Analysis of Virgina woolf"s To the Light House

To the light house

Author’s Biography

Adeline Virginia Stephen was an English novelist and essayist, regarded as one of the foremost modernist literary figures of the twentieth century. She was born in London in 1882.

During the interwar period, Woolf was a significant figure in London literary society and a member of the Bloomsbury Group. Her most famous works include the novels Mrs Dalloway (1925), To the Lighthouse (1927) and Orlando (1928), and the book-length essay A Room of One's Own (1929), with its famous dictum, "a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction."

According to Woolf's memoirs, her most vivid childhood memories, however, were not of London but of St Ives in Cornwall, where the family spent every summer until 1895. The Stephens' summer home, Talland House, looked out over Porthminster Bay. Memories of these family holidays and impressions of the landscape, especially the Godrevy Lighthouse, informed the fiction Woolf wrote in later years, most notably To the Lighthouse.

Summary “To the light house”

Note: To the Lighthouse is divided into three sections: “The Window,” “Time Passes,” and “The Lighthouse.” Each section is fragmented into stream-of-consciousness contributions from various narrators.

To the Lighthouse (1927) is set on two days ten years apart. The plot centers around the Ramsay family's anticipation of and reflection upon a visit to a lighthouse and the connected familial tensions. One of the primary themes of the novel is the struggle in the creative process that beset painter Lily Briscoe while she struggles to paint in the midst of the family drama. The novel is also a meditation upon the lives of a nation's inhabitants in the midst of war, and of the people left behind. It also explores the passage of time, and how women are forced by society to allow men to take emotional strength from them.

Symbols  

Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.

The Lighthouse  

Lying across the bay and meaning something different and intimately personal to each character, the lighthouse is at once inaccessible, illuminating, and infinitely interpretable. As the destination from which the novel takes its title, the lighthouse suggests that the destinations that seem surest are most unobtainable. Just as Mr. Ramsay is certain of his wife's love for him and aims to hear her speak words to that end in “The Window,” Mrs. Ramsay finds these words impossible to say. These failed attempts to arrive at some sort of solid ground, like Lily's first try at painting Mrs. Ramsay or Mrs. Ramsay's attempt to see Paul and Minta married, result only in more attempts, further excursions rather than rest. The lighthouse stands as a potent symbol of this lack of attainability.

Lily's Painting

Lily's painting represents a struggle against gender convention, represented by Charles Tansley's statement that women can't paint or write. Lily's desire to express Mrs. Ramsay's essence as a wife and mother in the painting mimics the impulse among modern women to know and understand intimately the gendered experiences of the women who came before them. Lily's composition attempts to discover and comprehend Mrs. Ramsay's beauty just as Woolf's construction of Mrs. Ramsay's character reflects her attempts to access and portray her own mother. The painting also represents dedication to a feminine artistic vision, expressed through Lily's anxiety over showing it to William Bankes. In deciding that completing the painting regardless of what happens to it is the most important thing, Lily makes the choice to establish her own artistic voice. In the end, she decides that her vision depends on balance and synthesis: how to bring together disparate things in harmony. In this respect, her project mirrors Woolf's writing, which synthesizes the perceptions of her many characters to come to a balanced and truthful portrait of the world.

Criticism

 The Differing Behaviors of Men and Women  

As Lily Briscoe suffers through Charles Tansley's boorish opinions about women and art, she reflects that human relations are worst between men and women. Indeed, given the extremely opposite ways in which men and women behave throughout the novel, this difficulty is no wonder. The dynamic between the sexes is best understood by considering the behavior of Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay. Their constant conflict has less to do with divergent philosophies—indeed, they both acknowledge and are motivated by the same fear of mortality—than with the way they process that fear. Men, Mrs. Ramsay reflects in the opening pages of the novel, bow to it. Given her rather traditional notions of gender roles, she excuses her husband's behavior as inevitable, asking how men can be expected to settle the political and economic business of nations and not suffer doubts. This understanding attitude places on women the responsibility for soothing men's damaged egos and achieving some kind of harmony (even if temporary) with them. Lily Briscoe, who as a -single woman represents a social order more radial and lenient than Mrs. Ramsay's, resists this duty but ultimately caves in to it.

As an artist, Lily struggles to express herself creatively. Her creativity is hampered by the continued interruptions of the outside world, which occur both within her physical space and within her mind. Lily's own thoughts and perceptions are interrupted by and in conflict with, the expectations of her society. In particular, she feels inadequate both as a woman and as an artist, because it is not expected that she can be both. She knows that as a woman she is supposed to be fulfilled by love and marriage, yet in her experience that is never the case. She appreciates Mrs. Ramsay's ability to be nurturing, but does not feel that she can fulfill Mrs. Ramsay's role. As Raitt states, Lily "experiences her conflicts over femininity primarily in the context of her relationship to Mrs. Ramsay." Yet she also feels inadequate as a painter, because men like Charles Tansley tell her that "women can't paint. Women can't write." Lily struggles to define herself as a creative woman in a culture that does not acknowledge that women can be creative. Finally, Lily decides to finish the picture she had started ten years earlier but with Mr. Ramsay bearing down on her, she could do nothing. Every time he approached — he was walking up and down the terrace — ruin approached, chaos approached. She could not paint. Lily associates chaos with being unable to paint, unable to hold things in their proper places. Mr. Ramsay makes her unable to paint because, with his insatiable demands for sympathy, he makes it impossible for Lily to listen to her own feelings. She is once again confronted with the "dilution" of other people, with the attempt to hold together two opposing forces: her own feelings and those of another person. It is only when Mr. Ramsay leaves that she can return to her painting.

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Executive Summary Example 2 (Arundhati roy's the God of Small Things)

A.      INTRODUCTION

1. Background of the Study

              Arundhati Roy is a novelist who never stops to “explain the fact”. She  also thinks how to create her internal involvement into action. The God of Small Things is her first novel, it is acclaimed as a masterpiece and rapidly becoming an Indian bestseller in an international literary sensation. She finished her book entitled The God of Small Things in May 1996. This novel won the booker prize in London in 14 of October 1997 (Prestige Books, New Delhi, 1999).

              The background of this novel is a village in state part of India, Kerala, a region in southwest of India. History showed that Kerala has various cultures with confusing interaction by Portugese and British colonization. Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Christian grow well there. Orthodox Syrian Christian church places highest rank of the 20 % of its population. Communism also grows well there. In 1956, Kerala a first region which is colonized by Communist Party which won the general election in that region (Budianta, 2003:xix).  

             This novel describes Ammu’s life and her family. Her life is full of violence and oppression from her family and society. Ammu, as a member of touchable caste, is described as women who are really brave to break the rules that a member of touchable women forbade to do, that is marrying untouchable men, Baba and loving men from untouchable caste, Velutha. This forbidden marriage and love bring Ammu into law that placed her into death. This is the tragic story that finally Ammu is expelled from her family and her society while Vellutha died by torturing from police.

              Based on those descriptions, there are some reasons why the researcher is interested in analyzing this novel and choosing this topic. First, this novel describes women’s role between high caste and low caste. The researcher identifies and describes women’s roles based on their status, society and economy as the result of capitalism. Second, it is controversial novel. Third, the existence of caste system suspence in India which bring women into lower position under  men, and also the law of caste system that obviously shown in this novel who changed the life of everyone in India, Marxism in Kerala, and  the social inequalities between women and men.

2.  Statement of the Problems

Based on what has been explained in the background of the study, the research problems are formulated as follows:

1.             What are the women’s positions in Indian Caste System described  in Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things?

2.             What are the women’s roles of touchable caste in Indian Caste System as portrayed in Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things?

3.             What are the women’s roles of untouchable caste in Indian Caste System as portrayed in Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things?

3.  Objectives of the Study

            Based on the statement of problems above, the objectives of study are :

1.         To find the women’s positions in Indian Caste System  as described in Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things.

2.         To describe the women’s roles of touchable caste in Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things.

3.        To find the women’s roles of untouchable caste in Indian Caste System as portrayed in Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things?

4.  Scope and Limitation of the Study

             In order to reveal women’s roles in Indian Caste System portrayed in Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things, the researcher focuses on female character by using Marxist Feminist Literary Criticism. It will explain women’s roles as touchable caste and untouchable caste reflected in Indian Caste System. The researcher will also identify women’s positions under men’s rules in Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things reflected in Indian societies.

5.  Significance of the Study

            By doing this research, the researcher hopes this research can give useful contribution of knowledge in both theoretically and practically. Theoretically, this research is to enrich theoretical bases of literary studies. This research is to apply the Marxist Feminist Literary Criticism relates to the finding of discussion. This research is to give contribution and new point of view in the science of analyzing the novel and new building of an understanding of literary criticism using feminist approach.

Practically, this study will help the researcher and the readers to understand about feminist approach especially marxist feminism, so they can broaden their knowledge about feminist approach. The readers are expected to have more sincerity for the problem happen around the society especially gender problems. Furthermore, this result of study will be very important sources for the next researcher who wants to conduct the similar research.

B.  RESEARCH METHOD

1.  Research Design

This study is literary criticism and uses marxist feminist literary criticism. It is a literary criticism because in this study the writer conducts discussion of literature, including description, analysis, and interpretation of a literary work. The writer looks at this literary work by paying special attention on female characters to find out how women’s roles and their positions in Indian Caste System as described in novel. The researcher applied this research by identifying, describing, and analyzing the data by using marxist feminist theory.

The researcher applied the theory of marxist feminism based on theory of Karl Mark about work division based on sex and Engels’ theory about origins of family. Marxist feminist literary criticism begins by adopting the theory of Karl Marx about the work division based on sex and materialism in production. He then found the words “bourgeois” that indicates high class society and “proletar” that indicates low class society.

                    Engels’ theory about the family identifies that men dominated women as the concept of bougeois and proletar. Men are “bourgeois” and women are “proletar”. Family changes its function, family should be the place where women and their girl can get happiness, affection, and awards, but in contrary especially in patriarchy family become the institution which oppresses women.

Marxist feminist literary criticism focused on women’s condition that is determined by structure of production. Tong (1998) stated that women’s oppression comes from private property’s right. Private property through production by a small number of people begins a class system. Something which manifested in this production is capitalism. This is also signal that capitalism is not only social rules but also the cause of women’s oppression.

2.  Data Source

               The data is taken from novel The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy that was first published in Great Britain by Flamingo in 1997. It consists of 339 pages. This novel had won the booker in London in 14 of October 1997. The data are collected in the form of words, sentences, and phrases as presented within novel.

3.  Data Collection

There are some steps to get the data that the researcher needs, they are reading and understanding the novels being analyzed, choosing and selecting the data dealing with each problem that will be investigated, collecting the data which have relation to the problem of the study, retyping all the data that have been chosen and selected based on the original quotations existing in the novels.

4. Data Analysis

After collecting the data, the data analysis is conducted. The data analysis is conducted based on following steps; they are reviewing the data that have been collected, determining the component parts of each event, discovering and explaining about women’s positions in Indian Caste System, women’s roles in Indian Caste System, and the different roles between touchable and untouchable women in Indian Caste System.

7.  Definitions of Key Terms

             

           Women’s role: Wibowo (1988) defines that social role is someone’s actions that are expected by society who has a certain position in society. Therefore in society, human being places various of social position. By this position they will have different role based on their position in society. Society consider that men have more extensive role while women have limited role. It is because women usually play role in domestic, while men play role in public, they usually work outside the house

           Marxist feminism: It is a theory of feminism that focused on women as the basis of  women’s submission toward material and production as the manifestasion of capitalist society. Humm (2002) stated that Marxist feminism is aimed to describe material basis of women’s submission, and the relation between types of productions ans women’s status; it also applied the theory of women and class toward family roles.

C.      RESULT OF ANALYSIS

The result of this analysis shows that women’s positions in society and family influence their role in society and family. First, women’s positions in Indian Caste System are women are inferior under men’s control, women are unequal to men. Second, there are different role between women from Touchable caste and women from untouchable caste. touchable women’s role are women as men’s servant, women as men’s helper, and women as mother who educate and take care of their children. Third, untochable women have roles as working women who work outside house as labour and main livelihood seeker for their family, and women who have to fulfill touchable men’s sexual desire. The following is the detail of the finding.

The phenomenon that has been raised about women is that women are the second sex. It means that position of women is under men, they are as second-hand status in society. “In term of such ‘conventional’ analyses the specific class position of women can never be considered, for a social chategory defined in terms of the theoretical framework adopted relegated women to ‘second-hand status’.” (West (in Kuhn), 1978:220).

The custom of Indian society has an important role on how women should be, on what they should do. Custom or society play an important role of the condition experienced by women. Ratna explain about this. He said that culture plays an important role to women. Language used in society more and less emblem the women, for example women who address as betina (Female) consider as degradation, in contrary if men addressed as Jantan (male) means commendation. This has been developed in society. That is why feminist try to change it and shows to men through action and literary works that they are not weak as men think.  

Indian Caste System view women as the one who are really inferior even in their own family. Indian society believe that a daughter who has married is responsibility of her husband. They do not have position in their parent’s home. This is what Baby Kochamma said about Ammu. She said that a daughter who has been married does not have position in her family. Therefore when Ammu divorce and choose to live with her family she ignores her, but finally, she forced herself to allow her to live in Ayemenem house with her family.

She described wholeheartedly to the commonly held views that a married daughter had no position in her parents’ home. As for divorced daughter – according to Baby kochamma, she had no position anywhere at all (The God of Small Things: 45).

Another phenomenon is inequality between men and women. Indian society believe that men have high position, therefore men have more chance to go on public that women. The law of heritage in Indian caste system always placed men as the absolute heir of family’s property. They got legitimately portion. It is proven in the novel that Ammu does not have right on family’s property, even it is factory’s family and she also work there she doesn’t have right to owe it. Because she is a girl she had no claim on her family’s property. Feminists see that this is kind of unfairness and discrimination between men and women.

Thoungh Ammu did as much work in the factory as Chacko, whenever he was dealing with food inspectors or sanitary engineers, ha always referred to it as my factory, my pineapples, my pickles. Legally, this was the case because Ammu, as daughter, had no claim to the property (The God of Small Things:57).

The family institution, which is within this, is household. It is the first cause of women’s oppression. Engels stated that women acquire their satus from their position in household. He also argued that there is a controlled in household, in this case men controlled women. After this thing happen men is the women’s controller. In the arrangment of new family women are as slave/servant (proletar) while men are bourgeouis.  

Another phenomenon is women roles as men’s servant. They serve food, drink, and men’s need. This is shown by Kalyani, she always serves food, drink, or her husband’s need.  Kalyani is one figure of touchable women in India who really obedient to her husband. She does everything that her husband want.

Kalyani put a steel tumber of steaming coffee on the table for her husband (The God of Small Things: 278).

The following phenomenon is women as men’s helper. Though, Indian women are main livelihood seeker for their family and they can have their own salary, men still consider them as men’s helper. Their role is only help husband to add family need. It is because society expect women as wife and mother. 

This is shown in the novel that Mammachi started to make pickles to help her husband after her husband retired from her job and can not fulfill his family need. By her skill of making pickles and preserves, Mammachi becomes a success women till she can built a company named Paradise pickles and preserves. This company help her family much financially. Not only that, by her company, she also can help another women in her surroundings to work in her company as  labor.

Mammachi had started making pickles commercially  soon after Pappachi retired from Government service  in Delhi and came to live in Ayemenem. The Kottayam Bible Society was having a fair and asked Mammachi to make some of her famous banana jam and tender mango pickle. It sold quickly, and Mammachi found that she had more orders than she could cope with. Thrilled with her success, she decided to persist with the pickles and jam, and soon found herself busy all year round. (The God of Small Things:47)

This novel also explains about women’s role as mother for their children. This role demand them to be able to take care of their children, a mother who has unlimited mildness and love for her children. For example is Ammu. She is a mother with two children. As a mother she has to be able to love and take care of her children, moreover after her divorce. She has to struggle alone to take care of her two children. She often thinks that being a mother is a hard job, but she can not avoid it because it is her destiny. Look at quotation below:

What was it that gave Ammu this Unsafe Edge? This air on their unpredictability? It was what she had battling inside her. An unmixble mix. The infinite tenderness of motherhood and the reckless rage of a suicide bomber. It was this that grew inside her, and eventually led her to love by night the man and her children loved by day. (The God of Small Things:44)

In Indian society, untouchable are discriminated especially women. They are not allowed to have the same place with touchable caste. They also did not allow to touch touchable’s things. They are discriminated in society. They often get some tortures from touchable caste. Because of their low position in society, they only play role as labour, or housemaid, they also become the center of violence, they become the center of touchable men’s sexual desire.

It is also told in the novel that women from untouchable caste is only work for being dhobi in touchable’s house. One example is Aniyan, she is untouchable caste and she become the dhobi of Mammachi’s family (touchable caste) in Ayemenem house. Look at this quotation:

Aniyan the dhobi was happy with her daily gratuity (The God of Small Things: 169).

The case happened to low class is that they work to find livelihood, they finance their family. While women from middle class or high class work to get self actualization. “Perempuan terutama yang dari kelas bawah banyak yang terpaksa bekerja mencari nafkah. Sedangkan perempuan kelas menengah banyak yang bekerja demi aktualisasi diri” (Gove, Egalita, Jurnal Kesetaraan Gender. 2006: 53)

Beside being labour, untouchable women in India also should fulfill touchable men’s sexual desire. Actually, it doesn’t come from themselves, but the system made it, they are not prostitute, but they are prostituted by the system in society that is Capitalism, they do not have role as men’s sexual desire, but they are roled to be men’s sexual desire. Weisberg stated that “The prostitute is a victim of a system of male oppression”. “The prostitute is a victim of the economic system”. This role is so hard for them, that they should give their body sincerely. Most of them do this because they are not able to fight it. And the fach is that they depend their livelihood on touchable caste. Discrimination always happened to them, they are discriminated and exploited in the work place.

The God of Small Things written by Arundhati Roy also explaines this case, that there are many working women from untouchable caste who get some discrimination and sexual harrasment from touchable men.

“Already, they were a number of ragged, lightskinned children on the estate that Hollick had bequeathed on tea-pickers whom he fancied. This was his first incursion into management circles.” (The God of Small Things: 42)

It is said that Mr. Hollick as boss has done bad treatment by forcing his labor (Dalit women, untouchable) to serve him, and satisfy his sexual desire without any pity. And finally, he didn’t really responsible on what he has done, he just leave them who has been pregnant and let his children taken care by their mother without financially help or affection from him. Women in this case experience on role conflicts where the fact and women’s expectation is different.

D.      CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

1.        Conclusion

            Indian caste system is one caste that has rigid rules. The Indian caste system changes the society life, and it has been a custom. Many cases happen in India between Touchable caste and Untouchable caste, that Untouchables, as lower caste are subjected rudely by Touchable caste. Women, in this case got violence and discrimination than men. It is because women consider as second class. The existence of women as if didn’t consider by them, that they will call women only if they need help, or tragically to release men’s sexual desire. This problem has been existed from long ago. That is why feminist rise to reveal and change those problems. The result of the feminist’s effort can be felt that is in modern era or contemporary era women have taken some roles outside the house, like being politician or organizational member.

             As the researcher explained in this study about women’s role between touchable caste and untouchable caste in Indian caste system portrayed in Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things that most of touchable women have roles in domestic area. But, untouchable women have role outside the house as working women (labour). There are also some dominations done by men to women that led into the inequality between men and women. The effect is true that many Indian women today, especially Dalit women have got some violence from men. The religion also plays an important role in this case. Ironically, the religion that must function as guidance, salvation, and composure have changed its functions into the contrary of those functions, that the religion functions to create chaos in Indian society, as the explanation in Manusmriti that women got the unfair treatment from men.

            The God of Small Things brings the problem of women’s roles in society, family, workplace and household. this roles is based on their social status where their low position influence their role in their life.

2. Suggestions

There some suggestions for this study. First, it is suggested for other that researchers try to analyze the other aspects from Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things related to women’s positions and women’s roles. It is interesting and suitable to discuss topics or subject that had not been discussed. It hoped, the study of those aspects will enrich the appreciation of this work.

Second, in accordance with this study, it is advisable to conduct a study on Marxist feminist approach. Finally, it is expected that this research can be used as reference in conducting and broadening the same field on the other fields of study. The researcher also expects that the reader can give correction and criticism toward this research in order to make this research as a good literary criticism.

E.     BIBLIOGRAPHY

Budianta, Melanie. 2003. Tuhan Yang Maha Kecil: Kata Pengantar. Jakarta: Yayasan Obor Idonesia.

Humm, Maggie. 2002. Ensiklopedia Feminisme (dictionary of feminist theories) Translated by Mundi Rahayu (Universitas muhammadiyah Surakarta), Yogyakarta: Fajar Pustaka Baru.

Isti’adah, 2006, “Alineasi dan Pembakuan Gender.”Egalita, Jurnal Kesetaraan Gender dan Keadilan Gender. Vol  1.

Kuhn, Annete, and Wolpe, AnnMarie. 1978. Feminism and Materialism: Women and Modes of Production. New York: Routledge.

Prestige Books. 1999. New Delhi.

Ratna, Nyoman Kuta. 2007. Teori, Metode dan Teknik Penelitian Sastra. Yogyakarta:  Pustaka Pelajar.

Ratna, Nyoman Kuta. 2005. Sastra dan Cultural Studies: Representasi Fiksi dan Fakta. Yogyakarta:  Pustaka Pelajar.

Roy, Arundhati. 1997. The God of Small Things. London: Flamingo.

Roy, Arundhati. Penerjemah Haryo, A. Rahartati Bambang. Maret 2002.

Terjemahan Tuhan Yang Maha Kecil, cetakan 1. Jakarta: Anggota IKAPI DKI Jakarta—Yayasan Obor Indonesia

Sugihastuti & Suharto. 2002. Kritik Sastra Feminis: Teori dan Aplikasinya. Yogyakkarta: Pustaka Pelajar.

Sugihastuti. 2000. Wanita dalam Wanita. Bandung: Nuansa Bening.

Sugihastuti. 2002. Teori dan Apresiasi Sastra. Yogyakarta: Pustaka Pelajar.

Tong, Rosemarie. 1998. Feminist Thought: Pengantar Paling Komprehensif kepada Aliran Utama Pemikiran Feminist. Traslated by Aquarini Priyatna Prabasmoro. Yogyakarta: Jalasutra.

Wibowo, Istiqomah, dkk. 1988. Psikologi Sosial. Jakarta: Karunia.

Wiyatmi. 2006. Pengantar Kajian Sastra. Yogyakarta: Pustaka Pelajar.

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The Racism of Huckleberry Finn

Addressing the Argument that Mark Twain’s Classic American Book is Racist

Although regarded as a classic, Huckleberry Finn has engendered controversy from the start. The Concord Public Library in Massachusetts banned it shortly after publication. In reporting approvingly of this action, the Boston Transcript noted that members of the library committee found the book 'the veriest trash' and 'rough, coarse, and inelegant.' The Springfield Republican found the novel 'a gross trifling with every fine feeling' and 'harmful.' These objections, grounded on the view that only idealized portrayals of young persons can be edifying, can be dismissed easily by contemporary readers; more serious, however, are charges that the book encourages racism.

"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," by Mark Twain is not a racist book, rather, it is an anti-racist's attempt to denounce the injustices of slavery through the slave Jim, and the point of view of Huck, a young white boy. According to the Webster's Dictionary, racism is, "a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others." The definition goes farther by also saying it could be, "a hatred or intolerance of another race or other races." What's important about the second definition is that it includes the idea of hate. Someone must do something out of hate for it to be considered racism. Many believe certain things about Twain's "Great American novel," makes it a racist book, like the overuse of the word, "nigger," and the given depiction of the black slave, Jim. However, there is a substantial amount of evidence that this book was not written out of hate, but in hope that Twain could change the ideals of skin color of the white people around him.

In 1957 New York City junior and senior high schools dropped the novel from a list of approved books because it uses the term 'nigger' and allegedly stereotypes Jim. More recently, a number of court cases have been fought to remove it from lists of required reading on grounds of racism. For example, in 1982 an administrative aide at, ironically, the Mark Twain Intermediate School in Fairfax County, Virginia, stated, 'The book is poison....It works against the idea that all men are created equal....anybody who teaches this book is a racist.'

Representation of Culture in Huckleberry Finn and the Ancient One

Literature has always been seen as the reflection of humanity, especially those works which are read over and over and often canonized. An author's good representation of culture and life in a certain time and place, calls out to what we as readers know of our world and our time. Even if our surroundings and culture are completely opposite of the author's representation, the connection is made through opposites, but the reader also gains that outside view of life. Two works which exhibit this are Huckleberry Finn and The Ancient One. Both have young narrators who go on an adventure, and, through this adventure, they discover life lessons and views about the culture that surrounds them. The representation of the narrators, the settings, and the quests of the narrators are what connects the reader to the cultures of both novels.

The narrator of a novel, or any story, can tell the reader a lot. Both Huckleberry Finn and The Ancient One use narrators in different ways, to different effects. The narrator for Huckleberry Finn is Huck himself. He is presented in a first-person point of view which gives the feeling that a story is being told to the reader. There is a long story-telling tradition in the south, and this presentation of Huck follows that. The Ancient One has a teenage girl as a narrator. Kate is presented in a third-person limited point of view. This allows the reader to enter the story rather than have the story told to them by a first-person narrator like Huck. Both narrators and the points of view they are given vary the way the reader is able to experience the text and both are effective at conveying meaning and the overall intended feeling to the reader. Huck's southern language conveys his status, location, and gives the text an "old timey" feel, while the third-person view that follows Kate gives a wider view of the surroundings, both physical surroundings and the surrounding views of others. The methods of narration are very different, but they both allow the reader to get a clearer idea of the culture and the author's idea.

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Family life rules portrayed in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House

                Men and women have been existed since they were firstly created by god. Based on Islam, the first creation is Adam and Hawa. Hawa is created from Adam’s rib, in other word women are under men’s degradation. They are created by Allah to complete each other. Basically, men and women are created in different biology. Men are created with Adam’s apple, moustache, beard, no womb, and no breast, while women are created in a vice versa of men with breast, womb, no Adam’s apple, no moustache, and no beard. They can pregnant and give birth. Women are different from men. Women are weaker then men. However this different biology should not differ their position and discriminate women in society.¹ Because of that history, men are think that they can dominate women.

                It is true that society civilization has centered and placed women into inferior. Many men claimed that their position strongly believed as free to dominate women. That is why, no wonder if violence always happens to women in many aspects of life, such as society, family, education place. Etc. Social arrangement in modern society with social order intensity often placed women even press women in men’s hegemony. It is true that women have got into their education and work, they can also results money, in social structure, they are active, even they have occupied an important position in society or government, such as becoming politician, involving in some organization. But the fact says that women are considered as inferior.² Many cases about men’s subordination in our daily life, it has been experienced by women that led women into misery, violence and oppression. It can be said that it is because of patriarchy. One thing that comes on women is that ‘one is not born a women; rather, one becomes a women’.³

                 Patriarchy is men’s authority which oppressed women through social institution, politic, and economy. In feudal society, socialist or capitalist, as system based on gender and sex, economic discrimination work simultaneously. Patriarchy has a strong power that comes from men’s view, and it has been self mediation, resources, and effect of authority inside or outside house.⁴

            The concept of ‘destiny’ has been adhered to women that they have different role from in society or family. Men usually work outside the house while women work inside the house. In patriarchal practice, the difference role between men and women play role as the effect of different sex. The duty of women is cooking in the kitchen, making up for husband, taking care of children, and other domestic works are the consequent of sex. These women domestic work is eternal. It can not be changed.⁵

            Feminist literary criticism also talks about patriarchy system. That it is actually comes from women’s experience on men’s domination. Feminist critics see that literary work is an important thing to express women’s oppression experienced by them, through language in literary work women are free to express their idea. That is why language is important thing. It is one way to explain their heart, their suffering under men’s domination.

            Many genres of literary work talks about women. It can be the representation of women’s voiced. The theme can be the women oppression by husband or men, women’s refusal in society, or their position in family which is not respected.

            One of literary work that I want to analyze is A Doll’s House written by Henrik Ibsen. This play talks about patriarchy system in family. She is Nora as the main character in this play that is treated as like doll by her husband, Torvald Helmer. Since they got married and have children Nora considered as doll in her own house. The nature of doll is silent, can not do anything, wait for human’s order. Whatever human’s do doll can not do anything because it is something. As same as Nora, a wife who treated as doll by her husband who are not free to do something, faith to husband, and only wait for her husband’s order. What she always does in daily is taking for children, and making up to look beautiful in front of her husband. Because of this condition, finally she leaves her husband and her children. While her husband let her to go and said that he doesn’t love her anymore.

             The writer in this case will analyze that literary work using feminist literary criticism based on Islamic perspective. The writer wants to reveal about family life rules which are centered to women as wife and how husband should treat his wife. Al-Qur’an has talked about this, how husband and wife should behave in family. The writer takes surah An-Nisa’ 34, as the basis in this analysis.

            This verse indicates that men are leader of women. It means that position of women is under men. Men have responsibility to led women into good way. The concept of  ‘šcqãBº§qs%’ must be understood well by men. This words show that men have full responsibility to women to direct women into good way, based on Islamic guidance, Such as respect to women, taking care of them, giving them affection, etc. It many not indicate that ‘leader’ are free to do anything. I illustrate the case of boss to employees or labors, who likes to reign over them or treat them badly. This condition musn’t been done by men (husband) to women (wife). Women are weak creator who really needs men’s affection. This condition have comes as the characteristic of women that women have soft feeling. This women’s soft feeling and their weaknesses should not be the reason for men to do violence, and treat them badly.

              This verse indicates that men (husband) must subjected women (wife) with good treatment. ⁶ Women (wife) must faith to husband. But we have to see on the context of ‘husband’ itself. Should wife faith to husband if they do something wrong? ⁷, this question always comes on our mind when we talks about this, at least women will ask how to treat them if this condition comes on them. In Islam actually women can leave husband (divorce) if husband is in these conditions, first husband is not able to give livelihood spiritually and externally, second husband do affairs with other women (zina).

            The word  Æèdy—qà±è   (Nusyuz) is defined leaving the obligation of husband and wife. Nusyuz from wife is leaving husband.⁸

            This verse explain ‘Nusyuz’ that wife who leave her house and her husband should be given some treatment. Husband must not let wife to do it on and on. The treatments are firstly husband gives some advices, if it doesn’t work, husband can separate his wife, meant by not sleeping together with her. If this also doesn’t work, husband able to hit them, but he should hit her softly, don’t ever leave trace. ⁹. This verse explained on how husband should treat his wife that she should treat his wife well, if they do mistake like Nusyuz, husband forbidden to directly hit his wife, there are ways as I have explained above. If husband should hit his wife he should hit her softly because woman has soft feeling and should be respected.

I infer that A Doll’s House is really appropriate with this verse. It is because this verse talks much about family rules between husband and wife. Nora treated like Doll. Doll who only silent and wait someone to move it. I illustrate this condition as wayang who really depends on dalang because dalang is the one who plays an important role, whether wayang will be bad or good depends on dalang. Since her life, he really wants to make Torvald happy. It is done by borrowing money from Krogstad for going to Italy. But in fact Torvald ignores it, he didn’t respect Nora. One conflict that happened to their household is that no communication, means that Torvald always ignore Nora’s opinion, he even said that Nora likes a child who doesn’t worth to give advice to him. Based on that verse Torvald forbidden to marginalize his wife because she should treat his wife well, but wife (Nora) should not also leave her husband because her husband doesn’t actually experience on what I have explained above.

                For me myself, I see that feminism in Islamic perspective is one thing that must be applied in life. I prefer to have gender and feminist role in Islamic perspective because women have the same chance to be equal normally. Such as in politic, the presence of women can not be neglected. It can be that women have good vision and mission to developed one country than men. But, as women, we should not forget our destiny that we have different duty from men which can not be changed. Such as women are pregnant, they can give birth, they have to faith to husband. In the contrary, husband also should be a good leader for his wife. Finally, if men and women have been understood their own duty as naturally women and men the result come on the understanding, regularity, and harmonic life in family or society.

Finally, this writing has never been written, submitted for another subject of other lecturers, or published in any form.

Yours faithfully

Salimatum Muflihah

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[1] Nyoman Kuta Ratna. 2004. Teori, metode dan teknik penelitian sastra. Yogyakarta:  Pustaka Pelajar. Page. 191

^2. Nyoman Kuta Ratna. 2005. Sastra dan Cultural Studies, Representasi Fiksi dan Fakta. Yogyakarta:  Pustaka Pelajar. Page. 224

³ Peter Barry. 1995.Beginning Theory, An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory (second edition). New York: Manchester University Press. Page. 130

⁴ Maggie Humm. 2002. Ensiklopedia Feminisme (dictionary of feminist theories) Translated by Mundi Rahayu (Universitas muhammadiyah Surakarta), Yogyakarta: Fajar Pustaka Baru. Page 332

⁵ Kadarusman. 2005. Agama, Relasi gender, dan Feminism, Yogyakarta: Kreasi Wacana. Page 21

⁶ Soenarjo (1971). Alqur’an dan terjemahannya, by ketua pelaksana dan penyelenggara penterjemah/pentafsir Al-qur’an. Jakarta. Page 123

⁷ This questions is delivered by Mr. Amri in class of school of literary criticism English department UIN-Malang, Tuesday 8.10-9.50. he is lecturer of English department, FS UM and lecturer of English department UIN-Malang.

⁸ Soenarjo (1971). Alqur’an dan terjemahannya, by ketua pelaksana dan penyelenggara penterjemah/pentafsir Al-qur’an. Jakarta. Page 123

⁹ Soenarjo (1971). Alqur’an dan terjemahannya, by ketua pelaksana dan penyelenggara penterjemah/pentafsir Al-qur’an. Jakarta. Page 123








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