Redefining motherhood through the character of Gauri in Jhumpa lahiri`s the lowland.

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xi ABSTRACT

PUTRI, HELENA HANINDYA KARTIKA. Redefining Motherhood through the Character of Gauri in Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Lowland. _Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2016.

This study is about the effort of redefining motherhood issue by analyzing Gauri in Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Lowland, this thesis will try to reveal that a woman should not be pushed to believe in the centrality of motherhood concept, woman has to find their own self-fulfillment and respected as an autonomous individual. I choose to analyze this novel because it has the potential to evoke the concept of Indian traditional motherhood, to challenge and expand the common definition of motherhood in Indian society.

There are three problems that are analyzed in this study. The first problem questions the description on Gauri’s characteristics. The second problem questions the identification of the concept of motherhood as constructed in Indian society and finally, the third problem questions the changing perspectives in Gauri and the effort to redefine the concept of motherhood. The theory holds that the character of Gauri inThe Lowland embodies the effort to redefine the concept of motherhood.

The method employed in this study is library research. The data gathered is classified as primary and secondary sources. The primary source of the study is The Lowland(2013) by Jhumpa Lahiri. Secondary sources are taken from books, journals, research reports, and other available printed materials gathered from libraries as well as from other electronic sources.

There are three findings of this research. First, Gauri is an Indian mother who struggles to cope with the feelings of guilt and inadequacy on the concept of perfect motherhood. She feels that it is difficult to be a confident mother in these circumstances; Gauri’s position shows from that she is oppressed and marginalized by the society. Second, Indian society makes stereotype of Indian mothers as naturally caring, nurturing, self-sacrificing and wise. The stereotype of the perfect mother is of course one that is impossible to live up to, even in the most privileged circumstances. The denial that Gauri may feel in her role is derived from the idealization of motherhood. Third, Gauri tries to change perspectives of her by covering the effort to open herself to new things, to make her free from all the society’s burden and shows the effort to redefine the concept of motherhood by refusing the society’s idealism, and to give her freedom to control her own body and mind. Therefore, it can be concluded that mother should not be pushed to believe in the centrality of motherhood concept, so she can find her own self-fulfillment.

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xii ABSTRAK

PUTRI, HELENA HANINDYA KARTIKA. Redefining Motherhood through the Character of Gauri in Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Lowland. _Yogyakarta: Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2016.

Studi ini adalah tentang upaya mendefinisikan kembali konsep keibuan wanita berwarna (perempuan India) dengan menganalisis tokoh Gauri di novel The Lowlandkarya Jhumpa Lahiri, tesis ini akan mencoba untuk mengungkapkan bahwa seorang wanita tidak harus didorong untuk percaya pada sentralitas konsep keibuan, wanita memiliki hak untuk menemukan pemenuhan diri mereka sendiri dan dihormati sebagai individu yang otonom. Saya memilih untuk menganalisis novel ini karena memiliki potensi untuk membangkitkan konsep keibuan pada masyarakat tradisional India, untuk menantang dan memperluas definisi umum dari keibuan dalam masyarakat India.

Ada tiga masalah yang dianalisis dalam penelitian ini. Masalah pertama mempertanyakan deskripsi karakteristik Gauri. Yang kedua mempertanyakan identifikasi konsep keibuan yang dibangun dalam masyarakat India. Yang ketiga mempertayakan perubahan perspektif tentang dirinya oleh Gauri dan upaya untuk mendefinisikan kembali konsep keibuan. Teori ini menyatakan bahwa karakter Gauri di The Lowland mewujudkan upaya untuk mendefinisikan kembali konsep keibuan.

Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah penelitian pustaka. Data yang dikumpulkan diklasifikasikan menjadi sumber primer dan sekunder. Sumber utama dari penelitian ini adalah novel The Lowland (2013) oleh Jhumpa Lahiri. Sumber sekunder yang diambil dari buku-buku, jurnal, laporan penelitian, dan materi cetak lain yang tersedia yang dikumpulkan dari perpustakaan maupun dari sumber-sumber elektronik lainnya.

Ada tiga hasil dalam penelitian ini. Pertama, Gauri adalah seorang ibu dari India yang berjuang untuk mengatasi perasaan bersalah dalam dirinya karena adanya konsep ibu sempurna yang ada di masyarakat. Dia merasa bahwa sulit untuk menjadi seorang ibu dalam situasinya, posisi Gauri menunjukkan bahwa dia tertindas oleh masyarakat. Kedua, masyarakat India membuat stereotip ibu India secara alami peduli, memelihara, mengorbankan diri dan bijaksana. Stereotip figur ibu yang sempurna ini tentu saja menjadi salah satu yang tidak mungkin untuk diwujudkan. Penolakan yang Gauri lakukan berasal dari idealisasi ibu. Ketiga, Gauri mencoba untuk mengubah perspektif dengan membuka dirinya untuk hal-hal baru, membuat dirinya bebas dari segala beban untuk menolak idealisme masyarakat dan menunjukkan upaya untuk mendefinisikan kembali konsep ibu dengan cara memberikan dirinya kebebasan untuk mengendalikan dirinya pada tubuh dan pikiran Maka dapat disimpulkan bahwa seorang ibu tidak harus didorong untuk percaya pada sentralitas konsep ibu, dengan begitu ia dapat mencari pemenuhan diri mereka sendiri.

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REDEFINING MOTHERHOOD THROUGH

THE CHARACTER OF GAURI IN JHUMPA LAHIRI’S

THE LOWLAND

AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for the Degree ofSarjana Sastra in English Letters

Helena Hanindya Kartika Putri Student Number: 114214013

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS

FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

YOGYAKARTA 2016

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REDEFINING MOTHERHOOD THROUGH

THE CHARACTER OF GAURI IN JHUMPA LAHIRI’S

THE LOWLAND

AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for the Degree ofSarjana Sastra in English Letters

Helena Hanindya Kartika Putri Student Number: 114214013

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS

FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

YOGYAKARTA 2016

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A Sarjana Sastra Undergraduate Thesis REDEFINING MOTHERHOOD THROUGH THE CHARACTER OF GAURI IN JHUMPA LAHIRI'S

THE LOWLAND

Helena Hanindya Kartika Putri Student Number: 114214013

Dr. F.X. Siswadi, M.A Co-Advisor

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ASarjana Sastra Undergraduate Thesis

REDEFINING MOTHERHOOD THROUGH THE CHARACTER OF GAURI IN JHUMPA LAHIRI'S

THE LOWLAND

HELENA HANINDYA KARTIKA PUTRI Student Number: 114214013

Member I : Elisa Dwi Wardani S.S., M.Hum. Member 2 : Dewi Widyastuti, S.Pd., M.Hum.

BOARD Oli' EXAMINERS Defended before th,e Board of Examiners

on May 30t

h,

2016 and Declared Acceptable

Member 3 : Dr. F.X. Siswadi, M.A

Secretary : Ora. A.B. Sri Mulyani, M.A., Ph.D Chairperson : Dr. F.X. Siswadi; M.A

Name

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STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY

I certify that this undergraduate thesis contains no material which has been previously submitted for the award of any other degree at any university, and that, to the best of my knowledge, this undergraduate thesis contains no material previously written by any other person except where due reference is made in tne text of the undergraduate thesis

Helena Hanindya Kartika Putri

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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 :Helena Hanindya Kartika Putri

Nomor Mahasiswa : 114214013

Derni pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul

REDEFINING MOTHERHOOD THROUGH THE CHARACTER OF GAURI IN JllUMPA LAHIRI'S

THE LOWLAND

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

Dernikian pemyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenamya

Dibuat di Yogyakarta Pada tanggal 23 Juni 2016

y~g~~,

Helena Hanindya Kartika Putri

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vii

“Do not allow

people to dim your

shine because they

are blinded.

Tell them to put on

some sunglasses”

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First, I would like to thank Jesus Christ for everything that has been done on me, especially during the whole process of this undergraduate thesis writing. His blessings are very important in the writing of this undergraduate thesis.

I also want to thank my advisor, Dewi Widyastuti, S.Pd., M.Hum, who never gives up on me during all this undergraduate thesis writing time. My thanks are also expressed to my co-advisor, Dr. F.X. Siswadi, M.A, who give me useful advises to help me finish this undergraduate thesis.

My deepest gratitude goes to my parents, sister and all my family for the unconditional love and for giving me the most comfortable home to come to whenever I feel down and weary. They always support me. I want to dedicate this work to my parents, Papa and Mama, to my sister, Vera, who studies in the Netherlands and to my cousin who passed away in 2014, Patricia Prima Puspa Sari. I keep my promise to all of them that I will finish what I have started. I will not finish this undergraduate thesis without all their prayers for me.

Last but not least, I also would like to thank my dearest friends, Noi and Engkik. They are always being my best cheerleaders. I want to thank my friends from Sweeney Todd’s casts and crews for giving me fun distractions, also my friends from class of 2011 for all the tears, memories and laughters. I will see them again on Top!

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE...ii

APPROVAL PAGE...iii

ACCEPTANCE PAGE...iv

STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY...v

LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH...vi

MOTTO PAGE...vii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...viii

TABLE OF CONTENTS...ix

ABSTRACT...xi

ABSTRAK _..._xii

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION...1

A. Background of the Study ...1

B. Problem Formulation ...4

C. Objectives of the Study ...5

D. Definition of Terms ...6

CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE...9

A. Review of Related Studies ...9

B. Review of Related Theories ...13

1. Theory on Characters and Characterization ...14

2. Theory on Indian Motherhood ...15

3. Theory on Postcolonial Feminism ...20

C. Theoretical Framework ...24

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY...26

A. Object of the Study ...26

B. Approach of the Study ...28

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CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS ...30

A. Gauri’s Characteristics ...30

1. Single ...32

2. Married (first marriage with Udayan Mitra) ...34

3. Widowed ...35

4. Remarried (second marriage with Subhash Mitra) ...37

5. Separated ...38

B. The Concept of Motherhood in the Indian Traditional Feminine Roles ...41

1. The Enormous Expectations of Mothers...42

2. Widespread Feeling of Guilt and Inadequacy from Social Pressures ...44

3. Labeling Mother as a Deviant...47

C. Gauri’s Changing Perspective to Redefine the Concept of Motherhood ...48

1. Opposition to the Concept of Motherhood...49

2. Redefinition and Reshaping the Accepted Motherhood ...55

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION...62

BIBLIOGRAPHY...66

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xi ABSTRACT

PUTRI, HELENA HANINDYA KARTIKA. Redefining Motherhood through the Character of Gauri in Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Lowland. _Yogyakarta:

Department of English Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2016.

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xii ABSTRAK

PUTRI, HELENA HANINDYA KARTIKA. Redefining Motherhood through the Character of Gauri in Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Lowland. _Yogyakarta:

Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2016. Studi ini adalah tentang upaya mendefinisikan kembali konsep keibuan wanita berwarna (perempuan India) dengan menganalisis tokoh Gauri di novel The Lowlandkarya Jhumpa Lahiri, tesis ini akan mencoba untuk mengungkapkan bahwa seorang wanita tidak harus didorong untuk percaya pada sentralitas konsep keibuan, wanita memiliki hak untuk menemukan pemenuhan diri mereka sendiri dan dihormati sebagai individu yang otonom. Saya memilih untuk menganalisis novel ini karena memiliki potensi untuk membangkitkan konsep keibuan pada masyarakat tradisional India, untuk menantang dan memperluas definisi umum dari keibuan dalam masyarakat India.

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CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

In 1963 in the U.S., Betty Friedan, a psychologist, talked to hundreds of women and realized that the source of these women’s depression was an identity crisis. Women from girlhood were being told that they would find fulfilment and happiness as a wife and a mother in traditional feminine roles. Another woman told her that she had everything – a husband who was moving up in his career, a lovely new home, enough money. Yet, when she woke up in the morning there was nothing to look forward to. Quoted inThe Feminine Mystiqueby Betty Friedan, as one young mother told Friedan:

I’ve tried everything women are supposed to do – hobbies, gardening, pickling, canning… but. I’m desperate. I begin to feel that I have no personality. I’m a server of food and a putter – on of pants and a bed maker, somebody to call on when you want something. But who am I? (Friedan, 2001: 16-17)

The reality was that as women spend more and more of their energy being just that, they felt more and more unhappy. Women had just one question that summed up their feelings: “Is this all there is in life?”

Coming to contemporary times, in India, mothers are not the self-sacrificing angels but are made of flesh and blood. Caught between rejecting the life-giving power that motherhood gives her, and seeking an identity beyond the halo of

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motherhood, the modern woman finds no viable alternative. According to Maithreyi Krishnaraj in his bookMotherhood in India:

Yet seduced by ideology, many women accept motherhood as an essential part of their fulﬁlment in life. The reality may not be precisely what was hoped. The privileges of motherhood are determined by the conditions under which women give birth (whether it is within sanctioned marriage), the social location of the mother in the family, and the desired sex of the child. The centrality of motherhood in defining women’s identities and their social roles does not imply that all women want to be mothers (Krishnaraj, 2010: viii) The ideology that a woman should be a mother should not be generalized because not every woman wants to be a mother. A woman should find their own self-actualization, a chance to define herself. Feminists tend to see the reproductive burden as limiting women’s ability to participate in wider society and pursuing their own self-actualization. Their basic approach is that motherhood should be by choice. Today among urban westernized couples intend on pursuing their chosen careers, many are indeed opting out of motherhood.

This fact can be linked to a character named Gauri based on a novel by an Indian writer named Jhumpa Lahiri,The Lowlandin 2013. Jhumpa Lahiri's novelThe Lowlandreceived reactions after being published in 2013. A few critics hailed,

"Ms. Lahiri’s most shining gifts as a writer come to the fore: her ability to conjure the daily texture of people’s lives, her understanding of how their personal and cultural expectations have shaped their choices, her talent for mapping moods and inchoate emotions with pointillist precision." (nytimes.com)

Numerous critics praised Lahiri's Gauri, "She pushes away readers, as well as fellow characters, with unfamiliar fierceness. She repels, but not in the simultaneously compelling and nuanced way other figures in Lahiri’s work

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have. "(theatlantic.com). Lahiri's novel has also been analyzed by researchers from several hypothetical points: feminism, postcolonialism, and Marxism and so on.

For feminists in America, the feminist movement has embarked since the 1840s, which was later identified as the first wave of feminist movement. The first feminist movement focused on getting the right of women for women’s misery. The rise of Women’s Right movement and the movement for Women’s Liberation Movement in the 1960s, marked as the second wave feminist movement. The main concern of the second wave feminist movement was to improve women’s rights in politics and independence. Both movements, first wave and second wave feminist movement, primarily focused on the discrimination experienced by White women, they did not include the existence and experience of colored women who had been regarded as the second class members of both their own society and the dominant society. The third wave of feminism was then born in the early 1990s, focusing on challenging and expanding common definitions of gender and sexuality. Unlike white women who experienced discrimination based on gender and class because of the dominance of male power over women, colored women are discriminated not only because the dominance of male power over women, but also from their own gender who glorifies the idea of an ideal woman and gives no room to personal interests .

Quoting from Maithreyi Krishnaraj in his bookMotherhood in India:

I was pregnant and was returning from work; it had rained heavily. The street on my house was ﬂooded and I had no umbrella. A fruit vendor selling fruits ran across the street to offer me his umbrella saying ‘Ma, you should not get wet in this condition’. An elderly woman is usually addressed as mataji. The

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point of this narration was to highlight the pervasive respect that motherhood has in Indian culture as opposed to a woman as an individual. The centrality of the mother in popular speech and practice reverberates throughout this country. A mother feels fulﬁlled nurturing her child. Feminists would consider this approach as essentializing the woman as a mother. This denies her the potential as a human being with multiple abilities, and her need to be a citizen as much as anyone else. (Krishnaraj, 2010: 2)

Focusing on the motherhood issue of colored women (Indian women), this thesis tries to reveal that a woman should not be pushed to believe in the centrality of motherhood concept, woman has to find their own self-fulfillment and respected as an autonomous individual. The reason for investigating this novel with the feminist perspective is because it has the potential to evoke the concept of Indian traditional motherhood, to challenge and expand the common definition of motherhood in Indian society. This novel is examined by mulling over and contrasting the concept of motherhood which is seen through the thoughts and attitudes of people of both gender (male and female) focusing on their judgment to Gauri's position in Indian conventional society as a daughter in law, autonomous individual and a mother. The characters for the analysis are picked on the grounds that all the characters are grown-ups, which makes it simpler to talk about their activities regarding organization and obligation.

B. Problem Formulation

1. What are the characteristics of Gauri?

2. How is the concept of motherhood in the Indian traditional feminine roles revealed in Gauri’s life?

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3. What does Gauri do in order to change her perspective and redefine the concept of motherhood?

C. Objectives of the Study

The aim of this undergraduate thesis is to prove that the character of Gauri embodies the spirit of redefining the concept of motherhood. This study attempts to achieve several main objectives. In order to find the evidence of redefinition of motherhood in the novel, problem formulation has to be formulated.

My investigation concentrates on three components: (1) the description on Gauri’s characteristics; (2) the identification of the concept of motherhood as constructed in Indian society (3) the changing perspectives of herself (Gauri) and the effort to redefine the concept of motherhood. The theory holds that the character of Gauri inThe Lowlandembodies the effort to redefine the concept of motherhood.

First, this undergraduate thesis aims to observe Gauri’s characteristics that reflect reaction towards Indian traditional feminine roles that mainly shaped by Indian patriarchal system. It is very important to understand the main character, because this undergraduate thesis focuses on the characteristics, and studies how the character thought and did to influence the concept of motherhood.

After a map of Gauri’s characteristics are drawn, a question on the concept of motherhood in Indian traditional feminine roles arises. Here, the concept of motherhood as constructed in Indian traditional society is seen through the thoughts

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and attitudes of people of both gender (male and female). The concept of motherhood is elaborated in this section.

Third, it presents an examination of the changing perspective, how Gauri change the perspective of herself and the redefinition of the concept of motherhood.

D. Definition of Terms

To avoid any misinterpretation in understanding the title of this undergraduate thesis, there are some explanations on several important terms mainly used and closely related to the topic. First of all is the term redefinition. According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English, redefinition means to define (as a concept) again or to restate or reevaluate precisely the meaning of words or with a view to change (1987: 226). What will be discussed mainly in this thesis is concerning the reexamination of the concept of motherhood as presented by Gauri’s character.

The second term is motherhood. Motherhood is a central concern not just of women, but of the societies in which they live, which depend for their survival on women’s willingness to bear children. Ann Taylor Allen stated in her bookFeminism and Motherhood in West, “Motherhood, many imply, was a “traditional” role, and feminists who emphasized it are often identified as conservatives whose contribution was minor, if not actually harmful.”(Allen, 2005: 2). Feminist discourses on motherhood were fixed neither on “timeless” and essentialist stereotypes, nor on “separate spheres.” At the turn of the twentieth century, many feminists extolled

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motherhood as the highest of human achievements. Indeed, claimed the influential Swedish author Ellen Key, it was “the most perfect realization of human potential that the species has reached.” (Allen, 2005: 5). In the political realm, this view was expressed through an ideology that historians call “materialism,” which asserted the public importance of motherhood and child-rearing. Some even included life-giving motherhood with death-dealing military service among the rights and obligations of citizenship.

In this thesis, the concept of Indian motherhood is mainly discussed. The theories discussed are about the concept of motherhood, mainly taken form Suzan Lewis theories of motherhood. The first is that society has enormous expectations of mothers, labelling a mother as deviant. Second, widespread feeling of guilt and inadequacy as well as ambivalence among most mothers as a consequence of social pressures. It will show the gap between mothers’ self-perceptions and their internalized ideals of the perfect mother. Third, beyond the stereotypes and romanticizing of motherhood it is clear that it is a highly demanding role. It is in the children’s as well as the mothers’ interests to recognize that mothers need support – physical, material, and also emotional – to help them manage the work of mothering and come to terms with the complex mixture of emotions that motherhood involves.

The third term is character. According to Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs in Fiction: An Introduction to Reading and Writing, a character can be disclosed by considering these factors: what the character say (and think), what the character do, what other characters say about him/her, and what the author says about him/her

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(1989: 147-148). From that discussion, I conclude that character includes the idea of the human personality, the presence of moral uprightness and the simpler notion of the presence of creatures in art that seem to be human beings of one sort of another. Character describes the personality of the individual and gives the idea about their life. It gives the idea that characters can be described through those points.

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9 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

A. Review of Related Studies

The Lowland is Jhumpa Lahiri’s fourth book. It was shortlisted for the

National Book Award in Fiction in 2013, the Man Booker Prize 2013 and the Bailey’s Women’s Prize for Fiction 2014. This novel sketched in a town named Tollygunge, Calcutta, India during the 1950s and 60s. The story begins with the story of two brothers named Udayan Mitra and Subhash Mitra. These two brothers were close in age but they were very different. Udayan was restless and impulsive. He protested the corruption and joined the Naxalbari movement in India. Meanwhile, Subhash Mitra was static, detached and settled in his own loneliness. Although both were very close, they remained different.

The character of Udayan who joined the Naxalbari movement has inspired other reasercher like Yahya Chaudry to write a journal “Reading Mao In India:

Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Lowland and Naxalism”with the ideas on mapping the border

between the personal and political views. Chaudry was interested in revealing the characteristics of Udayan and it became the base of an examination about the role of personality and impulsivity in joining the Naxalbari movement in India, he used Marxist theory to analyze the concept of Maoism and Nalxalism in India.

Lahiri vividly limns an image of Udayan as the restless youth, who begins championing the Naxalbari cause at home and immersing himself in Marxist

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theory. To Udayan, the Left Front and CPI (M) are nothing more than the puppets of wealthy landowners, and parliamentary politics has proven futile. Mao and Che’s exhortations to bring about a revolution through violent struggle are all that remain for him, and fit his Newtonian sense of history (newleftproject.org)

Moreover, the main difference between this undergraduate thesis and Chaudry’s is the approach of the study. This undergraduate thesis considers this novel as a Postcolonial Feminism novel, different form Chaudry who considers this novel as a Postcolonial novel. Based on the Postcolonial Feminism perspective, this undergraduate thesis focuses on the character named Gauri as the base of an examination about her effort to redefine the concept of motherhood. Quoting from Cahudry’s journal about Gauri’s characteristics:

In Gauri, Lahiri has written the most captivating and controversial character in all of her fictional works. She is a thoughtful and impulsive feminist; the perfect match for Udayan and the worst for Subhash and Bela (newleftproject.org)

Gauri was a character which came across as the most complex, unpredictable character whose thoughts and feelings were opaque from all - even from her own daughter, Bela (Udayan and Gauri’s daughter). According to TK Pius in his journal

Jhumpa Lahiri's the Lowland: A Critical Analysis, Gauri had several dominant

characteristics as a character in the novel. She was intelligent, open-minded, and has strong determination. Gauri was described as a smart, complicated, and selfish woman. The qualities of her character help him to survive several crises in her adulthood life: the life before her 1st marriage with Udayan, her first marriage,

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Udayan’s death, her 2nd marriage with Subhash and being alone after her separation with Subhash.

According to Pius in his journal Jhumpa Lahiri's the Lowland: A Critical Analysis:

Though initially the reader perceives Bijoli's prophecy that Gauri would never love Subhash, as being delivered by a woman embittered by the death of her favorite son, it will turn out to be all too true: Gauri will abandon her daughter, Bela — conceived with Udayan and brought up by Subhash as his own beloved child — to pursue her own dreams of studying philosophy and building an academic career. Lahiri never manages to make this terrible act — handled by Gauri with cruelty and arbitrary high handedness — plausible, understandable or viscerally felt. Why would Gauri regard motherhood and career as an either/or choice? Why make no effort to stay in touch with Bela or explain her decision to move to California? Why not discuss her need to leave her marriage and her child with her husband? (2014: 12)

From the quotation above, it can be concluded that Pius was questioning Gauri’s decision as a woman and a mother, “Why would Gauri regard motherhood and career as an either/or choice?” Pius stated that Gauri showed no effort to show a “good mother” quality. In my opinion, those statement is an interpretation that Gauri is expected to be a good mother and expected to have a sense of motherhood, that she had to put her husband, her daughter and her family first rather than her own dream to pursue a higher education. Unlike Pius statement, this undergraduate thesis believes that Gauri’s decision should be seen as the act of changing perspective of herself in attempt to retrieve subaltern position of a mother. Gauri’s strong belief that the social values and motherhood did not suit her, should be seen as the act of redefining the concept of motherhood.

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In the first chapter, I stated that both first and second wave of feminism focused on the experience of White women, they did not include the existence and experience of colored women who had been regarded as the second class members of both their own society and the dominant society. In 1984, Barbara Smith, a black American feminist, spoke warmly of being part of a Third World feminist movement: And not only am I talking about my sisters here in the United States-American Indian, Latina, Asian American, Arab American-am I also talking about women all over the globe. . . Third World feminism has enriched not just the women it applies to, but also political practice in general (1984: 27).

The struggle of Third World women-both in the West and in the developing world-for recognition by Western feminism has been long and hard. More often the silenced objects of Western analysis, Third World women are making their voices heard and are beginning to change the face of feminism in the West. One of the studies about Postcolonial Feminism is the study of Subalternity.

In an interview from 1993, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak clarifies that her use of the term subaltern was and is very specific; the pure subaltern cannot, by definition, move upwards in the social hierarchy or make his or her voice heard. In

The Spivak Reader, to speak, in Spivak’s sense, is when there has been a “transaction

between the speaker and the listener” and to her there is “something not spoken in the very notion of subalternity” (Landry, 1996: 289). Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak is one of the most influential figures in contemporary critical theory. However, her hugely important theoretical work is often hard to approach for the first time. Her highly controversial essay Can the Subaltern Speak? with an obvious negative answer

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denies the very possibility of cursing or voicing their anger/wrath. The composition drawn from Gayatri Spivak, argues that to reclaim women’s ways for the field requires a “strategic essentialism”, the ways in which subordinate or marginalized social groups may temporarily put aside local differences in order to forge a sense of collective identity through which they band together in political movements (Dourish, 2008). The strategic essentialism is designed to subvert the patriarchal, hierarchical principles of current-traditional system (Spivak, 1988: 41).

In this undergraduate thesis, I will support the view of Gayatri Spivak which argues that the Indian subaltern woman has a voice consciousness. Spivak’s conclusion that ‘the subaltern cannot speak’ will be the base for me to identify Gauri’s characteristics in Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Lowland. The undergraduate thesis argues that Gauri has contributed with diverse representations of subaltern women in the ‘Third World’ who—despite their oppressed and marginalized status—display the struggle to redefine the concept of motherhood.

B. Review of Related Theories

This undergraduate thesis has three things as my problem formulations: the main character’s characteristics, the concept of motherhood, and the attitude of rebellion and resistance that typifies a Subaltern position. Therefore, the undergraduate thesis needs theories on the three fields in order to answer the problem formulation.

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1. Theory on Characters and Characterization

The Postcolonial Feminism attitudes in the novel can be seen by analyzing the major character. According to Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs in Fiction: An

Introduction to Reading and Writing, a character can be disclosed by considering

these factors: what the character say (and think), what the character do, what other characters say about him/her, and what the author says about him/her (1989: 147-148).

From Holman and Harmon’s book, A Handbook to Literature, on page 95 stated that characterization has three fundamental methods,

The first one is the explicit presentation by the author of the character through direct exposition. Either in an introductory block or more often piecemeal throughout the work, illustrated by action. The second one is that the presentation of the character in action, with little or no explicit comment by the author, in the expectation that the reader can deduce the attributes of the actor from the actions; and the third one is the representation from within a character, without comment by the author, of the impact of actions and emotions on the character’s inner self (2003: 95).

From the quotation above, there are three fundamental elements for a writer to deliver the character. The first one is the author will explicitly describe the character through the direct exposition. It can also be explained by the action that the author illustrates through the story. The second one will be from the actions of the character by explaining the comment from the author, so the reader can easily guess the character. The third one means that the character is clearly stated from the impact of the action that they do and the inner self of the character itself.

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From that discussion, I conclude that character includes the idea of the human personality, the presence of moral uprightness and the simpler notion of the presence of creatures in art that seem to be human beings of one sort of another. Characters describes the personality of the individual and gives the idea about their life. Characterization gives the way how a character can be described through direct or indirect explanation. Therefore, I may reveal Gauri’s characteristics and, of course, her attitudes and her concept of motherhood, using these factors.

2. Theory on Indian Motherhood

In order to understand the motherhood mentioned in the novel, theories on motherhood from several views have to be collected. There are two important points in this section. First, the theories discussed are about the concept of motherhood, mainly taken form Suzan Lewis theories of motherhood. Second, the concept of motherhood in Indian society, mainly taken from Maithreyi Krishnaraj from his book

“Motherhood in India”.

a. The concept of Motherhood

R. Coward said in his journal, The heaven and hell of mothering: mothering and ambivalence in the mass media, in: W. Hollway and B. Featherstone (eds)

Mothering and Ambivalence,explained that images of motherhood are all around us;

in the media, psychological and medical texts, childcare manuals, feminist texts, biographies and autobiographies.

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These portrayals of motherhood communicate ideals and stereotypes. They tell us how mothers are expected to feel, think and act. But these images and the concepts of motherhood that underpin them are full of contradictions. Mothers are simultaneously idealized and blamed for not living up to society’s ideals. Discourses of motherhood as natural and instinctive coexist with a discourse of professional expertise, and ‘experts’ clamor to advice on how to be a good mother (1997: 111–118).

Balancing the view of motherhood as instinctive, natural, joyful and women’s ultimate fulfillment, a less idealistic view has emerged from studies which focus on mothers’ experiences, treating women as individuals in their own right, and not only in relation to children. Motherhood is portrayed as hard work, often isolating and stressful, changing women’s lives and involving great responsibilities.

A number of themes run through all the concepts of motherhood discussed by Suzan Lewis. The first is that society has enormous expectations of mothers. She has examined some of the powerful stereotypes of the ‘good mother’ and the processes by which these become social directives to attain impossible standards (Lewis, 2002: 42). There are huge variations among mothers, not least in their social circumstances, and evidence that adequate mothering can take place in a range of social contexts (New and David, 1985).

A second theme is the widespread feeling of guilt and inadequacy as well as ambivalence among most mothers as a consequence of social pressures (Lewis, 2002: 42). All mothers must find ways of coping with these feelings. Substance abuse may be one way of coping, but it also perpetuates the gap between mothers’ self-perceptions and their internalized ideals of the perfect mother. This highlights the

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crucial importance of non-judgmental support in helping them to manage these conflicts and do their best for their children.

Finally, when I look beyond the stereotypes and romanticization of motherhood, it is clear that being a mother is a highly demanding role (Lewis, 2002: 42). Labeling a mother as deviant because she does not fit the stereotype, due to substance abuse or other factors can undermine her efforts to be a good mother, and obscure the support she needs. It is in the children’s as well as the mothers’ interests to recognize that mothers need support – physical and material, and also emotional – to help them manage the work of mothering and come to terms with the complex mixture of emotions that motherhood involves. Substance abuse is not in itself a barrier to good mothering, but the myth of motherhood perfection and subsequent feeling of guilt and inadequacy, which this produces among mothers, can reduce self-confidence.

b. Motherhood in India

An article,Arranging a Marriage in India,by Serena Nanda, stated that:

In India, almost all marriages are arranged. Even among the educated middle classes in modern, urban India, marriage is as much a concern of the families as it is of the individuals. So customary is the practice of arranged marriage that there is a special name for a marriage which is not arranged: It is called a “love match.” In many cases, the bride and groom would not meet each other before the marriage. At most they might meet for a brief conversation, and this meeting would take place only after their parents had decided that the match was suitable. Parents do not compel their children to marry a person who either marriage partner finds objectionable. But only after one match is refused will another be sought (Nanda, 2012: 1).

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In India, all the household rules held by the wife, or a mother, including the arranged marriage. Women within patriarchies who accept contextually relevant patriarchal norms of female behavior – sexual behavior, dress, appearance, marital status, motherhood – are rewarded as long as they conform to these norms.

The mother holds the supremacy. The abundance of mother goddesses in the Indian subcontinent, in the great as well as the little traditions, speaks of the worship of the mother principally as a procreative power and nurturer.

The mother goddess is not a mother with child, like the Madonna, but an independent entity standing by herself. She has both benign as well as fearsome aspects. From the exaltedDurgato the ubiquitous gramdevata, she is present to this day all over the country. She is amatrika(Krishnaraj, 2010: 03).

Kamala Ganesh, in her article, traces the tradition of the mother goddess to the Indus Valley civilization. These predate the ‘spousified’ goddesses of later ages. According to her, in prepatriarchy, gender relations followed ‘linking’ rather than ‘ranking’.

In literature and in mythology, the mother is deified. There is sentimental devotion and mythification of her power to protect. Feminist reappraisal of the matriarchate is a political strategy to reclaim female power.

Indian epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata expound, in a multifaceted way, the significance and experience of motherhood within patriarchy. The television serials which Prabha Krishnan has monitored indicate how at the heart of the epics lie problems of identity, hierarchy and patrilineal (Krishnaraj, 2010: 03).

Both the epics portray a woman’s honor as located in her sexuality. The epics also denigrate non-patriarchal communities which practice mother–right.

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Motherhood is seen as an emotion-based state. How Yashodha — the foster-mother of Krishna, the cowherd god — is rapturously absorbed in her child, is told and retold through dance, songs and stories. This is the idealized mother– child relationship. There are some women mentioned in the epics who did resist motherhood. There were others like Madhavi who was lent by Galav to beget sons for kings in order to get Ashwameda horses for his guru Vishwamitra. Once his mission was accomplished, she was discarded without being allowed any claim over her children (Krishnaraj, 2010: 04).

Indian mothers are revered only as mothers of sons. Sukumari Bhattacharji points out that in ancient India, the main concern of women was to avoid the slur of ‘sonlessness’. The many rituals during pregnancy among Hindus are for the health of the husband and child; nowhere is there any concern expressed for the health of the mother. The care of the mother is the responsibility of the clan — a social commitment.

After studying the concept of motherhood, we can see that among that there are three important points in this section. The first is that society has enormous expectations of mothers. Second, widespread feeling of guilt and inadequacy as well as ambivalence among most mothers as a consequence of social pressures. Third, beyond the stereotypes and romanticizing of motherhood it is clear that it is a highly demanding role. Those points can also be found in Indian society, where Indian woman has much insecurity because the idealization of motherhood. Considering the facts above, it can be concluded that Gauri’s position in the society will be revealed by using this theory. Then, it will show about the concept of “ideal Indian mother” that society has constructed.

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3. Theory on Postcolonial Feminism

According to McLeod in his book, Beginning Post colonialism, the Postcolonial Feminism literary discipline there has been an ongoing discussion about First World feminism in relation to Third World women (McLeod, 2000: 174). However well-meant, universal claims of a global womanhood always run the risk of marginalizing someone and of leaving culturally specific patterns of power and oppression unseen. Chandra Talpade Mohanty criticizes western feminists in her essay “Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourses” and accuses many of them for unconsciously reproducing the unequal power relations that already is at work politically and financially, within their analysis (Mohanty, 2003: 17-42). Mohanty shows how Third World women are often described in sweeping terms as religious, family-oriented, illiterate and domestic, placing them in a position as ‘the other’ in contrast to the allegedly more progressive and modern women in the First World.

Furthermore, Mohanty reacts against how western feminists tend to refer to a monolithic, global patriarchy that “apparently oppresses most if not all the women” (Mohanty, 2003: 19) in Third World countries and they tend to describe women as powerless exploited objects and victims as opposed to the assumed powerful male exploiters. Hopefully it is by now clear to the reader how far-fetched it is to assume that all women share the same cultural or political interests only because of their similar bodies. Women as a group are more likely to be deeply divided by boundaries

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like class, ethnicity, and nationality. There are two main points in this section. The theories discussed are about the Third World Women and Subalternity.

a. Third World Women

The term Third World is somewhat outdated, originally meaning countries that did not belong to the ‘First World’ (the Western, capitalist countries) or the ‘Second World’ (Soviet Union with communist allies). As stressed by Robert Young in his book, Postcolonialism: A Very Short Introduction, the term Third World was intended as a positive, empowering label for a different perspective on “political, economic, and cultural global priorities” than the predominant polarized world order with capitalism on the one side and Soviet communism on the other (Young, 2003: 17). However, that positive label was never properly defined, and over time the term instead became associated with the problems of the Third World rather than unique solutions, and it gradually became a vague definition.

Another weakness with the concept is that it conceals the many social and cultural differences that exist within the Third World; there is simply no such uniform group of countries. An alternative term would perhaps be ‘women in developing countries’ but since that concept is equally vague and since ‘Third World women’ is a concept that has remained widely in use in many disciplines, it will be a conceptual and strategic point in this undergraduate thesis, as we reach for a deeper understanding.

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It is important to remember though that these concepts are, as McLeod puts it: “provisional categories of convenience rather than factual denotations of fixed and stable groups” (McLeod, 2000: 174). Regardless of which concept we use, the fact remains that an average Third World woman does not exist, which is why any common label would conceal a number of historical and cultural differences.

b. Subalternity

The definition of Subalternity can be found in the works of Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak in French Feminism in an International Frame in In Other

Worlds, who criticizes how western feminists have attempted to apply their theories

to a Third World context under the good intention that they work on behalf of their oppressed sisters who cannot speak for themselves (Spivak, 2009: 184-211). The fact that all women share similar biological features does not mean that they also share the same culture, values, beliefs and experiences—and therefore the “First World feminist must learn to stop feeling privileged as a woman” (Spivak, 2009: 187). Instead, she should ask herself what she can “learn from them” and “speak to them” instead of always trying to speak for them (Spivak, 2009: 186). However, Spivak is not ethnocentric in the sense that she would believe that “only Indian women can speak for other Indian women” (McLeod, 2000: 186).

McLeod establish that “Spivak has consistently advocated that critics must always look to the specifics of their own positions and recognize the political, cultural and institutional contexts in which they work” (McLeod, 2000: 186). Considering

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this, it becomes of course very difficult to speak for anyone else with different experiences from yours. In her ground-breaking essay, Can the Subaltern Speak, Spivak addresses these issues in depth and scrutinizes the Subaltern Studies Group’s attempts to revise the history writing of colonial India by revisiting historical colonial archives, where reports of subaltern insurgency has been filed, in an attempt to retrieve subaltern perspectives.

Spivak warns these scholars from falling into the trap of trying to recreate a kind of “subaltern consciousness”, something she dooms as utterly hopeless. Spivak (in a deconstructive manner) perceives human consciousness as something that is being continuously constructed from the discourses surrounding us rather than created by an autonomous agency, as if we were sovereign subjects. The same applies to subaltern women, and “the subaltern as female is even more deeply in shadow” than subaltern men, because of the male dominance in these archives concerning subaltern insurgency (Spivak, 1988: 41).

In an interview from 1993, Spivak clarifies that her use of the term subaltern was and is very specific; the pure subaltern cannot, by definition, move upwards in the social hierarchy or make his or her voice heard. . InThe Spivak Reader in page 289, to speak, in Spivak’s sense, is when there has been a “transaction between the speaker and the listener” and to her there is “something not spoken in the very notion of subalternity”. However, Spivak adds, this does not mean that she has some kind of dubious interest in preserving subalternity. “There is for us no feeling of romantic

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attachment to pure subalternity as such” (Landry,1996: 289). Clearly, Spivak wishes to delimit the term subaltern to hinder it from becoming watered down. She explains that if, for example, a subaltern person is given the right to vote (in a free, democratic election) she has thereby spoken, and by doing so the subaltern has been “inserted into the long road to hegemony” and can therefore no longer be classified as subaltern (Spivak, 1988: 65).

C. Theoretical Framework

Theories on character proposed by Roberts and Jacobs also from Harmon and Holman are used to reveal the characterization of the main character. There are three way to reveal it. The first one is the author explicitly describes the character through the direct exposition. It can also be explained by the action that the author illustrates through the story. The second one is from the actions of the character by explaining the comment from the author, so the reader can easily guess the character. The third one means that the character is clearly stated from the impact of the action that they do and the inner self of the character itself. By revealing the characterization of the main character, we will answer the question of the main character’s description and the question on how the main character views the concept of motherhood.

Theories on motherhood map the concept of motherhood in Indian tradition feminine roles and the concept of resistance attitude towards strong Indian patriarchal culture. There are three important points in this section. The first is that society has

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enormous expectations of mothers. Second, widespread feeling of guilt and inadequacy as well as ambivalence among most mothers is a consequence of social pressures. Third, beyond the stereotypes and romanticizing of motherhood it is clear that it is a highly demanding role. Those points also can be found in Indian society, where Indian woman has much insecurity because the idealization of motherhood. Theories on Indian culture are needed as the background knowledge about the concept of motherhood in Indian society in the novel. Considering the facts above, it can be concluded that Gauri’s position in the society will be revealed by using this theory. Then, it will present to the readers about the concept of “ideal Indian mother” that society has constructed.

The use of theories on Postcolonial Feminismism is based on the belief that the main character’s position in society is constructed by the patriarchal and shown the subalternity in main character’s position. The Postcolonial Feminism theory by Spivak, is used to see the spirit of Postcolonial Feminism reflected by the main character on how react and resist towards her position in society. Theory on Third World Women and Subalternity show that Third World women are making their voices heard and are beginning to change the face of feminism in the West. Those theories contribute the diverse representations of subaltern women in the ‘Third World’ who—despite their oppressed and marginalized status—display the struggle to redefine the concept of motherhood. Therefore, we can see how this novel brings the spirit of redefinition of motherhood.

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CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY

A. Object of the Study

Lahiri first made her name with the quiet, meticulously observed stories about Indian immigrants trying to adjust to new lives in the United States, stories that had the hushed intimacy of chamber music. Navigating between the Indian traditions they have inherited and the baffling new world, the characters in the first collection of short stories entitledThe Interpreter of Maladies(1999), which won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, seek love beyond the barriers of culture and generations. In her first novel, The Namesake(2003) which was made into a popular film, Lahiri enriches the themes that made her first collection an international bestseller: the immigrant experience, the clash of cultures, the conflicts of assimilation, and, most poignantly, the tangled ties between generations. Here again Lahiri displays her deft touch for the perfect detail - the fleeting moment, the turn of phrase - that opens whole worlds of emotion. Then the eight stories which appeared in Unaccustomed Earth (2008) take us from Cambridge and Seattle to India and Thailand, as they explore the secrets at the heart of family life. Here they enter the worlds of sisters and brothers, fathers and mothers, daughters and sons, friends and lovers.

The Lowlandis Lahiri’s fourth book. It was shortlisted for the National Book Award in 2013, the Man Booker Prize 2013 and the Bailey’s Women’s Prize for Fiction 2014. She was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters in

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2012.The Lowlandrevolves around a Bengali immigrant family in the United States (the Mitras) and the Indian sections serve as a background to the story as it develops. The Lowlandhas been considered as a story about two brothers, but it could easily be the story of ideology, and how it shapes the family. The descriptions of the world the boys were born into are vivid without catering to our thirst for the exotic. The characters here are middle-class, living in a quiet subdivision, focused on thick textbooks and transistor radios, on sneaking into the club for foreigners right outside their doors. As the boys grow older and their interests take different paths, changing the lives of everyone around them, we see India fade into the background and the bleak solitude of New England academia takes over.

While all other characters in The Lowland follow a predictable path, it is Gauri who comes across as the most complex, unpredictable character whose thoughts and feelings are opaque from all - even from her own daughter, Bela (Udayan and Gauri’s daughter). Udayan’s death has changed her, and after remarrying Subhash, there comes a point where she wants to tell him that he is in a way better a person than his brother ever was, a thought that decodes itself gradually by the end. Her inner turbulence never comes to rest. In this study, Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel entitled The Lowland (2013) is taken as an object to reveal the concept of motherhood of Indian woman who lives under a patriarchal mode of living and tries to redefine the concept of motherhood.

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B. Approach of the Study

This novel is analyzed using Postcolonial Feminist approach. This approach is perfect for analyzing the topic, because this approach will be the base to reveal the ground situation in the society and the ideology the society believed. The Postcolonial Feminist perspective is employed, considering that this study discussed the Feminist issue. Mohanty reacts against how western feminists tend to refer to a monolithic, global patriarchy that “apparently oppresses most if not all the women” (Mohanty, 2003: 19) in Third World countries and they tend to describe women as powerless exploited objects and victims as opposed to the assumed powerful male exploiters. Since the study is focused on Indian woman, hopefully it is by now clear to the reader how far-fetched it is to assume that all women share the same cultural or political interests only because of their similar bodies. Women as a group are more likely divided by boundaries into several categories like class, ethnicity, and nationality. This approach is used to reveal the Indian Woman’s attitude of react and rebel towards their position in the society.

C. Method of the Study

The method employed in this study is library research. The data gathered is classified as being from primary and secondary sources. The primary source of the study is The Lowland (2013) by Jhumpa Lahiri. Secondary sources are taken from books, journals, research reports, and other available printed materials gathered from libraries as well as from other electronic sources.

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There were steps taken in order to finish this study. Firstly, the primary source was read. As the novel was read, worth-studying elements of the work popped up and raised the intention to study the elements deeper. A list of worth-studying elements were made, included in the list were the character development, the concept of motherhood and the reaction and resistance in order to redefine the concept of motherhood. Afterwards, secondary sources were read. Due to the reading of these sources, list shortening in order to narrowing the study could be done. It was decided that this undergraduate thesis would dig more about the Gauri’s character and analyze her attitudes and her society.

Problem formulations were made as the guidance for the analysis. Firstly, the undergraduate thesis discussed the description of the Gauri’s characteristics. Secondly, the thesis will map the concept of motherhood in Indian tradition feminine roles and the concept of resistance attitude towards strong Indian patriarchal culture. Thirdly, the thesis observed the struggle of Gauri to redefine the concept of motherhood. Finally, after getting through all of these steps, the conclusion of the study was drawn.

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30 CHAPTER IV

ANALYSIS

In this part of the study, the answers to the problem formulation are explained. This chapter is divided into three subchapters respectively. The first subchapter elaborates the description of Gauri’s character. This subchapter mostly consists of the character’s life timeline, which includes the characteristics of the Gauri and Gauri’s perspective towards the things happened in her life. Gauri’s perspective can be seen in the contexts she is in, which will then reveal Gauri’s thought and reaction to mold the concept of motherhood. Understanding these help draw Gauri and other character’s reaction towards Indian traditional feminine roles that are mainly shaped by Indian patriarchal system. The next subchapter deals with the concept of motherhood in the Indian traditional feminine roles that revealed in Gauri’s life. The subchapter elaborates the concept of motherhood as constructed in Indian society, which is seen through the thoughts and attitudes of people of both gender (male and female). The changing of the perspective of herself and the can be used to reveal the act of redefining the concept of motherhood in Indian society in the last subchapter.

A. Gauri’s Characteristics

The descriptions of Gauri’s characteristics are elaborated using Roberts and Jacobs theory. According to Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs in Fiction: An Introduction to Reading and Writing, a character can be disclosed by considering

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the following factors: what the character says (and thinks), what the character does, what other characters say about him/her, and what the author says about him/her (1989: 147, 148). Also from Holman and Harmon’s book, A Handbook to Literature, there are three fundamental elements for a writer to deliver the character. The first one is the author will explicitly describe the character through the direct exposition. It can also be explained by the action that the author illustrates through the story. The second one will be from the actions of the character by explaining the comment from the author, so the reader can easily guess the character. The third one means that the character is clearly stated from the impact of the action that they do and the inner self of the character itself (1972: 95).

To know how is the perspective of society toward this character, Gauri, I use some characters that can describe the behavior or the attitude of the society. It can be seen from the conversation or the action from the characters as stated in the theory of characterization. There are some characters that are extracted from the story. Some of them are major and minor characters. The characters that are analyzed are Gauri, Udayan, Subhash, Bijoli Mitra and also from Bela. Here the character will be disclosed by applying the theory using the quotations from the novel as the main source of data. The characters for the analysis are picked on the grounds that all the characters are grown-ups, which make it simpler to talk about their activities regarding organization and obligation.

To describe Gauri’s characteristics, the life timeline of Gauri is elaborated. This timeline will explain the contexts and events, in which the character is in her

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adulthood when she was still single, married (first marriage), widowed, remarried (second marriage) and separated/ divorced.

1. Single

Gauri was born in 1948. She was a girl from North Calcutta, Cornwallis Street, whose parents were dead and who lived with her only brother Manash. Gauri and Manash were sent away by their families to their grandparents when they were still kids. She felt detached for her parents because she did not have any memory to be in a family. She felt estranged from most of her family. She told the story about her estrangement to her own family to Udayan.

There had always been the option to return to her parents’ village. But though she visited, taking train to see them for holidays, rural life held no appeal for her. She didn’t think she resented her parents for not raising her. It was the way of many large families, and considering the circumstances, it was not so strange. Really, she appreciated them for letting her go her own way (Lahiri, 2013: 57).

Udayan reacted to her story by saying that it was a gift for her, her autonomy. Gauri’s brother, Manash, was two years older than her. Manash had befriended Udayan at Calcutta University, where they were both graduate students in the Physics Department (Lahiri, 2013: 51-56). Udayan met Gauri when he was doing a degree in Philosophy at Presidency. She learnt western philosophy but she loved her country so much and wants to teach philosophy at a college or a school (Lahiri, 2013: 54).

Udayan was fascinated by Gauri’s personality and her interest. Gauri was born into middle class society. She loved books, contemplating and Philosophy.

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Gauri read a lot of books, especially Philosophy books. She had a pride for being an independent woman.

She saw that the unremarkable journey of her life thus far was fascinating to him: her birth in the countryside, her willingness to live apart from her parents, her estrangement from most of her family, her independence in this regard (Lahiri, 2013: 57).

Udayan described Gauri in a letter to Subhash; she prefers books to jewels and saris (Lahiri, 2013: 46). She read because she said that reading helps her to concentrate (Lahiri, 2013: 54). Gauri was educated and literate. Lahiri described her as a girl who read and studied philosophy from lots of books like books from Descartes, Marx, Rousseau, Greene and Plato (Lahiri, 2013: 55-58). Her interest in books and philosophy linked to her ability to contemplate and understand things (Lahiri, 2013: 55). This shows that Gauri has individual interest in Philosophy and have idea to master it.

Gauri also was a girl who likes to think and contemplate her life, as she said to Udayan; she observed the world, she told him, all of life, from this balcony (Lahiri, 2013: 53). She felt that the balcony on her grandparents’ house had always been her place to contemplate, Udayan emphasized it by saying; so this is your Bodhi tree, where you achieve enlightment (Lahiri, 2013; 54). Gauri was a girl who likes to think deeply; she had not been able to define herself, wishing she could alter herself (Lahiri, 2013: 59). Her complicated way of thinking is one of the qualities in the next subchapter that will lead her into the act of rebellion and redefining herself as a woman and a mother.

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Besides her interests in books and contemplating, Gauri also had a great interest in philosophy. She said that it was the mind, not the senses, that were able to perceive (Lahiri, 2013: 55). She also said that philosophy helped her to understand things (Lahiri, 2013: 55). Later, she tried to pursue a higher education and filed herself with a lot of questions and observations.

2. Married (first marriage with Udayan Mitra)

Gauri had a strong view on marriage. She did not like the idea of arranged marriage. Gauri said that she did not want to get married “I’m not getting married” (Lahiri, 2013: 57). In the chapter 2, Serena Nanda, stated that in India, almost all marriages are arranged. Even among the educated middle classes in modern, urban India, marriage is as much a concern of the families as it is of the individuals (Nanda, 2012: 1).

Gauri had a rough relationship with the Mitras, especially her mother in Law (Bijoli Mitra/ Mrs. Mitra). Gauri was not accustomed to the institution called “family”, so she struggled to have a good relationship with the Mitras. She had no memory of spending any moment with them, even in a house is such an isolated place (Lahiri, 2013: 60).

Gauri was an unwanted daughter in law. Udayan married a woman of his choice, not by his parent’s or his mother’s decision. As I stated in my review of related theories, women within patriarchies who accept contextually relevant patriarchal norms of female behavior – sexual behavior, dress, appearance, marital status, motherhood – are rewarded as long as they conform to these norms. Gauri cannot conform those norms and cannot adjust to the Mitras, then her mother in

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law looked down upon her. Udayan stated in the letter to Subhash that his parents were upset for bringing Gauri home and married her; they are still in shock, upset with me and also for no reason with Gauri (Lahiri, 2013: 46).

Udayan and Gauri had the same concept of marriage. They did not like the society’s norms. They both objected to an arranged marriage; I reject the idea of an arranged marriage (Lahiri, 2013: 46). The attitude of rejection social’s construct about marriage is the evidence that Gauri was a strong headed and rebellious.

3. Widowed

Gauri and her in laws witnessed Udayan’s body shot in cold blood. The police dragged Udayan’s body after they shot him. The soldiers dragged his body by the legs, then tossed him into the back of the van (Lahiri, 2013: 105). That experience haunted Gauri in the future and affected her. She did not realize that her tongue slipped when Udayan was hiding in the water. For the mourning period, Gauri was given a white sari to wear in place of coloured ones, so that she resembled the other widows who were three times her age in the family.

"We think he might be hiding in the water" the soldier continued, not removing his eyes from her. "No", she said to herself. She heard the word in her head. But then she realized that her mouth was open, like an idiot's. Had she said something? Whispered it? She could not be sure. "What did you say?" "I said nothing." The tip of the gun was still steady at her throat. But suddenly it was removed, the officer tipping his head toward the lowland, stepping away. "He's there", he told the others (Lahiri, 2013: 103).

Soon Subhash came to understand that his parents received Gauri coldly and treated her badly because the marriage was not an arranged one. His parents refused to talk to her or acknowledge her presence in the house. Subhash’s mother

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had tried to dissuade him from marrying Gauri. He also learned that she was expecting Udayan's child/ pregnant.

“She is expecting a child. An intelligent girl. This is what he told us after he married you. And yet incapable of understanding simple things. Subash's parents did not want her, they only wanted her child. They often repeated to her, "You won't be of help" (Lahiri, 2013: 110)

From her mother in law statement, I can conclude that society glorifies the idea of perfect mother. They gave a great expectation that a woman should know what happened when she was pregnant. Gauri’s mother in law said that Udayan’s description of Gauri as an intelligent girl is contradictive with the fact that Gauri did not even realize that she was pregnant at that time.

Bijoli Mitra, Subhash and Udayan’s mother, said Gauri position in the family jeopardize the Mitras image in the society. Bijoli saw Gauri as an imperfect in law and she thought that Gauri was not going to be a good mother because Gauri did not een know that she was pregnant. Bijoli said Gauri could choose to go somewhere to continue her studies. Bijoli disagree if Subhash had to marry Gauri. Subhash pleaded for her saying, "You can't separate them. For Udayan's sake, accept her" ((Lahiri, 2013: 114). His mother was very angry and she spoke in an insulting tone: "Don't tell me how to honour my own son" ((Lahiri, 2013: 114). For her, Subhash comment dishonor her as a mother. She felt that it violated her rights and her concept of nurturing and treating her sons. Contrary to her reaction and her treatment to Gauri, she preferred to disconnect all the relationship to Gauri.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Chaudry, Yahya. Reading Mao in India: Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Lowland and Naxalism. newleftproject.org (10 November 2015)

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Lahiri, Jhumpa. Interview by the Book. theatlantic.com (11 November 2015) Lahiri, Jhumpa.The Lowland. New York: Random House, 2013.

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McLeod, John. Beginning Postcolonialism. Manchester: Manchester University Press. 2000.

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New, C. and David, M. “For the Children’s Sake: Making Childcare more than Women’s Business” in Klee, Hilary, Marcia Jackson, and Suzan Lewis. Drug Misuse and Motherhood. New York: Routledge. 2004.

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Young, Robert J. C. Postcolonialism: A Very Short Introduction. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.

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68 APPENDICS

Summary of the Jhumpa Lahiri’sThe Lowland

The Lowland _{is Jhumpa Lahiri’s fourth book. It was shortlisted for the} National Book Award in 2013, the Man Booker Prize 2013 and the Bailey’s Women’s Prize for Fiction 2014. This novel sketched in a town named Tollygunge, Calcutta, India during the 1950s and 60s. Begin with the story of two brothers named Udayan Mitra and Subhash Mitra. These two brothers were close in age but they were very different. Udayan was restless and impulsive. He protest the corruption and joined the Naxalbari movement in India. Meanwhile, Subhash Mitra was static, detached and settled in his own loneliness. Although both were very close, they remained different.

Both the brothers were speechless and shocked when they heard over the radio how the government arbitrarily brought the rebellion to its end. Udayan, by nature a dynamic idealist, charismatic and impulsive, finds himself propelled by social conscience into the Naxalite movement, a rebellion waged to eradicate inequity and poverty; he will give everything, risk all, for what he believes. True to the spirit of the movement, Udayan, becomes convinced that he should set himself on to better the living conditions of India's poor through violent uprising.

Subash chose to go to America to study oceanography. He communicated with Udayan by letters. The second letter from Udayan informed him of his marriage to Gauri, who was doing a degree in Philosophy at Presidency. She was a girl from North Calcutta, Cornwallis street, whose parents were dead and who

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lives with her only brother Manash. And Manash had befriended Udayan at Calcutta University, where they were both graduate students in the Physics Department. To Subhash, this was another instance of Udayan forging ahead of him and of getting on his way. Udayan had sent him a photograph of Gauri as a proof of what he had done. Once more Subhash felt "defeated by Udayan" for having found a girl all by him.

After two years, Subash got a telegram sayig that Udayan was dead. On reaching home, Subhash met his parents. Their faces conveyed disappointment. Subhash stood before the image of Udayan and wept. Soon he came to understand that his parents received Gauri coldly and treated her badly because the marriage was not an arranged one. He also learned that she was expecting Udayan's child. His parents refused to talk to her or acknowledge her presence in the house.

Subhas wants to married to Gauri as a form of responsibility. His mother, Bijoli Mitra, had warned Subhash that he was risking everything. She had forbidden Subhash and Gauri never to enter the house as husband and wife. But Gauri had married Subhash also as a means of staying connected to Udayan. In Rhode Island, she was not receptive to Subhash either; she continued to maintain the distance and her independence from him. She was unable to express her gratitude for what he had undertaken or to convey the ways he was a better person than Udayan. They lived separately in the same apartment.

Initially she tried to mingle with the mixed Indian community: for instance, she was happy to mix with other women of the University at the dinner

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party of Narasimhan and Kate. Later she withdrew saying she did not have anything commo

n with them. Subhash found it quite disturbing when she cut her hair short , dramatically altering her face and adopted the American style of dressing. Certain irrational fears haunted Gauri before and after the birth of Bela, her child. She felt Bela was her child and Udayan's, and Subhash for his helpfulness was simply playing a part.

As the years passed Gauri is found to be withdrawing little by little from her role as a mother . After Bela began to go to school, Gauri spent her time at the University library on Philosophy. Her readings and ruminations on the concept of time in the context of her own future haunted her but they also kept her alive. Most people lived wilfully anticipating future and the narrator delves into its significance in the life of the major characters. Gauri received some occasional letters from Manash which she resisted reading, given what they reminded her of. A part of Gauri still continued to expect illusorily some news from Udayan.

One day she asked Subhash if they could hire a babysitter to give her time to take a survey of German philosophy. Subhash did not agree to this on principle because he did not want to pay a stranger to care for Bela. He reminded her that her first priority under the present circumstances should be Bela and not her studies. But she begrudged Subhash's absence when he was at work and resented the few moments of the morning he enjoyed with Bela.

Gauri often left Bela alone leaving her engaged while she took a walk alone. The possibility of separating was not discussed since the point of their

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marriage was Bela. Gauri had never recognized the joy in sacrifice that motherhood always offered. Her professor Otto Weiss had offered her the requisite assistance to get her into the doctoral programme and she was looking forward to this. When Subhash and Bela reached their house after Mr.Mitra’s funeral, they were in for a shock: Gauri left the place for good to California leaving a farewell letter on the table. She was also quite indifferent if they should be in touch with one another. In the meantime, Gauri, away from Subhash and Bela, got settled in southern California, in a small college mainly meant for undergraduates. Her job was not only to teach students but also to mentor them. She was expected to be approachable and to maintain generous office hours. This obligation to be open to others and to forge alliances had in the beginning brought an unexpected strain. But she was quite successful with her colleagues and students.

When desire eventually began to push its way through, she sought friendships with men but she had never allowed herself to reach the point where they might complicate her life. In spite of her being on the guard, Lorna, a graduate student, who came to Gauri seeking an outside reader for her dissertation, unravelled her leading to the exploration of their own female bodies. She felt that the silence of Bela and her absence was a fitting punishment for her crime. Though late she understood what it meant to walk away from her own child.

Redefining motherhood through the character of Gauri in Jhumpa lahiri`s the lowland.

REDEFINING MOTHERHOOD THROUGH

THE CHARACTER OF GAURI IN JHUMPA LAHIRI’S

THE LOWLAND

AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

REDEFINING MOTHERHOOD THROUGH

THE CHARACTER OF GAURI IN JHUMPA LAHIRI’S

THE LOWLAND

AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

h,

y~g~~,

“Do not allow

people to dim your

shine because they

are blinded.

Tell them to put on

some sunglasses”

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Redefining motherhood through the character of Gauri in Jhumpa lahiri`s the lowland.

REDEFINING MOTHERHOOD THROUGH

THE CHARACTER OF GAURI IN JHUMPA LAHIRI’S

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AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

REDEFINING MOTHERHOOD THROUGH

THE CHARACTER OF GAURI IN JHUMPA LAHIRI’S

THE LOWLAND

AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

h,

y~g~~,

“Do not allow

people to dim your

shine because they

are blinded.

Tell them to put on

some sunglasses”

Parts

Dokumen yang terkait

ASHIMA GANGULI’S DIASPORIC LIFE IN JHUMPA LAHIRI’S THE NAMESAKE

THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIETY IN THE MAIN CHARACTER’S SELF IDENTITY AS AN INDIAN IMMIGRANT REFLECTED IN THE NAMESAKE NOVEL BY JHUMPA LAHIRI

The Namesake BY Jhumpa Lahiri

CONFLICTS OF CULTURAL VALUES REFLECTED IN JHUMPA Conflicts Of Cultural Values Reflected In Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake: A Sociological Study Of Literature.

INTRODUCTION Conflicts Of Cultural Values Reflected In Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake: A Sociological Study Of Literature.

CONFLICTS OF CULTURAL VALUES REFLECTED IN JHUMPA Conflicts Of Cultural Values Reflected In Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake: A Sociological Study Of Literature.

Portrayal of The Major Characters in Jhumpa Lahiri's 'The Namesake' and Bharati Mukherjee's 'Desirable Daughters'.

Portrayal of Immigrants in Jhumpa Lahiri's 'The Namesake' and Bharati Mukherjee's 'Jasmine'.

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