Rachel Sontag's experience of abuse during her childhood in her memoir book House Rules.

RACHEL SONTAG’S EXPERIENCE OF ABUSE DURING HER

CHILDHOOD IN HER MEMOIR BOOK HOUSE RULES

THESIS

Submitted as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Bachelor Degree at English Department Faculty of Letters and Humanities State Islamic

University of Sunan Ampel Surabaya

By:

AMINATUZ ZAHROH Reg. Number: A93213147

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

FACULTY OF LETTERS AND HUMANITIES STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY OF SUNAN AMPEL

SURABAYA 2017

ABSTRACT

Zahroh, Aminatuz. 2017. Rachel Sontag’s Experience of Abuse during Her Childhood in Her Memoir Book House Rules_{. Thesis. English Department,} Faculty of Letters and Humanities, States Islamic University Sunan Ampel Surabaya.

The Advisor: Abu Fanani, M. Pd.

This thesis discusses about abuse experienced by Rachel Sontag as the main character of memoir book House Rules during her childhood. This thesis focuses on analyzing the form of Child Abuse she gets and how it gives effects to her. It is a descriptive-qualitative research where the researcher uses herself as the main instrument. The researcher uses sociological approach through social psychology theory and genetic structuralism to analyze the issues in the memoir book. There are two main part of discussion in this research; first, analyzing the forms of abuse that experienced by Rachel Sontag during her childhood and second, analyzing the world view of Rachel as the author of memoir book about the child abuse she presents. The result of this research shows that Rachel Sontag experience two forms of abuse during her childhood from both of her parents; physical abuse done by her mother and psychological abuse done by her father. Rachel gets the physical abuse in the form of choking and smacking, meanwhile she gets

psychological abuse in the form of rejecting, ignoring and isolating. Even though it does not causing trauma, the abuse gives effects to Rachel including jealous feeling to others, stress, personality change where she becomes more introvert to new people and also behavioral change that makes her consumes alcohol and drugs when she still in high school. Rachel’s world view about child abuse in her memoir is that child abuse is wrong no matter what the purpose of the parents. Rachel delivered her experience as the evidence of the effect of child abuse to children’s development.

ABSTRAK

Zahroh, Aminatuz. 2017. Rachel Sontag’s Experience of Abuse during Her Childhood in Her Memoir Book House Rules_{. Skripsi. Program Studi Sastra} Inggris, Fakultas Adab dan Humaniora, Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Ampel Surabaya.

Pembimbing: Abu Fanani, M. Pd.

Skripsi ini membahas tentang kekerasan yang dialami oleh Rachel Sontag sebagai karakter utama dalam buku memoir House Rules selama masa kecilnya. Skripsi ini memfokuskan pada bentuk kekerasan pada anak yang didapatkannya dan bagaimana itu berdampak padanya. Penelitian ini adalah penelitien deskriptif kualitatif dimana peneliti menggunakan dirinya sendiri sebagai instrumen utama. Peneliti menggunakan pendekatan sosiologi melalui teori sosial psikologi dan strukturalisme genetik untuk menganalisa isu-isu yang terdapat dalam buku memoir. Terdapat dua pembahasan utama dalam penellitian ini; pertama, analisa bentuk-bentuk kekerasan yang dialami oleh Rachel Sontag selama masa kecilnya dan kedua, analisa pandangan dunia Rachel sebagai penulis therhadap isu

kekerasan anak di buku memoirnya . Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa Rachel Sontag mengalami dua bentuk kekerasan selama masa kecilnya dari kedua orang tuanya; kekerasan fisik dilakukan oleh ibunya dan kekerasan psikologi dilakukan oleh ayahnya. Rachel mendapatkan kekerasan fisik berupa cekikan dan pukulan sementara dia mendapatkan kekerasan psikologi berupa penolakan, pengabaian dan pengasingan. Meskipun tidak menimbulkan trauma, kekerasan anak yang diterimanya menimbulkan efek-efek, antara lain perasaan iri terhadap orang lain, stress, perubahan kepribadian dimana dia menjadi lebih tertutup terhadap orang baru dan juga perubahan perilaku yang membuatnya mengonsumsi alkohol dan obat-obatan ketika dia masih di sekolah menengah atas. Pandangan dunia Rachel tentang kekerasan anak dalam buku memoirnya adalah bahwa kekerasan anak itu salah, tidak peduli apa tujuan orang tua melakukannya. Rachel menyampaikan pengalamannya sebagai bukti dampak kekerasan anak terhadap perkembangan mereka.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Inside Cover Page ... ii

Inside Title Page ... iii

Thesis Examiners Approval Sheet ... iv

Declaration ... v

Thesis Advisor’s Approval Page ... vi

Motto ... vii

Dedication ... viii

Acknowledgement ... ix

Table of Contents ... xii

Abstract ... xv

Abstrak ... xvi

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1. Background of Study ... 1

1.2. Statement of the Problem ... 5

1.3. Objective of the Study ... 5

1.4. Significance of the Study ... 6

1.5. Scope and Limitation ... 6

1.6. Method of the Study ... 7

1.6.l. Source of the Data ... 7

1.6.2. Data Collection ... 7

CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF LITERATURE

2.1. Theoretical Framework ... 9

2.1.1. Sociology in Literature... 9

2.1.2. Social Psychology Theory ... 10

2.1.3. Genetic Structuralism ... 11

2.1.3.1. Human Fact ... 13

2.1.3.2. Transindividual Subject ... 14

2.1.3.3. Significant Structure ... 14

2.1.3.4. World View ... 15

2.1.4. Child Abuse... 16

2.2. Review of Related Studies ... 18

CHAPTER 3: ANALYSIS 3.1. Rachel Sontag’s Abused Experienced During Her Childhood ... 21

3.1.1. Physical Abuse ... 22

3.1.1.1. Choking ... 23

3.1.1.2. Smacking ... 25

3.1.2. Psychological or Emotional Abuse ... 25

3.1.2.1. Rejecting ... 26

3.1.2.2. Isolating ... 34

3.1.2.3. Ignoring ... 37

3.2. The Effect of Child Abuse toward Rachel Sontag ... 37

3.2.1. Jealous Feeling... 37

3.2.2. Personality Change ... 39

3.2.3. Stress ... 40

3.2.4. Behavioral Change ... 41

CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

4.1. Conclusion ... 46

4.2. Suggestion ... 59

WORKS CITED ... 50

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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1. Background of Study

Since the first literature work was published, literature has developed in many

aspects. This development happened either in forms, genres and so on. It means

that literature is dynamic along to the era. There are many great literature works

created from many authors in this world. Some of them become a legend as their

works are very popular and being liked by many people for long time (Wellek &

Warren 50). William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliette, Sophocles’s Oedipus the

King and Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea are some of the most popular literature works throughout history. A literature work can be whether a

fiction or non-fiction (Norwegian Books Club, 2002 from

https://www.infoplease.com).

Non-fiction - according to Oxford dictionary - is one of the two main

divisions of narratives specifically in prose writing. It contains of information and

characters that assumes responsibility for the truth of the events, people presented

(Farner 6). There are many types of non-fiction literature include biographies,

memoirs, journalism, and historical, scientific, technical, or economic writings.

Memoir is a term from French “mémoire” meaning memory or

reminiscence that used to define a collection of memories written by an individual

about moments or events, either public or private and took place of subject’s life

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memoir has been historically categorized as a part of biography or autobiography.

However, it is still differentiated by the form and presents a narrowed focus.

Another difference between memoir and biography or autobiography is that

biography or autobiography tells a life from a story, meanwhile memoirs tells the

opposite; it tells a story from a life.

One of memoir book in 20th _{century is a memoir book written by an}

American author, Rachel Sontag entitled House Rules. In her memoir, Rachel tells her childhood experiences including the memories with her family, especially her

memories under her father’s parenting. Rachel shows up the experience of being

the only one from daughters of the family getting abuse in childhood by her

parents.

Abuse in childhood or in psychological term known as child abuse is the

act of harming children by neglect, physical force, violence, sexual attack, or by

inflicting psychological or emotional distress (Strickland 112). It is such a human

violence and rights infraction that cannot be ignored because children are a gift

from God who has to be kept well by not only their parents but also all people

around them. They are the next generation for human being where their future

depends on how they are being treated by people in their environment since they

were born. They have rights that have to be fulfilled from their caregiver such as

parents or their close people. Those rights are including safety, good nutrition,

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Childhood is important period in human development because almost all

of kind developments either physically or psychologically occur in that period

since they were born. In this period, a child learns everything for the first time so

they always have to be monitored and to be protected from any kind of dangerous

things that may threaten them or give them bad influence. However, there are

some children who do not get their rights as children instead they get bad

treatment or being neglected by some people or even their own parents. This

maltreatment (child abuse) can give any kind of influence to children either good

or bad (Bowlby 1).

According to World Health Organization (WHO), there are four types of

abuse in children; physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect

(World Report on Violence and Health 59). Physical abuse of a child refers to the

acts of commission by a caregiver that potentially cause physical harm. Sexual

abuse is defined as the acts done by caregiver where children are used as object of

sexual gratification. Emotional abuse covers many forms of act by caregiver

include their failure to provide an appropriate and supportive environment. It is

also include the acts that cause effect to emotional health and development of a

child. Restricting a child’s movement, denigration, ridicule, threats and

intimidation, discrimination, and rejection are the example of non-physical forms

of hostile treatment (60).

Neglect refers to the failure of caregivers especially parents to provide

child’s need that supports their development in one or more aspects of their need; health, education, emotional development, nutrition, shelter, and save living

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conditions. It is different from circumstance of poverty in that neglect can occur

only in case where reasonable resources are available to the family or caregiver

(60).

Any forms of abuse in children can give effects to children development

either physically or psychologically. Physical abuse can cause physical defects in

children and it may influence to children emotion such as their confidence in

society. Emotional or psychological and sexual abuse can give effects to

psychological condition and influence to their personality in the future. In serious

condition, it may cause long-termed trauma that must be very dangerous to their

life which is very hard to be recovered (Strickland 114).

Child abuse also can influence to children’s behaviors. Children can change to be more afraid with their environment or people around them. When

they are in school-aged, they may have academic problem with poorer grades and

performance on standardized achievement (Strickland 114). They also can change

to do bad behaviors if they feel that all of the bad treatments they get are unfair

and getting mad with it. They will do inappropriate behaviors such as lying,

fighting with their friends, hating people around them, or doing things that

threaten security. They do those things as a release from abuse they get.

It is the issue that the researcher wants to take as the main issue in this

research. Using a memoir by Rachel Sontag House Rules, the researcher wants to analyze child abuse experienced by Rachel Sontag and how it influences to her

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character experiences many abuses from her father and mother rather than her

sister, Jenny who looked “invisible” in Sontag’s family. Through her memoir book, she delivers to the readers all of her experiences as Sontag’s daughter who

has very different life than other people because of her parents, especially her

father.

The researcher chooses this memoir book because it is a real story and has

very complicated conflict about parent – child relationship. The conflicts are

related to child abuse and its influences to child’s psychology development. It also tells about the struggle of a daughter to face how her parents treat her badly. This

research uses psychological approach that deals to children psychology that is

portrayed in the story.

1.2. Statement of the Problem

Based on the background of the study, the researcher has an interest to analyze

the issue by formulating the research problems as follows:

1. How does Rachel Sontag experience abuse during her childhood in House Rules?

2. How are the world view of Child Abuse that presented by Rachel Sontag

in House Rules?

1.3.Objective of the Study

In appropriate with the research problem that have been formulated, this study

has two objectives that can be stated as follows:

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2. To describe the world view of Child Abuse that presented by Rachel

Sontag in House Rules

1.4. Significance of the Study

Theoretically, this study has significance to increase the literary understanding,

especially in study of sociology of literature in literary criticism. The researcher

also wants to give an understanding to the readers the role of parents and their

treatments to their children’s development, especially knowledge about child abuse and its effects to children. This study can be used to motivate readers to

treat children better and to avoid physical, psychological or any kind of abuse to

them.

Practically, this study can be used as reference for students of English

department especially for students of universities, especially State Islamic

University of Sunan Ampel Surabaya who want to analyze literary work which

deal with study of sociological approach in literary criticism. Furthermore,

students also can use the research as a reference that related to research finding

about children abuse.

1.5. Scope and Limitation

In order to prevent non-relevant problems, the study will be limited to the

memoir book House Rules by Rachel Sontag. The scope of the study is describing children abuse experienced by Rachel Sontag as the main character in her memoir

book. The research focuses on the form of child abuse and its effects to Rachel.

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book.. The researcher uses sociological approach that is genetic structuralism

theory which becomes a part of sociological literature.

1.6.Method of the Study

In this research the researcher discusses what researcher wants to do. It has

divided into four main sub chapters. They are research design, source of the data,

procedure of data collection, and procedure of data analysis.

1. Source of the data

The primary source of the data in this research is come from the narrations of

a memoir book entitled House Rules written by Rachel Sontag. The data will be

taken by quoting the important sentences in the memoir book which is related to

problem of the study. The secondary source for the data is theory of sociology in

literature that is genetic structuralism theory taken from books about sociology of

literature, journals, and article from websites.

2. Data collection

There will be some steps to collect the data. First, reading and understand the

story of House Rules. Second, collecting the data by taking important sentences or paragraphs related to the problem of the study. The researcher only focuses on the

perspective from the main character point of view and the effects of abuse

experience she gets and the world view of the author about child abuse. Third, the

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categorized into source of genetic structuralism theory that is child abuse to

analyze the form and effects of child abuse.

3. Data Analysis

After collecting the data, the researcher will produce the data and divide into

some steps. First, the researcher describes psychological abuse that experienced

by the main character Rachel Sontag and its effects to her. Second, the researcher

will find out the world view that presented by the author in her memoir book

about child abuse. Then, the researcher will analyze the data classification using

genetic structuralism theory from field sociology of literature. The last, making

conclusion based on the result of data analysis.

1.7.. Definition of Key Term

Abuse : To harmful and/or injurious treatment by one individual toward

another (The Cambridge Dictionary of Psychology).

Memoir : A written record of a usually famous person’s own life and

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CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1. Theoretical Framework

In conducting this research, the researcher will use Sociological approach theory as the theoretical framework. The theoretical framework will be divided into some parts in explaining this chapter, as follow:

2. 1.1. Sociology in Literature

Laurenson and Swingewood in The Sociology of Literature argue that sociology and literature have same a similar conspectus. They define sociology is essentially the scientific, objective, study of man in society, the study of social institutions and of social processes which is stressed that it seeks to answer the question of how society is possible, how it works, why it persists (Laurenson and Swingewood 11). It concerns in one of the process whereby society changes, step to step as in revolution, from one type of society to another and the effect which these changes have on social structure (12).

Meanwhile, literature also concerns with man’s social world, his

adaptation to it, and his desire to change it. Novel, as one of major literary genre of industrial society, can be determined as an accurate effort to re-create the social world of man’s relation with his family, politics, or the state. In novel too, it represents his role within the family and other social institutions, the conflict and tensions between groups and social classes (12). Moreover, literature, as an art is

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beyond the description and objective scientific analysis where it penetrating the surfaces of social life, showing the ways in which men and women experience society as feeling (12-13).

Although literature and sociology have similarity in some disciplines, they still, on the contrary complement each other in society understanding for human kind. The sociological study of literature may late arrive and there are well

developed sociologies of religion, education, politics, and social change today, but there is no virtually no established corpus of knowledge called sociology of literature (13).

2.1.2. Social Psychology Theory

Social psychology is the part of psychology that studies about human including its manifestation, causes, consequences, and the psychological processes. Hogg and Vaughan describe that Gordon Allport defines social psychology as the scientific investigation of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of others (Hogg and Vaughan 2). It means that social psychology develops psychology theories in explaining human behavior and examines the theories through empirical experiments and observations. It is also focuses on thoughts, feelings and

behaviors – some include physical actions such as what and how a person speaks because it is difficult to know what people think and feel without through what and how they speak – of individuals.

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The different between social psychology and other psychology disciplines is that individual’s behaviors are influenced by other’s presence either actual, imaginary or implicitly. Actual presence is when an individual gets influence by other people’s presence physically (close or far) or ever have interaction with them. Imagined presence is imagining being in the presence of other people, such as anticipating something from them. Implied presence is quite difficult where it refers to the way that human interaction assigns meaning to things. This type of social interaction is constructed and transferred through language which will not exist without social interaction (2).

Social psychology is strongly influenced by Freudian psychodynamic analysis of the human mind especially the extension of his theory to groups. Michael Billig describes that Freud in his work Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego (1921) states that psychodynamic notions have left a special and enduring mark on social psychology in the explanation of prejudice. Besides, it is also influenced by general psychology, primarily cognitive social of cognitive psychology is a cognitive perspective on social behavior that use cognitive

methods such as reaction time and concepts such as memory to describe wide range of social behavior and it is a dominant paradigm in social psychology (5). Therefore, social psychology plays a role to distinct the behavior such as

confidence, active, achievement with hurting, injuring and destroying where these behaviors are influenced by other presence around the individual (Nisa’ 9).

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Zubaidi cites in his thesis that the first founder of this approach is Hippolyte Taine. He claims that a literary work is not only an imagination of personal author, but also a reflection of society and culture which uses a kind particular perspective when it is written. This statement is developed; one of them is by Lucien Goldmann (Zubaidi 26). He believes that a literary work is a

structure. This structure is not static, but as a product of structure progress and restructured process conducted by the society where the literary works are created (Khusnia 7).

The genetic structural sociology of culture rises to a number of works which are characterized. To establish an operational method for the positive study of human facts, an author has to fall back on a type of philosophical reflection that be described as dialectic (Goldmann 493). According to Goldmann, a literary work has to be understood as a meaningful totality. A prominent literary work and philosophy have a total harmony and the elements that create texts contain

meanings only if it gives a complete and harmonized image about the whole meaning of that work (Darmono 43).

Genetic structuralism is related with Jean Piaget’s work which is strongly influence Goldmann. However, he uses that theory in wider spectrum as a

synonym of Marxis Hegelian theory. The basic of genetic structuralism is all of human behaviors that try to give responds about certain situations and tend to build a balance between subjects and object act (Goldmann 156).

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The external influence toward man’s behavior will change the world and by the appearing of transformation makes the old balance cannot be equal any longer and has to be replaced by the new balance. Therefore, man’s reality is served as a two side processes that become a new structure. The new structure can build balance that satisfies new demand from social classes (Goldmann 159). He also states that scientific study about human facts (economy, social, politics, or cultures) engages efforts to describe old and new balance processes. In human facts, there are problem sequences that one of them is who is actually become subject of thinking and act (156).

To affirm the theory, Goldmann (1980) divides the basic concept of Genetic Structuralism into four basic principles:

2.1.3.1. Human Fact

Human fact includes human behaviors, either physically or verbally that can change social history created by collective subject. The fact may be a certain social or political activities, cultural creation such as philosophy, or art and literary arts (Goldmann 40). As Khusnia cites from Goldmann, a man produces human fact as the result of the relation between human and world surrounding his life. To emerge world view, human fact becomes the significant part to obtain social facts in order to form social structure. Social structure connected with the literary works by world view. Goldmann states that human fact is the first basic principle of genetic structuralism where “Genetic” means where the literary work

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was born. Human fact is the social history where the literary work has written (Khusnia 11).

2.1.3.2. Transindividual Subject

It is the subject that surpasses the individual who acts due to the collective aspiration. In other hand, a great literary work is also considered as social facts created by the transindividual subjects. Transindividual is collective subject that becomes part of certain society. This means that the author who writes such literary work play role as an individual person, but represents a certain social group. Collective subject is the subject of the paradigm to the subject of social facts. It is also referred to the subject of transindividual (12).

Goldmann (1980) states that:

The structure of an individual can be explained only by reference of his socialization to the collective categories making up his becoming. He calls it as level intrasubjective that is the final insertion process involving the totality of plural subjects. It is a level where the history is created. In fact, it is through the collective subject that history become possible.

2.1.3.3. Significant Structure

Significant structure is the depiction of social history into the form of literary work. Social history is changeable from time to time. It means that the literary work not only about internal coherence, but every element also has a relationship with the global structures of meaning, the world, or the social and natural environment. The central part of structure in literary works is the relation between the character and the object surrounding the characters (Khusnia 13).

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The interaction and the relationship between human and environment can cause structuring process. It is a process of structure formation as the result of human interrelationship to be surrounding environment. The social condition will influence the author’s ideology and it will influence the works because of the homological relationship between the structure of the society and the structure of the literary work (Khusnia 13).

2.1.3.4. World View

Literary works express the relationship between social class and te environment. The member of collective subjects that come from the same social group and background experience the way of thinking about their surrounding environment and how to make a better balance in relation to their environment. Khusnia cites from Goldmann that literature is a meaningful structure that would represent a world view of the author, not as an individual but as member of society. Therefore, genetic structuralism connects the literary structure of a literary work to the structure of society through a world view or ideology (Khusnia 10).

World view is a main discussion in genetic structuralism where human facts and collective subject are purposed upon total comprehension which is considered as conclusion of the research. Supriyadi cites from Goldmann that the world vision as psychological expression via relation of collective dialectic with social physic, and being in a long period. The concepts which are based on world view must dig up in a group consciousness through involving indicator of belief system, history of intellectuality and culture (Supriyadi 19).

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2.1.4. Child Abuse

Strickland defines child abuse as the act of harming children by neglect, physical force, violence, sexual attack, or by inflicting psychological or emotional distress (Strickland 112). Meanwhile The World Health Organization through Child Abuse Prevention defines child abuse as following:

“Child abuse or maltreatment constitutes all forms of physical and/or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect or negligent treatment or commercial or other exploitation, resulting in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, survival, development or dignity in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust or power” – World Report on Violence and Health 59.

There are some definitions that focus on the behaviors or actions of adults (parents or other caregiver) but other definitions refers to take place if there is harm or the treat of harm to the child (59).

According to the World Health Organization, there are four forms of child abuse; (1) Physical abuse, (2) Emotional/ Psychological abuse, (3) Sexual abuse, and (4) Neglect.

Physical abuse may include hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise giving impacts physical harm to a child. The failure of parents or other caregivers in protecting children from those harm also decided as physical abuse (Child Protection Sheet; 2009 1).

Psychological or Emotional abuse is maltreatment to a child persistently emotionally or psychologically that causing severe and persistent effects on the child’s emotional development. Treatments such as conveying children that they

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of another person. These treatments may be occurred by words or actions (Journal of Child Protection Fact Sheet 1).

Sexual abuse is defined as the acts where a caregiver uses a child for sexual gratification (WHO:2010:60). It involves forcing or enticing a child to take a part in sexual activities including prostitution whether the child is aware or not. The activities may be physical contact including either penetrative or

non-penetrative acts such as kissing, touching, or fondling the child’s genitals or breasts, vaginal or anal intercourse or oral sex (Journal of Child Protection Fact Sheet 2).

Neglect refers to the failure of parents to provide children’s needs and support their development in one or more area; health, education, emotional, development nutrition, shelter and safe living conditions (WHO;2010;60). It may be done by parents since pregnancy period as a result of maternal substance abuse. It may cause serious damage to children either physically or emotionally.

The Effect of Child Abuse

Children’s Bureau submit the effects of Child abuse in a journal entitled Long-Term Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglect. There is a significant body of ongoing research on the effects of the child abuse. The effects are various depending on the circumstances of the abuse or neglect, personal characteristics of the child and the child’s environment. The effect may be mild or severe, long term or short term effects and affect to child physically, psychologically, behaviorally,

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or in the form of combination of all three ways (Child Welfare Information Gateway Fact sheet 7).

The effects that affect a child physically may involve in some of physical health problem; abusive head trauma, impaired brain development and poor physical health. It can be short term effect if the injury is not fatal but it also can be long term effects with the damage is physical defect. These effects can be very serious if the child is abused hardly, especially to infant and toddler. The most fatal effect of child abuse physically is death (4).

Psychologically effects may be long term effects because it influence to psychological condition of child. The effects are such as difficulties during infancy, poor mental and emotional health (stress disorder, depression, anxiety, and other psychiatric disorder), cognitive difficulties and social difficulties (personality disorder) (5).

Behavioral effects can affect to the way children behave and interact in society. Not all victims of child abuse will experience behavioral effects. The effects are difficulties during adolescence, adult criminality, alcohol and other drug abuse, and abusive behavior (bullying to other people) (6).

2.2. Review of Related Studies

The first previous study that similar to this research is an undergraduate thesis by Fatimatuz Zahroh Khoirun Nisa’ entitled Child Abuse in Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner from State Islamic University of Maulana Malik

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character of novel, Khaled Hosseini, a son of Hazara descendant done by Amir, a son Pasthun’s family where Khaled’s father work in. Nisa’ describes the form of child abuse experienced by Khaled involve; physical abuse,

psychological/emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and social abuse. Khaled gets the abuse because of Amir’s jealousy that his father is more care to him who is just a son their servant. The abuse he got gives him serious injury either physical or psychological where Khaled gets trauma because of it.

The second previous study is undergraduate thesis by Fithrie Yulyana entitled The Analysis of Child Abuse in the 21th Century in London Reflected in “Ügly”, a Novel Written by Constance Briscoe from Jakarta National University. The thesis is similar with the first previous study where it describes the child abuse and its effects to the main character. However, Yulyana makes a little distinction in her thesis where she describes the reflection of child abuse

experience by the main character from the reality in London at 21th _{century. The}

research results the reflection of social conditions in London at 21th _{century where}

many children at that time suffer abuses from their parents, guardian or caregiver.

This research uses the two undergraduate theses because both of them have the same issue and theory that is very useful as a reference. However, this research has a distinction from the two previous studies because the used object is different where this research uses memoir book from Rachel Sontag entitled House Rules. It also has different character and setting from the previous one which has little girl as the main character and takes American background.

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CHAPTER 3 ANALYSIS

This chapter will discuss the analysis of the data based on the theories that has been explained in previous chapter. The data are taken from Rachel Sontag’s memoir book, House Rules. There will be two parts of discussion in this data analyzing. The first part will discuss the forms of Child abuse experienced by Rachel Sontag from her parents. The second part will discuss effect of child abuse to Rachel’s behavior and characteristic.

3.1. Rachel Sontag’s Abuse Experience During Her Childhood

As the oldest daughter of Sontag’s family, Rachel gets abusive treatment from her parents. In House Rules, she delivers her experience of getting

psychological abuse from her father and physical abuse from her mother. Her father abuses her the most but Rachel does not know the reason why she gets it. Rachel always wanders whether it comes from something she has that makes her father do the abuse to her because she is the only one who gets it rather than er sister, Jenny who almost never gets their father’s attention or it is from himself.

Distinct from her father, her mother abuses her because of her manic depression disorder. She can lose her self-control and does not recognize anyone around her. If she gets angry of something and cannot control herself, she will release her anger by attacking someone and Rachel has got those attacks because she gets along with her when it happens. The forms of abuse that Rachel gets will

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3.1.1. Physical Abuse

As has been explained before, Rachel gets Physical abuse from her mother who has manic depressive disorder. Manic depressive disorder – also known as bipolar disorder – is a brain disorder that cause unusual shifts in a person’s mood, energy and ability to function. Different from the normal ups and downs that everyone goes through, the symptoms of bipolar disorder are severe. They can result in damage relationship, poor job or school performance, and even suicide (Sontag 55).

Rachel knows that her mother has this disorder when she starts to be suspicious with her mother body’s weight which becomes more fattening than before only in couple of weeks. She also does not show any kind of facial

expression of what happen around her and moves around like a zombie. She only says that she is very tired because of weather changing but Rachel feels that there is something wrong with her. Therefore, she looks for the answer by digging through her mother’s dresser drawer and finds a bottle of pills.

The pills were small and white, like aspirin. I found them in her purse. I spilled a couple into the palm of my hand and held them close to my nose, but they had no smell. I wrote down the information on the label.

Lithium: to be taken twice a day, in the morning and at night; to be swallowed whole, not crushed, broken, or chewed; not to be discontinued unless instructed by doctor. The instructing doctor was Dr. Stephan Sontag (Sontag 54).

After finding the pills, Rachel shows it to her sister, Jenny, and they looking for the medicine description through their father’s medical encyclopedias.

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They find out that Lithium is kind of medicine that used to treat the manic

episodes of bipolar disorder, symptoms include hyperactivity, rushed speech, poor judgment, reduced need for sleep, aggression, anger. It also helps to prevent or lessen the intensity of manic episodes (Sontag 55). The shocking thing is that the medicine is instructed by her own father which means that her father knows her mother’s condition but never tell them.

During her childhood, Rachel becomes the object of anger release by her mother even though it is done under herself lose control. Mrs. Sontag is stressed with all treatments done by her husband including gives her the drug that slowly changes her behavior and the ability to respond something around her. However, she never be able to express her feeling to him because she is depended with him for having “normal-look” family. Therefore, she releases her anger when she is stressed by the situation around her to Rachel through physical harassment.

3.1.1.1. Choking

Rachel gets her first physical abuse by her mother in one night after she has debate with her father because she wears her mother vest to go to school. The problem is getting bigger as her father starts to say in sarcastic words to her. He also said that she try to control her mother because she wears her mother’s clothes and calls her as an actress when she seemed about to cry. Rachel is very mad until she randomly says that what her father does to her makes her want to die but her mother suddenly says it to her father. Her mother gets influence from the tense situation between Rachel and her father and she feels angry.

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“Well, then we’ll have to take you to the hospital.” “Let’s do it,” I said, liking the thought of being anywhere other than there.

Dad returned with a glass of orange juice and sat back down on the couch. Mom, not in the voice of concern that she had exercised moments earlier but rather matter-of-fact, said, “Steve, Rachel feels that she needs help.”

He drained the glass in one gulp. “If you’re planning on killing yourself, Rachel, you better hold off until you’ve taken care of business.” (Sontag 69-70).

Her mother really takes her to the hospital at that night. At the way to the hospital, her mother starts to lose her self-control and drive the car crazily. Rachel is panic and afraid they may get an accident and yells at her mother. She becomes angrier and suddenly stops the car. Rachel immediately gets out of the car but her mother follows and attacks her.

She sat with both hands on the steering wheel. Then she made a fist with her right hand and stuck that entire fist in her mouth. I opened the car door and ran down the block as fast as I could, hoping I would fall and break my face. Mom got out of the car, came flying behind me. She grabbed my coat and tackled me down to the snow-covered lawn between our house and the neighbor’s. We struggled for a while, our hearts racing. Her face was in mine (Sontag 74).

By leaning on the snow, her mother almost to choke her. She is definitely unconscious what she does. Rachel sees that her mother becomes another person at that time. She tries to fight by kicking her but her mother is stronger. Rachel feels sore from the cold and the pressure of her mother’s body. She is pressed on the snow with her mother sits on her and presses her shoulder so she cannot attacks her back.

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Mom pressed her hands into my shoulders, pinned me down so that my head lay on the snow. I squirmed from underneath her, trying to get away. She pushed her hands harder into me, her breath circling the air and her lips dampening with saliva. With her right hand she cupped her fingers loosely around my throat and laughed. But it was not the laughter of amusement. The noise was deep and pained. She leaned in closer to my face and shook her wavy brown hair with all she had until the hairs on her head were tickling my nose. I lifted up my leg and kicked her in the ass with my knee (Sontag 75).

3.1.1.2. Smacking

At another time, she gets attacks by her mother again. It happens when her mother plans to get divorce with her mother. After the divorce paper comes and received by her father, Rachel who just comes from Hebrew school suddenly gets attack by her. She is mad because her husband going crazy to her and when she hears Rachel listens a massage from answering machine, she cannot hold herself to come over to her and release her anger by attacks her. She slams Rachel onto the kitchen floor and sits upon her. She presses her hands to Rachel’s shoulders. She chokes her until Rachel cannot breath.

She tightened her hands around my neck. It was hard to

breathe. Jenny was standing behind Mom, grabbing her shoulders. “Get off her, Mom. Get the hell off her. I’m calling the

police.” (Sontag 145).

3.1.2. Psychological/ Emotional Abuse

Rachel Sontag also gets psychological abuse from her father in the form of verbal harassment and several treatments that pressure her psychological

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behaviors and education. However, the way he educates them is supposed to be in wrong way where he often speaks in sarcastic, cruel and intimidate to them. Instead of her sister – Jenny – Rachel is the one who gets the abuse the most while Jenny is almost being “invisible” to her father; even though she does a mistake, she just only gets her father’s silence.

It is very different from what happen to Rachel when she has a mistake. Her father seems to consider Rachel as “the wrong one” every time Sontag’s family have problem. She will get several kinds of verbal harassment and

treatments that make her feels very stressed emotionally. The condition becomes more terrible because there is no one who supports her or stops her father’s treatment to her even her mother only can be quite and do nothing.

3.1.2.1. Rejecting

The first form of psychological abuse that Rachel gets is rejecting. Rejecting acts toward children can influence their emotion development, for instance, they may lose being loved feeling by parents and closets people. They also can lose their self-confidence to have interaction with other people and the most serious damage is they getting afraid or even trauma with society. A child who gets rejecting acts from his/ her parents or other caregivers may feel that they do not want his/ her presence to be a part of them. Some acts that indicate to rejecting a child are harsh criticism, refusing love, labeling, belittling, humiliating, screaming or swearing and others.

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“So what are you doing here?” “What do you mean?”

“What do you mean, what do I mean? What are you doing leaving the scene of the accident?”

“I came to tell you.”

“You don’t run away from the scene of a crime. You just don’t!”

“Dad, the cops are there.” “You don’t do that.” “Okay.”

“No. It’s not okay. You just don’t.” “It was a block away.”

“You don’t get it. You really don’t get it. You LEFT the scene of a crime.”

“I was told to come get you.”

“Just turned your back and walked away.” I looked at my shoes.

“That’s really, really stupid, Rachel.” (Sontag 12).

In House Rules, Rachel gets various rejecting acts from her father, the only person who does it to her. In quotation above, her father critics her harshly for doing something wrong that he sees as a mistake. It is happen when Rachel was 13 years old. She and her mother are almost got a car accident in the way they go to band practice. After the police come, her mother asks her to get her father because their spot is not far from their house. Rachel goes to get her father and tell what was happen, but her father blames her for leaving the scene of accident. Even though Rachel tell him that the police was came, her father still critics her by saying sarcastic words and stressing his tone in order to remind her that she is wrong.

Another harsh criticism that her father does to her is when they are in a trip to France. Rachel is responsible to hold her family tickets and passports. When she still holds the tickets and does not put it in her pack, her father starts to critics

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her by saying how she can be trusted to hold the tickets and passports. Her father stress his words to intimidate her and answer her statements in sarcastic way about how confidence she is to just hold the tickets in her hands instead of putting them in her bag. Her father makes the problem become bigger to put Rachel as the mistake one and even he said silly comments that she does it on purpose for being looking cool to hold all the tickets and passports by hands. He really loves to speak sarcastic words and answer Rachel’s question with another question to intimidate her.

“You’re that confident you won’t lose them?” “I’ll put them away, Dad. Just give me a second.” “Give me a second? Did you tell me to give you a second?

You’re holding three other lives in your hands.” “Do you want to hold them?” I asked.

“Didn’t I give them to you?” “Yes?”

“You don’t trust yourself?” “No. I do.”

“You trust yourself holding on to all of our passports and tickets?”

“Yes.”

“It isn’t just your ticket you’re responsible for.” “I know that.”

“Then why are you still holding them?” Dad’s voice was getting louder. He turned away from the driver, whom he’d been

engaging in conversation about his travels through North Africa.

“Ellen, do you see what’s happening here? Rachel’s so confident, that she’s going to hold our identities in her hands, our

lives. She’s willing to put our entire vacation at stake.” Dad turned to me. “I got everyone a fanny pack for a reason,” he said. “Are you concerned about looking cool?”

I said no, I was not concerned about looking cool, though this was not the case. I was fourteen and very concerned with how I looked.

“You afraid that people won’t like you?” “That’s not it.”

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Rachel is also accused by her father. He often distrusts her even though Rachel has repeated in many times to explain that she does not do what her father accused to her. He even accuses her as a liar, manipulator and an actress who is really professional in bat out. Even though Rachel gets help to explain the real situation, but her father still accuses her.

Rachel ever got accused by her father for making her grandmother’s condition getting worse. Her father accuses her that she talks bad things about him to her grandmother who is sick so it influences to her condition and she becomes comma. Rachel denies that because she never talks about him to her grandmother and she does not make her condition getting worse. She really loves her

grandmother and they are very close. She gets love and support from her grandmother and also she teaches her piano.

“Tell me what you talked about,” Dad said. “School and stuff,” I said.

“What kind of stuff?” “Play auditions.”

“Play auditions,” he said, smiling, as if the suggestion was somewhat comic. “You talked about me, Rachel.”

“No. I didn’t.”

“To my own mother?”

“We didn’t talk about you, Dad.”(Sontag 32).

“She’s sick and weak. Are you trying to kill her?” “C’mon, Dad.”

“I hold you responsible, Rachel.” “Steve, she is quite sick,” Mom said.

“She’s upset,” he said. “Rachel’s upset her.” “We did not talk about you, Dad.”

“Negligent and selfish, telling my mother bad things about me. My mother! Makes me wonder what you say to my brother!” (Sontag 33).

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Besides got accused because of her grandmother’s condition, she also ever got accused as a manipulator. It is happen when she wears her mother vest to go to school. Even though her mother helps her by saying that it is her who lend Rachel the vest, her father still accuses her trying to control her mother. He says many accusations until she is about to cry in front of her parents because all of the accusation really hurts her. But, her father still continues to accuses her even calls her an actress and her tears is a part of her show.

“Why, Ellen? When we so clearly have a rule? You and Rachel are not to share clothing. You’ve got to learn your place or she’s gonna walk all over you.” (Sontag 62)

“You did more than make a mistake. You gave Rachel permission to play your part. She has way too much power in this

house, way too much control over you.” (63).

“A fraud,” he said, offering up the word like it was something we’d all been racking our brains for. “That’s what you

are. All your attempts to portray yourself as a victim of abuse. To your guidance counselor and your grandmother, to Mommy. Mommy, who’s too weak to see that you’re manipulating your way between us, who do you think you are?” (66).

“You’ve built a fraudulent little acting career for yourself.” (66).

“Are you going to cry for us, Rachel? Are you putting on a little show?” (66).

Her father even accuses her as the one who manipulates her mother to leaving him when she submits divorce paper to him.

“You think you can manipulate your way between Mommy and me?”

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“’Cause you can’t get away with it. You’re not going to be able to brainwash your mother anymore.” (150).

“The way she works you into believing her lies, Ellen. The way she controls your every move. She’s watching you very

closely, Ellen. And she’s getting to you. She knows your weaknesses. She’ll kick you when you’re down. Rachel’s like Saddam.

And you are like the Kurds, Ellen. You’re stuck. You don’t know where to go next.” (150).

Her father also does labeling to her. The first labeling of Mr. Sontag to her is when Rachel is 14 years old and at their family trip to France. She adjusts her hair with bangs almost cover her eyes. Her father is really mad and starts to say harsh critics to her. As an adolescent, Rachel gets sensitive feeling especially when someone comments her appearance. Rachel and her father have debate and it ends up with Rachel who has to give up to her father. She has to cut her hair. Besides harsh critics by saying that Rachel looks like a cheap girl with her hair style, her father also labeling her when they have debate. Labeling to children is dangerous because it can influence their psychological mental development.

“Because you have nothing to yell about. You’re fourteen years old and in Paris. You know how old I was when I left Chicago for the first time? Eighteen years old, Rachel, before I left the country. And here you are, in Paris, walking around with hair in your eyes and your shoes untied, looking cheap because you think that people will like you a little bit more. Am I right?”

“I’m thirteen, Dad.”

“I used to know girls like you,” he said. “Girls who hated themselves.” (Sontag 25).

Another labeling that her father does to her is when Rachel has a role to play in a school theater performance. After picking her up from the rehearsal, her

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father sees that Rachel wears lipstick at that day. However, instead of saying that he does not like to see Rachel wears lipstick, he prefer to say it implicitly with harsh comments. Her father also threatens her that she will get slap.

“There’s a girl who hates herself inside.” “That’s a little much, Dad.”

“That’s a little much? That’s nothing. I’ve seen you before with that stuff on your lips and you know what you look like?” “A circus clown?” I volunteered.

Jenny retreated into laughter. “A prostitute,” he said.

I considered this for a moment. “That’s right,” he said. “A hooker.”

“Maybe you just don’t like the color,” I said. “Maybe something more subdued. A coral or a mauve, something in that

family.”

“Do you want to get slapped?” “No,” I said (Sontag 39).

The worst labeling that Rachel gets from her father is when her parents are going to divorce. Her mother is the one who wants to get divorce from her father because she cannot hold all her husband treatments anymore. When the divorce paper comes, Rachel is called by her parents to meet them at the living room. At first, Rachel thinks that as the oldest daughter her parents want to discuss it with her, but her father accuses her as the one who manipulate her mother to leave him. Her father does not believe her even though she tells the truth and keeps blame her. He calls Rachel as the liar and cheater

“In that case, can I go to bed?” I asked.

“No, no,” Dad said. “We’re just beginning. Tell me now. Did you know about the divorce?”

“No,” I said. “I told you.” “You’re a liar.”

“I didn’t know about the papers, Dad.” “And a cheat.” (Sontag 153).

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Her father also forces her to write confession in a paper. He orders her to confess who she is by a dozen of bad names that not properly can be said to a child. Her father releases her anger from getting the divorce paper to Rachel and verbally bullies her.

“Say it.”

I repeated after him.

“I’m,” he said, “say it in a full sentence.”

“I’m a selfish, rotten, worthless brat.” (Sontag 155). “Scum,” Dad continued. “You, Rachel, are the scum of the earth.” (155)

“You are a dirty worm,” Dad continued. “As low as they go.” (156). “You are a traitor.” (156).

“Deplorable, contemptible, degenerate, perverted.” (157).

“Shameful, shameless, revolting, detestable,” he continued (157). From the data above, Rachel’s father verbally bullies her. He speaks to her harshly to show how he hates her behaviors instead of giving her advices in good way. Rejecting a child can give damage to his/her mental development because he/ she will feel that he/she is unwanted by people around him/her. It is also happen to Rachel where her father clearly says that he rejects her as his child and regrets to have her to be a part of their family. Moreover, he also says that he wish Rachel never be born. He says it in couple of time.

“I’m ashamed to say you’re my daughter, disgusted and ashamed,” he said, “and Mommy, too.”(Sontag 66).

“I don’t want a daughter like you,” he said. “No, sir.”

“I have no respect for you.” (Sontag 157).

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He shook his head like it hurt him to say it, like he didn’t want to say it, but I had forced him to come to this place and now he couldn’t go back.

“I wish you were never born.” (Sontag 158).

Other rejecting act that Rachel gets is swearing done by her mother. Her mother who has bipolar disorder swears at her in several times. She does it because she is mad and cannot control herself. Actually, her mother is not angry with Rachel, but her father. However, she cannot do it to him so under her lose control she releases her anger to Rachel. Her mother yells and swears after Rachel and her father debating and she drives her to the hospital as Rachel frustratingly said that she wants to go there. Her mother is stressed with the tense between Rachel and her father and it makes her angry.

“You littah fuckin’ bitch,” she said. “You fuckin’ littah bitch.” She turned the steering wheel to the left.

“What the hell, Mom? What are you yelling at me for?” The front tire hit the curb.

“Stop it!” I yelled.

“Shut up, Rachel”, (Sontag 73).

3.1.2.2. Isolating

The second form of psychological abuse that Rachel gets from her father is isolating. In House Rules, Sontag’s family has written rules taped in their living room that has to be obedient by all of family member including children activities in the house. The rules are very detail and complex covered all that have to do and obedient by children. With the possessive personality of her father, Rachel is limited to do activities outside of house except for school, extracurricular schedule

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or another urgent activity. Rachel and Jenny will be punished if they home late even if it is only in few minutes. There is no toleration for anything.

Isolating to children may includes prohibition for children to do certain activities outside of house or not supporting children’s hobbies and activities they interested in. Rachel gets isolation treatment from her father in the form of

prohibition and limitation to have social interaction with her peers. Her father also give her curfew and allow her to sleep over at her friend’s house only once in a month.

The first isolating to Rachel is limitation to do outdoor activities except for school and certain extracurricular. She is allowed to go out if she has specific need and required with specific clear reason. Her father is really strict about the curfew and she does not allowed to go out if she has unfinished homework. This act is limited Rachel to develop either her individual and social ability as a human. Rachel rarely interacts with other people. She also does not have many friends and only close to her cousins. Her father breaks Rachel’s right to get interaction with other people and her peers.

My time at the library was limited. I

was only allowed to go when I had a specific project that required research. Always, Dad requested an outline of how I would use my “unmonitored” time at the library. It was this unmonitored time that would ruin me, Dad was convinced (Sontag 8).

Besides limiting her interaction with other people, Rachel’s father also limits her participation in School Theater extracurricular. Rachel is very interested

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though getting rejected many times. Once, she is accepted to join in her school musical and has to exercise intensively after school hour ended but her father does not allow her. Her father limits her individual freedom to develop her creativity and interest in acting. Limiting children to develop their interest is including in children rights violation. Children may not be able to develop their skill and passion of something.

Dad wasn’t happy about the arrangement. He’d worked hard coming up with a working set of household rules, which would have to be amended if I was in the musical. After a few long nights of negotiations, he gave in. I had Mom to thank. She

fought fiercely for me, highlighting the importance of extracurricular activities: how they’d been proven to help kids focus on

their schoolwork, how things like this would make a difference when I applied for college. (Sontag 38).

Rachel is also limited to have interaction with her peers. After she has performance as a tree in her school musical, her friends want to congratulate her by held a party for her. Rachel is very happy and gives her deal to drive

downtown to a restaurant. She calls her parents to permit them for a later curfew. Her father does not allow her but Rachel does not hear them. Her parents decide to pick her up because her father does not give toleration for home late after her curfew. Rachel is mad and because she is embarrassed in front of her friend but her father says that they are not even her friends.

“Why’d you have to embarrass me in front of my friends?” I asked when we were almost home.

“Did you hear what she said Ellen? ‘In-front-of-my-friends!’” Dad parked the car. The engine stopped rumbling and all of a sudden our voices sounded very loud.

“They’re not your friends, Rachel. Didn’t you see them laughing at you? It was all over their faces. Those people don’t

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even like you.” (Sontag 43).

3.1.2.3. Ignoring

The third form of psychological abuse that experienced by Rachel is

ignoring. She gets ignored by her mother when she just comes after school but she cannot get in the house because she forgets her keys. Actually her mother knows that Rachel is outside and had knocked the window and ring the bell but she ignore it. She lets Rachel colds outside for hours in the winter.

“I bet you won’t forget your keys again,” Dad said, passing me the bread then pulling back the plate when I tried to grab a piece. He passed it again, I grabbed, and he pulled it away. He smiled. I smiled. It was a peace offering. I’d been forgiven.

And whether or not he cared, I had forgiven Dad. It was an old-fashioned attempt to teach me a lesson; I expected this from

him. But Mom I couldn’t forgive. She’d left me outside in the cold (Sontag 54).

Even though Rachel Sontag does not get trauma because of Child Abuse she get but it still influence to her either in her behavior or personality. Rachel may does not rebel to her parents by doing some acts such as running away from her house or yelling at her parents. However, she quietly searching for release from her anger of what she feels during getting abuse from her parents without their knowing.

3.2.1. Jealous Feeling

The first effect of psychological abuse toward Rachel is jealous feeling. As the previous explanation, Rachel is the only one who gets the abuse from her

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daughter who gets all the abuse treatments either from her father or mother. Her sister Jenny tends to look “invisible” where she is almost never get harsh critics or humiliation from her father. Despite she is the youngest daughter, it seems like their parents only blame Rachel for everything wrong that happen in their family. Rachel also becomes the only daughter who gets concern from her parents for all of her behaviors. Even though Jenny ever do a mistake, her father usually just let it go but give her his silent.

Rachel’s jealousy to her sister Jenny makes her wants to do something where her sister can get their father’s anger. At their trip to Europe, Rachel and Jenny are responsible for each to hold tickets and maps. Jenny who is little bit improper accidentally loses the maps. Actually, Rachel knows it when Jenny leaves the maps under her seat before they leave the airport, but she let it go and does not tell anyone. She wants Jenny get their father’s anger for being

irresponsible and feel the same way with her.

Only once, halfway down the aisle, did I think of mentioning those maps, but instead I let Jenny walk away, feeling sick and delighted by her stupidity, “negligence” as Dad liked to call it. I grabbed Mom’s hand, my walk turning into a gallop, as we made our way off the plane (Sontag 21).

Rachel is also jealous with her friend, Nathalie. She is envy with her for being a father who is full of love and really loves her. She wants to have a figure of father as the same as like Nathalie’s father who will kiss her before she sleep, showing love for his daughter, always support her and give her nice advice.

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how her father treat her. She really wish for being treated in the same way by her father with full of love; something that will never she has.

I was sorry. I felt disgusted with myself. Not just for being sick but for being jealous. Angry with Nathalie for taking her ability to tell her father the truth for granted. I was jealous of her comfort. Maybe she wasn’t rewarded, but she didn’t get punished, either. How easy she had it. The truth was expected of her (Sontag 49).

And, for a moment, I hated her fiercely for not knowing how badly I felt inside. How lucky she was that she could roll her eyes when her father said, “I love you, Tata.” I hated her for not having the same desire to get into the car with those boys and take off, for not understanding how sunken it felt to have nothing to lose (Sontag 50).

3.2.2. Personality Change

Child abuse also gives influence to Rachel’s personality. She becomes a little bit introverts in front of new people she meets. She limits herself and does not let other people know many things about her. When she joins at a summer camp, she meets some new friends and greets them happily. She enjoys hearing her new friends’ story and experience but she does not tell her own. One night at circle conversation, one of her friend stands up and delivers her concern about Rachel. Her friend said that there is something off with her that makes her difficult to begin friendship with her. Rachel never tells about her life or

experience to others at summer camp. She is afraid to tell her own story include about her family and cannot trust her new friends.

Saying she knew there was more, that we all had our weaknesses, and in fact everyone had been picked on a bit in the

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WAS something in me that wasn’t coming out. And then others were agreeing, chiming in with their own theories. Maybe I didn’t know how to trust them. Maybe I was so interested in other people’s lives and stories because I couldn’t talk about my own. I continued to slip away, eyes still fixed in my lap, and then I heard the girl say, “Don’t get me wrong, I love Rachel, I just don’t know how to reach her.” (Sontag 36).

3.2.3. Stress

With all the treatments she gets in the house, Rachel feels very stressed and get depression that lead her to the thinking of run away from her house. She thinks of that all the time. She talks what she wants to her school counselor. She also talks about what happen to their family to couple of people, include her uncle. She does it because she does not know what should she do and wish for other people helps.

“So you think about leaving?”

“All the time,” I admitted. “But I won’t.”

I pictured Dad stewing around the hospital with his stethoscope dangling over his chest, contemplating my suicide

plans (Sontag 80).

“Let’s talk about you,” she said. “Are things getting worse?” I tilted back in the chair. “My mom’s so out of it, she’s like another child, and I hate being near him. I really do. But I’d never do that, I just wouldn’t. I like life.”

“Do you talk to anyone besides me?” she asked. “About what’s happening at home?”

“A couple people.”

Uncle Arthur had tried to get us into counseling. Mom would call Arthur and he would drive to our house, almost always with Cousin Debby in tow. Arthur was a social worker and knew several professionals he could recommend. He said he could introduce us to someone who specialized in parent/ child relations (Sontag 80).

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Rachel also searches for release of her anger by joining Tae Kwon Do. She uses it as psychological escape from home because she can go out from home without any argument from her father. By Tae Kwon Do, she can physically release her emotional anger from what she feels because of child abuse she experiences in the house. It shows how she actually feels very angry and want to rebel from the abuse she gets but she cannot do it.

Tae Kwon Do was the one activity Dad granted me without argument, perhaps because Uncle Arthur picked me up and brought me home. No one seemed to guess that thoughts of Dad inspired my fierce sparring and board-breaking, that Tae Kwon Do was my physical release, my psychological escape from home, the only thing that drained the anger from my body. (Sontag 34).

3.2.4. Behavioral Change

The abuse also gives the influence to her behavior. She begins to do some bad behaviors as her release. She does it quietly without her parents knowing. The reason why she does such behaviors is as her protest form or emotional release of what she feels during the abusive treatments she gets. Rachel who is actually an obedient girl starts to change behaviorally by doing some behaviors that still illegal for her age.

Rachel starts to consume alcohol when she is in senior high school. It is happen when she is at sleep over night in her friend’s house. When they pass through in a street, two boys in a car offer them drink. Rachel who is very

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makes her want to try everything that seems to be impossible for her if she is in the house. She is drunk at her first time having a drink where she drinks more than two glass of whiskey. She is not only drink, but also smoke a cigarette.

The boys joined us at a booth inside Bennigan’s, where we passed the flask back and forth underneath the table. There was some talking, but I don’t remember what was said. It was my first time getting drunk, and even then I was nostalgic about first times, imagining how I might describe this night years after it had passed, irritated that Nathalie wouldn’t just let herself go.

“Why’d you drink all that tonight?” Nathalie asked later, as we climbed into her bed.

I closed my eyes. Colors erupted from blackness. “Because I could.” (Sontag 48).

She is not only had a drink at her school age, but also consumes drugs called Acid. Acid or also known as LSD (Lysergic acid diethylamide) is a psychedelic drug known for its psychological effects. It is involved in hallucinogenic drug where the consumer of this drug may feel include altered awareness of the

surroundings, perception, and feelings as well as sensations and images that seem real though they are not (en.wikipedia.com). She uses this drug at her last year of senior high school after the death of her grandmother.

The reason why she uses this drug is her depression about being home. All that she wants to do is get out of that house as soon as possible and it can be happen if she enters to college that far away from her house. However, the problem is her father. He only will pay her intuition fee if she enters to a women college. Even though she gets a scholarship at Simmons in Boston, her father does not allow her because he thinks that Rachel will be able to control herself in a city.

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I was not so inclined toward drinking, parties, or boys, but there was something else about acid that made me choose it over and over again. Acid made me feel fragile and minuscule. Acid let me feel like a visitor in a world that could barely even see me; my only responsibility was to preserve my sanity, to control my thoughts and emotions (Sontag 172-173).

Senior year, I made myself invisible. I dropped small enough doses of acid to keep me at a distance from everything around me. Acid distorted and enhanced and confused my concept of reality to such a degree that I could spend full days sitting at the kitchen table saying nothing. And that was where I sat. At the kitchen table, enjoying a bowl of oatmeal with Dad, reading the Sunday paper, quietly filling out college applications for women’s schools (Sontag 179).

3.2. Rachel Sontag’s World View of Child abuse in House Rules The world view of this memoir book can be revealed by how problematic Rachel faces the social condition in her society. Rachel shares her experience and her thought about child abuse in her memoir book. She delivers to the readers how terrible the child abuse she gets by her own parents and the effects of it influence her. Child abuse brings give her bad influence and she has done bad behaviors during her childhood.

The first time when she realize that she gets different treatment from her parents than her sister has give her thinking that her parents abuse her. She knows that she is a victim of abuse done by parents and even she tries to look for know the reason why she gets it. She begins to ask herself if she has done something wrong that her parents don not like and abuse her as the punishment. However, she does not find the reason why she gets abuse from her parents.

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By this opinion, Rachel concludes that she gets the abuse treatments without any reason because as long as her observation she never do bad behavior that can be the reason for her to get abuse even her closest people around her think the same thing. Her school counselor said that there is something wrong with her father that make him treats her like that and she even helps her to get the solution for her problem. She gets helps to get out of her house and stay in a child

institution to decrease her intention doing interaction with her father.

The structure of this memoir book shows about child abuse that Rachel experience during her childhood. Rachel writes her experience that may represents other children in the same time who get the same experience that is get abuse from their own parents. Child abuse becomes one of social problem in society that takes children as the victim. The abuse becomes more terrible because it has done by the closest people of the children such as parents or other family member.

Rachel’s World view of this memoir book is the wrong side of child abuse done by parents to their own children. Even though many people think that

parents can do some harsh treatment to their children to discipline them, but it still wrong to do. Children who should get love and protection from any danger from their parents but they even get the danger from their closest people; people where they lean on in this world because they still weak to stand alone in this world. Children abuse can give bad impact to the children and without people know it can influence them until they grow up. Rachel delivers to the readers her own experience getting the abuse and she clearly give them the evidence about how terrible the abuse she gets until lead her to do some bad behaviors since early.

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Rachel also tells the readers how she has to live under stress and afraid feeling because of the abuse treatment. She represents other children at the whole of the world that they also feel the same feeling when they get abuse from their parents.

Rachel also represent in her memoir book children’s hope for love and protection that should they get from their closest people. Parents who should educate them well because their treatment to their children will influence their development either in emotionally or behaviorally that will they bring until they become adult. She gives a world view to the readers especially parents to treat their children properly. Parents should do good parenting to their children because they are the new generation of human being. All treatments they get will influence their future either individually of socially.

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CHAPTER IV

CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

4.1. Conclusion

Rachel Sontag as the main character in House Rules receives abuse during her childhood from her parents. Both of her parents abuse her where her mother abuses her physically and her father psychologically. Her father is different from her mother where she abuses Rachel because of her unconscious condition under Bipolar disorder while he does it consciously. He abuses her with several forms of psychological abuse. In this research there are two parts of analysis.

First, the researcher concludes that Rachel gets two forms abuse treatment from her parents. She gets physical abuse from her mother who is a patient of bipolar disorder. She does it to Rachel when she is under lost control of herself and attacks Rachel. Her mother does two forms of physical abuse to her; choking and smacking. Rachel’s mother chokes her neck after she falls her on the ground and sits on her when they are in the way to the hospital. The second time of her attack is smacking when Rachel is in the house. She pulls her by her neck to the kitchen and takes her down on the floor. She also smashes her daughter’s head on the kitchen floor.

Rachel’s father is responsible for psychological abuse to her. He does some several psychological abuses including rejecting, isolating and ignoring. Her father does rejecting to her in the form of verbal harsh treatments such as cruel criticism, blame her for any kind of mistake, and say that he is shame to have her

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as daughter and wish she is never be born. He also isolates her from social interaction with her peers by limiting her to do activities out of house except for school and extracurricular schedule. Rachel also does not be allowed to meet her friends.

Her mother also responsible to do psychological abuse that is ignoring. She let Rachel in the cold for hours at winter night when she forget her keys to enter the house. She has knocked down the door for many times and also ringing the bell, her mother does not open the door for her even though she knows that Rachel is outside of the house and waiting for someone to open the door.

Second, the researcher concludes the effects of child abuse experienced by Rachel during her childhood. The abuse give many impacts to her, either in her behavioral or personality. Rachel gets jealous and envy with her sister –Jenny – because she almost never get the same treatment from their parents. Jenny is never being so concerned by their parents, especially their father for all of her behavior and attitude. She also gets envy with her friend – Nathalie – for having lovable father who is always show his love for her.

Rachel is also changed in her personality and behaviorally. She changed to be more introvert in front of new people because she cannot trust them and be afraid to share her own story, especially about her family. She also feels stressed with all of the treatments she gets in the home and it leads her to have a wish for leaving her house far away. Another effect that affects to her behavior is alcohol and drug abuse. She starts to consume alcohol for the in her senior years school

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as daughter and wish she is never be born. He also isolates her from social interaction with her peers by limiting her to do activities out of house except for school and extracurricular schedule. Rachel also does not be allowed to meet her friends.

Her mother also responsible to do psychological abuse that is ignoring. She let Rachel in the cold for hours at winter night when she forget her keys to enter the house. She has knocked down the door for many times and also ringing the bell, her mother does not open the door for her even though she knows that Rachel is outside of the house and waiting for someone to open the door.

Second, the researcher concludes the effects of child abuse experienced by Rachel during her childhood. The abuse give many impacts to her, either in her behavioral or personality. Rachel gets jealous and envy with her sister –Jenny – because she almost never get the same treatment from their parents. Jenny is never being so concerned by their parents, especially their father for all of her behavior and attitude. She also gets envy with her friend – Nathalie – for having lovable father who is always show his love for her.

Rachel is also changed in her personality and behaviorally. She changed to be more introvert in front of new people because she cannot trust them and be afraid to share her own story, especially about her family. She also feels stressed with all of the treatments she gets in the home and it leads her to have a wish for leaving her house far away. Another effect that affects to her behavior is alcohol and drug abuse. She starts to consume alcohol for the in her senior years school

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when she sleepover in her friend’s house. She thinks that she will never get another change when she still at home and decide it as her only change to try something new because she is very interested in having a drink. She also starts to consumes hallucinogenic drug called Acid I her last year of senior high school. She uses that drug because she feels very depressed about her next study. Her father only allow her to enter women university even though she gets scholarship in Boston university because her father thinks that she cannot control herself if she live in a city.

Rachel’s World view of this memoir book is the wrong side of child abuse done by parents to their own children. Even though many people think that

parents can do some harsh treatment to their children to discipline them, but it still wrong to do. Children who should get love and protection from any danger from their parents but they even get the danger from their closest people; people where they lean on in this world because they still weak to stand alone in this world. Children abuse can give bad impact to the children and without people know it can influence them until they grow up. Rachel delivers to the readers her own experience getting the abuse and she clearly give them the evidence about how terrible the abuse she gets until lead her to do some bad behaviors since early. Rachel also tells the readers how she has to live under stress and afraid feeling because of the abuse treatment. She represents other children at the whole of the world that they also feel the same feeling when they get abuse from their parents.

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4.2. Suggestion

The researcher hopes that this thesis can be helpful for the readers who want to know about Rachel Sontag’s experience during her childhood in House Rules. The researcher also would like to give suggestion to the readers realizing the importance of reading the memoir book as the first source of information, knowledge and messages.

This research can be a guide for the readers to analyze a literary work especially memoir book. The researcher hopes that there will be another research using this memoir book that analyze in other elements of literary work and another point of view.

The last but not least, the researcher realizes that this thesis is far away from perfect. There are still many mistakes from the first to the last part. Therefore, the researcher really welcome to any constructive critics and suggestion toward this research.

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http://www.outofthefog.net/forum/index.php?topic=48098.0 (Synopsis)