Portrayal of The Protagonists in Kate Chopin's 'The Awakening' and William Somerset Maugham's 'Mrs.Craddock'.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS …………………………………………………..
i
ABSTRACT ………………………………………………………………… ii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study………………………………………............
Statement of the Problem ……………………………………………...
Purpose of the Study …………………………………………………..
Method of Research ……………………………………………...........
Organization of the Thesis …………………………………………….
1
3
4
4
4
CHAPTER TWO: PORTRAYAL OF THE PROTAGONIST
IN KATE CHOPIN’S THE AWAKENING ………………………. 5
CHAPTER THREE: PORTRAYAL OF THE PROTAGONIST
IN WILLIAM SOMERSET MAUGHAM’S
MRS. CRADDOCK …………………………………………………. 16
CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION………………………………………. 27
BIBLIOGRAPHY ………………………………………………………….. 31
APPENDICES
Synopsis of The Awakening ……………………………………..........
Synopsis of Mrs. Craddock ……………………………………...........
Biography of Kate Chopin …………………………………………….
Biography of William Somerset Maugham……………………………
i
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34
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ABSTRACT
Pernikahan, yang merupakan salah satu tahap penting dalam kehidupan
manusia, melibatkan tidak hanya aspek legal namun juga perasaan dan berbagai
aspek lain. Karena pernikahan merupakan suatu hal yang kompleks, banyak orang
mendapati kehidupan pernikahan mereka tidak berjalan sesuai dengan yang
mereka harapkan – atau dengan kata lain, mereka mengalami ketidakpuasan
dalam pernikahan.
Dalam tugas akhir ini, penulis menganalisis dua karya sastra yang
mendeskripsikan
bagaimana
ketidakpuasan
dalam
pernikahan
dapat
mempengaruhi perubahan karakter seseorang dan pada saat yang sama
mengungkapkan banyak hal tentang tekanan sosial dan ketidakadilan yang dialami
wanita dalam kehidupan sosial dan pernikahan pada akhir abad 19.
Dari hasil analisis, penulis mendapati bahwa kondisi lingkungan dapat
mempengaruhi reaksi seseorang terhadap tekanan sosial dan ketidakpuasan dalam
pernikahan mereka. Sehubungan dengan tujuan pengarang, penulis juga
menyimpulkan bahwa melalui kedua karya tersebut, pengarang bermaksud
memberikan gambaran mengenai kehidupan wanita pada periode tersebut dan
mengungkapkan suatu perspektif baru mengenai pemenuhan hak-hak dasar dan
kebebasan wanita dan juga manusia secara umum.
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APPENDICES
Synopsis of The Awakening
Edna Pontellier spends her summer holiday with her husband, Leonce
Pontellier and her two sons, Raoul and Etienne in Grand Isle at a resort owned by
Madame Lebrun and her sons, Robert and Victor Lebrun.
Edna is a rich woman of high class society. However, during the holiday,
she realizes that her marriage is unsatisfactory in spite of the wealth she has. Her
husband considers her his property. Besides, befriending with Madame Ratignolle
reminds her of her frustrating duties as a wife and a mother. She finds a
consolation in Robert Lebrun and becomes closer to him during the holiday.
However, realizing that the relationship will not work, Robert decides to leave
Edna and goes to Mexico.
The summer holiday is over; Edna goes back to New Orleans and starts to
abandon her duties as a wife and a mother. Not long after that, from Mademoiselle
Reisz she finds out that Robert still loves her and that he will come back from
Mexico. She then starts to have a relationship again with Robert.
One day, she is called to Madame Ratignolle’s house to help her give birth
to her child. This scene reminds her again of the pressure of womanhood and
motherhood. Going home with a more depressed feeling than before, she finds a
note written by Robert, stating that he has gone away, leaving her for the second
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time and will not come back. In the end, depressed by her life, Edna commits
suicide by drowning herself in the sea of the Gulf of Mexico.
Synopsis of Mrs. Craddock
Bertha Ley, a wealthy twenty-one-year-old woman who is living with her
aunt after her father’s death, announces that she is going to marry Edward
Craddock, a twenty-seven-year-old man. She has known Edward since childhood
as Edward’s father works as her father’s tenant. Her decision is not approved by
Dr. Ramsay, her guardian, but she insists on going through this marriage as she
loves Edward very much – even though she barely knows about Edward’s
personalities.
Married to Edward, she soon realizes that his characteristics make him pay
little attention and affection to her. She starts to be disappointed at her
unsatisfactory marriage. She gets a little hope of happiness when she knows that
she is pregnant, but her son is stillborn, and this makes her even more
disappointed than before.
Bertha finally decides to visit her aunt in London and later goes to Paris
and Rome with her as a way of relieving the grief of losing her child and the
unsatisfactory marriage. Coming back from Rome to her husband, she meets the
nineteen-year-old Gerald Vaudrey – a cousin she has met before – who stays in
London while waiting for his trip to the United States.
They are attracted to each other but Gerald soon has to leave for the
United States. Some time after Gerald’s departure, she gets a letter from him
which she burns without opening. Bertha returns to her husband and goes through
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the depressing married life again, but some years later, Edward dies because of a
riding accident and for the first time since her marriage, Bertha feels free.
Biography of Kate Chopin
Kate Chopin was an American novelist and short story writer who was
born Katherine O’Flaherty on February 8, 1851 in St. Louis, Missouri. Her father
died when she was four years old and Chopin was brought up by strong-willed
women in the family. In 1868, she graduated from the St. Louis Academy of
Sacred Heart, met Oscar Chopin, got married, and settled down in New Orleans.
By the age of 29, Chopin had already had six children.
In 1880, her husband’s cotton business collapsed and the family had to
move to a small village in Cajun area, Louisiana. The family ran a general store
and small plantations since then, but the profit was not enough to cover the debt
Oscar left after his death in 1882. Chopin’s mother died the following year and
she started to write short stories as a way of healing her depression as well as
getting an income for the family.
Chopin has since written many works from short story collections like
Bayou Folk (1894) and A Night in Acadie (1895) until important short stories like
“Desiree’s Baby” (1893) and “The Storm” (1898), but it was her best known
novel, The Awakening (1899), that made a public controversy. Its protagonist was
a woman who refused to accept the consequences of marriage and motherhood –
something unsuitable for the social and moral standard at that time.
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Chopin died of brain hemorrhage at the age of 54 in August 22, 1904 and
was buried in the Calvary Cemetery in St Louis.
Source: Carey 5-8, “Kate Chopin”
Biography of William Somerset Maugham
William Somerset Maugham was an English author who was born in Paris,
France, on January 25, 1874. His father was a solicitor who worked as a counselor
in the British Embassy in Paris. Born in a wealthy family, Maugham had a great
knowledge of both English and French high class societies. His parents died when
he was ten years old. Since then, he was taken care of by his uncle, Henry
MacDonald Maugham, a vicar at All Saint’s Church in Whitstable, Kent.
Maugham was sent to study at The King’s School, Canterbury, but refused
to continue. Instead, he traveled to Germany to study literature, German, and
philosophy at Heidelberg University. After that, he went back to England and
studied medicine at St. Thomas’ Hospital in Lambeth, London.
Maugham was once married to a woman but he was believed to have many
sexual affairs with men, two of whom were John Ellingham Brooks, his senior in
Heidelberg University and Frederick Gerald Haxton, someone he met during his
service in France as an ambulance driver during the World War I. He continued
the relationship until Haxton died in 1944. After that, Maugham went back to
England and then in 1946 to France, where he spent the rest of his days until he
passed away on December 16, 1965 in Nice, France, at the age of 91.
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Maugham had been writing since he was twenty and had since produced
many works like Liza of Lambeth (1897), The Moon and Sixpence (1919), Mrs.
Craddock (1902), Cakes and Ale (1930) and Of Human Bondage (1915), his most
well-known and notable work.
Source: McKinney 5-11, “W. Somerset Maugham”
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
There are many important stages in people’s life; one of them is marriage.
Marriage itself is defined as “the legal relationship between a husband and wife”
(Hornby 785). The definition seems to involve mostly the legal aspect of
marriage, but in practice, marriage is a complex state which involves one’s
feelings and many other aspects of life. Because of this complexity, people
sometimes find their marriage unsatisfactory. Kate Chopin’s The Awakening and
William Somerset Maugham’s Mrs. Craddock are two examples of those literary
works that deal with unsatisfactory marriage as an issue that contributes to the
development of the characters. In their novels, both the protagonists feel that their
marriage is unsatisfactory – even though it is caused by different reasons. One
feels dissatisfied because she has to suppress her desires because of the marriage,
while the other feels dissatisfied because her husband does not return her love –
and those contribute to their change of characteristics.
Kate Chopin herself is one of the most important American women writers
in the 19th century. She was once known as a local-color writer (Carey 6), but
later, she is “recognized for her examination of sexuality, individual freedom, and
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the consequences of one's actions—themes and concerns important to many later
American writers” (“Kate Chopin 1851-1904”). Through The Awakening, her
most notable work which once was banned because of its directness (Carey 7), she
makes a great contribution to the development of feminist literature. The
Awakening itself is a “scandalous book” (Carey 7), considering that the
protagonist is “a woman who not only had sexual urges and desires, but felt that it
was her right to have those drives satisfied” (Carey 7) – an inappropriate subject
matter to be discussed at that time. The book was banned from bookstores and
public libraries (Carey 7) but it had already given a new perspective in
understanding women issues.
Meanwhile, William Somerset Maugham is remembered as one of the
most successful English authors in the 19th century. He was announced as “one of
the first authors to make significant money from film adaptations” (“W. Somerset
Maugham”) and his theatre productions were generally successful (“W. Somerset
Maugham”). Besides being an author, Maugham also had many professions –
doctor, spy, even once served as an ambulance driver in World War I (“W.
Somerset Maugham”) – and this experience adds to his ability to create such
complex, real-humanlike characters in his works. He once admitted, “I had an
acute power of observation and it seemed to me that I could see a great many
things that other people missed. I could put down in clear terms what I saw”
(Nordquist). Mrs. Craddock is not as popular as Maugham’s other works, but it is
still worth reading as it deals with an unsatisfactory marriage and female passion –
something closely related to the examination of our fellow human – which makes
it a relevant reading material of all time.
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As the novels themselves mostly talk about the contribution of the
unsatisfactory marriage towards the protagonists’ characteristics, it is felt best for
me to choose the character as the literary element to be discussed in this thesis,
considering as well that character is one of the most basic and important parts of
literary elements. Character in literature is “an author’s representation of a human
being, specifically of those inner qualities that determine how an individual reacts
to various conditions or attempts to shape his or her environment” (Roberts 54).
Both Edna Pontellier, the protagonist in The Awakening, and Bertha Craddock,
the protagonist in Mrs. Craddock are the authors’ representation of women in the
19th century who react towards the unsatisfactory marriage and at the same time
undergo a self-development. Later in the analysis, it is found that the condition in
America and England in the 19th century proves to have some influences towards
the results of the protagonists’ reactions. As the protagonists are the representation
of real human beings, both authors create such complex and developed characters
and this adds to my decision to choose character as the interesting literary element
to be discussed in this thesis.
Statement of the Problem
The problems that are going to be analysed in this thesis are:
1. How are the protagonists portrayed in the novels?
2. What are the purposes of the authors in creating such characters?
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Purpose of the Study
Based on the statement of problems above, this thesis is constructed:
1. To show how the protagonists are portrayed in the novels
2. To show the purposes of the authors in creating such characters
Method of Research
In writing this thesis, I apply the library research method to find the
needed information to support the analysis. The novels are used as the primary
texts, while some other criticisms and information which are taken from both
books and Internet websites are used as the references to analyse the novels and
draw the conclusion.
Organization of the Thesis
This thesis is divided into four chapters. Chapter One is the Introduction,
which consists of the Background of the Study, the Statement of the Problem, the
Purpose of the Study, the Method of Research, and the Organization of the Thesis.
Chapter Two is the Portrayal of the Protagonist in Kate Chopin’s The Awakening,
while Chapter Three is the Portrayal of the Protagonist in William Somerset
Maugham’s Mrs. Craddock. The last chapter is the Conclusion. The thesis ends
with the Bibliography and the Appendices, which consists of the synopses of both
novels and biographies of the authors.
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CHAPTER FOUR
CONCLUSION
Having analysed Kate Chopin’s The Awakening and William Somerset
Maugham’s Mrs. Craddock in the previous chapters of this thesis, I conclude that
there are some similarities and differences that can be inferred from the analysis
of the novels.
The first similarity is that both protagonists have the typical characteristics
of the 19th century women at the beginning of each story. In Kate Chopin’s The
Awakening, Edna, the protagonist, is portrayed as a reserved, obedient, and
dutiful woman, while in William Somerset Maugham’s Mrs. Craddock, Bertha,
the protagonist, is portrayed as an obedient, dependent, self-possessed, and
passionate woman. These are the typical characteristics which can generally
describe the 19th century women.
The second
similarity is that both protagonists experience an
unsatisfactory marriage which helps the development of their characteristics.
After the unsatisfactory marriage, Edna becomes an expressive, rebellious, and
undutiful woman, while Bertha becomes a rebellious, independent, expressive,
and indifferent woman. The new characteristics prove that the unsatisfactory
marriage has developed the protagonists’ characteristics.
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The third similarity is that both protagonists have similar characteristics
after they experience the unsatisfactory marriage. The readers may see that both
protagonists become expressive and rebellious in their own ways in spite of their
different characteristics at the beginning of the story.
Apart from the similarities, there are some differences that can be inferred
from the analysis of the novels. First, the cause of the protagonists’ unsatisfactory
marriage is slightly different. Edna is disappointed because her husband treats her
like his possession and because she is tired of the responsibilities which are put on
her shoulders as a wife and a mother. On the other hand, Bertha is disappointed
with her married life because her husband cannot return her ardent love.
Second, the result of the protagonists’ rebellion towards the unsatisfactory
marriage is different. Edna does not want to go back to her husband and to
conform to the forced responsibility that is put on her shoulders. By deciding to
commit suicide, she succeeds in getting the freedom she wants. However, Bertha
goes back to her husband and conforms to the unsatisfactory marriage and the
social conventions that bind her. Even though there are changes in her
characteristics, nothing is changed in general as long as she still conforms to the
pressure that oppresses her.
The explanation of the second difference then leads to the third difference
– the place and the background where the authors live. Even though the books
were published in the relatively same period of time, the place and the background
where the authors live are different. Chopin lived in a period when American
literature started to change and new ideas on many things were developed,
whereas Maugham lived in a period when British literature and society were on
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their peak of confidence. The society considered the conventions well-established
and it was difficult for people who were settled with those social rules to change
or accept new thoughts.
The third difference above then gives some influences on the fourth
difference – the difference in the purpose of the authors. Chopin wanted to
encourage the readers, especially women, to fight for freedom even though there
was a pressure from society, whereas Maugham wanted to portray women in the
19th century who, contradictory to Chopin’s purpose, did not have any choice but
to submit to the established social conventions at that time.
During the analysing process of the novels, I find that Maugham’s
portrayal of his protagonist is more life-like than Chopin’s. It has been discussed
in the background of this thesis that Maugham is really good at making and
describing human-like characters, which explains why his characters are so real.
Moreover, Maugham himself is assumed to portray the 19th century life through
his characters in Mrs. Craddock. On the other hand, Chopin describes a character
that the readers will not usually find at the specific period of time, or in other
words, a character that is quite unreal to exist in the specified time. However,
from a different point of view, Chopin’s protagonist boldly reflects not only a
hope but also a real encouragement – an encouragement for freedom, an
encouragement for gender equality, and an encouragement for the better way of
life.
To sum up, I myself tend to agree with Chopin’s concept of freedom as a
human being, even though at the same time I consider both novels worth
analysing as they give not only a clear description of human characteristics but
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also some new perspectives to consider. The novels also give real descriptions of
married life – how it is conducted, how society has significant influences on it,
and how the different characteristics of the people involved in it affect the married
life itself. The novels teach the readers about how married life can be, and at the
same time, give an important perspective that human beings have the rights to
have their needs and freedom fulfilled.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary texts:
Chopin, Kate. The Awakening. The Awakening and Selected Stories of Kate
Chopin. Ed. Barbara H. Solomon. New York: Signet Classics, 1976. 1137.
Maugham, William Somerset. Mrs. Craddock. London: Vintage, 2000.
References:
Carey, Kay. The Awakening Notes. Lincoln: Cliffs Notes, Inc., 1980.
High, Peter B., An Outline of American Literature. London: Longman Group UK,
Limited, 1986.
Hornby, A.S. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Ed. Sally Wehmeier. New
York: Oxford University Press, 2000.
McKinney, John F. W. Somerset Maugham’s Of Human Bondage. New York:
Monarch Press, 1964.
Mish, Frederick C., et al. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary.
Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, 2001.
Roberts, Edgar V. Writing Themes About Literature. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
Inc., 1964.
Thornley, G. C., and Gwyneth Roberts. An Outline of English Literature. London:
Longman Group, Limited, 1984.
Internet Websites:
Abrams, Lynn. “Ideals of Womanhood in Victorian Britain.” BBC.co.uk. 2001. 20
Aug. 2010.
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“Kate Chopin.” Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. 2010. 23 Mar. 2010.
“Kate Chopin 1851-1904.” eNotes.com. 2010. 20 Apr. 2010.
Moore, Melissa. Women’s Issues Then & Now: A Feminist Overview of the Past
2 Centuries. 2002. 20 Aug. 2010.
Nickson, Helen. “Life of Women in the Victorian Era.” Ezine Articles. 2010. 19
Aug. 2010.
Nordquist, Richard. “William Somerset Maugham on Writing without Frills.”
About.com. 2010. 21 Apr. 2010.
“Women in the Victorian era.” Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. 2010. 19 Aug.
2010.
“W. Somerset Maugham.” Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. 2010. 23 Mar.
2010.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS …………………………………………………..
i
ABSTRACT ………………………………………………………………… ii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study………………………………………............
Statement of the Problem ……………………………………………...
Purpose of the Study …………………………………………………..
Method of Research ……………………………………………...........
Organization of the Thesis …………………………………………….
1
3
4
4
4
CHAPTER TWO: PORTRAYAL OF THE PROTAGONIST
IN KATE CHOPIN’S THE AWAKENING ………………………. 5
CHAPTER THREE: PORTRAYAL OF THE PROTAGONIST
IN WILLIAM SOMERSET MAUGHAM’S
MRS. CRADDOCK …………………………………………………. 16
CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION………………………………………. 27
BIBLIOGRAPHY ………………………………………………………….. 31
APPENDICES
Synopsis of The Awakening ……………………………………..........
Synopsis of Mrs. Craddock ……………………………………...........
Biography of Kate Chopin …………………………………………….
Biography of William Somerset Maugham……………………………
i
33
34
35
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ABSTRACT
Pernikahan, yang merupakan salah satu tahap penting dalam kehidupan
manusia, melibatkan tidak hanya aspek legal namun juga perasaan dan berbagai
aspek lain. Karena pernikahan merupakan suatu hal yang kompleks, banyak orang
mendapati kehidupan pernikahan mereka tidak berjalan sesuai dengan yang
mereka harapkan – atau dengan kata lain, mereka mengalami ketidakpuasan
dalam pernikahan.
Dalam tugas akhir ini, penulis menganalisis dua karya sastra yang
mendeskripsikan
bagaimana
ketidakpuasan
dalam
pernikahan
dapat
mempengaruhi perubahan karakter seseorang dan pada saat yang sama
mengungkapkan banyak hal tentang tekanan sosial dan ketidakadilan yang dialami
wanita dalam kehidupan sosial dan pernikahan pada akhir abad 19.
Dari hasil analisis, penulis mendapati bahwa kondisi lingkungan dapat
mempengaruhi reaksi seseorang terhadap tekanan sosial dan ketidakpuasan dalam
pernikahan mereka. Sehubungan dengan tujuan pengarang, penulis juga
menyimpulkan bahwa melalui kedua karya tersebut, pengarang bermaksud
memberikan gambaran mengenai kehidupan wanita pada periode tersebut dan
mengungkapkan suatu perspektif baru mengenai pemenuhan hak-hak dasar dan
kebebasan wanita dan juga manusia secara umum.
ii
Maranatha Christian University
APPENDICES
Synopsis of The Awakening
Edna Pontellier spends her summer holiday with her husband, Leonce
Pontellier and her two sons, Raoul and Etienne in Grand Isle at a resort owned by
Madame Lebrun and her sons, Robert and Victor Lebrun.
Edna is a rich woman of high class society. However, during the holiday,
she realizes that her marriage is unsatisfactory in spite of the wealth she has. Her
husband considers her his property. Besides, befriending with Madame Ratignolle
reminds her of her frustrating duties as a wife and a mother. She finds a
consolation in Robert Lebrun and becomes closer to him during the holiday.
However, realizing that the relationship will not work, Robert decides to leave
Edna and goes to Mexico.
The summer holiday is over; Edna goes back to New Orleans and starts to
abandon her duties as a wife and a mother. Not long after that, from Mademoiselle
Reisz she finds out that Robert still loves her and that he will come back from
Mexico. She then starts to have a relationship again with Robert.
One day, she is called to Madame Ratignolle’s house to help her give birth
to her child. This scene reminds her again of the pressure of womanhood and
motherhood. Going home with a more depressed feeling than before, she finds a
note written by Robert, stating that he has gone away, leaving her for the second
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time and will not come back. In the end, depressed by her life, Edna commits
suicide by drowning herself in the sea of the Gulf of Mexico.
Synopsis of Mrs. Craddock
Bertha Ley, a wealthy twenty-one-year-old woman who is living with her
aunt after her father’s death, announces that she is going to marry Edward
Craddock, a twenty-seven-year-old man. She has known Edward since childhood
as Edward’s father works as her father’s tenant. Her decision is not approved by
Dr. Ramsay, her guardian, but she insists on going through this marriage as she
loves Edward very much – even though she barely knows about Edward’s
personalities.
Married to Edward, she soon realizes that his characteristics make him pay
little attention and affection to her. She starts to be disappointed at her
unsatisfactory marriage. She gets a little hope of happiness when she knows that
she is pregnant, but her son is stillborn, and this makes her even more
disappointed than before.
Bertha finally decides to visit her aunt in London and later goes to Paris
and Rome with her as a way of relieving the grief of losing her child and the
unsatisfactory marriage. Coming back from Rome to her husband, she meets the
nineteen-year-old Gerald Vaudrey – a cousin she has met before – who stays in
London while waiting for his trip to the United States.
They are attracted to each other but Gerald soon has to leave for the
United States. Some time after Gerald’s departure, she gets a letter from him
which she burns without opening. Bertha returns to her husband and goes through
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the depressing married life again, but some years later, Edward dies because of a
riding accident and for the first time since her marriage, Bertha feels free.
Biography of Kate Chopin
Kate Chopin was an American novelist and short story writer who was
born Katherine O’Flaherty on February 8, 1851 in St. Louis, Missouri. Her father
died when she was four years old and Chopin was brought up by strong-willed
women in the family. In 1868, she graduated from the St. Louis Academy of
Sacred Heart, met Oscar Chopin, got married, and settled down in New Orleans.
By the age of 29, Chopin had already had six children.
In 1880, her husband’s cotton business collapsed and the family had to
move to a small village in Cajun area, Louisiana. The family ran a general store
and small plantations since then, but the profit was not enough to cover the debt
Oscar left after his death in 1882. Chopin’s mother died the following year and
she started to write short stories as a way of healing her depression as well as
getting an income for the family.
Chopin has since written many works from short story collections like
Bayou Folk (1894) and A Night in Acadie (1895) until important short stories like
“Desiree’s Baby” (1893) and “The Storm” (1898), but it was her best known
novel, The Awakening (1899), that made a public controversy. Its protagonist was
a woman who refused to accept the consequences of marriage and motherhood –
something unsuitable for the social and moral standard at that time.
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Chopin died of brain hemorrhage at the age of 54 in August 22, 1904 and
was buried in the Calvary Cemetery in St Louis.
Source: Carey 5-8, “Kate Chopin”
Biography of William Somerset Maugham
William Somerset Maugham was an English author who was born in Paris,
France, on January 25, 1874. His father was a solicitor who worked as a counselor
in the British Embassy in Paris. Born in a wealthy family, Maugham had a great
knowledge of both English and French high class societies. His parents died when
he was ten years old. Since then, he was taken care of by his uncle, Henry
MacDonald Maugham, a vicar at All Saint’s Church in Whitstable, Kent.
Maugham was sent to study at The King’s School, Canterbury, but refused
to continue. Instead, he traveled to Germany to study literature, German, and
philosophy at Heidelberg University. After that, he went back to England and
studied medicine at St. Thomas’ Hospital in Lambeth, London.
Maugham was once married to a woman but he was believed to have many
sexual affairs with men, two of whom were John Ellingham Brooks, his senior in
Heidelberg University and Frederick Gerald Haxton, someone he met during his
service in France as an ambulance driver during the World War I. He continued
the relationship until Haxton died in 1944. After that, Maugham went back to
England and then in 1946 to France, where he spent the rest of his days until he
passed away on December 16, 1965 in Nice, France, at the age of 91.
36
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Maugham had been writing since he was twenty and had since produced
many works like Liza of Lambeth (1897), The Moon and Sixpence (1919), Mrs.
Craddock (1902), Cakes and Ale (1930) and Of Human Bondage (1915), his most
well-known and notable work.
Source: McKinney 5-11, “W. Somerset Maugham”
37
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
There are many important stages in people’s life; one of them is marriage.
Marriage itself is defined as “the legal relationship between a husband and wife”
(Hornby 785). The definition seems to involve mostly the legal aspect of
marriage, but in practice, marriage is a complex state which involves one’s
feelings and many other aspects of life. Because of this complexity, people
sometimes find their marriage unsatisfactory. Kate Chopin’s The Awakening and
William Somerset Maugham’s Mrs. Craddock are two examples of those literary
works that deal with unsatisfactory marriage as an issue that contributes to the
development of the characters. In their novels, both the protagonists feel that their
marriage is unsatisfactory – even though it is caused by different reasons. One
feels dissatisfied because she has to suppress her desires because of the marriage,
while the other feels dissatisfied because her husband does not return her love –
and those contribute to their change of characteristics.
Kate Chopin herself is one of the most important American women writers
in the 19th century. She was once known as a local-color writer (Carey 6), but
later, she is “recognized for her examination of sexuality, individual freedom, and
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the consequences of one's actions—themes and concerns important to many later
American writers” (“Kate Chopin 1851-1904”). Through The Awakening, her
most notable work which once was banned because of its directness (Carey 7), she
makes a great contribution to the development of feminist literature. The
Awakening itself is a “scandalous book” (Carey 7), considering that the
protagonist is “a woman who not only had sexual urges and desires, but felt that it
was her right to have those drives satisfied” (Carey 7) – an inappropriate subject
matter to be discussed at that time. The book was banned from bookstores and
public libraries (Carey 7) but it had already given a new perspective in
understanding women issues.
Meanwhile, William Somerset Maugham is remembered as one of the
most successful English authors in the 19th century. He was announced as “one of
the first authors to make significant money from film adaptations” (“W. Somerset
Maugham”) and his theatre productions were generally successful (“W. Somerset
Maugham”). Besides being an author, Maugham also had many professions –
doctor, spy, even once served as an ambulance driver in World War I (“W.
Somerset Maugham”) – and this experience adds to his ability to create such
complex, real-humanlike characters in his works. He once admitted, “I had an
acute power of observation and it seemed to me that I could see a great many
things that other people missed. I could put down in clear terms what I saw”
(Nordquist). Mrs. Craddock is not as popular as Maugham’s other works, but it is
still worth reading as it deals with an unsatisfactory marriage and female passion –
something closely related to the examination of our fellow human – which makes
it a relevant reading material of all time.
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As the novels themselves mostly talk about the contribution of the
unsatisfactory marriage towards the protagonists’ characteristics, it is felt best for
me to choose the character as the literary element to be discussed in this thesis,
considering as well that character is one of the most basic and important parts of
literary elements. Character in literature is “an author’s representation of a human
being, specifically of those inner qualities that determine how an individual reacts
to various conditions or attempts to shape his or her environment” (Roberts 54).
Both Edna Pontellier, the protagonist in The Awakening, and Bertha Craddock,
the protagonist in Mrs. Craddock are the authors’ representation of women in the
19th century who react towards the unsatisfactory marriage and at the same time
undergo a self-development. Later in the analysis, it is found that the condition in
America and England in the 19th century proves to have some influences towards
the results of the protagonists’ reactions. As the protagonists are the representation
of real human beings, both authors create such complex and developed characters
and this adds to my decision to choose character as the interesting literary element
to be discussed in this thesis.
Statement of the Problem
The problems that are going to be analysed in this thesis are:
1. How are the protagonists portrayed in the novels?
2. What are the purposes of the authors in creating such characters?
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Purpose of the Study
Based on the statement of problems above, this thesis is constructed:
1. To show how the protagonists are portrayed in the novels
2. To show the purposes of the authors in creating such characters
Method of Research
In writing this thesis, I apply the library research method to find the
needed information to support the analysis. The novels are used as the primary
texts, while some other criticisms and information which are taken from both
books and Internet websites are used as the references to analyse the novels and
draw the conclusion.
Organization of the Thesis
This thesis is divided into four chapters. Chapter One is the Introduction,
which consists of the Background of the Study, the Statement of the Problem, the
Purpose of the Study, the Method of Research, and the Organization of the Thesis.
Chapter Two is the Portrayal of the Protagonist in Kate Chopin’s The Awakening,
while Chapter Three is the Portrayal of the Protagonist in William Somerset
Maugham’s Mrs. Craddock. The last chapter is the Conclusion. The thesis ends
with the Bibliography and the Appendices, which consists of the synopses of both
novels and biographies of the authors.
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CHAPTER FOUR
CONCLUSION
Having analysed Kate Chopin’s The Awakening and William Somerset
Maugham’s Mrs. Craddock in the previous chapters of this thesis, I conclude that
there are some similarities and differences that can be inferred from the analysis
of the novels.
The first similarity is that both protagonists have the typical characteristics
of the 19th century women at the beginning of each story. In Kate Chopin’s The
Awakening, Edna, the protagonist, is portrayed as a reserved, obedient, and
dutiful woman, while in William Somerset Maugham’s Mrs. Craddock, Bertha,
the protagonist, is portrayed as an obedient, dependent, self-possessed, and
passionate woman. These are the typical characteristics which can generally
describe the 19th century women.
The second
similarity is that both protagonists experience an
unsatisfactory marriage which helps the development of their characteristics.
After the unsatisfactory marriage, Edna becomes an expressive, rebellious, and
undutiful woman, while Bertha becomes a rebellious, independent, expressive,
and indifferent woman. The new characteristics prove that the unsatisfactory
marriage has developed the protagonists’ characteristics.
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The third similarity is that both protagonists have similar characteristics
after they experience the unsatisfactory marriage. The readers may see that both
protagonists become expressive and rebellious in their own ways in spite of their
different characteristics at the beginning of the story.
Apart from the similarities, there are some differences that can be inferred
from the analysis of the novels. First, the cause of the protagonists’ unsatisfactory
marriage is slightly different. Edna is disappointed because her husband treats her
like his possession and because she is tired of the responsibilities which are put on
her shoulders as a wife and a mother. On the other hand, Bertha is disappointed
with her married life because her husband cannot return her ardent love.
Second, the result of the protagonists’ rebellion towards the unsatisfactory
marriage is different. Edna does not want to go back to her husband and to
conform to the forced responsibility that is put on her shoulders. By deciding to
commit suicide, she succeeds in getting the freedom she wants. However, Bertha
goes back to her husband and conforms to the unsatisfactory marriage and the
social conventions that bind her. Even though there are changes in her
characteristics, nothing is changed in general as long as she still conforms to the
pressure that oppresses her.
The explanation of the second difference then leads to the third difference
– the place and the background where the authors live. Even though the books
were published in the relatively same period of time, the place and the background
where the authors live are different. Chopin lived in a period when American
literature started to change and new ideas on many things were developed,
whereas Maugham lived in a period when British literature and society were on
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their peak of confidence. The society considered the conventions well-established
and it was difficult for people who were settled with those social rules to change
or accept new thoughts.
The third difference above then gives some influences on the fourth
difference – the difference in the purpose of the authors. Chopin wanted to
encourage the readers, especially women, to fight for freedom even though there
was a pressure from society, whereas Maugham wanted to portray women in the
19th century who, contradictory to Chopin’s purpose, did not have any choice but
to submit to the established social conventions at that time.
During the analysing process of the novels, I find that Maugham’s
portrayal of his protagonist is more life-like than Chopin’s. It has been discussed
in the background of this thesis that Maugham is really good at making and
describing human-like characters, which explains why his characters are so real.
Moreover, Maugham himself is assumed to portray the 19th century life through
his characters in Mrs. Craddock. On the other hand, Chopin describes a character
that the readers will not usually find at the specific period of time, or in other
words, a character that is quite unreal to exist in the specified time. However,
from a different point of view, Chopin’s protagonist boldly reflects not only a
hope but also a real encouragement – an encouragement for freedom, an
encouragement for gender equality, and an encouragement for the better way of
life.
To sum up, I myself tend to agree with Chopin’s concept of freedom as a
human being, even though at the same time I consider both novels worth
analysing as they give not only a clear description of human characteristics but
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also some new perspectives to consider. The novels also give real descriptions of
married life – how it is conducted, how society has significant influences on it,
and how the different characteristics of the people involved in it affect the married
life itself. The novels teach the readers about how married life can be, and at the
same time, give an important perspective that human beings have the rights to
have their needs and freedom fulfilled.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary texts:
Chopin, Kate. The Awakening. The Awakening and Selected Stories of Kate
Chopin. Ed. Barbara H. Solomon. New York: Signet Classics, 1976. 1137.
Maugham, William Somerset. Mrs. Craddock. London: Vintage, 2000.
References:
Carey, Kay. The Awakening Notes. Lincoln: Cliffs Notes, Inc., 1980.
High, Peter B., An Outline of American Literature. London: Longman Group UK,
Limited, 1986.
Hornby, A.S. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Ed. Sally Wehmeier. New
York: Oxford University Press, 2000.
McKinney, John F. W. Somerset Maugham’s Of Human Bondage. New York:
Monarch Press, 1964.
Mish, Frederick C., et al. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary.
Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, 2001.
Roberts, Edgar V. Writing Themes About Literature. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
Inc., 1964.
Thornley, G. C., and Gwyneth Roberts. An Outline of English Literature. London:
Longman Group, Limited, 1984.
Internet Websites:
Abrams, Lynn. “Ideals of Womanhood in Victorian Britain.” BBC.co.uk. 2001. 20
Aug. 2010.
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“Kate Chopin.” Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. 2010. 23 Mar. 2010.
“Kate Chopin 1851-1904.” eNotes.com. 2010. 20 Apr. 2010.
Moore, Melissa. Women’s Issues Then & Now: A Feminist Overview of the Past
2 Centuries. 2002. 20 Aug. 2010.
Nickson, Helen. “Life of Women in the Victorian Era.” Ezine Articles. 2010. 19
Aug. 2010.
Nordquist, Richard. “William Somerset Maugham on Writing without Frills.”
About.com. 2010. 21 Apr. 2010.
“Women in the Victorian era.” Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. 2010. 19 Aug.
2010.
“W. Somerset Maugham.” Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. 2010. 23 Mar.
2010.
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