The impact of oppressions toward women seen through two women characters in Khaled Hosseini`s a thousand splendid suns.

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

ABSTRACT
RIANY, STEFANI AMANDA ANGGI. The Impact of Oppressions toward
Women Characters in Khaleed Hosseini’s A Thousand Spendid Suns.
Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University,
2016.
Literature is an expression of society. It mirrors the events that happened
in our social life. Hence, literary works are written based on the situation in real
life or the experience of the author itself. Everything that happens in our life
cannot be separated from our psychological aspects. Using psychoanalysis, this
study attempts to see the impact of oppression toward women.
Oppressions, especially oppressions toward women, are not a new concern
in our society. Opression has been a frightening scourge for women since a very
long time, especially for women who live in a country with a strict patriarchal
society like Afghanistan. Khaleed Hosseini, in his novel A Thousand Splendid
Suns, and through the two women characters Mariam and Laila, portray the life of
women living and surrounding with oppressions around them.
Two formulated problems are discussed throughout this research. The first
one is what oppressions do the two women characters suffer in Hosseini’s A
Thousand Splendid Suns. The second one is what impact do the oppressions give

to the characters in Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns.
This research is a library research applying psychological approach with
the novel A Thousand Splendid Suns as the primary source. The method used in
this study is close reading to earn the characterization of Mariam and Laila, and
also the oppression they suffered throughout the story. Then, some steps of
analysis re used to identify the impact of the oppressions toward the characters.
Using Iris Young’s concept of oppressions, it is found that both characters
suffer some oppressions in the form of violence and powerlessness. In the further
analysis, using Lois Tyson’s basic concept of psychological criticism, it is found
that the characters show the indication of having three core issues as the impact of
the oppressions they suffer. Furthermore, using Pablo Freire’s Pedagogy of the
Oppressed, it is found that there are characterization changes in the characters.
From the analysis, it is concluded that oppressions give impact toward the
characters of Mariam and Laila.

 

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ABSTRAK
RIANY, STEFANI AMANDA ANGGI. Impact of Oppressions toward Women
Characters in Khaleed Hosseini’s A Thousand Spendid Suns. Yogyakarta:
Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2016
Karya sastra adalah hasil ekspresi dari masyarakat. Karya sastra
mencerminkan hal-hal yang terjadi di kehidupan sosial kita. Oleh karena itu,
karya-karya sastra diciptakan berdasarkan hal yang terjadi di kehidupan nyata atau
berdasarkan pengalaman pribadi dari penulisnya sendiri. Semua hal yang terjadi di
kehidupan kita tidak dapat dilepaskan dari aspek-aspek psikologi dari diri kita.
Dengan menggunakan psikoanalis, penelitian ini mencoba untuk melihat dampak
dari penindasan, terutama penindasan terhadap wanita.
Penindasan, terutama penindasan terhadap wanita, bukan lagi menjadi hal
baru di dalam masyarakat kita. Ini sudah sejak lama menjadi momok menakutkan
bagi wanita terutama bagi mereka yang tinggal di negara dengan masyarakat
patriakal yang kuat seperti Afghanistan. Khaleed Hosseini dalam novelnya yang
berjudul A Thousand Splendid Suns, melalui dua karakter utamanya Mariam dan
Laila, menggambarkan kehidupan dua wanita yang hidup dengan penindasan di
sekitar mereka.
Dua rumusan masalah dibahas dalam penelitian ini. Pertama, membahas

tentang penindasan apa saja yang diterima oleh kedua karakter ini. Dan yang
kedua menbahas tentang dampak apa yang ditimbulkan oleh penindasan terhadap
kedua karakter tersebut.
Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian kepustakaan dengan mengaplikasikan
pendekatan psikologi dengan novel A Thousand Splendid Suns sebagai sumber
utamanya. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah pembacaan teliti
untuk mendapatkan karakterisasi Mariam dan Laila, dan juga penindasan yang
mereka derita di dalam novel tersebut. Setelah itu, beberapa analisis diambil untuk
mengidentifikasi dampak apa saja yang disebabkan oleh penindasan tersebut.
Menggunakan konsep penindasan oleh Iris Young, peneliti menemukan
bahwa kedua karakter mengalami penindasan dalam bentuk kekerasan dan
ketidakberdayaan. Dalam analisis lanjut, menggunakan konsep kritik psikologis
oleh Lois Tyson, peneliti menebukan bahwa kedua karakter menunjukkan indikasi
memiliki tiga permasalahan utama yang muncul karena penindasan yang mereka
alami. Selanjutnya, menggunakan Pedagogy of the Oppressed oleh Pablo Freire,
peneliti menemukan adanya perubahan karaterisasi pada kedua karakter. Dari
seluruh analisis, disimpulkan bahwa penindasan memberikan dampak terhadap
karakter Mariam dan Laila.

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THE IMPACT OF OPPRESSIONS TOWARD WOMEN SEEN
THROUGH TWO WOMEN CHARACTERS IN
KHALED HOSSEINI’S A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS

AN UNDERGRADUTE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters

By
STEFANI AMANDA ANGGI RIANY
Student Number: 124214130

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2017
 

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

THE IMPACT OF OPPRESSIONS TOWARD WOMEN SEEN
THROUGH TWO WOMEN CHARACTERS IN
KHALED HOSSEINI’S A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS

AN UNDERGRADUTE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters

By
STEFANI AMANDA ANGGI RIANY
Student Number: 124214130

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2017
 

 

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PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

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You can’t cross the sea
merely by standing and
staring at the water
-Rabindranath Tagore

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For My Beloved Parents
&
Those Who Believe in the Power of Dreaming, Aiming
High, and Hardworking

viii
 

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to express my first gratitude to Lord Jesus Christ. For His
grace and blessing that I can finish this thesis.
I also would like to thank my thesis advisor: A.B. Sri Mulyani, Ph.D.
Without her patience and encouragement, I believe that I would not have finished
this research at this time. Additionally, I would like to thank my co-advisor Drs.
Hirmawan Wijanarka, M.Hum., for the detailed corrections and feedback that help
me to improve this study.
I also thank Sanata Dharma University, especially English Letters
Department for all the knowledge given to me all these years. The competence,
conscience, and compassion are the values I would never forget.
Furthermore, I dedicate this research for my parents, especially my
mother, for always asking my research progress and reminding me to finish it as
soon as possible.
Lastly, I thank all of my friends who always accompanying me day and
night during the making of this research, and for always encouraging me to never
give up in writing this research.
Stefani Amanda Anggi Riany.

 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
 

TITLE PAGE .................................................................................................... ii
APPROVAL PAGE .......................................................................................... iii
ACCEPTANCE PAGE ..................................................................................... iv
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH v
STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY ................................................................ vi
MOTTO PAGE ................................................................................................. vii
DEDICATION PAGE....................................................................................... viii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.............................................................................. ix
TABLE OF CONTENTS................................................................................... x
ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................... xi

ABSTRAK ........................................................................................................... xii
CHAPTER I: INDTRODUCTION ..................................................................
A.
B.
C.
D.

1

Background of the Study....................................................................
Problems Formulation ........................................................................
Objectives of the Study ......................................................................
Definition of Terms ............................................................................

1
2
2
2

CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE .................................................

4

A. Review of Related Studies ................................................................. 4
B. Review of Related Theories ............................................................... 7
C. Theoretical Framework ...................................................................... 12
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ................................................................. 15
A. Object of the Study ............................................................................ 15
B. Approach of the Study ....................................................................... 16
C. Method of the Study ........................................................................... 16
CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS .............................................................................. 18
A. Women Characters and Oprresions as the Result of Patriarchal
Society in Afghanistan in Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns ..... 18
B. The Impact of the Oppressions Towards the Characters in Hosseini’s
A Thousand Splendid Suns ................................................................. 29
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ........................................................................ 43
BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................. 45

 

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ABSTRACT
RIANY, STEFANI AMANDA ANGGI. The Impact of Oppressions toward
Women Characters in Khaleed Hosseini’s A Thousand Spendid Suns.
Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University,
2016.
Literature is an expression of society. It mirrors the events that happened
in our social life. Hence, literary works are written based on the situation in real
life or the experience of the author itself. Everything that happens in our life
cannot be separated from our psychological aspects. Using psychoanalysis, this
study attempts to see the impact of oppression toward women.
Oppressions, especially oppressions toward women, are not a new concern
in our society. Opression has been a frightening scourge for women since a very
long time, especially for women who live in a country with a strict patriarchal
society like Afghanistan. Khaleed Hosseini, in his novel A Thousand Splendid
Suns, and through the two women characters Mariam and Laila, portray the life of
women living and surrounding with oppressions around them.
Two formulated problems are discussed throughout this research. The first
one is what oppressions do the two women characters suffer in Hosseini’s A
Thousand Splendid Suns. The second one is what impact do the oppressions give
to the characters in Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns.
This research is a library research applying psychological approach with
the novel A Thousand Splendid Suns as the primary source. The method used in
this study is close reading to earn the characterization of Mariam and Laila, and
also the oppression they suffered throughout the story. Then, some steps of
analysis re used to identify the impact of the oppressions toward the characters.
Using Iris Young’s concept of oppressions, it is found that both characters
suffer some oppressions in the form of violence and powerlessness. In the further
analysis, using Lois Tyson’s basic concept of psychological criticism, it is found
that the characters show the indication of having three core issues as the impact of
the oppressions they suffer. Furthermore, using Pablo Freire’s Pedagogy of the
Oppressed, it is found that there are characterization changes in the characters.
From the analysis, it is concluded that oppressions give impact toward the
characters of Mariam and Laila.

 

xi 

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

ABSTRAK
RIANY, STEFANI AMANDA ANGGI. Impact of Oppressions toward Women
Characters in Khaleed Hosseini’s A Thousand Spendid Suns. Yogyakarta:
Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2016
Karya sastra adalah hasil ekspresi dari masyarakat. Karya sastra
mencerminkan hal-hal yang terjadi di kehidupan sosial kita. Oleh karena itu,
karya-karya sastra diciptakan berdasarkan hal yang terjadi di kehidupan nyata atau
berdasarkan pengalaman pribadi dari penulisnya sendiri. Semua hal yang terjadi di
kehidupan kita tidak dapat dilepaskan dari aspek-aspek psikologi dari diri kita.
Dengan menggunakan psikoanalis, penelitian ini mencoba untuk melihat dampak
dari penindasan, terutama penindasan terhadap wanita.
Penindasan, terutama penindasan terhadap wanita, bukan lagi menjadi hal
baru di dalam masyarakat kita. Ini sudah sejak lama menjadi momok menakutkan
bagi wanita terutama bagi mereka yang tinggal di negara dengan masyarakat
patriakal yang kuat seperti Afghanistan. Khaleed Hosseini dalam novelnya yang
berjudul A Thousand Splendid Suns, melalui dua karakter utamanya Mariam dan
Laila, menggambarkan kehidupan dua wanita yang hidup dengan penindasan di
sekitar mereka.
Dua rumusan masalah dibahas dalam penelitian ini. Pertama, membahas
tentang penindasan apa saja yang diterima oleh kedua karakter ini. Dan yang
kedua menbahas tentang dampak apa yang ditimbulkan oleh penindasan terhadap
kedua karakter tersebut.
Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian kepustakaan dengan mengaplikasikan
pendekatan psikologi dengan novel A Thousand Splendid Suns sebagai sumber
utamanya. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah pembacaan teliti
untuk mendapatkan karakterisasi Mariam dan Laila, dan juga penindasan yang
mereka derita di dalam novel tersebut. Setelah itu, beberapa analisis diambil untuk
mengidentifikasi dampak apa saja yang disebabkan oleh penindasan tersebut.
Menggunakan konsep penindasan oleh Iris Young, peneliti menemukan
bahwa kedua karakter mengalami penindasan dalam bentuk kekerasan dan
ketidakberdayaan. Dalam analisis lanjut, menggunakan konsep kritik psikologis
oleh Lois Tyson, peneliti menebukan bahwa kedua karakter menunjukkan indikasi
memiliki tiga permasalahan utama yang muncul karena penindasan yang mereka
alami. Selanjutnya, menggunakan Pedagogy of the Oppressed oleh Pablo Freire,
peneliti menemukan adanya perubahan karaterisasi pada kedua karakter. Dari
seluruh analisis, disimpulkan bahwa penindasan memberikan dampak terhadap
karakter Mariam dan Laila.

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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
Oppressions toward women are not a new concern in our life. It has
been a frightening scourge in a life of women since a very long time.
Although the status of women in several parts of the world such as America,
Europe, and some other countries has risen significantly over the last century,
there are still women who are struggling and living under the shadow of
oppressions, especially in the Islamic countries and other countries with a
strong patriarchal society.
In Khaleed Hosseini’s novel A Thousand Splendid Suns, it is very
clear to see how women live in the Islamic countries more specifically in
Afghanistan. From the two main woman characters, Mariam and Laila, it is
shown that how they deal with oppressions from men in their society even
family. From the story, the researcher find that the oppressions are influencing
the way they behave toward the society and family.
In this study, the researcher relates the impact of the oppressions into
human psychology such as behavior and human needs. The researcher chooses
this topic because oppression is a common case that we can find in our daily
life and psychology as a scientific study of behavior and mental processes is
something that cannot be separated from human life as an individual. Human
behavior is determined by society, environment, and events that happen
around him/her. The researcher finds how and why the events that happen

 

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around these two main woman characters in A Splendid Thousand Suns
influence or change their behavior toward their family, society and themselves
as an individual

B. Problems Formulation
1.

What oppressions do the women characters suffer in Afghanistan
patriarchal society as applied in Hossesini’s A Thousand Splendid
Suns?

2.

What impacts do the oppressions give to the characters in
Hossesini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns?

C. Objectives of the Study
In this study, the researcher finds what oppressions the women
characters suffer in the story. Then,

the researcher finds their response (the

way they act) toward those oppressions. After that, the researcher finds how
those oppressions impact their psychological aspects in terms of behavior
towards their family, society, and individual.

D. Definition of Terms
In order to avoid misunderstanding, there are three terms that are
considered necessary to be further explained.
Oppression is the experience of repeated, widespread, systemic
injustice (Deutsch, 2005). Iris Young refers the oppression to the vast and

 

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deep injustices some groups suffer as a consequence of often unconscious
assumptions and reactions of well-meaning people in ordinary interactions
(1990: 41).
Patriarchal system as defined by Weber cited in Walby’s
Theorizing Patriarchy, refers to a system of government in which men ruled
societies through their position as heads of household (Walby, 1990: 19).
Walby defines patriarchy as a system of social structures and practices in
which men dominate, oppress, and exploit women. She uses the term social
structure because it implies rejection both of biological determinism, and the
notion that every individual man is in a dominant position and every woman
in a subordinate one (1990: 20)
Powerlessness is one out of five types of oppressions classified by
Iris Young. It is a type of oppression consisting of people who are powerless
that they do not even talk about their oppression. The powerless people are
those who lack of authority or power (Young, 1992:52)

 

 

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CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE

A. Review of Related Studies
The researcher uses three previous studies which are in some way
related to this study. The first one is an undergraduate thesis by Silvia Ajeng
Putri Natalia entitled “Oppression toward Afghan Women During the Mid to
the Late 1990s as seen in Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns”. In
her undergraduate thesis entitled “Oppression toward Afghan Women during
the mid to the Late 1990s as seen in Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid
Suns” Natalia analyzes two female characters in A Thousand Splendid Suns,
Mariam and Laila. In analyzing the two female characters, she uses the theory
of character and characterization and also pays attention to the setting—
society, culture and historical events in the novel—to describe the
characterization of the characters. Using the theory of oppression, Natalia
identifies that the two women characters suffered two kinds of oppression
which are physical and mental oppressions (Natalia, 2012).
The difference between this study and Natalia’s work are that this
study focuses on the oppressions suffered by the two characters and also the
impact of the oppressions to the characters while Natalia only focuses on the
oppressions suffered by the characters. Another difference between these
studies is that this study uses psychoanalysis perspective while Natalia’s
works uses sociocultural-historical perspective.

 

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Another previous study the researcher uses in the study is an
undergraduate thesis by Dibson Williansyah entitled “The Major Characters’
Response towards Repressive and Ideological Structures that Sanction
Violence against Women in Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns”. In
his thesis Williansyah states that
Violence against women is sactioned by the repressive and
ideological structures. Repressive structures in the novel include
the government, the law court, and the police, while the ideological
structures in the novel include the religion and family
(Williansyah, 2010).
Using theory of violence against women, Williansyah finds that the two
women characters, Mariam and Laila, suffer violence from the repressive and
ideological structures. Williansyah uses gender studies to analyze both male
and female characters’ experience in their society.
The major characters respond passively to the structures that
sanction violence against women. Mariam responds passively to
the structures. Laila responds to the repressive and ideological
structures by to rebel to it. She is not easily influenced by the
ideological structures, and as soon as the repressive structures are
replaced, she is free from their influence (Williansyah, 2010)
There are some differences between this study and Williansyah’s.
First, Williansyah focuses on four major characters while this study focuses
only two women characters. Second, Williansyah focuses only on the violence
against women while this study focuses on the oppressions in any forms
found. Third, Williansyah objective is to find the way the characters respond
to the violence and the repressive and ideological structures while this study
focuses on the impacts of the oppressions to the characters. Respond,
according to Oxford Learner’s dictionary is a to do something as a reaction to

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something that somebody has said or done, while impact, on the other hand, is
the powerful effect that something has on somebody. Fourth, Williansyah’s
work uses the perspective of gender study, while this study uses the
perspective of psychoanalysis.
In her paper, “Subjugation: A Study of the Women Characters in
Khaled Hosseini’s and Arundhati Roys Novel”, Silima portrays the
exploitation and discrimination of women in the patriarchal-social system of
the Afghan society and the Indian subcontinent as delineated in the novels of
Khaled Hosseini and Arundhati Roy. In both novels, A Thousand Splendid
Suns and The God of Small Things, the women share the common plight of
suffering, where the male folks treat them as mere objects and subject them to
extreme oppression.

This paper is and in-depth study of the female characters that share
the common bond of subjugation and miserably struggle for their
survival. They hail from different countries and religion (Silima,
2013:456).
The difference between this study and Silima’s work is that Silima
analyses the woman characters in A Thousand Splendid Suns and The God of
Small Things and the oppressions they suffer in the story, while this study tries
to both find the oppressions the woman characters suffer throughout the story
and the impact of the oppressions toward their psychological aspects (defense
mechanism and core issues).

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B. Review of Related Theories
To support this research, the researcher uses several theories
regarding to the topic.
1. Character and Characterization
To analyze the characterization of the characters use as the object
of the study, the researcher uses theory of character and characterization by
M.H. Abrams. Abrams states that characters in literary works are figures
that—by the reader—are thought to have particular qualities based on their
dialogue and behavior. As for characterization, Abrams says it is the way the
author presents their characters in the literary work. Characterization makes
the reader discovers motives behind the characters’ talk and action (Abrams,
1986:32-33).
The researcher uses this theory to analyze and identify the two
women characters, Mariam and Laila, by the way they characterized in the
novel.
2. Five Faces of Oppression by Iris Young
Iris Young states that there are five faces (types) of oppression:
violence,

exploitation,

marginalization,

powerlessness,

and

cultural

imperialism. The researcher uses this theory to find the oppressions suffered
by the woman characters in the story by classifying the type of the oppression.
a. Exploitation is the act of using people’s labors to produce profits while
not compensating them fairly. Exploitation uses capitalism to oppress.
Young states that “some people exercise their capacities under the control,

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according to the purposes, and for the benefit of other people” (Young,
1992: 49).
b. Marginalization is the act of relegating or confining a group of people to
lower social standing or outer limit or edge of society (alienation). It is in
some ways worse than exploitation because society has decided that it
cannot or will use these people even for labor. Marginalization or
alienation oppresses people by expelling them from the useful
participations in the social life (Young, 1992: 50).
c. Powerlessness is a type of oppression consisting of people who are
powerless that they do not even talk about their oppression. The powerless
people are those who lack of authority or power (Young, 1992: 52).
d. Cultural imperialism is what Young calls as universalization of dominant
group experience and culture, and its establishment as the norm (Young,
1992: 59). It involves taking the culture of the ruling class and establishing
it as the norm. The groups that have power in the society control how the
people in that society interpret and communicate. Therefore, the beliefs of
that society are the most widely disseminated and express the experience,
values, goals and achievements of these groups.
e. Violence is the most obvious and visible form of oppression. Members of
some groups live with the knowledge that they must fear random,
unprovoked attacks on their persons or property. These attacks do not
necessarily need a motive but are intended to damage, humiliate, or
destroy the person (Young, 1992: 61).

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3. Psychological Theory of Defense Mechanisms and Core Issues
Lois Tyson states that whether we realize it or not, psychoanalytic
concepts have become part of our everyday lives, and therefore psychoanalytic
thinking should have the advantage of familiarity (Tyson, 2006:11). The most
common psychoanalytic concepts that most people feel they know the
meanings without ever having heard them defined are sibling rivalry,
inferiority complexes, and defense mechanisms (Tyson, 2006:11).
Tyson believes that we can see the way those concepts operate our
daily lives in profound rather than superficial ways and begin to understand
human behaviors that may have seemed utterly baffling until now if we take
the time to understand some key concepts about human experience offered by
psychoanalysis (Tyson, 2006: 11). If psychoanalysis can help us understand
human behavior, it must certainly be able to help us understand literary texts,
which are about human behavior (Tyson, 2006: 11).
a. The Origins of the Unconscious
The goal of psychoanalysis to help us resolve our psychological
problems, often called disorders or dysfunctions. The focus is on patterns of
behavior that are destructive in some way because the repetition of destructive
behavior reveals the existence of some significant psychological difficulty that
has probably influencing us for some time without our knowing it. Most
people do not realize that if they have a problem, it influencing their behavior

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that has much control over them (Tyson, 2006: 12). That is the origins of the
unconscious.
b. The Defenses, Anxiety, and Core Issues.
Defenses are the process by which the contents of our unconscious
are kept in the unconscious or in other words they are the process by which we
keep the repressed repressed in order to avoid knowing what we feel we
cannot handle knowing (Tyson, 2006:15).
Defenses include selective perception hearing and seeing only what
we feel we can handle), selective memory (modifying our
memories so that we don’t overwhelmed by them or forgetting
painful events entirely), denial (believe that the problem doesn’t
exist or the unpleasant incident never happened), avoidance
(staying away from people or situations that are liable to make us
anxious by stirring up some unconscious—i.e., repressed—
experience or emotion), displacement (“taking it out” on someone
or something less threatening than the person who caused our fear,
hurt, frustration, or anger), and projection (ascribing our fear,
problem, or guilty desire to someone else and then condemning
him or her for it, in order to deny that we have it ourselves).
(Tyson, 2006:15)

Anxiety is the moment when our defenses break down
momentarily. Anxiety can be an important experience because it reveals core
issues. The core issues Tyson states are below.
i. Fear of Abandonment
It is the unshakeable belief that our friends and loved ones will
desert us (physical abandonment) or do not really care about us (emotional
abandonment).
ii. Fear of Betrayal

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Fear of betrayal is the nagging feeling that our friends and loved
ones cannot be trusted. The example of fear of betrayal is that someone will
think that his/her friend cannot be trusted or that his/her partner will cheat on
him/her.
iii. Low Self-esteem
It is the belief that we are less worthy than other people and,
therefore do not deserve, love, or any other life’s reward. The person often
believes that he/she deserves to be punished in some way.
iv. Insecure or Unstable Sense of Self
It is the inability to sustain a feeling for personal identity and to
sustain a sense of knowing ourselves. This core issues makes the person very
vulnerable to the influence of other people and may find he/she continually
changing by the way he/she looks or behaves when they involve with different
individuals or groups.
v. Oedipal Fixation
It is a dysfunctional bond with a parent of the opposite sex that the
person does not outgrow in adulthood and that does not allow the person to
develop a mature relationship with his/her peers.
Core issues define our being in fundamental ways. It stays with us
throughout life and, unless effectively addressed, they determine our behavior
in destructive ways of which we are usually unaware.
The researcher uses this theory to reveal the core issues revealed as
the result of past background and the oppressions suffered by the characters

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and also to find out if these core issues take place in influencing the
characters’ changing in the story.
4. Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Pablo Freire
Feire states that humanization is thwarted by injustice, exploitation,
oppression, and the violence of the oppressors; it is affirmed by the yearning
of the oppressed for freedom and justice, and their struggle to recover their
lost of humanity (Friere, 2005:43-44). He believes that the struggle occurred
because dehumanization is not given destiny but the result of an unjust order
that engenders violence in the oppressors, which in turn dehumanizes the
oppressed.
During the initial struggle, the oppressed instead of striving for
liberation, tend themselves to become the oppressors, or “sub-oppressor. It
also caused the “fear of freedom” which is a fear which may equally well lead
them to desire the role of the oppressor to bind them to the role of oppressed.
The oppressed, having internalized the image of the oppressor and adopted his
guidelines are fearful of freedom (Freire, 2005:45-47).
5. Character Development by X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia
Kennedy and Gioia states that in “true to life” story, generally the
characters act in a reasonably consistent manner and that the author has
provided them with motivation and that the reader believe that there is a
reason for this behavior and they will discover it sooner or later (Kennedy
& Gioia, 2007:74). There are two types of characters which are flat and
round. Flat character has only one outstanding trait or at most a few

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distinguishing marks. These types of characters tend to stay the same
throughout a story. On the other hand, round characters often change—
learn or become enlightened, grow or deteriorate (Kennedy & Gioia, 2007:
75).
The researcher uses this theory to find the type of the characters use in
this study and to find the motives of the changes in their character.

C. Theoretical framework
This study is entitled “The Impact of Oppressions Toward Women
seen through Two Women Characters in Khaled Hosseini’s A Splendid
Thousand Suns”. The focus of the study is on finding the oppression suffered
by the two women characters and how it impacts the characters, especially the
two main women characters.
There are five theories applied in this study, namely the theory of
character and characterization by M. H. Abrams, five faces of oppression by
Iris Young, psychological criticism, pedagogy of the oppressed by Pablo
Freire, and character development by X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. The first
theory, character and characterization, is applied to find out how the
characters of the object of the study are characterized. The second theory,
five faces of oppression, is applied to find the oppressions suffered by the
characters based on the type of the oppressions they suffer. The third theory,
psychological criticism, is applied to reveal the core issues that occur as the
result of the oppressions and the past background of the characters. After

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applying the theories and approaches to analyze the object of the study and
the focus, some findings are drawn and concluded.

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CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY

A. Object of the Study
A Thousand Splendid Suns published in 2007 is one of Khaled
Hosseini’s, an Afghan-American author’s remarkable work. Propelled by the
same superb instinct for story telling that makes The Kite Runner a beloved
classic, A Thousand Splendid Sun is at once an incredible chronicle of thirty
years of Afghan history and a deeply moving story of a family, friendship,
faith, and the salvation to be found in love.
Born within a generation apart with very different ideas about love
and family, Marian and Laila are two women brought jarringly together by
war, loss, and fate. As they endure the ever escalating dangers around them—
in their home as well as in the streets of Kabul—they come to form a bond
that makes them both sisters and mother-daughter to each other, and that will
ultimately alter the course not just their own lives but of the next generation.
With heart-wrenching power and suspense, Hosseini shows how a woman’s
love for her family can move her to shocking and heroic acts of self-sacrifice,
and that in the end it is love, or even the memory of love, that is often the key
to survival.

 

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A stunning accomplishment, A Thousand Splendid Suns is a
haunting, heartbreaking, compelling story of an unforgiving time, an unlikely
friendship, and indestructible love.

B. Approach of the Study
The approach used in this study is psychoanalytic criticism.
Psychoanalytic criticism is one of the ways of interpreting literary works. At
the first time of its emergence, this approach was focusing only on the author
then it developed into focusing on the characters in the literary work. This
approach attempts explain the hows and whys of human actions.
Psychoanalytic approach is applied as the approach of this study
because it uses aspects from psychoanalysis to analyze object and it helps the
researcher to reveal the impacts of the oppressions within characters.
Furthermore, this approach is applied to extend the finding to see the how the
oppressions affect the characters.

C. Method of the Study
The method used in this study is library researches. The data
collected for this study are provided from the library and some journals on the
internet. Most data, such as the characteristics of the characters and
oppressions they suffer collected from the object of the study A Thousand
Splendid Suns by Khaled Hoseini.

 

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The researcher finds the characteristic of the two main women
characters, their backgrounds, and the oppressions they suffer and classifies by
the types of the oppressions. Then the researcher finds the impact causes by
the oppressions in the characters’ characterization and core issues as the
results of the oppressions.
 

 

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CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS

A. Woman Characters and Oppressions as the Result of Patriarchal
Society in Afghanistan in Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns
Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns (2007) portrays the tough
struggles to live in Afghanistan during the war in the 1970s. He combines the
strict patriarchal system and the Taliban war that lead woman oppressions.
Although he does not show the “real” struggles that Afghans, especially the
women, feel—experience—during the war until the 1990s, he makes it clear
how hard it was to live in Afghanistan for a woman. Afghanistan is wellknown, for it is a big Islamic country and holds into a strict patriarchal system.
Patriarchy as a concept has a history among social scientists that use it to refer
to a system in which men rule societies through their position as heads of
household (Walby, 1989: 214). Patriarchal system often leads to oppressions
and gender inequality toward women for the system itself believe that men are
greater than women and gives more benefits to men.
“I wonder,” the young Talib said. “God has made us differently,
you women and us men. Our brains are different. You are not able
to think like we can. Western doctors and their science have proven
this. This is why we require only one male witness but two female
ones” (Hosseini, 2007:255).
Hosseini portrays the struggles of being oppressed that the women
experience through his two heroines of the story, Mariam and Laila. Those
two heroines give a big contribution in leading the plot of the novel. Despite

 

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their opposite backgrounds, point of view in life, and age difference, then after
some bad events that they experience, they finally have the same goal to
escape from their abusive husband.
Seeing from Young’s Five Faces of Oppression, the kinds of
oppression that the two experienced the most are violence (which is the most
common and visible one), powerlessness, and cultural imperialism.
1. Mariam
Born as a harami (illegitimate child/person), it has made Mariam’s
life difficult since harami is considered as “a person who would never have
legitimate claim to the other people have, things such as love, family, home,
and acceptance (Hosseini, 2007:4). Mariam has been alienated from her
Father’s family since before she was born because the family consideres her as
a disgrace for her is the child from her mother and father’s affair and also her
mother being one of the servants of the house during that time. Then, after the
death of her mother, she lives with her father for a few days before her father’s
wives force her to marry Rasheed, a shoemaker from Kabul whose age is
twice Mariam’s age. Mariam is also characterized as recluse for her never
going outside to talks to other people in the neighborhood.
The first few months after the marriage, they still live like a
common newlywed couple, all sweet and all. Then everything turns the
opposite way since Mariam is failed to give him a son for seven times.
Rasheed starts treating her differently and gives her the cold shoulder. He
always blames Mariam for everything and nothing she does pleases him.

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He snatched her hand, opened it, and dropped a handful of pebbles
into it.
“Put these in your mouth.
…
His powerful hand clasped her jaw. He shoved two fingers into
her mouth and pried it open, then forced the cold, hard pebbles into
it. Mariam struggled against him, mumbling, but he kept pushing
the pebbles in, his upper lip curled in sneer.
“Now chew,” he said.
…
Mariam chewed. Something in the back of her mouth cracked.
…
Then he was gone, leaving Mariam to spit out pebbles, blood,
and the fragments of two broken molars (Hosseini, 2007: 102-103).
Mariam does not even make a single mistake only because Rasheed “thinks”
that she serves him raw rice that tastes like pebbles. In the novel Hosseini
gives a hint about how women seem like always the one to blame in
everything. Mariam knows that since Nana tells her that on her childhood.
“Learn this now and learn it well, my daughter. Like a compass
needle that points north, a man’s accusing finger al ‘learn this now
and learn it well, my daughter. Like a compass needle that points
north, a man’s accusing finger always find a woman. Always you
remember that, Mariam (Hosseini, 2007: 7).

Another oppression that Mariam suffers is when Rasheed blames
Mariam for corrupting Laila to become like her since Laila’s presence no
longer overwhelming for Rasheed and now she is always denying him and
disrespectful toward him. From this, the researcher can relate back to the
quotation from page 7 in which Nana says like a compass needle that points
north, a man’s accusing finger always find a woman. Mariam is always the
blame for everything that happen in the house.

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“I should have known that you’d corrupt her,” Rasheed spat at
Mariam. He swung the belt, testing it against his own thigh. The
buckle jingled loudly.
“Stop it, bas!” the girl said. “Rasheed, you can’t do this.”
“Go back to the room.”
Mariam backpedaled again.
“No! Don’t do this!”
“Now!”
Rasheed raised the belt again and this time came at
Mariam.(Hosseini, 2007:234-235)
The most severe violence that Mariam receives from Rasheed is
when she and Laila are caught running away and being sent back to Rasheed’s
house.

“You,” he said to Mariam. “You wait here”
Mariam quietly took a seat on the couch.
“You two, upstairs.”
…
Downstairs, the beating began. To Laila, the sounds she heard were
those of a methodical, familiar proceeding. There was no cursing,
no screaming, no pleading, no surprised yelps, only systematic
business of beating and being beaten, the thump, thump of
something solid repeatedly striking flesh, something, someone,
hitting a wall with a thud, cloth ripping. Now and then, Laila heard
running footsteps, a wordless chase, furniture turning over, glass
shattering, then the thumping once more (Hosseini, 2007:261-262).
From the quotation above, it is very clear how ruthless Rasheed is
when his women do something that he is not pleased. Rasheed goes brutal in
giving Mariam a “lesson” for being disrespectful, for running away when she
is just trying to get away from his cruelty and getting her freedom to have the
peaceful life without being treated the way Rasheed treats her which is mostly
violence.

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Beside oppression in the form of violence, Mariam also
experiences some oppression in the form of powerlessness in which the
powerless—the women, in this case—are dominated by the ruling class—the
patriarch, in this case—and situated to take orders and rarely have the right to
give them. Some fundamental injustices associated with powerlessness are
inhibition to develop one’s capacities, lack of decision in making power, and
exposure to disrespectful treatment because of the lowered status (Young,
1992: 52). Back to the patriarchal system’s characteristics listed above which
the patriarch of the family always gets the last word to say in every decision
making, the researcher sees it as a type of oppression in the form of
powerlessness of women in saying their thought—or idea, or decision—in
making the decision that requires their opinions and matters to their wellbeing in life. To support the argument, the researcher finds some quotations
from the novel that show how Mariam is powerless in making the decisions in
her own life.
“You have a suitor,” Khadija said.
Mariam’s stomach fell. “A what? She said trough suddenly numb
lips.
“A Khastegar. A suitor. His name is Rasheed,” Khadija went on.
“He is a friend of a business acquaintance of your father’s. He’s a
Pasthun, from Kandahar originally, but he lives in Kabul, in the
Deh-Mazang district, in a two-story house that he owns.
…
Mariam fixed her eyes on Jalil, her heart somersaulting in her
chest. “Is this true? What she’s saying, is it true?”
But Jalil wouldn’t look at her. He went on chewing the corner of
his lips and staring at the pitcher.
…
“I don’t want to,” Mariam said. She looked at Jalil. “I don’t want
this. Don’t make me.” She hated the sniffling, pleading tone of her
voice but could not help it.

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…
She turned to Jalil again. “Tell them. Tell them that you won’t let
them
dothis.”
“Actually, your father has already given Rasheed his answer,”
Afsoon said. “Rasheed is here, in Heart; he has come all the way
from Kabul. The nikka will be tomorrow morning, and then there is
a bus leaving for Kabul at noon.
(Hosseini, 2007: 46-49)
The quotation above proves that Mariam loses her right to choose what she
wants to do for her life which in this part is her marriage life. Mariam of
course does not want to accept the marriage, but she never has the right to say
whether or not she wants to accept the marriage.
Below is another quotation that proves that Mariam loses her right
to say her opinion or to object Rasheed’s decision.
“I . . . I don’t want this,” Mariam said, numb with contempt and
helplessness.
“It’s not your decision. It’s hers and mine.”(Hosseini, 2007:208)
This quotation proves that Mariam loses the right to choose whether or not she
gives her permission for Rasheed to marry Laila. She loses this right because
of being back to the patriarchal system characteristics where the man of the
house has the last words to say in making every decision and that the decision,
idea, or opinion of the matriarch does not really matter since the matriarch
does not have any power to decide everything when it comes to the household.
2. Laila
Laila’s characteristic is the opposite of Mariam. Laila is described
as a stunning and bright young woman whom everyone adores. Unlike

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Mariam, a harami who is exiled from her father’s family and is considered as
a disgrace for the family, Laila always says as the girl everyone admires.
“Mammy always told Laila that she had inherited her hair color—
as well as her thick-lashed, turquoise green eyes, her dimpled
cheeks, her high cheekbones, and the pout of her lower lip, which
Mammy shared—from her great-grandmother, Mammy’s
grandmother. She was a pari, a stunner. Mammy said. Her beauty
was the talk of the valley. It skipped two generations of women in
our family, but it sure didn’t bypass you, Laila (Hosseini, 2007:
108).
“You,” Rasheed said to the girl, “you, on the other hand, would be
a Benz. A brand-new, first-class, shiny Benz. Wah wah. But. But.”
He raised one greasy index finger. “One must take certain . . . cares
. . . with a Benz. As a matter of respect for its beauty and
craftsmanship, you see. Oh, you must be thinking that I am crazy,
diwana, with all this talk of automobiles. I am not saying that you
are cars. I am merely making a point. (Hosseini, 2007: 216-217)

Laila has everything that Mariam has not as a child, namely a
loving family, friends to talk to, someone who loves her, and education. She is
a smart girl for her father is always concerned about her education. Unlike
Mariam, whose mother is against her getting an education, says that education
for girl is useless because girls will end up at home taking care of her husband
and household. With her whole family being gone because of the bombing,
Laila is taken to Mariam and Rasheed’s house to be taken care of and she ends
up getting married to Rasheed after she gets the news that says the love of her
life is dead at the evacuation camp. Her marriage life goes good until she fails
to give Rasheed the son he always wants for giving birth to her daughter,
Aziza. Laila and Mariam do not get along because Mariam always treats Laila
as if she is an intruder of the house. Compared to Mari