OPPRESSION AND IDENTITY IN BRADBURY’S FAHRENHEIT 451.
OPPRESSION AND IDENTITY IN BRADBURY’S FAHRENHEIT 451 A Research Paper
Submitted to the English Education Department in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements
forSarjanaSastra Degree
By: Aulia Ikhsanti
1002686
ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE EDUCATION INDONESIA UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION
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Oppression and Identity in Bradbury’s
Fahrenheit 451
Oleh Aulia Ikhsanti
Sebuah skripsi yang diajukan untuk memenuhi salah satu syarat memperoleh gelar Sarjana Pendidikan pada Fakultas Pendidikan Bahasa dan Sastra
© Aulia Ikhsanti 2015 Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia
Agustus 2015
Hak Cipta dilindungi undang-undang.
Skripsi ini tidak boleh diperbanyak seluruhnya atau sebagian, dengan dicetak ulang, difotokopi, atau cara lainnya tanpa izin dari penulis.
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PAGE OF APPROVAL
OPPRESSION AND IDENTITY IN BRADBURY’S FAHRENHEIT 451
By:
AULIA IKHSANTI 1002686
Approved by:
Main Supervisor
Bachrudin Musthafa, M.A., Ph.D. NIP. 195703101987031001
Co-Supervisor
Nia Nafisah, S.S., M.Pd. NIP. 1971042420060420
Head of English Education Department Faculty of Language and Literature Education
Indonesia University of Education
Dr. Rd. SafrinaNoorman, M.A. NIP. 196207291987032003
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Aulia Ikhsanti, 2015
OPPRESSION AND IDENTITY IN BRADBURY’S FAHRENHEIT 451
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | \.upi.edu perpustakaan.upi.edu
ABSTRACT
This study explores the oppression and identity in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. It examines the portrayal of oppression in the Fahrenheit 451 society and how
these oppressions affect the main protagonist’s identity construction. To meet the
purposes, the study was designed under cultural materialism approach and applies
Young’s theory on oppression known as Five Faces of Oppression (1990) and
Hall’s theory on identity as the theoretical framework of the study. The findings
reveal that there are five forms of oppression evident in the novel: exploitation, marginalization, powerlessness, cultural imperialism, and violence. It also shows
that the main protagonist’s identity is constructed by the oppression that he
observes and notices through his interaction with characters and things around
him. As the result of these oppressions, Montag’s identity is transformed from
ignorant to non-conformist. Seeing from the cultural materialism perspective, the fictional world of F451 is a metaphor of a more media-absorbed society of
America 1950s. As such, this oppression should be resisted. In this case, Montag’s
identity construction can be interpreted as the representation of the resistance. Thus, parallel to its context, F451 presages the threat of media dominance and at the same time offers a possible way to fight against it.
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Aulia Ikhsanti, 2015
OPPRESSION AND IDENTITY IN BRADBURY’S FAHRENHEIT 451
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | \.upi.edu perpustakaan.upi.edu
ABSTRAK
Penelitian ini menelaah isu penindasan dan identitas di dalam novel Fahrenheit 451 (F451)karya Ray Bradbury. Secara spesifik penelitian ini dimaksudkan untuk menunjukkan penindasan yang terdapat dalam F451 dan juga bagaimana penindasan tersebut mempengaruhi konstruksi identitas protagonis utama F451. Untuk mencapai tujuan penelitian, peneliti menggunakan pendekatan Materialisme Kebudayaan dan menerapkan teori penindasan yang diajukan oleh Young(1990) dan juga teori identitas Hall sebagai landasan teori dari penelitian ini. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa terdapat lima bentuk penindasandi dalam novel yang diteliti, yakni: eksploitasi, marginalisasi, ketidakberdayaan, imperialisme kebudayaan, dan kekerasan. Penelitian ini juga mengungkap bahwa identitas protagonis utama dalam novel tersebut dikonstruksi oleh penindasan yang dia amati dan dia sadari melalui interaksinya dengan tokoh lain dan hal-hal di sekitarnya. Penindasan ini pun pada akhirnya berpengaruh pada perubahan identitas Montag dari seseorang yang tidak acuh menjadi seorang pemberontak. Dari sudut pandang materialisme kebudayaan, dunia fiksi F451 ini merupakan sebuah metafora bagi masyarakat Amerika pada tahun 1950an yang sudah begitu dikuasai media massa. Oleh karenanya, kondisi semacam itu harus dihindari. Dalam kasus ini, konstruksi identitas Montag bisa diartikan sebagai representasi perlawanan. Sejalan dengan konteksnya, F451 meramalkan bahaya dominasi media dan juga memberikan solusi untuk melawannya.
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Aulia Ikhsanti, 2015
OPPRESSION AND IDENTITY IN BRADBURY’S FAHRENHEIT 451
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | \.upi.edu perpustakaan.upi.edu
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Aulia Ikhsanti, 2015
OPPRESSION AND IDENTITY IN BRADBURY’S FAHRENHEIT 451
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | \.upi.edu perpustakaan.upi.edu
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OPPRESSION AND IDENTITY IN BRADBURY’S FAHRENHEIT 451 Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | \.upi.edu perpustakaan.upi.edu
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Fahrenheit 451 (henceforth F451) is a novel penned by Ray Bradbury as his response and critique to the social climate of the 1950s America. The novel itself narrates a dystopian future of America in which books become the most illegal commodities and must be destroyed in order to sustain the status quo. The story sets in an anti-intellectual world in which the protagonist, Guy Montag, stands up for what he believes in and challenges the prescribed hegemony of the world he lives in. Amis (as cited in Barret, 2011, p. 4) proclaims that the novel itself
fundamentally deals with “the dehumanizing effects of modernity on human consciousness.” Indeed, the novel foreshadows the collapse of literacy, creativity,
and at the same time, humanity. However, F451 does not only offer a kind of social criticism. It also offers an insightful view to the effect of the oppression to the identity of the individuals living in that particular society.
Since the writer interested to examine the text as the historical and cultural product of a particular period, Cultural Materialism is seen as an appropriate way to approach the text. Harris (as cited in Elwell, 2013) argues that one of the basic assumptions about societies from the cultural materialism perspective is that the various parts of society are interconnected. It means that when a part of society changes, then the other parts should also change. This view implies that a
culture‟s hegemony is unstable and gradually changed. According to Gramsci (as cited in Goldberg, 2004), hegemony refers to “the success of the dominant classes in presenting their definition of reality, their view of the world, in such a way that
it is accepted by other classes as common sense” and those who offers any
different perspectives will be shunned and marginalized from the society.
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values, sense of right and wrong, and sense of personal self-worth” in a culture in which the people of that particular culture are expected to conform to the prescribed hegemony, even though it is against one‟s personal belief. In other words, reality is socially constructed and the individuals in the society are being oppressed (conscious or unconsciously) in order to fit in. The dystopian America of F451 is made possible because of the hegemony imposed in that particular society.
In the world of F451, the people failed to realize that they are actually being oppressed by the authorities because the suppression of books itself began as a self-censorship. Indeed, the people of F451 gradually stop reading books by themselves and substitute them with mindless entertainment such as magazine, comic books, television, and so on. Therefore, when the authorities finally established a structure to reinforce the suppression of book, the majority of people
did not complain. This phenomenon can be related to Young‟s (1990) oppression
theory in which she categorizes oppression into five „faces‟ or forms: exploitation,
marginalization, powerlessness, cultural imperialism and violence. In contrary to
the traditional view of oppression which is limited to “the exercise of tyranny by a ruling group” (Young, 1990, p. 40), Young argues that oppression can also happened in “awell-intentioned liberal society [that] place system-wide
constraints on groups and limit their freedom” (Ibid). Furthermore, she points out that oppression can be the result of a few people‟s choices or policies which
results in unquestioned norms, habits, and symbols in society. Eventually, these
societal rules become “a restrictive structure of forces and barriers that immobilize and reduce a group or category of people” (Ibid). In other words, she considers
oppression as a system that goes beyond a plain relation between the oppressor and the oppressed.
Since independent thought and freedom are strictly restricted in an oppressive regime, a question of identity is often brought up in dystopian literature. Generally, in dystopian literature, those who are oppressed cannot develop their identity well. In Orwell‟s Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) realm, for instance, the
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proletarians are brainwashed in some ways that makes them indifferent to the
current situation. This phenomenon can also be found in Huxley‟s Brave New World (1932) in which the citizens of the society regularly take Soma, a drug that gives them hallucination that can conceal their real feelings. This drug gives them a false sense of happiness that can distract them from questioning their life. In
Bradbury‟s F451 itself, the oppression which exists in the form of book burning aims to keep the people from individual thinking. In these three cases, the fact that the people are being oppressed by the government does not seem to register in their minds at all. As the result, the majority of these people are fully submitted to the higher authority and incapable of developing their own identity.
Although the majority of people are succumb to the status quo, there are also people who challenged the hegemony of the society and eventually questions their identity. Related to this matter, Hall (as cited in Grossberg, 1996, p. 89) states that
identity is “always a temporary and unstable effect of relations which define identities by marking differences.” In short, the latter means that throughout one‟s
life, human will continuously going through some phases that allows him to
evolve. In addition to this, Barker (2004, p. 93) points out that “identity is a cultural construction” because the material that forms identity are cultural in
nature. The patterns found in these dystopian novels confirm the fluidity of identity; its capability to change over time, depending on the existing social and cultural contexts. This notion eventually leads the writer to question whether oppression can actually trigger and lead people to rebel and becomes an insurgent. Departing from the explanation above, this study offers a new perspective in
the study of Bradbury‟s F451 by using a cultural materialism approach and focusing on the relational connection of the oppression and identity construction.
In analysing the text, the writer employs Young‟s oppression theory (1990) and Hall‟s theory on identity as the framework of the study. Furthermore, this study not only extends the scope of the analysis that can be applied to this particular novel, but also offers a model for examining oppression and identity in literary text.
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1.2 Questions of the Study
This study proposes two questions which will guide the writer in conducting it. The formulated questions are:
1. How is oppression portrayed in Fahrenheit 451?
2. How doesthis oppression affect the main protagonist‟s identity construction?
1.3 Aims of the Study
Based on the questions of the study, the aims of the study are:
1. To reveal the oppression experienced and observed by the society.
2. To find out how this oppression affect the main protagonist‟s identity construction.
To fulfil the aims of the study, cultural materialism approach is employed.
1.4 Scope of the Study
This study focuses on the portrayal of oppression in Ray Bradbury‟s Fahrenheit 451 (1953), a story that narrates the life of a fireman named Guy Montag in a
dystopian America. In Montag‟s world, the citizens of the society is oppressed in
a way that the government makes them somewhat less human and much easier to control. One of the oppressing acts that can be found in F451 world is the book burning. As mentioned before, book is considered as the most illegal commodities in the society and should be burnt along with the house in which they are hidden.
In addition to the topic of oppression, this study also highlights the identity construction of Montag, the main protagonist of the story. All his life, Montag never questions the act of destruction. Until one day, a series of events lead him to scrutinize his so-called peaceful life. Throughout the novel, as Montag continues to explore the depth of his life and struggle to escape the claw of the oppressive regime, he gradually evolves into a totally different person.
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The text itself will be approached from a cultural materialism perspective and
analysed by using Young‟s oppression theory (1990) and Hall‟s identity theory.
1.5 Significance of the Study
The results of this study are expected to offer a new perspective in the study of
Bradbury‟s Fahrenheit 451, which is using the cultural materialism approach to examine the interrelationship between oppression and identity construction of the protagonist. More specifically, this study is expected not only to extend the scope of the analysis that can be applied to this particular novel, but also offers a model for examining oppression and identity in literary text.
1.6 Methodology
The present study is a textual analysis of a dystopian novel entitled Fahrenheit 451 written by Ray Bradbury. In the analysis, the writer applies a context-oriented analysis, an approach which “do not regard literary texts as self-contained, independent works of art but try to put them within a larger context” (Klarer, 1998, p. 94). More specifically, the approach taken by the writer is a cultural materialism approach. According to Harris (as cited in Elwell, 2013), one of the basic tenets of cultural materialism is the assumption that society is a system of interrelated parts. Itmeans that when a part of society changes, then the other parts should also change. The approach is relevant to the study since the writer aims to
find out how the main protagonist‟s identity construction is affected by the
oppression that he observes from his interaction with other characters and things around him.
Since the study focuses on the oppression experienced in the society, the
writer employs Young‟s (1990) theory on oppression in which she categorizes oppression into five forms: exploitation, marginalization, powerlessness, cultural imperialism and violence. This theory supports the writer‟s assumption that the
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oppression portrayed in the text does not necessarily rely on actual physical enforcement or coercive acts.
This study also aims to reveal the causal relationship between the oppression and identity construction. Relating to that, Hall‟s view on identity also supports
the analysis. Hall (as cited in Grossberg, 1996, p. 89) comments that “identities are always relational and incomplete, in process.” In the same vein, Barker (2004,
p. 94) adds that identity is not an entity but rather “an emotionally charged
description” which is flexible and changeable, depending on the social and
cultural context exists. In other words, it is socially constructed. The writer will further rely on this identity theory to analyse the evolving character.
In addition to that, selected literature such as theoretical books, encyclopaedias, and journal articles are also used as points of reference to support the analysis.
1.7 Clarification of the Key Terms
In order to avoid misunderstanding of the concepts used in the research, there are some terms that are needed to be clarified. Those terms are: oppression, identity, and cultural materialism.
The first one is oppression, an act of oppressing in which the oppressed people
“suffer some inhibition of their ability to develop and exercise their capacities and express their needs, thoughts, and feeling” (Young, 1990, p. 40).It implies that oppression does not only exist in a totalitarian society, but can also be seen in a well-intentioned liberal society that place a system-wide constraints on groups and limit their freedom.
The second term is identity. Hall (as cited in Fearon, 1999, p. 5) points out that identity is a kind of ambivalent point of thought and being. He adds that it is
“always a temporary and unstable effect of relations which define identities by marking differences”(as cited in Grossberg, 1996, p. 89). To put it in a nutshell,
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identity is an ongoing process which results in qualities that makes oneself different from others.
Last but not least, cultural materialism. According to Elwell (2013), cultural
materialism is “a systems theory that attempts to account for the origin, maintenance, and change of societies.” Moreover, Williams (as cited in Milner,
2002, p. 20) explained that cultural materialism is “a theory of culture as a (social
and material) productive process and of specific practices.” In short, cultural
materialism deals with human socio-cultural systems and aims to seek the explanation for both similarities and differences of thought and behaviour in human.
1.8 Organization of the Study
This study consists of five chapters which are: introduction; literature review; research methodology; findings and discussion; conclusion and suggestions. The first chapter focuses on the introduction to the study which provides information on the background of the study, questions of the study, purposes of the study, scope of the study, significance of the study, methodology, clarification of key terms, and organization of the study. The second chapter covers the theoretical discussions of oppression, identity, and cultural materialism. In addition, the historical and social context of F451and related previous studies are also presented. The next one is the third chapter which consists of brief discussion on the object and context of the study. It also presents the research design and procedure. Chapter four will be an analysis of oppression as portrayed in F451
and how it is related to the identity construction of the protagonist. In addition to that, the fourth chapter will also critically discusses possible meaning(s) of the findings by using the cultural materialism approach. Conclusion is given in the fifth chapter to summarize the issue discussed throughout the present study. In addition to that, the chapter also provides suggestions for further research and related study. Last but not least, the appendix offers table of the textual evidences
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gathered from F451 which the writer draw on throughout the study to discuss and analyse the topic of discussion.
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CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter elaborates the methodology in conducting the study and also explains the appropriateness of the methodology used in the exploration of the two research questions formulated earlier in the first chapter. The two research questions posed by the study is regarding the portrayal of oppression in F451 and
the effect of the latter to the protagonist‟s identity.
3.1 Object and Context of the Study
This study focuses on the portrayal of oppression in Ray Bradbury‟s F451 (1953),
a story which narrates the life of a fireman named Guy Montag in a dystopian America. The dystopian novel was chosen becausethe writer is interested to examine the relevance and connection between dystopian work and its historical
background. Although there are many others dystopian works such as Orwell‟s Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), Huxley‟s Brave New World (1932), Collin‟s The Hunger Games (2008) trilogy, Dashner‟s The Maze Runner (2009) trilogy, and
Roth‟s Divergent (2011) trilogy, the writer chose this particular novel because in
F451 world, it is the people who actually start inflicting these oppressions to themselves. In addition, the oppressions reinforced by the government are invisible and concealed by the façade of a perfect and prosperous life of the people. Therefore, the issue of invisible oppression in the novel is more interesting to observe because in a way it is relatable to the present society we live
in. In addition, Bradbury‟s F451 shows the possibility for society to change and
gives hope to the reader through Montag‟s ability to transform his identity from
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In Bradbury‟s F451, the citizens of this particular society is oppressed in a
way that the government makes them somewhat less human and much easier to control. One of the oppressing acts that can be found in the story is the book burning. In F451 world, book is considered as the most illegal commodity in the society and should be burnt, along with the house in which they are hidden. Interestingly, in this society, instead of putting out the fire, the firemen is responsible for the job.
As mentioned before, the protagonist of the story, Montag, makes his living by being a fireman. At first, he seems like a happy man who is content with his life and his job. However, only after a particular series of events happened in his life that he finally realizes that he is not happy with his life. As the results, he started questioning his life and even secretly reading the books that he supposed to burn, hoping that he will find the real meaning of his life by flipping through the pages of the book. Montag, once a quintessential fireman is now one step closer to become an outcast. This theme of identity evident in the story is in line
with the discussion of the effect of oppression to the protagonist‟s identity.
The data for this study is taken from the novel F451 by Ray Bradbury which was first published in 1953. However, it is important to note that the writer used the version of the book which was published by Simon & Schuster Paperback in 2012, considering that there are variations in some versions of the book. One of them is evident in the expurgated version of the novel published by Ballantine
Books in 1967. In that particular version, words such as “hell”, “damn” and “abortion” were eliminated from the novel. Not only words, but some scenes from
the original version were also altered. For example, in one scene, a drunken man is changed to a sick man. While in another, cleaning fluff out of a human naval becomes cleaning ears (Greene, 2008).
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3.2 Research Design
This study was designed under cultural materialism approach and employs the textual analysis technique to analyse the text. As for the theoretical framework of
the study, the writer applied Young‟s categorization of oppression known as Five Faces of Oppression (1990) and Hall‟s theory on identity.
Cultural materialism is a context-oriented analysis, an approach which “do not regard literary texts as self-contained, independent works of art but try to put them within a larger context” (Klarer, 1998, p. 94). More specifically, it is “an approach to literature and culture that sees literary texts as the material products of specific historical and political conditions” (Wolfreys, Robbins, & Womack, 2006, p. 116). It implies that in this present study, the historical context of the novel plays a significant role in the analysis. In fact, the writer takes the historical (and political) context of the novel into consideration when analysing the text. This approach is relevant to the study because the writer is interested in seeing how this novel relates to history and what interpretation might be produced from the approach which includes the historical contexts as a tool to understand the meaning of the novel.
In addition to that, Harris (as cited in Elwell, 2013), states that one of the basic tenets of cultural materialism is the assumption that society is a system of interrelated parts. Which means that when a part of society changes, then the other parts should also change. This statement is in line with the aims of this present study which seeks to reveal the relation between oppression and identity in the novel. Therefore, the writer thinks that cultural materialism is appropriate for this study since it covers the aims of the study.
Meanwhile, textual analysis is applied in the present study because the data is in the form of text and focuses on certain events and people instead of numbers. Textual analysis itself is considered as a staple of English studies research which is focused on texts and aims to understand the culture that is written and attached
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on its artefact. The highlights of this technique is the understanding that meaning-making is not only a relational process between the cultural artefact and the consumer, but also between the consumer and anyone to whom the consumer has communicate their own meanings of the particular artefact. (Griffin, 2005; Belsey, 2005)
In addition to that, the writer applied Young‟s categorization of oppression
known as Five Faces of Oppression (1990) and Hall‟s theory on identity as the framework of the study. As mentioned before, this present study questioned the oppression evident in the society of F451 and the effect of the oppression to the
protagonist‟s identity. The writer then formulated an assumption based on the
previous research mentioned in the previous chapter that oppression may affecting
those who is „touched‟ by it. Thus, these theories are chosen as the guidance to
prove the assumption sets by the writer to the novel.
3.3 Research Procedure
There are several steps taken in analysing the text, these steps are: (1) Doing close reading of the novel for multiple times in order to get a better understanding of the novel; (2) Collecting the textual evidences by identifying the context of oppression in the subject of the study; (3) Classifying the textual evidences found
in the text according to Young‟s Five Faces of Oppression (1990); (4) Interpreting
the findings and investigating its relation with the identity construction of the
protagonist by using Hall‟s theory in identity; (5) Drawing a conclusion based on
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CHAPTER V
CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS
This chapter presents the conclusion of the study and offers suggestions for further research. The conclusion section begins with a brief description of aspects underlying this study: background, purpose, findings and conclusion. Meanwhile, the suggestions section offers some recommendations for further research on the topic.
5.1 Conclusion
This study aims to reveal the portrayal of oppression in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and examine its impact to the main protagonist’s identity
construction. The findings indicate that there are five forms oppression evident in the novel: exploitation, marginalization, powerlessness, cultural imperialism, and
violence. It also shows that the main protagonist’s identity is constructed by the
oppression that he observes and notices through his interaction with others. Since
this study seeks to reveal how the oppression affect Montag’s identity, each interaction opens Montag’s eyes toward the oppression in his society. In this case,
Montag have intense interactions with Clarisse McClellan, Mildred, his work, Professor Faber, and Granger.
Seeing from the cultural materialism perspective, the fictional world of
F451 portrays the oppressive American society in the 1950s which should be resisted. Since cultural materialism is more interested in the act of resistance,
Montag’s identity construction can be interpreted as the representation of the resistance. In addition, Montag’s identity transformation symbolizes the oppressed
attempt to overthrow the authorities, in this case, the government with mass media as its means of oppression.
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5.2 Suggestions
This present study has revealed the oppression portrayed in Bradbury’s F451 and
its impact toward the main protagonist’s identity construction by using the
cultural materialism approach. Related to the topic of the study, the writer would like to offers suggestions for future research.
There is little literature in this institution that discuss literary works in relation to its context of publication, especially by using cultural materialist approach. Therefore, to broaden and enrich the scope of literary studies, for future research this study suggests a cultural materialism analysis of another
dystopian novels such as Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, Huxley’s Brave New
World, or other contemporary dystopian works which can be interesting to be analysed by relating it to the context of publication of the text.
Considering the richness of F451, the future research can be conducted by using different approaches, such as Feminism or Psychoanalysis. From the feminist perspectives, there are many questions which are left to be answered in the future research, such as: (1) How does Mildred represent the ideal women portrayed on television in the 1950s?; (2) Are the roles of women today the same as they were in the 1950s?; (3) How is the portrayal of women in F451 in comparison to the women in the 1950s?
Meanwhile, from the psychoanalysis perspective, the future research might questions: (1) What is the significance of the dream-like sequence in the portrayal of Montag as the evolving character; (2) Which part of the mind seems to be driving the society in which Montag lives?
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77
Aulia Ikhsanti, 2015
OPPRESSION AND IDENTITY IN BRADBURY’S FAHRENHEIT 451 Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | \.upi.edu perpustakaan.upi.edu
REFERENCES
Barker, C. (2004). The SAGE Dictionary of Cultural Studies. London: Sage Publications.
Barker, R. L. (2003). The Social Work Dictionary (5th ed.). Washington, DC: NASW Press.
Barrett, A. K. (2011). Fahrenheit 451: A Descriptive Bibliography. Indianapolis. Barry, P. (2002). Beginning Theory. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
Belsey, C. (2005). Textual Analysis as a Research Method. In G. Griffin (Ed.),
Research Method for English Studies (pp. 157-174). Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Bradbury, R. (2012). Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks.
Brannigan, J. (2006). Cultural Materialism. In J. Wolfreys (Ed.), Modern British and Irish Criticism and Theory: A Critical Guide (pp. 135-142).
Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Bressler, C. E. (2007). Literary Criticism: An Introduction to Theory and Practice
(4th ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.
Chegeni, N., & Chegeni, N. (2013). Marginalization and Oppression of Afro-American Women in Toni Morrison’s "Sula". International Research Journal of Applied and Basic Sciences, 4(4), 915-920. Retrieved July 1, 2015, from http://www.irjabs.com/en/s_search.php?rid=770
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78
Aulia Ikhsanti, 2015
OPPRESSION AND IDENTITY IN BRADBURY’S FAHRENHEIT 451 Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | \.upi.edu perpustakaan.upi.edu
Egidius, U. (2007). Oppression : A New Definition. Bachelor Thesis, Lund University. Retrieved from
http://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/lup/publication/1324727
Elwell, F. W. (2013). Harris on the Universal Structure of Society. Retrieved January 11, 2014, from
http://www.faculty.rsu.edu/~felwell/theorists/Essays/Harris1.htm Fearon, J. D. (1999). What is Identity (As We Now Use the Word)? Paper,
Standford University.
Feneja, F. L. (2012). Promethean Rebellion in Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451": The Protagonist's Quest. Amaltea. Revista de mitocrítica, 4, 1-20.
Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.5209/rev_AMAL.2012.v4.40586 Freire, P. (2005). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. (M. B. Ramos, Trans.) New York:
Continuum.
Friedan, B. (1963). The Feminine Mystique. New York: W.W. Norton.
Gerall, A. (2008). ‘And the Leaves of the Tree Were for the Healing of the
Nations’: Literature and Civil Disobedience in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. Asheville: University of North Carolina.
Goldberg, M. L. (2004). Hegemony. Retrieved June 6, 2015, from
http://faculty.washington.edu/mlg/courses/definitions/hegemony.html Greene, B. (2008). The Mutilation and Rebirth of a Classic: Fahrenheit 451.
Compass: New Directions at Falvey, 3(3). Retrieved March 4, 2015, from Compass: New Directions at Falvey:
http://newsletter.library.villanova.edu/147
Griffin, G. (2005). Research Methods for English Studies: An Introduction. In G. Griffin (Ed.), Research Methods for English Studies (pp. 1-16).
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79
Aulia Ikhsanti, 2015
OPPRESSION AND IDENTITY IN BRADBURY’S FAHRENHEIT 451 Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | \.upi.edu perpustakaan.upi.edu
Hall, S. (1996). The Question of Cultural Identity. In S. Hall, D. Held, D. Hubert, & K. Thompson (Eds.), Modernity: An Introduction to Modern Societies
(pp. 596-632). Cambridge: Blackwell.
Hawkes, T. (1983, April). Telmah & John Dover Wilson. Encounter, 50-59. Retrieved from
http://www.unz.org/Pub/Encounter-1983apr-00050?View=Overview
Hoskinson, K. (2001). Ray Bradbury's Cold War Novels. In H. Bloom (Ed.),
Modern Critical Views: Ray Bradbury (pp. 125-139). New York: Chelsea House.
Huxley, A. (1932). Brave New World. London: Chatto & Windus.
Johnson, A. G. (2000). The Blackwell Dictionary of Sociology : a User's Guide to Sociological Language. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers.
Johnston, A. E. (2007, May 30). Ray Bradbury: Fahrenheit 451 Misinterpreted. Retrieved June 1, 2015, from L.A. Weekly:
http://www.laweekly.com/news/ray-bradbury-fahrenheit-451-misinterpreted-2149125
Klarer, M. (1998). An Introduction to Literary Studies. London: Routledge.
LaBrie, M. R. (2010). Now Was Then, Then Is Now: The Paradoxical World of "Fahrenheit 451". Thesis, Salve Regina University. Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.salve.edu/pell_theses/55
McGiveron, R. O. (1996). What 'Carried the Trick'? Mass Exploitation and the Decline of Thought in Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451". Extrapolation, 37(3), 245-256.
McGiveron, R. O. (1998). "To Build a Mirror Factory": The Mirror and self-examination in Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction, 39(2), 282-287.
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80
Aulia Ikhsanti, 2015
OPPRESSION AND IDENTITY IN BRADBURY’S FAHRENHEIT 451 Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | \.upi.edu perpustakaan.upi.edu
Miller, D. T., & Nowak, M. (1977). The Fifties: The Way We Really Were. New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc.
Orwell, G. (1949). Nineteen Eighty-Four. London: Secker & Warburg.
Patai, D. (2013). Ray Bradbury and the Assault on Free Thought. Society, 50(1), 41-47. doi:10.1007/s12115-012-9617-x
Patterson, J. T. (1996). Grand Expectations: The United States, 1945-1974.
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Shahrezaee, M. A., & Ladani, Z. J. (2014). Toni Morrison's "Beloved" and "The Bluest Eye": A Cultural Materialistic Approach. International Letters of Social and Humanistic Sciences, 30, 17-23.
doi:10.18052/www.scipress.com/ILSHS.30.17
Sorokin, A. J. (2009). Constructing Dialogue, Constructing Identities: Mixed Heritage Identity Construction in "Half and Half". Thesis, Georgetown University.
Weller, S. (2013, April 12). Ray Bradbury’s 180 on Fahrenheit 451. Retrieved June 1, 2015, from Dallas News:
http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/sunday-commentary/20130412-sam-weller-ray-bradburys-180-on-fahrenheit-451.ece
Wolfreys, J., Robbins, R., & Womack, K. (2006). Key Concepts in Literary Theory (2nd ed.). Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Woodward, K. (2002). Understanding Identity. London: Oxford University Press.
Young, I. M. (1990). Justice and the Politics of Difference. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
(1)
Aulia Ikhsanti, 2015
OPPRESSION AND IDENTITY IN BRADBURY’S FAHRENHEIT 451
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | \.upi.edu perpustakaan.upi.edu
CHAPTER V
CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS
This chapter presents the conclusion of the study and offers suggestions for further research. The conclusion section begins with a brief description of aspects underlying this study: background, purpose, findings and conclusion. Meanwhile, the suggestions section offers some recommendations for further research on the topic.
5.1 Conclusion
This study aims to reveal the portrayal of oppression in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and examine its impact to the main protagonist’s identity construction. The findings indicate that there are five forms oppression evident in the novel: exploitation, marginalization, powerlessness, cultural imperialism, and
violence. It also shows that the main protagonist’s identity is constructed by the
oppression that he observes and notices through his interaction with others. Since
this study seeks to reveal how the oppression affect Montag’s identity, each interaction opens Montag’s eyes toward the oppression in his society. In this case,
Montag have intense interactions with Clarisse McClellan, Mildred, his work, Professor Faber, and Granger.
Seeing from the cultural materialism perspective, the fictional world of F451 portrays the oppressive American society in the 1950s which should be resisted. Since cultural materialism is more interested in the act of resistance,
Montag’s identity construction can be interpreted as the representation of the resistance. In addition, Montag’s identity transformation symbolizes the oppressed
attempt to overthrow the authorities, in this case, the government with mass media as its means of oppression.
(2)
Aulia Ikhsanti, 2015
OPPRESSION AND IDENTITY IN BRADBURY’S FAHRENHEIT 451
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | \.upi.edu perpustakaan.upi.edu 5.2 Suggestions
This present study has revealed the oppression portrayed in Bradbury’s F451 and
its impact toward the main protagonist’s identity construction by using the
cultural materialism approach. Related to the topic of the study, the writer would like to offers suggestions for future research.
There is little literature in this institution that discuss literary works in relation to its context of publication, especially by using cultural materialist approach. Therefore, to broaden and enrich the scope of literary studies, for future research this study suggests a cultural materialism analysis of another
dystopian novels such as Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, Huxley’s Brave New World, or other contemporary dystopian works which can be interesting to be analysed by relating it to the context of publication of the text.
Considering the richness of F451, the future research can be conducted by using different approaches, such as Feminism or Psychoanalysis. From the feminist perspectives, there are many questions which are left to be answered in the future research, such as: (1) How does Mildred represent the ideal women portrayed on television in the 1950s?; (2) Are the roles of women today the same as they were in the 1950s?; (3) How is the portrayal of women in F451 in comparison to the women in the 1950s?
Meanwhile, from the psychoanalysis perspective, the future research might questions: (1) What is the significance of the dream-like sequence in the portrayal of Montag as the evolving character; (2) Which part of the mind seems to be driving the society in which Montag lives?
(3)
Aulia Ikhsanti, 2015
OPPRESSION AND IDENTITY IN BRADBURY’S FAHRENHEIT 451
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | \.upi.edu perpustakaan.upi.edu
REFERENCES
Barker, C. (2004). The SAGE Dictionary of Cultural Studies. London: Sage Publications.
Barker, R. L. (2003). The Social Work Dictionary (5th ed.). Washington, DC: NASW Press.
Barrett, A. K. (2011). Fahrenheit 451: A Descriptive Bibliography. Indianapolis. Barry, P. (2002). Beginning Theory. Manchester: Manchester University Press. Belsey, C. (2005). Textual Analysis as a Research Method. In G. Griffin (Ed.),
Research Method for English Studies (pp. 157-174). Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Bradbury, R. (2012). Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks. Brannigan, J. (2006). Cultural Materialism. In J. Wolfreys (Ed.), Modern British
and Irish Criticism and Theory: A Critical Guide (pp. 135-142). Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Bressler, C. E. (2007). Literary Criticism: An Introduction to Theory and Practice (4th ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.
Chegeni, N., & Chegeni, N. (2013). Marginalization and Oppression of Afro-American Women in Toni Morrison’s "Sula". International Research Journal of Applied and Basic Sciences, 4(4), 915-920. Retrieved July 1, 2015, from http://www.irjabs.com/en/s_search.php?rid=770
(4)
Aulia Ikhsanti, 2015
OPPRESSION AND IDENTITY IN BRADBURY’S FAHRENHEIT 451
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | \.upi.edu perpustakaan.upi.edu
Egidius, U. (2007). Oppression : A New Definition. Bachelor Thesis, Lund University. Retrieved from
http://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/lup/publication/1324727
Elwell, F. W. (2013). Harris on the Universal Structure of Society. Retrieved January 11, 2014, from
http://www.faculty.rsu.edu/~felwell/theorists/Essays/Harris1.htm Fearon, J. D. (1999). What is Identity (As We Now Use the Word)? Paper,
Standford University.
Feneja, F. L. (2012). Promethean Rebellion in Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451": The Protagonist's Quest. Amaltea. Revista de mitocrítica, 4, 1-20.
Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.5209/rev_AMAL.2012.v4.40586 Freire, P. (2005). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. (M. B. Ramos, Trans.) New York:
Continuum.
Friedan, B. (1963). The Feminine Mystique. New York: W.W. Norton. Gerall, A. (2008). ‘And the Leaves of the Tree Were for the Healing of the
Nations’: Literature and Civil Disobedience in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit
451. Asheville: University of North Carolina.
Goldberg, M. L. (2004). Hegemony. Retrieved June 6, 2015, from
http://faculty.washington.edu/mlg/courses/definitions/hegemony.html Greene, B. (2008). The Mutilation and Rebirth of a Classic: Fahrenheit 451.
Compass: New Directions at Falvey, 3(3). Retrieved March 4, 2015, from Compass: New Directions at Falvey:
http://newsletter.library.villanova.edu/147
Griffin, G. (2005). Research Methods for English Studies: An Introduction. In G. Griffin (Ed.), Research Methods for English Studies (pp. 1-16).
(5)
Aulia Ikhsanti, 2015
OPPRESSION AND IDENTITY IN BRADBURY’S FAHRENHEIT 451
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | \.upi.edu perpustakaan.upi.edu
Hall, S. (1996). The Question of Cultural Identity. In S. Hall, D. Held, D. Hubert, & K. Thompson (Eds.), Modernity: An Introduction to Modern Societies (pp. 596-632). Cambridge: Blackwell.
Hawkes, T. (1983, April). Telmah & John Dover Wilson. Encounter, 50-59. Retrieved from
http://www.unz.org/Pub/Encounter-1983apr-00050?View=Overview
Hoskinson, K. (2001). Ray Bradbury's Cold War Novels. In H. Bloom (Ed.), Modern Critical Views: Ray Bradbury (pp. 125-139). New York: Chelsea House.
Huxley, A. (1932). Brave New World. London: Chatto & Windus.
Johnson, A. G. (2000). The Blackwell Dictionary of Sociology : a User's Guide to Sociological Language. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers.
Johnston, A. E. (2007, May 30). Ray Bradbury: Fahrenheit 451 Misinterpreted. Retrieved June 1, 2015, from L.A. Weekly:
http://www.laweekly.com/news/ray-bradbury-fahrenheit-451-misinterpreted-2149125
Klarer, M. (1998). An Introduction to Literary Studies. London: Routledge. LaBrie, M. R. (2010). Now Was Then, Then Is Now: The Paradoxical World of
"Fahrenheit 451". Thesis, Salve Regina University. Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.salve.edu/pell_theses/55
McGiveron, R. O. (1996). What 'Carried the Trick'? Mass Exploitation and the Decline of Thought in Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451". Extrapolation, 37(3), 245-256.
McGiveron, R. O. (1998). "To Build a Mirror Factory": The Mirror and self-examination in Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction, 39(2), 282-287.
(6)
Aulia Ikhsanti, 2015
OPPRESSION AND IDENTITY IN BRADBURY’S FAHRENHEIT 451
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | \.upi.edu perpustakaan.upi.edu
Miller, D. T., & Nowak, M. (1977). The Fifties: The Way We Really Were. New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc.
Orwell, G. (1949). Nineteen Eighty-Four. London: Secker & Warburg.
Patai, D. (2013). Ray Bradbury and the Assault on Free Thought. Society, 50(1), 41-47. doi:10.1007/s12115-012-9617-x
Patterson, J. T. (1996). Grand Expectations: The United States, 1945-1974. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Shahrezaee, M. A., & Ladani, Z. J. (2014). Toni Morrison's "Beloved" and "The Bluest Eye": A Cultural Materialistic Approach. International Letters of Social and Humanistic Sciences, 30, 17-23.
doi:10.18052/www.scipress.com/ILSHS.30.17
Sorokin, A. J. (2009). Constructing Dialogue, Constructing Identities: Mixed Heritage Identity Construction in "Half and Half". Thesis, Georgetown University.
Weller, S. (2013, April 12). Ray Bradbury’s 180 on Fahrenheit 451. Retrieved June 1, 2015, from Dallas News:
http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/sunday-commentary/20130412-sam-weller-ray-bradburys-180-on-fahrenheit-451.ece
Wolfreys, J., Robbins, R., & Womack, K. (2006). Key Concepts in Literary Theory (2nd ed.). Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Woodward, K. (2002). Understanding Identity. London: Oxford University Press. Young, I. M. (1990). Justice and the Politics of Difference. Princeton: Princeton