MATERIALISM VIEWED FROM PHILLIPA GREGORY’S NOVEL THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL
A THESIS
BY:
ANGGI BAHRY DAULAY Reg. No. 060705039
ENGLISH LITERATURE FACULTY OF LETTERS NORTH SUMATERA UNIVERSITY
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ABSTRACT
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
1.1. The Background of Analysis
1.2. The Problem of Analysis
1.3. The Objective of Analysis
1.4. The Scope of Analysis
1.5. The Significance of Analysis
1.6. The Method of Analysis
1.7. Review of Related Literature
CHAPTER II CLARIFICATION OF TERMS 2.1. The Description of Materialism
2.1.1. Marxism Materialism
2.2. Literature and Idea
2.2.1 Literature and Materialism
CHAPTER III PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS OF THE NOVEL
3.1 Theme
3.2 Character
3.3 Plot
CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS OF MATERIAISM IN THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL
4.1 The impact of materialism to Anne Boleyn’s personal
life
a. Family Pressure
b. Ambition
4.2 The impact of Anne Boleyn’s materialism to the other
major characters (George Boleyn)
a. Incest
CHAPTER V CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION 5.1. Conclusion
5.2. Suggestion
STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY
Assalamualaikum Warrahmatullahi Wabarakatuh
First of all, I would like to give my huge gratitude to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala for
blessings and bequest in my whole life, especially during the process of analyzing and
finishing this thesis. Keep on trying and do not give up yet then God will let the way.
Second of all, I am grateful to the Dean of Faculty of Letters, University of Sumatera
Utara, Prof. Drs. Syaifuddin, M.A, Ph.D. My gratitude is also expressed to the lovely
kindly the Head and the Secretary of English Department for the easiness and
supports given to me during my study, I am really proud from the bottom of my heart
to be a student of this department.
Third of all, I would like to express my biggest gratitude to Dra. Swesana Mardia
Lubis, M. Hum and Drs. Parlindungan Purba, M.S as my supervisor and
Co-Supervisor Respectively, I am so thankful for helps, countless guidance, easiness, and
contribution to my thesis.
Forth of all but seems like this is the hardest part to say thank you, for my parents
Alm. Syamsul Bahry Daulay and Ny. Sarmiati. Pa, I know you always watching me
there. Thank you for being a very great father in my life. You are the greatest father
that a son would have in this cruel world. Rest In Peace, I will be there someday and
we will be together again. Wait for me…(Ps: Mama misses you a lot). Ma, I’m sorry
for every single tear from your eyes, I am sorry for what I’ve done and haven’t done,
I’m sorry for I hate when I hear you say “sorry” to me (Ma, you never make a mistake
to me). I do hope you will recovery soon from your illness, and I hope my graduation
can be one of things that you can proud of from me. This is I dedicated for you Ma. I
love you more than I love myself and more than the life itself.
Fifth of all I would like to give my huge thankful to all my best fellows I have ever
Ozy, Deene Nasution, Adisty Aulia Maryam, Nayla Nurul Azmi, Dewi Syahputri,
Beibi Gie Enji, Big family of PCMI 2010 (maybe we are the worse part of the
scenario but we are the spotlight of the show) Go Fm 102,6 crews, Starnews Fm 102,6
crews and Hot 90 Fm crews. And for others I can not mention your name one by one
but you know who you are and you that I love you. Thank you for coloring my life
with so many colors.
Last but not least I would like to say thank you for haters and people who
underestimated me. You make me stronger and motivate me to increase my quality of
life. You make me stand on my own feet, you make me accept me as I am, you make
me dare to accept any kind of challenge and you make me as I am now, Gie Daulay.
Thank you very much!
August 2010
The Writer
ABSTRAK
Skripsi ini berjudul Materialism Viewed from Phillipa Gregory’s Novel The
Other Boleyn Girl. Skripsi ini membahas mengenai paham materialisme yang
dijumpai dalam novel The Other Boleyn Girl yang bersetting di awal abad ke enam belas.
Materialisme berawal dari ide yang dicetuskan oleh Karl Marx mengenai kapitalisme dan perbudakan. Namun seiring berjalannya waktu konsep materialisme ini berkembang sesuai dengan kebutuhan dan pemahaman manusia akan materi. Materialisme berkembang menjadi paham yang mengatas namakan kebahagaian yang hanya dapat diperoleh melalui materi. Baik oleh barang- barang mewah maupun status sosial. Dimana akhirnya paham ini seringkali membawa kesengsaraan bagi penganutnya. Skripsi ini terdiri dari 5 (lima) bab; bab I pendahuluan (introduction) membahas tentang latar belakang, batasan masalah, permasalahan, tujuan penulisan, metode penulisan, manfaat penulisan dan beberapa tinjauan pustaka. Bab II membahas tentang tinjauan pustaka dan teori-teori tentang literature, literature and
sociology, Marxism dan materialism. . Bab III membahas mengenai beberapa unsur
intrinsik dari novel The Other Boleyn Girl seperti theme, character, plot, dan setting. Bab IV berisikan hasil analisis mengenai materialisme yang ditemukan dalam novel
The Other Boleyn Girl. Bab V berisikan kesimpulan dan saran . Dari hasil analisis
yang dilakukan oleh penulis, penyebab materialisme ada 2 yaitu, Family Pressure dan
Ambition. Akibat dari materialisme yang dijumpai penulis adalah kematian dan Incest
yang juga berujung dengan kematian. Sementara hal lain yang juga ditemukan adalah
sense of human degradation seperti self centered, selfish, shameless, high temper dan
juga mendapatkan social judgement.
Skripsi ini menggunakan Metode Induktif. Dalam mengumpulkan data penulis menggunakan metode penilitian tinjauan pustaka (library research) dengan cara mengambil data-data didalam novel yang mendukung teori yang digunakan dalam skrispi ini. Sample yang diteliti adalah data-data yang ditemukan dalam novel The
ABSTRAK
Skripsi ini berjudul Materialism Viewed from Phillipa Gregory’s Novel The
Other Boleyn Girl. Skripsi ini membahas mengenai paham materialisme yang
dijumpai dalam novel The Other Boleyn Girl yang bersetting di awal abad ke enam belas.
Materialisme berawal dari ide yang dicetuskan oleh Karl Marx mengenai kapitalisme dan perbudakan. Namun seiring berjalannya waktu konsep materialisme ini berkembang sesuai dengan kebutuhan dan pemahaman manusia akan materi. Materialisme berkembang menjadi paham yang mengatas namakan kebahagaian yang hanya dapat diperoleh melalui materi. Baik oleh barang- barang mewah maupun status sosial. Dimana akhirnya paham ini seringkali membawa kesengsaraan bagi penganutnya. Skripsi ini terdiri dari 5 (lima) bab; bab I pendahuluan (introduction) membahas tentang latar belakang, batasan masalah, permasalahan, tujuan penulisan, metode penulisan, manfaat penulisan dan beberapa tinjauan pustaka. Bab II membahas tentang tinjauan pustaka dan teori-teori tentang literature, literature and
sociology, Marxism dan materialism. . Bab III membahas mengenai beberapa unsur
intrinsik dari novel The Other Boleyn Girl seperti theme, character, plot, dan setting. Bab IV berisikan hasil analisis mengenai materialisme yang ditemukan dalam novel
The Other Boleyn Girl. Bab V berisikan kesimpulan dan saran . Dari hasil analisis
yang dilakukan oleh penulis, penyebab materialisme ada 2 yaitu, Family Pressure dan
Ambition. Akibat dari materialisme yang dijumpai penulis adalah kematian dan Incest
yang juga berujung dengan kematian. Sementara hal lain yang juga ditemukan adalah
sense of human degradation seperti self centered, selfish, shameless, high temper dan
juga mendapatkan social judgement.
Skripsi ini menggunakan Metode Induktif. Dalam mengumpulkan data penulis menggunakan metode penilitian tinjauan pustaka (library research) dengan cara mengambil data-data didalam novel yang mendukung teori yang digunakan dalam skrispi ini. Sample yang diteliti adalah data-data yang ditemukan dalam novel The
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Analysis
Literature derives from the Latin “littera” (‘letter’) which primarily refers to
the written or printed words (Kasim, 2005:1). By this statement it can be stated that
whatever in printed belongs to literature, such as journal, application letter, medical
report, and etc. But actually this informative writing does not belongs to literature
because different kind of language use. It is said that, literature is the art of written
works. It can be stated that literature consist of beautiful words that written in a text.
For example Bear his mild yoke (John Milton). The word “yoke” has different
meaning. It’s not telling about tool which on cow shoulder but it symbolized sin.
Moreover Wellek and Warren (1964: 94) states “literature is said to be creative, an
art”. So it is clear that literature is more that words printed in paper, but it also has
beautiful art of writing.
Indeed that language and literature has a very close relationship between each
other. No language means any literature. As Capman (1982:2) state “If language is the
most advanced form of communication, literature may seen as special use of
language, and perhaps as the highest use to which language can be put”. It can be
concluded that language is the essence of literature, or in the other hand it can say that
language that builds literature
There are three genres of literary works; there are play, poetry, and prose.
Prose is a fictitious narrative kind of writing. In general, this is called novel. Poetry is
There have been three genres known up to the present time drama, poetry, and prose
(Kasim, 2005:11). They have much in common but different in expressing idea, style
and others.
Novel as a literary works gives information to readers about reflection reality
that existed in human’s life. As Taylor (1981:46) state, “a novel is a normally a quite
length of complexity which attempt to reflect and express something of the quality of
value of human experience”, it can be concluded that a novel is made by the author to
express their idea about something based on their experience or people’s experience
around them. Human experience in life may influence the whole life of human
including the way of life.
In this thesis the writer focuses on the novel The Other Boleyn Girl by
Philippa Gregory (at the analysis of this thesis will be shorted as TOBG to make an
easier understanding). This Novel is taken place in palace in Tudor England and tells
about how ambitious Anne Boleyn to have a higher social status by willing to be a
Queen of England. She pushes herself to get a higher class in society because of her
family. Her family is really eager to become one of the most powerful families in
England and they use Anne to fulfill their ambition. Even Anne tried to have a scandal
with her own brother George in order to have an heir to not losing her position as a
queen of England. This ambition brings sorrow not just for Anne which she had a
dead punishment, but also to England as a country because in order to get Anne king
Henry did everything includes political reconstruction which ended with political
destruction.
The main idea that appears in this novel is materialism. According to
Dictionary of social science (2002:299) defines “materialism is the philosophical
everything is counted in term of material. In addition Damono (2003:27) said that
money is a magic power which control human and creates the essential social status. It
means that money is a creature of human which controls them and also their society.
The most well known person who is talking about materialism is Karl Marx
(1818-1883). He presented his approached as "the materialist conception of history".
Historical materialism looks for the causes of developments and changes in human
society in the means by which humans collectively produce the necessities of life.
Here are Karl Max’s historical materialism principles:
1. There is a division of labor into social classes (relations of production) based
on property ownership where some people live from the labor of others.
2. The system of class division is dependent on the mode of production.
(Marx:1859)
By the principles above, Marx makes a classification in human life based on
economy. By this fact it can be concluded that to make a classification in human life,
material is used as measurable things. Although social class is an abstract things but
still how to measure someone’s social class is by looking up material things. In
addition, Miller (1984:144) state “More generally, what this means is that everything
in the universe –from subatomic particles, to tables, chairs, dogs, and cats, to
thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and ideas-everything is reducible to matter which it’s
motions and qualities , to physical states, to a position in space and time, to what can
be quantified “.
Because it is very interesting topic and people face this reality in daily life,
the writer feels that he should make further analysis about this idea, materialism.
parts in this novel that talks or slightly talks about materialism. Besides it successful
in novel, as an English department student, the writer can say that it is a must novel to
read because it will enrich the knowledge of English department student about the
History of United Kingdom. That’s why the writer interested in analyzing The Other
Boleyn Girl novel and entitled his thesis with “Materialism Viewed in The Phillipa
Gregory’s Novel The Other Boleyn Girl
1.2 Problems of the Analysis
According to the title of this analysis about materialism, there are two questions
appeared, they are:
1. What is the impact of materialism to Anne Boleyn’s personal life?
2. What is the impact of Anne Boleyn’s materialism to the other major character
(George Boleyn)?
1.3 The Objective of the Analysis
Dealing with the analysis of materialism in the Phillipa Gregory’s novel The
Other Boleyn Girl, the objectives of this analysis are:
1. To find out the impact of materialism to Anne Boleyn’s personal life.
2. To find out the impact of Anne Boleyn’s materialism to the other major
character (George Boleyn)
1.4 The Scope of the Analysis
This thesis should limit the field which going to be analyzed in order to focus
of the study and which can not. Therefore, this thesis focused on term materialism
found in novel The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory. There are major
characters in the novel that has strong relationship between each other due to
materialism. These major characters show to reader materialistic very clear especially
causes and impacts such as family pressure, ambition, and incest. The major
characters are Anne Boleyn and Anne’s brother George Boleyn
1.5 Significant of the Analysis
The analysis of this thesis expects some significant, they are:
1. Academically, the writer hopes that this analysis can be very useful for anyone
who interested in literature, so this analysis can enrich their knowledge about
literature especially historical literature.
2. Practically, the writer hopes that this analysis can be very useful for anyone
who interested in analyzing philosophy in the literary works especially
materialism. They may make this analysis as their review of related literature.
1.6 Method of The Analysis
Inductive method is used in the analysis of the thesis. Inductive method is
taking some specific data that found in the novel and relate it to the theory. As quoted
from Djajasudarma (1993: 13), inductive method is:
“Pengunaan kajian secara induktif, yakni data dikaji melalui proses yang
berlangsung dari fakta (data) ke toeri, dan tidak sebaliknya dari teori ke
To make it happened; the writer uses some steps in doing inductive method.
Firstly, the writer reads the entire novel which consists of 3__ pages to make the
writer has a clear understanding about the novel. Secondly, the writer tries to find out
some data that exist in the novel which considered as a specific data to support the
title of this thesis about materialism. Thirdly, the writer analyzed the collected data in
order to make a deeper understanding about materialism that found in the novel The
Other Boleyn Girl. Fourthly, the writer makes conclusions from the data that already
analyzed.
1.7 Review of related Literature
In doing this Analysis, the writer read some books which have a relation to the
analysis itself, such as:
Sociology by Papenoe (1986:229). This book tells about human sociology
from different period and the writer founds one chapter that talking about social class.
Papenoe noted that the term class typically refers to a group determined by the role it
plays in economic production in society. Occupation is a basic indicator of the
production group to which one belongs, income is a principal determinant of ones
consumption group.
Sociology by Papenoe (1986:444) also has a clear statement about Karl Marx
opinion about materialism which has a relationship to social class. Throughout
history, Marx says, fundamental class differences have been based on economic
position. In the middle age, for instance, the economy revolved around the feudal
manor, co the main classes were the lords, or landowners, and the serfs, or the
Social Stratification and Inequality: Class Conflict in Historical, Comparative,
and Global Perspective by Mc-Graw-Hill (1983:90) states that Marx believed that to
understand human societies the theorist must begin with the material conditions of
human subsistence, or the economics of producing the necessities of life.
Marx and Engels in Mc-Graw-Hill (1983:95) stated that the history of all
hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle. Free man and slave, patrician
and plebeian, lord and serf, guild-master and journeyman, in a word, oppressor or
oppressed, stood in one constant opposition to one another, carried on an
uninterrupted, now hidden, now open fight, a fight that each time ended, either in
revolutionary reconstitution of society at large, or in the common ruin of the
CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL REVIEW
2.1 Literature
Roberts and Jacobs (1993: 1) states that literature refers to compositions that
tell stories, dramatize situations, express emotions, analyze and advocate ideas. In the
other words, in a literary work contains many human’s experience which made in the
beautiful arrangement of words. Base on that, literature is not only entertaining
people but also leads human to learn some new ideas, situation, or emotional
expression as their knowledge and unconsciously reflected in daily life.
As general fact, literary works contain various aspects in human life such as
culture, social and moral lesson that readers may get and being knowledge from them.
In the other words, it may say that literature can make human be more human because
it is not rarely that after read a literary work, people could change their point of view
upon something.
Roberts and Jacobs (1995:3) distinguish the kinds of literature by stating that
literature may be classified into four categories: (1) prose fiction, (2) poetry, (3)
drama and (4) nonfiction prose. Usually the first three are classified as an imaginative
literature. The genres of imaginative literature have much in common, but they also
have their different characteristic. For instance, the distinguishing characteristics of
prose fiction or narrative fiction are depicted by myths, parables, romances, novels
and short stories.
Moreover, Peck and Coyle (1984:38) basically divide literature into three genres,
drama is the combination of dialogue and stage; and novel is a narrative kind of
fictitious writing.
Originally, fiction means anything crafted, made up, shaped up but recently
‘fiction’ refers to prose stories based on the author’s imagination. The element of
fiction is narration relating or recounting of well order arrangement of events or
actions. Works of fictions usually focus on one or a few major characters that undergo
a change of attitude of character as they interrelate with other characters and deal with
problems. In the other words, fiction, like all imaginative literatures may introduce
true historical details but not the real history. For instance, John Boyne’s The Boy in
The Striped Pajamas which describes holocaust in Nazi’s era when Jews distraction
occurred but the character ‘The Boy in The Striped Pajamas’ or in the novel he called
Shmuel did not exist. Its main purpose is to interest, to stimulate, to instruct and to
divert, not to create precise historical records.
Non fiction prose is one of literary genre that contains scientific data such as news
reports, feature articles, essays, editorials, textbooks, historical and biographical
works. This kind of works have many function, one of the function is as document of
events happened in a time. As Wellek and Warren (1997:1) stated, literature can be
treated as a document in the history of ideas and philosophy for literary history
parallels and reflects intellectual history. So it is clear that if someone wants to know
further about the history or the real condition in certain era, it is better to look at the
literary works in the period itself because a literary work is a directly reflection of
social structure, class struggle and others.
Moreover, major goals of nonfiction prose and imaginative are different. The aim
imaginative literature the aim is the truth to life and human nature, in nonfiction prose
the goal is truth to the factual world of news, science and history.
2.2 Literature and Sociology
Sociology derives from the Greek ‘Socius’ (society) and ‘logos’ (science)
which means the study of all aspects of human and their relation in community
(Ratha, 2003:1). Basically sociology is a field of knowledge which concern about
human act, human interaction to their social and to other human. Moreover, as stated
in Dictionary of Social Sciences (2002: 453), the term of society was first used by
Auguste Comte in 1830s to propose a synthetic science that would unite all
knowledge about human activity. So it can be concluded that through sociology we
can get a deeper understanding about human because we may figure out the way of
human adaptation to the nature, the sociological mechanism of human and other
things.
In general, the object of Sociology is society. A society is a group of humans
or other organisms of a single species that is delineated by the bounds of cultural
identity, social solidarity, functional and others (http/www.wikipedia.com, accessed
on 13 July 2010). Members of society are may not come from one ethnic group or
races. A society may be a particular ethnic group, such as the Bataknese or Javanese;
a nation state, such an Indonesia; a broader cultural group, such as a Eastern society;
or even a social organism such as an ant colony. It can be concluded that there can be
a classification in society because it’s a human being to find out the most convenient
to them where they might think they belongs to. The sense of belonging, the feeling of
one big family based on tribes, nationality, and other things leads a classification in
society. Then the classification in the society is naturally arranged by the society
It is always happened where people try to find out the connection between
literature and society. A lot of scientists try to explain this connection through
researches and their own thinking idea. Karl Marx and Fredrick Engel’s in 1848
published their theory about critical analysis of capitalism and a theory of social of
change called Marxism. In one of the theory called “Historical Materialism”, a
fundamental underlying reality of human existence: that in order for human beings to
survive and continue existence from generation to generation, it is necessary for them
to produce and reproduce the material requirements of life
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marxism, accessed on 4 April, 2010). It is a
methodological approach to the study of society, economics, and history. . It seems
obvious it was Marx’s view as the foundation to the understanding of human society
and historical development.
2.3 Marxism
Definition of Marxism is an economic and social idea based on the theory of
political economic and economic by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. In the other
word, it is a socialism by which the most dominant element is public possession on
the subject of production, distribution and also exchange. In this theory explained
about the real position of proletariat in general system of capitalism.
According to the idea, capitalism is an idea that exploitation of the working
class (proletariat) by the owners of capital (such as factories, machinery, and working
capital) whose profits come from the distinction among the income of labor and the
value of the product. In the time, the classical economic before Marx, prevailed in
England as the most capitalist country. As the matter of fact, Adam Smith and David
Ricardo, by their investigation their investigations of the economic system, laid the
provided a proof of the theory and developed it over and over again. He found that the
value of every commodity is determined by the quantity of socially essential labor
time spent on its production.
According to Marx in www.Marxist.com, a class is defined by the relations of
its members to the means of production. He clearly proclaimed that history is the chronology of class struggles, wars, and uprisings. Under capitalism, the workers,
have to support their families are paid a bare minimum wage or salary. In the process of it, the worker are alienated because they have no control over the labor or product which they produces. The capitalists sell the products produced by the workers at a
proportional value as related to the labor involved. Surplus value is the difference between what the worker is paid and the price for which the product is sold.
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, break up the idealist dialectics of George
Hegelupside down, appear with the new theory called dialectical materialism and a
materialist account of the course of history known as historical materialism. For
Marx, the base material of the world is social relations (and mainly class relations,
e.g., between serfs and lord, or today, between employees and employer). As an
expression of these basic social relations, all other ideologies form, includes those of
science, economics, law, morality, etc.
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels brought the term refers to a theoretical
perspective that holds the satisfaction of everyday economic needs is the primary
reality in every period of history. Contrasted to the German idealist philosophy,
materialism takes the position that society and reality originate from a set of simple
economic acts which human beings carry out in order to provide the material
that before anything else, human beings must produce their everyday economic needs
through their physical labor and practical productive activity. This single economic
act, Marx believed, gives rise to a system of social relations which include political,
legal and religious structures of society.
In his period, Karl Marx was not popular in his lifetime and his writings
remained practically unfamiliar to the greater part of his contemporaries. Much of his
previous works were deeply affected by Hegel, who believed that a man existence
was centered in his capacity for certain reason and then the ideas are the moving force
of behind cultural evolution, spurring us on to build our reality.
Nevertheless, after 1844, Marx turned away from such notions and towards
ideas similar to Fuhrboch, who said that man made his own reality and that the way
they are shapes their reason. Marx said that thinking follows behavior and brought a
materialist view. Marx sought to produce an overview of human history in these terms
and to explain why history took the course it did. History is marked by the growth of
human productive capacity and the forms that history produced for each separate
society is a function of what was needed to maximize productive capacity.
2.4 Materialism
As it stated in Dictionary of social science (2002: 299), materialism is a
philosophical position that states everything is material, or a state of matter. It means
that it is a philosophy of that holds the only thing exists is matter of material; that all
things are composed of material and all phenomena (including consciousness) are the
Some philosophers tried to explain materialism through science since 19th
century since philosophical materialism was developed. A German philosopher,
George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, found a new scientific philosophy called dialectical
materialism. The reality of Hegel’ belief was about spirituality and nature as the
product consumption. In the other words, Hegel required spiritual happiness as the
most important in life.
At the time, the young Karl Marx adored this idea of Hegel and believed that
Hegel had discovered something essential. He especially admires Hegel’s dialectical
account of human history into materialism by adapted Hegel’s idea by arguing that
economic forces were basic to all social phenomena. According to Marx, production
and distribution of life’s necessity should be equal to people, so there is no gap among
society. He proclaimed equality is the most important thing in society to live better
side by side. When Hegel focused on spiritual happiness and Karl Marx developed the
idea of materialism more into economic purpose.
Every individual has to work really hard to fulfill their needs and get better
living within life. It is nature of human being to do it, which is why human often
called as an economic creature. The goal of economic efforts is the pleasure of human
needs. Everyone requires at minimum of food, clothing and housing as the basic needs
of human to survive. Those life’s necessities should be had by all people. The
production of life’s necessities should be enough to all people and the distribution of
it should be spread averagely in order to get better living and equality. That is the
most important thing that Karl Marx tried to emphasize.
By the time is changing and so the human’s needs. In the beginning, they just
need food, clothes and shelter from the weathers to survive. But by the growth of
variation of food, brand new vehicles to ride, or most fashionable clothes to wear.
And to have those things, human need to have a lot of money to buy that. Based on
those matters, many people try to get better life to fulfill their needs.
The position of material in the first place as the life’s essential needs to
survive of human change into prestige of the human himself. Material is no longer
interpreted as the life’s necessities but it changes into money as the exchange devices
nowadays. But as the matter of face, recently becomes the symbol of success and
happiness. This changing process certainly brings a lot of alteration to the human
nature. Material which at the beginning is considered as the life necessities turns into
human obsession to reach the happiness.
Modern people started to think money has such a powerful function. With
money people do not only get anything they want but also they can also do everything
they want to do. Even money involves a human status. Money is a magic power
which control human and creates the essential social status (Ratha, 2003:27). It means
CHAPTER III
PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS OF THE NOVEL
3.1 Theme
Theme is the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary
work. Theme commonly discussed by the reader since it is the most confusing and
famous term between the other literary elements and can be interpreted differently by
each reader. Apparently, The Other Boleyn Girl is a story about family devotion. In
the matter of fact, the main theme of the novel develops a much larger by including
love story and family ambition. There are some major themes of the novel but the
most interesting themes of it are materialism and pursuit of higher social classes as the
symbols of success and happiness.
Gregory portrays the life of 16th-century in England where social classes still
lead the role of human classification. This era decayed social and moral values,
evidenced in its overarching greed, arrogant, empty pursuit of pleasure and even
ignore to other human. This fact makes human turns into beast which can do anything
in order to pursuit their needs, their greediness and their irrational ambition of higher
social classes. Not only in low class society but it is also happened in court in
England. Where Anne Boleyn tried to win King Henry’ heart in case to fulfill her
ambition, becoming queen of England.
When the Tudor period began in 16th-century, about a third of the population
lived in poverty with the wealthy expected to give alms to assist the impotent poor.
Tudor law was harsh on the able bodied poor i.e, those unable to find work. The tables
would stand while they ate. Those who left their parishes in order to locate work were
termed vagabonds and could be subjected to punishments including whipping.
Various inflationary pressures, perhaps due to influx of New World gold and rising
population, set the stage for social upheaval with the gap between the rich and poor
widening. This was a period of significant change for the majority of the rural
population, with manorial lords beginning the process of enclosure.
Gregory positions the characters of The Other Boleyn Girl as reflection of true
events on these social trends. Anne Boleyn and Mary Boleyn, sisters who their family
works in court tried to get a higher position in order to make their family’s material
condition better than before. The gap of rich people and poor people motivated them
to get their ambition. By seeing that they are not come from a very poor family,
greediness of having higher social classes absolutely in charge.
As Gregory saw it, although the Tudor court was glamorous there was deep
poverty and that was a normal way of life. In the 16th-century depicted in the novel,
however, fancy clothes and well mannered people do not guarantee that they are
satisfied with what they have. Still there is an ambition to have more than what they
already have in their life. It is a human being to gain more and more, materialism and
greediness do take a role.
3.2 Character
According to Roberts and Jacobs (1995:51), character is a reasonable facsimile
of human being, with all the good and bad traits of being human. Generally, a story is
concerned as a major problem that a character must be face. It may influence with
force action. The characters of Fitzgerald novel The Other Boleyn Girl are really
interesting, they are:
Mary Boleyn: The novel narrator, Mary an innocent young girl who wants the
best for her family. In her early age of thirteen after married, she asked to take
care of King Henry after the accident that Anne caused. Honest and keep telling
what he like and dislike, especially when the first time she rejected an offered to
become King’s Mistress. This lovable and faithful wife has no choice after her
family pushed her to do what they want. At the end of the time she no longer
pretend to love the King, but she already fell in love with him. Although she
loves her family especially Anne and George, she can be very powerful to say
no when Anne asked George to have sex. Mary is also portrayed as a loving and
devoted mother to her and Anne’s children. The Other Boleyn Girl is told
entirely through Mary’s eyes; her thoughts and perceptions shape and color the
story.
Anne Boleyn: Howard-Boleyn eldest child. This ambitious girl already shown it
when the fir time King Henry came to their house. Anne being more intelligent
is a statement that often comes from Anne's own mouth or that of the girls'
Uncle Howard. Anne is more aware of worldly affairs. She reads intellectual
discourses that are popular for her time, and so she appears to be more
intelligent. She is also more cunning than Mary. Anne is always scheming for
her own benefit. Once she is trained on a specific goal, she will do anything to
attain it. She is a materialistic girl especially due to social status. Mary and Anne
both described as beautiful and sensual, but Anne is often described as more
George Boleyn: the most heartbreaking character of the family. He is tragically
out of place in the world. He is a fantastic courtier, knowing how to manipulate
the king without appearing to do so. He quickly and elegantly gets his sisters out
of trouble when they say or do the wrong things that might displease the king.
George is his sisters' champion. For his part, George is married to one of the
least attractive women in this story, Jane Parker. George is more attracted to
men than to woman, which is a very serious crime in the sixteenth century. He
falls in love with Francis Weston, knowing full well that should this be found
out he will be imprisoned or executed. In the end, it is suggested that George
gave in to Anne's request that he father a child with her in order to save her
crown. Anne hoped that George would give her a son to claim as the king's.
George is thus beheaded, with Anne, at the climax of the novel.
King Henry: In the beginning, though Henry flirts and takes to bed other women
in the court, he appears to be devoted to his wife, Queen Katherine. This instills
a sense of loyalty (though it is tainted) and a deep capacity to love. However, as
the novel progresses, Henry's weaknesses begin to develop. He is "besot" by
Anne, as she tantalizes him, then refuses to have sex with him, and continually
teases him until he declares he has nearly gone crazy over her. She leads him,
like a small puppy, to where she wants him to go. Anne manipulates Henry so
successfully that most of England turns against the court. But through Anne's
advice, Henry learns how much power he has. He can defy the pope. He can
make laws to his liking. He can get rid of his wife—any wife he no longer
wants. Henry becomes more tyrannical as he ages. As he physically declines
matured into his manhood. He is childlike in his wants, and his needs must be
constantly catered to.
Sir Thomas Boleyn: Anne, Mary, and George's father. This old man actually a
very responsible father. As a leader of his family, he tries to do anything to
fulfill their needs. Until he makes a wrong decision by following his brother in
law’s suggestion to make Anne as King Henry’s mistress. Later on this novel he
becomes very eager to make his “Boleyn” family as King Henry relatives. And
that lead him to see the destruction of his own family.
Elizabeth Howard Boleyn: Sir Thomas's wife, mother of Anne, Mary and
George Boleyn. She basically never agrees with his brother idea about Anne and
King Henry. Her feeling as a mother knows that it will end with tragedy. But
because in this period women are powerless and so does she.
Thomas Howard: Head of Howard-Boleyn family, one of the more important
men in England. He is the actor behind everything. He arranged Anne and
Henry, Marry and Henry relationship. Even at the end of the story he tries to
arranged relationship between King Henry and Jane Seymour in order to have
his position in court. This man is very greedy and selfish.
Queen Katherine of Aragon—Henry's first wife of Spanish origins. Daughter of
Queen Isabella of Spain. This woman loves King Henry very much. She tries
and tries to having a heir to the court. She never suspicious about other people, it
shown when she welcoming the Boleyn sisters very well at the court. Until at
the end of the story, she still treat herself as truly Queen of England although
Jane Parker: George Boleyn's wife through arranged marriage. She is forever
spying on the Boleyns and has the most obnoxious sense of sociability. She is
the one who tells King about Anne and George scandal in incest.
William Stafford: An independent man who teaches Mary to think for herself.
William's love has no other motivation than to find and to give happiness.
Henry Percy: Friend of Anne and George. He is accused and beheaded for
adultery with Anne.
Jane Seymour: Young girl of the Seymour family who wins the king's fancy
after Anne cannot conceive a son.
Francis Weston—courtier with whom George Boleyn has a homosexual affair.
3.3 Plot
Plot is often defined as a narrative of motivated actions, involve some conflicts
which are finally solved in the end of the story. It is based on the interactions of
causes and effects as the author put sequentially or chronologically. In the novel The
Other Boleyn Girl, Sir Thomas and Lady Elizabeth Boleyn arrange for the marriage of
their sweet-natured daughter Mary to local merchant William Carey. Finding a
husband for Mary's elder sister Anne will be more problematic. Lady Elizabeth's
brother Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, aware that King Henry VIII is tiring of his
wife Katherine of Aragon who has failed to give him an heir, plans to make Anne the
king's mistress.
Henry is invited to the Boleyn estate. Anne is really happy because as the
eldest sister she should marry first than her sister. Actually Anne has other willing
beside love and found a husband, she just as greedy as her family in order to raise
Mary nurses him back to health. While being taking care, King Henry and Mary have
some conversation which ended with sympathy from King Henry to Marry. Smitten
with her, he orders her and her family to attend him at court, although he already
knew that Marry is somebody’s wife.
Mary tries to say no for million of times but her family insist her to do what
King orders. King Henry offers a high position in court for her family and also high
position for her husband. While Mary turns back and asked a support from her
husband, he can not do anything because it’ a King order and the position which
offered is very demanding.
Henry makes Mary his mistress, pacifying her husband and her brother George
with titles. Anne secretly marries Henry Percy, heir to the Duke of Northumberland,
upsetting his father's dynastic plans. Anne thoughts that nobody knew her marriage
then she tell it to Mary. Shockingly Marry become so angry with this secret marriage.
Without Anne permission she tells everything to her father and uncle. Knowing that
her secret already revealed, Anne becomes so furious to Mary. She fell backstabbed
and betrayed. The marriage is annulled and Anne banished in disgrace to France.
Before leaving to France her mother asked Anne to teach herself at the French court
and come back by becoming someone new.
Mary becomes pregnant; fearful of injuring the unborn child, the king shuns
her bed. Norfolk, worried that the king's affections may stray, summons Anne back
from France to beguile him. Anne keeps her promise to her mom, she come back with
the whole new personality. She becomes more mature, wise and the most important
thing is mysterious and sexy. She knows how to attract men even that man is a king.
She succeeds, alienating King Henry from Mary. Even when Mary birthing a
son for him, he no longer cares. Mary is so upset with Anne, but for Anne it’s all
worth it. She still can not forgive Marry for what she did about her marriage to Henry
Percy. Not only Mary, Anne’s father and uncle also worried about what Anne’s did o
Mary. They are too scared that Anne will ruin their plan.
Anne really knows how to handle Henry, she shrewdly withholds sex until he
will divorce Katherine and marry her. All that Anne did just make Henry crazier about
her. That’s why it not a surprise when Henry agrees, prompting a schism with the
Church of Rome. Mary gives birth to a boy, but Henry drops her at Anne's insistence.
Now queen, Anne bears Henry a daughter, Elizabeth. Still obsessed with
fathering a legitimate male heir, Henry begins paying attention to Jane Seymour.
Anne becomes pregnant again but miscarries. In desperation, she asks her brother
George to have sex with her. George's wife lane Parker finds out about this demand
and reports it to the king. George and Anne are executed. Mary takes Anne's daughter
Elizabeth and brings her up far from court.
3.4 Setting
The setting of Gregory's novel, The Other Boleyn Girl, is sixteenth-century
England, beginning in 1521, with the reunion of the Boleyn sisters in King Henry the
VIII's court and ending in 1536 with the beheading of Anne Boleyn.
This was a tumultuous time in British history. Henry VIII came to power at the
beginning of this century in 1509. Four years later, Earl of Surrey, Thomas Howard
(of the powerful Howard-Boleyn family in this novel) defeated the Scots who
attempted to invade Britain. In 1517, Martin Luther launched the Protestant
move to claim that he, not the pope, was the head of the church in England. In 1533,
when Henry marries Anne Boleyn, he is excommunicated from the Catholic Church.
On other political fronts, Queen Katherine, Henry's first wife, lost favor not
only because she did not bear a son for Henry but also because her nephew, Charles,
who became Emperor Charles V of Spain, turned against King Henry by not
supporting British forces in Henry's bid to take over France. Henry wanted to be king
of both England and France and was led to believe that Charles would help him in this
move. However, as it turned out, Charles was interested in expanding his own power.
He captured the northern portion of France and Italy instead and claimed himself
emperor.
There had never been a female monarch at this time in England, for instance.
Women were taught they were inferior to men and in some cases, women were
considered the instruments of the devil. From an early age, women were taught to
obey their parents without question. This belief was carried into marriage, where
women would do the same with their husbands. It was rare that a woman received an
education. Jane Seymour, whom King Henry married after Anne Boleyn, could barely
read, though Anne Boleyn was highly educated. In terms of marriage, it was rare that
a woman of noble birth would choose her own husband. Marriages in the nobility
were based on political or economic gain for the woman's family. Royal marriages
were largely arranged for political and military power. Often kings and queens did not
see one another until their wedding day. Because of the lower ranking of women, a
male heir was the only assurance of passing titles and family wealth from one
CHAPTER IV
MATERIALISM IN THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL
4.1 The Impact of Materialism to Anne Boleyn Personal Life a. Family Pressure
Family is a smallest part of the society. In a family there is a social connection
between father, mother, children and other family’s member. This is the very first
place where human grow and having a character development. This is why, family
taking a very big role and very important part in human’s life. People’s behavior and
attitude is shaped in his family such as they way they talk, think, act and react.
Children often imitate their family’s member behaviors, even there is a terms which
says that someone’s behavior is a reflection of his family.
As a part of society, the goal of family is making its member as a good
member of society. To make it real, family usually teach their children how to be a
good member of society by choosing the best school, the best environment, and the
best method of growing children due to character shaping. This responsibility and
society pressure sometimes brings devastation to a family. Parents always afraid that
their children could not be as what they hope and get a bad label from society. Social
judgment that one family is failed in raising their children is always become a
nightmare to a parents. And the achievement of having good children is getting a
respect from a society which parents always dream of. This condition leads parents
start to give a pressure to their children.
Family pressure could happen for reasons but mostly it leads by social
judgment. Parents always care with social label to their family. Instead of increasing
they want. Family starts being selfish by not concerning what their children want, but
turn into what family wants. Family often uses their children devotion as a weapon to
press their children and to fulfill their own goals.
In Gregory’s The Other Boleyn Gil, it portrays the life of England in the
beginning of the 16th century. In this period happened the classification of human
based on economical thing or material thing. Such as slave and landowner, ordinary
people and duke with his duchess etc. This is why so many people struggle to increase
their family status or their social status by such things. For example is by arranging a
marriage with someone who has a higher social class. In this terms mostly family or
parents do take a role to make it happened. They are considering their children as tolls
to fulfill their ego, having a higher social class without being alarmed what their
children exactly want. While as children, they can not do anything, they are too afraid
to rebel and get such punishment from their family. Bu the main reason is because of
their devotion to their family.
Family devotion is demonstrated in the way that the three Boleyn siblings do
whatever their parents ask of them. They sacrifice their personal desires for the good
of the family. They are siblings who are tied together through a combination of social
and familial pressures and expectations. While they can no do anything, their family
becomes crazy in making their own obsession come true.
In the very beginning, family pressure is not straightly happened to Anne, for
the very first time they push it to Mary because the King desires her
“if the king has her, and she conceives his bastard, then we
have much to play for” (TOBG p, 28)
This is where anything started. Their uncle Howard already gave a command
have much to play for” shows clearly that he represents his Boleyn-Howard family
wants to have more power if they have the King. In this very beginning part
Howard-Boleyn family already shows who they really are, material chaser. They can do
anything to fulfill their goals even though its sacrifice their own child desire. But still
it is hard for Mary to do it because she already married with William Carey.
“I can’t do it,” I said out loud
“Sir, I am sorry, but I love the queen. She is a great lady and I can’t betray her. I promise before God o cleave only to my husband, and surely I shouldn’t betray him? I know the king is the king; but you can’t want me to?Surely?Sir, I can’t do it.” (TOBG p,29)
From the statement above, although Mary tries to rebel but we can see that she
shout it up with very polite words. It really clears that children have no rights to rebel
their family even Mary is too afraid to rebel her family’s big plan. Gregory keeps
showing what really happened in 16th century where children have no rights to say
what they want. Children are just member of a family. Family’s point of view to their
children is they just a kid and they don’t know what they are saying. Although Mary
tries to express her objection to what her family plan but sure it is useless.
“What am I supposed to do with this delicate conscience?”
he asked the air above the table. (TOBG p,29)
Her uncle Howard makes it straight that any kind of rebel is not acceptable.
Even he thinks that this is just a “delicate” rebel, means that it has no power to rebel
him. Because the one who rebelling him is as a children in family and as an uncle he
is the one who have more power than them who control everything and can not be
Uncle Howard is very appropriate character which shows family pressure
really clear. He thinks that his thought is the best for the rest of the family. He is a
type of a man that can easily press someone who hasn’t much power as he has in
order to get what he wants. I this case, children is the one who hasn’t power as much
as he has. Children have no rights to say what they want let alone rebel what their
family asked them to do.
Everything seems like made each other. The family pressure is always win not
just because the pressure it self, but also the devotion from children to their family.
Gregory tries to emphasize the devotion of the children through the conversation
between Mary and Anne.
“D’you know better than you mother?” Anne asked bluntly “Of course not!”
“Better than you father?Your uncle?” I shook my head
“They are planning a good future for you,” Anne said solemnly. (TOBG p,32)
These sisters have the same mindset that the family knows what’s better for
them. As a good sister, Anne tries to warn her sister what a child should do. And as a
good child Marry agrees with her. Marry too afraid to rebel her family although she
knew that it is all wrong. Moreover there is a faith in her mind that parents or family
knows what best for her. It is not her who decided her future but her family does. Her
family uses this kind of faith and trustiness to more press her. Even they don’t want to
see any kind of failure during the process of making their own obsession comes true.
In the process of getting the king Mary did something wrong and make her
family becomes angry with her. Again in this position Mary as a children already
turns into tools to make their obsession comes true. They do not assume that Mary is a
human who can make mistakes. They assume that Marry is a tool to fulfilling their
“You had him in your hand and you lost him. What did you do wrong?” (TOBG p, 57)
“You must have done something. At the jousting he had your kerchief under his breastplate. You must have done something to upset him after that.” (TOBG p, 57)
“For God’s sake.” Uncle Howard glared at my mother. “You assured me that she had been properly brought up. Half her life spent in the French court and she whines at him as if she were a shepherd girl behind a haystack?” (TOBG p, 57)
Uncle Howard becomes very angry with Mary when she did something wrong.
It is all because he is too afraid that his obsession of getting material and power would
be failed. His obsession and family obsession already control him. So every single
mistake is not acceptable. He can not think more clear to solve the problem; moreover
there is a chance that his plan would be failed.
“Don’t you think there are Seymour girls dancing for him at
this very moment?” (TOBG p,58)
This is why he becomes very furious and out of control. Once he saw a chance
to become a very powerful and have a lot of material because the king desires Mary.
Now it’s like that chance will come to an end and he is not ready yet to give up on
everything while the process of getting his ambition already begin. That is the source
of family pressure, obsession about something that leads with using other family
member as tools to fulfill it.
Actually at this time Anne already shows that she is actually can do what her
family asked Mary to do. She thinks that she can do it better than Mary. And as an
eldest sister it is supposed to be her that given a task which very challenging and have
a great impact toward her family. Anne already jealous with her sister and starts to
Anne gleamed her spiteful little smile “---All she has to do when she returns is to behave so well that she enchants the most educated, the most witty, the most handsome prince in Christendom. D’you think she can do it?” (TOBG p,58)
From the quotation above Anne tries to give a solution how to win king’s
heart. At the beginning of the quotation she act like a good sister who giving advice
for the sake of the family. But she ended her statement with a question which shows
that she hesitates on Mary’s ability. By asking “D’you think she can do it?” Anne tries
to emphasize that Mary is no longer the right person to do that task. In addition, Anne
already give the solution in the beginning of the quotation, it shows that Anne tries to
say that she is the right one to do that ask. She is the one who give solution for the
problem to be solved, so why other person should in charge, why not her?
Anne’s effort to ensure her family works. She really knows how to behave and
ensure other people about her ability. Furthermore, it is her family that needs to
believe on her. She already knew how her family is look a like, and she knows how to
handle it in case to make them believe on her.
Uncle Howard’s attention had moved from me and my future as the brood mare for the family. Instead he was looking at Anne as if he had seen her for he first time. “Not many maids on your age think as clearly as you.”
She smiled at him. “I am a Howard like you” (TOBG p, 59)
From the quotation above it is very clear that her uncle already impressed
with Anne’s suggestion. Once a gain, this is her family who needs to be ensure and
she knows how to do it. By saying “I am a Howard like you” Anne tries to win her
uncle’s heart and tries to make her uncle count on her. If she is a Howard just like
him, she may have the same thought with her uncle. Moreover it would not too hard
“Uncle likes her best,” I said resentfully
“He likes nobody. But he wonders how far she might go.”
(TOBG p, 234)
It is very clear that family obsession can turn someone into stone hearted beast
which presses other member of family in order to fulfill his needs. He is no longer
assuming that the other member of a family is a human, he assuming that they are a
tool to fulfill his obsession. We can see that very clear when Uncle Howard turns into
Anne to get the king. It is all because he saw Anne as more useful tool than Mary. He
saw Anne as a very bright way to lead him to get his obsession. And he would not let
it go; he is too smart and too blind to not use Anne in this big challenging task of the
family. This is where family obsession turns into her and Anne is more than ready to
do it.
b. Ambition
Human needs have functioned to help the human survive and live. This is the
very basic understanding of human needs. But by the time is changing and so are the
human needs. In the beginning, they just need food, clothes and shelter from the
weathers but by the development of human civilization, they need a lot of needs for
their life such as variety flavor of food, lavish house, sophisticated vehicles to ride, or
most fashionable clothes to wear. These needs also can give them prestige as a person,
and hoping to get more respect from the society. And to get those things human need
to have a lot of money to buy them. Based on those matters, many people try hard to
get better life to fulfill their needs.
Human thinks that material can give them a lot of satisfaction. They can get
popularity, achievement, prosperity and respect from other human with material
get the happiness and success, some people choose the wrong way against the moral
values. It becomes no matter right or wrong as long as they get their purpose, in this
occasion, material success. And this is why human turns into a very ambition creature.
Ambition is the desire for personal achievement. It provides the motivation
and determination necessary to help give direction to life. Ambitious people seek to
be the best at what they choose to do for attainment, power, or superiority
(http/www.wikipedia.com, accessed on 1 August 2010). It can be concluded that
people who have ambition on their mind or who already controlled by their own
ambition can do anything to make their ambition become real. They become
self-centered person who doesn’t care about other people’s life. As long as they get what
they really want to get, although it brings devastation to other people, they are
blinding themselves. The goal of this ambition is a very pure of pride and self
satisfaction.
In The Other Boleyn Girl, Gregory depicts what can bring satisfaction in
human’s life. In the early life of 16th century in England, human classification is truly
happened. There was a kind of stratification based on material which appeared social
classes to distinguish a person from high social class to low social class person. These
differences off course brings unbalance is that period of social life. As a human being
that always tries to find out the best way of living, material is a really a matter of a
measures. People try so hard to gain more and more material in order to taking part in
being a high social class people. This kind of desire mostly leads them into a very
deep ambition to make it comes true.
Anne Boleyn is the very perfect example of self ambition. She is really eager
to have the king as her husband in order to become the queen of England.
Anne Boleyn already blind with her own ambition to become the queen of
England. She is just like a selfish self centered fox, which will do anything to get what
on her mind. She doesn’t care about other feeling, even though it is her own sister
feeling. Although for the first time the King already desires Mary, Anne tries to pull it
back to her. Her ambition leads her to cruelty.
“I was born to be your rival,” she said simply (TOBG p, 196)
The quotation above is just like a very out loud speaks which stated that Anne
is ready to bit her own sister. She is not ready to be defeated by her own sister Mary.
This is one of the symptoms that someone already mastered by ambition. A person
would not let anyone bit him in processes to get what he wants; even it is his own
family. Anne already shouts an open invitation with her sister to fight to win king’s
heart. And surely this championship brings Anne to become more eager to get her
ambition. It is natural where people get more exited when there is a competitor. Anne
positioned Mary as her competitor and the goal is Anne should be the winner.
And Anne is not stupid, she armed herself with such good things to increase
her quality as a women. Here Gregory tries to say that there are some good things
from being ambitious. In Anne’s case for example, to get what she wants she
completed herself with good things to make it easier to her to fulfill her ambition.
People tend to armed themselves when they are going to go to a battle field. It
is all about preparation. Mostly losers become a loser because they are lack of
preparation. Skill is taking a part, but without a preparation it will just taken apart.
When people are full of preparation, then they are ready to compete. And Anne
Boleyn is more than ready to compete with her sister Mary.
Anne is smart girl though. She knows what is she doing, and she knows how
to get what she wants. She knows how to make her family believe on her, and she
really knows how to make other people attracted on her. This is all because Anne is
really confidence with herself. Moreover her ambition pushes her to be very
confidence which in some people point of view this is called pride.
“Why should I not do that?” I demanded passionately.” What makes you think that you could hold him and I could not?”
Anne looked at me with her perfectly beautiful face as lovely as if it carved from ice. “Because the woman who manages him will be one who never stops fro a moment remembering that she is there for strategy. You are all ready for pleasures for bed and board. But the woman who manages Henry will know that her pleasure must be in managing his thoughts, every minutes of the day. It would not marriage of sensual lust at all, though Henry would think that was what he was getting. It would be affair of unending skill.” (TOBG p, 53-54)
From the quotation above it can get a clear understanding that Anne purpose to
marry with Henry is not because she loves her. It is all because Henry is a king, and
Anne thinks that if she marries with Henry she might control his thoughts as well as
the future of England. Although she knows that it is so hard to winning the king and
becoming the queen of England. Moreover because her aim is just for power and no
love, she already prepared herself for no joy during the marriage with the. It is all just
about obsession, power and how to make it comes true.
Anne paused before opening he door. “You don’t marry a
king for joy.” (TOBG p, 199)
Anne already desires Henry since the beginning of The Other Boleyn Girl
more interesting. But still it shown and still from the very beginning Anne’s purpose
is not love, but power to control and manage the king. In this very beginning of the
novel Anne still tries to represents her family to get her ambition. It means that she
tried to say that it is not hers but family’s ambition.
“I’m surprised you don’t try for him yourself.”
“I thought of it,” she said honestly.” Any woman in England today would be bound to think of it.”
“What matters is that one of us catching the king. It hardly matters which one. If his taste is for Mary and she has his acknowledgement son then my family becomes the first in the kingdom. Without rival. And we can do it. We can manage the king.” (TOBG p, 59)
For some people being labeled with ambitious person is not a good thing. But for
Anne, she no longer cares. She already deaf, blind, and stone hearted because of her
ambition. Ambition brings such a sense of human degradation in Anne’s life. It is
slowly corrupted a human side of Anne such as shame.
She turned her head away. “If he’d been a proper man he’d have gone on loving me,” she said, her voice harsh. “If I had been the other way round I’d never have married while my lover was free. He gave in, he let me go. I’ll never forgive him. He’s dead for me. I can be dead for him. All I want o do is to get out of his grave and get back to the court. All that there is left for me is ambition.” (TOBG p, 168)
The first person who feels Anne’s ambition is Mary. She is the one who Anne tries to
defeat. Her ambition raises a feeling of hate in Mary’s heart. Mary already in love
with the king, and then Anne come along with her ambition to get the king away from
Mary’s hand. There is no doubt why this all of ambitious things ended with a hate in
Mary’s heart.
“I hate her.” I said simply. “I could happily watch her die of
