The Diminishing of main character`s ethnocentrism as the effect of Vietnam war as seen in Vincent Lam`s The Headmaster`s Wager.

CAROLINA, NOVITA. The Diminishing hf Main Character’s Ethnhcentrism as the Effect hf Vietnam War as Seen in Vincent Lam’s The Headeaster’s Wager. Yogyakarta: Department oo English Letters, Faculty oo Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2015.

This study discusses Vincent Lames novel The Headmaster’s Wager. This novel told Percival, a Chinese immigrant who lives in Vietnam. He is very proud oo his heritage because he always believes Chinese as the best culture. Thereby, it can be assumed that he is an ethnocentric person. The novel takes Vietnam War as the background. The situation makes Percivales ethnocentrism diminished. To go deeper, the writer chooses to analyze the diminishing oo Percivales ethnocentrism as the eooect oo Vietnam War.

There are two problems analyzed in this study. First problem is the main characteres ethnocentrism which is revealed in the novel. Second problem is the eooect oo Vietnam War that changes main characteres ethnocentrism.

This study uses the theory oo character and characterization by Roberts and Jacobs, and M.J. Murphy, theory oo ethnocentrism by Horton and Hunts, and Broom and Selznick, the theory oo relationship between literature and society by Wellek and Warren, and Rohrberger and Woods, and the last is the history oo Vitnam War and its eooect to Hoa by Herring, Pan and Lyons. In this study, the writer applies the library research method and uses the sociocultural-historical approach. The approach is chosen because this study examines the Vietnam War that aooected the main character.

Based on the analysis, there are two main points which can be drawn orom this study. The oirst point is the main characteres ethnocentrism. The characteristic is mostly revealed through speech between, personal description and direct comment. Ethnocentric person is usually oeeling as a superior person, withdrawn, and orthodox. Percival always oeels that Chinesees culture is the center oo everything. His superiority inoluences him to withdraw himselo orom the Vietnamese. He tends to mingle with the Chinese. Third, Percival is an orthodox person. He believes that his culture is the truth oo lioe. The second analysis is the eooect oo Vietnam War to Percivales ethnocentrism. There are oour oactors oo the Vietnam War which are the new regulations, the cooperation with the American, the growing oo nationalism, and the northernes victory. Those oactors have changed Percivales opinion about his race. Through the new regulations and the growing oo nationalism, Percival realizes that he is not a superior person and Chinese is not a superior race. Then, Percival who used to be withdrawn has opened himselo to the others by the cooperation with the American. Finally, the war is over by the victory oo North Vietnam. The situation becomes worse oor the Chinese. Their assets is taken over and they are being the target oo deportation. Percival has lost his wealth. To continue his lioe, Percival has to go out orom Vietnam. He used to believe that Chinese should go to China as the saoest place oor Chinese, but Percival goes to America. At the end, he realizes that his “superior” race brings problem to his lioe. He has diminished his ethnocentrism through process oo Vietnam War.

CAROLINA, NOVITA. The Diminishing hf Main Character’s Ethnhcentrism as the Effect hf Vietnam War as Seen in Vincent Lam’s The Headeaster’s Wager. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2015.

Skripsi ini membahas sebuah novel berjudul The Headmaster’s Wager, karya Vincent Lam. Novel ini menceritakan seorang tokoh bernama Percival. Dia adalah perantauan Cina yang tinggal di Vietnam. Dia sangat bangga terhadap sukunya karena dia percaya bahwa Cina adalah kebudayaan terbaik. Oleh karena itu, Percival bisa diasumsikan sebagai seorang yang etnosentris. Pada masa itu, Vietnam dalam masa peperangan. Situasi ini membuat melemahnya sikap etnosentris dalam diri Percival. Untuk mengetahui lebih dalam, penulis memilih untuk menganalisa proses berkurangnya etnosentris dalam diri Percival sebagai akibat dari Perang Vietnam.

Ada dua masalah yang dianalisa dalam skripsi ini. Masalah pertama adalah sioat etnosentris yang dimiliki tokoh utama yang nampak di dalam novel. Kedua adalah pengaruh Perang Vietnam terhadap sioat etnosentris dalam diri tokoh utama.

Penelitian ini menggunakan teori-teori dari Roberts dan Jacobs, M.J. Murphy, Horton dan Hunts, Broom dan Selznick, Wellek dan Warren, Rohrberger dan Woods, Herring, Pan dan Lyons, dan Hoover. Dalam penelitian ini, penulis menggunakan metode studi kepustakaan dan menggunakan pendekatan sosial kebudayaan dan sejarah. Pendekatan ini dipilih karena skripsi ini meneliti kehidupan sosial yang mempengaruhi tokoh utama.

Berdasarkan penelitian, ada dua hal utama yang dapat ditarik dari skripsi ini. Hal pertama adalah sioat etnosentris yang dimiliki Percival. Karakteristik Percival kebanyakan muncul melalui deskripsi langsung dari penulis dan percakapan antar karakter di dalam novel. Terdapat tiga karakteristik dari sioat etnosentris, yaitu merasa diri superior, menarik diri dari masyarakat, dan ortodox. Pertama, Percival selalu merasa bahwa kebudayaan Cina terbaik. Perasaan ini membawa ia sebagai seorang superior. Kedua, Percival selalu menarik diri dari orang lain, terutama mereka yang bukan Cina. Percival selalu beinteraksi dengan sesama orang Cina. Ketiga, Percival orang yang ortodox. Dia selalu merasa kebudayaannya adalah ajaran yang paling benar di dalam hidup. Hal kedua adalah Perang Vietnam telah berpengaruh terhadap sioat etnosentris Percival. Terdapat empat oaktor dari Perang Vietnam yang mempengaruhi Percival. Mereka adalah peraturan-peraturan baru, kerja sama dengan orang Amerika, tumbuhnya rasa nasionalisme, dan kemenangan Vietnam Utara. Faktor-oaktor tersebut telah mengubah pendapat Percival terhadap ke-“superior”-an sukunya. Melalui peraturan-peraturan baru dan tumbuhnya rasa nasionalisme, Percival menyadari bahwa dia dan Cina bukan seorang yang superior. Kemudian, kerja sama dengan Amerika membuat Percival yang dulunya mengasingkan diri telah membuka diri terhadap orang lain. Terakhir, perang pun berakhir dengan kemenangan Vietnam Utara. Situasi menjadi sangat buruk bagi orang-orang Cina. Harta mereka diambil alih dan mereka menjadi target deportasi. Percival telah kehilangan hartanya. Demi melanjutkan hidupnya, ia harus pindah dari Vietnam. Dia dulu percaya bahwa Cina adalah tempat paling aman bagi orang Cina. Sayangnya, Percival harus pergi ke Amerika. Pada akhirnya, dia menyadari bahwa suku “superior”-nya tidak bisa menolongnya. Dia telah kehilangan etnosentrisme melalui proses dalam Perang Vietnam.

THE DIMINISHING OF MAIN CHARACTER’S

ETHNOCENTRISM AS THE EFFECT OF VIETNAM WAR AS

SEEN IN VINCENT LAM’S

THE HEADMASTER’S WAGER

AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

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

in English Letters

By

NOVITA CAROLINA Student Number: 114214037

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS

FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

YOGYAKARTA 2015

ii

THE DIMINISHING OF MAIN CHARACTER’S

ETHNOCENTRISM AS THE EFFECT OF VIETNAM WAR AS

SEEN IN VINCENT LAM’S

THE HEADMASTER’S WAGER

AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

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

in English Letters

By

NOVITA CAROLINA Student Number: 114214037

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS

FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

YOGYAKARTA 2015

ASar Jana astra Undergraduate hesis

THE DIMINISHING OF MAIN CHARACTER'S

ETHNOCENTRISM AS THE EFFECT OF VIETNAM WAR AS

SEEN IN VINCENT LAM'S

THE HEADMASTER'S WAGER

By Novita Carolina Student Number: l 14214037

i ..

0

W

1

;�id as

Advisor

Elisa Dwi Wardani. S.S., M.Hum. Co-Advisor

Approved by

111

June 22, 2015

Name

Chairperson : Dr. F.X. Siswadi, M.A.

Secretary : Sri Mulyani, Ph. D.

Member 1 : Dr. Gabriel Fjar Sasmita Aji, M. Hum. Member 2 : Dewi Widyastuti, S. Pd., M. Hum.

Member 3 : _{Elisa Dwi Wardani, S.S.,} M.Hm.

IV

Yogyakarta, June 30, 2015 Faculty of Letters

Sa Dharma University � Dean

A Sar Jana Sastra Undergraduate Thesis

THE DIMINISHNG OF MAIN CHARACTER'S

ETHNOCENTRISM AS THE EFFECT OF VIETNAM AR AS

SEEN IN VNCENT LAM'S

_{THE HAASTER'S WAGER}

By N oita Carolina Student Number: 114214037

Deended beore the Board Examiners on June 30, 2015

and Declared Acceptable

I certify that this ldergraduate thesis contains no material which has been previously

submitted or the ward of any other degree at any uniwersity, and that, to the best of my knowledge, this undergraduate thesis contains no material previously written by any other person except where due reerence is made in the text of the undergraduate thesis.

Yogyakarta, JlUle 22, 2015

No�lina

UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AK ADEMIS

Yng bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma

Nama : Novita Carolina

Nomor Mahasiswa : 114214037

Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Snata Dhama karya ilmih saya yang berjudul

THE DIMINISHNG OF MAIN CHARACTER'S

ETHNOCENTRISM AS THE EFFECT OF IETNAM WAR AS

SEEN IN NCENT LAM'S

THE HEADMASR'S WAGER

Beserta perngkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan dem.ikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universits Sanata Dhrma hak untuk menyimpan. mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolnya dalam bentuk pangkaln data, pendistribusikan secara terbats, dan mempublikasikannya di intenet tau media lain untuk kepentingan akadeis tanpa perlu meminta ijin kepada saya maupun memberikan loyalti kepada saya selama tetap mencntumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.

Demikin penyatan ini saya buat dengan sebenmya

Dibuat di Yogyakarta

Pada tanggal 22 Juni 2015

Yng menyatakan,

*

Novita Carolina

vii

“For surely there is a reward;

And thy hope shall not be cut

off.”

Proverbs 23:18

Never let the fear of

striking out keep you

from playing the game.

viii

Dedicated

To

The Almighty God, Jesus Christ

The Name above All Names

To

My Lovely Mother in Heaven,

And My Family

ix

My first gratitude is for Jesus Christ who has given a wonderful life for me. It has been His grace for me to finish the study, especially the undergraduate thesis.

My deepest gratitude is for my mother in heaven. She is my first supporter who supports me with her love and pray. Then, I also want to give my gratitude to my father, grandfather, aunts, and uncles who also always love and help me.

I would like to thank my best advisor, Dewi Widyastuti, S. Pd, M. Hum., and my co-advisor, Elisa Dwi Wardani, S.S., M.Hum., for helping me to write this undergraduate thesis. I thank them for their patience, guidance, and ideas, in developing my undergraduate thesis.

My gratitude also goes to all the lecturers and the staff of English Letters Department. I thank them for all their knowledge, wonderful experience, and their guidance. I will not forget these valuable moments.

The last, I want to thank my best friends, Febe Olivia, Nadia Puri, Ka Veny Tambunan, Yolanda Marcella, Ka Alandita Yogiswara, Ka Gracia Hoyi, Ci Rosalina Omega, and Ci Priskila Nia Meliana. They also always support me and give me much advice.

x

TITLE PAGE ... ii

APPROVAL PAGE ... iii

ACCEPTANCE PAGE ... iv

STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY ... v

LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH ... vi

MOTTO PAGE ... vii

DEDICATION PAGE ... viii

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ... ix

TABLE OF CONTENTS ... x

ABSTRACT ... xi

ABSTRAK ... xii

CHAPTER I: Introduction ... 1

A. Background of the Study ... 1

B. Problem Formulation ... 6

C. Objectives of the Study ... 6

D. Definition of Terms ... 7

CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ... 8

A. Review of Related Studies ... 8

B. Review of Related Theories ... 12

1. Theory of Character and Characterization ... 12

2. Theory of Ethnocentrism ... 15

3. Theory of the Relation between Literature and Society ... 17

C. Review of Related Backgrounds ... 18

1. History of Vietnam War and Its Effect to Hoa ... 19

D. Theoretical Framework ... 21

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ... 23

A. Object of the Study ... 23

B. Approach of the Study ... 24

C. Method of the Study ... 25

CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS ... 27

A. Percival‟s Ethnocentrism ... 27

B. The Diminishing of Percival‟s Ethnocentrism ... 35

1. The New Regulations ... 36

2. The Cooperation with the American ... 38

3. The Growing of Nationalism ... 39

4. The Northern‟s Victory ... 40

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ... 44

BIBLIOGRAPHY ... 47

xi

CAROLINA, NOVITA. The Diminishing of Main Character’s Ethnocentrism as the Effect of Vietnam War as Seen in Vincent Lam’s The Headmaster’s Wager. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2015.

This study discusses Vincent Lam‟s novel The Headmaster’s Wager. This novel told Percival, a Chinese immigrant who lives in Vietnam. He is very proud of his heritage because he always believes Chinese as the best culture. Thereby, it can be assumed that he is an ethnocentric person. The novel takes Vietnam War as the

background. The situation makes Percival‟s ethnocentrism diminished. To go deeper,

the writer chooses to analyze the diminishing of Percival‟s ethnocentrism as the effect of Vietnam War.

There are two problems analyzed in this study. First problem is the main

character‟s ethnocentrism which is revealed in the novel. Second problem is the

effect of Vietnam War that changes main character‟s ethnocentrism.

This study uses the theory of character and characterization by Roberts and Jacobs, and M.J. Murphy, theory of ethnocentrism by Horton and Hunts, and Broom and Selznick, the theory of relationship between literature and society by Wellek and Warren, and Rohrberger and Woods, and the last is the history of Vitnam War and its effect to Hoa by Herring, Pan and Lyons. In this study, the writer applies the library research method and uses the sociocultural-historical approach. The approach is chosen because this study examines the Vietnam War that affected the main character. Based on the analysis, there are two main points which can be drawn from this

study. The first point is the main character‟s ethnocentrism. The characteristic is mostly revealed through speech between, personal description and direct comment. Ethnocentric person is usually feeling as a superior person, withdrawn, and orthodox.

Percival always feels that Chinese‟s culture is the center of everything. His superiority influences him to withdraw himself from the Vietnamese. He tends to mingle with the Chinese. Third, Percival is an orthodox person. He believes that his culture is the truth of life. The second analysis is the effect of Vietnam War to Percival‟s ethnocentrism. There are four factors of the Vietnam War which are the new regulations, the cooperation with the American, the growing of nationalism, and

the nothern‟s victory. Those factors have changed Percival‟s opinion about his race.

Through the new regulations and the growing of nationalism, Percival realizes that he is not a superior person and Chinese is not a superior race. Then, Percival who used to be withdrawn has opened himself to the others by the cooperation with the American. Finally, the war is over by the victory of North Vietnam. The situation becomes worse for the Chinese. Their assets is taken over and they are being the target of deportation. Percival has lost his wealth. To continue his life, Percival has to go out from Vietnam. He used to believe that Chinese should go to China as the safest place for Chinese, but Percival goes to America. At the end, he realizes that his

“superior” race brings problem to his life. He has diminished his ethnocentrism

xii ABSTRAK

CAROLINA, NOVITA. The Diminishing of Main Character’s Ethnocentrism as the Effect of Vietnam War as Seen in Vincent Lam’s The Headmaster’s Wager. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2015.

Skripsi ini membahas sebuah novel berjudul The Headmaster’s Wager, karya Vincent Lam. Novel ini menceritakan seorang tokoh bernama Percival. Dia adalah perantauan Cina yang tinggal di Vietnam. Dia sangat bangga terhadap sukunya karena dia percaya bahwa Cina adalah kebudayaan terbaik. Oleh karena itu, Percival bisa diasumsikan sebagai seorang yang etnosentris. Pada masa itu, Vietnam dalam masa peperangan. Situasi ini membuat melemahnya sikap etnosentris dalam diri Percival. Untuk mengetahui lebih dalam, penulis memilih untuk menganalisa proses berkurangnya etnosentris dalam diri Percival sebagai akibat dari Perang Vietnam.

Ada dua masalah yang dianalisa dalam skripsi ini. Masalah pertama adalah sifat etnosentris yang dimiliki tokoh utama yang nampak di dalam novel. Kedua adalah pengaruh Perang Vietnam terhadap sifat etnosentris dalam diri tokoh utama.

Penelitian ini menggunakan teori-teori dari Roberts dan Jacobs, M.J. Murphy, Horton dan Hunts, Broom dan Selznick, Wellek dan Warren, Rohrberger dan Woods, Herring, Pan dan Lyons, dan Hoover. Dalam penelitian ini, penulis menggunakan metode studi kepustakaan dan menggunakan pendekatan sosial kebudayaan dan sejarah. Pendekatan ini dipilih karena skripsi ini meneliti kehidupan sosial yang mempengaruhi tokoh utama.

Berdasarkan penelitian, ada dua hal utama yang dapat ditarik dari skripsi ini. Hal pertama adalah sifat etnosentris yang dimiliki Percival. Karakteristik Percival kebanyakan muncul melalui deskripsi langsung dari penulis dan percakapan antar karakter di dalam novel. Terdapat tiga karakteristik dari sifat etnosentris, yaitu merasa diri superior, menarik diri dari masyarakat, dan ortodox. Pertama, Percival selalu merasa bahwa kebudayaan Cina terbaik. Perasaan ini membawa ia sebagai seorang superior. Kedua, Percival selalu menarik diri dari orang lain, terutama mereka yang bukan Cina. Percival selalu beinteraksi dengan sesama orang Cina. Ketiga, Percival orang yang ortodox. Dia selalu merasa kebudayaannya adalah ajaran yang paling benar di dalam hidup. Hal kedua adalah Perang Vietnam telah berpengaruh terhadap sifat etnosentris Percival. Terdapat empat faktor dari Perang Vietnam yang mempengaruhi Percival. Mereka adalah peraturan-peraturan baru, kerja sama dengan orang Amerika, tumbuhnya rasa nasionalisme, dan kemenangan Vietnam Utara. Faktor-faktor tersebut telah mengubah pendapat Percival terhadap ke-“superior”-an sukunya. Melalui peraturan-peraturan baru dan tumbuhnya rasa nasionalisme, Percival menyadari bahwa dia dan Cina bukan seorang yang superior. Kemudian, kerja sama dengan Amerika membuat Percival yang dulunya mengasingkan diri telah membuka diri terhadap orang lain. Terakhir, perang pun berakhir dengan kemenangan Vietnam Utara. Situasi menjadi sangat buruk bagi orang-orang Cina. Harta mereka diambil alih dan mereka menjadi target deportasi. Percival telah kehilangan hartanya. Demi melanjutkan hidupnya, ia harus pindah dari Vietnam. Dia dulu percaya bahwa Cina adalah tempat paling aman bagi orang Cina. Sayangnya, Percival harus pergi ke Amerika. Pada akhirnya, dia menyadari bahwa

suku “superior”-nya tidak bisa menolongnya. Dia telah kehilangan etnosentrisme melalui proses dalam Perang Vietnam.

1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

Some people live in a multicultural society where there are many races and ethnics. Sociologists have tried to make a distinction between race and ethnicity. Race refers to differences between people based upon inherited characteristics, such as skin color while ethnicity refers to social differences in acquired characteristics such as language, religion, national origins, and culture (Broom and Selznick, 1977: 443). Most of people tend to group themselves in the similar race or ethnicity. This produces a characteristic type of a group to make the group easier to be distinct. Broom and Selznick say that when people of one culture gather, they will produce a signature of their culture (1977: 113). The goodness of the group is able to make continuity of the group. However, it can also go to the assumption that their culture is the best. This assumption is called ethnocentrism.

Ethnocentrism can be defined as the identification with the familiar and devaluation of the foreign (Broom and Selznick, 1977: 73). Ethnocentric people treat strange people, beliefs, or practices with suspicion and hostility simply because they are different and they feel that their culture is the best. The most extreme ethnocentric people support to treat the other less than human. In less

vicious form, ethnocentrism takes one‟s own culture for granted and passively,

nation of the United States. However, the word is the common property of all the people of North and South America, Latin American sometimes becomes angry because that word is equally used to them. Ethnocentrism appears through one‟s behavior in the society.

Ethnocentrism exists through socialization in the clan, tribe, or village. People usually become tradition-directed. Their behavior focuses on the tradition or mores that live in the society. A detailed norm of village life is learned directly by people. When one person does something wrong, he will be ashamed because wrongdoing is a transgression against the group (Broom and Selznick, 1977: 14). Ethnocentric people are politically indifferent because they are traditional. They are also subsistence-oriented which focus to make the continuity of the group.

Through those characteristics of ethnocentrism, people can see that ethnocentrism can bring a trouble to society. Ethnocentric people feel that they are superior while others are just inferior. In consequence, they will underestimate other cultures and treat others as barbaric. They are also trying to maintain their culture and close themselves from the others. Unfortunately, their

treatments to others, subsequently, can trigger others‟ resistance.

Feeling humiliated makes others have to show that they also have power by rebellion. There will be a conflict between superior group and inferior group. In South Vietnam, before the fall of Saigon, Chinese, as a minority group, controlled 70% to 80% of commerce sector in Vietnam. The Hoa, overseas Chinese, were respected as a an upper class group. They employed Vietnamese as their servants. After the fall of Saigon, they were suspicious as communist. Their

business were also taken over by government. Therefore, many of them were driven out from Vietnam and they were being refugee in other countries. In fact, superior group can be defeated to show that inferior group have power.

The Headmaster’s Wager by Vincent Lam has a main character that shows ethnocentrism clearly. Percival is a Chinese descent who lives in Cholon, South Vietnam. In the 19th century, Vietnamese tended to like reading in Chinese than Vietnamese. At that time, Chinese had more prestige. Chinese was the language that was used by nomad in South East Asia. Certainly, many Chinese in Vietnam still hold on their tradition. Percival feels that he has a higher rank than Vietnamese, but the situation in the novel does not support Percival to hold on his culture. Percival who used to think that his heritage was the best one realizes that he has to diminish his ethnocentrism.

Cultures may be weakened or destroyed under certain conditions. “A

culture may lose its strength and vitality as a result of internal social change or it

may be overwhelmed by outside influences” (Broom and Selznick, 1977: 78).

There are four situations that make culture weakened or vulnerable. First, a breakdown of authority is threatened. Second, there is a serious gap between

cultural ideals and social realities. Third, individuals‟ life are fragmented, so that

they lack the sense of participated in a coherent and sustaining symbolic order. Fourth, beliefs or practices hitherto valued for themselves become more narrowly instrumental (Broom and Selznick, 1977: 79). The writer will focus on the second situation that is suitable with the situation in the novel.

Society can destroy the culture of a group of people. The development in the technology and economy makes some groups of people suffered to grow in the

development or stay in the culture or traditional life. “The rapid and radical

collapse of a way of life has frequently occurred when technologically advanced

societies have impinged on primitive communities” (Broom and Selznick, 1977:

82). War can also make the culture or the ethnocentrism of people diminished. War is a situation that usually brings misery to people. It, actually, does not need to happen because the war usually destroys not just material, but also people. There are many victims and uncountable material destruction. Although it is dangerous, Vietnam experienced this in the past, begun in 1950s. The

Headmaster Wager takes Vietnam War as the background of the story.

During the Vietnam War, the nationalism of Vietnamese was growing. They thought that Vietnam had to have their own tradition, speak their own language, and only Vietnamese could live in Vietnam. It forced immigrants to go back to their homeland or stay there as Vietnamese. At the end of Vietnam War, the Chinese and the American who were a minority and lived in South Vietnam had to move. Americans would never have a place in Vietnam because America was known as the causes of the second Vietnam War while Chinese could stay but as a Vietnamese.

Vietnam War is described very well in novel The Headmaster’s Wager that tells about the dilemma of Percival as a Chinese in a divided country, South and North Vietnam. Percival has diminished his ethnocentrism as the effect of Vietnam War. The war has made Chinese in Vietnam become homeless. They stay

refugee in another country. Percival used to be superior, but at the end of the novel, Percival can not maintain his culture anymore. Through many aspects,

Vietnan War changes Percival‟s perspective as a Chinese.

The Headmaster’s Wager is written by Vincent Lam who never lives in Vietnam, but in Canada. His grandfather, who lived in Vietnam during the war, is inspiring him to write a novel. This novel does not tell about his grandfather‟s

experience. Instead, it picks up on a thread of his grandfather‟s life and an era his

grandfather experienced. Lam just heard and remembered what his grandfather had said about the war and he made it as a story.

It is interesting that Lam does not experience the war or feel as a Chinese, but he can describe the situation and the feeling clearly. Everyone who reads The

Headmaster’s Wager will think that this book was published at that time. In fact, this book was published in 2012. The truth that Lam is a doctor will make reader surprised. Even though he is a doctor, he is able to write a novel and short stories aesthetically. It is being proper with the prize that he gets from his works.

The Headmaster’s Wager has been reviewed in Literary Review of

Canada Vol. 20 No. 6 July/August 2012 Edition. The Writer, James Fitzgerald,

said that “Lam has forged a testament to the immutable power of the filial bond”

(http://www.jamesfitzgerald.info/Vincent_Lam.pdf). Lam has got Giller Prize (winning collection of linked short stories) on his short story Bloodletting and

Miraculous Cures. The Headmaster’s Wager, actually, is his first novel. This novel will be the object of this study.

the main character which is Percival. Percival lives in Vietnam, but still holds on

the Chinese‟s tradition and makes him as ethnocentric person. This characteristic

will be analyzed together with Vietnam War, which is the society background that

has relation with the diminishing of Percival‟s ethnocentrism.

B. Problem Formulation

In this paper, there are two important points that will be discussed; it is to observe the representation of main character‟s ethnocentrism in the novel. This

paper also wants to explain the effect of the Vietnam War to Percival‟s

ethnocentrism. These points are briefly formulated as follows: 1. How is main character‟s ethnocentrism revealed in the novel? 2. How does Vietnam War change the main character‟s ethnocentrism? C. Objectives of the Study

In formulating two questions above, the writer tries to focus on the main character named Percival in the novel The Headmaster’s Wager by Vincent Lam. First focus is the characteristic of Percival which is ethnocentric. The writer will

reveal Percival‟s ethnocentrism in the novel through the element character. After

identifying the ethnocentrism, the writer will analyze how Vietnam War can

affect Percival‟s ethnocentrism and make it diminished. At the end, the writer will

use first problem formulation to see how much change that happens in Percival‟s

D. Definition of Terms

There are some terms that the writer used in this undergraduate thesis. To avoid ambiguities and misunderstanding in the meaning, the writer tried to give some definition of those terms. There are two terms that have to be explained, there are ethnocentrism and Vietnam War.

First, ethnocentrism is the perspective that “is using the standards of one‟s

own culture or subculture to evaluate the characteristics of other cultures or

subcultures, generally from the point of view that one‟s own are superior”

(Broom and Selznick, 1977: 73). Ethnocentric people will think that they are superior while others are just inferior. Therefore they usually underestimate to others.

Second, Vietnam War is “the commitment between North and South

Vietnam to be in a bloody war instead of conducting a General National Election in accordance with the Geneva Accord that aimed to gain a final military victory” (Tran, 2000: 19). The superpowers countries that involved in the conflict were Soviet Union and China supported North Vietnam and the United States supported South Vietnam. The war ended in 1975 with heavy casualties of Nort and South Vietnam. More than 4 million people including Vietnamese servicemen

8

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

A. Review of Related Studies

In this part, the writer is going to quote the studies related to the study in this thesis, writing from other researchers. The studies can be the research on the same author of the novel and criticism from other people who have read the novel. The purpose of collecting the studies is that the writer wants to have another perspective about the theme or the object of this study. Unfortunately, the study or criticism of The Headmaster’s Wager by Vincent Lam are not found. Therefore, the writer is going to use studies that have a similar topic.

A study based on the same topic is taken from a thesis written by Petriza Giovanni Abu, who is an alumnus of Sanata Dhama University, entitled The

Effects of Vietnam War in 1960-1970 in Robert Olen Butler’s “Missing” and

“Salem”: a Sociocultural-Historical Study. The study questioned about the

similarities and differences of two short story Missing and Salem, go deeper the study is the similarities and differences can lead to the effect of Vietnam War to American soldier in Missing and to Vietnamese peasant in Salem. The study is stated as follows:

The similarities found in both short stories are the setting and the condition where the main characters are the victims of their government. While the first difference found in both short stories is the identity. The main character in “Missing” is an American soldier. On the contrary, the

main character in “Salem” is a Vietnamese peasant. The second difference

is the freedom of the choice to become disloyal. The similarities and the differences between both stories draw to the effects of the Vietnam War. The first effect is that there are many casualties from both sides. The

second effect is that Vietnam is destroyed. The third is the Amerasians (the mixed children of US servicemen and Vietnamese). The fourth effect is that the ritual uncertainty which makes the spirits of the Vietnamese who are sent to war are unhappy. The last effect is the obligation for the Vietnamese and Americans to join the military service (2005: viii).

Abu‟s object of the study has a similar background to the novel that the

writer used. “Missing”, “Salem”, and “The Headmaster‟s Wager” take the

Vietnam War as the setting of the novel. However, those works have different

characters. “Missing” has an American soldier, “Salem” has a Vietnam peasant, while “The Headmaster‟s Wager” has a Chinese headmaster. War does not recognize citizenship, everyone get the horrible effect of Vietnam War. Abu‟s

study and this study have a similar objective that is finding the effect of Vietnam to the main character.

Another study comes from a thesis written by Yulita Eva Setiawan, entitled The Culture Clash of the Chinese American in Amy Tan’s “The

Bonesetter Daughter”. The study questioned the characteristics of Lu Ling and Ruth Young, and go deeper to investigate the culture clash in the novel and the factor that causes it. The study is stated as follows:

It can be summarized that the conflicts regarding the matter of culture happened because of the different characteristics between Lu Ling and Ruth which then results in misunderstanding of cultures. As a Chinese American, Ruth is accustomed more to the American culture than she is to Chinese culture. It is because of the nature of the children of the immigrants to assimilate to the culture of the country they were born at. In contrary, as a Chinese immigrant, Lu Ling tends to preserve the culture of her native country because she believes that her native culture as the best (2012: xii).

The writer thinks that Setiawan‟s research has a relation with this study.

They are an overseas Chinese. They have similar perspective that Chinese is the best culture, therefore they are trying to preserve it. Regrettably, their culture got a conflict with the society. Lu Ling gets trouble with her sister who has been assimilated American culture, while Percival gets trouble through situation in

Vietnam. Setiawan‟s study and this study have a similar purpose that is finding

the cause of the clash of the culture.

Third study that will be used by the writer is a journal written by Neil Segars, entitled How to Be Chinese in Mississippi: Representation of a Chinese

Grocer in Chyntia Shearer’s “The Celestial Jukebox. This study analyzes the representation of Chinese grocer who lives in Mississippi Delta, go deeper to investigate the society that influences the main character. The study is stated as follows:

Angus with Chinese heritage of violence through renegade law and order

– the description works to contradict the stereotype of Chinese businessmen as neutral in civic matters, especially regarding racial conflict, by portraying Angus as playing an intimate part in the lives of everyone who enters his store (2009: 63).

Segars finds that Chinese in “The Celestial Jukebox” is different from the most of Chinese. Angus Chien, a Chinese descent, plays as a neutral player who let everyone comes to his store, even black people. The writer thinks that this journal

has a relation with writer‟s study. This study also tries to find out the

characteristic or the representation of Chinese. Contrarily, Percival is an ethnocentric person while Angus Chien not. Moreover, those main characters also get a trouble from society because their characteristic.

entitled Relocating Notions of National and Ethnic Authenticity in Chinese

American and Chinese Literary Theory Through Nieh Hualing’s Overseas Chinese Novel “Mulberry and Peach”. This study is trying to find out the nationality of an overseas Chinese writer through their literary works. In this case,

Amato takes Nieh Hualing‟s novel “Mulberry and Peach”. Amato‟s research finds

out that the main character, Mulberry and Peach which are the same person has schizophrenia represents the nationality of Chinese, Taiwanese, and North American. The quotation is stated as follows:

Mulberry and Peach lies at the intersection between Asian American and

Chinese academic territories of literary research described above. By drawing on both fields, a comparative study of such text can work to loosen up some of the geographical, cultural, and national borders that solidify around literary canons and debates over cultural authenticity (1999: 33).

Actually, Amato‟s study is totaly different from the writer‟s study, but the writer

thinks that those studies have a relationship. Overseas Chinese writer can reveal his nationality through the main character in literary work. Vincent Lam is also an overseas Chinese who lives in Canada. He is actually a Canadian-Chinese, but he

does not show off his Canadian, but he shows his Chinese‟s culture through Percival‟s characteristics. The biography of the author can influence how he

writes his literary works.

Four studies above are definitely different from writer‟s studies. Even though those studies look like having a similar idea, in this study, the writer will focus on the ethnocentrism of the main character. Then, the writer will analyze

the situation in Vietnam War that changes Percival‟s ethnocentrism. In the story, Percival who is an overseas Chinese lives in Vietnam during the war. He used to

be a rich and respectful man, but Vietnam War has changed him to be inferior

people. In the other word, this thesis is going to talk about Percival‟s

ethnocentrism and the effect of Vietnam War to his ethnocentrism.

B. Review of Related Theories

There are some theories that the writer uses to reveal the problem formulation. They are theory character and characterization, theory of ethnocentrism, and the relation between literature and history. Theory of character and characterization and theory of ethnocentrism conduct the writer in defining the ethnocentrism of Percival. Then, the writer uses the relation between literature and history to define the historical value in the novel that affect character.

1. Theory of Character and Characterization

Character can be defined as a person in a film, play, or story. Edgar V.

Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs state that character in literature is “an extended

verbal representation of human being, the inner self that determines thought,

speech, and behavior” (Roberts and Jacobs, 1987: 119). It means that character as

a person can think, speak, and act. The behavior will give the reader the knowledge of what kind of person the character is.

Even though character is a representation of human being, the sequence of events in the story is just a composition of the author. It is set to give a space to character to show his personality to the reader. Roberts and Jacobs agreed with

this idea. It is stated that “whereas in life things may „just happen‟, in fiction the actions, interactions, speeches, and observations are all arranged to give you (the

reader) the detail you need for conclusions about character” (Roberts and Jacobs,

1987: 119).

As human being, people can not recognize others just through his appearance. Roberts and Jacobs state that studying character means to connect the appearance of character to his personality (Roberts and Jacobs, 1987:120). The appearance of character give a clue to his personality, but the reader also have to look in his thought, speech, and behavior. The author may focus more on one character and slop on the other character. A character that is treated more by the author is called protagonist, while the other is antagonist.

Roberts and Jacobs state that according to E.M. Forster there are two types of character which are round and flat (Roberts and Jacobs, 1987: 120). Character is divided into two types, round and flat. Round character is a protagonist character who has more attention by the author. This type of character has more descriptions and a chance to grow in the story which is called dynamic character. Dynamic character will have different personality in the beginning of story and in the end of the story.

The second type, flat character is known as antagonist character who supports the round character. The reader just has a little information of flat characters because they are not a major character that do not have more attention from the author. This type of character stays the same in the beginning of the story until the end of the story. They do not have experience to grow or change.

Furthermore, M.J Murphy in Understanding Unseens: An Introduction to

English Poetry and the English Novel for Overseas Student mentioned that there

are nine ways for author to describe character in literary work understandable to readers (Murphy, 1972: 161-173). There are:

a. Personal description is the author‟s description of personal‟s appearance, such as skin, hair, and clothes. As Roberts and Jacobs state before, studying

character means to connect the appearance to the personality. The character‟s

appearance gives a clue to the characteristics.

b. Character as seen by another is the author‟s description through another character‟s point of view. Fiction will have protagonist and antagonist character. Antagonist usually has an opinion of protagonist character. His opinion is used to know the characteristics of the character.

c. Speech is the author‟s description through character‟s opinion when he says something. As human being, character can talk to deliver his opinion about what happens in his life. Through his speech, such as what kind of language that he uses, it gives information about the personality of character.

d. Past life is the author‟s description of character‟s past life that shape his characteristics to behave in such way. Personality of character is developed through experiences that happened in his life. Therefore, the personality is influenced by the past life.

e. Conversation of others is a description through the conversation of other people and the things they say about character. Characters talk about each other, they will have an opinion of each other. This opinion is used to know

the characteristics of character.

f. Reaction is the author‟s description about how a character reacts to various situation and events. Personality of the character can be seen through his response. It is about the way of the character to something that happens in his life.

g. Direct comment is the author‟s comment on a person directly. Author as the creator of the story has a right to describe by himself about the character. h. Thought is the author‟s description of what a character is thinking about.

Character is a person who can think. He will have an opinion about himself.

This opinion will lead the reader to the character‟s personality.

i. Mannerism is the author‟s description of a person‟s mannerism, habits, or idiosyncrasies. To give more knowledge, author will give the description of what the character usually does or how he does something.

2. Theory of Ethnocentrism

According to Horton and Hunt‟s Sociology, it is stated that Sunner defines

ethnocentrism “as that view of things in which one‟s own group is the center of

everything and all others scaled and rated with reference to it” (Horton and Hunt,

1980: 73), while Broom and Selznick define as “identification with the familiar and devaluation of the foreign” (Broom and Selznick, 1977: 73). It can be

assumed that ethnocentric people think that their culture is superior. They will use their beliefs or ideas as a standard to judge others and others are just a stranger for them.

As they feel superior, ethnocentric people will treat others as just strangers. Therefore, they usually protect their culture and one against changes.

“It is the feeling that one‟s own culture is the best in all respects and that others

are in varying degrees inferior-barbaric, heathen, or outlandish” (Broom and Selznick, 1977: 73). They think that others and changes can disturb their culture.

Horton and Hunt state that according to Ardono, ethnocentric people tend to be less uneducated, more socially withdrawn, and religiously more orthodox (Horton and Hunt, 1980: 74). First characteristics of ethnocentric people are uneducated. Ethnocentrism can appear in many vary people. Horton and Hunts reject the first characteristics because being educated or uneducated can not be a

standard of ethnocentrism‟s personality. It is stated as follow:

The old, the socially secluded, the less educated, and the politically conservative may be ethnocentric but so are the young, the well educated,

the widely traveled, the politically “left” and the well to do (Ray 1971). It

is obvious that different type of people vary in the ideas about which they are ethnocentric, but it is far less clear that there is any significant variation, by social background or personality type, in the degree to which people are subject to ethnocentrism (1980: 75).

Second characteristic is withdrawn. It means that ethnocentric people tend to group themselves in order to maintain their culture. However, there are some of ethnocentric people who do not fully draw off themselves from the world. They still have interaction with others, but they do not absorb the strange culture. They believed that others are just inferior.

Third characteristic is orthodox. Ethnocentric people will accept their culture as the truth and follow it. Therefore, their culture can exist long time as long as members of the group can preserve and keep the culture well. It also

needs the unity of members of the group. As they think their culture is superior, changes will never be accepted. They protect the culture from external changes that can damage the value of the culture. In fact, changes can not be prevented. It makes some cultures collapsed and extincted while the others can survive and stable.

3. Theory of the Relation between Literature and Society

According to Rene Wellek and Austin Warren, literature is a social institution that uses language as its medium. Literature has a social function that implies social problem such as tradition, norms, and myth, but it can not express the whole society as the truth. Author, as the messenger, just gives a little part of life in society. Wellek and Warren state as follows:

To say that literature mirrors or expresses life is even more ambiguous. A writer inevitably expresses his experience and total conception of life; but it would be manifestly untrue to say that he expresses the whole of life or even the whole life of a given time, completely and exhaustively (Wellek and Warren, 1977: 90).

The basic source of literature is the author‟s biography. Before the author

influences society through his work, society previously influences the author. The author is a social creature who lives and absorbs value in society. Critic can relate

the work of literature to author‟s social background, family background, or

society where he lives. However, author can not put all ideology he believed in the work of literature.

The old approach to see relationship between literature and society is to learn literature as a social document. Literature records historic event in the world

through author‟s idea. Thomas Warton believes that literature has a skill to record

characteristics of time series. It is stated as follows:

Thomas Warton, the first real historian of English poetry, argued that

literature has the “peculiar merit of faithfully recording the features of the

times, and of preserving the most picturesque and expressive representation of manners” and to him and many of his antiquarian successors, literature was primaly a treasure of costumes and customs, a source book for the history of civilization, especially of chivalry and its decline (Wellek and Warren, 1977: 98).

It means that literature has a role as historical document that records some events in one time. Literature gives a picture of what of society that lives in one time when we never know.

According to Rohrberger and Woods in Reading and Writing About

Literature, state that “they define civilization as the attitudes and actions of a

specific group of people and point out that literature takes these attitudes and

actions as its subject matter” (Rohrberger and Woods, 1971: 9). It implies that

society deserves to be learned as the component that build literature. Society always takes part in building story of fiction.

C. Review of Related Backgrounds

As the writer uses sociocultural-historical approach, related background is needed to understand the study. The novel The Headmaster’s Wager by Vincent Lam takes Vietnam War as the background society. Therefore, the history of Vietnam War and its effect to Hoa will be used to conduct the writer in defining the second problem formulation.

1. History of Vietnam War and Its Effect to Hoa

Vietnam started the first war with French which included Cambodia and Laos. They used to be known as Indochina. At first, the war was about the struggle to be free from French colonialism. Ho Chi Minh, on September 2nd 1945, proclaimed the independence of Vietnam from French rule (Herring, 1979:

3) and proclaimed himself as the president of the “Democratic Republic of Vietnam” (Pan and Lyon, 1966: 20). On March 6th

, General de Gaulle agreed to recognize Vietnam as a free state within the French Union. French troops were to re-enter the northern part of Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh, secretly had communist party which is called Viet Minh. In 1946, he accused French of violating their pledges to give the better live for Vietnamese. He increased the attack wherever he could. French began to realize that Ho Chi Minh was part of communist party that is supported by Soviet and China. War between French and Vietnam became more intensified that brought them to Geneva Conference.

However, Geneva Conference did not bring good news for Vietnam. Stephen Pan and Daniel Lyon state that second Indochina war started as the result of Geneva Conference, 26 April – 21 July 1954 that mentioned there was a

division between North and South Vietnam (Pan and Lyon, 1966: 41). South Vietnam got support from the United States, while north from Communist country such as Soviet and China. The United States declared that no country could disturb the peace in Vietnam. Actually, United States had helped Vietnam during the war between French and Vietnam by sending the aid for Vietnam. After the Geneva Conference, the relationship became closer and Unites States

clearly supported the South Vietnam.

North Vietnam was led by Ho Chi Minh who did not agree of the division of Vietnam. As a republic, Vietnam must be united to be free from colonialism. Ho Chi Minh still did his communist action and made people believe on what he taught. Vietcong, the army of North Vietnam did guerilla to make South Vietnam and United State dropped. Undoubtly, American increased his army to more than 16.000 men. Vietcong also increased the attacked more and more wherever and whenever they wanted.

Not only Vietnamese, but also Chinese or called Hoa in Vietnam felt the effects of the war. The first migration happened in the beginning of Geneva According to Daniel J. Hoover in his thesis The Migration of Chinese-Vietnamese

from Vietnam: The Truong Family, Hoa who lived in North Vietnam and were

Catholic mostly moved to the South which was not communist. The largest population of Hoa was in Cholon, Saigon, South Vietnam which is now known as Chinese City (Hoover, 2010: 11). Even though living in Vietnam, Hoa were still bounded to their culture, such as in education, marriage, civic organization, and economic endeavors.

Chinese in Cholon and the surrounding areas primarily focused on economic activities. This could be reflected through their desire of for prosperity that was associated with wealth and strong work ethic. Therefore, Hoa were always the target of political reform. “Their (Hoa) capital and community structure could have been utilized in order to make more prominent gains within the government. Instead, the ethnic Chinese remained deliberately isolated in

their own market driven aims” (Hoover, 2010: 13). Hoa were always being target during Vietnam War, especially when the nationalism was growing.

During Ngo Dinh Diem reign, there was naturalization that made Hoa lose their Chinese name. In 1956, the president declared that all Chinese should renounce their Chinese nationality and adopt Vietnamese citizenship (Hoover, 2010: 14). Moreover, South Vietnam also discontinued the mail service to and from China in order to cut the connection of Hoa with China. In October 1956, Diem changed all school curricula, placing Vietnamese as the primary language in the school. Chinese could be taught, but as a secondary language. As they lost their name and their language, Chinese also forced to serve in military.

As economic activity was the main focus of Hoa, they absolutely avoided military service. Most of them who were listed in military service chose to go

abroad than to stay in Vietnam and go to war. “Many other Sino-Vietnamese, used educational opportunities to keep their children from front-line military service (Hoover, 2010: 18).” When the communist succeed taking control of South Vietnam, Bourgeoisie Hoa became the target of anti-comprador bourgeoisie. Therefore many Hoa decided to leave Vietnam as soon as possible. They paid bribe and gold so that they could leave by plane or boat.

D. Theoretical Framework

Each of the theory and review are presented before is used to analyze the novel. The review of related studies is needed to strengthen the topic of this study which deserves to be studied and analyzed. The theory on character and

characterization and theory of ethnocentrism give a contribution to the study. These theories help the writer to answer first problem formulation that analyze characteristic of Percival which is ethnocentric. The writer will compile the ethnocentrism that appears in the novel is similar to the ethnocentrism that Horton and Hunt state. Moreover, theory of character and characterization by M.J. Murphy will help the writer to see how the characteristic describes in the novel. The writer will only use some of character‟s description that is appropriate to the analysis. The theory by Roberts and Jacobs will also be used to see the complicated of the character and the changes that happen to character as the dynamic character.

The theory of the relationship between literature and society is important to give the writer the information about the close relationship between literature and society. The theory gives a wide understanding that society can not be separated from one character. Society gives strong influence to main character‟s characteristics.

The background of the Vietnam War and its effect to Hoa also gives contribution in order to help the writer to have a good understanding of Vietnam War. Vietnam War has played an important role in order to change main

character‟s characteristic. The Headmaster’s Wager talks about a Chinese descent who lives in Vietnam and gots the effect of the Vietnam War to his characteristic as Chinese.

23

CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY

A. Object of the Study

In this thesis, the writer uses the novel by Vincent Lam‟s The

Headmaster’s Wager which is published by Hogarth in 2012. It consists of 441

pages, include Vincent Lam‟s essay Memories of My Grandfatther. This novel is

his first novel that is published after he wrote short story Bloodletting and

Miraculous Cures that won the 200 Scotiabank Giller Prize and was also adapted

for television and broadcast on HBO Canada. In addition to strong review, The

Headmaster’s Wager is longlisted for 2013 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Exellence in Fiction with the other 49 fictions.

The story took the setting during the time of Vietnam War between North and South Vietnam. In the story, Percival was the headmaster of English School, Chen Hap Sing, in Cholon, South Vietnam. Percival was a Chinese who lived with his son, Dai Jai. Percival was known as the person who held his Chinese tradition sturdily. He always underestimated to Vietnamese and never let his son to have a relationship with them. As a Chinese, he always thought that he was superior and had a higher class than Vietnamese. Therefore, he only mingled with Chinese and lived in Cholon which was a Chinese city. It could be assumed that Percival was an ethnocentric person. However, he was just a minority in Vietnam. When the war became worse, Percival could not hold his heritage anymore.

Percival had to change his perspective. Percival used to go home, to China, unfortunately, he had to go to America to continue his life.

B. Approach of the Study

The aim of this study is to identify the effect of Vietnam War on Percival‟s ethnocentrism. To help analyzing the problem, the writer applies the sociocultural-historical approach. Rohrberger and Woods in Reading and Writing

Literature state that “critics whose major interest is the sociocultural-historical approach insist that the only way to locate the real work is in reference to the

civilization that produced it” (1971:9). It means that there is a relationship

between literature and society where the work is created. The critics will focus on the actions and the attitudes conducted of a specific group of people in the society and its relation toward the work of literature.

Likewise, Rohrberger and Woods also state that analysis of the society is a necessity (1971:9). Literature is not created in short times, but it takes a process. Before literature is influenced by the society, it is influenced the author first. Then, the author expresses his reflection on society in literary work. Literature will be a representation of ideas, actions, or attitudes of the society. So, society takes an important role toward literature.

Additionally, Rohrberger and Woods state that “the traditional historical

approach to literature usually takes as its basic some aspect of the sociocultural frame of reference, combining it with an interest join the biographical as well as a

represented in the text should be justified by the reality.

So, from the quotations above, sociocultural-historical can be defined as the belief that puts literary works as the product of civilization in one time that includes society, culture, and history. The approach gives contribution in order to help the writer to analyze the society in the novel which is Vietnam War that

changes Percival‟s ethnocentrism. Sociocultural-historical approach will be suitable for the study to allow the writer to achieve deeper understanding about the society, culture, and historical background of the society where the novel takes place and time. By knowing the actual circumstance outside the text, the writer will be able to reveal the idea that the author wants to inform the readers.

C. Method of the Study

In composing this research, the writer used the library research method. The library research means collecting the data from a printed material such as journals, magazines, and books. To support this study, the writer used two kinds of resources as the requirement of the study. There are primary source and secondary source. The primary source is the novel itself The Headmaster’s Wager as the source information in order to answer the problem formulation. The secondary sources were taken from some books, e-books, internet, PDF that could be used as references and to support the research. The sources of the theories had a contribution on identifying the character, ethnocentrism, and the society in the novel, while the review of the studies was to get another point of view about the similar topic and people‟s critical thinking.

There were systematic steps that the writer took for the analysis. First, the writer read the novel The Headmaster’s Wager for several times to have the understanding of the story itself and to find the focus of this study which was the

diminishing of Percival‟s ethnocentrism as the effect of Vietnam War.

Second, the writer collected data from many sources to support this study. The writer had to understand the theories and the other sources which were stated in chapter two. The sources were acquired from the printed material. The writer

could acquire some books of theory, dictionary, other‟s thesis, and essay. The

writer also acquired data from the internet. These data would help and support the analysis of the research. Understanding theories meant that the writer comprehended the sources so that there was no misleading in applying the theories to the analysis.

After gathering all information of the theories and studies, the writer had to collect the data from the primary source. The information from the primary source and secondary source had to be matched. So, the problem formulation could be answered. It can be seen in chapter four. After the analysis completed, there was still one chapter that have to be completed. The conclusion part was the chapter that restated the whole analysis in a brief writing.

27 CHAPTER IV

ANALYSIS

In this chapter, the whole discussion of the thesis will be presented. The analysis is to discuss the theories and the evidence in The Headmaster’s Wager which lead to the answer of the two problem formulation. There are two issues of discussion in this chapter as the follow up to the problem formulation. First is the

discussion of Percival‟s ethnocentrism and the following discussion focuses on

the effect of Vietnam War on Percival‟s ethnocentrism. In the discussion, the

writer uses the theory of character and characterization, theory of ethnocentrism, and theory of relationship between society and literature which have been written in previous chapter, and then the writer elaborates the theories with the evidence found in the novel in order to reach a clear and systematic answer to the two problem formulation.

A. Percival’s Ethnocentrism

In the first discussion, the writer is going to discuss Percival‟s characteristic which is ethnocentric. The discussion is on identifying the

ethnocentrism that appears in the novel through Percival‟s characteristics. The

writer uses the theory of character and characterization and theory of ethnocentrism by M.J. Murphy, Roberts and Jacobs, and Horton and Hunt that have been written in chapter two.

representation of a human being, the inner self that determines thought, speech,

and behavior” (1987:119). There are many characters in the novel The

Headmaster’s Wager, however, there is only one person who represents ethnocentrism which is Percival. He is the main character of the novel who has more attention by the author. Therefore, Percival is a round character. As a person, he also develops himself. According to Roberts and Jacobs, he is a dynamic character.

Sunner defines ethnocentrism “as that view of things in which one‟s own

group is the center of everything and all others scaled and rated with reference to

it” (1980:73). Most ethnocentric people will treat themselves as the best one.

Percival as the representation of human being in the novel shows that he is an ethnocentric person. He sees his culture as the center of life. So, he treats others, especially the Vietnamese as the lower people. Percival acts like he is a superior person even though he, actually, is the minority group in Vietnam. At the first part of the novel, he reminds Dai Jai three times that they are Chinese.

Percival‟s reminder shows that the ethnocentric people want to preserve their identities. Another that, Percival also wants to show that his culture has more

prestige than the Vietnamese‟s. Chinese is the foundation of the Vietnamese. The

quotation will be stated as follows:

“Did anyone asked you?” Percival turned to his son. “You are Chinese,

remember? For fifteen hundred years, this was a Chinese province. The Imperial Palace in Hue is a shoddy imitation of the Summer Palace in Beijing. Until the French came, they wrote in Chinese characters.”

“I know, ba, I know.” Dai Jai recited, “Before being conquered by the Han,

this was a land of illiterates in mud huts. Without the culture of China, the

Through speech (1972:163), Percival shows his superiority. According to the history, China reigned Vietnam. After Vietnam got its freedom, Vietnam was

still influenced by China. Vietnam still held Chinese‟s culture, even the

Vietnamese spoke the Chinese language. Therefore, most of Chinese held to their culture firmly. Percival, as the representation of civilization during the Vietnam

War, holds to Chinese‟s culture tightly. He believes that his culture is the foundation of the life and the Vietnamese‟s life. It can be assumed that Percival feels that he is superior person. According to Horton and Hunt, an ethnocentric person will feel that they are better than the others.

According to M.J Murphy, Percival‟s superiority is also revealed through the speech with his father, Chen Kai. ““Son, amongst the Annamese it is so easy to make money. We Chinese are smarter than they are and can get rich from them.

It would be foolish for me to stay in Shantou”” (2012:93). Percival‟s superiority

somehow influences his treatment to the others. He always underestimates the Vietnamese. He thinks that the Chinese is better than the Vietnamese, so it will be easy for him to get money in Vietnam, because the Chinese is smarter than the Vietnamese. Percival looks like he takes the advantage of the Vietnamese, but he also shows that he is powerful than the Vietnamese. He is a Chinese who has strong work ethic, so he is deserved to be rich.

Another Percival‟s treatment to the Vietnamese is when the two officer

come to his house to get his sign. There is a new regulation that the Vietnamese

language should be put in the curricula. “Why teach Vietnamese here? Why should we Chinese be forced to learn that language?” (2012:16). According to

Murphy, the superiority is revealed through speech (1972:163). It is not a necessity for him to learn or teach the Vietnamese language. Percival who has lived more than sixteen years in Vietnam can not speak the Vietnamese fluently. For him, it is not important to learn the Vietnamese language because there is a more prestige language which is Chinese.

Another Percival‟s ethnocentrism that is revealed through the speech

(1972:163) shows when he tried to convince Dai Jai that China was the best place for the Chinese. The quotation as follows:

“The greatest minds of all civilization-Emperor Wong, Confucius, the Cheng brothers--all derived their wisdom from their mother China. You will thrive in Shanghai. You will get a better education that you could ever hope fore

here in this muddy backwater.” (2012:118)

Percival shows his ethnocentrism more often. He feels that his culture is the center of the world. Percival believes that civilization comes from China. As the consequence, he underestimates the education in Vietnam. He states that the education in China is better than in Vietnam. Percival does not only

underestimates the Vietnamese, but also the white people. “”What good have the

French ever been to us Chinese, or any white people? You would be miserable in a land of the gwei lo (white people)” (2012:117).” Percival convinces Dai Jai that living in America or Europe is better. Percival believes that white people only bring problem. First Vietnam War was being the struggle of the Vietnamese under the French colonialism. When the second Vietnam War began, The United State supported Vietnam. There were many victims of the bomb that were caused by the United State. Looking at the condition, Percival believes that white people only bring problem.

Next, Percival‟s ethnocentrism is revealed through direct comment. The

author describes that Percival lives in Cholon, South Vietnam. Cholon is a Chinese City (2012:6). As an ethnocentric person, Percival withdraws himself from the Vietnamese. He tends to group himself with the Chinese. Moreover, Percival tends to mingle with the Chinese. Most of his friends are Chinese. First,

Mak is Percival‟s assistant in English school. “Though he was of Teochow

Chinese descent, Mak was born in central Vietnam and spoke the language

fluently” (2012:15). According to the personal description (1972:161), Mak is

Chinese.

Second, from the direct comment (1972:167), students and teachers in

Percival Chen English Academy are Chinese. “Of course, many of the students at

the Percival Chen English Academy were in fact of Chinese descent and spoke only basic Vietnamese, like their headmaster” (2012:21). Percival lives in Cholon, that many Chinese live there means that most of his students are Chinese. Percival also hires Chinese teachers to teach in his school. Percival knows that Chinese workers have strong work ethic (2010:13), therefore it will be good to

his school‟s reputation.

According to the speech (1972:163), Chief Mei is the Chinese police in

Cholon. “”They let us Chinese police control Cholon as long as we don‟t come cross them . . . On sensitive matters”” (2012:60). When Dai Jai is arrested, Percival is asking help from Chief Mei who is a Chinese police. Percival believes that the Chinese will help the Chinese, therefore he hopes that Chief Mei can help and solve his problem. Unfortunately, Chief Mei can not do anything because he

does not have a power as a Chinese police in Saigon.

Last, according to the personal description (1972:161), Doctor Hua is a

Chinese. “The Cholon-born, Paris trained, Chinese doctor recommended an American medication that he had conveniently available for sale in his bag” (2012:102). After Dai Jai is released, Percival entrusts Doctor Hua to take care of Dai Jai and heal him. He believes that Chinese people have a strong work ethic, so Doctor Hua will do his best to heal Dai Jai.

Percival who withdraws himself from the Vietnamese also wants Dai Jai to do the same way with him. When Dai Jai is instructed to got the military, Percival wants Dai Jai to go to China to avoid the instruction. Cecilia, otherwise, wants Dai Jai to move to America or Europe. “Our son must return to China,”

said Percival. “It is the only safe place for a Chinese person.” (2012:112).

According to the speech (1972:163), Percival is persistent to send Dai Jai to China. It looks like that Percival wants to save his son, so he has to send his son

away quickly. Percival‟s reaction, actually, does not only show his caring to his

son, but also his ethnocentrism. He forces his son to move to China, even Dai Jai

has mentioned that China has a problem. “I heard on the radio that People‟s

Committees have banned the Parade of Deitis celebration. They say people must stop worshipping the ancestors because in the new China-” (2012:117-118). Percival does not pay attention to what Dai Jai said. He believes that the Chinese shall go back to China.

Furthermore, Percival‟s ethnocentrism is appeared when he knows that Dai Jai had a Vietnamese‟s girlfriend. The quotation will be stated as follows:

“And I will tell you again, until you learn its lesson! Ba Hai was very

beautiful. Did that save my father? An Annamese woman will ofer you her sweetness, and then turn to sell it to someone else. (2012:10)

Mak sighed, “I have go down to teach.”

“Thank you for telling me about the girl. He must marry a Chinese.”

(2012:16)

Percival‟s withdrawal is revealed through speech (1972:163). He prohibits

his son to marry a Vietnamese woman. He calls it as “improper love”. According

to Merriam Webster Dictionary, improper is not following rules of acceptable behavior and legally or morally wrong. So, it can be assumed that Dai Jai‟s love is not following the rule because the rule is a Chinese man marries to a Chinese

woman. Percival‟s withdrawal and superiority influence him to underestimate the

Vietnamese over. He believes that a Vietnamese women always sell their sweetness to every man. It can be assumed that Percival has considered Vietnamese women as a whore.

Percival who thinks that his culture is the center of everything tries to preserve his culture. According to Horton and Hunt, ethnocentric people will protect their culture. Therefore, Percival as a father, wants to preserve his culture by generating it to Dai Jai. Through the direct comment (1972:167), Dai Jai

attends Teochow Clan School. “Dai Jai had left for his Chinese classes at the

Teochow Clan School” (2012:22). Teochow is a Chinese people who speak in Teochow dialect. Even though Dai Jai is born in Cholon, Percival wants Dai Jai to learn about Chinese culture in his school and has a Chinese fellow.

Third characteristic of ethnocentrism is orthodox. It means that Percival accepts his culture as the truth and follow it. His convention appears though his lifestyle, such as food and book.

Percival always teaches Dai Jai about the Chinese culture. Therefore, Dai Jai will get the Chinese culture not just at school, but also at home. Through personal description (1972:161), the author described the situation clearly as follow.

Normally, Percival would have criticized the cheeseburger, French Fries, and pizza that Cecilia brought from the U.S Army PX, and banished the cans of Coca-Cola and the Marvel comics. He would have admonished her that Chinese stomach could not tolerate very much of this western food, and why should their son read about superheroes in ridiculous costumes when there were so many real Chinese heroes of history? (2012:106)

Before Dai Jai was arrested, Percival had prohibited every single things about America. He liked to tell a story about Chinese superheroes to Dai Jai when he was a child. Chinese superheroes are much better than American superheroes because Chinese superheroes are more real. It is taken from history, whereas

Marvel is just human‟s imagination. Another that, Percival has an opinion that

Chinese food is much better than American food. Chinese food is much more healthy than American food which is junk food.

When he was at Chen Hap Sing, he instructed the cook to prepare only Chinese dishes, and would only respond to the servants when they spoke a Chinese dialect. When he took his breakfast alone on the balcony, where he had long since instructed Foong Jie to remove the second cahir, it was a Teochow breakfast of salted fish and rice proodge -never pho. (2012:261)

From the personal description above (1972:161), Percival does not just hate American food, but also Vietnamese food. He instructs Foong Jie, his Vietnamese maid, to serve only Chinese food. He does not want Foong Jie to serve pho, the Vietnamese noodle soup. As a Chinese, he shall eat Chinese food to maintain the culture. Moreover, he forces his servants to speak Chinese dialect.

49

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Abu, Petriza Giovanni. “The Effect of Vietnam War in 1960 - 1970 in Robert Olen Butler‟s “Missing” and “Salem” : A Sociocultural-Historical Study. Thesis. Yogyakarta. Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2005.

Amato, Jean. “Relocating Notions of National and Ethnic Authenticity in Chinese American and Chinese Literary Theory Through Nieh Hualing‟s Overseas Chinese Novel “Mulberry and Peach””.Pacific Coast Philolo Vol. 34. No 1 (1999): p. 32-52. (www.jstor.org/stable/1316620). March, 31 2015.

Broom, Leonard and Philip Selznick. Sociology: A Text with Adapted Readings. New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1977.

Fitzgerald, James. Strange Enough to be True. Literary Review of Canada. Vol 20. No 6, Views from Abroad. 2012. (http://www.jamesfitzgerald.info/Vincent_Lam.pdf) . February 18, 2015.

Herring, George C. America’s Longest War: The United States and Vietnam,

1950-1979. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 1979.

Hoover, Daniel J. “The Migration of Chinese-Vietnamese from Vietnam: The Truong Family”. Thesis. Waco: Baylor University, 2010.

Horton, Paul B and Chester L. Hunt. Sociology. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1980.

Lam, Vincent. The Headmaster’s Wager. New York: Hogarth, 2012.

Murphy, M.J. Understanding Unseens: An Introduction to English Poetry and the

English Novel for Overseas Students. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd,

1972.

Pan, Stephen and Daniel Lyons. Vietnam Crisis. New York: Twin Circle Publishing, 1966.

Roberts, Edgar V. and Henry F. Jacobs. Fiction: An Introduction to Reading and

Writing. New Jersey: Practice Hall, 1987.

Rohrberger, Mary and Samuel H. Woods, Jr. Reading and Writing About Literature. New York: Random House, 1971.

Setiawan, Yulita Eva. “The Culture Clash of the Chinese American in Amy Tan‟s “The Bonesetter Daughter””. Thesis. Yogyakarta. Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2012.

Tran, Doan Kiem. The Impact of Vietnam War and Its Aftermath on the Vietnamese

Refugees’ Adjustment in the United States. Dissertation. Los Angeles: University of Southern California, 2000.

Segars, Neil. “How to Be Chinese in Mississippi: Representation of a Chinese Grocer in Chyntia Shearer‟s “The Celestial Jukebox””. The Global South. Vol. 3. No 2, Special Issue: The United States South and The Pacific Rim (2009): p. 55-63. (www.jstor.org/stable/10.2979/GSO.2009.3.2.50). March, 31 2015.

51 APPENDIX

The Summary of Vincent Lam’s The Headmaster’s Wager

The story takes the setting during the time of Vietnam War between North

and South Vietnam. In the story, Percival is the headmaster of English School, in

Cholon, South Vietnam. He is a Chinese who lives with his son, Dai Jai. He has

been divorced with his wife, Cecilia who is also a Chinese. They used to live in

Hong Kong, China, but there was an invasion of Japan to China that made them

had to move. Percival‟s mother has been passed away, while his father is in Cholon as a rice trader. To avoid the war, Percival and Cecilia move to Cholon

and live with Percival‟s father. Chen Kai, Percival‟s father, has been married to the Vietnamese women, named Ba Hai. In order to take over Chen Kai‟s wealthy, Ba Hai always gives an opium to Chen Kai. Percival‟s arrival has been brought Chen Kai to the reality. So, he tries to go home to China, but no one ever hears

the news of him anymore.

In Cholon, Percival is a successful man, as the headmaster of English

School, Chen Hap Sing. He likes to do gambling and gives a bribe to make his

business go smoothly. He realizes that he lives in the midst of the war between

North and South Vietnam. There are some new regulations that have influenced

him, for example taking Vietnamese citizenship to live in Vietnam. However, he

pretends to never hear about the war as long the war does not disturb his business.

As a Chinese, he does not like the Vietnamese. He can not speak the language

Vietnamese language, Percival tries to give a bribe to local official, who actually

can not help him. Dai Jai realizes that his father always tries to maintain the

culture. Dai Jai even can not have a relationship with a Vietnamese woman. To

make his father proud, he makes a protest in the Teochow School. In

consenquence, he is accused as a Chinese pro and he is arrested. Percival has to

ransom Dai Jai by giving a thousand taels of gold to Viet Cong. Even though Dai

Jai has been free, the problem still comes. He has to go to Shanghai, China to

avoid the military.

After Dai Jai‟s going, Percival has so many debts to be paid. Mak, Percival‟s partner, sees that there is a chance to make more money in the midst of war. South Vietnam is supported by the American, so there are many Americans

who will come and live in South. Percival employes his best students to be a

translator for the American. Therefore, he can double the tuition and pay the debt.

One day, he has money to pay the debt, but he chooses to use the money to do

gambling. In mah jong games, he wins so much money and also a girl, named

Jacqueline. The debt could be paid. He falls in love to Jacqueline, but she is not a

Chinese, she is a French-Vietnamese woman and his student in English School.

Percival can not marry her. When Percival tries to leave her, Jacqueline says that

she is pregnant, so [ercival takes care care of her and the baby.

In January, while there is a Tet celebration, there is an offense by the Viet

Cong. The Viet Cong breaks the cessation and attacks Saigon and Cholon. At that

night, Jacqueline who lives in Saigon comes to Chen Hap Sing because she has to

eight months. During the birth process, the Viet Cong comes to Chen Hap Sing,

tried to kill Percival, but Mak can prevent it. As a rich Chinese, it is possible for

Percival being the target of the Viet Cong. In the chaotic situation, Percival gets a

baby, named Lang Jai.

Dai Jai who lives in China, used to sent letters to Percival. One day, the

letter comes to Cecilia. It is written that Dai Jai is accused as the America pro

because of his father‟s school. He wants to come back to Vietnam. Cecilia goes to China to find friends who can help her while Percival asks Mak help to bring Dai

Jai back. Then, Percival meets with General Cho, who is a Viet Cong. General

Cho promises that he will bring Dai Jai back, but he has to make sure that

Percival does not lie. He has to be sure that Percival is not an American spy.

Percival is beaten by Mak and Cho. Now, Percival knows that Mak is a comrade

of Viet Cong who uses his school to know the strategy of the United State. The

horrible truth is Lang Jai is his grandson and Jacqueline is Dai Jai‟s ex-girlfriend. Percival chooses to leave Jacqueline and never met Lang Jai.

The war is going to the end. Percival let Mak to take over the school. He

only talks to Mak to ask about Dai Jai. Mak always says that Dai Jai is near. After

years, Dai Jai arrives in South Vietnam. He is fighting as a comrade of Viet Cong.

Percival picks him up, but what he sees Dai Jai and Mak have passed away. After

that, Jacqueline calls him to pick up Lang Jai in front of the zoo. She commits

suicide. She can not bear her problem of life. She realizes that she and Lang Jai

can not live in Vietnam because their appearance look like an Amerasian.

United States has left them alone. Percival, as the grandfather, takes care of Lang

Jai. He also realizes that it is not a good idea to live in Vietnam. Communist acts

like they let the Chinese live, but at midnight they will kill them. Therefore, he

meets Mrs Ling and asks her help. Percival goes by boat to the United States,