Symbol as a means to reveal the author`s point of view toward death in Edgar Allan Poe`s ``The Tell Tale Heart`` - USD Repository

  SYMBOL AS A MEANS TO REVEAL THE AUTHOR’S POINT OF VIEW TOWARD DEATH

  IN EDGAR ALLAN POE’S “THE TELL TALE HEART” AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

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

  By

  Robertus Troi Suryo Student Number: 044214073

  

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ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2011

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  SYMBOL AS A MEANS TO REVEAL THE AUTHOR’S POINT OF VIEW TOWARD DEATH

  IN EDGAR ALLAN POE’S “THE TELL TALE HEART” AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

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

  By

  Robertus Troi Suryo Student Number: 044214073

  

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2011

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As a Man Sows,

So Shall He Reaps

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  I dedicate this work for those who have participated in accomplishing my study especially M Y PARENTS, MY WIFE and MY SON

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LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN

PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS

  Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma: Nama : Robertus Troi Suryo

  Nomor mahasiswa : 044214073 Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul:

  

SYMBOL AS A MEANS TO REVEAL THE AUTHOR’S POINT OF VIEW

TOWARD DEATH IN EDGAR ALLAN POE’S “THE TELL TALE

HEART”

  Bersama perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin dari saya maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis. Demikian pernyataan yang saya buat dengan sebenarnya. Dibuat di Yogyakarta Pada tanggal: 31 Oktober 2011 Yang menyatakan, vi PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

  I would like to express my biggest gratitude to Jesus Christ and the Holy Mary whom I always plead for blessing, strength, and ideas, so that I am finally able to accomplish this undergraduate thesis.

  Furthermore, I deeply express my gratitude to my beloved parents for their prayers; spiritual, material, and financial support; and good advices.

  My gratitude is also directed to Elisa Dwi Wardani S.S., M.Hum as my advisor for her time, advice, guidance, and patience. I really appreciate all things she has done in the process of writing my thesis. I would also like to say thank to Dewi Widyastuti S.Pd., M.Hum as my co- advisor.

  Next, my sincere gratitude belongs to Irene. It is because of her help, support, and understanding. She has done her best to help me while I am dealing with my study especially my thesis.

  I thank all my friends in English Letters Department 2004 class that I can not mention one by one. It is nice to have nice friends like them Robertus Troi Suryo vii

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TABLE OF CONTENT

TITLE PAGE .................................................................................................... i

APPROVAL PAGE .......................................................................................... ii

ACCEPTANCE PAGE ..................................................................................... iii

MOTTO PAGE ................................................................................................. iv

DEDICATION PAGE ....................................................................................... v

APPROVAL PRONOUNCEMENT PAGE OF THESIS PUBLICATION

FOR ACADEMIC CONCERN ........................................................................ vi

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................. vii

TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................. viii

ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................... x

ABSTRAK ......................................................................................................... xi

  

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION .................................................................... 1

A. Background of the Study ................................................................. 1 B. Problem Formulation ....................................................................... 6 C. Objectives of the Study .................................................................... 6 D. Definition of Terms.......................................................................... 6

CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL REVIEW ................................................... 8

A. Review of Related Studies ................................................................. 8 B. Review of Related Theories ............................................................... 9

  1. Theory of Symbol ......................................................................... 9

  2. Relation between Literature and Psychology ............................... 13

  3. Theory of Self Defense Mechanism ............................................. 15

  4. Theory of Predicate Thinking ...................................................... 16

  C. Review of Edgar Allan Poe Biography .............................................. 17

  D. Theoretical Framework ...................................................................... 19

  

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ................................................................ 20

A. Object of the Study .......................................................................... 20 B. Approach of the Study ..................................................................... 20 C. Method of the Study......................................................................... 22

CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS ............................................................................. 23

A. Symbols that were used in the short story .......................................... 23

  1. Old Man ........................................................................................ 25

  2. The Eye ......................................................................................... 26

  a. Vulture ..................................................................................... 28

  b. Pale .......................................................................................... 29

  c. Blue ......................................................................................... 30

  d. Film ......................................................................................... 31

  3. The Action of Murder (Kill) ......................................................... 31 viii

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  4. Heartbeat ....................................................................................... 32

  B. Symbols as a Reflection of the Author’s Point of View toward Death ...................................................................................................... 33

  1. Death in Edgar Allan Poe’s Life .................................................. 35

  2. The Author’s Point of View toward Death as Reflected through Symbol in The Tell Tale Heart ......................................................... 39 i. Edgar Allan Poe’s Point of View toward Death ..................... 38 ii. The Process of Symbol Creation as an Expression of the Point of View toward Death ........................................................ 41

  

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ....................................................................... 52

BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................ 53

APPENDIX ....................................................................................................... 55

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ABSTRACT

  ROBERTUS TROI SURYO (2011). Symbol as a Means to Reveal the Author .

  

Point of View toward Death in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell Tale Heart”

  Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University.

  This undergraduate thesis deals with one of Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories entitled “The Tell Tale Heart”. It is a horror fiction short story which tells the story of an unnamed narrator that committed murder to an old man. Although the story runs only in a few pages, within those few pages many examples of symbolism arise. Such these symbols are tried to be conveyed in this discussion by considering them as the messages that the story is going to reveal.

  Therefore, conveying the implied messages in the story, this is how to reveal the author point of view toward death using the symbols in the story is the objective of this study. It will be gained through analyzing the symbol and the biography of the author. Considering this, the discussion will be focused on the description of the symbol and the explanation how the biography of the author can help revealing the author’s point of view toward death.

  In this discussion, the writer conducted library research in which there are two types of sources that are primary and secondary sources. The primary source is the short story “The Tell Tale Heart” itself, while the secondary sources are the reference books and the sites from internet. Meanwhile, the theories applied are concerned with the theory of symbol, the theory of self defense mechanism, and the theory of the relation between literature and psychology. Since this study is about the extrinsic elements of the short story, the writer employs psychoanalysis approach.

  The result of this study mentions that the symbolization occurs in this short story has a relation to the author’s background of life, mostly the unpleasant event about death. The unpleasant event of death that took almost every close person of the author, start from his mother until his lovely wife, form a specific point of view about death in the mind of the author. The author’s point of view that was influenced by his unpleasant feeling of death makes it opposing the common point of view of the society toward death. The society gives high value toward death; they consider death as something powerful and joyful. In the other hand, the point of view of the author is mocking the existence of death; he thinks that death is weak, unpleasant and unimportant. Because it is hard to the author to directly reveal his feeling that is uncommon to the society at that time, the author use symbolization on his work to reveal it. x PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

ABSTRAK

  ROBERTUS TROI SURYO (2011). Symbol as a Means to Reveal the Author .

  Point of View toward Death in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell Tale Heart”

  Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University.

  Tesis ini berhubungan dengan salah satu cerita pendek Edgar Allan Poe yang berjudul “The Tell Tale Heart” . Cerita pendek ini adalah cerita fiksi horror yang bercerita tentang seorang narrator yang tidak diketahui namanya yang melakukan pembunuhan pada seorang orang tua. Walaupun cerita ini hanya terdiri dari beberapa halaman, didalamnya banyak contoh simbolisasi dimunculkan. Simbol-simbol inilah yang akan dicoba untuk diungkap pada pembahasan kali ini dengan pertimbangan bahwa simbol-simbol tersebut adalah sebuah pesan yang ingin disampaikan dalam cerita pendek ini.

  Oleh karena itu, penyampaian pesan-pesan yang terkandung pada cerita yaitu bagaimana mengungkap sudut pandang pengarang terhadap kamatian menggunakan simbol-simbol yang ada pada cerita merupakan tujuan studi ini. Hal ini dicapai melalui penganalisaan simbol-simbol, dan biografi pengarang. Atas pertimbangan ini, pembahasan akan difokuskan pada pendeskripsian simbol- simbol, dan penjelasan bagaimana biografi pengarang bias membantu mengungkapkan sudut pandang pengarang terhadap kamatian

  Pada pembahasan ini, penulis melakukan penelitian pustaka di mana terdapat dua macam sumber, sumber utama dan tambahan. Sumber utamanya adalah cerita pendek itu sendiri, sedangkan sumber tambahannya adalah buku- buku referensi dan situs-situs. Sementara itu, teori yang diterapkan berkenaan dengan teori simbol, teori pertahanan diri, dan teori tentang hubungan antara literatur dan psikologi. Karena studi ini mengenai elemen-elemen ekstrinsik pada cerita pendek, penulis menggunakan pendekatan psikoanalisis.

  Hasil dari studi ini menyatakan bahwa simbolisasi yang ada dalam cerita pendek ini memiliki hubungan dengan latar belakang kehidupan pengarang, terlebih dengan peristiwa-peristiwa buruk tentang kematian. Peristiwa-peristiwa buruk tentang kematian yang merenggut hampir setiap orang terdekat dari pengarang, mulai dari ibunya hingga istri tercintanya, membentuk sudut pandang yang spesifik tentang kematian dalam pikiran pengarang. Sudut pandang pengarang yang dipengaruhi oleh peristiwa-peristiwa buruk tentang kematian membuatnya bertentangan dengan sudut pandang umum dalam masyarakat mengenai kematian. Masyarakat memberikan nilai yang tinggi pada kematian; mereka menganggap kematian sebagai sesuatu yang kuat dan mulia. Sementara itu, sudut pandang pengarang merendahkan keberadaan kematian; pengarang menganggap kematian sebagai sesuatu yang lemah, tidak menyenangkan dan tidak penting. Karena sulit bagi pengarang untuk mengungkapkan pikirannya yang tidak umum secara langsung pada masyarakat saat itu, pengarang menggunakan simbolisasi pada karyanya untuk mengungkapkannya. xi PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study There is no single definition can satisfy everyone to answer what literature

  is. Once a definition has been made, the limits make it inadequate to call other writings as literature. Robert and Jacobs in Fiction: An Introduction to Reading state that technically literature can be defined as anything spoken or

  and Writing

  written. This definition is clarified then in order to specify kind of writings that can be called as literature. Therefore, Roberts and Jacobs continue their explanation by arguing that literature is any writings that invite our emotional and intellectual involvement and response (1989:1). This argument disallows us to categorize writing such as shopping list as literature then.

  In discussing literature, the reader also look at the kinds of literature. There are two main divisions of it discussed by Connolly as mentioned by Drs. Sunaryono Basuki Koesnosoebroto, i.e., the literature of knowledge and the literature of imagination. Both kinds of literature differ in function, according to the purpose of the writer. The literature of knowledge is to present or interpret things such as facts, ideas, happenings, and a description of a person or a place, the explanation of scientific process, the account of war, or the discussion of political issues. Autobiography and personal narrative, biography and history, and various form of the essay are included into this type of literature. Meanwhile, the literature of imagination interprets experience by fictitious presentation of

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  persons, ideas, and events. Here, the author is not concerned with the actual truth of particular events (1988:2-3).

  About the literature of imagination, Roberts and Jacobs say: “ Imaginative literature, which we call simply literature, refers to written (and also spoken) compositions designed to tell stories, dramatize situations, and reveal thoughts and emotions, and also to interest, entertain, stimulate, broaden, and ennoble readers (1989:1).” They also add that imaginative literature may be based upon situations that never have and never may occur. It does not mean that literature is not truthful, but rather that the truth of literature is true to life and human nature, not necessarily to the world of historical and scientific facts (1989:3). The same thing is conveyed by Drs. Sunaryo Basuki Koesnosoebroto by saying “It is only necessary to underline that prose fiction has its own standard of truth, which can be only judged using all the information contained in the fiction itself (1988: 9).”

  Imaginative literature itself can be classified then into three genres. Those are prose fiction, poetry, and drama. All these genres are dramatic and imaginative in varying degrees (1989:3). Since the discussion is to analyze a short story, let us take a look first that short story is classified into prose fiction. Prose fiction is a kind of literary work that focuses on one or few major characters that undergo some kind of changes as they meet other characters or deal with problems or difficulties in their lives (Roberts and Jacobs, 1989:3).

  As a form of literature, a short story also pleases its reader by imitating life, or more precisely, by displaying its writers’ visions of life as it is or as the writers think it should be. Yet, the readers are expected not only to be the

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  immature reader, who will be satisfied by reading stories which contain exciting image of the world or some flattering image of himself, but rather to be the mature reader. Unlike the immature reader, the mature reader is more aware and critical with the issues in the story he reads (Koesnosoebroto, 1988:3-4).

  This study, therefore, is made by the writer since he would like to point out one of the issues he is aware in the short story he read that is “The Tell Tale Heart”. It is a horror fiction short story which tells the story of an unnamed narrator that committed murder to an old man. Even though this is one of Poe's shortest stories, it is nevertheless a profound and, at times, ambiguous investigation of a man's madness. The story gains its intensity by the manner in which it portrays how the narrator stalks his victim—as though he were a beast of prey; yet, at the same time, elevated by human intelligence to a higher level of human endeavor, Poe's "murderer" is created into a type of grotesque anomaly. In a sense, the narrator is worse than a beast; only a human being could so completely terrorize his victim before finally killing it, as, for example, the narrator deliberately terrorizes the old man before killing him. This story shows the narrator's attempt to rationalize his irrational behavior. <http://www.CliffsNote.com> (10 April 2009)

  The tale opens with the narrator insisting that he is not mad, avowing that his calm telling of the story that follows is confirmation of his sanity. He explains that he decided to take the life of an old man whom he loved and whose house he shared. The only reason he had for doing so was that the man's pale blue eye,

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  which was veiled by a thin white film and "resembled that of a vulture," tormented him, and he had to rid himself of the "Evil Eye" forever.

  After again declaring his sanity, the narrator proceeds to recount the details of the crime. Every night for seven nights, he says, he had stolen into the old man's room at midnight holding a closed lantern. Each night he would very slowly unlatch the lantern slightly and shine a single ray of light onto the man's closed eye. As he enters the room on the eighth night, however, the old man stirs, and then calls out, thinking he has heard a sound. The narrator shines the light on the old man's eye as usual, but this time finds it wide open. He begins to hear the beating of a heart and, fearing the sound might be heard by a neighbor, kills the old man by dragging him to the floor and pulling the heavy bed over him. He dismembers the corpse and hides it beneath the floorboards of the old man's room.

  At four O'clock in the morning, the narrator continues, three policemen come asking to search the premises because cause a neighbor has reported a shriek coming from the house. The narrator invites the officers in, explaining that the noise came from him as he dreamt. The old man, he tells them, is in the country.

  He brings chairs into the old man's room, placing his own seat on the very planks under which the victim lies buried. The officers are convinced there is no foul play, and sit around chatting amiably, but the narrator becomes increasingly agitated. He soon begins to hear a heart beating, much as he had just before he killed the old man. It grows louder and louder until he becomes convinced the policemen hear it too. They know of his crime, he thinks, and mock him. Unable

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  to bear their derision and the sound of the beating heart, he springs up and, screaming, confesses his crime.

  In this short story, the author combines vivid symbolism with subtle irony. Although the story runs only four pages, within those few pages many examples of symbolism abound. “The Tell Tale Heart”, by using the symbol and irony, the narrator creates feeling of hysteria, and the turmoil resulting from this hysteria is what places “The Tell Tale Heart” in the list of the greatest horror stories of all time. <http://www.zrm.com> (10 April 2009)

  Talking further about the use of symbol in this short story, there are possible messages the writer tries to reach. By conveying the messages, the readers are expected not only to become of with the issues revealed in the story but also understand and learn something from this literary work. The literary work, therefore, is not only to entertain its readers then but also to help them grow as Roberts and Jacobs say in their book Fiction: an Introduction to Reading and

  Writing :

  “Literature helps us grow, both personally and intellectually; it provides an objective base for our knowledge and understanding; it helps us to connect ourselves to the cultural context of which we are a part; it enables us to recognize human dreams and struggles in different societies that we would never otherwise get to know; it helps us to develop mature sensibility and compassion for the condition of all living things- human, animal, and vegetable (1989:2).” The writer assumes that the uses of some symbol are related to the biographical background of the author, specifically the author experiences with death. Actually there are other ways that can be employed to reveal the author’s point of view toward death; however, this thesis tries to offer this kind of analysis

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  as one of the alternative ways. The writer determines that the title Symbol as a

  

Means to Reveal the Author’s Point of View toward Death in Edgar Allan Poe’s

the Tell Tale Heart will be appropriate to represent the idea of this study.

  B. Problem Formulation

  The focus of this study is on how symbolism is used in the short story to reveal the author’s point of view toward death. The problems are formulated as follows:

  1. What are the symbols in the story?

  2. How do the symbols reflect the author’s point of view of death? C.

   Objectives of the Study

  The objectives of this study that are drawn by considering the background and the problem formulation mentioned in the previous part of the thesis. The writer wants to describe how a specific symbol is used to represent death in this short story and to show that specific symbol is used to reveal the author’s point of view toward death.

  D. Definition of Terms 1. Symbol

  Symbol here is anything that can be taken from the story, such as single object, a real type of object, the pieces of the object, a color, or others that indicate

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  The fact can be seen in the quotation below: Symbol may be anything from an egg to the story’s setting: a single object, a physical type of object, a physical substance, a shape, a gesture, a color, a sound, a fragrance, etc. They may represent a facet of human personality, futile ambition, the romanticism of youth, and so on (Stanton, 1965:31) PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW A. Review of Related Studies E. Arthur Robinson in "Poe's 'The Tell-Tale Heart'." Twentieth Century Interpretations of Poe's Tales , state that in Edgar Allan Poe's short story, "The Tell-Tale Heart," the author combines vivid symbolism with subtle irony. Although the story runs only four pages, within those few pages many examples

  of symbolism and irony abound. In short, the symbolism and irony lead to an enormously improved story as compared to a story with the same plot but with these two elements missing (1971:94-102).

  Another study was done by Marie Bonaparte in The Life and Works of

  

Edgar Allan Poe: A Psycho-Analytic Interpretation . Marie Bonaparte sees an

  obscure symbolist link between the old man and Poe's adoptive father in real life, John Allan, and between the narrator in the story and Poe. There are several similarities between the old man and Allan. Both men had blue eyes. According to Bonaparte, much like the old man had never wronged the narrator, Allan had never wronged Poe. Similarities abound between Poe and the narrator, as well.

  Neither had a wish for riches, and they both behaved affectionately to their counterpart's face even though they despised him behind his back. Bonaparte suspects that the story was an outlet for Poe's pent-up aggression toward his adoptive father (1949:497).

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  Arthur Hobson Quinn in Edgar Allan Poe: A Critical Biography, tells us that Poe's short story "The Tell-Tale Heart", utilizes a plethora of symbolism and irony in order to add worth to the story. Taken by themselves, the plot, theme, characters, and settings are nothing extraordinary. However, Poe masterfully weaves the ingredients of the story together, and as a result the whole greatly exceeds the sum of its parts. The style that Poe uses to relate the story can incorporate the elements of terrors and obsessions and yet symbolize the incomprehensible terrors and obsessions that Poe as the author must have lived through to be able to formulate such an account. Perhaps this is why Poe considered "The Tell-Tale Heart" one of his best works (1941:430).

  Learning about the three review studies above, the writer then states that this undergraduate thesis will not be totally similar to the previous studies. This undergraduate thesis will try to convey any possible messages revealed through the analysis of the symbol in the novel under study. Another thing that differentiates the study with the previous is that the writer also relates the extrinsic element with the intrinsic one in revealing the possible message.

B. Review of Related Theories

  1. Theory of Symbol In Discovering the Literature: Stories, Poems, Plays, Guth and Rico state that symbols are images that have a meaning beyond themselves. Symbol is a detail, a character, or an incident that has a meaning beyond its role in the

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  narrative (1997:189). Guth and Rico statement imply that a symbol is a detail, a character, or an incident that has a meaning further that its literal meaning.

  Studies in the Short Stories states symbolism is the important aspect of

  literary work. The use of symbol in the real world is not different from the use of symbol in literature. The purpose of using symbols in literature is to suggest that ideas are not enough to put in abstract words. Perhaps, an object that functions as symbol will reveal a complex idea more effective (Scott and Jaffe, 1968: 188).

  The statement means that the uses of symbol in the real world and in literature are the same. The objects that state symbolically will convey a complicated idea more effective. Moreover, Scott and Jaffe add the characteristics that are typical of most symbols in fiction. First, each of these is a concrete object, which the author has substituted for abstraction. In fiction, e more commonly have a concrete objects that suggest a certain type of person, a complex emotion, a set of values, or an abstract idea. Secondly, the symbol used in the story stand for abstract concept (1968: 188). Scott and Jaffe’s ideas suggest that a symbol indicates a certain type of person or a character, a complex emotion of the character, or the set of values in the story. The meaning of symbol also can be determined if we have finished reading the entire story.

  M.H. Abrams in A Glossary of Literary Terms said that symbol is applied only to a word or set of words that signifies an object or event which itself signifies something else; that is, the words refer to something which suggest a range of reference beyond itself (1990: 168). Abrams ideas about symbol imply

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  that the words that function as the symbols are the words which express something else and it have other meaning and deeper understanding.

  The symbol can also be the imagination of the author that exists in a story to guide the reader’s understanding toward the story. As Myers and Simms said in

  

The Longman Dictionary of Poetic Terms, the term is divided into three symbols.

  The first symbol is the archetypal or cultural symbol, in which a natural object refers to a limited number of interpretations that transcends cultural barriers. The second symbol is the general symbol, which appeals to a smaller audience but which contains more associative meaning. The last symbol is the private symbol or authorial or contextual symbol, which is created in author’s imagination and conveying any number of meaning in the guiding context (1989: 198). Myers and Simms’ opinion indicate that there are three terms of symbol. First, cultural symbol which means the symbol that have a cultural background, for tattoo in Borneo culture. Second is the general symbol which means a symbol that use for the universal context, for example showing thumbs to someone is to praise that person. Third, private symbol which mean the symbol that usually were interpreted in literary works because this symbol was created by the author itself when the author made their works.

  According to L. Perrine in symbol is something that means more than what it is. It is an object, a person, a situation, an action or some other item that has a literal meaning in the story but suggests or represents other meanings as well (Perrine, 1974: 213). Perrine’s idea about symbol implies that symbol have

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  another meaning more than the object itself and it occur in a person, in situation, in an action, or in an object in a story.

  Perrine also gives some cautions for the reader to interpret literary work. First, the story itself must furnish a clue that a detail is to be taken symbolically. The symbols always signal their existence through emphasis, repetition, or position. In the absence of such signal, the reader should be reluctant to identify an idea as symbolical (Perrine, 1974: 214)

  Second, the meaning of a literary symbol must be established and supported by the entire context of the story. The symbol has its meaning in the story, not outside it (Perrine, 1974: 214)

  Third, to be called symbol, an item must suggest a meaning different in

  

kind from its literal meaning or in other words. A symbol is something more than

the representative of class or type (Perrine, 1974: 215).

  Fourth, symbol may have more than one meaning. It suggests a cluster of meaning that controlled by the context of the story (Perrine, 1974: 215).

  From the cautions, the story must provide the evidence that an object can be called as symbol. The meaning of the symbol itself must support the whole context of the story. An object that is called as a symbol must suggest a different meaning from its literal meaning and it may have more than one meaning.

  According to Kennedy and Gioia in Literature: An Introduction to Fiction,

  

Poetry, and Drama, a symbol generally is not abstract terms like love or truth, but

  are likely to be predictable objects. Often the symbols that we meet in fiction are inanimate object, but other thing also may function symbolically (1998: 218).

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  Kennedy and Gioia add that such character may also be called symbol. Some characters often are not well rounded and fully known, but are seen fleetingly and remain slightly mysterious (1998: 218). Kennedy and Gioia also give some idea on how the reader can recognize a symbol in fiction. He states that the author often gives the symbol particular emphasis and may be mentioned repeatedly throughout the story or it may even supply the story with the title. At times, an important symbol will open a story or end it. A symbol, an object, act, or character, is given some such special emphasis and importance. It is not a symbol if it points clearly and unmistakably toward some meaning. The object, an act, or a character is surely symbolic if, when the readers finish reading the story, the reader realizes that it was the item which led the reader to the essential meaning of the story (Kennedy and Gioia, 1998: 218). From the statement above, Kennedy and Gaoia suggest that the author commonly gives the symbol particular emphasis and it nay an object, an act, or a character. The important thing is that the symbol must support the context of the story.

  2. Relation between Literature and Psychology Literature and psychology are two subjects that explore human’s life.

  There has been some a novel, short stories, or dramas that arouse psychological issue. According to Rene Wellek, psychological literature has four possibilities of understanding: first, is the study of the psychology of the author as a person; second is the process of creative study; third is the study of type and application of psychological conditions which are applied in literary work; fourth is the study of

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  the effect of literature on the reader. Thus, there are some theories of psychology applied in the literary works (1967: 90).

  If the Author succeeds in creating his characters and his characters are suitable with the truth of psychology, it is necessary to ask him if the characters created also have artistic value. In certain cases, knowledge of psychology is important to add artistic values because the knowledge supports the coherency and complexity of the work itself. For some artist, a knowledge of psychology helps their sense about reality, improves their ability in observation, and gives chances to explore new plans which have not been explore before.

  In Psychology and its Allied Disciplines vol.1 edited by Barnstein, Lindover stated that literature is best at describing the human condition in a dramatic form, while psychology has the strength to investigating human character or behavior in systematic ways (1984:144). Both literature and psychology have one common purpose that is to describe human condition. Literature tries to depict human condition into drama, while psychology studies human characteristic systematically and scientifically.

  In The Psychological of Human Behavior , Richard A. Kalish states that literature also “holds the mirror up to the man”. A good novelist can communicate the feeling of his functional characters and make them seem more life-like than the real people whose behavior the psychologist attempts to describe. Plays and films can produce the same result. Writers can use the understanding provided by psychologist to enrich their stories, and psychologist can gain in their

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  understanding of human behavior by drawing from deep sensitivity of good author (1973:8).

  3. Theory of Self Defense Mechanism In An Outline of Psychoanalysis, Freud defines the qualities of the psychical process as being conscious, preconscious, or unconscious (1949:31).

  Ideas considered to be conscious are those of which we are aware, yet they remain conscious only briefly. Preconscious ideas are defined as those that are capable of becoming conscious. In contrast, unconscious ideas are defined as those that are not easily accessible but can be inferred, recognized, and explained through analysis (Freud, 1949, p. 32). In psychoanalytic theory, defense mechanisms represent an unconscious mediation by the ego of id impulses which are in conflict with the wishes and needs of the ego and/or superego. By altering and distorting one's awareness of the original impulse, one makes it more tolerable.

  One key factor in the operation of the unconscious is repression. Freud believed that many people repress painful memories deep into their unconscious mind. Although Freud later attempted to find patterns of repression among his patients in order to derive a general model of the mind, he also observed that repression varies among individual patients. Freud also argued that the act of repression did not take place within a person's consciousness. Thus, people are unaware of the fact that they have buried memories or traumatic experiences. In Freud's view, human is driven towards tension reduction, in order to reduce feelings of anxiety <http://www.rpi.edu/~verwyc/defmech.htm> (1 August 2009).

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  Anxiety is an aversive inner state that people seek to avoid or escape. Humans seek to reduce anxiety through defense mechanisms. Defense Mechanisms can be psychologically healthy or maladaptive, but tension reduction is the overall goal in both cases.

  4. Theory of Predicate Thinking Calvin S. Hall in his book Freudian Psychology state that the reason why people make symbolization on their repressed thought is a result of the distribution and disposal of psychic energy of id. This process happens as a result of id activity that search for instinctual gratification by means of reflex action, like eating the food and emptying the bladder, and wish-fulfillment where the energy is used to produce an image of the instinctual object. The aim of both processes is to expend the instinctual energy in ways that will eliminate the need and bring response to the individual. The investment of energy in the image of an object, or the expenditure of energy in discharge action upon an object that will satisfy an instinct, is called object-choice or object-cathexis. All of the energy of the id is expended in this action, and this energy is very fluid. This means that the energy can be shunted easily from one object to another. This shunting of energy is called displacement. The example of displacement is when a hungry baby doesn’t get the food; they may place a wooden block or its own hand in its mouth. For the baby, before he has learned to discriminate, food, a wooden block, or its own hand is all the same. Objects are regarded as being equivalent when they are specific and concrete resemblances between them. Two objects such as a bottle of milk and a

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  block, for example, are perceived as being identical because they can both be taken hold off by hand and brought to mouth. The energy of id is very displaceable because the id is not capable of making fine distinction between objects. The tendency of the id to thread objects as though they were the same, in spite of differences between them, produces a distorted form of thinking which is called predicate thinking. This is the process that makes the symbolization of the repressed thought possible. The example is riding a horse that symbolizes sexual intercourse because the similar movements are performed in reading and copulating. When the directional flow of instinctual energy is blocked by ego or superego, it tries to break through the resistance and discharge itself in fantasy or action (1954:79-81).

C. Review of Edgar Allan Poe’s Biography

  Edgar Poe was born in Boston on January 19, 1809. His parents were David and Elizabeth Poe. Elizabeth Poe died in 1811, when Edgar was 2 years old. She had separated from her husband and had taken her three kids with her.

  Edgar was adopted by Mr. and Mrs. John Allan.

  When Poe was 6, he went to school in England for 5 years. He learned Latin and French, as well as math and history. Although Edgar had done well in Latin and French, he started to drink heavily and quickly became in debt. He had to quit school less than a year later. Edgar Allan had no money, no job skills, and had been shunned by John Allan. In 1829, Mrs. Allan died and John Allan tried to be friendly towards Edgar and signed Edgar's application to West Point. While

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  Clemm, and his young cousin, Virginia.

  In 1831, Edgar Allan Poe went to New York City where he had some of his poetry published. He submitted stories to a number of magazines and they were all rejected. Poe had no friends, no job, and was in financial trouble. He sent a letter to John Allan begging for help but none came. John Allan died in 1834 and did not mention Edgar in his will.

  In 1835, Edgar finally got a job as an editor of a newspaper because of a contest he won with his story, "The Manuscript Found in a Bottle". Edgar missed Mrs. Clemm and Virginia and brought them to Richmond to live with him. In 1836, Edgar married his cousin, Virginia.

  Between 1838 and 1849, the year he died, Poe was at the center of magazine publishing in America, serving as the editor of several journals and writing reviews, critical articles, stories, and miscellaneous pieces which won him admiration for his critical acumen. His most famous work like "The Tell-Tale Heart” was published during this period.

  To add to his distress, in 1847 his young wife developed tuberculosis and died. On October 3, Poe was found at Gunner's Hall, a public house at 44 East Lombard Street, and was taken to the hospital. He lapsed in and out of consciousness but was never able to explain exactly what happened to him. Edgar Allan Poe died in the hospital on Sunday, October 7, 1849. <http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/literature/Poe-s-Short-Stories-Edgar- Allan-Poe-Biography.id-145.html> (10 April 2009)

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   Theoretical Framework