CHAPTER II

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Literature Review

What can we know and feel when we read literary work? We will fly into another

world, into a world of imagination, we will see and hear through language. Literature is a

part of our life. It is divided into three parts: poetry, prose and drama, and these parts

are product of society. They are developed according to the development of their

respective society and they even become a part of society. As the opinion of Wellek and

Warren in Theory of Literature that:

Literature is an expression of society, if it assumes that literature, at any given time, mirrors the current social situation ‘correctly’ it is false: it is common place, trite and vague if it means only that literature depicts some aspect of social reality. To say that literature mirrors or express life is even more ambiguous. A writer inevitably expresses his experience and total conception of life but it would be manifestly untrue to say that he expresses the whole life or even life of given time completely and exhaustively (1978:20).

Literature can not exist without language. It is the result of author’s thinking,

experience and imagination that is poured into language as its medium of expression. It

relates with Wellek and Warren said in Theory of literature.

That a literary work can be used like anything, simply as a device for imaginative stimulation, a way to find out what we are thinking or feeling or who we are. Or it can be read as the precise record of an unique and special experience (1991:1).

Literary work is a kind of media for us to know about how the human life at the

past, at the present and even in the future. Nowdays, we know that literary works are

growing up together with human progressive. It means the literature is growing up

continuously because of that we have to know about theories that we can use to

analyze literary work in right context.

Literary work is offered to public as a description of social fact. It is created

together with the authors view, aim, way of life experiences, and even his emotion.

Austin Warren and Rene Wellek (1995:109) wrote in Teori Kesusastraan as:

Sastra adalah institusi sosial yang memakai medium bahsa. Teknik-teknik sastra tradisional seperti simbolisme dan matra bersifat sosial karena merupakan konvensi dan norma masyarakat. Lagi pula sastra “menyajikan kehidupan” dan “kehidupan” sebagian besar terdiri dari kenyataan sosial, walaupun karya sastra juga “meniru” alam dan dunia subjektif manusia.

Literature as an art form it has many benefits for human by reading literary work,

we can compare to other people, knowing their difficulties, suffering and many thing

other qualities. As an imaginative writing, literature creates its own fictional world.

2.2 Structuralism Theory

Structuralism is a theory that sets up literature system as it’s object. Literature

system refers to the general and abstract convention arranging the relation of elements

inside literary text. These elements are arranged to relate one to another and form a

unity. Structuralism considers that the convention can be detected and described

autonomously by structure analysis of literary text, separated it from the author and the

social reality.

There are three main ideas explained in the structuralism as Jean Peaget

mentions. First is the idea of wholeness. It means any intrinsic element building up the

story is the key to determining the whole structure and the other elements as well.

Secondly is the idea of transformation. It means that the structure and the principal of

transformation produce new materials. Thirdly is the idea of self regulation. It is

significant that what is inside the work itself is autonomous and able to prevent its

transformation without any influences from outside.

Pradopo wrote Hawkes’s opinion of structuralism as follows:

Strukturalisme itu pada dasarnya merupakan cara berfikir tentang dunia yang terutama berhubungan dengan tanggapan dan deskripsi struktur-struktur. Menurut pikiran strukturalisme, dunia (karya sastra merupakan susunan hubungan daripada susunan benda-benda. Oleh karena itu kodrat setiap unsur dalam struktur itu tidak memiliki makna dengan sendirinya, melainkan namanya ditentukan oleh hubungan dengan semua unsur karya yang terkandung dalam struktur itu (1995:119-120).

Aminuddin (1987:52) on Sallow (2000:7) explains that in one hand literature is a

verbal structure which has its own outonomy apart from the others elements outside of

it. On the other hand, a literary text is viewed as a complete work and has its inner

coherence. Therefore, to understand a literary work means undrstanding the whole

aspects which are develop the structure of the story.

Therefore, to understand the meaning, literary work should be analyzing based on

its structure apart from historical background and his attention from social background

and its effect to the reader.

In the autonomy structuralism or history structuralism, Jean Piaget (1970:72)

explains that:

Structure word has three main ideas, they are:

a. Wholeness means that the parts of struture itself adjust to the concept instinsic which determines the overall of structure and it parts.

b. Transformation means that structure conducts continuosly transformation procedure to product some new ideas.

c. Self-regulation means that the structure does not need other elements outside of itself to keep the transformation procedure.

Though structuralism has various weakness but we have to agree with Teeuw’s

statement. However, the structuralism analysis is a priority duty for a literary researcher

before he steps to other way because generally literary is “world in a word” which has

intrinsic meaning in the work itself (Jabrohim,2003:55).

Atmazaki (1990:230) in his book Ilmu Sastra Teori dan Terapan said the

structuralism theory uses many different ways to critisize the literary work but they have

basic principles as follows:

a. Kritik berpusat pada karya sastra.b. Karya sastra mempunyai komponen-komponen yang membangun sebuah

kesatuan yang utuh dan lengkap.c. Karya sastra dianalisis dengan memaparkan secermat, semendetail, dan

sedalam mungkin keterkaitan dan keterjalinan aspek karya sastra yang bersama-sama menghasilkan makna yang menyeluruh.

d. Analisis yang baik yaitu melihat hubungan antara aspek-aspek yang ada.e. Karya sastra yang baik adalah karya yang mempunyai antara bentuk dan isi.

The writer uses structuralism theory in analyzing the novel. It is focuses on the

intrinsic elements of the story. This approach prevents the analysis to stay in the

corridor of plot development in Rage of Angels so there is no missing point in terms of

analyzing the characters and the plot pattern. Analysis is focused on the problems

which have been formulated on formulation of problem.

Sidney Sheldon still uses structuralism in understanding literary works. These

factors related with the origin of literary works such as authors and historical reality.

Historical background, time, and society affect the process of creating literary work. The

existence of authors in a certain society also influences the story of one literary work.

2.3 Character

The characters are the people in the story or in the novel. The characters make up

central interest of many dramas or novels. Characters in literature, a personage in a

novel story, short story or poem. Characters is also very important in the story, it is can

make the story to keep moving, without characters the story can not be performed as a

literary work. The term character can be described as follow:

Character in literature is a personage in novel, short story, drama as poem. The term character also donates the essential quality and personality traits in fictional or real individual. The ability to create compelling and believable is one at the hall marks of literay artist (Cayne, 1975:435).

In the art, character refers to person, particularly potrayed by an actor who

appeared in literary work, wether a fictional character or historic figure. Character are

widely considered as an assential element of fictional work especially in novel and play.

The process of creating and developing character in a work fiction is called

characterization.

There are two kinds of character in the story. There are main character and minor character. Main character is a character who plays an important role of a character who is often focused on and given some commnets by the author. Minor character is a character who function as a supporting character, plays additional role and gives support to the main character (Resminy 2007:13).

Characters is the person that presented in a drama or narration and the process

by which the writer makes character seems real to the reader called characterization.

The characters make up central interest of many novels and dramas, as well as

biographies and autobiographies.

characters can be describe by how characters speak, the appearance of characters, the social study of characters, the names of characters, the company of characters, and what characters do (Gill, 1985:127).

A character’s existence may a story including of a play it is maybe explored based

on the characters’s attitude. According to Suharianto (1982:31) in book of Dasar-Dasar

Teori Sastra, he wrote that character is description of figure’s story whether their

performance, their way of life, he believes or his customs in a play, characters have an

important position. Character in a fiction can be considered as a part of person in

society, the author occupies the character as:

A character is someone in literary work who some short of identity, an identity which is made up by appearance, conversation, action, name, and (possible) thought’s going on the head (Suharianto, 1982:31).

The characters have their own characteristics and personality which are absolutely

needed to distinguish them from other characters.

Character is the people in the text, they are part of the ordinary life that you meet as you read, and you might dislike, admire, or symphatize with them (Mars, 1995:26).

Character is the people shown in narrative work, or play, interpreted by the reader

that the people has moral quality and particular tendency expressed in utterance and

action. Related it, Abrams in Nurgiyantoro (2007:165) describes that:

Tokoh cerita (character) adalah orang-orang yang di tampilkan dalam suatu karya naratif, atau drama yang oleh pembaca ditafsirkan memiliki kualitas moral dan kecenderungan tertentu seperti yang diekspresikan dalam ucapan dan apa yang dilakukan dalam tindakan.

Afterward, defenition of character is expressed by Abrams which the character

certain qualities expressed as:

Character are the person, in a dramatic or a narrative work, endowed with normal and qualities that are expressed in what they say, the dialogues, and what they do the action ( 1981:20).

There are five classifications of caharacter as Burhan Nurgiyanto said. The first

classification is based on the caharcters’s role or the importance of the character in the

story line which divided into two types:

Main Character

Main character is the character considered as the most important character in the

story. Main character is the most recounted in the story.

Peripheral Character

Peripheral character is the additional character which its role is unimportant in the

story. The appearance of this chapter is lesser than the main character. This character

appears only when there is relevance to the main character directly or indirectly.

The second classification of character is based on the character’s role and its

function. This classification also divided into two types:

Protagonist

Protagonist is the character which the reader admires to, sometimes called the

hero of the story. This caharacter is the personification of norms and values are ideal

for the reader .Protagonist shows something which agrees with the reader’s view and

hope (Altenberd & Lewis in Nurgiyantoro, 2007:178).

Antagonist

Antagonist is the character which causes the conflict in the story. Sometimes the

antagonist called the enemy of the protagonist because it is believed as the opposition

of the protagonist, directly or indirectly, physically or spiritually.

The third classification of character according to Burhan Nurgiyantoro is the

character based on its characterization. This type devided into two types:

Simple Character

Simple character is the character which shows its original character. The simple

character has only one particular personal quality, particular character. Simple character

does not have character of action which gives surprising affect to the reader. The

character and the action of this character is flat and monotonous .

Complex Character

Complex character is the character which has and shown all its possibly life,

personality, and its self. Compared to the simple character, complex character more like

the real human life because beside having all the possibly characters and action,

complex character also giving surprise to the reader (Abrams in Nurgiyantoro,

2007:183).

The fourth classification of the character is the character which is develop or

undevelop character in the story. This type divided into two types:

Static Character

Static character is the character in the story which has no changing or

development of its character as the result of events happen in the story (Altenbernd &

Lewis in Nurgiyantoro, 2007:188). This character is less involved and insusceptible with

the change of its environment.

Developing Character

Developing character is the character who experience character change and

character development event and plot in the story.

The last classification of character according to Burhan Nurgiyantoro is the

characterization based on the reflecting character to the people from real life. This type

devided into two types:

Typical Character

Typical character is the character which its individuality shown less and more

explored its working quality or its nationality (Altenbernd & Lewis in Nurgiyantoro, 2007:

190). Typical character is the reflection of the people in an institution or the individual as

the part of an institution in reality.

Neutral Character

Neutral character is the character which exists only in the story. It is truly imaginary

character which only exists in the fiction. This Character appears purely for the story,

even neutral character could be the author, the subject of the story, or recounted in the

story. It’s presence does not represent something from outside of itself, something

which comes from reality.

From explanation above, the writer concludes that a character is someone in

literary work that has some sort identity, an identity which is made up by appearance,

conversation, action, and name.

2.4 Plot

A plot is a narration of event. In arranging the events of a story or a novel the

author creates plot. As we know that plot is the sequence of incidents or events of which

a story is composed. Plot may be the single most important device creating unity in a

particular story. It is through plot the author organize the experience of the author and

the author’s experience must tells us a great deal about his way of understanding his

experience. We may conclude that an understanding of a plot is the most important

factor in understanding fiction. A literary fiction, sometimes describes one main idea as

the purpose of the fiction that the author created.

Plot is the whole sequence of events that are related to each other in the story.

Generally, plot has a convention structures: exposition, raising action, conflict, climax,

falling action, and resolution. As Charter (1987: 136-137) divides plot into four parts:

Exposition is the part in which the author introduces the characters, scene,

time, and situation.

Rising action is the dramatization of event that complicates the situation

(complication) and gradually intensifies the conflict.

Climax is where the rising action (complication and conflict) come to further

development and to a moment of crisis.

Falling action is the problem or conflict proceeds toward resolution.

Plot has a relation with character. It was implemented by attitude or action

of characters that are reflected by their attitude or characteristic in

thinking, action, or feeling.

2.5 Women in Literature

Women’s stories need to be told by women themselves. By showing the plight of

their characters experiencing life, female playwrights appeal to their audience and

attempt to trigger a desire for change. Real women who suffer trauma such as the

psychological abuse experienced by Mary in Ripen Our Darkness, the

physicalabuse endured by Marie in Perfect Pie and Emiko in And the Soul Shall

Dance, and the oppression that smothered Josefa in The Day of the Swallows,

provide an “impossible history” that can not be possessed but rather possesses the

victim (Debling, 2008:260).

Consequently, stage plays fill an important role in representing women’s life and

women’s role in the daily. As Judith Herman (1992:133) explains that healing can not

happen in isolation but rather needs a speaker and a listener. Theater fills this role and

can be particularly powerful because the suicidal woman does not only talk to another

character on stage but also to the audience.

Women are reporting only one-quarter of all physical assaults, one-fifth of all

rapes, and one-half of all stalking (NCADV 2009). The provides an exceptional forum for

women are to reach out to other women to make people aware of injustices where the

audience can see, feel, and hear things ‘up close and personal.’ In live performances,

the actors are right there with the audience, sharing the energy, the struggles, and

bringing women’s stories to life. That is the beauty of theater. The actors are working in

the same room, breathing the same air. The theater is the perfect forum for change and

change is what is needed in an unequal society where abuse and oppression exist.

The Women’s International Center in www.wic.org stated that woman was also

accountable for the actions of the family outside the home. for example, if a man took

up excessive drinking or gambling, his wife was blamed for not creating a suitable home

environment. To create an ideal home the wife handled all housework in addition to

being polite, selfless. virtuous, and loving.

In the 1969, woman was responsible to create warm and happy home for her

husband and children. Some families could hire servants but most could not afford to

hire the help of the servants. The duties of running household were very difficult to

women. A woman prepared three times meals every day. Housecleaning, laundry,

mending, and ironing were all done with painstakingcare. Daughters were expected to

help with housework to expedite chores and also to learn skills for their own future

because so many men were killed or seriously wounded in the war, American family

were faced with the difficult task of supporting themselves without the help of the man of

the house. Very small pensions to widows and veterans were not enough to restore

financialstability, women assumed larger roles in the social structure.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/HistoryofWomeni1969intheUnitedStates:2009)

The global community formally recognized gender inequality as women in the

developing world still remain disadvantaged in relation to men. That women have

different characters in each life and women can draw on to meet their needs and their

life.