THE IDEAS OF WOMANISM AS SEEN THROUGH TOMMY’S CHARACTERIZATION IN ALICE CHILDRESS’ WINE IN THE WILDERNESS
THE IDEAS OF WOMANISM AS SEEN THROUGH TOMMY’S CHARACTERIZATION IN ALICE CHILDRESS’ WINE IN THE WILDERNESS
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters
By
GALIH ASRI NINDITA. D
Student Number: 054214069
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2010
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THE IDEAS OF WOMANISM AS SEEN THROUGH TOMMY’S CHARACTERIZATION IN ALICE CHILDRESS’ WINE IN THE WILDERNESS
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters
By
GALIH ASRI NINDITA. D
Student Number: 054214069
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2010
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DO THE BEST IN EVERY
SINGLE THING YOU DO
AND YOU WILL NEVER REGRET
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This undergraduate thesis is dedicated to
My Beloved Father and Mother AndMy Great Sister
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN KAMPUS
Yang bertandatangan dibawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma: Nama : Galih Asri Nindita D
Nomor Mahasiswa : 054214069 Demi kepentingan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul The Ideas of Womanism as Seen through Tommy’s Characterization in Alice Childress’ Wine in the Wilderness beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa meminta ijin dari saya maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis. Demikian pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenarnya.
Dibuat di Yogyakarta. Pada tanggal: 15 April 2010 Yang menyatakan, Galih Asri Nindita D
UNIVERSITAS SANATA DHARMA FAKULTAS SASTRA JURUSAN SASTRA INGGRIS – PROGRAM STUDI SASTRA INGGRIS PERNYATAAN KEASLIAN KARYA TULIS Yang bertandatangan dibawah ini, saya menyatakan bahwa skripsi saya dengan judul: The Ideas of Womanism as Seen through Tommy’s Characterization in
Alice Childress’ Wine in the Wilderness yang dimajukan untuk diuji pada tanggal 24 Maret 2010 adalah hasil karya saya.
Dengan ini saya menyatakan dengan sesungguhnya bahwa dalam skripsi ini tidak terdapat keseluruhan atau sebagian tulisan orang lain yang saya ambil dengan cara menyalin, atau meniru dalam bentuk rangkaian kalimat atau simbol yang menunjukan gagasan atau keseluruhan tulisan yang aya salin, tiru atau yang saya ambil dari tulisan orang lain tanpa memberikan pengakuan pada penulis aslinya. Apabila saya melakukan hal tersebut diatas, baik sengaja maupun tidak, dengan ini saya menyatakan menarik skripsi yang saya ajukan sebagai hasil tulisan saya sendiri. Bila kemudian terbukti bahwa saya ternyata melakukan tindakan menyalin atau meniru tulisan oramg lain seolah-olah hasil pemikiran saya sendiri, berarti gelar dan ijasah yang telah diberikan kepada universitas batal saya terima.
Yogyakarta, 15 April 2010 Yang membuat pernyataan, Galih Asri Nindita D
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I would like to express my greatest gratitude to my Lord, Allah, for the blessing, guidance, love and strength. I realize that I have been able to complete my thesis because He is always on my side.
I would like to address my deep gratitude to my advisor, Ni Luh Putu Rosiandani, S.S., M.Hum., for her precious time, guidance and support that help me in the process of writing my thesis. I also would like to address my gratitude to my co-advisor M. Luluk Artika W, S.S. I thank to all the lecturers and staffs in the English Letters Department of Sanata Dharma University.
My best gratitude goes to my parents, Sukamto and Sri Hartati Pudji R., for their priceless loves, supports, prayers and wishes that encourage me. I also thank my grandparents, Hartono and Sumini for their prayers and my great sister, Putri Sekar Arum.
My special thanks go to my best friends Elisabeth Ria Handayani, Fransiska Chandra Leonita, and Cindy Abram. Thank you very much for the encouragement, support, the shoulders to cry on, the moments of happiness and sadness. I will never forget that, you are one of the best parts in my life, friends.
Furthermore I thank my Wine in the Wilderness friends, my play performance friends, Dela, Nana, Efra, Aye, Dian, Greg, Adit. Thank you for the unforgettable moment we have shared together and for all my friends of English Letters Department 2005.
vi The last but not least, I thank everyone whom I cannot mention one by one for the helps and prayers so that I have been able to complete my thesis. Thank you very much.
Galih Asri Nindita. D
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE ................................................................................................. i
APPROVAL PAGE ....................................................................................... ii
ACCEPTANCE PAGE................................................................................... iii
MOTTO PAGE……………………………………………………………… iv
DEDICATION PAGE………………………………………………………. v
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................... vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................. viii
ABSTRACT.................................................................................................... x
ABSTRAK ...................................................................................................... xi
CHAPTER I : INTRODUCTION …………………. .................................. 1
A. Background of the Study ..................................................................... 1 B. Problem Formulation ........................................................................... 4 C. Objectives of the Study........................................................................ 5 D. Definition of Terms.............................................................................. 5CHAPTER II : THEORETICAL REVIEW ............................................... 7
A. Review of Related Studies................................................................... 7 B. Review of Related Theories................................................................. 9 1. Theory of Character and Characterization..................................... 9 2. Theory of Racial Discrimination ................................................... 13 3. Theory of Gender Discrimination.................................................. 16 4. Theory of Womanism .................................................................... 18 5. The Condition of Black Women in the Twentieth Century........... 21 C. Theoretical Framework........................................................................ 22CHAPTER III : METHODOLOGY............................................................ 24
A. Object of the Study .............................................................................. 24 B. Approach of the Study ......................................................................... 25 C. Method of the Study............................................................................. 26CHAPTER IV : ANALYSIS ......................................................................... 28
A. The Characterization of Tommy, Bill Jameson, Cynthia and Sonny-Man........................................................................................... 28 1. Tommy ..... ..................................................................................... 29 a. Poor .......................................................................................... 29 b. Uneducated .............................................................................. 31 c. Optimistic ................................................................................ 32 d. Independent ............................................................................. 33 e. Confident …………………………………………................. 34 2. Bill Jameson .................................................................................. 35 a. Disrespectful ........................................................................... 35 b. Selfish ...................................................................................... 37 c. Rude ......................................................................................... 383. Cynthia .......................................................................................... 39 a.
Educated ................................................................................... 39 b.
Conceited ................................................................................. 41 c. Hypocritical .............................................................................. 43
4. Sonny-Man .................................................................................... 44 a.
Educated .................................................................................. 44 b.
Hypocritical ............................................................................. 45 B. Discriminations Reflected through the Relationship of Tommy, Bill
Jameson, Cynthia and Sonny-Man ...................................................... 46
1. Racial Discrimination ................................................................... 46
2. Gender Discrimination .................................................................. 52 C. Womanism Presented through Tommy ............................................... 56 1.
Self-Esteem.................................................................................... 56 2. Loves the Folks.............................................................................. 59 3. Appreciates Women’s Culture....................................................... 62
CHAPTER V : CONCLUSION.................................................................... 64
BIBLIOGRAPHY .......................................................................................... 67
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ABSTRACT
GALIH ASRI NINDITA DANASTRI. The Ideas of Womanism as Seen through
Tommy’s Characterization in Alice Childress’ Wine in the Wilderness.
Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2010.In the twentieth century, feminism became an interesting topic to be discussed. It became an interesting topic because there were many more women who had concern and awareness to get an equality with men. Feminism appeared as the way or tool for women to get the equal right with men. Along the history of women’s movement, there appeared branches or various types of feminism with different methods and purposes. This thesis focuses on womanism. Womanism is a term to voice and help the need and struggle of black women. The aim of this thesis is to reveal the ideas of womanism as presented by Tommy’s characterization. Tommy is a black woman who experiences racial and gender discrimination from her friends of her race, Bill, Sonny-Man and Cynthia.
In this thesis, the writer formulates three problems formulation. The first is how Tommy, Bill, Cynthia and Sonny-Man are characterized in the play. The second is how racial and gender discrimination are reflected through the relationship of Tommy, Bill, Cynthia and Sonny-Man. The third problem is what the ideas of womanism are presented through the characterization of Tommy.
The writer applies library research in this thesis. The writer applies some theories such as theory of character, characterization, racial discrimination, gender discrimination and ideas of womanism. The approach that the writer uses is feminist approach as it talks about what the ideas of womanism are presented through the characterization of Tommy.
In analyzing the play, there are three points concluded. First, Tommy is characterized as a poor, uneducated, but optimistic, independent and confident
black woman. Bill is a painter. He is a disrespectful, selfish, and rude person.
Cynthia is Sonny-Man’s wife. She is an educated, but conceited, and hypocritical black woman. Sonny-Man is a writer who is characterized as educated and hypocritical black man. Second, Tommy gets racial discrimination from Bill, Cynthia, and Sonny-Man as her appearance is unattractive and unfeminine, and gets gender discrimination from Bill, and Cynthia to follow the natural role as a woman, to be obedient and depend on man. Third, the writer concludes the ideas of womanism presented through the characterization of Tommy. She has high self- esteem toward herself, because she appreciates what she has in herself. She respects her friends, she cooperates to survival and wholeness of entire people of her race. She loves man, in this case Bill. Tommy believes man and woman can empower each other. Tommy appreciates women’s culture such as pink that is identical with woman. She likes pink. It deals with her unattractive and unfeminine characteristics.
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ABSTRAK
GALIH ASRI NINDITA DANASTRI. The Ideas of Womanism as Seen through
Tommy’s Characterization in Alice Childress’ Wine in the Wilderness.
Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2010.Pada abad ke duapuluh, feminisme menjadi topik yang menarik untuk dibicarakan. Feminisme menjadi topik yang menarik karena lebih banyak perempuan memperhatikan dan menyadari kesetaraan dengan pria. Feminisme ada sebagai jalan atau media bagi perempuan untuk setara dengan pria. Seiring dengan sejarah pergerakan wanita, muncul berbagai macam feminisme dengan metode- metode dan tujuan-tujuan tersendiri. Skripsi ini fokus pada womanisme. Tujuan dari skripsi ini adalah untuk menemukan ide-ide womanisme melalui penokohan Tommy. Tommy adalah seorang wanita kulit hitam yang mendapat diskriminasi ras dan gender dari teman- teman pria satu ras, Bill dan Sonny-Man, dan teman perempuan satu ras, Cynthia.
Didalam skripsi ini, penulis merumuskan tiga masalah. Pertama adalah tentang penokohan Tommy, Bill, Cynthia dan Sonny-Man. Kedua adalah tentang diskriminasi ras dan gender yang tercermin melalui hubungan antara Tommy, Bill, Cynthia dan Sonny-Man. Ketiga adalah pertanyaan tentang ide-ide womanisme yang tercermin melalui penokohan Tommy.
Penulis melakukan riset perpustakaan didalam mengerjakan skripsi ini. Penulis menggunakan beberapa teori seperti teori tokoh, penokohan, diskriminasi ras, diskriminasi gender dan ide-ide womanisme. Pendekatan yang diaplikasikan adalah pendekatan feminis karena pendekatan ini mencakup tentang ide-ide womanisme apa yang tercermin melalui penokohan Tommy.
Dalam menganalisis drama ini, ada tiga hal yang dapat disimpulkan. Pertama, Tommy ditokohkan sebagai perempuan kulit hitam yang miskin, tidak berpendidikan, optimis, mandiri dan percaya diri. Bill berprofesi sebagai pelukis.
Dia seorang yang tidak sopan, egois dan kasar. Cynthia adalah istri Sonny-Man. Dia adalah perempuan yang berpendidikan, terlalu bangga terhadap dirinya sendiri dan munafik. Sonny-Man adalah penulis yang ditokohkan sebagai pria kulit hitam yang berpendidikan dan munafik. Kesimpulan selanjutnya, Tommy mendapat diskriminasi ras dari Bill, Cynthia, dan Sonny-Man karena penampilan Tommy tidak menarik dan tidak feminin, dan mendapat diskriminasi gender dari Bill dan Cynthia yaitu untuk melaksanakan peran wanita yang patuh dan bergantung pada pria. Ketiga, penulis menyimpulkan ide-ide womanisme yang tercermin dari penokohan Tommy. Tommy menghargai diri sendiri, karena dia mengahargai kemampuan diri. Tommy menghargai teman-temanya, bekerjasama untuk kepentingan bersama. Dia menyukai Bill. Tommy percaya bahwa pria dan wanita dapat saling mendukung. Tommy mencintai budaya perempuan, seperti warna pink yang identik dengan perempuan. Ini menunjukkan sisi perempuan, walaupun penampilan tidak menarik dan kelakuannya tidak feminin.
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CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study In the twentieth century, feminism became an interesting topic to be
discussed. It became an interesting topic because there were many more women who had concern and awareness to get equality with men. There were many criticisms on stereotype to women and patriarchal culture. Women tried to have equality in politic, economic and many other aspects in life. Feminism appeared as the way or tool for women to get the equal right with men. It appeared from women’s awareness to fight patriarchy that support men domination, superiority, prejudice, discrimination, oppression and exploitation toward women. According to Madsen in her book Feminist Theory and Literary Practice:
Feminist literary theory had three main aims: to expose the working of the ubiquitous patriarchal power structure; to promote the rediscovery of women’s historical achievements (including literary history); and to establish a feminine perspective on critical, literary, political, scientific, philosophical (and other) theories of the cultural forces that shape our lives. The intended aim was to change the sexist bias of traditional educational and social practice (2000: 15).
Along the history of women’s movement, there appeared branches or various types of feminism with different methods and purposes. Some of them are marxist feminism, black feminism, french feminism, psychoanalitic feminism, islamic feminism, third-world feminism, post-feminism, etc (Warhol, 1997, xv- xvi). Black feminism appeared in the United States in 1960s because there was complex and conflicted relationship not only between white people and black
2 people but also between black men and black women. Black women have double discriminations, the first is race discrimination, in relation with the white and the second is sex or sexism, in relation with men. Black is the second rank after white and being women are also second level after men, then black women’s position is in the second rank after white and in second rank after men, both white and black men (Myrdal, 1944: 60). Since black women have double discrimination, they have more things to fight than the white have. The black women have more different focuses to struggle , they do not only want to get access in public the same as men but also uplifting the black women’s life from gender, race and other oppression because of that black feminism born. The appearance of black feminism is because although feminist movement offered something new but it is for fulfilling middle-class white women voices. Middle-class white women tend to ignore the desire of black women.
The feminist movement seemed to offer some redress but women of color increasingly say that the concern and standards of the movement were those of white, middle class women who tended to ignore the different needs and desires of women color and Third World women (Makaryk, 1993: 9). Related to black feminism, there is also womanism. This term has been associated with Alice Walker because she is the one who came up with the term womanism. Womanism is the other name of black feminism. Walker thinks the term womanism is more appropriate to black women than the term black feminism, because womanism distinguishes the activism of black women while the word feminism is identical with white women’s voices or perspectives.
Therefore, Alice Walker prefers to use the term womanism rather than black
3 feminism and feminism, as the word feminism in the term black feminism is identical with white women’s voices and since feminism is more fulfilling middle-class white women voices than the women of color, as stated above. In
Feminism: A Reader by Humm stated that white women’s voices are to increase
access to public to be the same as men, equality in profession, education and home (1992:12). Womanism is used by Walker to describe her commitment to end the oppression of women. According to Walker, a womanist loves women and women’s culture. A womanist is concern to assert women’s identity and independence on their own term. Then being womanist involves wanting to know more and in greater depth than is good for one. In her point of view, womanist represents women as complex undiminished human beings (Madsen, 2000: 227)
Nowadays, the people can see that the term womanism is also reflected through the black women in daily life. People can see many artists, such as Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Oprah Winfrew from The United States who are well known as black singers and presenters. They are famous around the world the same as the white artists. Although they are black but they are proud of themselves. They did not change their appearance to the white style, which are white skin with straight and blonde hair. Being themselves and having their own style, they look confident and have pride on their own style. Another black woman artist who is also famous is Diana Ross. She is a famous black singer. In her fame, she also did not change her style into the white style.
Because of that, the writer is interested in analyzing womanism. Then the writer chooses Childress’ play entitled Wine in the Wilderness because this
4 literary work explains about the life of black woman in her community in the United States. In this play, racial discrimination, gender discrimination and womanism is reflected through the main female character, Tommy. Tommy who is a black woman is underestimated by the people from her own race, black people. Not only by black man but also by black woman whose the ways of thinking are like white.
The other reason why the writer chooses the play from Alice Childress are because she is one of the feminist authors in 1960s who takes the problem of black people as the theme in her works and Wine in the Wilderness explains about the fragmentation of the black community along class, race, and gender lines, that prompts a re-examination of Childress work from a feminist perspective, and because Wine in the Wilderness was published in 1969 when at time Black Power movement gathered momentum, and black women also took a new turn. Therefore, the writer thinks that Wine in the Wilderness by Alice Childress is suitable to be analyzed from the feminism view, focuses on womanism.
B. Problem Formulation
Based on the explanation above, the writer formulates some problems as follows: 1.
How are Tommy, Bill, Cynthia, Sonny-Man characterized in the play? 2. How are racial discrimination and gender discrimination reflected through the relationship of Tommy, Bill, Cynthia and Sonny-Man?
3. What are the ideas of womanism presented through Tommy?
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C. Objectives of the Study
Based on the problems formulation above, the writer has some objectives of the study. The first objective is to know the characteristics of Tomorrow Marie or Tommy, Bill Jameson, Cynthia and Sonny-Man in the play. The second is to identify racial and gender discriminations are reflected through the relationship of Tommy, Bill, Cynthia and Sonny-Man, and the last is to see what the ideas of womanism are presented through Tommy dealing with racial and gender discriminations toward her.
D. Definition Terms
a. Discrimination
In International Encyclopedia of Ethics, discrimination is defined as differential or unequal treatment based on physical and social affiliation toward individuals or groups (Roth, 1995: 631).
b. Racism
According to Kuper in The Social Science Encyclopedia Second Edition, racism, the idea that there is a direct correspondence between a group’s values, behaviour and attitudes, and its physical features (1996:715).
c. Gender
According to Unger in Gender: Psychological Perspective by Brannon, the term gender describes the trait and behaviors that are regarded by the culture as appropiate to women and men. Gender is made by social label, includes the characteristics that the culture ascribes to each sex and the sex-related
6 characteristics that individuals assign to themselves, and not a description of biology (1995: 11).
d. Womanism
Womanism is a movement to get equality based on race, social class and gender. Womanism does not necessarily imply any political position or value system other than the honoring of Black women’s strength and experiences, because it recognizes that women are survivors in a world that is oppressive on multiple platforms, it seeks to celebrate the ways in which women negotiate these oppressions in their individual lives (www.afeministtheorydictionary.wordpress.com/2007/womanism).
CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW A. Review of Related Studies There are many discussions in magazines, articles, essays and other works
about Alice Childress and her work. Alice Childress is an African-American who comes from middle-class parents. She was born on 12 October 1916 in Charleston, South Carolina, at the age of nine Childress and her mother, separated from Childress's father, moved to Harlem. From that time she lived with her grandmother. It was Childress's grandmother, Eliza Campbell White, who exposed her to the world of art and culture (www.literaryencyclopedia.com/play/ alice.php). Childress is an African-American author which almost of her works talks about African-American and problem they face.
…focused much of her writing on the African-American experience in the American South of the 20th century (www.literaryencyclopedia.com/play/ alice.php).
In Drama and Performance: An Anthology, Gary Vena reviewed that Childress also finds poetry in the lives of ordinary black people who are twice denied by race and class differences yet often, and along the way she also concerns with the black women and problem that they face, within the black community and the unfair treatment of black women by their lover and husbands, from this condition black women have overcome triple threat of racism, classism, and sexism. In 1950, Childress portrayed the black women’s experience as truthfully as possible. She gathers that condition by observing people from her
8 community, black community, and weaving stories around their lives besides by her own experiences. So, those conditions has inspired Childress in writing, which she portrays those situations and conditions through the characters and plots (1996: 896).
Besides writing play, she also writes essays, short fiction, young adult novels and one adult novel, included various themes such as sociopolitical, romantic, biographical, historical included racist, and feminist. Because of that she receives the Paul Robeson Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts for her continues work in literary mediums. Her works are not only critically acclaimed, but also help to raise awareness about important issues such as equal rights for minorities, women's opportunities (Vena, 1996: 897).
Gary Vena in Drama and Performance: An Anthology explains that through Wine in the Wilderness, Childress addresses the charge by the Black Power Movement that black women are culprits in the subjugation of black men. Childress counters those allegations by exploring the effects of institutionalized racism that have forced black women to become brash and self-reliant, then urges the African-American community to band together in their struggle to freedom (1996: 898).
Vena also stated that in Wine in the Wilderness the main character, Tomorrow-Marie, is protagonist and also becomes the victim of the other characters. Yet, through the characteristics of Tomorrow-Marie, Childress reveal the importance of the union of black community in getting a better life like what all of them wished.
9 Through her, Childress demonstrate how the “revolution for liberation” will be won only when divisions along gender and class lines are eradicated and when African Americans join hands in acknowledging each other- the educated men and women, the men denied opportunities for work and education, and, most of all, the women who have overcome the triple threat of racism, classism, and sexism (Vena, 1996, 899). In this thesis, the writer wants to analyze Alice Childress’ Wine in the
Wilderness focuses on feminist perspective. The writer wants to find the ideas of
womanism that presented through the main female character, Tommy, deals with racial and gender discrimination she experiences, that is not analyzed yet.
B. Review of Related Theories 1. Theory of Character and Characterization
Character and characterization are two of the other important intrinsic elements in drama. In deeper understanding on what character and characterization are, we can analyze them easily. According to Abrams in his book A Glossary of Literary Terms, characters are the persons who are present in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with moral, dispositional, and emotional qualities that are expressed in what the characters say, the dialogue, and by what the characters do or the action (Abrams, 1985: 23). In the book Reading the Novel by Hankle, Hankle states that characters are divided into major characters and secondary character or minor characters.
The major characters are a key of structural function. The major characters’ functions are to express and dramatize the human issues of the book. So that it is significant for readers to understand the major characters in order to getting the understanding of the story. Secondary characters’ function is to populate the
10 world of the novel, since the secondary characters establish the human context (1977: 87-92).
In A Handbook to Literature: Fifth Edition, characterization is the way the author reveals the characters of imaginary persons in any kinds of fiction, so that they exist for reader as lifelike (Holman, 1986:81). In fiction, there are three basic method, those are: a. The explicit presentation by the author of character through direct exposition, whether in an introductory block or piecemeal throughout the work, illustrated by action is more common.
b. The presentation of the character in action, with little comment by the author or no explicit one. The expectation of this second method is the reader can deduce the attributes of the actor from the action.
c. The representation from within a character, without any comment on the character by the author, of the impact of actions and emotions on the character’s inner self, with the expectation that the reader will come to clear understanding of the attributes of the character.
In Murphy (1972: 161-173) point of view, there are nine ways in which an author attempts to make his characters understandable to, and come alive for his reader. How the author makes the reader get to know and understand the characters. Those nine ways are: a.
Personal description The author can describe the character by himself. In describing his characters, the author can describe it through the appearance and the clothes.
11 From the appearance, the personalities of the characters can be depicted whether the characters are strong, weak, glamorous, modern, conventional, etc.
b.
Character as seen by another Besides describing a character directly, the author can describe it through the opinions, views or eyes from the other. The other will give opinion or a view about certain character is like. It can be a significant factor to make the character’s personalities understandable.
c.
Speech The author can give us an insight into the character of one of the persons in the novel or play through what the person or the character says. Whenever the person or the character speaks, or having conversation with another, whenever the person put opinion about something, the person gives us some clues to his character.
d.
Past life By showing the reader about the character past life, the author let the reader learn something about the character. The author gives us a clue to events that have helped to shape a person’s character. Since, the past time related to the present time. This can be done through some ways such as direct comment by the author, through the person’s thought, through his conversation or through the medium of another person.
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Conversation of others The author can also gives us to a person’s character by what people talk about other people. This gives as a clue to us in understanding the person through the others conversation about the person.
f.
Reactions We can understand the person’s character by identifying or knowing how that person reacts to various situations and events. How the person deal, handles, face or do to the various situations. It helps us to understand the person’s character.
g.
Direct comment To make the reader understand about the person’s character, the author can give comment directly on a person’s character. So that the reader needs not to guess or conclude, what the author means because the author gives direct comment.
h.
Thoughts The author can gives us direct knowledge of what person is thinking about. In this respect, he is able to do what we cannot do in real life. The author can tell us what different people are thinking. In the novel, we accept this. i.
Mannerisms By showing or describing a person’s mannerisms or habits, the author also tells us something about the person’s character.
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2. Theory of Racial Discrimination
According to Benton in The New Encyclopedia Britannica, racism is the theory or idea that there is a casual link between inherited physical traits of personality, intellect, or culture and, combined with it, the notion that some races are inherently superior to other (Benton, 1983: 360). In other words the physical appearance, personality, intellectual and culture of group of people are as a base of racism. People of a race feel superior because they think that their physical appearance, personality, intellectual and culture are more valuable and better than other races, so that they feel superior to other races, then they make other races inferior.
When the people talk about racism it is connected to racial discrimination, because those things mutually reinforce. Racism itself leads to racial discrimination, where the most notable form of racial discrimination according to Benton in The New Encyclopedia Britannica, is that of course, physical segregation by race, but these are many others, such as rules of etiquette defining forms of address between racial “superiors” and “inferiors”, or choice of friends or spouses. The term racial discrimination, then, always refers to behaviour and indeed to social behaviour (1983: 360).
Racial discrimination is an act or behaviour of superior groups or races in treating the inferior groups or races unequally. The superior races claim that they can enslave, rule over, lead, control, civilize or improve the inferior race. Members of inferior groups are denied opportunities or rewards for reasons unrelated to their capability, industry, and general merit (Becker, 1992: 1056).
14 According to Roth in International Encyclopedoa of Ethics, a chain of evolutionary progress was created that placed the black race at the bottom and white of the Nordic pedigree at the summit of humanity. Thus, white race feels superior to black race. White race set the standard, so that people with different skin color, culture, attitude from white race are claimed as inferior race. White race claimed that people, with different appearance with white’s appearance, are not as good, smart, and capable as white people, so that black race often claimed as incapable of higher thought. Therefore, black people’s job mostly as unskilled job, besides their house and facilities they got are not the same as white people got (1995: 723).
According to Terrelonge as stated in Woman : A Feminist Perspective that racism is so ingrained in American culture, and so entrenched among many white women, that black female have been reluctant to admit that anything affecting the white female. Those things are such as white female’s behavior, acts, sex and same objective interest could also affect black female, but many black female have to accept those things officially as useful things and as standard (Freeman, 1984: 563).
White women also set the standard of beauty. As the beauty standard is always associated with the white women’s standard so black women are discriminated by not only white (men and women) but also the black male. Besides the white (men and women) black males consider black women as unattractive and are not beautiful because the standard beauty that the black males have in their mind is white women.
15 It can be seen that the white women have settled the idea of beauty in the society. Then, the idea of beauty of women is like white women set. The women that care of their appearance, have white skin color, smooth skin, blue eyes, and straight hair are considered as beautiful and attractive women. This idea influences black society, so black males think the beauty and the attractiveness of women are like the beauty or characteristics the white women have. Those things that make black women get double discriminations either from black male or from white (men and women).
In Encyclopedia of Race and Ethnic Studies, Cashmore stated that racism was first formulated in conflicts between classes. In the other words, gap between classes becomes a factor of racism. It is possible that there is racial discrimination in one race. The people of higher class adopt the value and culture of white race to discriminate the people of lower class although there are in the same race. The people of a higher class feel superior to the people of lower class, although they are in the same race. Then, it leads to racial discrimination in a race (2004: 349).
In Sociology fifth edition, Light states that prejudice and discrimination are related. Prejudice is a belief without adequate evidence or experience, where discrimination is the action caused by prejudice. Any kind of prejudice for sure lead to discrimination, but discrimination is not always as the result of prejudice (1989: 352).
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3. Theory of Gender Discrimination
When people talk about gender, there always lie inequality rights between men and women. Although many people say about the equality rights of men and women, but in fact, there is different treatment toward men and women. In society, women are placed in the second position after men, so that it causes gender discrimination.
According to Unger as quoted in Brannon’s book Gender: Psychological
Perspective , the term gender describes the trait and behaviors that are regarded by
the culture as appropiate to women and men. Gender is made by social label, includes the characteristics that the culture ascribes to each sex and the sex-related characteristics that individuals assign to themselves, and not a description of biology (1995: 11). Gender is different with sex. Sex is biological identity, people get it since they were born, while gender is mainset or interpretation made by the society. The society shape and construct the characteristics toward men and women then apply it to them, and it has happened since long time, so that the characteristics of feminine constructed to women and masculine to men are always identical to them, whereas those are not always so.
From the meaning of gender that is constructed by the society so that there is gender discrimination between men and women. People place women in the second rank after men because the gender characteristics that society make toward women and men, then until today the gender discrimination still exists in the society.
17 According to Freeman in her book Women: A Feminist Perspective that from the tradition belief that the social shaped, women are for the pleasure and assistance of men. It is implied when women are told that their role is complementary to that of men, that the women should fullfill their natural “feminine” functions, that the women are different from men and should not compete with men, then to support and obey the men because it’s women’s natural role (1984: 553). From that explanation, women for assistance of men, it is clearly depicted that the society place women under men. Women are not in equal position with men. Women should fullfil men’s needs, orders and wants, since the society shape that those are women’s natural role.
In the book The Natural Superiority of Women by Montagu, stated that almost everywhere women are achieving positions which were once considered beyond their capacity (1953: 19). Here, it can be seen that at the beginning women are considered as human that lack of capability. There is always a prejudice that women do not have enough capabilities, without giving them opportunities to show off.
There are still many other stereotypes that women get. For long time women, it was alleged, had smaller brains than men, thus less intelligent. Women are considered more emotional and unstable. Women had little judgment and less sense, could not handle money well, and they could be employed only at the most menial and routine of tasks (Montagu, 1953: 21). For long time women are included as not smarter than men, cannot manage money well so that their income are in husbands’ hand. They are considered more sensitive and easier to be
18 sensitive, so that the suitable job for them is unskilled job and doing routine tasks at home.
Those kinds of stereotypes have been an image of women for long time, and until today there is still no right that guarantees women to control incomes and earnings, to enter any business and profession, to have freedom of speech. Women are like live in men’s shadow, on the second rank after man. It is like stated in The Natural Superiority of Women:
Women have been conditioned to believe that they are inferior to men, and they have assumed that what everyone believes is a fact of nature. Because men occupy the superior positions in almost all societies, such superiority is taken to be a natural one. “Woman’s place is in the home,” and man’s place is in the counting house and on the board of directors. “Women should not meddle in men’s affairs.” (Montagu, 1953: 23-24) Those things reflect gender discrimination, women have been so long conditioned in the environment of men’s domination that enables women to increase or develop their capability or potency and those things prevent them to get equality with men.
3. Theory of Womanism
As feminism term focuses to fullfil the voices of white women of more access to public, equality in profession and home (Humm, 1992: 12) rather than include the voices of black women who face double discimination, then black women form their feminism, black feminism as a tool to struggle the double discriminations. Yet, according to Walker the term feminism in the ‘black feminism’ is identical with the white women’s term, then she prefers to use the
19 term womanism rather than black feminism in order to distinguish the activism of black women. The emergence of womanism is the same as black feminism’s emergence that is as the reaction to the fact that most of feminism that are led by white women do not voice and help the need and struggle of black women.
Womanism is a movement to get equality based on race, social class, and gender. Womanism does not necessarily imply any political position or value system other than the honoring of Black women’s strength and experiences, because it recognizes that women are survivors in a world that is oppressive on multiple platforms, it seeks to celebrate the ways in which women negotiate these oppressions in their individual lives (www.afeministtheorydictionary.wordpress.com/2007/womanism)