Family abuse as reflected in the character of Rasheed in Khaled Hosseini`s A Thousand Splendid Suns
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FAMILY ABUSE AS REFLECTED
IN THE CHARACTER OF RASHEED
IN KHALED HOSSEINI’S A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS
A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
in English Language Education
By
Valentina Puput Andayani Mulyo
Student Number: 061214116
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM
DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION
FACULTY OF THE TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2013
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FAMILY ABUSE AS REFLECTED
IN THE CHARACTER OF RASHEED
IN KHALED HOSSEINI’S A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS
A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
in English Language Education
By
Valentina Puput Andayani Mulyo
Student Number: 061214116
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM
DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION
FACULTY OF THE TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2013
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STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY
I honestly declare that this thesis, which I have written, does not contain the work
or parts of the work of other people, except those cited in the quotations and the
references, as a scientific paper should.
Yogyakarta, 15 August 2013
The Writer
Valentina Puput Andayani Mulyo
061214116
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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
: Valentina Puput Andayani Mulyo
Nomor Mahasiswa
: 061214116
Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan
Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul:
Family Abuse as Reflected in the Character of Rasheed
in Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns
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 meminta ijin dari saya maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama
tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.
Demikian pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenarnya.
Dibuat di Yogyakarta
Pada tanggal: 23 Agustus 2013
Yang menyatakan
(Valentina Puput Andayani Mulyo)
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ABSTRACT
Mulyo, Valentina Puput Andayani. 2013. Family Abuse as Reflected in The
Character of Rasheed in Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns.
Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program, Department of
Language and Arts Education, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education,
Sanata Dharma University.
This study analyses A Thousand Splendid Suns, a novel written by Khaled
Hosseini. One of the major issues described in the novel is family abuse. Family
abuse happens in Rasheed’s family. Family abuse is portrayed through the
character of Rasheed. In the story, it is told that Rasheed marries Mariam. In the
beginning of their marriage, they live happily. After Mariam gets miscarriages
several times, Rasheed starts doing the abuses. He starts to abuse Mariam when
Mariam does little mistakes in doing housework. After several years, Rasheed
marries a fourteen years old girl named Laila. Laila gives birth a baby girl named
Aziza. Rasheed feels disappointed because he expects a baby boy. He shows his
disappointment by doing abuse to Laila and Aziza.
There are three problems discussed in this study. The first is how Rasheed
is described in the novel. The second problem is how Rasheed’s family is
described in the novel. The third problem is how Rasheed abuses the members of
his family.
The method applied in this study was library study. The primary source
was Khaled Hosseini’s novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns. The secondary sources
were obtained from books and other written sources. Theory of character and
characterization, theory of family, theory of abuse, and sociocultural-historical
background of Afghanistan were employed. Psychological approach and
sociocultural-historical approach was used to analyze the novel. Theory of
characters and characterization were implemented to answer the first problem.
Theory of family and the sociocultural-historical background of Afghanistan were
used to answer the second formulated problem. Theory of abuse was employed to
answer the third problem formulation.
Based on the analysis, Rasheed is described as selfish, dishonest, rougher,
discriminating, and mocker. Rasheed’s family is described as an extended type of
family, which consists of Rasheed, his wives, his stepchild, and his son.
Rasheed’s family follows the traditional patriarchy social system. In this case,
Rasheed has more dominant position than Mariam and Laila. Rasheed’s dominant
position triggers him to abuse his family members. There are two kinds of abuses
that Rasheed does to the members of his family. They are partner abuse and child
abuse. This thesis also provides suggestions. The future researchers are suggested
to analyze the educational background of Mariam and Laila which influence their
ways of thinking and the effects of childhood for Mariam and Laila. For teaching
English using literary work, it is suggested to use this novel as the material in
teaching Vocabulary .
Keywords: family abuse, character, A Thousand Splendid Suns
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ABSTRAK
Mulyo, Valentina Puput Andayani. 2013. Family Abuse as Reflected in The
Character of Rasheed in Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns.
Yogyakarta: Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Jurusan Pendidikan
Bahasa dan Seni, Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan, Universitas Sanata
Dharma.
Skripsi ini menganalisa A Thousand Splendid Suns, novel yang ditulis oleh
Khaled Hosseini. Salah satu tema utama dalam novel ini adalah kekerasan dalam
keluarga. Kekerasan dalam keluarga terjadi di keluarga Rasheed. Kekerasan
dalam keluarga digambarkan melalui karakter Rasheed. Dalam novel, diceritakan
Rasheed menikahi Mariam. Pada awal pernikahan, mereka hidup bahagia. Setelah
Mariam mengalami keguguran beberapa kali, Rasheed mulai melakukan
kekerasan. Rasheed mulai melakukan kekerasan pada Mariam ketika Mariam
melakukan kesalahan kecil dalam mengerjakan pekerjaan rumah tangga. Beberapa
tahun kemudian, Rasheed menikahi seorang gadis berumur empat belas tahun
bernama Laila. Laila melahirkan seorang bayi perempuan bernama Aziza.
Rasheed kecewa karena dia mengharapkan bayi laki-laki. Rasheed menunjukkan
kekecewaannya dengan melakukan kekerasan kepada Laila dan Aziza.
Ada tiga permasalahan yang dibahas dalam skripsi ini. Yang pertama
adalah bagaimana Rasheed digambarkan di novel. Yang kedua adalah bagaimana
keluarga Rasheed digambarkan dalam novel. Yang ketiga adalah bagaimana cara
Rasheed melakukan kekerasan terhadap anggota keluarganya.
Metode yang digunakan dalam penulisan skripsi ini adalah studi pustaka.
Sumber utamanya adalah novel Khaled Hosseini, A Thousand Splendid Suns.
Sumber lain diperoleh dari buku-buku dan sumber tertulis lainnya. Teori karakter
dan pengkarakteran, teori keluarga, teori kekerasan dan latar belakang
Afghanistan digunakan. Pendekatan psikologis dan pendekatan sejarah-sosial
budaya digunakan dalam menganalisa novel. Teori karakter dan pengkarakteran
diterapkan untuk menjawab permasalahan pertama. Teori keluarga dan latar
belakang sejarah-sosial budaya Afghanistan digunakan untuk menjawab
permasalahan kedua. Permasalahan ketiga dijawab menggunakan teori kekerasan.
Berdasarkan analisis, Rasheed digambarkan sebagai seseorang yang egois,
licik, kasar, pilih kasih, dan pencemooh. Keluarga Rasheed digambarkan sebagai
keluarga besar yang terdiri dari Rasheed, istri-istrinya, anak tirinya, dan anak
kandungnya. Keluarga Rasheed menganut sistem kemasyarakatan patrilineal.
Dalam hal ini, Rasheed memiliki posisi yang lebih dominan dari pada Mariam dan
Laila. Ada dua jenis kekerasan yang dilakukan Rasheed kepada anggota
keluarganya, yaitu kekerasan terhadap istri-istrinya dan kekerasan terhadap
anaknya. Skripsi ini juga memberikan saran-saran. Peneliti selanjutnya disarankan
menganalisa latar belakang pendidikan Mariam dan Laila yang mempengaruhi
cara berpikir mereka, dan dampak masa kecil bagi Mariam dan Laila. Pengajaran
bahasa Inggris yang menggunakan karya sastra dianjurkan untuk menggunakan
novel ini sebagai materi dalam mengajar Vocabulary.
Kata kunci: family abuse, character, A Thousand Splendid Suns
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to praise my Lord Jesus Christ for all of His love and blessings.
I thank Him for making me free from the fear and pains during this exhausting
process. I also thank Him for making me far away from the fear of failure. In
addition, I also would like to express my gratitude to those who have supported
me.
Firstly, I would like to thank my sponsor, Drs. Bambang Hendarto
Yuliwarsono, M.Hum., who has guided me in the process of writing this thesis. I
thank him for his patience, advice, and time for consultation until my thesis was
done. My gratitude also goes to Sanata Dharma University that has given me
place and facilities to study, to all my lecturers, and the administrative staffs of the
English Language Education Study Program, mbak Dani, and mbak Tari, who
have helped me during my study in Sanata Dharma University.
Secondly, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my beloved
parents, Stephanus Suroyo & Yustina Sukini, who have given me prayer and
affection. I also would like to express my special gratitude to my beloved
husband, Daniel Murdani, S. Pd., for his encouragement and support. I would like
to thank pak Herwin, bu Dita, mbak Riska,and mas Johan for their cares and
prayer during completing my thesis.
Thirdly, I thank Vika, Jember, and pak Tur for the discussions and support.
My thankfulness also goes to my best friend Hera for everything we have shared
and for the wonderful friendship.
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Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to all people who cannot be
mentioned one by one. I thank them for their advice and support during my study.
Valentina Puput Andayani Mulyo
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
TITLE PAGE ..............................................................................................
i
PAGES OF APPROVAL ............................................................................
ii
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY ..........................................
iv
PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI ..........................................
v
ABSTRACT ................................................................................................
vi
ABSTRAK ....................................................................................................
vii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................ viii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................
x
LIST OF APPENDICES.............................................................................
ix
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study ........................................................................
1
B. Problem Formulation .............................................................................
6
C. Objectives of the Study ..........................................................................
6
D. Benefits of the Study ..............................................................................
6
E. Definition of Terms ...............................................................................
7
1.
Abuse .............................................................................................
7
2.
Characters .......................................................................................
8
3.
Family.............................................................................................
8
4.
Afghanistan .....................................................................................
8
5.
A Thousand Splendid Suns..............................................................
9
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CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
A. Review of Related Theories ...................................................................
10
1.
Character and Characterization ........................................................
10
2.
Critical Approach ............................................................................
14
3.
Family.............................................................................................
16
4.
Abuses in Family ............................................................................
17
a.
Partner Abuse ...........................................................................
17
1) Kinds of Partner Abuse ......................................................
18
a.) Physical Abuse ...........................................................
18
b.) Sexual Abuse ..............................................................
18
2) Causes of Partner Abuse ....................................................
18
a.) Feminist Accounts ......................................................
19
b.) Psychological Explanation ..........................................
19
c.) Biological Explanation................................................
19
Child Abuse .............................................................................
20
1) Kinds of Child Abuse ........................................................
20
a.) Neglect .......................................................................
21
b.) Physical Abuse ...........................................................
21
c.) Sexual Abuse ..............................................................
21
2) Causes of Child Abuse.......................................................
22
a.) Poverty .......................................................................
22
b.) Age of Caregiver ........................................................
22
c.) Caregiver Psychopathology ........................................
22
b.
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d.) Caregiver History of Being Abused as A Child ...........
23
e.) Unrealistic Expectations of Children ...........................
23
f.) Child Factor ................................................................
23
B. Review of Socio-Historical Background of Afghanistan.........................
24
C. Muslim Family Law ...............................................................................
26
D. Review of Related Studies .....................................................................
28
E. Theoretical Framework ..........................................................................
29
CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study ................................................................................
31
B. Approach of the Study ...........................................................................
33
C. Method of the Study...............................................................................
33
CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS
A. The Description of Rasheed ...................................................................
34
1.
Selfish .............................................................................................
35
2.
Dishonest ........................................................................................
36
3.
Rougher ..........................................................................................
37
4.
Discriminating ................................................................................
40
5.
Mocker............................................................................................
42
B. The Description of Rasheed’s Family.....................................................
42
C. Rasheed’s Abuses ..................................................................................
47
1.
Partner Abuse..................................................................................
47
a.
Abusing Mariam.......................................................................
48
b.
Abusing Laila ...........................................................................
50
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2.
Child Abuse ....................................................................................
52
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS, AND SUGGESTIONS
A. Conclusions ...........................................................................................
55
B. Implications ...........................................................................................
57
C. Suggestions ............................................................................................
58
1.
Suggestion for The Future Researcher .............................................
58
2.
Suggestion for Teaching English Using Literary Work ....................
58
REFERENCES ...........................................................................................
60
APPENDICES.............................................................................................
62
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LIST OF APPENDICES
Page
Appendix A: Summary ................................................................................. 62
Appendix B: Biography ................................................................................ 65
Appendix C: Syllabus ................................................................................... 68
Appendix D: Lesson Plan.............................................................................. 71
Appendix E: The Reading Passage ................................................................ 74
Appendix F: Handouts .................................................................................. 77
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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
This chapter consists of the background of the study, problem formulation,
objectives of the study, benefits of the study and definition of terms. The
background of the study explains the reasons of selecting the novel and the topic
discussed. Problem formulation states the problem analyzed in this study.
Benefits of the study tell the benefits taken from this study. The last part is
definition of terms that tell the terms used in this study.
A. Background of the Study
In the present day, people agree that family is the most important part in
their life. They realize that family has a very close relationship. The bases of all
relationship come from a family. A family is created when marriage happens. The
family members consist of father, mother, and children. Each member has
different tasks. According to Pikunas (1976), family is “an enduring social group
based on marriage and blood relationship” (p. 60). From the definition, it is
known that family has a big influence for its members. The members cannot be
separated because they are united. They live in certain time and place together.
So, it is right that family is the best place to grow.
Stagner and Rosen (1965) state that the first factor influencing individuals’
personality is the family situation. The treatment of the parents in terms of
affection, authority, and discipline are analyzed (p. 48). The role of the parents in
a family has power and control over the members. Family support is needed to
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encourage the members especially when something bad happens to one of the
members. It feels that the other members also have the same experience with him
or her.
Each family has different goals. People mostly hope that by having a
family they can feel happy. A family is known as the image of love and happiness.
As the time goes by, the image of love and happiness dreamed will go. Skolnick
(1983) states “The family traditionally is viewed as a place of love and solidarity.
In fact, family is one of the few groups in society empowered by law and tradition
to use physical force and restraint on its members” (p. 91). From the definition, it
is known that abuse can happen in a family.
There are many reasons for family abuse. Skolnick (1983) says “The
actual or implicit threat of physical coercion is one of many factors underlying
male dominance in the family” (p. 14). It means that abuse can happen in family
because there is power imbalance between a father and a mother. Moreover,
Skolnick states that family abuse happens because of a decline quality of
marriage. Skolnick states two causes of a decline quality of marriage. They are
limited communication between a husband and a wife that isolates them from the
outside world and the economic chaos that makes husband fails to provide the
family needs. It is important for the family paying attention to the quality of
marriage because the successful of marriage influences the quality of family life.
Abuse may happen to marriage couples. There are causes why partner
abuse happens. Wilson et al. (1996) state three perspectives on the causes of
partner abuse. The first perspective is feminist accounts. This perspective explains
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that partner abuse happens because men use their power to gain control over
women and it is supported by the institutions of society such as marriage and
family. Besides, men tend to use coercion such as threat and force. The second
perspective is psychological explanation. This second perspective explains why an
individual or a couple engages in physically aggressive behavior. Psychological
explanations of partner abuse are divided into two varieties. The first account is
dealing with individual accounts. The first account is dealing with women’s
behavior. The examples are masochistic personality disorder, depression, and the
use of alcohol and drugs. The second account is men’s behavior. It deals with
negative emotion, feeling unhappy in their relationship, and the use of alcohol.
The last account is relationship explanation. It is said that long-term marital
dissatisfaction and bad communication pattern cause abusive relationship. The last
perspective is biological explanation. There are five biological factors that
contribute to partner abuse. They are brain injury, the hormone testosterone
accounts, physiological reactivity, evolutionary factors, and genetic factors (pp.
553 – 559).
Family abuse is not only done to a partner or a wife, it can also be done to
child. Child abuse happens because of some factors. Wilson et al. (1996) state
several risk factors associated with child abuse. The first factor is poverty. Child
abuse occurs among people of all socioeconomic levels, but the most common is
people who are poor. The second factor is age of caregiver. It is said that a single
parent and young parents under 20 years old tend to do abuse to their children.
The third factor is caregiver psychopathology. When parents have emotional and
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psychological problem, they tend to hurt their children. The forth factor is
caregiver history of being abused as a child. Parents who have experience being
abused are more likely abuse their children also. The fifth is unrealistic
expectation of children. Abusive parents tend to overestimate their children’s
abilities, such as taking care of themselves, waiting patiently, and behaving
properly. The sixth factor is child factors. Sometimes parents do not realize how
old their children are. Parents abuse very young children because they are
frustrating (pp. 561-563).
Magill (1996) also states “Child abuse is associated with poverty,
underemployment, insufficient education, and the increased experience of
unmanageable stress and social isolation” (p. 344). It means that the factors
mentioned above are closely related to child abuse. For instance, the consumption
of drugs and alcohol by the parents of the children or people around them can
make in child abuse. When alcohol or drugs affect them, they do not realize
whether their deeds are good or bad. Another factor is that parents get pressured
because they cannot fulfill their family’s needs economic. As compensation, some
parents treat their child improperly. A difficult experience in caring their child can
also affect parents to do child abuse.
I choose A Thousand Splendid Suns because the story tells about the life of
a family. In the family, it can be found so much love, for examples between a
father and a mother, parents to the children, and among the members of a family.
A Thousand Splendid Suns also describes the ways to express how much the
family’s members love. Sometimes the members of family has to sacrifice their
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own happiness to show their loves. The effect is good for the family. In order to
show the goodness in a family, it is needed to know something bad. The novel
entitled A Thousand Splendid Suns has portrayed a picture of family abuse.
Family abuse is portrayed through the character of Rasheed. In the story it is told
that Rasheed marries Mariam. In the beginning of his marriage Rasheed loves and
takes care Mariam very well. After several months, Mariam becomes pregnant.
Unfortunately, she miscarriages and thus she loses her baby. Rasheed is
disappointed with Mariam and so everything that Mariam has done to Rasheed is
always wrong. As the time goes by, Rasheed becomes cruel. His cruelty is shown
in the daily life. He treats Mariam like his servant. Even, Rasheed puts stones into
Mariam’s mouth because the taste of her cooking is bad. After several years
Rasheed marries with a girl, named Laila. He marries Laila because he knows that
Laila is pregnant and she has no family. Rasheed takes advantages to save Laila
and to legalize the situation.
This new situation makes Mariam become jealous because Rasheed is
unfair to Mariam. He asks Mariam to do houseworks. On the other hand, he treats
Laila as a princess. From his marriage with Laila, they have a baby girl named
Aziza, but it is not what Rasheed expect so. Actually Aziza is not Rasheed’s
legitimate daughter because Laila has been pregnant before Rasheed marries her.
Rasheed shows his disappointment by not touching Aziza. He tries to treat Laila
as his servant too. After several years, Laila is pregnant again. She gives a baby
son, named Zalmai. Rasheed is very happy because his dream comes true. He has
a son. In daily life, Rasheed treats Zalmai better than Aziza. Although Rasheed is
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happy having Zalmai, he still abuses Mariam, Laila and Aziza. The suffering from
the abuse inspires Mariam and Laila to be free from the oppression.
A Thousand Splendid Suns is an interesting novel. Reading the novel A
Thousand Splendid Suns will give benefits to the readers. In this study, the
researcher focuses on how abuse is portrayed in the novel especially in a family.
Family abuse as reflected in the character of Rasheed will be explained more in
the following chapters.
B. Problem Formulation
The problem formulation of this study can be stated as follows:
1. How is Rasheed described in the novel?
2. How is Rasheed’s family described in the novel?
3. How does Rasheed abuse the members of his family in the novel?
C. Objectives of the Study
Based on the formulated problems, there are three objectives of this study.
The first one is to reveal the character of Rasheed. It can be used as guidance in
recognizing who Rasheed is. The second one is to analyze how Rasheed’s family
described in the novel. The third one is to identify what kind of abuses Rasheed
done to Mariam, Laila, and Aziza.
D. Benefits of the Study
There are some benefits gained by conducting the study. The first is for
portrayal of readers in general. It is hoped that the readers will get the knowledge
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of Afghanistan, especially the portrayal of rebellions in Afghanistan that
influences the political situation there and the life of Afghan people. Besides, the
readers will also get the importance of a family. The importance of a family gives
a reflection of the family and encourages the readers to do the best for their
family.
The second benefit is for the teachers of literature. This study can be used
as a source to help students understand A Thousand Splendid Suns better. The
third is for English Department students. It is hoped that they will be encouraged
to read novels because they can learn how to enjoy literature study. The conflicts,
the problems, the struggle, the happiness shared in the story will color their life
experiences. The forth is for the next researchers. They may explore the
educational aspect of the novel.
E. Definition of Terms
In order to avoid misunderstanding, there are definitions of terms
provided.
1.
Abuse
Wilson et al. (1996) state that abuse is maltreatment, injury, or neglect
which take many forms. It can be physical, emotional, or sexual in nature (p. 544).
In the story of A Thousand Splendid Suns, the picture of family abuse is seen.
Family abuse is portrayed through the character of Rasheed. Rasheed abuses his
older wive, Mariam and his younger wive, Laila physically.He also neglects his
daughter, Aziza.
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2. Characters
Rohrberger and Woods Jr. (1971) state “Character is a person who acts out
in a particular time and place, some kind of conflict in a pattern of events” (p.
20). In the story of A Thousand Splendid Suns, the main character is Rasheed.
Everything done by Rasheeed becomes an interesting topic to discuss.
Through his family, it is also known who Rasheed actually is.
3. Family
Pikunas (1976) states, “Family is an enduring social group based on
marriage and relationship” (p. 60). In Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid
Suns, Rasheed lives with his family. Rasheed has lost his first wife and son. After
several years, he marries Mariam, but they have no child. Because of certain
reasons he marries Laila. They have a daughter, Aziza and a son, Zalmai. Living
together with two wives is difficult, as the result conflicts cannot be avoided.
4. Afghanistan
According to The World Book Encyclopedia (1960), Afghanistan is a
kingdom in southern Asia. Kabul is the capital and the largest city in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan has a large area about 250,000 square miles. The official languages
are Persian and Pushtu. The form of the government is Constitutional Monarchy.
Afghanistan is surrounded by three countries. They are Pakistan, Iran and Russia.
Almost people in Afghanistan are Moslem. About 90 of every 100 Afghans make
their living from agriculture or raising livestock. Wheat is the leading crop.
Afghanistan has deposits of lead, copper, iron, salt, marble, silver, gold, and lapis
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lazuli, a precious stone (pp. 84-89). Since the setting place of A Thousand
Splendid Suns is Afghanistan, it is needed to know the nature of the country.
5. A Thousand Splendid Suns
The title of Hosseinni’s novel comes from a line in the Josephine Davis
translation of the poem “Kabul” by the 17th century Iranian poet Saib Tabrizi. A
Thousand Splendid Suns describes the city of Kabul. In the novel, A Thousand
Splendid Suns is revealed as love that is seen through Rasheed’s family. It is also
shown the ways to express love in a family.
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CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter consists of five parts. The first part is review of related
theories. This part reveals the theories used to answer the questions formulated in
problem formulation. The second part is review of sociocultural-historical
background of Afghanistan. It is provided in order to support the analysis. The
third part is Muslim Family Law. The forth part is review of related studies. This
part explains the studies that have been conducted using the same novel. The last
part is theoretical framework. In this part, it is explained the contribution of the
theories and how to apply in this study.
A. Review of Related Theories
In this part, the theory of character and characterization, theory of critical
approach, and theory of family, theory of partner abuse and theory of child abuse
are reviewed.
1. Character and Characterization
In reading a novel, the readers should understand the story. In a story, the
readers find the elements of a novel. One of the elements in a novel is character
and characterization. According to Abrams (1981), a character is an imagined
person who inhibits a story and it shows distinctive type of person (p. 20).
Rohrberger and Woods Jr. (1971) state that character is a person who acts out in a
particular time and place, some kinds of conflict in a pattern of events. Rohrberger
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and Woods Jr. also describe characters as flat or round. Flat characters are onesided, while round characters are many-sided (p. 20).
Milligan (1983) classifies characters into major and minor or secondary
characters. Major characters are the most important and complex characters in the
story. Major characters deserve the fullest attention because they perform a key of
the story. Meanwhile, secondary characters or minor characters are the characters
that perform more limited function in the story. The minor characters are less
complex and interesting than the major characters. They just appear in a certain
setting and have less important role in the story. They just become the background
of the major characters in the story (p. 155). Meanwhile, Forster (1974) divides
character into flat characters and round characters. A flat character is built around
a single idea or quality and is represented without individuality ideal. While round
character is complex and many sided, they may require an essay for full analysis
(pp. 46-51).
According to Murphy (1972), characterization is “the way of the author to
convey to the readers about the characters and the personalities of the people” (p.
161). In other words, characterization is the way in which the author describes the
characters in the story, so that the readers are able to understand the characters
perform in the story. Murphy (1972) also states that there are nine ways or method
to analyze the characterization (pp. 161 – 173). They are personal description,
character as seen by another, speech, past life, conversation of others, reactions,
direct comment, thought, and mannerism.
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The first method is personal description. It is a method that the author used
to tell the accurate description of the characters. The accurate description includes
the characters’ appearance such as height, weight, skin color, hair, scar on his
face, his build and also clothes. The description will help the readers to understand
the characters in the story visually.
The second method is character as seen by another. It is a method that the
author used to describe the characters using reflected image. It means that the
characters are described by other characters’ eyes and opinion. The other
characters in the story give their opinions by giving explanation of what a
character looks like. In these details, the readers can also use their own point of
view to analyze the character.
The third method is speech. It is a method in which the author would like
to describe the characters through character’s saying and when character gives
opinions. It can also be seen from dialogues or conversations between the
characters. All conversations and speech of the characters in the story can be
considered as means to describe the character.
The fourth method is past life. In this method, the author tells the
character’s background or past life through comments. From the comments, the
readers know the description of character’s mind. The character’s past experience
can be learnt from conversation and it can be seen from other character’s
conversation about the character’s past life.
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Conversation of others is the fifth characterization method. The author
tells the person’s characters by showing the dialogue of other characters and what
other characters saying on that person. The readers have to pay attention through
the conversations of other people and the things they say about the person,
because an author sometimes gives a clue to understand the person’s personality
from others’ conversation and their opinion about him. From the dialogue of other
characters and what other characters saying on that person, the readers get the clue
of the character spoken.
The sixth method is reactions. It is used to describe the character’s reaction
when facing certain event or situation. The author gives the readers a clue to a
person’s character by describing how the person reacts to various situations or
events in the story. The readers may conclude what kind of character he or she is
based on his or her reactions.
The seventh method is direct comment. It is a method in which the author
describes and gives comments on the characters directly. Here, the author
describes the physical or psychological of the character directly. The readers may
easily understand what kind of person he or she is.
Thought is the eighth method. Here, the author gives the readers direct
knowledge of what a person is thinking about. Whenever the author gives a direct
description of what a person is thinking about, it allows the readers to analyze the
mental process of the person. It means that the author can make the characters that
do what people cannot do in real life.
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The last method is mannerism. The author shows the readers about the
characters through the characters’ behaviors, habits, attitudes, and idiosyncrasies.
The readers will be able to find more information about the person through the his
or her behaviors, habits, attitudes, and idiosyncrasies. By knowing the characters’
behaviors, habits, attitudes, and idiosyncrasies, the readers are able to conclude
the personality of the character.
2. Critical Approach
According to Rohrberger and Woods (1971), literature has an aesthetic
value (p. 10). The aesthetic value brings the aesthetic response in which the
readers give an evaluative judgment to the work of literature. In order to have a
reasonable judgment, the writer needs to employ a means which is called a critical
approach. Rohrberger and Woods Jr. (1971) state that there are five approaches to
provide the means to understand the novel (pp. 6 – 15). They are the formalist
approach, the biographical approach, the sociocultural-historical approach, the
mythopoeic approach, and the psychological approach.
The first approach is the formalist approach. This is an approach which
focuses on the literary work itself. This approach concentrates on the work
without paying attention to other reference, such as: psychology, sociology, and
civilization. The formalist approach criticizes only to the elements the literary
works. The focuses are also on the demonstrating the harmonious involvement of
all parts to the whole and on pointing out how meaning is derived from structure
and how matters or technique determine structure.
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The second approach is called the biographical approach. In the
biographical approach, the readers should appreciate the ideas and personality of
the author and the biographical provisions of works. Therefore, the readers need
to know the author’s idea, personality, and life of the author in order to understand
the author’s writing. This approach is seeking the ideas, personality, and life of
the author.
The next approach is sociocultural-historical approach. It is an approach
that focuses on the civilization and its effect to the society and culture. This
approach insists people to have full understanding about the society. This
approach also tells about how certain people act in certain period of time. It leads
to the conclusion that the only way to locate the real work is in reference to the
civilization that produces it.
Mythopoeic approach is the fourth approach suggested by Rohrberger and
Woods. This approach uses myth to analyze the literary work and how myth can
influence human mind. The mythopoeic approach tries to discover certain
universally recurrent patterns of human thought. The universally recurrent
patterns are those that found first expression in ancient myths.
The last approach is psychological approach. It is an approach that uses
psychological theories to explain human motivation, personality and behavior
written in literary object. It studies consistency and change in people’s behavior
and the characteristics that distinguish people. Personality changes also one of the
samples of psychological side.
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3. Family
According to Pikunas (1976), family is an enduring social group based on
marriage and blood relationship. As a primary group, the family with children is
bound together by kinship and intimate relation. It is marked by care, affection,
and support, as well as mutual sharing in various activities and concerns. The
leading functions of family are providing affection, support, and companionship,
bearing and raising children, teaching and transmitting culture, religion,
economics, and moral to the young, developing personalities, dividing and
discharging labor with family outside. In other words, a family gives protection
and early training of human infants. As human infants, they need to be fed,
washed, and dressed because they cannot move far by themselves. As they grow
older, they must be trained to be responsible members of the society. Family is
also a chief vehicle for ensuring a smooth or rough start in life since family makes
up the basis for every society. The family sets up a division of labor in order to
contribute something (pp. 60 – 73).
There are many kinds of family compositions. According to Hurlock
(1974), there are nuclear family and extended family (p. 365). A nuclear family
consists of two parents and their children. An extended family consists of a
nuclear family plus relatives who live in the same place.
Some sociologists emphasize the definition of family based on how
individuals’ activities and personal characteristics are affected by the
circumstances of living in interaction with other people. Cheal (2002) states
nuclear family is composed of a legally married couple and their children who live
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at home. Cheal also states an extended family has wider boundaries than a nuclear
family, they include more people, and relationships with kin affected vital aspects
of daily living (pp. 4 – 5). The form of extended family can be found in Palestine
because most of the people are Moslem. According to Moslem tradition, a man
can marry up to four wives.
Cheal (2002) also defines family based on the power in the family,
patriarchy, is a family where the oldest male controlled women and children. The
oldest male also takes the decision making power as the head of hamula (p. 10).
Patriarchy mostly exists in the Middle East and still influences family life today.
4. Abuses in Family
Wilson et al. (1996) state that abuse is maltreatment, injury, or neglect
which take many forms. It can be physical, emotional, or sexual in nature (p. 544).
Abuse may happen in a family. It can be done to a partner or wife and to the
children. It is also needed to know the reasons why partner abuse and child abuse
happens in a family.
a. Partner Abuse
According to Wilson et al. (1996), partner abuse refers to any act of
physical aggression that results in physical injury and occurs more than once per
year. Partner abuse includes two acts of physical aggression against a partner and
isolated acts of physical aggression against a partner that lead her to experience
fear and intimidation. Acts of physical aggression involve threats and intimidation
to and it causes fear to the victim. The acts of aggression are carried out in anger.
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The acts include pushing, slapping, shoving and kicking. Some women experience
more severe aggression that takes in the form of beatings or use of a knife or gun.
Such physical aggression is defined as physical abuse (p. 545).
1) Kinds of Partner Abuse
a) Physical Abuse
Wilson et al. (1996) state that physical abuse is act of physical aggression
by one individual against another, often leading to fear or injury. Those acts
include slapping, hitting, kicking, biting, and beating (p. 544).
b) Sexual abuse
According to Cheal (2002), sexual abuse is inappropriate bodily contact of
all kinds, including fondling, genital stimulation, oral and anal intercourse, as well
as vaginal intercourse. Sexual abuse also includes inappropriate behavior of a
sexual nature that does not involve physical contact such as exhibitionism and
suggestive gestures or remarks (p. 161).
2) Causes of Partner Abuse
Wilson et al. (1996) state three perspectives on the causes of partner abuse
(pp. 553 – 559). They are feminist accounts, psychological explanation, and
biological explanation.
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a) Feminist Accounts
This perspective explains that partner abuse happens because men use
their power to gain control over women. It becomes worse because this practice is
supported by the institutions of society such as marriage and family. This practice
is also supported by the social system which is patriarchy. In this social system,
males have a dominant position relative to females. Besides, men tend to use
coercion such as threat and force.
b) Psychological Explanation
This second perspective explains why an individual or a couple engages in
physically aggressive behavior. Psychological explanations of partner abuse are
divided into two varieties. The first variety is dealing with individual accounts.
The first account is dealing with women’s behavior. The examples are
masochistic personality disorder, depression, and the use of alcohol and drugs.
The second account is men’s behavior. It is dealing with negative emotion, feeling
unhappy in their relationship, and the use of alcohol. The last account is
relationship explanation. It is said that long-term marital dissatisfaction and bad
communication pattern cause abusive relationship.
c) Biological Explanation
There are five biological factors that contribute to partner abuse. The first
factor is brain injury. Injured men have outbursts of rage, irritability, and reduced
impulse control. As the result they more likely injure their partners than those who
have not. The second factor is the hormone testosterone accounts. Based on the
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blood analyses, it is known that testosterone levels of male are 10 times higher
than females. The hormone testosterone accounts are important for male
characteristics, such as deepening of the voice and growth of body hair. When the
source of testosterone is removed, the aggressive behavior might be reduced. The
third factor is physiological reactivity. Based on the study, it is found that
physically abusive men have declined heart rates while they were in heated
discussions with their partners about marital problems so they are probably being
unresponsive to treatment and their physiological response is similar to
psychopaths. The fourth factor is evolutionary. From the evolutionary analysis, it
is concluded that jealousy is the biggest motive in spousal homicide. It is found
that males are interested in protecting their own gene pool from being mixed with
those of others. The fifth factor is genetic. The studies found that violent behavior
is influenced by genetic factors although the role of genes in the aggressive
behavior of humans is smaller than the environment.
b. Chil
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FAMILY ABUSE AS REFLECTED
IN THE CHARACTER OF RASHEED
IN KHALED HOSSEINI’S A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS
A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
in English Language Education
By
Valentina Puput Andayani Mulyo
Student Number: 061214116
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM
DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION
FACULTY OF THE TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2013
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FAMILY ABUSE AS REFLECTED
IN THE CHARACTER OF RASHEED
IN KHALED HOSSEINI’S A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS
A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
in English Language Education
By
Valentina Puput Andayani Mulyo
Student Number: 061214116
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM
DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION
FACULTY OF THE TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2013
i
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STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY
I honestly declare that this thesis, which I have written, does not contain the work
or parts of the work of other people, except those cited in the quotations and the
references, as a scientific paper should.
Yogyakarta, 15 August 2013
The Writer
Valentina Puput Andayani Mulyo
061214116
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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
: Valentina Puput Andayani Mulyo
Nomor Mahasiswa
: 061214116
Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan
Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul:
Family Abuse as Reflected in the Character of Rasheed
in Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns
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 meminta ijin dari saya maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama
tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.
Demikian pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenarnya.
Dibuat di Yogyakarta
Pada tanggal: 23 Agustus 2013
Yang menyatakan
(Valentina Puput Andayani Mulyo)
v
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ABSTRACT
Mulyo, Valentina Puput Andayani. 2013. Family Abuse as Reflected in The
Character of Rasheed in Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns.
Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program, Department of
Language and Arts Education, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education,
Sanata Dharma University.
This study analyses A Thousand Splendid Suns, a novel written by Khaled
Hosseini. One of the major issues described in the novel is family abuse. Family
abuse happens in Rasheed’s family. Family abuse is portrayed through the
character of Rasheed. In the story, it is told that Rasheed marries Mariam. In the
beginning of their marriage, they live happily. After Mariam gets miscarriages
several times, Rasheed starts doing the abuses. He starts to abuse Mariam when
Mariam does little mistakes in doing housework. After several years, Rasheed
marries a fourteen years old girl named Laila. Laila gives birth a baby girl named
Aziza. Rasheed feels disappointed because he expects a baby boy. He shows his
disappointment by doing abuse to Laila and Aziza.
There are three problems discussed in this study. The first is how Rasheed
is described in the novel. The second problem is how Rasheed’s family is
described in the novel. The third problem is how Rasheed abuses the members of
his family.
The method applied in this study was library study. The primary source
was Khaled Hosseini’s novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns. The secondary sources
were obtained from books and other written sources. Theory of character and
characterization, theory of family, theory of abuse, and sociocultural-historical
background of Afghanistan were employed. Psychological approach and
sociocultural-historical approach was used to analyze the novel. Theory of
characters and characterization were implemented to answer the first problem.
Theory of family and the sociocultural-historical background of Afghanistan were
used to answer the second formulated problem. Theory of abuse was employed to
answer the third problem formulation.
Based on the analysis, Rasheed is described as selfish, dishonest, rougher,
discriminating, and mocker. Rasheed’s family is described as an extended type of
family, which consists of Rasheed, his wives, his stepchild, and his son.
Rasheed’s family follows the traditional patriarchy social system. In this case,
Rasheed has more dominant position than Mariam and Laila. Rasheed’s dominant
position triggers him to abuse his family members. There are two kinds of abuses
that Rasheed does to the members of his family. They are partner abuse and child
abuse. This thesis also provides suggestions. The future researchers are suggested
to analyze the educational background of Mariam and Laila which influence their
ways of thinking and the effects of childhood for Mariam and Laila. For teaching
English using literary work, it is suggested to use this novel as the material in
teaching Vocabulary .
Keywords: family abuse, character, A Thousand Splendid Suns
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ABSTRAK
Mulyo, Valentina Puput Andayani. 2013. Family Abuse as Reflected in The
Character of Rasheed in Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns.
Yogyakarta: Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Jurusan Pendidikan
Bahasa dan Seni, Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan, Universitas Sanata
Dharma.
Skripsi ini menganalisa A Thousand Splendid Suns, novel yang ditulis oleh
Khaled Hosseini. Salah satu tema utama dalam novel ini adalah kekerasan dalam
keluarga. Kekerasan dalam keluarga terjadi di keluarga Rasheed. Kekerasan
dalam keluarga digambarkan melalui karakter Rasheed. Dalam novel, diceritakan
Rasheed menikahi Mariam. Pada awal pernikahan, mereka hidup bahagia. Setelah
Mariam mengalami keguguran beberapa kali, Rasheed mulai melakukan
kekerasan. Rasheed mulai melakukan kekerasan pada Mariam ketika Mariam
melakukan kesalahan kecil dalam mengerjakan pekerjaan rumah tangga. Beberapa
tahun kemudian, Rasheed menikahi seorang gadis berumur empat belas tahun
bernama Laila. Laila melahirkan seorang bayi perempuan bernama Aziza.
Rasheed kecewa karena dia mengharapkan bayi laki-laki. Rasheed menunjukkan
kekecewaannya dengan melakukan kekerasan kepada Laila dan Aziza.
Ada tiga permasalahan yang dibahas dalam skripsi ini. Yang pertama
adalah bagaimana Rasheed digambarkan di novel. Yang kedua adalah bagaimana
keluarga Rasheed digambarkan dalam novel. Yang ketiga adalah bagaimana cara
Rasheed melakukan kekerasan terhadap anggota keluarganya.
Metode yang digunakan dalam penulisan skripsi ini adalah studi pustaka.
Sumber utamanya adalah novel Khaled Hosseini, A Thousand Splendid Suns.
Sumber lain diperoleh dari buku-buku dan sumber tertulis lainnya. Teori karakter
dan pengkarakteran, teori keluarga, teori kekerasan dan latar belakang
Afghanistan digunakan. Pendekatan psikologis dan pendekatan sejarah-sosial
budaya digunakan dalam menganalisa novel. Teori karakter dan pengkarakteran
diterapkan untuk menjawab permasalahan pertama. Teori keluarga dan latar
belakang sejarah-sosial budaya Afghanistan digunakan untuk menjawab
permasalahan kedua. Permasalahan ketiga dijawab menggunakan teori kekerasan.
Berdasarkan analisis, Rasheed digambarkan sebagai seseorang yang egois,
licik, kasar, pilih kasih, dan pencemooh. Keluarga Rasheed digambarkan sebagai
keluarga besar yang terdiri dari Rasheed, istri-istrinya, anak tirinya, dan anak
kandungnya. Keluarga Rasheed menganut sistem kemasyarakatan patrilineal.
Dalam hal ini, Rasheed memiliki posisi yang lebih dominan dari pada Mariam dan
Laila. Ada dua jenis kekerasan yang dilakukan Rasheed kepada anggota
keluarganya, yaitu kekerasan terhadap istri-istrinya dan kekerasan terhadap
anaknya. Skripsi ini juga memberikan saran-saran. Peneliti selanjutnya disarankan
menganalisa latar belakang pendidikan Mariam dan Laila yang mempengaruhi
cara berpikir mereka, dan dampak masa kecil bagi Mariam dan Laila. Pengajaran
bahasa Inggris yang menggunakan karya sastra dianjurkan untuk menggunakan
novel ini sebagai materi dalam mengajar Vocabulary.
Kata kunci: family abuse, character, A Thousand Splendid Suns
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to praise my Lord Jesus Christ for all of His love and blessings.
I thank Him for making me free from the fear and pains during this exhausting
process. I also thank Him for making me far away from the fear of failure. In
addition, I also would like to express my gratitude to those who have supported
me.
Firstly, I would like to thank my sponsor, Drs. Bambang Hendarto
Yuliwarsono, M.Hum., who has guided me in the process of writing this thesis. I
thank him for his patience, advice, and time for consultation until my thesis was
done. My gratitude also goes to Sanata Dharma University that has given me
place and facilities to study, to all my lecturers, and the administrative staffs of the
English Language Education Study Program, mbak Dani, and mbak Tari, who
have helped me during my study in Sanata Dharma University.
Secondly, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my beloved
parents, Stephanus Suroyo & Yustina Sukini, who have given me prayer and
affection. I also would like to express my special gratitude to my beloved
husband, Daniel Murdani, S. Pd., for his encouragement and support. I would like
to thank pak Herwin, bu Dita, mbak Riska,and mas Johan for their cares and
prayer during completing my thesis.
Thirdly, I thank Vika, Jember, and pak Tur for the discussions and support.
My thankfulness also goes to my best friend Hera for everything we have shared
and for the wonderful friendship.
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Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to all people who cannot be
mentioned one by one. I thank them for their advice and support during my study.
Valentina Puput Andayani Mulyo
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
TITLE PAGE ..............................................................................................
i
PAGES OF APPROVAL ............................................................................
ii
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY ..........................................
iv
PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI ..........................................
v
ABSTRACT ................................................................................................
vi
ABSTRAK ....................................................................................................
vii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................ viii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................
x
LIST OF APPENDICES.............................................................................
ix
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study ........................................................................
1
B. Problem Formulation .............................................................................
6
C. Objectives of the Study ..........................................................................
6
D. Benefits of the Study ..............................................................................
6
E. Definition of Terms ...............................................................................
7
1.
Abuse .............................................................................................
7
2.
Characters .......................................................................................
8
3.
Family.............................................................................................
8
4.
Afghanistan .....................................................................................
8
5.
A Thousand Splendid Suns..............................................................
9
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CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
A. Review of Related Theories ...................................................................
10
1.
Character and Characterization ........................................................
10
2.
Critical Approach ............................................................................
14
3.
Family.............................................................................................
16
4.
Abuses in Family ............................................................................
17
a.
Partner Abuse ...........................................................................
17
1) Kinds of Partner Abuse ......................................................
18
a.) Physical Abuse ...........................................................
18
b.) Sexual Abuse ..............................................................
18
2) Causes of Partner Abuse ....................................................
18
a.) Feminist Accounts ......................................................
19
b.) Psychological Explanation ..........................................
19
c.) Biological Explanation................................................
19
Child Abuse .............................................................................
20
1) Kinds of Child Abuse ........................................................
20
a.) Neglect .......................................................................
21
b.) Physical Abuse ...........................................................
21
c.) Sexual Abuse ..............................................................
21
2) Causes of Child Abuse.......................................................
22
a.) Poverty .......................................................................
22
b.) Age of Caregiver ........................................................
22
c.) Caregiver Psychopathology ........................................
22
b.
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d.) Caregiver History of Being Abused as A Child ...........
23
e.) Unrealistic Expectations of Children ...........................
23
f.) Child Factor ................................................................
23
B. Review of Socio-Historical Background of Afghanistan.........................
24
C. Muslim Family Law ...............................................................................
26
D. Review of Related Studies .....................................................................
28
E. Theoretical Framework ..........................................................................
29
CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study ................................................................................
31
B. Approach of the Study ...........................................................................
33
C. Method of the Study...............................................................................
33
CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS
A. The Description of Rasheed ...................................................................
34
1.
Selfish .............................................................................................
35
2.
Dishonest ........................................................................................
36
3.
Rougher ..........................................................................................
37
4.
Discriminating ................................................................................
40
5.
Mocker............................................................................................
42
B. The Description of Rasheed’s Family.....................................................
42
C. Rasheed’s Abuses ..................................................................................
47
1.
Partner Abuse..................................................................................
47
a.
Abusing Mariam.......................................................................
48
b.
Abusing Laila ...........................................................................
50
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2.
Child Abuse ....................................................................................
52
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS, AND SUGGESTIONS
A. Conclusions ...........................................................................................
55
B. Implications ...........................................................................................
57
C. Suggestions ............................................................................................
58
1.
Suggestion for The Future Researcher .............................................
58
2.
Suggestion for Teaching English Using Literary Work ....................
58
REFERENCES ...........................................................................................
60
APPENDICES.............................................................................................
62
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LIST OF APPENDICES
Page
Appendix A: Summary ................................................................................. 62
Appendix B: Biography ................................................................................ 65
Appendix C: Syllabus ................................................................................... 68
Appendix D: Lesson Plan.............................................................................. 71
Appendix E: The Reading Passage ................................................................ 74
Appendix F: Handouts .................................................................................. 77
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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
This chapter consists of the background of the study, problem formulation,
objectives of the study, benefits of the study and definition of terms. The
background of the study explains the reasons of selecting the novel and the topic
discussed. Problem formulation states the problem analyzed in this study.
Benefits of the study tell the benefits taken from this study. The last part is
definition of terms that tell the terms used in this study.
A. Background of the Study
In the present day, people agree that family is the most important part in
their life. They realize that family has a very close relationship. The bases of all
relationship come from a family. A family is created when marriage happens. The
family members consist of father, mother, and children. Each member has
different tasks. According to Pikunas (1976), family is “an enduring social group
based on marriage and blood relationship” (p. 60). From the definition, it is
known that family has a big influence for its members. The members cannot be
separated because they are united. They live in certain time and place together.
So, it is right that family is the best place to grow.
Stagner and Rosen (1965) state that the first factor influencing individuals’
personality is the family situation. The treatment of the parents in terms of
affection, authority, and discipline are analyzed (p. 48). The role of the parents in
a family has power and control over the members. Family support is needed to
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encourage the members especially when something bad happens to one of the
members. It feels that the other members also have the same experience with him
or her.
Each family has different goals. People mostly hope that by having a
family they can feel happy. A family is known as the image of love and happiness.
As the time goes by, the image of love and happiness dreamed will go. Skolnick
(1983) states “The family traditionally is viewed as a place of love and solidarity.
In fact, family is one of the few groups in society empowered by law and tradition
to use physical force and restraint on its members” (p. 91). From the definition, it
is known that abuse can happen in a family.
There are many reasons for family abuse. Skolnick (1983) says “The
actual or implicit threat of physical coercion is one of many factors underlying
male dominance in the family” (p. 14). It means that abuse can happen in family
because there is power imbalance between a father and a mother. Moreover,
Skolnick states that family abuse happens because of a decline quality of
marriage. Skolnick states two causes of a decline quality of marriage. They are
limited communication between a husband and a wife that isolates them from the
outside world and the economic chaos that makes husband fails to provide the
family needs. It is important for the family paying attention to the quality of
marriage because the successful of marriage influences the quality of family life.
Abuse may happen to marriage couples. There are causes why partner
abuse happens. Wilson et al. (1996) state three perspectives on the causes of
partner abuse. The first perspective is feminist accounts. This perspective explains
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that partner abuse happens because men use their power to gain control over
women and it is supported by the institutions of society such as marriage and
family. Besides, men tend to use coercion such as threat and force. The second
perspective is psychological explanation. This second perspective explains why an
individual or a couple engages in physically aggressive behavior. Psychological
explanations of partner abuse are divided into two varieties. The first account is
dealing with individual accounts. The first account is dealing with women’s
behavior. The examples are masochistic personality disorder, depression, and the
use of alcohol and drugs. The second account is men’s behavior. It deals with
negative emotion, feeling unhappy in their relationship, and the use of alcohol.
The last account is relationship explanation. It is said that long-term marital
dissatisfaction and bad communication pattern cause abusive relationship. The last
perspective is biological explanation. There are five biological factors that
contribute to partner abuse. They are brain injury, the hormone testosterone
accounts, physiological reactivity, evolutionary factors, and genetic factors (pp.
553 – 559).
Family abuse is not only done to a partner or a wife, it can also be done to
child. Child abuse happens because of some factors. Wilson et al. (1996) state
several risk factors associated with child abuse. The first factor is poverty. Child
abuse occurs among people of all socioeconomic levels, but the most common is
people who are poor. The second factor is age of caregiver. It is said that a single
parent and young parents under 20 years old tend to do abuse to their children.
The third factor is caregiver psychopathology. When parents have emotional and
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psychological problem, they tend to hurt their children. The forth factor is
caregiver history of being abused as a child. Parents who have experience being
abused are more likely abuse their children also. The fifth is unrealistic
expectation of children. Abusive parents tend to overestimate their children’s
abilities, such as taking care of themselves, waiting patiently, and behaving
properly. The sixth factor is child factors. Sometimes parents do not realize how
old their children are. Parents abuse very young children because they are
frustrating (pp. 561-563).
Magill (1996) also states “Child abuse is associated with poverty,
underemployment, insufficient education, and the increased experience of
unmanageable stress and social isolation” (p. 344). It means that the factors
mentioned above are closely related to child abuse. For instance, the consumption
of drugs and alcohol by the parents of the children or people around them can
make in child abuse. When alcohol or drugs affect them, they do not realize
whether their deeds are good or bad. Another factor is that parents get pressured
because they cannot fulfill their family’s needs economic. As compensation, some
parents treat their child improperly. A difficult experience in caring their child can
also affect parents to do child abuse.
I choose A Thousand Splendid Suns because the story tells about the life of
a family. In the family, it can be found so much love, for examples between a
father and a mother, parents to the children, and among the members of a family.
A Thousand Splendid Suns also describes the ways to express how much the
family’s members love. Sometimes the members of family has to sacrifice their
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own happiness to show their loves. The effect is good for the family. In order to
show the goodness in a family, it is needed to know something bad. The novel
entitled A Thousand Splendid Suns has portrayed a picture of family abuse.
Family abuse is portrayed through the character of Rasheed. In the story it is told
that Rasheed marries Mariam. In the beginning of his marriage Rasheed loves and
takes care Mariam very well. After several months, Mariam becomes pregnant.
Unfortunately, she miscarriages and thus she loses her baby. Rasheed is
disappointed with Mariam and so everything that Mariam has done to Rasheed is
always wrong. As the time goes by, Rasheed becomes cruel. His cruelty is shown
in the daily life. He treats Mariam like his servant. Even, Rasheed puts stones into
Mariam’s mouth because the taste of her cooking is bad. After several years
Rasheed marries with a girl, named Laila. He marries Laila because he knows that
Laila is pregnant and she has no family. Rasheed takes advantages to save Laila
and to legalize the situation.
This new situation makes Mariam become jealous because Rasheed is
unfair to Mariam. He asks Mariam to do houseworks. On the other hand, he treats
Laila as a princess. From his marriage with Laila, they have a baby girl named
Aziza, but it is not what Rasheed expect so. Actually Aziza is not Rasheed’s
legitimate daughter because Laila has been pregnant before Rasheed marries her.
Rasheed shows his disappointment by not touching Aziza. He tries to treat Laila
as his servant too. After several years, Laila is pregnant again. She gives a baby
son, named Zalmai. Rasheed is very happy because his dream comes true. He has
a son. In daily life, Rasheed treats Zalmai better than Aziza. Although Rasheed is
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happy having Zalmai, he still abuses Mariam, Laila and Aziza. The suffering from
the abuse inspires Mariam and Laila to be free from the oppression.
A Thousand Splendid Suns is an interesting novel. Reading the novel A
Thousand Splendid Suns will give benefits to the readers. In this study, the
researcher focuses on how abuse is portrayed in the novel especially in a family.
Family abuse as reflected in the character of Rasheed will be explained more in
the following chapters.
B. Problem Formulation
The problem formulation of this study can be stated as follows:
1. How is Rasheed described in the novel?
2. How is Rasheed’s family described in the novel?
3. How does Rasheed abuse the members of his family in the novel?
C. Objectives of the Study
Based on the formulated problems, there are three objectives of this study.
The first one is to reveal the character of Rasheed. It can be used as guidance in
recognizing who Rasheed is. The second one is to analyze how Rasheed’s family
described in the novel. The third one is to identify what kind of abuses Rasheed
done to Mariam, Laila, and Aziza.
D. Benefits of the Study
There are some benefits gained by conducting the study. The first is for
portrayal of readers in general. It is hoped that the readers will get the knowledge
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of Afghanistan, especially the portrayal of rebellions in Afghanistan that
influences the political situation there and the life of Afghan people. Besides, the
readers will also get the importance of a family. The importance of a family gives
a reflection of the family and encourages the readers to do the best for their
family.
The second benefit is for the teachers of literature. This study can be used
as a source to help students understand A Thousand Splendid Suns better. The
third is for English Department students. It is hoped that they will be encouraged
to read novels because they can learn how to enjoy literature study. The conflicts,
the problems, the struggle, the happiness shared in the story will color their life
experiences. The forth is for the next researchers. They may explore the
educational aspect of the novel.
E. Definition of Terms
In order to avoid misunderstanding, there are definitions of terms
provided.
1.
Abuse
Wilson et al. (1996) state that abuse is maltreatment, injury, or neglect
which take many forms. It can be physical, emotional, or sexual in nature (p. 544).
In the story of A Thousand Splendid Suns, the picture of family abuse is seen.
Family abuse is portrayed through the character of Rasheed. Rasheed abuses his
older wive, Mariam and his younger wive, Laila physically.He also neglects his
daughter, Aziza.
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2. Characters
Rohrberger and Woods Jr. (1971) state “Character is a person who acts out
in a particular time and place, some kind of conflict in a pattern of events” (p.
20). In the story of A Thousand Splendid Suns, the main character is Rasheed.
Everything done by Rasheeed becomes an interesting topic to discuss.
Through his family, it is also known who Rasheed actually is.
3. Family
Pikunas (1976) states, “Family is an enduring social group based on
marriage and relationship” (p. 60). In Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid
Suns, Rasheed lives with his family. Rasheed has lost his first wife and son. After
several years, he marries Mariam, but they have no child. Because of certain
reasons he marries Laila. They have a daughter, Aziza and a son, Zalmai. Living
together with two wives is difficult, as the result conflicts cannot be avoided.
4. Afghanistan
According to The World Book Encyclopedia (1960), Afghanistan is a
kingdom in southern Asia. Kabul is the capital and the largest city in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan has a large area about 250,000 square miles. The official languages
are Persian and Pushtu. The form of the government is Constitutional Monarchy.
Afghanistan is surrounded by three countries. They are Pakistan, Iran and Russia.
Almost people in Afghanistan are Moslem. About 90 of every 100 Afghans make
their living from agriculture or raising livestock. Wheat is the leading crop.
Afghanistan has deposits of lead, copper, iron, salt, marble, silver, gold, and lapis
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lazuli, a precious stone (pp. 84-89). Since the setting place of A Thousand
Splendid Suns is Afghanistan, it is needed to know the nature of the country.
5. A Thousand Splendid Suns
The title of Hosseinni’s novel comes from a line in the Josephine Davis
translation of the poem “Kabul” by the 17th century Iranian poet Saib Tabrizi. A
Thousand Splendid Suns describes the city of Kabul. In the novel, A Thousand
Splendid Suns is revealed as love that is seen through Rasheed’s family. It is also
shown the ways to express love in a family.
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CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter consists of five parts. The first part is review of related
theories. This part reveals the theories used to answer the questions formulated in
problem formulation. The second part is review of sociocultural-historical
background of Afghanistan. It is provided in order to support the analysis. The
third part is Muslim Family Law. The forth part is review of related studies. This
part explains the studies that have been conducted using the same novel. The last
part is theoretical framework. In this part, it is explained the contribution of the
theories and how to apply in this study.
A. Review of Related Theories
In this part, the theory of character and characterization, theory of critical
approach, and theory of family, theory of partner abuse and theory of child abuse
are reviewed.
1. Character and Characterization
In reading a novel, the readers should understand the story. In a story, the
readers find the elements of a novel. One of the elements in a novel is character
and characterization. According to Abrams (1981), a character is an imagined
person who inhibits a story and it shows distinctive type of person (p. 20).
Rohrberger and Woods Jr. (1971) state that character is a person who acts out in a
particular time and place, some kinds of conflict in a pattern of events. Rohrberger
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and Woods Jr. also describe characters as flat or round. Flat characters are onesided, while round characters are many-sided (p. 20).
Milligan (1983) classifies characters into major and minor or secondary
characters. Major characters are the most important and complex characters in the
story. Major characters deserve the fullest attention because they perform a key of
the story. Meanwhile, secondary characters or minor characters are the characters
that perform more limited function in the story. The minor characters are less
complex and interesting than the major characters. They just appear in a certain
setting and have less important role in the story. They just become the background
of the major characters in the story (p. 155). Meanwhile, Forster (1974) divides
character into flat characters and round characters. A flat character is built around
a single idea or quality and is represented without individuality ideal. While round
character is complex and many sided, they may require an essay for full analysis
(pp. 46-51).
According to Murphy (1972), characterization is “the way of the author to
convey to the readers about the characters and the personalities of the people” (p.
161). In other words, characterization is the way in which the author describes the
characters in the story, so that the readers are able to understand the characters
perform in the story. Murphy (1972) also states that there are nine ways or method
to analyze the characterization (pp. 161 – 173). They are personal description,
character as seen by another, speech, past life, conversation of others, reactions,
direct comment, thought, and mannerism.
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The first method is personal description. It is a method that the author used
to tell the accurate description of the characters. The accurate description includes
the characters’ appearance such as height, weight, skin color, hair, scar on his
face, his build and also clothes. The description will help the readers to understand
the characters in the story visually.
The second method is character as seen by another. It is a method that the
author used to describe the characters using reflected image. It means that the
characters are described by other characters’ eyes and opinion. The other
characters in the story give their opinions by giving explanation of what a
character looks like. In these details, the readers can also use their own point of
view to analyze the character.
The third method is speech. It is a method in which the author would like
to describe the characters through character’s saying and when character gives
opinions. It can also be seen from dialogues or conversations between the
characters. All conversations and speech of the characters in the story can be
considered as means to describe the character.
The fourth method is past life. In this method, the author tells the
character’s background or past life through comments. From the comments, the
readers know the description of character’s mind. The character’s past experience
can be learnt from conversation and it can be seen from other character’s
conversation about the character’s past life.
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Conversation of others is the fifth characterization method. The author
tells the person’s characters by showing the dialogue of other characters and what
other characters saying on that person. The readers have to pay attention through
the conversations of other people and the things they say about the person,
because an author sometimes gives a clue to understand the person’s personality
from others’ conversation and their opinion about him. From the dialogue of other
characters and what other characters saying on that person, the readers get the clue
of the character spoken.
The sixth method is reactions. It is used to describe the character’s reaction
when facing certain event or situation. The author gives the readers a clue to a
person’s character by describing how the person reacts to various situations or
events in the story. The readers may conclude what kind of character he or she is
based on his or her reactions.
The seventh method is direct comment. It is a method in which the author
describes and gives comments on the characters directly. Here, the author
describes the physical or psychological of the character directly. The readers may
easily understand what kind of person he or she is.
Thought is the eighth method. Here, the author gives the readers direct
knowledge of what a person is thinking about. Whenever the author gives a direct
description of what a person is thinking about, it allows the readers to analyze the
mental process of the person. It means that the author can make the characters that
do what people cannot do in real life.
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The last method is mannerism. The author shows the readers about the
characters through the characters’ behaviors, habits, attitudes, and idiosyncrasies.
The readers will be able to find more information about the person through the his
or her behaviors, habits, attitudes, and idiosyncrasies. By knowing the characters’
behaviors, habits, attitudes, and idiosyncrasies, the readers are able to conclude
the personality of the character.
2. Critical Approach
According to Rohrberger and Woods (1971), literature has an aesthetic
value (p. 10). The aesthetic value brings the aesthetic response in which the
readers give an evaluative judgment to the work of literature. In order to have a
reasonable judgment, the writer needs to employ a means which is called a critical
approach. Rohrberger and Woods Jr. (1971) state that there are five approaches to
provide the means to understand the novel (pp. 6 – 15). They are the formalist
approach, the biographical approach, the sociocultural-historical approach, the
mythopoeic approach, and the psychological approach.
The first approach is the formalist approach. This is an approach which
focuses on the literary work itself. This approach concentrates on the work
without paying attention to other reference, such as: psychology, sociology, and
civilization. The formalist approach criticizes only to the elements the literary
works. The focuses are also on the demonstrating the harmonious involvement of
all parts to the whole and on pointing out how meaning is derived from structure
and how matters or technique determine structure.
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The second approach is called the biographical approach. In the
biographical approach, the readers should appreciate the ideas and personality of
the author and the biographical provisions of works. Therefore, the readers need
to know the author’s idea, personality, and life of the author in order to understand
the author’s writing. This approach is seeking the ideas, personality, and life of
the author.
The next approach is sociocultural-historical approach. It is an approach
that focuses on the civilization and its effect to the society and culture. This
approach insists people to have full understanding about the society. This
approach also tells about how certain people act in certain period of time. It leads
to the conclusion that the only way to locate the real work is in reference to the
civilization that produces it.
Mythopoeic approach is the fourth approach suggested by Rohrberger and
Woods. This approach uses myth to analyze the literary work and how myth can
influence human mind. The mythopoeic approach tries to discover certain
universally recurrent patterns of human thought. The universally recurrent
patterns are those that found first expression in ancient myths.
The last approach is psychological approach. It is an approach that uses
psychological theories to explain human motivation, personality and behavior
written in literary object. It studies consistency and change in people’s behavior
and the characteristics that distinguish people. Personality changes also one of the
samples of psychological side.
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3. Family
According to Pikunas (1976), family is an enduring social group based on
marriage and blood relationship. As a primary group, the family with children is
bound together by kinship and intimate relation. It is marked by care, affection,
and support, as well as mutual sharing in various activities and concerns. The
leading functions of family are providing affection, support, and companionship,
bearing and raising children, teaching and transmitting culture, religion,
economics, and moral to the young, developing personalities, dividing and
discharging labor with family outside. In other words, a family gives protection
and early training of human infants. As human infants, they need to be fed,
washed, and dressed because they cannot move far by themselves. As they grow
older, they must be trained to be responsible members of the society. Family is
also a chief vehicle for ensuring a smooth or rough start in life since family makes
up the basis for every society. The family sets up a division of labor in order to
contribute something (pp. 60 – 73).
There are many kinds of family compositions. According to Hurlock
(1974), there are nuclear family and extended family (p. 365). A nuclear family
consists of two parents and their children. An extended family consists of a
nuclear family plus relatives who live in the same place.
Some sociologists emphasize the definition of family based on how
individuals’ activities and personal characteristics are affected by the
circumstances of living in interaction with other people. Cheal (2002) states
nuclear family is composed of a legally married couple and their children who live
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at home. Cheal also states an extended family has wider boundaries than a nuclear
family, they include more people, and relationships with kin affected vital aspects
of daily living (pp. 4 – 5). The form of extended family can be found in Palestine
because most of the people are Moslem. According to Moslem tradition, a man
can marry up to four wives.
Cheal (2002) also defines family based on the power in the family,
patriarchy, is a family where the oldest male controlled women and children. The
oldest male also takes the decision making power as the head of hamula (p. 10).
Patriarchy mostly exists in the Middle East and still influences family life today.
4. Abuses in Family
Wilson et al. (1996) state that abuse is maltreatment, injury, or neglect
which take many forms. It can be physical, emotional, or sexual in nature (p. 544).
Abuse may happen in a family. It can be done to a partner or wife and to the
children. It is also needed to know the reasons why partner abuse and child abuse
happens in a family.
a. Partner Abuse
According to Wilson et al. (1996), partner abuse refers to any act of
physical aggression that results in physical injury and occurs more than once per
year. Partner abuse includes two acts of physical aggression against a partner and
isolated acts of physical aggression against a partner that lead her to experience
fear and intimidation. Acts of physical aggression involve threats and intimidation
to and it causes fear to the victim. The acts of aggression are carried out in anger.
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The acts include pushing, slapping, shoving and kicking. Some women experience
more severe aggression that takes in the form of beatings or use of a knife or gun.
Such physical aggression is defined as physical abuse (p. 545).
1) Kinds of Partner Abuse
a) Physical Abuse
Wilson et al. (1996) state that physical abuse is act of physical aggression
by one individual against another, often leading to fear or injury. Those acts
include slapping, hitting, kicking, biting, and beating (p. 544).
b) Sexual abuse
According to Cheal (2002), sexual abuse is inappropriate bodily contact of
all kinds, including fondling, genital stimulation, oral and anal intercourse, as well
as vaginal intercourse. Sexual abuse also includes inappropriate behavior of a
sexual nature that does not involve physical contact such as exhibitionism and
suggestive gestures or remarks (p. 161).
2) Causes of Partner Abuse
Wilson et al. (1996) state three perspectives on the causes of partner abuse
(pp. 553 – 559). They are feminist accounts, psychological explanation, and
biological explanation.
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a) Feminist Accounts
This perspective explains that partner abuse happens because men use
their power to gain control over women. It becomes worse because this practice is
supported by the institutions of society such as marriage and family. This practice
is also supported by the social system which is patriarchy. In this social system,
males have a dominant position relative to females. Besides, men tend to use
coercion such as threat and force.
b) Psychological Explanation
This second perspective explains why an individual or a couple engages in
physically aggressive behavior. Psychological explanations of partner abuse are
divided into two varieties. The first variety is dealing with individual accounts.
The first account is dealing with women’s behavior. The examples are
masochistic personality disorder, depression, and the use of alcohol and drugs.
The second account is men’s behavior. It is dealing with negative emotion, feeling
unhappy in their relationship, and the use of alcohol. The last account is
relationship explanation. It is said that long-term marital dissatisfaction and bad
communication pattern cause abusive relationship.
c) Biological Explanation
There are five biological factors that contribute to partner abuse. The first
factor is brain injury. Injured men have outbursts of rage, irritability, and reduced
impulse control. As the result they more likely injure their partners than those who
have not. The second factor is the hormone testosterone accounts. Based on the
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blood analyses, it is known that testosterone levels of male are 10 times higher
than females. The hormone testosterone accounts are important for male
characteristics, such as deepening of the voice and growth of body hair. When the
source of testosterone is removed, the aggressive behavior might be reduced. The
third factor is physiological reactivity. Based on the study, it is found that
physically abusive men have declined heart rates while they were in heated
discussions with their partners about marital problems so they are probably being
unresponsive to treatment and their physiological response is similar to
psychopaths. The fourth factor is evolutionary. From the evolutionary analysis, it
is concluded that jealousy is the biggest motive in spousal homicide. It is found
that males are interested in protecting their own gene pool from being mixed with
those of others. The fifth factor is genetic. The studies found that violent behavior
is influenced by genetic factors although the role of genes in the aggressive
behavior of humans is smaller than the environment.
b. Chil