SOCIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS Child Abuse In Dave Pelzer’s Trilogy A Child Called It (1993), The Lost Boy (1995), And A Man Named Dave (1999).

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This chapt er deals w it h t he sociological analysis of child abuse in Dave Pelzer’s t rilogy A Child Called It , The Lost Boy and A M an Nam ed Dave.

Sociological approach analyzes human in societ y by w hich t he process comes from a societ y t o an individual. The w rit er analyzes t he t rilogy t hrough t he Sociological approach because she finds t hat t he st ory in t he books has a correlat ion t o t he t heory of sociology and t he social background of American societ y in t he lat e t w ent iet h cent ury.

This chapt er consist s of t hree part s. The first is the hist orical aspect s t hat include social, economy, polit ic, religion, cult ure, and science and t echnology; t he second is child abuse; and t he t hird is discussion. The discussion w ill correlat e t he t rilogy w it h t he child abuse in American societ y in t he lat e t w ent iet h cent ury and t he correlat ion bet w een t rilogy w it h sociology of lit erat ure.

A. Social Historical Aspects 1. Social Aspect

Dave Pelzer’s t rilogy A Child Called It , The Lost Boy and A M an Nam ed Dave reflect t he social aspect s of American societ y in t he lat e t w ent iet h

cent ury. The aspect s cont ain t he social st ruct ure, t he social st at us and t he social relat ionship.

The social st ruct ure of American societ y consist s of t hree namely higher class, middle class, and low er class. The aut hor doesn’t ment ion t he higher, m iddle, or low er class in t he t rilogy. There is only one st at ement t hat David’s family is w hit e. The family is reflect ed as Brady Bunch of t he 1960 w het her Brady Bunch is w hit e. The American people judge t hat w hit e people are higher t han t he black and t he ot her.

In t he years before I w as abused, m y fam ily w as t he “ Brady Bunch” of t he 1960s (ACCI: 15).

David’s family is symbolized as t he Brady Bunch of t he 1960. It w as a w hit e family of five, a M om , Dad, and t hree sons, w hose lifes w ere fulfilled w it h love and care. In A Child Called it, David t old t hat he w as happy living w it h his fam ily before abuse. It w as before four years old.

In addit ion, t he societ y differenciat es fost er children from comm on children. Fost er children are low er t han common children. They are being humiliat ed because t hey are being t hrow n aw ay by t heir ow n family. The American societ y underest imat ing on fost er care is reflect ed in t he st at ement below :

David, I don’t know w hy it is, but for som e reason a great deal of individuals look dow n on fost er care (TLB: 124).

David w as forbidden t o show his ident it y as fost er child t o ot her people because most of people look dow n on fost er care. It means t hat fost er children are excluded. They are low er t han ordinary children.

The social st at us of societ y is divided int o t hree: rich, middle and poor. In t he side of social st at us, most of t he social st at us of t he charact ers are middle. It can be seen from t he job of t he charact ers, such as secret ary, school nurse, t he principal M r Hansen, t he t eacher M iss Woods, M r Ziegler and M rs. Woodw ort h, police officer Sm it h, fireman St ephen Joseph, et c.

M y fat her, St ephen Joseph, support ed his fam ily as a firem an, w orking in t he heart of San Francisco (ACCI: 15).

The jobs ment ioned above are classified int o middle class. The majorit y middle class makes t heir money by w orking as a law yer, doct or, t eacher, civil servant , post man, fireman, ment or, social w orker, police, musicion, and ot hers. They don’t get high salary or low w age but t hey get it s average.

In t he side of social relat ionship, t he charact ers have a family relat ionship because it is ment ioned in t he t rilogy about fat her, mot her, brot her, grandm ot her, aunt and uncle. They live as nuclear family t hat consist s of a married couple w it h a number of children. They don’t st ay w it h ext ended family like grandm ot her, uncle and aunt .

The relat ionship among family members w as good before. They lived happily. Then, t he at t it ut e of David’s mot her changed as she frequent ly consumed alcohol.

M y relationship w it h M om drast ically changed from discipline t hat developed int o a kind of lifest yle t hat grew out of control (TLB: 21).

The mot her changed from t he kind one t o t he w ild one. M ot her alw ays got angry because David had a loud voice and he w as oft en caught in t he act of doing t he w rong t hing opposit es mot her’s rules. For example mot her forbade her children playing in t he grass.

As a sm all child, I probably had a voice t hat carried fart her than ot hers. I also had t he unfort unat e luck of get t ing caught at mischief, even t hough m y brot hers and I w ere oft en comm it ting t he same “ crim e” (ACCI: 21).

Fat her formerly helped David from mot her’s bad t reat ment . He w as a hero for David. Wherever fat her w ent , David follow ed him. It is because mot her w ouldn’t hurt David in t he fat her’s appearance.

Fat her becam e m y protect or. Whenever he went t o t he garage t o w ork on a project , I follow ed him. If he sat in his favorit e chair t o read t he new spaper, I parked m yself at his feet (ACCI: 23).

But lat er, he behaved as he didn’t see anyt hing w hen he frequent ly quarrelled w it h his w ife. M oreover, fat her accused David as t he source of t he fight bet w een him and m ot her. David hat ed fat her.

I also hat ed Fat her. He w as fully aw are of t he hell I lived in, but he lacked t he courage t o rescue m e as he had prom ised so m any t im es in t he past (ACCI 79).

David’s relat ionship w it h his siblings w as not good t oo. They pret ended t hat t hey didn’t see David t here. M oreover, one of t hem became accomplice of mot her so t hat David could be punished.

The boys w ho lived upst airs w ere no longer my brot hers. Som et im es in years past , t hey had m anaged t o encourage m e a lit t le. But in t he sum m er of 1972 t hey t ook t urns hit t ing m e and appeared t o enjoy t hrow ing t heir w eight around. It w as obvious t hat t hey felt superior t o t he fam ily slave (ACCI 79).

M ot her also didn’t have any good relat ionship w it h grandmot her. Grandmot her t reat ed mot her bad as young. She had ever locked m ot her in a room w it hout eat ing. She also underest imat ed m ot her t hat mot her couldn’t be a nurse as she w ished.

As a child, M ot her and Grandm ot her alw ays had an int ense love hate relationship, w hich m y brot hers and I had seen w henever one of t he w om en had a run in wit h t he ot her (AM ND: 88).

The w orst t hing w as t hat David had no longer become a part of t he family. He w as not allow ed t o have eat en t oget her w it h family, t o have sleep in a nice bed, t o have a rest in bat hroom, or t o have fun in picnic. He w as nobody, he w as called it.

You are a nobody! An It ! You are nonexist ent ! You are a bast ard child! I hat e you and I wish you w ere dead! Dead!” (ACCI: 82)

In addit ion, t he relat ionship bet w een David’s family and neighbor w as not good. M ot her seldom visit ed neighbor. She and her children spent almost t heir t ime at home.

David also didn’t have friends at school. no one w ant ed t o play w it h him because he w as smell and never changed clot h. He w as out cast .

At school I w as a t otal out cast . No ot her kid w ould have anyt hing t o do w ith m e (ACCI: 36).

2. Economic Aspect

The decade of t he 1920s t hat w as as t he Golden Tw ent ies w as charact erized by w idespread prosperit y. During t he prosperit y of t he Golden t w ent ies, many Americans made spent money w it h ease. Aft er enjoying t he Golden Tw ent ies, American had a t errible sit uat ion t hat ’s called t he Great Depression. The Great Depression w as a severe w orldw ide economic depression in t he decade preceding World War II and it is st art ed in about 1939 and ended 1945.

The t iming of t he Great Depression varied across nat ions, but in m ost count ries it st art ed in 1930 and last ed unt il t he lat e 1930s or middle 1940s. It w as t he longest , most w idespread, and deepest depression of t he 20t h cent ury. The st art of t he Great Depression w as reflect ed t o t he sudden devast at ing collapse of US st ock market prices on Oct ober 29, 1929, know n as Black Tuesday. How ever, t he depression originat ed in t he U.S., aft er t he fall in st ock prices t hat began around Sept ember 4, 1929.

The Great Depression had devast at ing effect s in count ries rich and poor. Personal income, t ax revenue, profit s and prices dropped, w hile

int ernat ional t rade plunged by more t han 50%. Unemployment in t he U.S. rose t o 25%.

The book A M an Nam ed Dave st at es about t he great depression. David’s grandmot her rose her children in t he great depression w it hout a husband. Her husband passed aw ay. She felt difficult t o raise t w o children. Therefore, t he mot her w as grow n by t ight w ay.

Okay, I t hought , m aybe Grandm ot her w as overbearing. When her husband passed aw ay, leaving her t o raise t w o children in t he middle of a depression, Grandm ot her had t o be st ern. ( AM ND: 196-197)

In A M an Named Dave, it isalso st at ed t hat America faced a st at ewide recession in 1978 and it was difficult t o find a job.

Jobs right now are scarce w it h t he recession and all, (AM ND: 228)

That t ime was recession in America. David dropped out from high school and didn’t have job. In addit ion, his saving money remained lit t le. He was in hard condit ion.

In t he sum mer of 1978, at age eight een, in order t o furt her m y career as t op rat ed car salesm an, I decided t o drop out of high school. But m ont hs lat er, after a st atew ide recession, I found m yself as a legal adult , w it h no diplom a, no job, and m y life savings quickly draining aw ay. (AM ND: 34)

M oreover, aft er joining air forces for years, David w as fright ened for t he new s of personnel cut backs. He w as a boom operat or. He believed t hat he w ould be among t he first t o be relieved from act ive dut y since t he Looking Glass w as no longer an operat ional aircraft and boom operat ors w ere not allow ed t o perform t heir t asks.

In the spring of 1992, rum ors began t o float of severe personnel cut backs (AM ND: 226).

Recession is a significant decline in econom ic act ivit y spread across t he economy, last ing more t han a few mont hs, normally visible in real gross domest ic product (GDP), real income, employm ent , indust rial product ion, and w holesale-ret ail sales. There have been as m any as 47 recessions in t he Unit ed St at es since 1790.

Cycles in agricult ure, consumpt ion, and business invest ment , and t he healt h of t he banking indust ry also cont ribut e t o t hese declines. U.S. recessions have increasingly affect ed economies on a w orldw ide scale, especially as count ries’ economies become more int ert w ined.

In A Child Called it, it seems t hat t he societ y w as a w ell-t o-do people. In t he house, David’s fam ily had car, t elephone, and elect ronic it ems like TV, st ereo, and radio. It means t hat David’s family w as capable in mat erial.

Spring m eant picnics. M om w ould prepare a feast of fried chicken, salads, sandw iches and lot s of dessert s t he night before (ACCI: 19).

David’s family also frequent ly w ent for picnic. They used t o go for picnic in spring. M ot her used t o prepare for meal t he night before.

Spring meant picnics. M om w ould prepare a feast of fried chicken, salads, sandw iches and lot s of dessert s t he night before (ACCI:19).

David’s family used t o go t o Russian River in summer. They w ent t here by car.

Alt hough David’s parent s w ere prosperous enough, his m ot her w it hheld him some food, appropriat e clot hing and ot her basic m at erial necessit ies of life.

Because M ot her had m e wear the same clot hes w eek aft er w eek, by Oct ober m y clot hes had becom e w eat hered, t orn and sm elly (ACCI: 30).

By t hen, M ot her w ould “ forget” t o feed me any dinner (ACCI: 30).

In The Lost Boy, David’s needs were seemed t o be fulfilled by his fost er parent s. He got some money from count y t hat given t o fost er parent s t o buy him some needs including clot h. Lilian, his first fost er parent , didn’t afraid t o spend t he money cost ly $127 for David’s needs.

I’ve got a check here for $127 from t he count y t o buy you som e clothes (TLB: 61).

However, t o find fost er parent s at t hat t ime was very difficult . The fat e of t he fost er children was poor because of t he lack number of fost er parent s. There was an organizat ion t hat helped t he needs of children. One of t hem is The Arrow Project .

Anot her organizat ion is The Arrow Project , a nonprofit organization t hat addresses t he needs of children and fam ilies in several st at es by providing fost er care, diagnost ic and educat ional services and other int erventions (TLB: 188).

In addit ion, fost er children who are approaching eight een should t hink about t heir fut ure of how t o st and by t hemselves because t hey wouldn’t be in a ward of t he court anym ore. This was proved by David’s st ruggle for finding some jobs before eight een.

I soon added a job at a w at ch repair shop, w here I w orked about 20 hours a w eek for $10, 25 t akehome pay (TLB:159).

It can be concluded t hat David lived in hard t ime w it h difficul economy condit ion. The t ime w hen t he books w ere w rit t en w as at recession t ime. The book also ment ioned about great depression.

3. Political Aspects

The Unit ed St at es is a federal const it ut ional republic in w hich t he President , Congress, and judiciary share pow ers reserved t o t he nat ional government , and t he federal government shares sovereignt y w it h t he st ate government s. Polit ic can be divided int o t w o namely domest ic policy and foreign policy.

Domest ically, American policy is broken dow n int o t hree: legislat ive, execut ive, and judiciary. Legislat ive pow er is vested in t he t w o chambers of Congress, t he Senat e and t he House of Represent at ives. The execut ive branch is headed by t he President and is independent of t he legislat ure. The judiciary branch, composed of t he Supreme Court . The judiciary’s funct ion is t o int erpret t he Unit ed St at es Const it ut ion and federal law s and regulat ions. This includes resolving disput es bet w een t he execut ive and legislat ive branches.

There are major differences bet w een t he polit ical syst em of t he Unit ed St at es and t hat of most ot her developed democracies. These include

great er pow er in t he upper house of t he legislat ure, a w ider scope of pow er held by t he Supreme Court , t he separat ion of pow ers bet w een t he legislat ure and t he execut ive, and t he dominance of only t w o main part ies.

The t w o polit ical part ies, t he Democrat ic Part y and t he Republican Part y, have dominat ed American polit ics since t he American Civil War. These t w o part ies have w on every Unit ed St at es president ial elect ion since 1852 and have cont rolled t he Unit ed St at es Congress since at least 1856. Among t he t w o major part ies, t he Democrat ic Part y generally posit ions it self as left -of-cent er in American polit ics and support s a modern liberal plat form , w hile t he Republican Part y generally posit ions it self as right -of-cent er and support s a conservat ive plat form.

Ideology held by t he U.S. is capit alism and met hod of t he dist ribut ion is imperialism, and t his is t he U.S. foreign policy. In dealing w it h ot her count ries, t he Unit ed St at es use t he mission of offering cooperat ion, friendship and assist ance. The cooperat ion, friendship, and assist ance w ere in a variet y aspect such as in educat ion or cult ure. Ot herw ise, America w ill send it s t roops and int elligence t o know how t he pot ent ial, st rengt h, w eakness, and an import ant part of a count ry. No doubt , America w ill also deploy American m ilit ary reinforcement s t o dest roy anyt hing.

How ever, American foreign policy is illust rat ed in t he book A M an Nam ed Dave. The book A Child Called it and The Lost Boy do not ment ion polit ical aspect . The polit ical aspect ment ioned is only foreign policy not domest ic policy. It is st at ed about Saddam Husein’s invasion t o Kuw ait in w hich America involved in t his w ar. America supposed t o help t he w orld t o solve t he cont rovercial.

The Invasion of Kuw ait w as a major conflict bet w een t he Republic of Iraq and t he St at e of Kuw ait . Kuw ait w as a close ally of Iraq during t he Iraq-Iran w ar. In 1990, Iraq accused Kuw ait of st ealing Iraqi pet roleum t hrough slant drilling. In addit ion, t he w ar w as caused by Kuw ait reject ion t o get a rid of Iraq’s debt . The invasion st art ed on 2 August 1990, and w it hin t w o days of int ense combat .

The invasion of Kuw ait w as w on by Iraq. Kuw ait became t he 19t h province of Iraq by t he name of Al-M it la Saddamiyat on August 28, 1990. Aft erw ards, Kuw ait asked America help and t hen it lead t o Gulf War.

In helping Kuw ait , t he Unit ed St at es sent t roops t o Saudi Arabia. David as one of American t roops sw ept aw ay his problems in marriage and concent rat ed t o his t ask involving int o t he w ar. David received count less briefings, varying from chemical w arfare defense t o his t ask of refueling t he St ealt h Fight ers.

In August 1990, Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuw ait shifted my priorities. (AM ND: 216)

David had import ant role in flying his plane. The various fight er aircraft could not fly t o t heir t argets w it hout David’s plane’s fuel. David’s life w as also skat e. The possibilit y t o die w as big because t he Boeing t anker David flied had t he makings of a prime t arget. It cont ained gas w hich be easily exploded if it got a hit .

Because it w as a flying gas st at ion in t he sky, if enem y aircraft hit David’s plane, he w ould be vaporized from t he explosion (AM ND: 216).

Wit h many problems he facing, David never gave up. He w ould concent rat e t o do his t ask and t ry his best . He w ould complet e his t ask and convicing himself t o come back home safely. He would gat her w it h his family again.

I had t o set aside m y m ixed em ot ions about my m arriage and focus on doing m y part and com ing hom e alive (AM ND: 217).

How ever, David felt difficult t o leave his son. He ensured St ephen his son t hat he w ould be back. The enemy w ould not be able t o make him die.

They w on’t shoot us dow n, St ephen. If t hey do, w e w on’t blow up. I’ll use m y parachut e. Once on t he ground, I’ll evade. They’ll never t ake m e prisoner. If t hey do, I’ll escape. If I can’t escape, I’ll be fine. I’ll com e back. No m at t er what happens, I’ll com e back. (AM ND: 217)

David sent t o Arab Saudi in 1991. America fight ed t ow ard Iraq w it h t he coalit ion had st ronger air st rengt h t han Iraq’s. Therefore, t he mission of coalision t o at t ack Iraq became rounit e.

As it t urned out , t hough, aft er t he first couple of w eeks, t he coalit ion m aint ained air superiorit y over Iraq, and t he missions becam e routine (AM ND: 218).

David involved int o Gulf War is reflect ed in t his book. His mind w as full of St ephen. He w as afraid of St ephen being hurt ed. He couldn’t sleep soundly during t he w ar.

Aft er that m orning, and on ot hers t o follow , I never slept as soundly as I did w hen I served in t he gulf w ar (AM ND: 218).

On February 27, 1991, Coalit ion forces succeeded in liberat ing Kuw ait from Iraq and President Bush declared t he w ar over. David came back from Arab Saudi in M arch 1991.

I ret urned from Saudi Arabia in M arch 1991 (AM ND: 218).

The realit y bet w een America and it s people can be draw n as w hat David had experienced w it h t he mot her w ho could force David t o do everyt hing she ever w ant ed. The mot her is symbolized as America w ho can force someone and David is as t he people w ho is forced t o obey rules.

4. Religious Aspects

The largest religion in t he US is Christ ianit y, pract iced by t he majorit y of t he populat ion. Christ ianit y w as int roduced during t he period of European colonizat ion. Among Christ ian believers, m ost of Americans now days believe in Prot est ant s t hen follow ed by Cat holics and t he ot her Christ ian branch. Previously, t here w ere no dist inct ions as Cat holics or Prot est ant unt il by t he early 16t h cent ury in Germany t here w as a movement as a react ion against

medieval Roman Cat holic doct rines and pract ices, especially in regard t o salvat ion, just ificat ion, and ecclesiology.

The t erm ‘Cat holic’ w as first used t o describe t he Christ ian Church in t he early 2nd cent ury t o emphasize it s universal scope. Cat holic simply means universal. This church w as led by t he Pope. It w as official form of t he early Christ ian church. How ever, many ot her Christ ians use t he t erm Cat holic t o refer more broadly t o t he w hole Christ ian Church or t o all believers in Jesus Christ .

Cat holicism w as by far t he largest Christ ian group. Wit h more t han one billion adherent s, Cat holics const it ut e about half of t he w orld’s Christ ians. Cat holicism is t he majorit y religion of It aly, Spain, and nearly all Lat in American count ries. One day, some Cat holics leave t he church and move t o Prot est ant churches. From t he survey, it w as apparent t hat most Cat holics w ho leave t he Church do so because t hey aren’t get t ing t heir needs met and found more appealing or sat isfying alt ernat ives in Prot est ant churches.

Agreed t o stat ements above, t he w rit er found t hat most of people’s religion in America is Christ ianit y. Ot herw ise, t he charact ers in t he book are most ly Cat holics not Prot est ant s. Cat holics believe t hat t here is only one God and argue t hat he has revealed himself as t he t rinit y. They hold t he Old

Test ament as t heir script ure w hile Prot est ant made some changes from t he Old Test ament t o t he New Test ament . Som e Christ ians believe in t he original script ure, t he Old Test ament . Therefore, t he charact ers in t his book believe in Cat holic. Cat holic is t he religion t hat believed by t he charact ers. It can be seen from how t hey w ent t o Cat holic church.

Four days lat er, on a foggy M onday m orning, I parked M r Turnbough’s car in front of t he sam e Cat holic church Ron, St an, and I had briefly at t ended w it h our aunt years ago as preschoolers. (AM ND: 97)

A church is a building or st ruct ure t o facilit at e w orship and t he meet ing of Christ ianit y. Tradit ional church buildings are oft en in t he shape of a cross and frequent ly have a t ow er or dome. Ot her comm on shapes for churches include a circle, t o represent et ernit y, or an oct agon or sim ilar st ar shape, t o represent t he church’s bringing light t o t he w orld. Anot her common feat ure is t he spire, a t all t ow er on t he ‘w est ’ end of t he church or over t he crossing. M ore modern church buildings have a variet y of archit ect ural st yles and layout s.

Christ ians usually go t o church every Sunday for w orship. Some of t hem believe t hat go t o church every Sunday is obligat ion and some ot hers believe t hat it is not a must but rat her alw ays keep Jesus Christ in t he heart . Christ ians celebrat e t he Christ ’s Day, Sunday, t he day of His Resurrect ion. All Cat holics must refrain from menial labor on Sunday and w orship God by at t ending Sunday M ass.

Besides, David w as religious for having a bible. The bible is ment ioned as t he place t o keep his brot her’s let t er.

For now all I could do w as replace m y brot her’s let ter in my Bible, and pray for the best . (AM ND: 121)

The Bible is a canonical collect ion of t ext s considered sacred in Christ ianit y. Different religious groups include different books w it hin t heir cannons. Int erest ing fact is t hat t he Cat holic Bible cont ains seven books of t he Old Test ament not cont ained in t he Prot est ant Bible. These books are: The Wisdom of Solom on, Tobit , Sirach, Judit h, 1st M accabees, 2nd M accabees, Baruch. Addit ional part s of Est her and Daniel are also not in t he Prot est ant Bible.

These books are somet imes referred t o as the ‘Apocrypha’ by Prot est ant s or t he ‘Deut erocanonical’ books meaning ‘also canonical’ by Cat holics. These books w ere not w rit t en in Hebrew , but in Greek inst ead. The Cat holic Church, t hrough t he int ercession of t he Holy Spirit , discerned t hat t hese books w ere divinely inspired and included t hem in t he Bible in t he year 382 AD. at t he Council of Rome, under Pope Damasus I.

M oreover, David’s family celebrat ed Christ mas since t he Holy days of Christ ians are Christ mas, East er, New Year, Pent ecost , Saint s’ Feast Days. It is t he day w hen Christ ians believe of Jesus w as born. it is celebrat ed generally on December 25. Christ ians celebrat e t he birt h of Jesus t o t he

Virgin M ary as a fulfillment of t he Old Test ament ’s M essianic prophecy. In t his day, people w ill decorat e t heir house w it h pine t rees. The out side of houses may be decorat ed w it h light s and somet imes w it h illuminat ed sleighs, snow men, and ot her Christ mas figures. Other t radit ional decorat ions include bells, candles, candy canes, st ockings, w reat hs, and angels.

The children believe t hat in Christ mast eve, Sant a w ill come. Sant a Claus, also know n as Saint Nicholas, Fat her Christ mas and simply ‘Sant a’, is a figure w it h legendary and myt hical w ho, in many w est ern cult ures, brings gift s t o t he homes of t he good children during t he lat e evening and overnight hours of Christ mas Eve, December 24. Sant a Claus is generally depict ed as a port ly, joyous, w hit e-bearded man - somet imes w it h spect acles - w earing a red coat w it h w hit e collar and cuffs, w hit e-cuffed red t rousers, and black leat her belt and boot s.Therefore, t hey w ill be happy w ait ing for Sant a’s arrival.

As Christ m as Day came nearer, my brot hers and I becam e m ore and m ore excit ed. (ACCI: 18)

5. Cultural Aspects

In t his aspect , t he w rit er w ill show t he w orld view of American societ y in t he lat e of t w ent iet h cent ury. The cult ural aspect is broken dow n int o t hree: ment al fact s, social fact s, and physical fact s. M ent al fact s consist of

norms, w ay of life, and value-syst em. Social fact s include cust om and t radit ion. Physical fact s such as fashion, art hefact , and lit erat ure.

View ed from ment al fact s, t he w rit er breaks it int o t hree. First , t he societ y believed t hat people had t o mind t heir ow n bussiness. They t ook care of t heir ow n house and ot her people had not a right t o int erfere. At t hat t ime, w hat in t he house should be closed. The m embers of t he family w ould not t ell w hat happened in t he house or w hat problem t hey had faced.

“ I have no idea w hat happened back t hen. That ’s not m y affair. What happens in som eone’s house st ays in t heir house. It ’s no one else’s business. I see no need t o open up Pandora’s box.” (AM ND: 129)

The second, it is st at ed t hat harshness in children at t hat t ime w as not cat egorized as an abuse but it w as an act t o discipline t hem. Everyone might see t he harshness but t hey could not do anyt hing.

“ Anyw ay, anybody could see w hat she w as doing. Back t hen t here w as not hing w e could have done, or w ere allow ed t o do. Back t hen it w as considered discipline, parent al right s, but w e had t o do som et hing. Any one of us could see w hat w as going on. It ’s somet hing you don’t forget . Ever.” (AM ND: 233)

The people couldn’t help children w ho got bad t reat ment because t here w eren’t a great Penal Codes t o prot ect kids. Penal Code is a st at ut e w hich list s and defines prohibit ed conduct s or crimes and t he punishment s associat ed w it h each.

“ ... but back t hen in 1973 t hings w ere very different ; your mot her w as never brought up on a single charge. We couldn’t get her on assault , w illful harm against a minor, failure t o provide, or, in m y est im at ion, at tem pt ed m urder. Underst and, t here w eren’t a great deal of PCs t o prot ect kids back t hen in ’73. Even now , as w e ent er t he 1980s, t here are a m ajorit y of folks w ho are

in t ot al denial or believe parent s are doing not hing m ore t han ‘disciplining’ t heir children. (AM ND: 149)

The t hird, t he societ y had also seen Fost er Child blindly. They looked dow n t o fost er children for not having parent s.

Ot her tim es I’d happily st at e, “ I’m a fost er child!” I was proud t o be a m em ber of m y new fam ily. I began t o repeat t his saying until one day one of t he older fost er children pulled m e aside at school, w arning m e not t o t ell anyone “ w hat” I w as because “ a lot of folks don’t like our kind.” (TLB: 50)

In social fact s, American used t o drink alcohol. People used t o keep t heir problems w it hout sharing and solving t hem. They alw ays ran aw ay from t heir problems by drinking alcohol and t hey didn’t t ry t o solve t he problems. Therefore, drinking alcohol is a cust om and becomes t he habit of American societ y.

“ I underst and. Don’t be t oo judgment al. Like I said, it w as a different era back t hen; for your parent s, and t heir parent s before t hem. What ever problem s w e had w ere sw ept under t he rug. Fam ily skelet ons w ere kept locked in t he closet ...” (AM ND: 114)

American t radit ion t o celebrat e Holy Days is also reflect ed in t he book A Child Called it. David’s family used t o celebrat e Thanksgiving, Christ mas, and Hallow een.

That year Thanksgiving dinner was a flop. In som e kind of gest ure of good fait h, M ot her allow ed m e t o eat at t he t able w it h t he fam ily (ACCI: 87-88).

Thanksgiving is a holiday celebrat ed in t he Unit ed St at es on t he fourt h Thursday in November. It came before Christ mas. All members of t he family usually eat t oget her w hen t hanksgiving held.

The day aft er Thanksgiving, M om w ould disappear t o t he basem ent , t hen bring up enorm ous boxes filled wit h Christm as decorat ions (ACCI: 17).

Christ mas w as celebrat ed on December 25. It w as t he day w hen Jesus born. On Chrismas, people usually decorat e t heir houses w it h some Christ mas decorat ions like light s.

Christ m as light s w ere draped around our bedroom w indow s. Every night I fell asleep w hile st aring at t he soft , colorful glow of t he Christ m as light s (ACCI: 17)

There also w as Christ mas t ree w it h some decorat ions such as angel. It w as David’s family t radit ion t o be honored t o place angel at t he t op of t he t ree. Fat her w ould help t he son up w it h his arms.

Our Christm as tree w as never ever an inch under eight feet, and it t ook t he w hole family hours t o decorat e it . Each year one of us w as honored by being allow ed t o place t he angel at t he t op of t he t ree, w hile Fat her held us up in his st rong arm s (ACCI: 18).

The t radit ion in playing Christ mas song is seemed in A Child Called it. David’s family played t he song by st ereo. The song w as Whit e Christ mas t hat sang by Bing Crosby.

While she t old us st ories, Bing Crosby sang “ Whit e Christm as” on t he st ereo. (ACCI: 18)

Children w ould be happily w ait ing for Sant a’s arrival in t he night before Christ mas. They w ould get gift delivered by Sant a. David and his siblings usually opened t he gift aft er dinner.

On Christm as Eve, after a special dinner and caroling, w e w ere allowed t o open one gift. Aft erw ards, w e w ere sent t o bed. I alw ays st rained m y ears as I laid in bed, w aiting for t he sound of Sant a’s sleigh bells. But I alw ays fell asleep before I heard his reindeer land on t he roof (ACCI: 18).

Hallow een is a t radit ion of celebrat ion t he night of Oct ober 31, and is mainly celebrat ed in t he Unit ed St at es. Hallow een symbol is carved pumpkin w it h fright ening face called Jack-o'-lant ern.

For our fam ily – during t hose good years – t he holidays st art ed w it h Hallow een. One Oct ober night , w hen t he huge harvest m oon w as in full view , M om hurried t he t hree of us out of our house, t o gaze at t he “ Great Pum pkin” in t he sky (ACCI: 17).

Hallow een is ident ical w it h t he devil, w it ches, ghost s goblins and creepy creat ures of West ern cult ure. David’s mother bought St an Hallow een record t hat cont ained scary st ory.

I could hear t he sounds of St an’s Halloween record t hat M ot her had bought for him several years before. Ghost s and ghouls howled, and doors creaked open. Aft er t he boys had carved t heir pum pkins, I could hear M ot her in her soot hing voice telling t hem a scary st ory (ACCI: 70).

Physical fact appears in t he book t hat is lit erat ure. David ment ions in t he t hird book A M an Nam ed Dave t hat he w rot e A Child Called it and The Lost Boy.

In t he fall of 1992, w hile doing a series of fact checks for A Child Called “ It” , I cont act ed my element ary school t o discover t hat one of the t eachers w ho had not ified t he aut horities, M r Ziegler, w as st ill t eaching. (AM ND: 229-230) David t old about his first book A Child Called it when he checked for t he originalit y of t his book t o his t eacher at Element ary School. It w as informed t hat A Child Called it had been w rit t en in 1992. A Child Called it is t he book t hat t alk about his experience in get t ing abuse based on t he child’s life from ages 4 t o 12.

“ The Lost Boy, t oo?” Pat sy inquired, m y second book, w hich Jerry had about insist ed that I w rit e. (AM ND: 250)

The Lost Boy also ment ioned in A M an Nam ed Dave. It was t old t hat David w as t aken advant age by Lincoln. His books A Child Called it and The Lost Boy w ere never published. They w eren’t in t he st ores because it w eren’t copyright ed.

6. Science and Technology Aspect

Tw ent iet h cent ury w as a t ime t hat st art ed w it h horses, simple aut omobiles, and freight er but ended w it h luxury sedans, cruise ships, airlines and space shut t le. In addit ion, mass media, t elecom unicat ions and informat ion t echnology made t he w orld’s know ledge more w idely available t o people. It is show n in Pelzer’s t rilogy from w hat t he charact ers had and did in t he st ory of A Child Called It, The Lost Boy and A M an Nam ed Dave.

In David’s house, t here w ere t elephone, t elevision, st ereo, and radio. The policem an asks for m y address and t elephone num ber (ACCI: 12).

For communicat ion, David’s family had t elephone. The t elephone t hat connect ed t o cabel from home t o home w as put at home. It w as not handphone or mobile phone t hat could be brought anyw here.

At t im es w hile Fat her w as aw ay at w ork, she w ould spend t he ent ire day lying on t he couch, dressed only in her bat hrobe, w atching t elevision (ACCI: 21).

For informat ion, David’s family also had t elevision. The t elevision w as oft en w at ched by his mot her w hile fat her w as at w ork. She almost spent her t ime by w at ching t elevision w hile drinking alcohol.

While she t old us st ories, Bing Crosby sang “ Whit e Christ m as” on t he st ereo (ACCI: 18).

Besides, David’s family also had radio for media of informat ion. It also w as used as ent ert ainment . The radio w as used t o play music.

They oft en drank from mid aft ernoon, until m y brot hers and I clim bed int o bed. I rem em ber w at ching t hem dance around t he kitchen to m usic from t he radio (ACCI: 23-24).

There is also st ereo in David’s house. The st ereo played at Christ mas. The st ereo w as also used t o play romance song t o dance David’s fat her and mot her.

While she told us st ories, Bing Crosby sang “ Whit e Christm as” on t he st ereo (ACCI: 18).

In t ransport at ion, David’s m ot her had her ow n car. The aut hor ment ions t he car in t he book A Child Called it by using t he t erm ‘st at ion w agon’. The st at ion w agon used t o be driven by mot her. She used it t o drive and pick children up t o and from school. The st at ion w agon w as also used t o have family picnic.

Furt hermore, David had a bicycle. He got t he bicycle in Crist mast from his grandmot her. He rarely used t he bicycle w hen st ayed at home. In cont rast , he used it oft en w hen he st ayed in fost er home.

The yellow and candyapplered M urray bicycle wit h it s m et allicred banana seat w as my prized possession. (TLB: 63).

David also had minibike and car. His fost er parent John accept ed David’s w ish t o buy m inibike. The minibike w as used for racing in t he m iddle of t he lifeless st reet w it h his friends. Paul alw ays w on. Out of t he hundreds of races, David w on only one.

When I w ant ed t o buy a minibike, John said yes (TLB: 161).

Becoming car seller, David saved his money and bought a car for him. He had his ow n car finally.

M y heart seem ed t o skip a beat when I parked my car at t he old Safew ay superm arket. (TLB: 178)

There w ere also planes. David flied planes aft er joining U.S. airforce. By flying a plane, David’s dream in childhood t o be superman w ho can fly is answ ered.

M y body slid from m y seat , and I t hought for sure I’d fall out of the plane as t he Boeing 727 made a sudden sharp roll t o t he right (AM ND: 31).

In addit ion, t here w as also found bus st at ion. It means t hat t he t ransport at ion had developed w ell.

In addit ion, David had Daisy BB gun. How ever, David w as surprised for get t ing a permission from his fost er parent s t o have a gun. It w as not safe for a t eenage t o have a gun. Therefore, his fost er parent John had t o t each him gun safety. David could only shoot against paper t arget s under John’s supervision.

One day w hen I t im idly asked John if he could drive m e t o t he local sport shop so I could buy a BB gun, he replied, “ Let ’s go.” I w as st unned (TLB: 161)

.

Besides, Paul’s parent s had camera. Paul used it t o make a movie. The movie w as like a James Bond w it h David as t he lead act or.

Paul’s parent s had a 16m m cam era, so Paul decided t o m ake a Jam es Bond st yle m ovie, cast ing m e as t he lead act or. (TLB: 163)

B. Child Abuse

Child abuse is a serious problem in t he Unit ed St at es. From t he lat e ninet iet h cent ury t o now , child abuse has been prevailing. Each year, over t hree million children are report ed t o have been abused (Van der Kolk et all, 2001). By 1974, some 60,000 cases w ere report ed (M yers, 2008). In 1980, t he num ber exceeded t o one million. By 1990, report s t opped t w o millions, and in 2000, t he report s said t here w ere around t hree millions.

There are some informat ion about child abuse but t here are cert ain people w ho believe t hat most abuses are not hing more t han parent s exert ing t heir right t o discipline t heir children. Some people just get confused in

separat ing abusing and disciplining child. This happens because t he old people t aught t heir children t hrough harshness. In addit ion, t here w ere no enough Penal Code (PC) t o prot ect children. How ever, a movement t o prot ect children grow s rapidly now adays.

Child abuse is defined as any recent act or even t he failure t o act in order t o keep a child safe. A child may be defined as a person under t he age of 18. These act s may be commit t ed by parent or caret aker w ho is responsible for t he child’s w elfare.

Abuse is one reason w hy children are placed in fost er care. The cases of child abuse

are handled by a mult idisciplinary t eam w hich includes medical personnel, law enforcement officers, t he schools, social w orkers, and t he court s. School personnel may be t he first t o not ice and report t he signs of abuses.

There are four kinds of abuse: physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect abuse, and emot ional abuse. Physical abuse is charact erized by physical injury, usually inflict ed as t he result of a beat ing or inappropriat ely harsh disciplining. Sexual abuse includes molest at ion, incest , rape, prost it ut ion, or child’s pornography. Neglect abuse can be physical, educat ional, or emot ional. Inappropriat e punishment and verbal abuse are also forms of emot ional or psychological child abuse.

Abuse is usually done by t he person w ho has close relat ion w it h t he abused like fat her or mot her. In some cases, abusers do not have t he educat ion and skills needed t o raise a child, t hus w hich increase t he likelihood of abuse,

and provide inadequat e parent al role models for fut ure generat ions. In addit ion, abusers are usually t he people w ho had ever been abused.

Children w ho suffer from abuse oft en cont inue t o be affect ed t ill adult s. Anxiet y and depression can result in poor academic, w ork performance and in failed adult ’s relat ionship. Abusive behavior can be passed dow n, w it h abused children grow ing t o become abusive parent s. Therefore t hrough his t rilogy A Child Called It, The Lost Boy, and A M an Nam ed Dave, Pelzer t ries t o w arn and break t he abuse circle. He also encourage t he abused children t o survive and t he people around t o be aw are of children abuse.

In A Child Called it, Pelzer t ells some kinds of abuse he had ever experienced. The abuses included physical abuse, emot ional abuse and neglect abuse. Physically, David w as beat en, broken his arm and punct ured ont o his st omach and burned on t he st ove. He got many bruises on his body. It w as discovered as t he school’s nurse invest igat ed and t ook a not e about David’s body.

She count s t he slashlike m arks on m y face, looking for any she m ight have m issed in t he past . She is very t horough. Next , t he nurse opens m y m out h t o look at m y t eet h t hat are chipped from having been slam med against t he kit chen t ile count er t op. She jot s a few m ore not es on t he paper. As she cont inues t o look me over, she st ops at t he old scar on m y st om ach (ACCI: 9).

David oft en got beat ing from mot her. The more David did mist ake, t he more he got beat ing.

When I came t o school t he next day, he saw t he result s of M ot her’s beat ings (ACCI: 10).

Accident ly, m ot her had ever broken Davids arm. One day, mot her grabbed David’s arm t hen she lost her balance and break David’s arm.

As M ot her grabbed m y arm , she lost her balance and st aggered back a st ep. As she jerked violent ly t o regain her st abilit y, I heard somet hing pop, and felt an int ense pain in m y shoulder and arm . The st art led look on M ot her’s face t old m e t hat she had heard t he sound t oo, but she released her grip on m y arm , and t urned and w alked aw ay as if not hing had happened. I cradled m y arm as it began t o t hrob w ith pain (ACCI:24)

M ot her also had ever punct ured ont o David’s st omach. She point ed a knife t o David’s st omach and supposed t o kill him.

Out of t he corner of m y eye I saw a blurred object fly from her hand. A sharp pain erupt ed from just above m y st om ach. I tried t o rem ain st anding, but m y legs gave out , and m y w orld turned black. (ACCI: 52).

M ot her t ried t o burn David on t he st ove. She w ant ed david t o feel how hot t he hell w as because she felt like living in t he hell because of David.

“ You’ve m ade my life a living hell! ” she sneered. “ Now it ’s t im e I show ed you w hat hell is like!” Gripping my arm , M ot her held it in t he orangeblue flame. M y skin seem ed t o explode from t he heat. I could smell t he scorched hairs from m y burnt arm . (ACCI: 28)

Emot ionally, David’s mot her mocked him as a bast ard child, lit t le son of a bit ch, and w as considered as nobody. He w as called ‘it ’.

“ Get one t hing straight , you lit tle son of a bitch! There is not hing you can do t o im press m e! Do you underst and m e? You are a nobody! An It ! You are nonexist ent! You are a bast ard child! I hat e you and I w ish you w ere dead! Dead! Do you hear m e? Dead! ” (ACCI: 82)

In addit ion, he got emot ional abuse from his school friends. He w as called ‘David t he Food Thief’ or ‘Pelzer-Smellzer’.

His mot her neglect ed David for not giving meal and fine clot hes. His mot her also didn’t pay at t ent ion t o David’s healt h.

Because M ot her had m e w ear t he sam e clot hes week aft er w eek, by Oct ober m y clot hes had become weat hered, t orn and sm elly. She hardly bot hered t o cover m y bruises on m y face and arm s. (AACI: 30)

By t hen, M ot her w ould “ forget” t o feed me any dinner. (ACCI: 30)

In M arch 5, 1973, school personnel report ed t he abuse t o police. Aft erw ards, David w as brought t o fost er home by Aunt M ary as t he mot her. This st ory w as t old in The Lost Boy. Aft er t he t rial, he moved t o five different homes. His fost er parent s w ere: Lilian - Rudy Cat anze, Alice - Harold Turnbough, Joanne – M ichael Nulls, Vera – Jody, and Linda – Jody Walsh. David w as in w ard of t he court unt il eight een. Then, he searched for job and finally joined U.S. Air Force.

How ever, in A M an Nam ed Dave, Pelzer t ries t o reveal t he cause w hy David got t he abuse. In t hat book, it is st at ed t hat his mot her abused him because she had experienced harshness from her mot her t oo.

From w hat I had learned, people like M ot her abused t heir children in t he sam e m anner t hey w ere abused; t hus becoming a product of t heir environment . (AM ND: 196)

Besides, t he mot her felt oppressed t o look aft er children alone w hile her husband w ent for w ork all day along and she suspect ed her husband t o have an affair w it h some ot her w oman. She admit t ed t hat she drank because of t he loneliness.

Digging furt her t hrough t he file, reading a rare int erview M ot her had given before m y court hearing, I came across an official form st at ing one of the reasons she “ m ay have” been dist raught w as she suspected her husband w as having an affair w it h a w om an w ho w as one of M ot her’s closest friends. Her defense also included how difficult it w as for her t o keep up w it h t he housew ork w hile being left alone t o raise four boys – t he report correct ed t hat it w as five – w hile she w orried sick when her husband was eit her at w ork or “ God know s w here” , w henever Fat her disappeared for days at a t im e drinking w it h buddies from w ork. Being alone w it h no one t o console her m ight have, M ot her claim ed in the report , m ade her tip the bot tle and fly off t he handle a lit t le m ore than she norm ally w ould. (AM ND: 195)

Pelzer also w ant s t o say w hy t he mot her hat ed David. Then, David knew t hat t he mot her hat ed him because he had a loud voice. The w rit er analyzes t hat t he mot her hat ed David because David w as t he w eakest and he w ouldn’t be brave t o oppose mot her.

Wit h m y hands slid under my legs, I w ant ed to jum p up and scream int o M ot her’s repulsive face, “ You t wist ed, sick bitch! I w as a t oy for you t o play w it h! A slave at your comm and! You hum iliated m e, t ook aw ay m y name, and t ort ured me t o t he brink of deat h, because … because m y voice w as t oo loud?” (AM ND: 190)

Fort unat ely, David did not follow his mot her’s foot st ep. He t ried t o break t he circle of abuse by forgiving mot her. Unlike his mot her, David t reat ed his son very w ell.

C. Discussion

The social aspect reflect ed in A Child Called it , The Lost Boy, and A M an Nam ed Dave can be seen from t he social st at us of t he charact ers w ho w ork as t eachers, headmast er, nurse, police, and fireman. These professions belong t o middle class. The t rilogy also t ells t hat t hey live adequacy and do not look rich. The social class is show n only about w hit e family w it hout comparing w it h blacks

or t he ot her class. The only difference t hat st ands out is t he fost er children look inferior t o t he common children. Beside from t he charact ers, t he social class can be seen from t he charact erizat ion. The mot her has a bad charact er like mad and lazy, screaming, drinking alcohol, and cussing. The person w ho has t hat charact er is uneducat ed. In addit ion, it can be seen from t he ungrammat ical st ruct ure used by mot her in speaking such as 'em'. Since educat ed person w ill speak t he st andard language, it means t hat t he mot her is uneducat ed because she uses slang.

The problem reflect ed in t his book is bad social relat ion among family members and t heir relat ionship w it h t he neighbors. The fat her spends his days for w orking and rarely being at home, w hile t he mot her and children most ly st ay at home and not mingle w it h neighbors. The disappearance of fat her in t he middle of fam ily makes t he mot her feels heavy in parent ing. The mot her is so irrit able w hen she sees her children doing a small mist ake. Even mot her w ill give punishment bot h physical and psychological punishment t o t he children. This condit ion causes child abuse. M oreover, t he American societ y have individual charact erist ic. They mind t heir ow n home w it hout int erfering ot hers. In t his case, t he neighbors see t he abuse in David’s home but t hey do not hing. Because of t his, t he issue of child abuse rem inds high from year t o year.

In econom ic aspect , t he set t ing of t ime in t he t rilogy is American societ y faced recession. In recession, it w as difficult t o find job and t he people lived in povert y. The difficult y in econom ic aspect can cause child abuse. Parent s can ignore children’s needs such as food, clot h, medicine or educat ion because t hey don’t have money. The t rilogy t ell about fat her’s job as a fireman w ho spends almost his t ime for w orking; w hile mot her is a housew ife w ho almost st ays at home w it hout earning money. In t his case, mot her forget s David’s needs on food and clot h. She also ignore about David’s heat h. Beside t hat , t he depression of t he lack of m oney can encourage t he parent s’ emot ional and t hey w ill be easy t o get angry and hit t he children. Similarly, mot her almost hit s David because of t he depression.

The polit ic applied by goverment also cont ribut es t o child abuse. The goverment decides t o creat e w ar w hich causes t he recession and great depression so t he societ y get s difficult y in economic and increases st ress and emot ionally hit children t o pour out anger. From t he set t ing of t ime, it w as invasion t o Kuw ait in August 1990. American government forced t he people t o get involved in t he w ar t o help Kuw ait .

How ever, religion prevent s abuse. It can be seen from t he set t ing of place t hat is church. When David’s fam ily rout inely w ent t o church, t he fam ily lived happily. By going t o church, people w ill get religious know ledge and

w arning t o avoid bad at t it ude. On t he cont rary, w hen David’s family rarely w ent t o church, t he fam ily became t enuous. There no int imacy occurs. The husband rarely st ayed home w hile t he w ife oft en spent t ime by drinking and w at ching TV. M oreover t he mot her even t ort ure children because she forgot t he religion know ledge.

The cult ural aspect of American societ y at t hat t ime cont ribut es t o child abuse t oo. American perspect ive t hat considers violence as a w ay t o discipline children makes child abuse as a common. In addit ion, American societ y have individualist ic personalit y t hat makes child abuse case increasing from year t o year. The child abuse dow n from generat ion t o generat ion and w ill cont inue because t he habit of American societ y t hat harbored problems and runs on alcohol. From t he plot , it can be seen t hat David’s mot her w as abusive because she w as abused by her mot her. She ran t o drink and applied her burden t o David by abusing him.

The cont ribut ion of science and t echnology t o child abuse can be seen from w hat t he charact ers had and did in t he st ory of Dave Pelzer’s t rilogy A Child Called It, The Lost Boy and A M an Nam ed Dave. American t echnology at t he end of t w ent iet h cent ury w as developed in some aspect s. Because of t he appearing of t v, mot her oft en spend her t ime t o w at ch t v. Therefore, she forgot even ignored t he children’s needs. The w orst thing is t hat t he mot her w as

inspired by an art icle t elling a mot her w ho abused her child. She imit at ed t he w ay t o abuse t he child.

The above descript ion show s t hat t he t rilogy reflect s t he social realit y t hat surrounds t he aut hor at t he t ime t he aut hor w rot e his w orks. Various social aspect s can be t raced t hrough t he element s of t he w ork in t he charact er and charact erizat ion, set t ing of place and t ime, plot , st yle, and t heme.

The social realit y st rongly reflect ed in t he t rilogy is social aspect and cult ure aspect . Social aspect t hat clearly reflect ed is social relat ion in w hich among family members has a bad relat ion and t he neighbors don’t pay at t ent ion t o t he abuse; w hereas cult ural aspect includes t he individualism of American societ y, violence against children t hat is not regarded as abuse, and public disdain for American fost er child. Those aspect s give a big cont ribut ion t o child abuse.

Besides reflect ing social realit y, t he t rilogy can also be an expression of t he aut hor's crit icism of cert ain issues on t he environment . Through t he t rilogy, Dave Pelzer crit icizes parent s and societ y. Parent s are expect ed t o educat e t heir children properly w it hout violence and societ y are required t o be more concerned w it h t he phenomenon of child abuse so t hat t hey can prevent it . In addit ion, Dave Pelzer also encourages t he vict ims of abuse t o survive by delivering speech in t he program dealing w it h yout h at risk.

His mot her neglect ed David for not giving meal and fine clot hes. His mot her also didn’t pay at t ent ion t o David’s healt h.

Because M ot her had m e w ear t he sam e clot hes week aft er w eek, by Oct ober m y clot hes had become weat hered, t orn and sm elly. She hardly bot hered t o cover m y bruises on m y face and arm s. (AACI: 30)

By t hen, M ot her w ould “ forget” t o feed me any dinner. (ACCI: 30)

In M arch 5, 1973, school personnel report ed t he abuse t o police. Aft erw ards, David w as brought t o fost er home by Aunt M ary as t he mot her. This st ory w as t old in The Lost Boy. Aft er t he t rial, he moved t o five different homes. His fost er parent s w ere: Lilian - Rudy Cat anze, Alice - Harold Turnbough, Joanne – M ichael Nulls, Vera – Jody, and Linda – Jody Walsh. David w as in w ard of t he court unt il eight een. Then, he searched for job and finally joined U.S. Air Force.

How ever, in A M an Nam ed Dave, Pelzer t ries t o reveal t he cause w hy David got t he abuse. In t hat book, it is st at ed t hat his mot her abused him because she had experienced harshness from her mot her t oo.

From w hat I had learned, people like M ot her abused t heir children in t he sam e m anner t hey w ere abused; t hus becoming a product of t heir environment . (AM ND: 196)

Besides, t he mot her felt oppressed t o look aft er children alone w hile her husband w ent for w ork all day along and she suspect ed her husband t o have an affair w it h some ot her w oman. She admit t ed t hat she drank because of t he loneliness.

Digging furt her t hrough t he file, reading a rare int erview M ot her had given before m y court hearing, I came across an official form st at ing one of the reasons she “ m ay have” been dist raught w as she suspected her husband w as having an affair w it h a w om an w ho w as one of M ot her’s closest friends. Her defense also included how difficult it w as for her t o keep up w it h t he housew ork w hile being left alone t o raise four boys – t he report correct ed t hat it w as five – w hile she w orried sick when her husband was eit her at w ork or “ God know s w here” , w henever Fat her disappeared for days at a t im e drinking w it h buddies from w ork. Being alone w it h no one t o console her m ight have, M ot her claim ed in the report , m ade her tip the bot tle and fly off t he handle a lit t le m ore than she norm ally w ould. (AM ND: 195)

Pelzer also w ant s t o say w hy t he mot her hat ed David. Then, David knew t hat t he mot her hat ed him because he had a loud voice. The w rit er analyzes t hat t he mot her hat ed David because David w as t he w eakest and he w ouldn’t be brave t o oppose mot her.

Wit h m y hands slid under my legs, I w ant ed to jum p up and scream int o M ot her’s repulsive face, “ You t wist ed, sick bitch! I w as a t oy for you t o play w it h! A slave at your comm and! You hum iliated m e, t ook aw ay m y name, and t ort ured me t o t he brink of deat h, because … because m y voice w as t oo loud?” (AM ND: 190)

Fort unat ely, David did not follow his mot her’s foot st ep. He t ried t o break t he circle of abuse by forgiving mot her. Unlike his mot her, David t reat ed his son very w ell.

C. Discussion

The social aspect reflect ed in A Child Called it , The Lost Boy, and A M an Nam ed Dave can be seen from t he social st at us of t he charact ers w ho w ork as t eachers, headmast er, nurse, police, and fireman. These professions belong t o middle class. The t rilogy also t ells t hat t hey live adequacy and do not look rich. The social class is show n only about w hit e family w it hout comparing w it h blacks

or t he ot her class. The only difference t hat st ands out is t he fost er children look inferior t o t he common children. Beside from t he charact ers, t he social class can be seen from t he charact erizat ion. The mot her has a bad charact er like mad and lazy, screaming, drinking alcohol, and cussing. The person w ho has t hat charact er is uneducat ed. In addit ion, it can be seen from t he ungrammat ical st ruct ure used by mot her in speaking such as 'em'. Since educat ed person w ill speak t he st andard language, it means t hat t he mot her is uneducat ed because she uses slang.

The problem reflect ed in t his book is bad social relat ion among family members and t heir relat ionship w it h t he neighbors. The fat her spends his days for w orking and rarely being at home, w hile t he mot her and children most ly st ay at home and not mingle w it h neighbors. The disappearance of fat her in t he middle of fam ily makes t he mot her feels heavy in parent ing. The mot her is so irrit able w hen she sees her children doing a small mist ake. Even mot her w ill give punishment bot h physical and psychological punishment t o t he children. This condit ion causes child abuse. M oreover, t he American societ y have individual charact erist ic. They mind t heir ow n home w it hout int erfering ot hers. In t his case, t he neighbors see t he abuse in David’s home but t hey do not hing. Because of t his, t he issue of child abuse rem inds high from year t o year.

In econom ic aspect , t he set t ing of t ime in t he t rilogy is American societ y faced recession. In recession, it w as difficult t o find job and t he people lived in povert y. The difficult y in econom ic aspect can cause child abuse. Parent s can ignore children’s needs such as food, clot h, medicine or educat ion because t hey don’t have money. The t rilogy t ell about fat her’s job as a fireman w ho spends almost his t ime for w orking; w hile mot her is a housew ife w ho almost st ays at home w it hout earning money. In t his case, mot her forget s David’s needs on food and clot h. She also ignore about David’s heat h. Beside t hat , t he depression of t he lack of m oney can encourage t he parent s’ emot ional and t hey w ill be easy t o get angry and hit t he children. Similarly, mot her almost hit s David because of t he depression.

The polit ic applied by goverment also cont ribut es t o child abuse. The goverment decides t o creat e w ar w hich causes t he recession and great depression so t he societ y get s difficult y in economic and increases st ress and emot ionally hit children t o pour out anger. From t he set t ing of t ime, it w as invasion t o Kuw ait in August 1990. American government forced t he people t o get involved in t he w ar t o help Kuw ait .

How ever, religion prevent s abuse. It can be seen from t he set t ing of place t hat is church. When David’s fam ily rout inely w ent t o church, t he fam ily lived happily. By going t o church, people w ill get religious know ledge and

w arning t o avoid bad at t it ude. On t he cont rary, w hen David’s family rarely w ent t o church, t he fam ily became t enuous. There no int imacy occurs. The husband rarely st ayed home w hile t he w ife oft en spent t ime by drinking and w at ching TV. M oreover t he mot her even t ort ure children because she forgot t he religion know ledge.

The cult ural aspect of American societ y at t hat t ime cont ribut es t o child abuse t oo. American perspect ive t hat considers violence as a w ay t o discipline children makes child abuse as a common. In addit ion, American societ y have individualist ic personalit y t hat makes child abuse case increasing from year t o year. The child abuse dow n from generat ion t o generat ion and w ill cont inue because t he habit of American societ y t hat harbored problems and runs on alcohol. From t he plot , it can be seen t hat David’s mot her w as abusive because she w as abused by her mot her. She ran t o drink and applied her burden t o David by abusing him.

The cont ribut ion of science and t echnology t o child abuse can be seen from w hat t he charact ers had and did in t he st ory of Dave Pelzer’s t rilogy A Child Called It, The Lost Boy and A M an Nam ed Dave. American t echnology at t he end of t w ent iet h cent ury w as developed in some aspect s. Because of t he appearing of t v, mot her oft en spend her t ime t o w at ch t v. Therefore, she forgot even ignored t he children’s needs. The w orst thing is t hat t he mot her w as

inspired by an art icle t elling a mot her w ho abused her child. She imit at ed t he w ay t o abuse t he child.

The above descript ion show s t hat t he t rilogy reflect s t he social realit y t hat surrounds t he aut hor at t he t ime t he aut hor w rot e his w orks. Various social aspect s can be t raced t hrough t he element s of t he w ork in t he charact er and charact erizat ion, set t ing of place and t ime, plot , st yle, and t heme.

The social realit y st rongly reflect ed in t he t rilogy is social aspect and cult ure aspect . Social aspect t hat clearly reflect ed is social relat ion in w hich among family members has a bad relat ion and t he neighbors don’t pay at t ent ion t o t he abuse; w hereas cult ural aspect includes t he individualism of American societ y, violence against children t hat is not regarded as abuse, and public disdain for American fost er child. Those aspect s give a big cont ribut ion t o child abuse.

Besides reflect ing social realit y, t he t rilogy can also be an expression of t he aut hor's crit icism of cert ain issues on t he environment . Through t he t rilogy, Dave Pelzer crit icizes parent s and societ y. Parent s are expect ed t o educat e t heir children properly w it hout violence and societ y are required t o be more concerned w it h t he phenomenon of child abuse so t hat t hey can prevent it . In addit ion, Dave Pelzer also encourages t he vict ims of abuse t o survive by delivering speech in t he program dealing w it h yout h at risk.