Nationalism value of Japanese navy in world war II revealed through the main character`s point of view as seen in Hiroyuki Agawa`s Burial In The Clouds - USD Repository
NATIONALISM VALUE OF JAPANESE NAVY IN WORLD
WAR II REVEALED THROUGH THE MAIN CHARACTER’S
POINT OF VIEW AS SEEN IN HIROYUKI AGAWA’S BURIAL
IN THE CLOUDS
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS Presented as Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters
By
Yoseph Bayu Arfianto
Student Number: 054214087
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2011
NATIONALISM VALUE OF JAPANESE NAVY IN WORLD
WAR II REVEALED THROUGH THE MAIN CHARACTER’S
POINT OF VIEW AS SEEN IN HIROYUKI AGAWA’S BURIAL
IN THE CLOUDS
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS Presented as Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters
By
Yoseph Bayu Arfianto
Student Number: 054214087
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2011
No one ever goes into battle thinking God is on the other side.
Te r r y Goodk in d
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Great praise I address to Jesus Christ for the miracle He has given and for everything that I have in my life.My deepest and sincerest gratitude goes to my parents: Stephanus Agus Budiarto and Theresia Rahayu Widiastuti for the limitless love, care and attention. I also thank my sisters: Stephani Mayang Dias Putri and Emanuela Prima Wardani for the help and support.
Great gratitude is sincerely addressed to Elisa Dwi Wardani, S.S. M.Hum. for her helpful guidance and advices during the process of writing this thesis and Tatang Iskarna, S.S.M.Hum as the reader of my thesis. I also would like to thank my academic advisor, Adventina Putranti, S.S. M. Hum. for the direction and advice during this years.
I also thank my classmates in 2005 for the unforgettable moment we have spent together: Hardian Putra, Yemima Aji Putra, Buntara Adi, Riana, Chandra, Ria, Dita, Cindy, Bruno M, Fuja R, Christian Budi and Stephanus Wangsa. I also thank the Slamet & Brojo Crews: Adit 04, Robertus Galih 04, Troy 04, Wawan 04, Adi Renaldi 03, Roni 04, Silas 04, Ferdy 02 Lipna 01 and Slamet. Last but not least, I thank all my friends whom I cannot mention one by one, for the support, prayer and inspiration.
Yoseph Bayu Arfianto
TABLE OF CONTENTS TITLE PAGE .................................................................................................... i APPROVAL PAGE .......................................................................................... ii ACCEPTANCE PAGE ..................................................................................... iii MOTTO PAGE ................................................................................................. iv APPROVAL PROUNCEMENCT PAGE OF THESIS PUBLICATION FOR ACADEMIC CONCERN ............................................................... ........v ACKNOWLEGEMENTS ................................................................................ vi TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................. vii ABSTRACT......................................................................................................... ix ABSTRAK ......................................................................................................... x
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: THEORETICAL REVIEW ................................................... 9 A. Review of Related Studies ...................................................................... 9B. Review of Related Theories .................................................................... 12
1. Theory of Character .............................................................................. 12
2. Theory of Nationalism ............................................................................ 13
3. Theory of Setting........................... ................................................... 16
4. Theory of Point of View ....................................................................... 17
5. The Relation between Literature and Society ...................................... 18
C. Theoretical Framework ........................................................................... 19
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ................................................................ 21 A. Object of the Study ................................................................................. 21
B. Approach of the Study ............................................................................ 22
C. Method of the Study ................................................................................ 23
CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS ............................................................................. 25 A. Description of Japanese Navy ................................................................ 25 Analysis on Japan Imperial Navy.................................................................25
1. Dehumanizing Treatment trough Physical Punishment............................27
2. Devoted to the Emperor.......................................................................... 31
3. Lack of Ammunition and Limited Personnel............................................33
B. Nationalism Value of Japanese Navy
Revealed through the Narrator’s Point of View ................................... 37
1. Nationalism through Indoctrination ......................................................... 37
2. Restriction on Mind-Exercise .................................................................. 41
3. Dominant Role of Militarism .................................................................. 45
4. Kamikaze as Nationalism Symbol ........................................................... 46
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ........................................................................ 50
BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................. 53
ABSTRACT
YOSEPH BAYU ARFIANTO. Criticism Toward Japanese Navy Nationalism
In World War II Revealed by The Character Jiro Yoshino As Seen in
Hiroyuki Agawa’s Burial in The Clouds Yogyakarta: Department of English
Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2011.Burial in The Clouds is a war based-novel that concerns with the
condition of Japan during World War II. Nationalism is the main issue of this
novel and there are two different nationalism value toward nationalism in the
novel: the first is nationalism according to civilians, and the second is military
point of view toward nationalism. It is very interesting to discuss about
nationalism in Japan and the internal conflict in militarism that leads to many
problems during the war.In order to answer the problem formulation, the writer of this thesis
analyses the main character of this novel and tries to understand the point of
view used by the author. The whole story in the novel is told using first person
narrator which is the main character’s point of view. Based on this data, the
writer of this thesis goes deeper on the analysis to find conflict happens in the
story based on main character’s individual point of view.The writer of this thesis uses library research method in this study as the
main source and internet research method as the supporting source. The
theories that are applied in this study are theory of character, theory of
nationalism, theory of point of view, and theory of setting. The writer of this
thesis uses socio-cultural historical approach to find connection between
reality and event that happens in the story that is useful for the analysis
process.In the analysis the writer finds that there is an internal conflict inside
the Japanese Navy that uses its absolute power to control the whole nation. In
fact the situation is getting worse in the Navy: there are many rules to obey
and limitation on every activity. Dehumanizing treatment, lack of personnel
and ammunition, and devoted to the emperor are the description of Navy
during World War II. Japanese militarism uses the people’s devotion to
emperor to gain their power, the indoctrination toward Japanese civilian is
given through schools and they use term nationalism and war as the way to
show the devotion to the emperor in order to gain people sympathy toward
militarism. In Navy writing and reading activity is strictly scrutinized by the
officers, any kind of literatures is prohibited because according to them the
content is dangerous for soldier’s nationalism. Japan militarism is very
dominant powerful they force soldier to give their life to show their
nationalism through kamikaze suicide attack.
ABSTRAK
YOSEPH BAYU ARFIANTO. Criticism Toward Japanese Navy Nationalism
In World War II Revealed by The Character Jiro Yoshino AS Seen in
Hiroyuki Agawa’s Burial in The Clouds Yogyakarta: Department of English
Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2011.Burial in the Clouds adalah novel yang berdasarkan pada perang dan
memiliki fokus pada kondisi Jepang selama Perang Dunia II. Novel ini
mengangkat nationalisme sebagai isu utama dan terdapat dua sudut pandang yang
berbeda mengenai nilai nasionalisme di dalam novel ini: yang pertama adalah
nilai nasionalisme dari sudut pandang rakyat dan yang kedua adalah nasionalisme
dari sudut pandang militer. Pembahasan mengenai nasionalisme di Jepang cukup
menarik untuk diikuti dan terdapat konflik internal dalam tubuh militer Jepang
yang menimbulkan banyak masalah selama perang berlangsung.Untuk mendapatkan analisis utama pada studi ini, penulis menganalisis
penggambaran karakter utama pada novel ini dan mencoba memahami sudut
pandang yang dipakai penulis dalam novel ini. Seluruh cerita dalam novel ini
menggunakan sudut pandang orang pertama dan berdasarkan pada sudut pandang
individual tokoh utama. Menggunakan data ini penulis mencoba untuk mengalisis
lebih dalam perrmasalahan yang terjadi pada cerita menurut sudut pandang
individual tokoh utama sebagai narator pada novel ini.Penulis menggunakan metode penelitian pustaka di dalam studi ini. Penulis
menggunakan sumber utama dari buku dan internet sebagai penunjang. Teori
yang digunakan dalam studi ini adalah teori tokoh, teori nasionalisme, teori sudut
pandang, teori latar belakang. Penulis menggunakan pendekatan sosiokultural
dalam mencari hubungan antara kenyataan yang terjadi dengan kejadian di dalam
novel yang cukup berguna dalam proses analysis.Dalam analisis, penulis menemukan bahwa terdapat konflik internal pada
angkatan laut Jepang yang menggunakan kekuasaan multlak untuk mengontrol
seluruh negeri. Pada kenyataannya situasi didalam tubuh angkatan laut Jepang
semakin memburuk dengan banyak aturan-aturan yang membatasi tentara yang
harus dipatuhi dalam setiap aktivitas. Perlakuan tidak manusiawi, kekurangan
anggota militer dan amunisi perang, serta devosi kepada kaisar adalah gambaran
mengenai angkatan laut Jepang pada perang dunia kedua. Militer Jepang
memanfaatkan kesetiaan rakyat pada kaisar untuk mendapatkan simpati dan
memperkuat kekuasaan militer di Jepang, indoktrinasi terhadap rakyat diberikan
melalui sekolah-sekolah. Militer menggunakan istilah nasionalisme dan perang
sebagai persembahan kepada kaisar sebagai upaya untuk mendapat lebih banyak
simpati terhadap militer. Angkatan Laut melakukan pengawasan ketat pada
aktivitas menulis dan membaca segala bentuk karya sastra dilarang oleh Angkatan
Laut Jepang karena dianggap membahayakan nasionalisme tentara. Militer Jepang
sangat dominan dan berkuasa mereka mendorong tentara untuk mengorbankan
hidup mereka sebagai cara menunjukan nasionalisme pada Negara melalui
serangan bunuh diri yang disebut kamikaze.CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study Literature can function as a means of its author to give explanation to the
reader about the social condition of a society which occurs in a particular time. The way the author writes a story, describes how some events play a prominent role in society. Description of the society might be very well described and makes the readers as if get involved to the story. The author (Hiroyuki Agawa) tells the story of Japanese nationalism from the main character point of view and later the development of the character from the impact of a certain events in the story will play the readers emotion toward the story. Character is an important element in a story. To give a description to the readers, a story always introduces its characters. According to Abrams (1981:20) character is the person presented in a dramatic or native work. The persons are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with moral and disposition qualities that are expressed in what they say-the dialogue- and what they do, the action.
Burial in the Clouds written by Hiroyuki Agawa is a novel which focusing on
the main character reaction towards event which happens in the story. Using first person point of view, the author tries to make the reader focus on one character so that they can get involved in the story. The story is about young Japan soldier named Jiro Yoshino, who joins Japan Imperial Navy in order to show his nationalism to the country. At the beginning, he feels proud to be the part of Navy that serve the country, but as the time goes by, he starts to lose many things he loves: he lost his friends that are killed during the war, he cannot write many poems like before he joins the Navy, and the important is he cannot see his family. The novel is written in the form of diary, so that each detail about the situation during the war will be described clearly, but the most shocking part of the story is when the main character aware that there is no way to win the war, and many soldiers died, including his friends, but the Navy puts him in special attack corps (kamikaze). During the war period, the main character experience morale conflict on his involvement in Imperial Navy.
This novel is based on actual event, although the characters are fiction but the event told by the novel is actual, each detail in the story really happens during the war period, moreover the author of this novel; Hiroyuki Agawa, was trained in The Naval Corps during the World War II periods. So the author is trying to say what he had experienced during the naval training days using the main character Jiro Yoshino.
From this point, there is a tendency that the author is focusing on the development of the character’s opinion toward navy. It is very clear to the reader to notice, that the story told from first person point of view and the story told in the form of diary, indicates that the author is emphasizing on the character’s point of view toward the Navy nationalism.
The story tries to reveal the fact happen to the Japanese Army, that the lack of soldier training and natural resources due to the American embargo has great impact to the life of Japanese Army moreover it spreads to the Japan economy that is getting worse in order to supply the war cost. Japan invasion on several Asians countries is chosen as the only option to minimize the crisis due to the embargo, in order to realize the plan, Japan should secure the access to south that means to attack the Pearl Harbor. The attack on Pearl Harbor put the two countries into Second World War, as an article written by Mary Trotter Kion :
Japan continued its negotiations with the United States and at the same time prepared for war with America . By now the United States was well alerted to the fact that they would be pulled into this conflict but at the same time the idea that its involvement would be triggered by a strike against her Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor was simply unimaginable. She was wrong, dead wrong.
(http://americanhistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/prelude_to_war) Based on that article, the writer of this thesis is trying to reveal that Japan had chosen two different ways to solve the problem at war period, from negotiation and planning to attack Pearl Harbor at the same time. It shows that in Japan there were also two different sides of people, one that considered war as the only solution, and the other one considered negotiation was the best way to end the problem during war period. It can be seen on the novel through the characters and the details shown by the author, Hiroyuki Agawa. Each problem which happens to the characters that is caused by the war seems to describe that sometimes the soldier’s freedom is limited by the duty to serve the country. As a country that is lead by an emperor, Japan Imperial Army and Navy are committing to serve their life to the country. They are willing to fulfill the duty as Japanese people that should keep the dignity of the emperor, it is unique because the emperor who leads the country is highly respected and appreciated by the citizens as the symbol of the country.
Jasson Mcdonald In World War II multimedia database, states that: The Imperial Japanese Majesty’s picture was carried in all ships, and went with the first lifeboat when the ship was sunk. The symbol of the Emperor, a Chrysanthemum, would prevent any ship from being sunk by gunfire in firing practice at the end of its useful life until the symbol was removed. The symbol would be stitched into uniforms and headbands, and his name would be invoked time and time again by the military leadership and the rank and file.
(http://www.worldwar2database.com/html/emperor.htm) The important aspect when studying literature is the connection between the story in the novel and the history or culture that influences the action done by the characters in the novel. It is interesting to analyze further about Japanese people characteristics, the culture and also what the people feel during the Second World War period. According to the writer of this thesis, Japan is a unique nation, the only Asia nation that joined the Axis power against the Western domination or allied country at World War, and the richness of the culture that influences every aspects of Japanese people life including war. Japanese Army in this novel is described as the army that uses modern instrument on the war, the Japanese do not use samurai to win the war, they have change to the modern instrument and massive production of weapon as the purpose to strengthen the militarism. In Japan, at that time any kind of nationalism has to be expressed by action, moreover the pride to be killed in the war to defend the country from enemies attack is claimed as the devotion to the emperor.
It is described by the way they cause bigger damage on the enemy side using special attack method known as “kamikaze”. The kamikaze is done by hitting the plane on the enemy battleship, so that the damage that is caused will be greater than using a gun or grenades. This action requires a life of the pilot that do the action, but as long as it is for the sake of the country’s victory, they will give their live with pride.
Takeo Yoshinobu in his site discuses his book entitled Kamikaze (Kamikaze special attack corps):
tokkoutai The unselfish and noble spirit of these Kamikaze Special Attack Corps members in defense of their country so that we Japanese people could survive must be steadfastly preserved in the hearts of our people. If the day arrives when the Japanese people forget this spirit, that is if the day comes when we lose the spirit and patriotism to defend the country by giving our own lives, then the day of the Japanese people's downfall can be declared.
Even though the Kamikaze Special Attack Corps members fought giving their own lives and accomplished considerable battle results, in the end they were not able to realize their earnest desire. Although they lost in the fighting, the Kamikaze Special Attack Corps were the flowers of the Pacific War. What the Kamikaze Special Attack Corps brought forth was the pride of the Japanese people.
(http://wgordon.web.wesleyan.edu/kamikaze/books/japanese/children /yasunobu/index.htm)
It can be seen from the quotation above that the Japanese People are proud to give their life in order to defend the country, and to keep the dignity of the emperor.
The writer of this thesis feels that Japan nation, the people and the culture are the perfect object in this thesis. From the main character’s point of view, the writer of this thesis tries to analyze what is happening inside the Japanese Imperial Navy during WW II period. The writer of this thesis wants to reveal the real condition and conflict that should be dealt by Japan country on the World War Period. Using Jiro Yoshino’s point of view, a soldier of Japanese Navy, the writer of this thesis wants to reveal the fact that happens to the Japanese troops beyond the great nationalism as the devotion to the emperor and powerful army during the WW II.
B. Problem Formulations
The problems to solve are formulated as follows:
1. How is the Japanese Navy described through the point of view of the main character as the first person character?
2. How is the Nationalism Value of Japanese Navy revealed through
the narrator’s point of view toward the Navy? C.
Objectives of the Study
The main focus of this study is to answer the problem formulation. But more important point is to understand the point of view which is applied by the main character towards the conflict happens in the novel. The second objective is to reveal the nationalism of Japan during the war, as right wing country Japan is supposed to have great nationalism that support the country to win the war, and trough the story, the nationalism of this country will be explained.
D. Definition of Terms
Some words or terms related to this study will be defined in order to help the writer to analyze this study. The source of the definition is taken from articles, books, or from the internet research. The purpose of this research is to give the most appropriate definition on specific term, so the process of analyzing will be helped.
1. Nationalism
Lyman Tower Sargent (1987:19) defines nationalism as the demand of action intended to strengthen the country. While according to Renan, (1971:87) A nation is a great solidarity, created by the sentiment of the sacrifices which have been made and those which one is disposed to make in the future. It presupposes a past; but it resumes itself in the present by a tangible fact: the consent, the clearly expressed desire to continue life in common. The existence of a nation is a plebiscite of every day, as the existence of the individual is the perpetual affirmation of life.
2. Point of View
As it is stated by Holman in A Handbook to Literature, point of view is: A term used in analysis and criticism of fiction to describe the way in which the reader is presented with the materials of the story or, regarded from another angle, the vantage point from which the author presents the actions of the story. If the author serves as a seemingly all-knowing maker, not restricted to time, place or character, and free to move and comment at will, the point of view is usually omniscient. At the other extreme, a character within the story major, minor, or marginal- may tell the story as he/she experienced, saw, heard, and understood it. Such character is usually called a first person narrator; if the character does not comprehend the implications of what he/she is telling, the character is called a naïve narrator..(1986 : 386)
In short, the writer may say that, point of view is a term to describe the way how the narrator of a literary work state his or her opinion or idea toward certain situations or character(s) in the work.
CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW Some reviews related to the work of literature and also some theories relevant to support the analysis on the topic of this thesis will be discussed in this chapter. There will be two subchapters discussing the whole content of this chapter. Firstly,
review of related studies that contain some criticism and comments about the work of literature and the second subchapter consists of some theories used to analyze the topic.
A. Review on Related Studies
In order to support the analysis of this study, writer includes some studies related with the topic of this study which is nationalism. Japan, during war period was known as a country which established a strong political ideology supported by massive number of militarism. As written by Lalima Varma in her article entitled
Japanese Nationalism :
‘Aggressive and militant’ nationalism of the pre-World War II period was a response to the environment existing during that period when a large part of the world was colonized by the advanced western countries including China, where each power had its interests and own spheres of influence. Meiji leaders were determined that their country should not suffer the same fate as their neighbor. It was with this objective that the Japanese leadership sought to instill nationalism in the minds of the common people so as extract maximum devotion and support from them for their expansionist foreign policy. (http://chr.sagepub.com/cgi/content/short/43/1/57?rss=1&ssource=mfc)
It is said that the Japanese leadership were preventing the western influence by world or the allied countries. The result of this policy is the growth of ultra- nationalism among the Japanese people moreover for the army. The Japan occupation in China produced many protest from the allied country, especially America and Britain, the agreements to join Axis Country, that were the enemy of allied country, indirectly put Japan as the enemy of all the Axis country enemies. Starting from this point, Japanese became the US and other allied countries enemy that later will participate in World War II, and suffer from the atomic bombing dropped in Nagasaki prefecture and in Hiroshima prefecture.
Edwin O Reischauer, in Japan Past and Present (1956:166) writes that the Japanese troops on the war period were indoctrinated by the issue of the ancient belief that the emperor is the descendant of the Goddess of Sun, Amaterasu. This belief made the unquestioningly loyal to the imperial, the parliament as the spokesman of the emperor, that was consist of ultra-nationalists and militarist, spread radical doctrine toward the Army and the society at that time.
By building up an elaborate state cult of Shinto, centered on the person of the emperor and the imperial line, and by indoctrinating school children with fanatical devotion to the emperor and blind faith in all statements said to represent his will, they secured for themselves the unquestioning loyalty an obedience of the people. The parliament leaders who succeeded to power chose to perpetuate this system, for it seemed to give them, too, an unassailable position of authority as spokesman for the emperor. Consequently, they permitted the wildest sort of utterances by members of the lunatic fringe of ultra-nationalist and militarist, because they were couched in terms of devotion to the emperor; but they vigorously and ruthlessly suppressed all radical thinkers who challenged the validity of the emperor concept.
Kenneth Scott Latourette in The History of Japan writes that Japan religion: Shinto, is one of the elements that strengthen the Nationalism of the Japanese toward origin of Japan, or the emperor as the descendant of Amaterasu the Goddess of Sun, creates the massive dedication and paid respect toward the country, in this case Japan militarism that hold this belief strongly. An official revival of Shinto was encouraged to increase the respect paid to the emperor. Under the early Tokugawa, Buddhism had had more official favor shown it than had Shinto, possibly because of the aid it gave in the effort to expel Roman Catholic Christianity from the islands. During the last year of Tokugawa, a Shinto revival had helped to pave the way for the restoration of the emperor’s power. After 1896 Buddhism, while still recognized was discouraged and Shinto became the official cult of the nation. Shinto was made to emphasize more than ever the memory and achievements of the emperor’s ancestor, and became closely identified with the growing spirit of patriotism. Through Shinto a religious tinge was given to the love of the country. Patriotic and religious enthusiasm combined to emphasize national consciousness and unity. (1953:100) Lewis A. Dexter’s article in Social Studies entitled “People, Patriotism, and Power
Politics” (December, 1943) states the relationship between mass faith and individual
personality: “Nationalism goes back to a basic conflict in the training of the child. On the one hand he learns that in fact the way to attain rewards is often too be aggressive and assertive. On the other hand, he is taught that the good child is quiet, unselfish, and modest; and he discovers that although being aggressive often pays, it sometimes gets one into more trouble than ‘goodness’. Some persons discover a convenient solution for their dilemma; they become selfish, aggressive, pushing in the name of the welfare of the group to which they belong. There is less reason then to fear punishment. The tendency to attack outsiders is re-enforced by the need to hate which some children (especially ambitious, energetic type) acquire as they grow up….In our comprehensive documentation, through folklore and tradition, of the thorough-going hatefulness of each different group of foreigners.
From this article the writer of this thesis find that nationalism can grow up for the people of a same condition, national history, and from the lesson the already receive from school or society. The foreigners that considered as outer people or outsiders are belongs to different class with the native people. The most easy person
to hate is the foreigner emphasize that the foreigners in fact, are not fully accepted as
part of someone nation, because based on this article, there is a such a hateful spread toward the foreigners through folklore and tradition. It can be from the experience of being colonized by other nation through years, and having same enemy that make some people feel proud to be in the same group with their nation and create sentiment to the foreigners as the impact of nationalism.
B. Review of Related Theories
In order to do the analysis in this study, the writer uses several theories that will support the analysis.
1. Theory of Character
Holman & Horman in their book: A Handbook to Literature state that characterization is a creation of the imagery personages that looks as lifelike. Here, we can see that character and characterization are related from one to another.
According to Holman & Horman,the basic method of characterization is divided into 3 :
1. The explicit presentation of the character by the author through direct explanation whether in a book’s introduction or throughout the work illustrated by action.
2. The presentation of the character in action: therefore the reader will be able to conclude the attributes of the character from it actions.
3. The presentation from within a character- without 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 readers will come to the clear understanding of the attributes of the character.
In the writer’s opinion the characterization is the description of person’s characters by the author.
2. Theory of Nationalism
Lyman Tower Sargent (1987:19) defines nationalism as the demand of action intended to strengthen the country. Nationalism of a country may appear by the same destination or vision that put the whole country in a certain condition. The nationalism of a country may grow among the people by the awareness of experiencing the same history, culture, religion or a demand to make a better condition for the country. The nationalism is related to land and culture in which the people live, develop the country power, can be from economic aspect, politics, and military. A nation is always trying to make their identity recognized and moreover, respected by the other nation, and sometimes the nationalism feeling of a nation shows trough war. James G. Kellar, in The Politics of Nationalism and Ethnicity, classify nationalism into 3:
1. Ethnic nationalism: the nationalism of ethnic groups, who define their nation in exclusive terms, mainly on the basis of the common descent. In this type of nationalism, there is no possibility to join other nations or to accept people from different nation to be part of country/ groups applying this kind of nationalism.
2. Social nationalism: the nationalism of a nation that defines itself by social ties and culture rather than by common descent. This type of nationalism stresses the shared sense of national identity, community and culture, but outsiders can join the nation if they identify with it and adopt its social characteristics.
3. Official nationalism: the nationalism of the state, encompassing all those legally entitled to be citizens, irrespective of their ethnicity, national identity and culture. Some states are correctly called ‘nation-states’ in the sense that the state is exclusively composed of an ethnic nation or a social nation.
Nationalism, according to Boyd.C. Shafer in Nationalism Myth and Reality, “..is not a neat and fixed concept but varying combination of beliefs and conditions. It maybe in part founded on myth, but myths like other errors have a way of perpetuating themselves and of becoming not true but real. The fact is that myth, and actuality and truth, and error are inextricable intermixed in modern nationalism.” (1955:7)
There are ten basic concept of the nature of nationalism that are hypothetically advanced, according to Shafer :
1. A certain defined unit of territory. Some common cultural characteristics such as language, customs, manners, and literature. If an individual believes he shares these, and wishes to continue sharing them, he is usually said to be a member of the nationality.
2. Some common dominant social and economic institutions.
3. A common independent or sovereign government or the desires for one. The “principle” that each nationality should be separate and independent is involved here.
4. A belief in a common history and in a common origin.
5. A love or esteem for fellow nationals.
6. A devotion to the entity called the nation, which embodies the common territory, culture, social and economic institutions, government, and the fellow nationals and which is at the same time more than their sum.
7. A common pride in the achievements of this nation and a common sorrow in its tragedies.
8. A disregard for or hostility to other like groups, especially if these prevent or seem to threaten to separate national existence.
9. A hope that the nation will have a great and glorious future and become supreme in some way.
From the ten above Shafer tries to generalize the definition of nationalism that often too narrow, however there still exception that is raised toward the ten basic concepts, some countries may know intimately their own basic concept of
3 .Theory of Setting
Literature as an imitation of reality presents a story by modeling event that exist in the real world. Some important event or any particular society existing in real world can be the things that are imitated by the author in their works. Thus literature is an expression of reality or we can say it is a description of reality. According to Wellek and Warren, the society built in literature contains its own problem that is similar to the problematical of real life such as economy, social ideology, and politics that influence the author’s condition and experience. Although it imitates the reality, it doesn’t mean that literature just report the reality, however literature has its own society, conflict and plot. The reflection of the real condition in literature that is author point of view can be used as a criticism toward reality.
According to Wellek and Warren : The relation between literature and society is that literature is an expression of society. But, if it assumes that literature at any given time mirrors the current social situation correctly, it is false: it is vague if it means only that literature depicts some aspects of social reality. To say that literature mirrors of expresses life is even more ambiguous. An author inevitably expresses life in total conception of life, but it would be manifested 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, 1956:95). For further explanation, William Kenney in How to Analyze Fiction, formulates the element of setting, as: (1) The actual geographical location including topography, scenery, (2) the occupation and modes of day-today existence of the characters, (3) the time in which the actions take place, e.g. historical period, season, of the year, (4) the religious, moral intellectual, social, and emotional environment of the character (1966:46).
4. Theory of Point of View
M.H. Abrams in A Glossary of Literary Terms Sixth Edition defines point of view which “signifies the way a story gets told-the mode (or modes) established by an author by means of which the reader is presented with the characters, dialogues, actions, setting, and events which constitute the narrative in a work of fiction.”(1985:165)
Point of view, according to Abrams, signifies the way of how a story is told, by presenting the readers with the characters, dialogues, actions, setting, and events, which become the characteristics of the narrator of the story, who tells it. Point of view is then divided into two kinds, based on the type of the narrator. They are third- person point of view and first-person point of view. The third-person point of view is then divided into omniscient point of view and limited point of view. It is an omniscient point of view when “the narrator knows everything that needs to be known about the agents, actions, and events, and also has privileged access to the character’s thoughts, feelings, actions, and motives; and that the narrator is free to move at will in time and place, to shift from character, and to report (or conceal) their speech, doings, and states of consciousness” (Abrams,1985:166).
Next the other subclass of the third-person point of view, that is limited point of view. It is said as a limited of view when “the narrator tells the story in the third person, but stays inside the cofines of what is experienced, thought, and felt by a single character (or at most by very few characters) within the story” (Abrams,1985:167).
The second kind of point of view is the first point-of view. First-person point of view “limits the matter of the narrative to what the first-person narrator knows, experiences, infers, or can find out by talking to other characters” (Abrams,1985:167).
The narrator in the first person point of view does not know directly about the characters and their thoughts and feelings, so that in order to tell the story, the narrator has to have a conversation with the characters in the story. Their conversation will then make narrator able to tell the story.
5 . The Relation between Literature and Society
Literature is a creation of the society. Life as the social reality is represented by literature. Wellek and Warren in Theory of Literature writes about the relation between literature and society: “Literature is a social institution, using its medium language, a social creation. Such traditional literary device as symbolism and metre are social in their very nature. They are conventions and norms, which could have arisen only in society” (Wellek&Warren, 1956 : 94). Moreover, literature is seen as social documents. It pictures the reality in society. Since literature is social documents, it can be used to outline the historical relit in the society. For example, American social history can be learnt from the novels of Harriet Beecher Stowe to Steinbeck. (Wellek&Warren,1956 : 102-103)
Langland in Society in the Novel states that the function of a fictional order is to represent some outside world. Society in the novel is thus seen as replicating an historical, a contemporaneous, or an imagined milieu. Society in the novels, then never simply replicates a world outside, and the relationship between fictional society and real world is not primarily mimetic one but evaluative one. (Langland, 1984:ix).
Moreover, she states that society plays essentially the same formal role: antagonist to individual protagonist, a context if not an obstacle, to the character’s growth and self realization (Langland, 1984:7).
C. Theoretical Framework
The theories that are explained in the previous part will be applied according to its focus. Each theory has its own focus and this will facilitate the writer to decide on which part each theory is supposed to be located and be applied.
To answer the first problem formulation the writer of this thesis uses point of view theory, in order to analyze the character’s perspective toward war and the conflict which happens in the story that is important to reveal the criticism toward Japan Imperial Navy. The main character of this novel has to join Navy in order to serve the country. During the war, the situation in Japan is not as wealthy as the western Countries due to the embargo of oil, the tremendous population number but lack of financial support puts Japan into crisis.