The influence of external and internal conflicts toward Antoinette`s decision to commit suicide in Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys - USD Repository
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
For some reasons, finishing this thesis is unbelievable thing for me. So many times I have let myself down and I have dropped my dream out of my life. I always remember the time when I started to blame my environments of my own failure without considering that my life is my own responsibility. These are few mistakes of mine which I could not replace with anything in this world. I know that life is hard, but I still believe that God is with us. Because of that, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Allah SWT who is giving me blessing and love in my every single day.
I realize this thesis could not be done without others’ help, guidance, support, and also patience. I would like to thank Sanata Dharma University who has granted me the opportunity to get my academic degree in Literature. I would like to thank
Dr. F.X. Siswadi, M.A., as the Dean of Faculty of Letters for his understanding in
giving me the opportunity to accomplish this undergraduate thesis. I would like to thank Drs. Hirmawan Wijanarka, M.Hum., as my advisor who has supported, guided, and helped me in finishing my thesis. I would like to thank Adventina
Putranti, S.S., M. Hum., as my co-advisor who has willingly read my writings and
given valuable corrections and evaluations. To my thesis defense examiner, J. Harris
Hermansyah Setiajid, S.S., M. Hum., thank you for giving me important
suggestion. I would like to thank all my lecturers in the Department of English Letters
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thank all secretariat staff of the Faculty of Letters who have helped and given me a lot of information that I need.
I dedicated this thesis for my beloved daughter Puan Surya Anagarya who will always be my little star. Thank you for giving me a miracle and strength to keep moving on this life. I especially thank to my family, Mr. JB. Sudijoto and Mrs. Sri
Kuswanti, my parents, for their endless love, guidance, material and also spiritual
support. I am grateful to my sister Bening Srigati and my brother in law Ucak Boy
Hotman for always reminding me of life’s struggle. I thank my brother Agung Seno
Aji for his patience in holding on every bad time in my life. This is also dedicated to
my two nephews, Andi Sigit Wicaksono and Dhimas Satria Adhitama, who could fill my life with joy and happiness. I would like to thank all family members in
Harjosiswoyo and Brodjo Puspito family whom I cannot mention one by one. I
thank them for the encouragements.I also thank all my friends in the Faculty of Letters who have given me a room to acknowledge the value of friendship. Last, I would like to thank my close friends,
Cicilia, Mey, Sondang, Intan, Glory, Mbak Nina, Dek Ari, Metha, Olline, Dewi,
Leni, Wahmuji, Jery, Bang Izul, Scholastica, Lia, Jely, Rizky, Putri, Rita, Mbak
Win, Bang Barjo, Aji, Syahraini, Supad who have provided me with love,
attention, patience, encouragement, and sympathy.Cita Arti Hayati
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE ...................................................................................................... i
APPROVAL PAGE ............................................................................................ ii
ACCEPTANCE PAGE....................................................................................... iii
MOTTO PAGE .................................................................................................. iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................... v
TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................... vii
ABSTRACT......................................................................................................... ix
ABSTRAK .......................................................................................................... x
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ....................................................................... 1
A. Background of the Study........................................................................... 1 B. Problem Formulation ................................................................................ 3 C. Objectives of the Study ............................................................................. 4 D. Definition of Terms................................................................................... 4CHAPTER II THEORITICAL REVIEW ....................................................... 5
A. Review of Related Studies ........................................................................ 5 B. Review of Related Theories ...................................................................... 71. Theory of Character and Characterization .................................... 7
2. Theory of Conflict ......................................................................... 10
C. Theoretical Framework ............................................................................. 12
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY .................................................................. 14
A. Object of the Study.................................................................................... 14 B. Approach of the Study ............................................................................. 14 C. Method of the Study.................................................................................. 15CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS ................................................................................ 17
1. Antoinette’s Characterization in the Story................................................ 17
a. Fragile................................................................................................... 17
b. Caring ................................................................................................... 19
c. Loyal..................................................................................................... 20
2. The Conflicts Experienced by Antoinette ................................................. 22
a. External Conflict among Characters ................................................. 22 i. Antoinette and Tia....................................................................... 24
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iv. Antoinette and Christophine ....................................................... 33 v. Antoinette and the Two Teenagers ............................................. 36
b. Internal Conflict Experienced by Antoinette .............................. 37 i. Rejection ..................................................................................... 37 ii. Mental Oppression ...................................................................... 40 iii. Insecurity..................................................................................... 41
3. The Influence of Conflicts toward Antoinette’s Decision
to Commit Suicide .................................................................................... 44
a. Racial Tension.................................................................................... 45
b. Hybrid Identity................................................................................... 46
CHAPTER V CONCLUSION ........................................................................... 51
BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................... 54 APPENDIX Summary ................................................................................................... 56PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
ABSTRACT Cita Arti Hayati. The Influence of External and Internal Conflicts toward
Antoinette’s Decision to Commit Suicide in Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys.
Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2012.The novel Wide Sargasso Sea talks more about race issues and intricacies of Jamaica’s social hierarchy. In 1833, in Jamaica, there was an era of Emancipation Act or slavery abolishment. On that time, slavery is being the hottest issue in the society of Jamaica. Antoinette as the main character, who is the daughter of a white ex-slave owner has to live in a complex situation. It causes many conflicts in her life externally and internally. The writer is interested to analyze this novel in order to acknowledge and reveal the relationship between the main character, Antoinette and her external and internal conflicts which lead her to commit suicide.
In this study the writer has formulated three problems to gain the goal of this thesis writing. First problem is how Antoinette’s character is described on the novel. The second is the conflicts that are experienced by Antoinette. Here, the writer includes two main conflicts, external and internal conflict as the major problem of her social life force. The third is how the conflicts influence Antoinette’s decision to commit suicide.
The writer used formalistic approach to answer the three problems formulation. This approach is suitable for the analysis since the conflicts of plurality of race externally and internally that has influenced the cross cultural interaction between two different cultures, European and Carribean, could be examined through the text among the black Carribean, the Creoles, and the English in the novel.
In the analysis’ process of first problem formulation, the writer finds out that Antoinette is a fragile, caring, and loyal person. As a mixed-race Creole, she is differentiated from the whites born in England. Further, the writer reveals the external and internal conflicts that are experienced by Antoinette through the analysis of second problem formulation. External conflict happens between Antoinette and her best friend, Tia, Antoinette and her husband, Rochester, Antoinette and her surrogate mother Christophine, Antoinette and her step brother, Daniel Cosway, and last is Antoinette and two Negro teenagers. Another conflict is internal conflict. Antoinette has experienced rejection, mental and financial oppression, and also insecurity.
Further, trough the analysis of third problem formulation, the writer can find out that the role of Antoinette becomes clearer to show the failure in holding onto the chaos in her life. The two conflicts cause a racial tension that is based on Antoinette’s hybrid identity. At last she decides to commit suicide. Antoinette’s decision to commit suicide shows her restlessness and powerless to face the faith of life. Her inability to belong to any particular community is also influenced by her double identity as
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ABSTRAK Cita Arti Hayati. The Influence of External and Internal Conflicts toward
Antoinette’s Decision to Commit Suicide in Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys.
Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2012.Novel Wide Sargasso Sea banyak membahas tentang masalah- masalah ras dan keruwetan hirarki masyarakat Jamaika. Pada tahun 1833, di Jamaika mengalami masa Emancipation Act atau penghapusan perbudakan. Pada waktu itu, perbudakan menjadi puncak kemarahan dalam masyarakat di Jamaica. Antoinette sebagai tokoh utama cerita adalah seorang anak perempuan dari seorang mantan pemilik budak berkulit putih. Dia harus menjalani hidup dalam situasi yang komplek. Hal ini menyebabkan berbagai konflik dalam hidupnya secara eksternal and internal. Penulis sangat tertarik untuk menganalisa studi ini dengan tujuan untuk mengetahui dan mengungkap hubungan antara sang tokoh utama, Antoinette dengan konflik- konflik eksternal dan internal yang dialaminya yang kemudian memicunya untuk bunuh diri.
Studi ini di jabarkan ke dalam tiga penjabaran masalah untuk mencapai tujuan dari penulisan skripsi ini. Jabaran masalah pertama adalah bagaimanakah penokohan Antoinette di dalam novel. Jabaran masalah kedua adalah berbagai masalah yang di alami Antoinette. Jabaran masalah ketiga adalah bagaimanakah konflik- konflik tersebut mempengaruhi keputusan Antoinette untuk bunuh diri.
Penulis menggunakan pendekatan formalistic untuk menjawab ketiga jabaran masalah. Pendekatan ini dapat mendukung proses analisis karena konflik- konflik dalam masyarakat yang jamak akan ras yang telah mempengaruhi interaksi silang budaya antara dua kebudayaan yang berbeda yaitu Eropa dan Karibia, secara eksternal dan internal dapat di telaah melalui teks tertulis diantara orang asli Karibia, orang Creole, dan orang Inggris di dalam cerita novel. Dalam proses analisa jabaran masalah pertama, penulis dapat mengetahui bahwa Antoinette adalah seorang yang lemah, penyayang, dan setia. Sebagai seorang Creole, dia dianggap beda dari orang kulit putih yang terlahir di Inggris. Selanjutnya, penulis mengetahui konflik eksternal dan internal yang dialaminya melalui analisa jabaran masalah kedua. Konflik eksternal terjadi antara Antoinette dan sahabatnya, Tia, Antoinette dan suaminya, Rochester, Antoinette dan ibu penggantinya, Christophine, Antoinette dan saudara tirinya, Daniel Cosway, dan terakhir Antoinette dan dua remaja kulit hitam. Konflik lainnya adalah konflik internal. Antoinette harus mengalami, penolakan, tekanan mental dan finansial, dan juga ketidak- amanan. Selanjutnya, melalui analisa jabaran masalah ketiga penulis dapat mengetahui bahwa peran seorang Antoinette menjadi lebih jelas menunjukkan kegagalannya dalam bertahan di tengah- tengah kekacauan dalam hidupnya. Kedua konflik tersebut
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menunjukkan kewalahan dan ketidak berdayaannya dalam menghadapi takdir hidupnya sendiri. Ketidak mampuannya adalah ketika dia harus masuk dalam salah satu bagian dari komunitas tertentu di karenakan oleh identitasnya yang ganda yaitu sebagai penjajah dan bisa juga disebut sebagai orang terjajah di dalam koloni.
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CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study Literary work is one medium to give us the information of our daily social
life through the intrinsic and extrinsic elements of the story inside. Novel as a form of literary work reveals many problems within that can bring our view, imagination, broad understanding, and analysis. Because of that, a fiction should involve characters who take their roles to create conflicts as the element in lifting up the story.
Rene Wellek and Austin Warren in their book, Theory of Literature, state that the work of literature portrays life as reality. It looks like a real-life portrait. It is an illustration of human lives because the literary works present the reality of human situations, problems, feeling, and relationships (1956: 94). A novel’s theme is always not far away from the everyday life’s problems in the society.
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys is one of novel which shows social-conflict that
places woman character in facing the pressure from her society.Everything in the society of the novel is questioned: reason, justice, madness, freedom. The overall feeling is one of great sadness and anger, that such things can happen (Rhys, 2001: p.xiii). It means that the society in the novel has so many contributions to the enlargement of the study process. Moreover, in the patriarchal society which carries out the system of men's superiority, women seem to be the victims of social construction that puts them in position as maternal, domestic, and sexual
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and Post-Colonial Theory: A Reader , say:
Women, as the biological 'carriers' of the 'race', occupy a primary and complex role in representations of ethnicity, popular and academic, Black and white, and it is women's exercise of their sexuality which is an often unacknowledged major concern underlying such representation (1994: p.17).
As the literature mirrors society in the novel, it is suitable to study the impact of social life force toward Antoinette’s character which shows the depiction of woman inferiority. In this case, the novel Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys is one good example of literary work which is chosen as the object of the study. The topic of this study is the influence of conflict toward Antoinette’s life as seen in Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. It tells about conflict among different race that is caused by the social condition in one part of West Indian, Jamaica, in 1830s. Many characters get their roles in society life, which is full of complexity. Because of that, the writer is interested to explore the influence of social life force toward Antoinette as the main character in the novel due to her genetically condition as a ‘mixed-race’ woman who gets some discriminations from her society. She is surrounded by terror and anguish that are based on her position as both colonizer and colonized people.
As a proverb says, Ivory and ebony living peace in harmony. It means that white people and black people could live in a state of agreement in feelings, interests, opinions, and balance. Basically, everyone wants to be respected by others, no matter what their skin colors. Even nowadays, there are still discriminations among people in a certain social elite in order to empower other
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important role in Wide Sargasso Sea, since the plurality of race in the story has role to influence the racial identity of Antoinette herself, as seen in the line: ………‘‘ But look the black Englishman! Look the white niggers!”, and then they were all yelling. ‘ Look the white niggers! Look the damn white niggers!’’ (Rhys, 2001:21). Moreover, the novel contains many aspects that contribute elements to be analyzed deeply. The writer is challenged to reveal the social life force which influences the character in shaping her own identity that has the state of being difficult to understand or explain because there are many different aspects involved. Such aspects are; racial-complex, the failure of marriage, inability to stand alone, etc. Furthermore, she has been marked as an exile among her society because of the in heritage condition as a Creole.
B. Problem Formulation
Considering the background above, here, the writer tries to answer three problems which can be seen in the novel, Wide Sargasso Sea. These three problems have relation with the social background that creates the conflict in the society. In order to make a deep analysis, these are the three problems which are formulated as follow:
1. How is Antoinette’s character described on the novel?
2. What are the conflicts that are experienced by Antoinette as the main character on the story?
3. How do the conflicts influence Antoinette’s decision to commit suicide?
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C. Objectives of the Study
Since, this study based on the problems formulation above the writer focuses on three objectives of the study. First, the writer tries to find out and describe Antoinette personality as the main character on the novel. It is important because the reader can see about the character’s way of thinking and way of living. Second, the writer wants to know about the conflicts both internal and external conflict on the society in Wide Sargasso Sea that are experienced by the character. Third, the writer tries to figure out the contribution of conflicts, both self-conflict and social-conflict will bring us to the broad understanding of her last decision to commit suicide.
D. Definition of Terms
Some terms are frequently used in this study. To avoid misunderstanding, clear definitions are provided. Those are:
1. Creole Descendant of Europeans who have lived in the West Indies for one or more generations or a white person descended from early French or Spanish settlers of
The United States Gulf states and preserving their speech and culture (Rhys, 2001: 150).
2. Conflict Conflict is opposition, difference, or clash of opinion, desires, etc; for example are the conflict between one’s duty and one’s desires, a conflict of interest between the achievement of one aim and that of another
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CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW In this chapter, the writer is going to explain some criticisms and theories
applied in this thesis. It consists of two subchapters, first is review on related studies and the second is review on related theories. Review on related studies will deal with criticisms on Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea. Then, some theories applied in this thesis will be discussed in review on review on related theories. In this part, the writer applies theories of character and characterization, and also conflict.
A. Review of Related Studies
The novel Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys tells about the conflict of racial identity to compete against the social condition in West Indian, Jamaica. Wide
Sargasso Sea was written as Rhys's attempt to explain the character of Bertha
Mason in Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre. Rhys wanted to explore the reasons why Bertha Mason went mad. In doing so, Rhys fills her story with conflict. Conflict of the distraction between former slaves and their previous owners, conflict of the overall misunderstandings between the white and black races, conflict of the difference in beliefs between the old white plantation owners and the new English immigrants who come to live on the island, and finally, the ultimate conflict, the internal confusion of the main character, Antoinette, in facing her emotional and rational state of being. There is also the battle between men and women as they
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In Sistha Oktaviana Pavitrasari’s undergraduate thesis titled Representation
of Racial Barriers between ‘The West’ and ‘The Other’ as seen in Jean Rhys’
Wide Sargasso Sea , it mentions that the text of Wide Sargasso Sea contains of
failures in showing the motif of the text which should be focused on the ‘Otherness’ while it seems to explore the domination of ‘Eurocentrism’.
Although the novel is a rewriting the canon as an effort to challenge and to counter the bias representation of Otherness, the writer thinks that text itself contains latent racism and Eurocentrism. Therefore, the counter discursive strategy fails for the text is ineffective in propagating attempts to counter hegemony. It can be found in the development of conflicts among character, their actions, which implies the tone of subjective and covertly internalized eurocentrism of the author (2009 : 68).
From the writer’s different point of view, the text of Wide Sargasso Sea talks more about racial tension that is experienced by the main character of the story, Antoinette, as the ‘Other’. She becomes the victim of the cross road of culture because she does not have power as a colonizer. It shows the failure of the existence of the ‘Other’ in dealing with complex situation of their relationship with the colonizer or the ‘West’. So, the text can also reveal external and internal conflicts in the great narration of the relationship between colonizers and colonized. The text comes up to show the author idea of the impact of the racial discrimination and the impact to individuals.
Chinua Achebe writes in his article Named for Victoria, Queen of England in Ashcroft, Griffiths and Tiffin’s The Post- Colonial Studies Reader that someone who lives in a crossroads of culture does have a certain dangerous potency; dangerous because a man might perish there wrestling with multiple
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of prophetic vision. It reviews on Antoinette character as victim on cross-cultural interaction of two different cultures; those are Carribean culture and European culture on the novel (Ashcroft, Griffiths and Tiffin, 1995:192).
B. Review of Related Theories
To support this study, the writer uses some theories to be the basic guidance in answering the problem clearly. Those are the theories of characters, and theory of conflict.
1. Theory of Characters and Characterization.
According to Abrams ( 1981:20 ) characters are the persons presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with moral and dispositional qualities that are expressed in what they say -the dialogue -and by what they do -the action. It is stated that the grounds in a character’s temperament, desires, and moral nature of the speech and actions constitute the motivation.
In this case, there are two kinds of method that can be discussed. First, the direct method called telling, which is the author tends to describe, and to evaluate the motives and dispositional qualities of the characters. Second, the dramatic method, which is also called showing, which is the author just presents the characters talking and acting. By this way, the author leaves the reader to infer the motives and dispositions lay behind what they say or do.
According to X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia in Literature: An Introduction
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character, a static character is one who changes little of at all. Thing happen to such a character without thing happening within. Type pattern of action reveals the character rather than showing the character changing in response to the actions. Sometimes a static character gives the appearance of changing simply because our picture of the character is revealed gradually. A dynamic character, on the other hand, is one who is modified by actions and experiences, and one objective of the work in which the character appears is to reveal the consequences of these actions (1998: 61).
E.M. Foster in Aspect of the Novel (1972:18) distinguishes two kinds of characters, they are, flat character and round character. A flat character is a character that is built around a single idea or quality and is presented without much individualizing detail, and therefore can be fairly adequately described in a single phrase or sentence. A round character is complex in temperament and motivation and is represented with subtle particularly; such a character therefore is as difficult to describe with any adequacy as a person in real life, and like real persons, is capable of surprising us.
Murphy (1972: 161-173) in Understanding Unseens, there are nine ways of how characters are presented to the readers:
1. Personal description The author explains his characters to the readers by describing about the physical appearance and clothes of the character, such as, skin-color, eyes, hair, face, bodybuilding, and clothes.
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The author describes his character through another character’s eyes and opinions.
3. Speech In this way, the author describes his character through the conversation in which the character is involved. It means that the character can be known through what the other characters say.
4. Past life The author describes his character’s past life to give a clue to the readers about events or experiences in the past that shape the character. It can be explained by the author’s direct comment, through the character’s thought, through the character conversation, or through the medium of another person.
5. Conversation of others The author gives clues to the readers about the character through the conversation of other characters and the things they say about him/her.
6. Reactions The character’s reaction to various situations and events can give clues to the readers about the character’s personality.
7. Direct comment The author gives his personal description or comment on the character directly.
8. Thoughts The author gives the readers understanding about the character’s
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and giving them feeling as if they are the characters themselves.
9. Mannerism The author describes the character’s personality through the character’s mannerism, habits, or idiosyncrasies in the novel.
2. Theory of Conflict
Robert Stanton in An Introduction to Fiction mentions that one elements of the plot in the story is conflict. Every work of fiction contains obvious internal conflicts between two desires within a character, or external conflicts between characters and his environment. These specific conflicts are in turn subordinate to the central conflict, which may be internal, external, or both. A central conflict is always between fundamental and contrasting qualities or forces, such as honesty and hypocrisy, innocence and experience, individuality and the pressure to conform. The conflict is the core of the story’s structure, the generating centre out of which the plot grows. The central conflict of a story has close relation to its theme; the two may even be identical (1965:16).
Elgin F. Hunt in his book, Social science. An Introduction to the Study
of Society , says that conflict does not always have forms in direct ones, such as
frontal war, fight, riot, raid, or any kind of open hostilities. Conflict does not always mean hate, hatred, or distrust. Conflict also can happen just through the limit of differences of opinion, perspectives, judgments, and opposing arguments. This type of conflict happens because group tends to evaluate certain matters
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of culture, values, religion, belief, and norms or moral standards (1955:31-32).
Crosby E. Redman in this book, A Second Book of Plays, says that in studying conflict, it is important to trace the problem. He has suggestion of tracing the problem:
As soon as possible, discover what problem has arisen as a result of the situation, what the main character, or characters, decide to do about it and why. This decision leads to a conflict or struggle between two opposing forces. Note especially what the conflict is and who or what is involved in it. Once this has been made clear in the play, nearly everything that happens thereafter is related to the conflict and effects, in some way, how the conflict is resolved and what the outcome will be (Redman, 1964: ix).
Rohrberger and Woods in Reading and Writing about Literature, mentions that conflict is the struggle that occurs between the protagonist and antagonist, fate or environment, or within the protagonist or with the conflicting value system. It is also called complication (1971: 180).
Robert and Jacobs in Fiction: An Introduction to Reading and Writing
Literature define conflict as the opposition between two characters. It may also
exist between two characters. It may also exist between larger groups of people, although in fiction conflicts between individuals are more identifiable and therefore more interesting. Conflict may also exist between an individual and larger forces, such as natural objects, ideas, and modes of behavior, public opinion, and so on. The existence of difficult choices within an individual’s mind may also be presented as conflict, or dilemma. In addition, the conflict may be presented not as direct opposition, but rather as a set of comparative or contrastive ideas or values (1987: 88).
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the movement from the initial statement of conflict to the climax is often referred to as complication. The climax is reached when the complication attains its highest point of intensity, from which point the outcome of the story is inevitable (1966: 18).
Holman and Harmon in A Handbook to Literature, explain that conflict is the struggle that grows out of the interplay of the two opposing forces.
Conflict provides interest, suspense, and tension. At least one of the opposing forces is usually a person, or, if an animal or inanimate object, is treated as though it were a person. This kind of person’s character is usually protagonist, may involve in conflicts of five different kind: a struggle against nature; a struggle against another person; a struggle against society; a struggle for mastery by two elements within the person; a struggle against destiny or fate (1986: 80).
D. Theoretical Framework
The first problem discusses the relation between society and main character, because of that the writer uses theory of character and characterization to resolve the problem. The focus of this study is the development of character. Since the writer tries to figure out the development of Antoinette, as the main character, the evaluation is needed to support the analysis process further. The writer applies these theories to emphasize many aspects in shaping the character that is influenced by the social life force. The theories from Abrams, Murphy, X.J.
Kennedy and Dana Gioia are appropriate to be chosen.
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conflict of race intricacies. To resolve the problem the writer uses theory of conflict as the suitable theory to be applied in this study. Meanwhile, the writer also applies theories from Robert Stanton, Elgin F. Hunt, Crosby E. Redman, Rohrberger and Woods, Robert and Jacobs, William Kenney, Holman and Harmon, to evaluate the conflict in the second problem.
By elaborating the first and second answer of the problem formulation, this study will try to analyze the influence of external and internal condition which have full of conflicts toward Antoinette’s life process. She becomes the victim of racial discrimination that seems so complex. Hopefully it will help this study to discover the influence of those conflicts in forcing Antoinette to make a great decision to commit suicide.
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CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY A. Object of the Study To support the study, the writer uses a novel titled Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys to be the reference. Andre Deutsch first publishes this novel in 1966
then Penguin Books Group, London in 1968, publishes it further. The novel is the result of the character’s controversy in a novel titled Jean Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. It can be considered that the publication of Wide Sargasso Sea is the impact of the publication of Jean Eyre. In this case, the novel Wide Sargasso Sea talks more about race issues and intricacies of Jamaica’s social hierarchy.
Wide Sargasso Sea was honored with the prestigious W. H. Smith Award
and the Heinemann Award of the Royal Society of Literature. The novel was also selected by Random House as one of the best one hundred books of fiction written in the English language during the twentieth century.
The study of the novel is directed to be the work that could reveal the society conflict among the population of black ex-slaves who maintain their own stratification. Further complicating conflict makes the hostility among the characters themselves in improving the characterization.
B. Approach of the Study
In analyzing the work of this study, the writer uses formalistic approach as suitable approach to analyze this study. In analyzing the conflicts the writer just
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It is related to Rohrberg and Woods statement in Reading and Writing About Literature.
The extreme formalist critic examines the literary piece without reference to facts of the author’s life, without reference to the genre of the piece or to its place in the development of the genre or in literary history, and without reference to its social milieu ( 1971 : 7).
Since the problem formulations can be solved by examining the text among the black Carribean, the Creoles, and the English in the novel, the writer prefer to use this approach as the most suitable approach to support the study.
C. Method of the Study
Since the purpose of this study is to show the influence of external and internal conflict toward the main character’s decision to commit suicide, the thesis should be done by methods that support the process of analysis. Because of that, the writer decided to identify the topic firstly, then enlarged the topic into three problem formulations to be analyzed.
Next step, the writer identified the character by paying more attention to read the novel, and used the theory of character and characterizations as the basic guideline of analysis. In this case, the writer took reading process that should be followed by having good interpretation in reading the situation or story; even it was hidden from the readers visually. It means, the writer focused on specific details, and analyzed both the explicit and implicit elements in the story.
After that, the writer identified the conflict behind the setting or situation
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condition of the character in facing self-conflicts. The writer found out that the novel consists of many aspects in society with its civilization that becomes the background of a literary work.
Then, the writer preceded the study to reveal the influence of external and internal conflicts which is full of complexity that leads the main character’s decision to commit suicide. It is related to the personal problem in dealing with society in her surroundings. Besides, the writer tried to critic the social value inside the literary work itself.
After the writer found out many aspects on the story, the writer analyzed the aspects to get deeper comprehension of analytical literary study. The writer emphasized and explained the problems that have been formulated before.
Final process to be done is drawing conclusion clearly as the result of submissive tentative answer of the problem to be resolved. In conclusion, the writer summarized the whole part of study process itself.
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CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS In this chapter the writer tries to analyze the sub chapter of the problem
formulation that has been formulated before. Here the first problem formulation from the three of them.
1. Antoinette’s Characterization on the Story.
Antoinette is the main character in the story endures a lot of social life forces from the society around. Mostly, the author uses dramatic method to show the description of Antoinette character through her talking and acting on the text. Based on E.M Foster theory, there are two kinds of characters, flat and round character. Antoinette is a round character, because she is complex in temperament and motivation. She is also capable of surprising the reader by showing her last action at the end of the story. Based on Murphy’s theory, personal character can be done in nine ways, they are, personal description, characters as seen by another, speech, past life, conversation of others, reactions, direct comment, thoughts, and mannerism. The writer tries to analyze Antoinette’s character by the nine ways of Murphy theory. From the comprehension of reading process the writer finds out three significant characters which form the main character personality:
a. Fragile
Antoinette is a conventional young girl who lives in the rundown
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coloured, dressing on the modest way, acts normally like other girls on her ages. She speaks Black English as her daily language that can be called as ‘non- standard’ English. In the novel, Antoinette is full of fragility inside of her personality; this can be her weakness because she can easily surrender to her own understanding and belief without considering the change of situation and condition in her reality in life. She is still pondering everything she had in the past, before her father’s death. Most of the time, she is just spending her time hoping that she is not the part of herself and her surround anymore.
Better. Better, better than people. Watching the red and yellow flowers in the sun thinking of nothing, it was as if a door opened and I was somewhere else, something else. Not myself anylonger. I knew the time of day when though it is hot and blue and there are no clouds, the sky can have a very black look (p. 11, line 17-22).
Antoinette only companion, Tia, is the only friend that she has. They always go together to the bathing pool until midday. Unexpectedly Tia acts so unfriendly to her because she envies the money. Not only does she take her money but also her clothes. She is so disrespect of Tia’s unfaithful act and shows her hatred to Tia. We can see from the following quotation of the novel.
I searched for a long time before I could believe that she had taken my dress, not my underclothes, she never wore any, but my dress, starched, ironed, clean that morning. She had left me hers and I put it on at last and walked home in the blazing sun feeling sick, hating her ( p. 9,line 1-4).
Feeling upset, Antoinette comes back to home when the day is dark. She never comes back to the bathing pool and also never meets Tia again. It shows her disappointment toward her best friend, Tia. She could not believe that Tia could
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hatred and animosity.
She is very sensitive when one day a little girl following her and singing a mocking song about her condition as a white nigger. She tries to avoid that moment by keeping herself away and chooses to hide her feeling. As seen in the quotation below.
When I was safely home I sat close to the old wall at the end of the garden. It was covered with green moss soft as velvet and I never wanted to move again. Everything would be worse if I moved. Christophine found me there when it was nearly dark, and I was so stiff she had to help me to get up (p. 7, line 24-28).
The vulnerable side of Antoinette is clearly seen from the way she acts and thinks about the reality in her life. So, I can conclude that she is a fragile woman who cannot keep up with her everyday life.
b. Caring
Antoinette is a caring person. Although she has been left by her father, she does not forget to take care and pay more attention to her mother, Annette, and also to her sickly brother, Pierre. Her mother does not actually care to her because her mother prefers to take care of Pierre, her brother, who has been diagnosed cystic-fibrosis disease by doctor.
Antoinette is in the custody of Aunt Cora after that, but she always comes to Coulibri to see her mother and Pierre. She is so excited every time she comes to Coulibri to see them, as seen in the quotation below.