictures of Taliban (the infamous warlord that inflicts conservative Sharia law to women as its main interest) manifesting their impunities—which include leashing, lashing, stoning, whipping, and their partial tendency toward men—and the pictures of losing the beloved ones upon unpredicted missiles or untraced landmines, the pictures of inhumane husband aggressions suffered by two wives in this novel are in a distant

far clearer. The bitter cloud in their hearts pathetically cloud the smoke hovering above devastated Kabul and their tears dampen the noises of bombs raining from the sky. Fundamentally thus, the war aggression storied in this novel feels inundated by the calamity of husband-to-wife aggression undergone by the star-crossed victims. One of the clenching parts of this issue would be on the side of the perpetrator albeit the major people’s attention would be on the victims. The awareness of the rationale behind the aggressor to rest to that unpopular act is the goal to be derived in this study. Despite the host understandings that may generate, the least that this novel can do—even though it can be labeled as this very novel special rarity—is likely to educate people to learn that aggression in whatever sorts are deteriorating but uplifting. Indeed, indubitably, the sort is more catastrophic or at least has its personal degree when the assailant is a person who is very personal to the victims—their husband. .

Hosseini submerges profoundly in some particular details of a family life, not to mention the one saliently storied is the husband-to-wife aggression. Three vicarious characters are involved, namely Rasheed, Mariam and Laila, to depict what the worst of this matter can be. Rasheed, the aggressor, is depicted as a husband who continually insults his wives in some forms setting off from uttering harsh words regularly till even it evolves to some physical acts which result in body injuries and defects. As previously informed, my interest levers to this antagonist character by the extent of his rationale to continually aggress against his two wives—Mariam and Laila. I envisage this study will meet many similarities in our literal life as we have learnt violence within husband-and-wife

relationship still often covered in news headlines. psychology and sociology seem also perennially take this matter as a favorite which shows that aggression has been as matter of course general but always interesting to study. Eventually, managing to provide a good writing I would try to avoid impartial and hopefully more focused judgments of the alleged aggression by providing justifications derived from the border of psychological reasoning. Despite of this fact of choice, it would probably be a difficult detachment of other scopes of studies with familiar features i.e. sociology and anthropology. However, since the focus of interest of this study is more to human personal relation as a specific case within a family than the society with its generality, the psychological approach is taken as the choice that fits to adjudicate this very issue.

B.Problems Formulation

Based on the preceding orientation, then I formulate the problems for this study as follows:

1. How are Rasheed’s aggressive behaviors over his wives described in the novel?

2. What are the reasons Rasheed’s aggressions over his wives?

C.Objectives of the Study

The goals of this study are to answer the problems formulated above. The first is likely to explain how Rasheed’s aggressive character described in this novel while the second is to provide the reasons of Rasheed’s aggression towards his two wives.

D.Benefits of the Study

I hope the analysis of this study can share information to readers especially for lay persons of one phenomenon of marital aggression in real life—to exchange a way of vision to the readers. As Nicolson and Wilson’s (280) survey research on domestic violence shows that it seems less frequently than what it is in fact does. By garnering the necessary explanations from psychology I hope I can neutrally address what it calls aggression so as to provide appropriate justifications of it— what, why, to whom, when, where, it possibly occurs. In other words it is expected to make people aware, and make people find certain ways they can manage to diminish the possibility of its occurrence. Another wish is to enrich people’s moral value to see this phenomenon as a general human’s problem with many similarities among many races and region, and indubitably its culture. I believe everything can be learned if we understand it, thus, this analysis is expected to be one of many. This trial is in line with Lynch and Warner’s argument that publishers and teachers, as well as critics and authors ascribe to fictions is more elevated to cultural functions—to the moral improvement of readers and representation of reality (4).

E.Definition of terms

1. Aggression and aggressive behavior

Bandura (4-6) stipulates that aggression is an intentional behavior that results in personal injuries and destruction of property of the victim. The injuries may be psychological (in the form of devaluation or degradation of someone’s emotional condition) or physical (marked by deformed body parts of the sufferer

of aggression). In this study the conception of aggressive behavior is simply the same with the term aggression, which is a behavior which causes someone’s injury and destruction of someone’s property both psychologically and physically. One article in Kompas agony column written by Sawitri Supardi Sadarjoen (22) classifies human aggression into verbal and non verbal aggression. His classification in fact is close in meaning with the psychological and physical aggression notion held by Bandura. While in this study, the aggressions or aggressive behaviors are all sorts of acts that are intended to hurt others either psychologically or physically.

2. Taliban

The Taliban is a Sunni Islamist group. This group ruled Afghanistan in between 1996 to 2001 until it was ousted by the American-led invasion. The group which was based in Pasthun region in the country’s southeast grew out of a student movement dedicated to purifying Afghanistan. During its time in power, the Taliban outlawed the education of woman.

(http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/t/taliban, updated on October 14, 2010)

3. Hazara

According to Encyclopedia of World Cultures Volume IX Africa and the Middle East Hazara is an ethnic group of people who numbers between 1 to 1.5 million and lives in mountainous area in Afghanistan. The characteristic of Hazara people are thought to have several affinities with Mongols, including physical appearance, language and kinship system. The Hazaras are one of Afghanistan’s

most impoverished ethnic groups and one of the most resistant to central government control. (115)

4. Pasthun

Pasthun, based on the Encyclopedia of World Culture Volume III South Asia, is an ethnic group in Afghanistan who inhabits southern and eastern Afghanistan and also an area roughly bounded by Kabul. Pasthuns have earned reputation as successful traders and businessmen who have dominated the society as well as the politics of the country for the past 200 years.

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CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter lays all the foundations for reasoning the problems selected which is garnered from the reviews of books and journals. This chapter will be parted into three divisions which are review of related theories, review of related studies, and theoretical framework.

A .Review of Related Theories 1. Theories of Literary Approach

Totozy de Zepetnek (100) pinpoints that literary theory is used as a tool to understand, contextualize, extract meaning when we analyze a literary text or texts or a problem of literature. He adds that in “Approach to literature” a range of phenomena are considered as interrelated and therefore designated for description and interpretation. As he elucidates that

“heuristic model indebted to Semiotics, Semi-Semiotics, Sociology of literature, and Communication theories, based in dynamic, operational, functional, and open or semi-permeable, system theories, and strong preference for observation and verification instead of intuition, speculation and metaphorical description are a priori postulates” (100).

Schmidt as cited in Totozy de Zepetnek contends that the main theoretical and methodological in the study of literature should focus on “how” of literature instead of “what” (100). However the further explanation states that literary scholars almost often contend that intuition is the basic factor necessary for the

study of literature and it differentiates it from research in the basic sciences where it is facts that determine the research. Totozy de Zepetnek highlights the crucial thing both in natural science research and innovative framework for literary research, which is “exacting determination of points of entry for intuition in the process of analysis and not that intuition is misplaced in either” (100). He then concludes the object of the empirical study of literature is not only the text in itself but also the roles of action within the literary systems in which its methods used are taken from psychology and social sciences. Another author Culler in Literary Theory A Very Short Introduction fortifies what Zepetnek has claimed by explaining that literature seems not to be the central question for literary theory. The reasons is that theory itself is intermingles ideas from philosophy, linguistics, history, political theory, and psychoanalysis, so there is no reason for theorists to worry about whether the text they are reading are literary or not (17). The seminal names more than not reviewed in the preceding literature theses by major students of English Education Department of Sanata Dharma University are Rohrberger and Woods in their co-work Reading and Writing about Literature which exhibits five critical approaches to address literary works, namely formalist, biographical, socio-historical, mythopoeic, and psychological (6-15). This current study will address psychological approach—the approach that approaches a different body of knowledge, psychology, then try to apply it to solve the problems (13-15)—to analyze Rasheed’s aggression against his wives. The reason behind this choice is that the phenomenon of aggression between individual is commonly covered within the border of psychology.

2. Theories of Aggression a. Aggression and Its Types

Bandura in Aggression a Social Learning Analysis (2-3) posits that variations in defining aggression pervade because some authors describe aggression solely in terms of attributes of the behavior but others include assumptions about the instigator, emotional concomitants, or the intent of potentially injurious action. The similar judgment of aggression comes from Social Psychology by Jonathan L. Freedman et al which regards this very issue as “behavior that is designed to hurt others” (103) and from A Survey of Social Psychology by Leonard Berkowitz as “the intentional injury of another” (337). Then later elaboration from Berkowitz, Fesbach, Sears, Maccoby and Levin as cited in Bandura (3) stipulates that most subsequent theorizing and research have adopted injurious intent as essential aspect of aggression. However, there is a significant exception considering the socially sanctioned attitudes for example doctor who cuts their patience’s limp for their own behalf and a bulldozer operator who drive it to flatten the old building in the way to rebuild a new construction. Those performances though it looks painful and dreadful since it enforce a huge power are not considered as aggression. Though, once again it is indubitably intentional, causing injuries and claiming vast damaged articles. From those understanding a wide range of activities that are commonly judged as aggressive—including some of the most forms of interpersonal assault—would be excluded from consideration when it has a major positive purpose to bring about good ends. Berkowitz and Feshbach as cited in Bandura (3) propose two different

types of aggression. It is Instrumental aggression which is aimed at securing extraneous rewards other than the victim suffering and hostile aggression which counts as the sole aim of which presumably to inflict injury on others on which injuries result from it will be psychological or physical or both. However the major advanced studies—refer to its thoroughness and depth—believe most cases of aggression is due the first reason or instrumental aggression which later will be extended more in detail through the assessment by the help of four points of view. b. Tracing the Views, The Concomitants and Foreground of Aggression 1) Some Points of View to Address Aggression

Bandura (11-59) presents some different points of view collected from some studies plus the last which happens to be his foremost concern to reveal the phenomenon of aggression along with their deferential implication of each notion. The compared sights are seen from four spectacles namely psychoanalytic theory, ethological theory, drive theory, and from social learning theory. The reviews of those explanations are summarized in these following subsections to help us aware of the importance of these four tenets. Bandura assumes those four aforementioned view points are the developmental steps in appraising aggression. Since he and also other researchers are getting more adhere to the notion of role modeling therefore the direction comes towards the social learning theory but still appraising performance catharsis, aversive treatment—physical and verbal threat and insults, unfavorable changes in positive reinforcement and thwarting of goal-directed behavior—as the instigators of aggression.(115-182). The reason why levering to social learning theories (role of modeling) is that current researchers

highlight more at healing and fixing of what considered as the deviation at the end product not just the understanding. In other words the external factors—love, trust, good esteem—will do more to heal the sick. Then, back to the 4 vantage points—psychoanalytic, ethological, drive and social learning—I find it hard to subcategorize it whether into a realm of internal factor or external factor. The things result from the present of their role of both factors virtually in these first 3 stated view points while we can merely regard the fourth as boldly external factor—the social learning theory. However, to bear in mind these 4 aspects looks developing sequentially from era to era to revise the past understanding and fix with the current understanding in addition to the practical problem solving to be the core of attention. Eventually, due to the need of presence of those four aspects to appraise aggressive behavior I keep following their genuine order of elucidation as follow:

a) Psychoanalytic Instinctual Theory’s Point of View

Bandura cited Freud‘s coined justification that aggression was a primary response to thwarting of pleasure or pain-avoiding behavior. Freud initially assumed that human behavior was regulated by two opposing set of instincts— sexual instinct and self-preservative ego instincts that altered, deferred, or inhibited pleasure-striving in the service of the reality principle. Then Freud adopted a new instinctual system of motivation, with the opposition being between life-instincts (Eros) aimed at enhancing and prolonging life and death instincts (Thanatos) that continuously strives for destruction of life within the organism. He then stipulates that aggression is an inborn drive rather than a

by-product of thwarting libidinal striving. Although he believes that aggression is unavoidable he also states that it can be attenuated in term of the intensity and the form of expression—it is modifiable. One most important thing that Freud maintains is that aggression is a regulatory device which protects individual from destructing themselves (13). Most psychoanalysts have compromised with Freud’s theory as they take the position that aggression is an instinctual drive but not the self-directed death instinct/ Thanatos (14).

b)Ethological Theory’s Point of View

Based on ethologists man is instinctively aggressive (14). As cited in Bandura, Lorenz posits that “aggression involves an instinctual system that generates its own source of aggressive energy independently of external stimulation; this fighting urge gradually builds up until relieved by an appropriate releasing stimulus” (14). The explanation is that aggression comes from itself inside a creature or self-generating not the reaction of external condition. The examples are among others fighting of animals of a same family in search for good breeding and prosperity. In fact they are born to fight. In equation human’s case man can perform aggression due to particular man’s lack of inhibition against injuring and harming others. Man’s lack of inhibition is interpreted as the man possesses more chance to render aggression over their compatriots. In other words it is easier for man to aggress against another if they have power to do it. In regards to discussion of instinctual sources Lorenz explain more through the analogy of subhuman patterns (17-31). In short it explains that the higher the evolutionary development of a species the greater is its plasticity. The stimuli of

the aggression would be the size of the body, color, territorial area. Hormonal control of sexual behavior also decreases with advancing evolutionary status. Therefore, there is every reason to believe that the evolutionary decrease in innate determinants of behavior holds true for aggression as well (21). And the last the heritability of characteristic of individual (related to genes) also plays a great role—whether it is man and woman in comparison and also their emotional characteristic. Subsequently, the further elaborations of this view are on human chromosomal matter—X and Y factor—physical look and characteristic (strength, muscles) as the determinant of any combative attack. To sum up, the conditions that exhibit male characteristic have more possibility to render aggression. c) Aggressive Drive Theories’ Point of View

In an effort to resolve motivational problems, drives eventually replace instincts as internal impellers of action. Therefore, according to these theories, man is motivated to behave aggressively by a frustration-produced drive rather than by an innate aggressive force (31). This widely accepted proposition elaborates the frustration-aggression hypothesis which contends that interference with goal-directed activity induces an aggressive drive which then motivates behavior designed to injure the person toward whom it is directed. Infliction of injury is assumed to reduce the aggressive drive (32). Shortly, frustration is assumed to be the antecedent of aggression and its strength also reciprocally correlated. In the later discussion of his book Bandura also notes some proponents and opponents of this frustration-aggression notion. Apart from those arguments Bandura stipulates that catharsis of aggression is another hypothesized process

that is assigned by the prominent role in drive theories (36). The elaboration is that once aggressive drive has been aroused, it presumably remains active as a motivating force till it is then discharged by some forms of aggressive behavior. The discharged energy is then called catharsis (37). Bandura concludes the explanation of drive theories is much similar with instinctual theories in their implications for the regulation of aggressive behavior. The main difference between these two is whether the motivation is innately stimulated as in psychoanalytic instinctual theories or it is externally stimulated as in drive theories.

d) Social Learning Theories’ Point of View

Social learning theories challenge most personality theories which depict behavior as impelled by inner forces in form of needs, drives, and impulses, often operating below the level of consciousness. The main argument of this theory is that an internal motivator cannot possibly account for the marked variation in the incidence of given behavior in different situations, toward different persons, at different times, and in different social roles (40). These theories assume that one can predict with much greater accuracy the expression of aggressive behavior from knowledge of the social context, the targets, the role occupied by the performer and other cues that reliably signify potential consequences for aggressive action than assessment from the performer. Human behavior is extensively analyzed in terms of stimulus events that evoke it and reinforcing consequences that alter it. The theory of social learning is related with behavioral study—concerning to individual that influence the manner and other social

variable. However social learning view man is neither driven by inner forces nor buffeted helplessly by environmental influences (43).It is the psychological functioning which will help elaborate the terms of continuous reciprocal interaction between behavior and its controlling condition. As a matter of course initially researchers view aggression is simply caused by these two aspects— individual behavior and his environment—as independent variables before they finally incorporate them into one entity. Therefore, it is revised that environment is only potentiality, it is not fixed property that inevitably impinges upon individuals and to which their behavior eventually adapt. Therefore it is reciprocally influencing.

2) The Concomitants and Instigators of Aggression

Berkowitz (337-359) in more practical explanation seems to simplify what Bandura has tried to extrapolate by dividing three main instigators of aggression. Those comprised factors are namely biological influences, psychological influences, and family influences. The first notion—which is the summary of what Bandura has elaborated before—is a drainage of the reservoir concept clearly assuming that aggression is under the realm of instinct. Pain and aversive condition is the prime consideration of this factor. What we feel inside our body— physiological reaction—is the dominant consideration rather than relying on what our emotion feels—psychological. This factor comprises the reaction to aversive events, physical pain, odors, high temperature. The second factor is psychological influences which lay some emotional states as the basis of aggression. The notions attributed are frustration, effects of environment stimuli (weapons, films), oneself

understanding and its arousing incidents, destruction (suicide), self-enhancement, and self expectation and also the effect of alcohol, rewards and the cost in aggression. And eventually the third notion is family as a role model which if it has punitive characteristic not only it can generate frustration but also a reward and a courage to elicit aggression.

B. Review of Related Studies 1. Studies of Aggression

In their co-research O’ Hearn and Margolin (2000:159) informed that man is subject to the attitude of condoning male-to-female aggression. This research has proven how women actually are likely to be the victim of aggression. Prior to his conclusion that even though type of aggressive acts vary across gender—with the women suffer more than men, Archer as cited in Bookwala J et al. (2005:797) also finds the data that husband are likely to beat their spouses. The thing which remains uneasy is determining the causations and the risk factors that facilitate this unfavorable act. Corresponding with this Nicolson and Wilson (267-268)— before concluding that there is no theory likely to account for the varied justification why men batter—present some result of studies upon this problem. Briefly reviewed violent men result from drugs and alcohol influence, frustration of exclusion (unemployment, racism, poverty, educational underachievement, and unfulfilled ambition), intraphysic and interpersonal difficulties (impulse control, denial, psychiatric problems, explosive personality, and skill deficits), mentally ill, positive reinforcement from partner, and male-gender role in society as a

model/expectation placed upon men. They elucidate that long-term domestic violence will yield low-self esteem, feeling of guilt, shame, depression and stress to its victim. Therefore they will need medical treatment for psychological, physical and sexual problems. The perpetrator happens to be a man and also a husband who according to general studies tend to be more aggressive than women in a host of circumstances. The affirmation comes from Bettencourt and Miller as cited in Zeichner et al. who posit that men are more provoked by frustration, negative intelligence feedback or physical attack while women respond more on the provocation of insult or negative evaluation.

2. Studies of Thousand Splendid Suns

In relation to the husband-to-wife aggression in A thousand Splendid Suns prior researcher, Ratnaningsih (58-64), analyses the influence of aggression toward Mariam has preoccupied and shaped her (psychologically) into submissive but later a temperamental woman. Quite opposing to Ratnaningsih’s focus this study emphasizes its concern on the perpetrator instead of the victim. In facts, there are several theses which lift a theme from this novel to study, however, due to the inaccessibility of the publication of those former studies the writer is not able to present more review. However, the particularity of this study is guaranteed as a thesis which studies human aggression—as one of literary topic which has not been elevated before by students of Sanata Dharma.

C. Theoretical Framework

This study of novel is exercising a psychological approach to attribute the problems formulated in preceding chapter. All the theories reviewed above have been selected to help the writer to account for the analysis therefore all those theories will be taken into consideration. One thing to bear in mind is that the psychological literatures consulted above are quite broad theories. The theories, somehow, overlay other field of study, especially social study. It is due to the development and revolution of theories that—from the summary above—are always augmenting its formers.

Aggression as the main topic of this study would be judge by 3 out of 4 points of views albeit its utter complexity—it drops the psychoanalytic instinct theory—derived from the review of Bandura’s work. As concluded before, both the inner and outer aspects of character compose the rationale of his aggressive behavior. The explanation from Berkowitz is expected to ease and lever the difficulties traced in Bandura’s concept as it provides more practical examples and simple explanation. However the clearly stipulated belief from the two authors is that aggression comprises some factors, namely performance catharsis; aversive treatment both physical and verbal threat and insults; unfavorable changes in positive reinforcement; thwarting of goal-directed behavior as the instigators by which converge in the three notions—biological influences, psychological influences, and family influences.

Review over husband-to-wife aggression studies and its related research from some journals of psychology is expected to support this study in terms of its

correlation with the real world. This data are expected to shows that this unpopular behavior perennially exists and to add up some information which probably useful and necessary to affirm the confirmation from psychological literature about aggression.

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CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY

This chapter serves as the bases of the protocol taken by the writer in conducting his study. Besides, this chapter also provides a synopsis of the novel in conjunction with the topic elevated and gives the highlight of the approach addressed to his study. This chapter is composed from three parts which are subject matter, approach of the study, and method of the study.

A. Subject Matter

This thesis studies the second novel by Khaled Hosseini, A thousand Splendid Suns—a-402-content-page-novel published by Bloomsbury in 2007. The novel presents two main characters—who undergo countless upheaval in their journey of life—namely Mariam and Laila. Those Afghani women are trapped in a deep gap of happiness yet fortunately their love can bridge it up and bring them to meet the gate of freedom. It seems provident that their magnificent endurances come as the answer and solution to get out of their chronic problems—to get free from their husband’s impunity, Rasheed. His aggressive behavior is triggered to emerge since a time proves that his first wife fails to meet his hope for a son. Rasheed turns out to be temperamental and starts unleashing aggression over Mariam with any excuses that he can have. More often than not Rasheed shows his anger verbally by intimidating Mariam using loud voice, impatient tone, and devalued words. This is just the onset of Rasheed’s levels of aggression toward

Mariam. Rasheed also releases his anger in physical force like battering, forcing Mariam to eat pebbles, and sexual abusing her. After married to Laila, Rasheed seems like multiplying his aggression and both of his wives then become the targets. In short, Rasheed’s intolerable anger has led him to his death at Mariam’s hand.

B. Approach of the Study

The focus of this study is seeking the explanation of man’s aggression in relation to his psyche condition—Rasheed’s mental condition to aggress against his wives. Vast choices actually are provided to approach human aggression i.e. psychology, sociology, culture, antropology but since it focuses on personal matter Psychology is chosen to approach the problems. Psychology then is expected to reason all the hidden answers behind someone’s doing aggression. However, the thing to keep in mind is that the features of Psychology would inevitably overlap features of other field of studies due to the development of research and archives of psychological study.

C. Method of the Study

The study of literature is a qualitative research therefore library study is exercised. Thus, a careful reading and surfing information from one source to another is badly needed. Psychological books and studies are reviewed to address aggression depicted in this novel which serves as subject of the study. After all, rudimentary elaboration of social studies of aggression—due to personal behavior

is affected by his environment—also appraised in attempt to get more understanding of human aggression.

The steps in conducting this literary study are as follow. First of all, the writer reads the novel for several times to get a profound understanding of the novel. Secondly, the writer searches for topic and decides the aspect that he wants to study. The third, the writer solicits advices from his supervisor in the terms of the title and research questions he wants to address. The fourth, the writer reviews the books, theories, researches related to his topic. The fifth, the writer begins composing the proposal of his research along with regularly consultation of the developments of his study to his supervisor. The sixth, the writer applies the reviewed literature to deal with the problems formulated and writing the analysis. The seventh, the writer concludes the result of his study and completes all the requirements to face the thesis defense. The eighth, the writer gets the ratification from the supervisor to defense his thesis in front of the examiners.

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CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS

This chapter will provide the analysis and elaboration to answer the two problems formulated in chapter I. The first will be the exemplification of how Rasheed’s aggressive behaviors over his wives are described in the novel and the second will be the elucidation of the reasons of Rasheed’s aggression over his wives.

A. Rasheed’s Aggressive Behaviors over His Wives

Rasheed’s aggressive behaviors can be traced trough chapter to chapter within the plots storied. Chapter 14 starts describing his aggressive behaviors towards Mariam soon after she has miscarried. The theory enforced to answer the two problems formulation is aggression theory. The first problem formulated refers to the explanation of kinds of aggression that the aggressor possibly acts upon the sufferer. Based on the explanation provided by Bandura, there are two forms of aggression that probably directed towards the victims by the perpetrator. The two types of aggression are the psychological and the physical. Thus here, with the line of those two categorizations, the analysis of Rasheed’s aggression will be divided as Rasheed’s psychological aggression and Rasheed’s physical aggression. The former is going to exhibit Rasheed’s aggression that leaves devaluing effects on Mariam’ and Laila’s mental conditions. Meanwhile, the latter is going to show up the physical footprints of Rasheed’s aggressive acts on both

Mariam and Laila. The elaborations to detail those two categorizations are presented in these following subsections.

1. Psychological Aggression

Regarding to the review of aggression from Bandura’s explanation the unwelcome effects that the victim possibly suffers from aggression are sadness, fear, anxiety, bad confidence, low self-esteem even the victims can also turn out to be abusive and aggressive. The exemplifications of the facts that support the label that Rasheed is psychologically aggressive towards his wives are as follow: a. Keeping Silent toward Mariam

The first kind of aggression that Rasheed bestows upon Mariam is psychological aggression by the form of not responding to Mariam “Most nights when he came home he hardly talked anymore” (Hosseini, 93) and “He walked quickly and always a few steps ahead of her, without speaking, unmindful of Mariam who almost had to run to keep up with him” (Hosseini, 93). While being almost never talking to Mariam Rasheed seems irritated by Mariam’s question as in this following finding.

“Then stop pestering me!”

“I’m sorry. Bebakhsh, Rasheed. I’m sorry.”

He crushed out his cigarette and lit another. He turned up the volume on the radio. (Hosseini, 94)

The writer narration shows how it is difficult for Mariam to cope with her husband’s attitude “It wasn’t easy tolerating him talking this way to her,…,his walking past her like she was nothing but a house cat.” (Hosseini, 97).

The subsequent act shows how Rasheed gives no attention to Mariam where he does not answer Mariam’s inquiry on the government’s condition “What is going to happen?” (Hosseini, 99) instead “Rasheed shot her a sidelong glance. He made a sound between a sigh and a groan, dropped his legs from the table, and turned off the radio. He took it upstairs to his room. He closed the door.” (Hosseini, 99). Rasheed’s being silent obviously marks the onset of his aggression over Mariam which is later on followed by more severe and increasingly frequent aggressions.

b. Responding to Mariam’s Questions in Harsh Tone and Sarcastic Replies When Mariam asks for Rasheed’s permission over the proper burial to forget the miscarried baby, Raheed reacts with offensive words “What for? It’s idiotic” (Hosseini, 94). Then he continues sharply with the words “then you do it”, “I‘ve already buried one son. I won’t bury another. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m trying to listen” (Hosseini, 94) after that he turns up again the volume of the radio while leaning his head back and closing his eyes. Rasheed also answers Mariam question with intimidating and abhorring words thanks to Mariam’s lack of information about Afghanistan‘s political condition.

“What is a communist?” she asked.

Rasheed snorted, and raised both eyebrows. “You don’t know what a communist is? Such a simple thing. Everyone knows. It’s common knowledge. You don’t….Bah. I don’t know why I’m surprised.” Then he crossed his ankles on the table and mumbled that it was someone who believe in Karl Marxist?” (Hosseini, 97).

When he comes to another question which seems enough to add more irritation “Rahsheed sighed” (Hosseini, 97). Since he feels the question is more disturbing than before, these words eventually comes from Rasheed’s mouth

“You know nothing, do you? You’re like a child. Your brain is empty. There is no information in it” (Hosseini, 97) and in the mean time when Mariam asks more he interrupts “Chup ko”. Shut up.”( Hosseini, 97). From the findings, it is learned that Rashed’s level of aggression is increasing from just being silent into responding with hateful manner.

c. Faulting Mariam’s Cooking

Rasheed’s aggressive behaviors over Mariam are also felt in his way undervaluing her work especially passing intimidating judgment of her cooking. This following fact is taken from the writer narration:

Mariam remembered a time when she had enjoyed, even looked forward to, cooking for Rahseed. Now cooking was an exercise in heightened anxiety. The qurmas were always too salty or too bland for his taste. The rice was judged either too greasy or too dry, the bread declared too doughy or too crispy. Rasheed’s faultfinding left her stricken in the kitchen with self-doubt. (Hosseini, 99)

Rasheed really turns down Mariam’s confidence in preparing food for him. It is so sad for a wife when a husband always finds a problem with the food she prepared for her husband. The wife likely hurts upon her husband humiliating remark and another possibility is she responds her husband in attacking manner— to aggress him back. Since Mariam considers that she is the one who makes Rasheed change due to his disappointment of her recurring miscarriages she opts to give in to Rasheed’s aggression.

d. Hurting Mariam when He Reveals His Intention to Marry Laila

Considering Laila’s early age which is too far from rational—to Mariam’s view—to marry too old Rasheed who is at that moment according to the novel is over sixty-year-old—“Rasheed had to be sixty or more” (Hosseini, 207), Mariam

boldly insist against Rasheed’s plea to her agreement. However, Rasheed with his high tempered tone reproaches her argument “Don’t be so dramatic. It’s common thing and you know it. I have friends who have two, three, four wives. Your father had three. Besides, what I’m doing now most men I know have done it along ago. You know it’s true.”(Hosseini, 209)

Rasheed also gives Mariam additional ordeals to puzzle her mind since another choice for Mariam is to let Laila leave their house with the possible consequence she likely fails to make it due to the difficult condition outside. This is what Rasheed says to threaten Mariam

There is another option, “ he said, scratching the sole of one foot with calloused heel of the other.” She can leave. I won’t stand in her way. But I suspect she won’t get far. No food, no water, not a rupiah in her pockets, rockets and bullets flying everywhere. How many days do you suppose she’ll last before she’s abducted, raped, or tossed into some roadside ditch with her throat slit? Or all three?” (Hosseini, 209)

It is evidently seen that Rasheed wants to attack Mariam compassionate feeling. He wants to blame Mariam if she lets Laila stay away from their house and die due to war factors. Rasheed successfully soothes down Mariam’s complain with that difficult choice. Mariam then helps to lure Laila to accept Rasheed’s proposal.

e. Undervaluing Mariam with Unfavorable Comparison to Laila

After selling Mariam’s wedding band in favour of giving Laila a new ring Rahseed always mistreats Mariam as if she is a star-crossed creature. Starting from dubbing Mariam an even less sufficient to be a dehati as on page 216 “we are city people, you and I, but she is a dehati. A village girl. Not even a village girl. No. She grows up in kolba made of mud outside the village”. Then he goes

on to name Mariam “a harami” (Hosseini, 216) which reminds her of her disdainful memories back to the date when she shares life with his only mother. Not yet enough with that, Rasheed titles Mariam a Volga which is a kind of old-fashioned car. ”She is sturdy, for one thing, a good worker, and without pretensions. I will say this way: if she were a car, she would be a Volga.” (Hosseini, 216). Then in front of Mariam, Raheed plainly praise Laila with the mere opposition claim

“you on the other hand, would be a Benz. A brand-new, first-class, shiny Benz. But. But.” He raised one greasy index finger. “One must take certain ….cares….with a Benz. As a matter of respect for its beauty and craftsmanship, you see. Oh, you must be thinking that I am crazy, diwana, with all this talk of automobiles. I am not saying you are cars. I am merely making point. ” (Hosseini, 216-217)

Still Rasheed once again consciously or unconsciously deteriorate Mariam self-estimation upon Laila by overvaluing Laila with the calls of queen, and malika. “As for you, you are the queen, the malika, and this house is your palace. Anything you need done you ask Mariam and she will do it for you. Won’t you Mariam.” (Hosseini, 217) Those sorts of comparisons have been delivered to Mariam and by our own conscience we are able to feel how unfortunate the sorrow Mariam should bear.

f. Unjust Faulting towards Mariam when Laila Gets Problems

It happens when Laila is sobbing after she falls into contemplation that Mariam and Laila’s baby are the only righteous ones in their house. Laila feels guilty of her reflection that she bursts into tear but Rasheed misinterprets her weeping—though also without an effort to learn the real matter—result from

quarrel between her and Mariam. He abruptly convicts Mariam as the reason of that scene “Wallah o bilah, I’ll go down and teach her a lesson. Who does she think she is, that harami treating you—“ (Hosseini, 223). Rasheed is about to dash toward Mariam but fortunately Laila can stop him.

Then when it comes to quarrel between Laila and Rasheed, Mariam again comes as the victim of accusation and blame of what the unsatisfying conduct Laila performs to Rasheed. He once unfairly punishes Mariam as he believes she teaches Laila to be rebellious.

“It’s your doing. I know it is”. He snarled, advancing on her. Mariam slid out of her bed and began backpedaling. Her arms instinctively crossed over her chest, where he often struck her first.

“What are you talking about” she stammered “Her denying me”. You’re teaching her to”.

…”I should have known that you’d corrupt her, “Rasheed spat at Mariam. He swung the belt, testing it against his own thigh….(Hosseini, 234-235) Though, once again Laila can manage to interrupt in Rasheed trial to beating Mariam. This threat again and again psychologically shapes Mariam into condition when she has to bow to Rasheed in fear and helplessness. These continual conditions from the first encounter of psychological aggression could have developed to kind of serious anxiety which is too much to take.

g. Turning Away His Attention from the Three (Mariam, Laila, and Aziza) After the foiled attempt of fleeing to Peshawar two and a half years ago

both Mariam and Laila almost always undertake Rasheed’s disregard, meaning to say Rasheed has ignored their presence. The facts garnered are as on following excerpt.

Mariam knew that she and Laila had become one and the same being to him, equally wretched, equally deserving of his distrust, his disdain and

disregard. When he spoke, Mariam had the sense that he was having a conversation with himself, or with some invisible presence in the room, who, unlike her and Laila, was worthy of his opinion. (Hosseini, 267) Ever since that incidents Rasheed prefers more listening to the Voice of Shari’a aired by Taliban than taking his wives into his attention. And his favor to Taliban sparks debates with Laila who can’t help arguing him in his supports to Taliban’s brutal punishment.

After the presence of Zalmay—a boy madly longed by Rasheed— Rasheed’s attention is more extricated from the rest family members. Rasheed overindulges his boy that later lead to his son deviances from his mother. Rasheed really loves his boy and has ever once rebuked harshly at Aziza on her act of turning on Zalmay’s TV “Aziza pushed the TV’s power button. Rasheed scowled, snatched her wrist and set it in the table, not gently at all.” (Hosseini, 290)

2. Physical Aggression

The second kind of aggression to follow Bandura’s explanation is physical Aggression. This aggression causes the victims suffer physical defects i.e. body’s injury, body’s defect, and body’s disability. This aggression is possibly in all forms of physical attacks like battering, leashing, forcing the victims to hurt their self, and still not to mention killing. The facts of Rasheed’s physical aggression over his wives are as follow:

a. Physically Insulting Mariam after Repeatedly Faulting Her Cooking By the onset of his displeasure and dissatisfaction over the foods prepared by Mariam, Rasheed then makes this as the excuse to insult her physically which

marks the first physical deformity that she suffers—to crush down some of her teeth.

Rasheed made a ball of rice with his fingers. He put it in his mouth, chewed once, then twice, before grimacing and spitting it out on the sofrah….Then she heard the front door opening and Rasheed was back in the living room.

“Get up,” he said. “Come here. Get up.”

He snatched her hand, opened it, and dropped a handful of pebbles into it. “Put these in your mouth.”

.…“CHEW!” he bellowed….

….Then was gone, leaving Mariam to spit out pebbles, blood, and the the fragments of two broken molars. (Hosseini, 102-103)

b. Severely Punishing both Mariam and Laila over Leaving the House Although Mariam and Laila have carefully plotted a plan before they bring Aziza out of the house it still leaves high level anxiety. Those are the fear of being noticed by Rasheed that they are fleeing away and also the fear of getting busted by Sharia police. Then indeed, the fact is that finally they are handled by officer thanks to a man who has affected helping their getaway. Eventually, Mariam and Laila are sent home and handed to Rasheed to make them pay their ill-fated effort. Rasheed high level-physical aggression is all the cost

Laila did not see the punch coming. One moment she was talking and the next she was on all fours, wide-eyed and red-faced, trying to draw a breath. It was as if a car had hit her at full speed, in the tender place between the lower tip of breastbone and the belly button. She realized she had dropped Aziza, that Aziza was screaming. She tried to breathe again and could only make a husky, choking sound. Dribble hung from her mouth. (Hosseini, 261)

It is still continuing that Rasheed seems to accumulate all his effort to make the torture on Mariam worse

Briefly after repeating sound of battering with no screaming even pleading from Mariam, Laila witnesses Rasheed dragging Mariam into the tool shed. “Mariam was barefoot and doubled over. There was blood on his

hands, blood on Marias’s face, her hair, down her neck and back. Her shirt had been ripped down the front.” (Hosseini, 262)

Rasheed then locks Mariam in the tool shed while Laila and Aziza in a light-closed room and deprives them from food and water for four days. (Hosseini, 263-265).

Finishing those all dying punishment he wraps it by uttering words of threat that if she does it again he will surely punish her again starting from Mariam, then Aziza and finally Laila herself. “I will make you watch” (Hosseini, 265). “And, with that, he left the room. But not before delivering a kick to the flank that would have Laila pissing blood for days.”(Hosseini, 265)

c. Getting More Abusive towards Laila, Mariam and Aziza

In opposition to Zalmay, Aziza turns in her own fate as unlucky since Rasheed insist to have Laila send her to be a beggar in one mosque—that later will be an orphanage instead. Since Laila refuses to agree, Rasheed then without much doubt unleashes his angry in the form of physical force.

Laila did nit notice that Rasheed was back in the room. Until his hand was around her throat. Until she was lifted off her feet and slammed against the wall. Up close, his sneering face seemed impossibly large. Laila noticed how much puffier it was getting with age, nose. Rasheed didn’t say anything. And, really, what could be said, what needed saying, when you’d shoved the barrel of your gun into your wife’s mouth? (Hosseini, 293)

Rasheed’s economic condition is deteriorating contributed by his burning shoes shop, and also getting fired from some jobs like kebab restaurant, and others. These situations also come as one of supplies of Rasheed abusive behavior that is increasing in quantity. “After fired, Rasheed was home almost every day.

He slapped Aziza. He kicked Mariam. He threw things. He found fault with Laila, the way she smelled, the way she dressed the way she combed her hair, her yellowing teeth”. (Hosseini, 297) Another instance of his aggression is

And then he was on Laila, pummeling her chest, her head, her belly with fist, tearing at her hair, throwing her to the wall….He went on kicking, kicking Mariam now, spittle flying from his mouth, his eyes glittering with murderous intent, kicking until he couldn’t anymore. (Hosseini, 298)

Learning that Laila has met with Tariq at his back from Zalmay, Rasheed is very angry. Rasheed responds it with “Well, what do you know? Laili and majnoon reunited. Just like old times” (Hoseini, 328)

Then Rasheed gradually asks his boy the more detailed explanation. Soon after he considers it has been clear enough he releases his anger in merciless attack toward Laila after escorting his boy to go upstairs, locking all doors and unbuckle his belt to put it on his knuckles. (Hosseini, 337)

Without saying a word, he swung the belt at Laila. He did it with such speed that she had no time to retreat or duck, or even raise a protective arm. Laila touched her fingers to her temple, looked at the blood, looked at Rasheed, with astonishment….Rasheed swung the belt again….He caought her, threw her up against the wall, and struck her with the belt again, the buckle slamming against her chest, her shoulder, her raised arms, her fingers, drawing blood wherever it struck.(Hosseini, 337-338) Seeming like marking the fighting that it will reach the climax, Rasheed— more burned by the serious physical reproach from Laila—intensifies his attack to deadly squeezing around Laaila’s neck.

They crushed to the ground, Rasheed and Laila, thrashing about. He ended up on top, his hand already wrapped around Laila’s neck. Mariam clawed at him. She beats at his chest. She hurled herself against him. She struggled to uncurl his fingers from Laila’s neck. She bit them. But they remained tightly clamped around Laila’s windpipe, and Mariam saw that she meant top carry this trough. He meant to suffocate her, and there was nothing either of them could do about this. (Hosseini, 339)….Rasheed

didn’t notice her coming back into the room. He was still on top of Laila, his eyes wide and crazy, his hands wrapped around her neck. Laila’s face was turning blue now, and her eyes had rolled back. Mariam saw that she was no longer struggling. He is going to kill her, she thought. He really means to. (Hosseini, 340)

Then the peak of all of this is the finishing from Mariam that she shoves on Rasheed by the shovel she has taken before from the tool shed. Mariam’s monumental decision is drifted by the dread that Rasheed will dash to his gun to end all of this fighting. “if she let him walk now, how long before he fetched the key from his pocket and went for that gun of his upstairs in the room where he’d locked Zalmay?” (Hosseini,340)....”But in Rasheed’s eyes she saw murder for them both”. (Hosseini, 340)

B. The Reasons of Rasheed’s Aggression over His wives

In assessing the reasons behind Rasheed’s aggression over his wives I am tracing it through the three out of four aspects that influence human aggression, in other words it could instigate or intensify the aggression that someone does over someone. The explication is adopted from Bandura’s explanations which are ethological theory, drive theory, and social learning theory. Another explanation from another author, Berkowitz, is also considered to add up simpler terms and explanation. Those expectedly simpler terms are some factors namely biological influences, psychological influences, and family influences. As it has been mentioned before that Berkowitz’ is the small-supporting information which will go along with the main guide which is from Bandura’s.

1. Reasons Viewed from Ethological Theory

Ethological theory traces man’s aggressiveness from their physiological conditions. It will consider how Rasheed looks like and what properties he possesses which support Raheed’s adherence to commit aggression. From Berkowitz this explanation is categorized as biological influence.

a. Rahseed’s Physical Appearance

The novel describes Rasheed in overall as a big old guy by the details as follow:

“Mriam saw a tall man, thick bellied and broad shouldered, stooping in the doorway.” (Hosseini, 52)….”Then his slow, heavy-footed movement across the room the candy bowl on the table clinked in tune with his steps. With a thick grunt he dropped on chair beside her. He breathed noisily.” (Hosseini, 52)….”His harsh, raspy voice reminded Mariam of the sound of dry autumn leaves crushed underfoot.” (Hosseini, 52)….” In the mirror, Mariam had her first glimpse of Raheed: the big, square, ruddy face; the hooked nose; the flushed cheeks that gave the impression of sly cheerfulness; the watery, bloodshot eyes; the crowded teeth, the front two pushed together like a gabled roof; the impossibly low hairline, barely two finger widths above the bushy eyebrows; the wall of thick, coarse, salt-and-pepper hair.” (Hosseini, 53)…”His nails were yellow-brown, like the inside of a rotting apple, and some of the tips were curling, lifting”….(Hosseini, 53)

As explicitly stipulated in the review the ethological theory counts the description of someone’s appearance as things that account for his aggressive acts. By the help of those physical conditions man can or tends to aggress against the other. Let’s take a look at the man here, Rasheed with a strong and big body seems ready to prey at both Mariam and Laila which at the time she experiences their first acknowledgment with aggression when they were under the age of 20.

Compared to Rasheed his two wives are also at least a half smaller than him. From the novel we can see how the impaired power balances between the strong Rasheed and the weak Mariam and Laila. That is the way they come to be the victims since they bear a weaker status.

b. The Presence of a Gun

The novel’s page 81 describes that Rasheed possesses a gun that he places inside a drawer in his room. Miriam encounters this fact when she was cleaning that room:

Guiltily, she slid open the top drawer of his dresser. She saw the gun first. It was black, with a wooden grip and a short muzzle. Mariam made sure to memorize which way it was facing before she picked it up. She turned it over in her hands. It was much heavier than it looked. The grip felt smooth in her hand, and the muzzle was cold. It was disquieting to her that Rasheed owned something whose solely purpose was to kill another person. But surely he kept it for their safety. Her safety. (Hosseini, 81)

From some researchers the presence of lethal object has become a clenching reason to envisage that someone is aggressive. In more receptive sentence someone has more possibility to aggress against someone else measured up to those who do not have that property. Here, the novel also assures the aggressive impression seen implicitly through Mariam’s feeling over observing the gun in the drawer. Mariam imagines that Rasheed is a harsh person. The conclusion of the findings scented by ethological theory is that Rasheed is a big male who possesses a gun and it’s not unexpectedly found that a time proves his aggressiveness.

2. Reasons Viewed from Drive Theory

a. Frustration Generated from Rasheed’s Bitter Ordeal in His Past

Drive theory basically adjudicates the act of aggression is preceded by the rise of aggressive drive. This psychological matter is defined from the notion of frustration-aggression. This tension is basically the accumulation of frustration that leak out in the form physical force or to be more specific it is an intentional attack that will inflict injury. Therefore in attempt to understand Rasheed’s source of frustration lets trace the citation bellow of Mariam’s relection of Rasheed afer she finds his gun, improper magazines, and photo of his deceased wife and child:

He too had had hard life, a life marked by loss and sad turns of fate. Her thought returned to his boy Yunus, who had once built snowmen in this yard, whose feet had pounded these same stairs The lake had snatched him from Rasheed, swallowed him up just as a whale had swallowed the boy’s namesake prophet in the Koran. It pained Mariam—it pained her considerably—to picture Rasheed panic-stricken and helpless, pacing the banks of the lake and pleading with it to spit his son back onto dry land. (Hosseini, 83)

It is storied that Rasheed has miserable past life before the life he shares with Mariam, that he loses his beloved son. When Mariam is expecting for the first time his past sadness seems cured and he is looking forward to welcoming a boy that he will name Zalmay. Rasheed is singing and happily humming on their ride to carry home a good news from the doctor “What about Zalmay?”…. “I think it’s a boy. Yes. A boy.” (Hosseini, 85). It is also described that in the next morning Rasheed begins to fix everything up that possibly harm the hopeful Zalmay “he said the stairs worried him….The stove worried him too he said. The knifes and the Forks would have to be stowed somewhere out of reach (Hosseini,

63 "Go ahead," Laila said.

"Beans. No less than four cans. On the evening the toothless lizard comes to ask for your hand. But the timing, ladies, the timing is everything. You have to suppress the fireworks 'til it's time to serve him his tea."

Til remember that," Laila said. "So will he."

Laila could have said then that she didn't need this advice because Babi had no intention of giving her away anytime soon. Though Babi worked at Silo, Kabul's gigantic bread factory, where he labored amid the heat and the humming machinery stoking the massive ovens and mill grains all day, he was a university-educated man. He'd been a high school teacher before the communists fired him— this was shortly after the coup of 1978, about a year and a half before the Soviets had invaded. Babi had made it clear to Laila from a young age that the most important thing in his life, after her safety, was her schooling.

/ know you're still young, but I want you to understand and learn this now, he said. Marriage can wait, education cannot. You're a very, very bright girl. Truly, you are. You can be anything you want, Laila. I know this about you. And I also know that when this war is over, Afghanistan is going to need you as much as its men, maybe even more. Because a society has no chance of success if its women are uneducated, Laila. No chance.

But Laila didn't tell Hasina that Babi had said th'ese things, or how glad she was to have a father like him, or how proud she was of his regard for her, or how determined she was to pursue her education just as he had his. For the last two years, Laila had received the awal numra certificate, given yearly to the top-ranked student in each grade. She said nothing of these things to Hasina, though, whose own father was an ill-tempered taxi driver who in two or three years would almost certainly give her away. Hasina had told Laila, in one of her

infrequent serious moments, that it had already been decided that she would marry a first cousin who was twenty years older than her and owned an auto shop in Lahore. I've seen him twice, Hasina had said. Both times he ate with his mouth open.

"Beans, girls," Hasina said. "You remember that. Unless, of course"—here she flashed an impish grin and nudged Laila with an elbow—"it's your young handsome, one-legged prince who comes knocking. Then . . ."

Laila slapped the elbow away. She would have taken offense if anyone else had said that about Tariq. But she knew that Hasina wasn't malicious. She mocked—it was what she did—and her mocking spared no one, least of all herself.

"You shouldn't talk that way about people!" Giti said. "What people is that?"

"People who've been injured because of war," Giti said earnestly, oblivious to Hasina's toying.

"I think Mullah Giti here has a crush on Tariq. I knew it! Ha! But he's already spoken for, don't you know? Isn't he, Laila?"

"I do not have a crush. On anyone!"

They broke off from Laila, and, still arguing this way, turned in to their street. Laila walked alone the last three blocks. When she was on her street, she noticed that the blue Benz was still parked there, outside Rasheed and Mariana's house. The elderly man in the brown suit was standing by the hood now, leaning on a cane, looking up at the house.

That was when a voice behind Laila said, "Hey. Yellow Hair. Look here." Laila turned around and was greeted by the barrel of a gun.

vii ABSTRACT

Pangarsa, Andreas Indra (2010). Rasheed’s Aggression over His Wives in Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program, Department of Language and Arts Education, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, Sanata Dharma University.

This study lifts husband-to-wife aggression theme from Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns. This theme is hopefully relevant to some recurring cases that literally happen in real life and expected to reflect and explain what the reasons are behind this very act. The writer opts to have Rasheed’s aggression as the central attention and intends to reveal what can possibly generate his cruel behavior toward his wives.

The problems formulated to solve in this thesis are (1) how are Rasheed’s aggressive behaviors over his wives described in the novel? and (2) what are the reasons of Rasheed’s aggression over his wives?

This study applied psychological approach to solve both of the problems formulated. The former was solved by the theory of aggression in regards to the kinds of aggressions that Rasheed commits on his wives. Meanwhile, the latter was resolved by the theory of aggression in which it provides the particular views to trace reasons of someone’s aggression.

The result of the study of Rasheed’s aggressive behavior yields findings that Rasheed’s is both psychologically and physically aggressive towards his wives. His psychological aggression can be sensed in his acts which are: keeping silent toward Mariam, responding to Mariam’s questions by harsh tone and sarcastic replies, faulting Mariam’s cooking, hurting Mariam when he reaveals his intention to marry Laila, undervaluing Mariam with unfavorable comparison to Laila, unjust faulting towards Mariam when Laila gets problems, and turning away his attention from the three (Mariam, Laila, and Aziza). While his physical aggression are physically insulting Mariam after repeatedly faulting her cooking, severely punishing both Mariam and Laila over leaving the house, and getting more abusive towards Laila, Mariam and Aziza. The second findings are of the second problem formulation solving which coins the reasons of Rasheed’s aggressive behavior by the help of the three points of view—ethological theory, drive theory, and social learning theory. The ethological theory provides Rasheed’s physical appearance and the presence of gun as the factors influencing Rasheed’s aggressiveness. The drive theory concludes that Rasheed’s act of aggression is generated from his frustration over his bitter ordeal in the past— once he lost his beloved boy, Zalmay. Besides, his frustration also comes from the food deprivation as a recurring result of losing his jobs. In this same case the social learning theory views the male domination over woman and the influence of Taliban’s ruling have given the role model to all husbands in Afghanistan to practice aggression on woman or wife.

The first suggestion derived from this study is an offer to study Mariam’s religious side that help her stay strong among many upheavals, or the role of parents in rearing their children as in comparing Mariam family and Laila’s. The

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second suggestion is an offer of teaching material for Intensive Reading II developed from A Thousand Splendid Suns’ excerpts.

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ABSTRAK

Pangarsa, Andreas Indra (2010). Rasheed’s Aggression over His Wives in Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Bahasa Inggris, Jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa dan Seni, Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan, Universitas Sanata Dharma.

Studi ini mengangkat tema agresi suami pada istri dari novel A Thousand Splendid Suns karya Khaled Hosseini. Tema ini diharapkan relevant dengan berbagai kasus yang sering terjadi di kehidupan nyata dan diharapkan juga dapat menjadi cerminan yang bisa memberikan penjelasan-penjelasan dibalik tindakan agresi. Penulis memilih agresi yang dilakukan oleh Rasheed sebagai perhatian utama dan ingin mengungkap alasan-alasan apa saja yang mendasari perlakuan-perlakuan kejamnya terhadap istri-istrinya.

Rumusan masalah yang akan dijawab dalam skripsi ini adalah (1) bagaimana tindakan-tindakan agesif Rasheed terhadap istri-istrinya? dan (2) apa saja alasan-alasan dibalik agresi-agresi Rasheed pada istri-istrinya?

Studi ini menggunakan pendekatan psikologi untuk menjawab kedua masalah yang telah dirumuskan. Rumusan masalah yang pertama dipecahkan dengan teori agresi dalam hal pengelompokan jenis-jenis agresi yang dilakukan Rasheed pada istrinya. Sedangkan rumusan masalah yang kedua dijawab dengan teori agresi dimana teori ini memberikan beberapa cara pandang dalam menemukan alasan agresi manusia.

Hasil studi tentang tindakan-tindakan agresif Rasheed menghasilkan temuan-temuan bahwa Rasheed bertindak agresif terhadap istri-intrinya baik secara psikologis maupun secara fisik. Agresi psikis Rasheed dapat dilihat dari tindakan-tindakanya seperti: mendiamkan Mariam, merespon pertanyaan-pertanyaan Mariam dengan nada yang kasar dan dengan jawaban sarkastik, mencela masakan Mariam, melukai hati Mariam ketika dia menyatakan keinginanya menikahi Laila, merendahkan Mariam dengan membandingkan kekuranganya dengan Laila, seta-merta menyalahkan Mariam ketika Laila mendapatkan masalah, dan mengesampingkan perhatian pada Mariam, Laila, dan Aziza. Sedangkan agresi fisik yang dilakukan oleh Rasheed diantanya: secara fisik menyakiti Mariam setelah berulang kali mencela masakanya, dengan kejam menghukum Mariam dan Aziza karena meninggalkan rumah, dan semakin kejam pada Mariam, Laila dan Aziza. Penemuan yang kedua adalah dari penyelesaian rumusan masalah yang kedua yang memberikan alasan-alasan dibalik tindakan agresif Rasheed dengan bantuan tiga pandangan—teori ethology, teori drive, teori social learning. Teori ethology menjelaskan bahwa kondisi fisik Rasheed dan adanya pistol sebagai faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi agresifitas Raheed. Teori drive menyimpulkan bahwa tindakan agresif Rasheed desebabkan oleh kefrustrasianya atas pengalaman pahitnya di masa lalu—kehilangan anak lelaki yang begitu dicintainya, Zalmay. Disamping itu, sumber kefrustrasianya juga berasal dari kekurangan makanan karena berkali-kali kehilangan pekerjaanya. Dalam hal yang sama ini teori social learning memandang dominasi kaum pria pada kaum wanita dan pengaruh pemerintahan yang dikuasai Taliban telah

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memberikan role model pada semua suami-suami di Afghanistan untuk meng-agresi wanita atau istri.

Saran pertama yang dikembangkan dari studi ini adalah tawaran untuk meneliti tentang sisi religius Mariam yang membantunya tetap kuat meghadapi berbagai pergulatan-pergulatan hidupnya, atau peran orang tua dalam membesarkan anak-anaknya seperti pada perbandingan antara keluarga Mariam dan Laila. Saran yang kedua adalah materi yang ditawarkan untuk megajar Intensive Reading II yang dikembangkan dari penggalan cerita dalam novel A Thousand Splendid Suns.