A struggle for equality as reflected by the character of Ammu in Arundhati Roy`s The God Of Small Things.

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ABSTRACT

Astuti, Fransisca Yuni (2010). A Struggle for Equality as Reflected by the Character of Ammu in Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things. Yogyakarta: Faculty of Teachers and Training Education, English Education Study Program, Sanata Dharma University

This thesis discusses a novel entitled The God of Small Things. The story is about a family in India who maintains caste system. The caste system forbids the members to do things freely. The main character is Ammu. She is a thirty one years old mother. Ammu tries to achieve equality. She wants to be equal with men. She asks divorce from her husband, and raises her children alone. She works hard to fulfill her family’s needs. She dies alone in a grimy room.

There are three problems in this thesis. They are (1) how Ammu is described in The God of the Small Things, (2) how Ammu’s struggle is described in The God of the Small Things, and (3) why she struggles for equality.

This thesis is library research. The primary source is obtained from the novel The God of the Small Things itself. Whereas, the secondary sources are obtained from books on literature and history of India and also from the internet sources.

There are two approaches applied in this thesis. The first approach is the socio historical approach that is used for analyzing the socio-cultural aspects in India that causes inequality between men and women and how caste system differentiates the position between men and women in India. The second is the psychological approach that is used for analyzing the reasons why Ammu as the main character struggles for equality.

Based on this study, it can be concluded that, first, Ammu’s character is described as tough, brave, motherly, strict, beautiful, and hard working. Second, caste system bans women from doing things freely like men. Caste system divides society into some classes based on the occupation, area, language, and so forth. Third, Ammu struggles for equality because of some reasons, such as: caste system, patriarchal system, and society’s treatments. Fourth, there are four ways that Ammu does to achieve for equality, such as: finding a good job, marrying a Bengali man, giving a decent living to her children, and having a love affair with the Untouchable. Equality between women and men can be achieved if the society gives the same opportunities, the same treatments and the same position for both genders.

In the last part of this thesis, there are two suggestions. The first suggestion is for future researcher(s) on The God of Small Things. The second suggestion is for the implementation of The God of Small Things in teaching English, especially Cross Cultural Understanding (CCU).

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ABSTRAK

Astuti, Fransisca Yuni (2010). A Struggle for Equality as Reflected by the Character of Ammu in Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things. Yogyakarta: Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan, Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Universitas Sanata Dharma

Studi ini membahas sebuah novel berjudul The God of Small Things, karya Arundhati Roy. Novel ini bercerita tentang kehidupan sebuah keluarga di India yang masih menganut sistem kasta. Sistem kasta ini membatasi setiap anggotanya untuk melakukan hal sebebas mungkin. Pembahasan dalam skripsi ini difokuskan pada karakter utama yaitu Ammu. Ammu adalah seorang ibu berumur 31 tahun. Ammu berjuang untuk mendapatkan persamaan hak antara pria dan wanita. Ammu meminta cerai dari suaminya, dan membesarkan kedua anaknya sendiri. Ammu bekerja keras untuk memenuhi kebutuhan keluarga kecilnya. Ammu meninggal seorang diri di dalam ruangan yang gelap.

Untuk meneliti perjuangan Ammu, studi ini mengajukan 3 pertanyaan, (1) bagaimanakah karakter Ammu dideskripsikan dalam novel The God of Small Things (2) bagaimanakah perjuangan Ammu dideskripsikan dalam novel The God of Small Thing dan (3) mengapa Ammu berjuang untuk sebuah persamaan hak.

Studi ini adalah penelitian pustaka. Ada dua sumber dalam studi ini, yaitu sumber primer dan sekunder. Sumber primer adalah novel The God of Small Things karangan Arundhati Roy. Sumber-sumber sekunder berasal dari internet, buku-buku literature, serta buku-buku tentang sejarah India.

Dalam studi ini digunakan dua pendekatan. Pendekatan socio historical digunakan untuk melihat pengaruh sosial terhadap pembedaan pria dan wanita serta untuk melihat bagaimana kasta membatasi pria dan wanita di India. Pendekatan yang kedua adalah pendekatan psikologis, yang digunakan untuk mengetahui alasan-alasan seseorang untuk berjuang demi mendapatkan sebuah persamaan hak.

Melalui studi ini, dapat disimpulkan bahwa, pertama, karakter Ammu adalah tegar, berani, keibuan, berkemauan keras, cantik, dan pekerja keras. Kedua, sistem kasta membatasi wanita untuk melakukan hal yang sama dengan pria. Sistem kasta dibagi menjadi beberapa kelas berdasarkan pekerjaan, daerah, bahasa, dan lain-lain. Ketiga, Ammu berjuang untuk sebuah persamaan karena beberapa alasan, seperti: sistem kasta, sistem patrialis, dan perlakuan masyarakat sekitar. Keempat, Ammu menempuh beberapa cara untuk mendapatkan persamaan hak, seperti: mencari pekerjaan, menikah dengan seorang pria Bengali, memberikan nafkah bagi anak-anaknya, dan menjalin hubungan terlarang dengan seorang pria dari kasta terendah. Persamaan hak antara pria dan wanita bisa diperoleh apabila adanya kesempatan, perlakuan, dan posisi yang sama yang diberikan oleh masyarakat.

Saran-saran diberikan pada akhir studi ini. Baik saran untuk peneliti selanjutnya maupun untuk penerapan pengajaran bahasa Inggris menggunakan

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novel The God of Small Things, khususnya pengajaran mata kuliah Cross Cultural Understanding.

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A STRUGGLE FOR EQUALITY AS REFLECTED BY THE CHARACTER OF AMMU

IN ARUNDHATI ROY’S THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS

A THESIS

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

in English Language Education

By:

Fransisca Yuni Astuti Student Number: 041214084

ENGLISH EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM

DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA

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Lord, I call on You; hurry to help me. Listen to my voice when I call

You. May my prayer be set before You as incense, the raising of my

hand as the evening offering. Lord, set up a guard for my mouth;

keep watch at door of my lips (Psalm 141: 1-3).

This thesis is dedicated to my beloved parents, my sister and her

family, my lover, and myself.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, I would like to thank Jesus Christ and Mother Marry for their blessing and guidance. Their blessing and guidance have strengthened me to finish my thesis.

My next gratitude goes to my major sponsor, Drs. Bambang Hendarto Y., M.Hum., who had patiently helped me to finishing my thesis. I really thank him for his help, guidance and suggestion. I would also like to thank Antonius Jody, S.Pd for his willingness to read, correct, and discuss this thesis with me. I would also like to thank all PBI lecturers who have shared their knowledge during my study, the staff of PBI secretariat who have been very patient to help me to accomplish my study.

My greatest gratitude goes to my beloved parents, Bapak Lukas Sutiran and Ibu Andreana Jariyati. I have learned a lot the meaning of sacrifice from them. I have proved that their sacrifice for their daughter means a lot. I thank them that they are always beside me whenever I need a place to hide and a place to warm myself.

Next, my gratitude goes my only lovely sister Mbak Kris, my brother in law Mas Andre, and my lovely niece Upik Abu-Devina. I thank them for their never-ending support, love, and laughs shared to me during my study.

I would also like to thank my closest friends of PBI 2004, Rita, Hana, and Sari, for the memories we have shared together. It is really a great thing for me to know them and to be one of them.

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Next, my gratitude goes to my little family in Narada 09: Silvi, Rini, Rina, Nawang, Dila, Ifa, mbak Yulita, mbak Narsih, mbak Sum and Simbah. I love them all. I thank them for the support during my study and the opportunity to be one of the members of the family in that simple house.

Then, my gratitude goes to Mas Heribertus Kris (my penguin) who has supported me in doing and finishing my thesis. I thank him for his support, prayers, cheerfulness and love. I know that we still have a lot of dreams and I hope we can make them real soon.

Last but not least, I thank everyone who had helped me to finishing my thesis that I could not mention one by one. May God bless them all.

Fransisca Yuni Astuti

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PAGE OF TITLE……… i

PAGES OF APPROVAL…..……….. ii

STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY………. iv

PAGE OF DEDICATIONS……… v

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……… vi

TABLE OF CONTENTS………... viii

ABSTRACT………...…………. xii

ABSTRAK………... xiii

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study………. 1

B. Problem Formulation………... 4

C. Objectives of the Study……… 5

D. Benefits of the Study……… 5

E. Definition of Terms………... 6

CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

A. Review of Related Theories 1. Critical Approach……… 9

2. Character and Characterization……….. 11

3. Struggle……….. 13

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4. Hierarchy of Needs……… 14 5. Equality………. 17 B. Social Background of India

1. Caste System in India……….………. 19 2. The Position of Women in India……….………. 20 C. Theoretical Framework……….………….……….... 22

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY

A. Object of the Study……….…………... 23 B. Approach of the Study………... 24 C. Method of the Study………..….... 24

CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS

A. The Description of Ammu……….……….. 27 B. The Struggles of Ammu for Equality……….………... 39

1. The Portrayal of Caste System in the Novel….………... 39 2. The Causes of Ammu’s Struggle for Equality….……..…………. 44 3. The Struggles of Ammu for Equality………..….……….... 52

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

A. Conclusions………...………. 60

B. Suggestions

1. Suggestions for Future Researchers…………..……….... 62

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2. Suggestion for Teaching Learning Activities………... 63

REFERENCES………. 65

APPENDICES

Appendix 1: Arundhati’s Life and Works……….……… 67

Appendix 2: Pictures of Arundhati Roy……….……… 70

Appendix 3: Kerala, India……….……… 71

Appendix 4: The Summary of the Novel……….………. 73

Appendix 5: Lesson Plan for Teaching CCU……….……….. 75

Appendix 6: Material for CCU……… 77

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ABSTRACT

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ABSTRAK

Saran-saran diberikan pada akhir studi ini. Baik saran untuk peneliti selanjutnya maupun untuk penerapan pengajaran bahasa Inggris menggunakan

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novel The God of Small Things, khususnya pengajaran mata kuliah Cross Cultural Understanding.

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

This chapter presents background of the study, problem formulation, objectives of the study, benefits of the study, and the definition of terms. The background of the study provides the information of the topic and the reasons that becomes the basis of writing this thesis. The problem formulation states the problem or question of the study. The objectives of the study aim to answer the questions stated in the problem formulation. The benefits of the study explain the advantages and importance of the study. Finally, the definition of terms provides an explanation of some important terms used in this study.

A. Background of the Study

There are five castes in India. They are: (a) the Brahmans, groups of priests, (b) the Kshatriyas, which consists of rulers, nobles, and fighter, (c) the Vaishyas, who are common people and ordinary householders, (d) the Sudra, who are the servile classes drawn from the people of the country, and the last, (e) the Untouchables.

The caste system in India describes social rules and norm. The upper caste members have the higher position in the society. The upper caste becomes the landlord and hires the lower caste. The upper caste plays the main role in the society. The caste system is an unwritten law. People who are the members of each caste are the people who are affected by the law (Hutton 2).

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Every caste has its own rules. A member of the Brahmans is forbidden to eat and drink together with the member of the lower caste. They are also forbidden to marry a member of another caste that is lower than them (Hutton 2). Thus, the caste system in India influences the society in their daily life. If a person belongs to Kshatriyas, he usually has the privilege in making rules. In his society if there is a person belonging to the lower caste, he will be the object to do things.

India also practices patriarchal society. In a patriarchal society man plays an important role in daily life. In this society, women will be considered violating the law if they do what the men do. Women have few opportunities to get their rights. A husband can command his wife to do what he wants. Patriarchal society gives opportunity for men to keep their “high” degree in the society (Sholwater 3). In a patriarchal society, men consider women’s existence only as their helper not their partner in life - a person to share with. It is stated by Madsen (18), that women are defined as others or ignored, often as invisible and silent. Women exist only as insane and irrelevant.

Montagu (27) states that in most culture in the world, women are considered the second-class citizens, a human but not as enough and perfect as male. This statement shows that almost in some parts of this world, women are considered as a human being but their in existence is far below men. Sexual differences between men and women sometimes become the basic of men’s thought that their position is higher than women. Men consider that women are lower than them. Therefore, having equality where the society remains patriarchal

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is difficult. Many rules are applied and sometimes some women become the victims of unfairness.

Some women are trying to protest the injustice through some ways. One of them is through literature. As stated by Rohreberger and Woods (10), literature is a criticism of life that influences men in the society, and literature helps to express the values of life, restraints and human dignity. Those women are often called as feminists. They try to express their ideas and feeling through literature. Feminism literary tries to show the value of women by promoting a revaluation of the image of women in literature (Madsen 16). They try to show the women’s values through verbal language, namely literature. The values are revealed through the language they choose.

The God of Small Things, a novel written by Arundhati Roy, is an example of a novel that tells us about the influences of caste as well as patriarchal society on people especially women in India. This novel tells the story of one fractured family from the southernmost tip of India. It is about an unhappy family but unhappy in its own way, and through flashbacks and flash forwards. Rahel and Estha, two of the characters, are fraternal twins whose emotional connection to one another is stronger than siblings. They are broken home children. Their parents divorce when they are three. Ammu, their mother, is a great mother who struggles for achieving equality for herself and her children.

Ammu, the twins' mother, is a divorcee who flees from her husband's alcoholism and impossible demands. She is a woman with a streak of wildness that makes the children senseful and dreadful. She tries to get the equality in her

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society. All of her family are Christian Syrians but they still maintain the caste system. The caste system bans her from doing things. She tries to pursue her love with an untouchable man. In fact, the caste system does not allow her to do this. She also struggles to find the right place for her children. As a widow, she receives unfair treatment from the society. The society considers a divorced woman as a taboo and such action is against the law. Ammu tries to protest against it. She wants to prove to the society that being a widow does not mean that a woman is weak.

The family's tragedy revolves around the visit of Chacko's ex-wife and his daughter, Sophie Mol, to the family, sending them each great regret and pain. Chako is Ammu’s brother. The forbidden love between Ammu and Velutha appears. Baby Kochama - Ammu’s aunt - blames Velutha for the thing he never do. Baby Kochama does this to separate Ammu from Velutha apart and also to cover the tragedy of the family.

The writer chose the character of Ammu to be analyzed because her struggles for equality in which the society still maintained caste system and patriarchal system. The caste system and patriarchal system in India place the women in inconvenient situation. There are some judgments about Ammu and her existence as a widow. Her divorce and past memories motivate her to struggle for equality.

Another reason of choosing literature as the writer’s final study is in relation with teaching literature. Literary work is used not only for getting pleasure but also can be used in teaching learning activities. the writer wants to

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apply a kind of literature in language teaching. There are a lot of things to learn. It enriches our knowledge about other culture. It also makes us realize the equality of human being; that we should maintain and keep others’ dignity without despising and underestimating them. Finally, the writer chose the struggle of Ammu for equality as the topic of the study.

B. Problem Formulations

There are three problems to discuss in this research. There are: 1. How is Ammu described in The God of the Small Things novel?

2. How is Ammu’s struggle described in The God of the Small Things novel? 3. Why does she struggle for equality?

C. Objectives of the Study

There are three objectives in this research. First, it is aimed at finding the description of the observed character, Ammu. Second, it is aimed at finding the description of Ammu’s struggle in this novel. Third, it is aimed at finding the reason why Ammu struggles for equality.

D. Benefits of the Study

This study will give benefits both to the reader and the students of the English Education Study Program. The reader will understand more about Arundhati Roy’s work through this study. It is also expected that by this study the

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reader can enrich the literary skill in interpreting a work of literature through the characters.

From the study, it is expected that the reader will have a better view on equality between men and women. The society opinions on women existence and women class are only a stigma that grows in the society. It is written in the Bible that God made men and women with equal right (Genesis 2: 18).

This novel helps us to understand that women and men have the same right in every part of life. Each person’s rights and opportunities do not depend on the gender. Everyone is born equal.

For the student of English Education Study Program, the study may inspire those who are interested in analyzing this novel from other different view. They may also use the novel as a source for teaching. Besides giving a lot of values, this novel also helps the student enrich their vocabulary.

E. Definition of Terms

To avoid misunderstandings and misinterpretations, the definitions of the key words that are used in this study are discussed below.

1. Real Struggle

In this study, real struggle is the struggle to conquer ignorance in a person’s life and in the world around him. It can be a struggle to fight to get something or struggle to survive in an inconvenient condition. In this study, the struggle means that the main character undergoes to fight for equality in India where the caste system remains (Chinmoy 79).

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2. Equality

There are three main kinds of equality used in this study. According to Becker (323) they are: equal treatment for equals, which specifies that those who are equal in some relevant respect should be treated equally, fundamental equality, which concerns that all human beings are have equal worth, have equal fundamental rights to be treated equally, social equality, which is related to political equality, economic equality, and equality status among the members of a society.

3. Character

In this study, the word character means the person presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who is interpreted by readers as a living person with moral and qualities that are showed by what he says in the dialogues, and by what he does from their actions (Abram 20).

4. Caste System

In this study, “caste system is a social system (Hindu social classes) characterized by endogamy, hereditary membership and a specific style of life which sometimes includes the pursuit by tradition of a particular occupation and is usually associated with a more or less distinct ritual status in hierarchical system, based on the concept of purity and pollution (Andre Beteille 274).”

5. The Paravan

The Paravan is the low caste in India. They usually work as fishermen. Like the other caste, being a Paravan is hereditary.

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6. The Untouchables

The Untouchables class is the lowest caste. They usually work as toddy taper and live apart from the upper caste. They are considered as the pollutant for the upper caste. In the novel, Velutha and his family are considered the Untouchables.

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CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter is divided into three parts. The first part is the review of related theories. It consists of the theory of critical approach and theory of character and characterization. The second part is the overview on women struggle. It consists of the theory of struggle, equality, caste and the position of women in India. The last part is the theoretical framework.

A. Review of Related Theories 1. Critical Approach

In this part there will be some theories in examining this piece of literature. Rohrberger and Woods Jr. state that there are five theories of critical approach (6-15). They are: the formalist approach, the biographical approach, the socio cultural-historical approach, the mythopoeic approach and the psychological approach.

a. The Socio Cultural – Historical Approach

This approach sees the importance of place and situation where a work of literature was produced. The basis reference of this approach is the socio cultural aspect combined with the interest in the biographical and literary history. This approach tries to find the validity of the text and tries to examine not only the work itself but also some other aspects that influence the writer in producing his/her work. The first job for historical criticism is establishing the validity of the

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text, and then examines the work itself. The historical criticisms not only examine the work itself but also examine the work in relation to others work from the same author or different authors from the same periods. Two important factors in this approach are: first, accuracy in the historical presentation is important for the historian, but not necessarily to the author and second, work of literature might have historical significance but not necessarily literary significance.

b. The Psychological Approach

This approach sees a work of literature from a different knowledge. This approach is offered by Sigmund Freud and his followers. This approach tries to locate and demonstrate certain recurrent patterns by analyzing the structure and dreams. The dreams can be the symbols that can be interpreted in individual’s experience. The individual’s experience related to individual’s behavioral patterns. To find the behavioral patterns, the reader should not take part for the whole and reduce a piece of literature. The reader should avoid reading a piece of literature as a case study because it will be used to analyze the psychoanalysis of the author.

In this study, the writer used the socio-cultural historical approach and psychological approach. These approaches are suitable in this study, since this study analyzes how Ammu struggles to get her equality in the caste society.

2. Character and Characterization

Character is one important element in a story. Character makes the story become interesting to the reader. Characters are often defined as the individuals

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who appear in a story (Stanton, 17). Every character brings some mixture of interest, desires, emotions and moral principal that build them in a story to be the believable person.

Rohrberger and Woods Jr. state another opinion. He states that character must be credible, which means a character must be believed as a believable person by the reader (20). Every character has different personalities and appearances that differentiate every character in a story.

According to Murphy (161-173) there are nine ways to understand a character. There are:

a. Personal Description

The character can be understood from their appearances and clothes. The reader can understand the character from the author’s description.

b. Character as seen by another

The author describes the character from others character opinion. The author helps the reader to understand the character by revealing other character opinion about the character being observed.

c. Speech

The readers are able to know the character more deeply from what the character says. When the character speaks, gets involved in a conversation, or gives opinion, the character gives some clues about his character.

d. Past life

When the author reveals some past memories, the author guides the reader to find what circumstances or tragedies that shaped a person’s character. This

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can be done from the direct comment of the author, through the person’s thought, conversation or through the medium of another person.

e. Conversation of others

From the other characters’ conversation, the author tries to help the reader to know about a character more deeply. What the other character talks guide the reader to find the clue of the character.

f. Reactions

The reaction of a character in facing some events and situation can be the other way to find a person’s character. How he faces the situation and events can reveal his real character.

g. Direct comments

The author’s direct comments on a character can describe the character. h. Thought

The author gives the reader insight of a character by letting the reader knows what the character is thinking about.

i. Mannerism

The author description of a character mannerism and habits also tells the readers about the character.

A story will be nothing without characters. To help the reader understand a story better, the author creates the character. They create the character that will appear in the story. The process of making the character is called characterization. As states by Rohrberger and Woods, characterization is a process by which an author creates a character (20).

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Through a character, a reader can experience what character does. According to Henkle (86), characterization is central to the fictional experience. It means that characterization is the principle objectives of characters in novel that enables the reader to understand and experience the people.

3. Struggle

According to Chinmoy (79-80), real struggle is the struggle to conquer ignorance in one’s own life and in the world around him. It can be a struggle to fight to get something or struggle to survive in an inconvenient condition. If one struggles for something, then he can get a joy. If one struggles to fight for falsehood, inertia, darkness, imperfection, limitation and bondage, then one will get his joy.

The word “struggle” is very difficult to define. When we see the word “struggle”, we have to realize the highest point that we should achieve. We realize the inner power in us that makes us keep struggling and realize that there is one person who inspires us in doing the same things like us.

People usually have their own adjustment when they face problems in their life. Adjustment to the problem of life is a continuous process to face the events, problems, and interaction with other people that occurs in our life. There are three kinds of adjustment. The first type is problem solving. Problem solving allows a person to solve the problems and finds the solution of the problem. From the problems he/she faces their ability in solving the problem will develop from time to time. The second type is acceptance of the problem. A person will just

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accept the situation that occurs since there is no other solution for it. A person must be able to distinguish between the situation that needs problem solving and the other that needs acceptance. The third is defense mechanism. Defense mechanism is related to how a person copes with the desires that often do not permit to be fulfilled by the social rules. The most common defense mechanism are repression and denial. Since defense mechanism is another kind of adjustment, overuse of defense mechanism will emerge severe disturbance (Braun, Linder, and Asimov 478).

4. Hierarchy of Needs

According to Maslow in Goble’s The Third Force, there are five basic needs. The five basic needs are physiological needs, safety needs, belongingness and love needs, esteem needs, and self actualization needs. A person will fulfill their needs step by step. Maslow (38) argues that when the lowest needs are fulfilled then the next needs will emerge. It will be different in the degree of satisfaction for each person. It depends on how he/she fulfills their needs. The explanation of each need is explained as follows:

a. Physiological Needs

Physiological needs are the most important and the most basic of all needs. This needs include the needs of food, liquid, shelter, sex, sleep and oxygen (Goble 38). A person may need food and shelter, but he will try to fulfill his need of food first. He will consider food as the most important thing in his life. After food is fulfilled, then he will pursue the other need higher than food.

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b. Safety Needs

Safety needs emerge after physiological needs are fulfilled. These need emerge because of the needs to feel secure, stable, independent, protected, free from fear, and anxiety. A person will consider the higher needs as unimportant before he/she feels secure in his/her life. A person needs a protection from anything that is harmful. He/she also needs peaceful surroundings to make him/her feel save (Goble 39).

c. Belongingness and Love

After physiological and safety needs are fulfilled, needs for love, affection, and belongingness emerge. People will seek a friend, a sweetheart, a wife or husband to find the feeling of “belong” and to feel the affection from them. Maslow in Goble’s The Third Force says love involves a healthy, loving relationship between two people that includes mutual trust (41). The absence of this need will influence one’s potential growth and development.

d. Esteem Needs

When the belongingness and love need are fulfilled, people will seek the higher need. They will try to fulfill the esteem need. According to Maslow, there are two categories of esteem needs, self respect and esteem from other people (42). The first category is self respect. It includes desire for confidence, competence, mastery, adequacy, achievement, independence and freedom. The second category is respect from the others. It includes prestige, recognition, acceptance, attention, status, reputation, and appreciation. If a person has adequate self esteem he will be more confident and capable so that he will be more

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productive. In contrast, if a person has low self esteem, he will be less confident and less productive.

e. Self-actualization Needs

This need is the highest needs among all. Self-actualization is the desire what a person capable to become and more than he is capable of. It is also related to the identification of the psychological need for growth, development and utilization of potential powering in a person (Goble 42).

All the basic needs above are important. It depends on how each person fulfills it and how they feel satisfactory of their achievement. Maybe a person will feel satisfied if they can fulfill their needs fully but it will be different to other people who have different goals in his life.

5. Equality

The word equality may arise from an understanding on racism, caste and gender. Some people will seek for their right to be equal with others. Some feel that they have the right to be higher than the others. They usually discriminate others because they feel that they are different from others, because of skin colors, nationality, language, social background, caste, income or property, religion and health or disability.

Nielsen (15) in Equality and Liberty says that there are six moral claims of equality. They are:

a. All human beings have a right to have the protection of their persons and vital interest.

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b. All people have a right to be treated as equals, not because they happen to be equal in some particular respect or other, but simply because they are human. c. All people are equal morally worth, have a right to be treated equal as they

may be in merit, abilities, or even in moral sensitivity.

d. All people have a right to be treated as ends (as something intrinsic worth) and never as means.

e. All human beings, capable of such choices, have an equal right to choose how they shall live.

f. All human beings have a right to equality of concern and respect, a right they posses not in virtue of birth, characteristic, merit, or excellence, but simply as human beings with the capacity to make plans and give justice.

According to Becker (323) there are three main kinds of equality. There are : equal treatment for equals, fundamental equality, and social equality. Equal treatment for equals means that those who are equal in some relevant respect should be treated equally. It means that those with equal talents should have equal opportunities, that those who are willing and able to pay should have equal access to restaurant and hotels, and that those who are equally guilty should receive the same punishment, etc.

Secondly, fundamental equality points out that human beings and all member of this class should be treated equally in a uniform and identical manner. Human beings are created equally and similarly with identical dignity. Assignation, discrimination, and slavery are the violation of fundamental equality.

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Thirdly, social equality relates to political equality, economic equality, and equality of status among the member of the society. Each person as the member of a society has the same opportunity in politics, economy and achieving the equal status. They have the same opportunity to compete in politic and economy in order to achieve a better life.

In India the caste system remains although many Indians now are Christians. The caste system system forbids the member of the society to get their right equally. The caste system rules every caste and the member to always stick on their rule. In India there are five castes, the Brahmans as the head, the Kshatriyas as the Brahman follower, the Vaishyas as the traders, the Shudras as the servant and laborers and the last is the Untouchables (Srinivas 24).

In India it is very difficult to get the equality. Since the caste system has ruled the society to be unequal in every way. In the fields of education, health, place for housing and market, they are already differentiated by the caste they belong to. People from different caste cannot live together in a same place. The lower caste will be considered as the pollutant by the higher caste.

B. Social Background of India 1. Caste System in India

India is a country that applies caste system in the daily life although many Indians are Moslem and Christian Syrian. Hutton (47) in Caste in India states that the word caste comes from the Spanish and Portuguese word “casta” which means “race”, “breed” and “lineage”. In Hinduism terms, caste often called as

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varna or ‘colors’. This social status has two characteristics: (1) membership is determined by birth, (2) the members are forbidden to marry outside the group.

There are five castes in India. The member of the caste is determined by birth and occupations. There are: the Brahmans, groups of some priests, the Kshatriyas consists of rulers, nobles, and fighter, the Vaishyas people in general, ordinary householders, the Sudra are the servile classes drawn from the people of the country, and the last are the Untouchables.

The caste has its own rules. The member of a lower caste will be considered as the pollutant for the higher caste. For example, if a Sudra walks, he/ she should walk backward in order that the Brahmans do not see their shadow. A shadow from a Sudra will be considered as a pollutant for a Brahman. Some of the lower castes are forbidden to show themselves in daylight. They have to work on midnight and daybreak. They are not allowed to come out during daylight because their existence is polluting the higher caste. This lowest caste should live far away from the four castes above.

The caste system does not only rule the members about the rule of marriage but it also rules each member in eating, drinking, smoking, how they cook the food, housing and how they should dress. There are some taboo things for each member. It is tabooed by the higher caste to eat beef. Beef is only eaten by Untouchable members.

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2. The Position of Women in India

India also applies patriarchal society. Women in this society have a low position. As stated by Madsen (18), in a patriarchal society women are considered as others or the ignored, often as invisible and silent.

In India as the caste system remains, rules everyone in his or her daily life. The caste system appears to be an institution of an origin which is very complex indeed that in its very nature it must be limited to a single area (Hutton 46). It also makes the women’s position in India unequal with men’s. It rules the women to have their partners, how they should behave, and how they should wear their clothes. Women from the Ksatriyas caste cannot love or even marry men from the lower caste. The caste already arranges the women and the society about who deserve their love and who do not.

It is stated by Hutton (74) that women in India eat after their husbands have finished eating. The caste restricts a woman especially a wife to eat before the husband. If the husband does not touch any food the wife has to do so. If the husband only drinks a cup of tea, the wife does so. Whatever the husband does the wife has to do so.

Since they are born, women are not really expected to live (Mayo 70). After they are born they are ignored for three days and there is no nourishment for a girl baby. The men think that a boy is better than a girl. The Indians think that a boy is taken care by the parents and a girl is taken care by gods. It can be seen when a girl is sick, the father does not pay much attention to the girl. It is only the mother who is in charge with this.

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Being in a patriarchal society, women in India should accept whatever their husbands do to them. When a husband threatens his wife, abuses her grossly, or even beats her unjustly, she should answer her husband meekly, should lay hold of his hands, kiss them and beg his pardon, instead of uttering loud cries and running away from the house (Mayo 74). This is the culture in India that makes the women’s position powerless in men’s eyes.

A woman as a wife in India will not be really honored if she cannot give a son to the family. For the society, a son is a prestige. Sometimes a mother’s position as a wife only becomes a passive object who must be abjectly submissive to her husband’s will and fancy (Mayo 75).

Since the attention on women’s education and health are less there are some women who struggle for the equality. Some of Christian women try to achieve the equality by furnishing the main body of Indian teachers for the girls of all castes, and trained nurses for the hospitals although it get some rejection from the superior castes (Mayo 149).

C. Theoretical Framework

There are some theories used in this study. There are theories of literature, theory of struggle, theory of equality and social background of India. The theory of struggle is used to analyze and to have a better understanding in how a person struggles to get their rights, or struggle to achieve their targets. It is related to the novel, how a woman struggles for equality since the caste restricts her to be equal with men.

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The theory of equality is used to analyze the standard equality. It is different for everyone to get their equality, but in this study it is related to the equality by which woman rights are equal with the man.

In analyzing the reasons why Ammu struggles in this novel, the writer uses the theory of socio-cultural background review. To get better analysis on this novel, the social background of India is used. It is important to analyze the socio-cultural background which relates with the struggle for equality for a woman in India. Meanwhile, the psychological approach is applied to see the relationship between how society’s treatments influence Ammu to struggle.

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CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the methodology in analyzing Arundhati Roy’s novel. There will be three sections in this chapter. They are object of the study, approach of the study and method of the study.

A. Object of the Study

The object of the study is Arundhati Roy’s novel The God of Small Things. This novel was first published in Great Britain by Flamingo in 1998. This novel consists of 340 pages, and it is divided into 21 chapters.

The story tells us about Ammu, the twins' mother who is a divorcee, and flees from her husband's alcoholism and impossible demands. She is a woman with a streak of wildness that makes the children senseful and dreadful. She tries to get the equality in her society. All of her family are Christian Syrians but they still maintain the caste system. The caste system bans her from doing things. She tries to pursue her love with an Untouchable man. In fact, the caste system does not allow her to do this. She also struggles to find the right place for her children.

In her daily life, Ammu gets some unfair treatments. She is always compared to her brother. If she does something bravely she will get less attention from her parents. She always has to obey her parents. Although she has obeyed

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her parents, she will not get any inheritance from them. In India, a woman will not get any inheritance from her parents.

As a widow, she gets some unfair treatment from the society. The society considered her do not obeying the law because she does not obey her husband’s will and divorces her husband. Actually, she should obey her husband and stay with her husband no matter her husband is.

B. Approach of the Study

The approaches employed in this analysis are the socio-cultural historical approach and the psychological approach as proposed by Rohberger and Woods. Here, the focus of the analysis is the socio-cultural historical background of India, which influences the differentiation of equality between men and women.

The writer uses the socio-cultural approach because the writer wants to see whether the socio-cultural in India influences the differentiation of equality between men and women. The writer wants to see how caste system restricts the men and women position in India. This will be used to answer the second problem.

The writer also uses the psychological approach. This approach is used to know the reason why a person struggles to achieve equality. This approach will see how the society treatment influences someone on achieving equality.

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C. Method of the Study

In this study, library study is used. It means that the main procedure to gain the data was reading and taking some notes. Using this method, the writer could get important data that the writer used to analyze the questions presented in the problem formulations. Here, those steps are taken in this study.

The first step was reading and rereading the novel The God of Small Things. It took a long time because the novel is not an ordinary one. The writer needed a lot of time and the writer had to use all of the writer’s imagination to get the idea of the novel so that the writer could present it in a summary.

The second step was finding the difficult words of the novel since this novel contains a lot of difficult English words and some terms in India. Therefore the writer used the Longman English Dictionary and searched in the Internet to find the meaning of the India’s terms.

The third step was finding the significance of the socio-cultural and women equality. The writer read some books related to women and caste such as: Caste in India by Hutton, Equality and Liberty by Kai Nielsen, Flame Waves by Sri Chinmoy, Feminism : A Reader by Maggie Humm, The Natural Superiority of Women by Montagu, Psychology : an Introduction by Charles G Morris, The Third Force by Frank G Goble.

The fourth step was analyzing the socio-cultural influences toward women equality in India. The writer read some books such as: Social Inequality by Andre Beteile, Mother India by Katherine Mayo. The writer also collected data from the Internet to find other information about women equality in India.

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Then, the writer applied the socio-cultural historical approach and psychological approach to analyze the influence of the socio-cultural background to the women’s equality in India.

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CHAPTER IV

ANALYSIS

This chapter discusses the three questions stated in the problem formulations. The first part is about the character of Ammu. The second parts are the portrayal of caste system in the novel, Ammu’s struggles and the reasons why Ammu struggles for equality that is described in The God of Small Things.

A. The Description of Ammu

In reading a novel, readers usually focus on the character. The characters become the important element in a novel. According to Henkle (88-89), there are major characters and secondary characters in novel. Major character is the center of the story, who frequently appears. It is complex and mostly observed in the novel.

In the novel The God of Small Things, the major character is Ammu. Ammu becomes the center of the story. Ammu’s character frequently appears in the story. Based on the story, Ammu’s character is complex. Ammu’s complexity makes her character observed along the story.

To analyze the character of Ammu, the theory of characterization of Murphy (161-173) is used. The theory consists of personal description, character as seen by another, speech, past life, conversations by other, reactions, direct comments, thought, and mannerism. In this analysis only several are used to

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analyze the character of Ammu. She is characterized as tough, brave, motherly, strict and hardworking.

1. Tough

In the novel, the character of Ammu is often described as tough. She is tough because of the tragedy of her life and the treatment from the society she has experienced. Society injustice makes her tougher toward her society.

As a widow she gets a bad treatment from the society. When she confesses about her relationship with Velutha, an untouchable man, the police do something embarrassing to Ammu. The reaction of Ammu shows that she is a tough woman.

When they left the police station Ammu was crying, so Estha and Rahel didn’t ask her what veshya meant. Or for that matter, illegitimate. It was the first time they’d seen their mother cry. She wasn’t sobbing. Her face was set like a stone, but the tears welled up in her eyes and ran down her rigid cheeks ( Roy 8).

Her reaction towards the society after her homecoming also shows that she is a tough woman. The society gives her a phony of sympathy, but after that she realizes the society’s has misjudged her divorce. “If only she can, she will do something to all the ugly symphaty face so that they will not despise her anymore (Roy 43)”.

Ammu’s past experiences make her become a tough woman. When she is a girl, her father used to abuse her and her mother. Her father is a very cold person. Whatever he wants, the whole family should obey it. The experience of her childhood remains in Ammu’s life.

As she grew older, Ammu learned to live with this cold, calculating cruelty. She developed a lofty sense of injustice and the mulish, reckless

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streak that develops in Someone Small who has been bullied all their lives by Someone Big. She did exactly nothing to avoid quarrels and confrontations (Roy 181-182)

Through her reaction and past life experience, the character of Ammu is tough. Her father’s treatments and the society’s treatment make her tough. She is considered strange by the society because she is a widow.

2. Brave

Ammu is a young mother who is really brave in facing her life. Since she is young, she dares to take the risk in her life. In her eighteen, when she waits for a proposal, she dares to marry a Bengali man. Marrying a Bengali man means that Ammu breaks the society rule (Roy 40). Intercommunity marriage is forbidden in caste system. It is considered as breaking the rule that has already rooted in India’s daily life.

Ammu didn’t pretend to be in love with him. She just weighed the odds and accepted. She thought that anything, anyone at all, would be better than returning to Ayemenem(Roy 39).

As a woman she dares to confront the things she does not like from her husband. It shows from the direct comment from the author. It is described in the novel that Ammu dares to say something about her husband’s habit. Her deed is against the caste system because in a caste system, a woman should obey her husband.

In a conversation with friend he would talk about how much he loved smoked salmon when Ammu knew hated it. Or he would come home from the club and tell Ammu that he saw Meet Me In St Louis when they’d actually screened The Bronze Buckaroo. When she confronted him about these things, he never explained or apologized. He just giggled,

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exasperating Ammu to a degree she never thought herself capable of (Roy 40)

A few years after she breaks the rule by marrying a Bengali man, she decides to divorce her husband. She leaves her husband because she thinks that her husband gives nothing to her. Her husband does not give a decent living to her except getting drunk and drunk. Her mannerism shows her bravery towards her husband and towards the society (Roy 42).

From her speech, Ammu looks brave in telling something to the other. When she argues with Chako-her brother, as a woman she dares to say something awkward. She says what she wants to say.

‘Oh, all the time!’ Ammu said, and it came out a little louder than the sarcastic mumble that she had intended. ‘That’s how we make babies.’ Chacko didn’t slap her.

So she didn’t slap him back. But the Waiting Air grew Angry.

“I think you owe my wife an apology, Ammu,’ Chacko said, with a protective, proprietorial air, (hoping that Margaret Kochama wouldn’t say, ‘Ex-wife, Chacko!’ and wag a rose at him) (Roy 179)

She is brave to break the rule by loving an untouchable (Roy 31). Ammu and her children become the worst transgressor. Ammu breaks the rule by loving a paravan / an untouchable man. The caste system already arranges the women who deserve their love and who do not. In fact, Ammu breaks it. She loves Velutha – an untouchable. She breaks the rule made by her ancestors (Roy 31).

Since Ammu breaks the rule, the situation in Ayemenem becomes worse than before. She makes a “terror” to the whole family in Ayemenem. They call it as terror, because if others know what has happened in Ammu’s family, the society will punish them. Ammu makes a big fault one night with Velutha. They

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make love in a riverbank. They think that no one will know it. Actually, there is someone who watches them, the one who will make the “terror” more terrible later on. Ammu and Velutha follow their desire. They follow their biological needs. In fact, they are forbidden to touch each other because they come from different castes (Roy 334-337).

The “terror” sharpens the conflict in Ayemenem’s family. This “terror” also makes Ammu braver than before. Her bravery also can be seen after it. She goes to the police and tells the truth to them. She dares to do it. Although Baby Kochama, her aunt, already makes a wrong confession to the police, Ammu is brave enough to tell the truth to the police about her affair, the affair with an untouchable named Velutha (Roy 7).

She also teaches her children to be brave. Ammu says it to Estha when Sophie Mol-Chako’s daughter comes. Ammu is angry with Estha when Estha refuses to greet Sophie Mol in a good way. Ammu asks Estha to repeat it once again. She teaches her children to be brave with whatever they have done. As long as they do the right thing, they should be brave.

Estha looked at Ammu.

Ammu looked said, Never Mind As Long As You’ve Done The Right Thing (Roy 150).

Through her mannerism, speech and character as seen by another, it is clear that Ammu is a brave person. She is brave to say what she wants to say and do. As long as she does the right thing, she will keep doing it.

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3. Motherly

Ammu is a good mother for her children. She is brave to do the right thing for her children. She always says to her children that she is their Baba and Ammu – parents in one body for them. She becomes Baba and Ammu for her children in the same time. Her speech shows that she loves her children very much.

‘Everybody says that children need a Baba. And I say no. Not my children. D’you know why?’

Two heads nodded.

‘Why. Tell me,’ Ammu said.

And not together, but almost, Esthappen and Rahel said : ‘Because you’re our Ammu and our Baba and you love us Double.’

‘More than double,’ Ammu said. ‘So remember what I told you. People’s feelings are precious. And when you disobey me in Public, everybody gets the wrong impression (Roy 149).’

She is very happy with her children. She is very happy to have them. Although her husband does not really support her in bearing the children, she welcomes her children. When she gives birth to her children, she counts four eyes, four ears, two mouths, two noses, twenty fingers and twenty perfect of toe nails. Because of her happiness, after her children birth, she falls asleep (Roy 40-41).

As times goes by, she also thinks to give something precious to Rahel, one of her children. Becoming a single parent who is unwelcome in her family, she does not have enough money to buy a bracelet for her daughter. Then she melts her wedding ring for Rahel (Roy 44).

She loves her children very much. Even though the society rejects them, she still loves them and does not want anyone else to hurt her children. She does something rude to show that she wants to protect and teach her children (Roy 43).

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Being a single mother makes her really care of her children. Her speech also shows that she is a good mother. When they go to Abilash Talkies to watch The Sound of Music, Ammu really cares of Estha. She is worried about Estha’s condition when Estha is left alone in the toilets.

The toilets were called HIS and HERS. HERS for Ammu, Rahel and Baby Kochama. HIS for Estha alone, because Chacko had gone to see the bookings at the Hotel Sea Queen.

‘Will you be okay?’ Ammu said, worried. Estha nodded (Roy 94).

When something happens to Estha after he meets The Orangedrink Lemondrink Man, the man who give Estha a bad treatment in the cinema, Ammu seems very worried about Estha. She goes to the canteen to buy a drink for Estha. In fact, Estha knows that place. He does not want to take the candy from the man. Still, as a good mother she asks Estha to take what the man gives.

‘No. Not for me. Thank you,’ Ammu said. Deep- dimpled, lominious woman.

‘Here,’ the man said, with a fistful of sweets like a generous air hostest. ‘These are for your little Mon.’

‘No, thank you,’ Estha said looking at Ammu. ‘Take them, Estha,’Ammu said. ‘Don’t be rude.’ Estha took them.

‘Say Thank you,’ Ammu said. (Roy 109)

On another occasion, Ammu’s speech shows that she loves her children. Although sometimes she hates Rahel’s behavior she is touched by Rahel’s words. When Rahel says “thank you” to Ammu for rahel’s new forck annd knickers, Ammu smiles. She feels lucky to have her children ( Roy 136).

Her mannerism also shows that she is a loveable mother. It can be seen from the way she treats, touches, and talks to her children. She always gives her children a goodnight kiss before her children go to bed. Ammu will hold her

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children’s faces with one hand, “squashed-cheeked and fish mouthed (Roy 163)” before they parted. She says to her children that they come from the same blood. They are united by it. They can not be separated by others. She also says that she loves her children double that means she loves them as a father and a mother. She loves her children double because she is Ammu and Baba for her children. She takes two positions in the same time (Roy 163).

As a mother, Ammu always expresses her motherhood. Her daily mannerisms in raising and treating her children make her a loveable mother for the twins. She treats her children gently as they are the precious things in the world. She touches Rahel gently. Ammu’s touch means shhh…..for Rahel. She tries to make Rahel comfortable with the situation (Roy 172).

Ammu worries when she knows a bad thing comes to her children. Her feeling as a mother arises. She worries when she knows Estha is sick.

‘Ammu?’ he said.

‘Now WHAT?’ The WHAT snapped, barked, spat out. ‘Feeling vomity,’ Estha said.

‘Just feeling or d’you want to?’Ammu’s voice was worried. (Roy 107) It can be seen from speech, mannerism, and character as seen by others that Ammu is motherly. She loves and cares of her children. She dares to do something for her children.

4. Strict

Ammu’s childhood gives a lot of influence on her adulthood. When she is a girl, her father used to make rules and she has to obey them. If she breaks the rule it means she will get a punishment from her father. The influence of her

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father can be seen in Ammu when she teaches her children to behave, or to say something politely.

Sometimes her strictness makes her children afraid of her. She is very strict to her children because she wants her children to be better people. She loves her children. She will not let others hurt her children. She gives much attention for her children. When she knows her children make a mistake, she will make her children realize their mistake (Roy 42).

Her speech also shows that Ammu is very strict. After Papachi’s-Ammu’s father- funeral, Rahel says something embarrassing to Mamachi-Ammu’s mother. Ammu hears it. Then she smackes and takes Rahel out of the room. She does it to teach Rahel to behave politely. She wants Rahel not to say that word again because it will hurt others’ feeling (Roy 50).

On one occasion when Ammu and her children are on their way to pick up Sophie Mol, Rahel does something impolite. It makes Ammu angry and warn Rahel to behave. Inside the car, Ammu slappes Rahel’s calves. Ammu warns Rahel to behave politely (Roy 71).

The description of other characters also shows Ammu’s strictness towards her children behavior. She says something harshly and makes her children afraid. She says it to make the children realize what they have done. The description here, shows that the Papachi gives an influence to Ammu. Ammu shows a film of prespiration to her children. Her eyes become hard likes marbles. It makes the children afraid.

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She hates her children when playing spitbubbles. It reminds her to her ex-husband. She thinks that those who play spitbubbles are only people who come from the lowest class. Because they come from the upper class, they should behave politely.

‘Will you stop that!’ Ammu said, so loudly that Murlidharan, who had hopped off the milestone to stare into the Plymouth, backed off, his stumps jerking in alarm.

‘What?’ Rahel said, but knew immediately what. Her spitbubble. ‘Sorry, Ammu.’(Roy 85)

According to Ammu, only clerks behaved like that, not aristocrats (Roy 84).

Through direct comment, speech, mannerism, and character as seen by another, it can be concluded that Ammu is a strict mother. Besides the influence of her father, the situation in her life makes her become strict. She does not want her children to behave impolitely.

5. Hardworking

As a single parent Ammu shows her responsibility for her twins. She works very hard to earn a living for her children. She has to provide a better future for her children.

She ensures her children that she already gets a job in UN (United Nation) and they will live together in The Hague with a Dutch father to look after Rahel and Estha. She gives another option for her children that is they will stay in India and she will do everything she has planned before. She will build a school. She says to her children that it is very difficult to choose a career in education field or a UN job. She also says that she is very lucky to get the chance (Roy 160).

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She always ensures her children that she has prepared a future for them. She tells her children that they will live together in a room. She tells Rahel that she buys comics for Rahel and Estha. Ammu has to keep the promise until she gets a job and rent a room (Roy 159). Believing that she can earn enough money for her children shows that Ammu is a hard worker.

On her struggle in her society, she falls in love with a paravan named Velutha. In Indian society, it is banned to love a man or a woman from a lower caste. Ammu breaks the society rules. She falls in love with Velutha. They have a forbidden love relationship. One night, they make a forbidden act. They are making love. This make the problem in Ammu’s life is getting harder. This tragedy causes another problem to arise. Such as Ammu’s children separation and family separation.

She wants to start a new life for her little family. After the tragedy, between her and Velutha, she works hard to find a new job. She leaves Ayemenem for a while to find a proper job. She wants make a better life so that she can afford a decent living for her children-Rahel and Estha (Roy 302).

Ammu makes sure her children that she will build a school and they do not need to pay. They will not pay the school fee because the school is theirs. Ammu will be the teacher and they will own a new house to start a new life.

‘Don’t be silly Estha. It’ll be soon,’Ammu’s mouth said.

‘I’ll be a teacher. I’ll start a school. And you and Rahel will be in it.’ ‘And we’ll be able to afford it because it will be ours!’

Estha said with his enduring pragmatism. His eye on the main chance. Free bus rides. Free funerals. Free education. Little Man. He lived in a cara-van. Dum dum.

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Ammu is really a hard worker and a responsible mother. She dies alone in a grimy room. She dies in Bharat Lodge in Alleppey. She dies there when she wants to attend a job interviews as a secretary. She really works hard to find a job to earn enough money for her family until she dies (Roy 161).

Through the speech and mannerism, it can be concluded that Ammu is a hard worker. She works hard to get a living for her children. As a hard worker, she accepts any kind of job to earn money for her family.

B. The Struggles of Ammu for Equality

This section will discuss the portrayal of caste system in the novel, the reason why Ammu struggles for equality, and the struggles of Ammu to get the equality.

1. The Portrayal of Caste System in the Novel

Caste system is identical with India. Caste system influences most of Indians’ daily life. According to Hutton (2), “caste system is almost endogamous, but is further divided, as rule, into a number of smaller circles each of which is endogamous.”

There are some specific features of castes. The members of certain caste are forbidden to marry those who are not the members of the same caste. There are also some restrictions in drinking and eating with a member of another caste, fixed occupation for many castes, some hierarchical gradation of castes and the Brahmans have the highest position. Beside that, birth determines a person’s

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caste. The transition from one caste to another is not possible. The whole caste system turns on the prestige of the Brahmans (Hutton 49).

According to Hutton (2), there are about 3000 castes in India. Some are derived from tribal or racial elements, some are occupational: that originally by nature are perhaps of guilds of artificers or craftsmen, some are territorial, some are religious, and so forth. In a caste system, people are divided into some classes based on their occupation. Based on the occupation there are four classes, the Brahmans that consist of groups of some priests, the Kshatriyas that cosist of rulers, nobles, and fighter, the Vaishyas that are people in general, ordinary householders, and the Sudra that are the servile classes drawn from the people of the country.

The people are not only divided into four classes but also into the Touchables and the Untouchables. People inside the caste system belong to the Touchables and people outside the caste system belong to the Untouchables. This system is strongly applied and are kept in India until now.

In South India, there are two big castes. The castes are Right Hand and Left Hand. There are eighteen castes of the Right Hand and nine castes of the Left Hand. The castes of the Left Hand are Beri Chetti, Vaniyan (who yoke two bullocks to their oil-press), Devanga (weavers), Golla (cowherds), Panchala (carpenters, masons, goldsmiths, coppersmiths, and blacksmith), Chakkiliyan (leather-workers), Bedar, Palli, and Pallan (cultivator and soldier). While the Right Hand consist of Balija, Banajiga, Komati(trading castes), Vaniyan (who yoke one bullock only), Chaliiyan, Seniyan (weaving castes), Jannapan (hemp

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dresser), Kusavan (potters), Mellakaran (musician), Shanan (toddy drawers), Ammbatan (barbers), Vannan (washermen), Idaiyan (shepherds), Vellala, Paraiyan, Mala, Holeya (cultivating caste), Kurava, Odde, Irula, Vetdan, and Vettuvan (mostly laborers) (Huttoon 67-68).

The caste system influences and rules the members. The caste system rules the members about their cloth, food, how they eat, to whom they have to get married, education, and place for housing. The members should obey it. If they break it, they will be outcaste.

The Indians believe that the presence of woman during monthly period is also a pollution. A Kudumi woman in her monthly period must keep herself seven feet away from anyone. She has to cover her mouth and nostrils with her hand, and ensure herself that her shadow falls on no one. A woman in her tabooed period after childbirth, a man who lit a funeral pyre, or a person in a similar state of ceremonial impurity or taboo are the other pollutions for a Hindu caste. They have to bathe and wash their clothes before eating or a purification ceremony (Hutton 78).

Some believe that low castes should not be seen by the upper castes during the day. Their existence will pollute the upper caste. They have to work between midnight and daybreak and are not allowed to come out during the day time. The upper castes believe that the sight of them will pollute them.

In this novel, it is clear that there is discrimination between the Touchables and the Untouchables. Mamachi, Ammu’s mother, tells Estha and Rahel that she still remembers in her girlhood, the Paravans are expected to crawl backwards

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with a broom to sweep their footprints so that a Brahman would not pollute himself by accidentally steeping into a Paravan’s footprints. At that time, the Paravans like the other Untouchables are not allowed to walk on public roads, cover their upper bodies, and to carry umbrellas. When they speak, they have to put their hands over their mouths in order to divert their polluted breath away from those they are addressing (Roy 74).

As the Untouchables are considered as a pollutant, it is also applied in the Ayemenem house. Papachi, Ammu’s father, will not allow the Vellya Paapen family who are the Untouchables to enter and touch what the upper caste uses and touches “Papachi would not allow Paravans into the house. They were not allowed to touch anything that Touchables have touched. Caste Hindhus and Caste Christians (Roy 73).” Mamachi also does the same thing to Velutha. She will allow him to touch and enter the house only when she needs him to repair something. Velutha works in the factory because he is the one who knows well about the machine. Mamachi thinks that it is a good step for a Paravan (Roy 77).

In this novel it is described that the Paravans think that by converting themselves into Christian they will be free from caste system. They convert their religion into Christian and join the Anglican Church. They are known as Rice-Christian. They have separated churches, separated services and separated priests. They also have a Paravan’s Bishop. After the India’s Independence Day, they realize that they do not get any benefits from the Government such as job reservations or bank loan interest. It is because they are Christian and therefore are casteless (Roy 74).

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Because of their casteless, some of them think that Christians are the members of Brahmans. Twenty percent of Kerala are Syrian Christians, who believe that they are descendants of the one hundred Brahmans who are converted to Christian by Saint Thomas the Apostle when he travels to east after the Resurrection. For a Paravan, becoming a Christian will set them free from caste system (Roy 66).

Hutton (2) says that joining to another religion does not destroy the caste system. The new religions like Jews, Moslem, and Christian have their own caste. It seems it is a great escape for them who are pressed by the caste system, but in fact it brings them to the new caste system.

In the field of education, the system really bans the members to get the same opportunity. It is shown in this novel that when Mamachi asks Vellya Paapen to send his son, Velutha, to the Untouchables school, Mamachi thinks that Velutha has the ability to be an engineer. Vellya Paapen is a Paravan. He is a toddy taper. In this Untouchables school, Velutha learns how to be a carpenter. When he is in the age of sixteen, he finishes his high school and become an accomplished carpenter. It is clear that the school and any public facilities are differentiated by the caste. “Mamachi persuaded Vellya Paapen to send him to the Untouchables’ school that her father in law, Punnyan Kunju, has founded (Roy 74-75).”

Beside arranging the places for education, the caste system also arranges the place for housing. The Untouchables must live apart from the Touchables. If they live together in the same area, their existence of the Untouchables will

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Appendix (5)

LESSON PLAN

Subject : Cross Cultural Understanding

Level of Students : The Sixth Semester Students of English Education Study Program at Sanata Dharma University

Material : Chapter 2 of The God of Small Things (73-77) Time Allocation : 2 x 50 minutes

Topic : Caste System

1. Basic Competence

At the end of the course the students are able to understand the culture of others countries discussed, and understand the differences and the similarity of each cultures.

2. Achievement Indicators The students are able to:

1. Explain the important terms about the caste related to the text. 2. Answer the questions related to the text.

3. Make the comparison between caste system in Indonesia and in India. 3. Learning Experience

1. The teacher asks the students to form a group consist of 4-5 members 2. The students discuss and answer the question in a group

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3. Each group present their result of discussion in front of the class, besides present their result, the students also share their knowledge about their knowledge about caste system

4. The students also present the comparison between class system in Indonesia and India

Guiding Questions 1. What is caste?

2. What are the differences between Untouchables and Touchables castes? 3. Why caste system is still maintained in India?

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Appendix (6)

MATERIAL FOR CCU

Caste System in India

Velutha wasn’t supposed to be a carpenter. He was called Velutha – which means White in Malayalam – because he was so black. His father, Vellya Paapen, was a Paravan. A toddy tapper. He had a glass eye. He had been shaping a block of granite with a hammer when a chip flew into his left eye and sliced right through it.

As a young boy, Velutha would come with Vellya Paapen to the back entrance of the Ayemenem House to deliver the coconuts they had plucked from the tress in the compound. Papachi would not allow Paravans into the house. Nobody would. They were not allowed to touch anything that Touchables touched. Caste Hindus and Caste Christians. Mamachi told Estha and rahel that she could remember a time, in her girlhood, when Paravans were expected to crawl backwards with a broom, sweeping away their footprints so that Brahmins or Syrian Christians would not defile themselves by accidentally stepping into a Paravan’s footprint. In Mamachi’s time, Paravans, like other Untouchables, were not allowed to walk on public roads, not allowed to cover their upper bodies, not allowed to carry umbrellas. They had to put their hands over their mouths when they spoke, to divert their polluted breath away from those whom they addressed.

When the British come to Malabar, a number of Paravans, Pelayas and Pulayas (among them Velutha’s grandfather, Kelan) converted to Christianty and joined the Anglican Church to escape the scourge of Untouchability. As added incentive they were given a little food and money. They were known as the Rice – Christians. It didn’t take them long to realize that they had jumped from the frying pan into the fire. They were made to have separate churches, with separates services, and separate priests. As a special favour they were even given their own separate Pariah Bishop. After Independence they found they were not entitled to any Government benefits like job reservations or bank loans at low interest rates,

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because officially, on paper, they were Christians, and therefore casteless. It was a little like having to sweep away your footprints without a broom. Or worse, not being allowed to leave footprints at all.

It was Mamachi, on vacation from Delhi and Imperial Entomology, who first noticed little Velutha’s remarkable facility with his hands. Velutha was eleven then, about three years younger than Ammu. He was like a little magician. He could make intricate toys – tiny windmills, rattles, minute jewels boxes out of dried palm reeds; he could carve perfect boats out of tapioca stems and figurines on cashew nuts. He would bring them for Ammu, holding them out on his palm (as he had been taught) so she wouldn’t have to touch him to take them. Though he was younger than she was, he called her Ammukutty – Little Ammu. Mamachi persuaded Vellya Paapen to send him to the Untouchabes’ School that her father-in-law, Punnyan Kunju, had founded.

Velutha was fourteen when Johann lein, a carpenter from a carpenters’ guild in Bavaria, came to Kottayam and spent three years with the Christian Mission Society, conducting a workshop with local carpenters. Every afternoon, after school, Velutha caught a bus to Kottayam where he worked with Klein till dusk. By the time he was sixteen, Velutha has finished high school and was an accomplished carpenter. He had his own set of carpentry tools and a distinctly German sensibility. He built Mamachi a Bauhaus dining table with twelve dining chairs in rosewood and a traditional Bavarian chaise lounge in lighter jack. For Baby Kochama’s annual Nativity plays he made her a stack of wire-framed angels’ wings that fitted onto children’s back like knapsacks, cardboard clouds for the Angel Gabriel to appear between, and a dismantleable manger for Christ to be born in. When her garden cherub’s silver arc dried up inexplicably, it was Dr Velutha who fixed its bladder for her.

Apart from his carpentry skills, Velutha had a way with machines. Mamachi (with impenetrable Touchable logic) often said that if only he hadn’t been a Paravan, he might have become an engineer. He mended radios, clocks, water-pumps. He looked after the plumbing and all the electrical gadgets in the house.

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When Mamachi decided to enclose the back verandah, it was Velutha who designed and built the sliding-folding door that later became all the rage in Ayemenem.

Velutha knew more about the machines in the factory than anyone else. When Chacko resigned is job in Madras and returned to Ayemenem with a Bharat bottle-sealing machine, it was Velutha who reassembled it and set it up. It was Velutha who maintained the new canning machine and the automatic pineapple slicer.

Velutha who oiled the water-pump and the small diesel generator. Velutha who build the aluminium sheet-lined, easy-to-clean cutting surfaces, and the ground-level furnaces for boiling fruit.

Velutha’s father, Vellya Paapen, however, was an Old World Paravan. He had seen the Crawling Backwards Days and his done for him, was a wide and deep as a river in a spate. When he had his accident with the stone chip, Mamachi organized and paid for his glass eye. He hadn’t worked off his debt yet, and though he knew he wasn’t expected to, that he wouldn’t ever be able to – he felt that his eye was not his own. His gratitude widened his smiles and bent his back.

Vellya Paapen feared for his younger son. He couldn’t say what it was that frightened him. It was nothing that he had said. Or done. It was not what he had said, but they way he said it. Not what he did, but the way he did it.

Perhaps it was just a lack of hesitation. An unwarranted assurance. In the way he walked. The way he held his head. The quiet way he offered suggestions without being asked. Or the quiet way in which he disregarded suggestions without appearing to rebel.

While these were qua;ities that were perfecty acceptable, perhaps even desirable in Touchables, Vellya Paapen thought that in a Paravan they could (and would, and indeed, should) be construed as insolence.

Vellya Paapen tried to caution Velutha. But since he couldn’t put his finger on what it was that bothered him, Velutha misunderstood his muddled concern. To him it appeared as though his father grudged him his brief training and his natural skills. Vellya Paapen’s good intentions quickly degenerated into

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nagging and bickering and a general air of unpleasantness between father and son. Much to his mother’s dismay, Velutha began to avoid going home. He worked late. He caught fish in the river and cooked it on open fire. He slept outdoors, on the banks of the river.

Thenone day he disappeared. For four years nobody knew where he was. There was a rumour that he was working on a building site for the Department of Welfare and Housing in Trivandrum. And more recently, the inevitable rumour that he had become a Naxalite. That he had been to prison. Somebody said they had seen him in Quilon.

There was no way of reaching him when his mother, Cheila, died of tuberculosis. Then Kuttapen, his older brother, fell off a coconut tree and damaged hid spine. He was paralyzed and unable to work. Velutha heard of the accident a whole year after it happened.

It had been five months since he returned to Ayemenem. He never talked about where he had been, or what he had done.

Mamachi rehired Velutha as the factory carpenter and put him in charge of general maintenance. I caused a great deal of resentment among the other Touchable factory workers because, according to them, Paravans were not meant to be carpenters. And certainly, prodigal Paravans were not meant to be rehired.

To keep the others happy, since she knew that nobody else would hire him as a carpenter, Mamachi paid Velutha less than she would a Touchable carpenter but more than she would a Paravan. Mamachi didn’t encourage him to enter the house (except when she needed something mended or installed). She thought that he ought to be grateful that he was allowed on the factory premises at all, and allowed to touch things that Touchables touched. She said that it was a big step for a Paravan.

When he returned to Ayemenem after his years away from home, Velutha still had about him the same quickness. The sureness. And Vellya Paapen feared for him now more than ever. But this time he held his peace. He said nothing.

A struggle for equality as reflected by the character of Ammu in Arundhati Roy`s The God Of Small Things.

ABSTRACT

A THESIS

Lord, I call on You; hurry to help me. Listen to my voice when I call

You. May my prayer be set before You as incense, the raising of my

hand as the evening offering. Lord, set up a guard for my mouth;

keep watch at door of my lips (Psalm 141: 1-3).

This thesis is dedicated to my beloved parents, my sister and her

family, my lover, and myself.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY

CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

APPENDICES

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

METHODOLOGY

CHAPTER IV

ANALYSIS

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LESSON PLAN

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A struggle for equality as reflected by the character of Ammu in Arundhati Roy`s The God Of Small Things.

ABSTRACT

A THESIS

Lord, I call on You; hurry to help me. Listen to my voice when I call

You. May my prayer be set before You as incense, the raising of my

hand as the evening offering. Lord, set up a guard for my mouth;

keep watch at door of my lips (Psalm 141: 1-3).

This thesis is dedicated to my beloved parents, my sister and her

family, my lover, and myself.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY

CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

APPENDICES

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

METHODOLOGY

CHAPTER IV

ANALYSIS

Appendix (5)

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INTRODUCTION Ammu’s Revolt Against the Caste System in Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things (1997): A Feminist Approach.

NASKAH PUBLIKASI Ammu’s Revolt Against the Caste System in Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things (1997): A Feminist Approach.

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