AN ANALYSIS OF RACISM AMONG THE CHARACTERS IN
KATHRYN STOCKETT’S NOVEL “THE HELP”
THESIS
By:
SULISTIYANI
09360263
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF MUHAMMADIYAH MALANG
AN ANALYSIS OF RACISM AMONG THE CHARACTERS IN
KATHRYN STOCKETT’S NOVEL “THE HELP”
THESIS
This thesis submitted to meet one of the requirements
to achieve Sarjana Degree in English Education
By:
SULISTIYANI
09360263
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF MUHAMMADIYAH MALANG
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Alhamdulillahi rabbil’alamiin, the writer expresses her highest gratitude to Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala for blessing love, opportunity, health, and mercy to
complete this thesis.
In this valuable chance, the researcher aims to express her special gratitude
and appreciation goes to her beloved mother, for the love, pray, and support in every
called, her father, for the hard working to give chance and contribution, her brother,
and sister who have gave inspiration to the writer.
The writer would like to express her greatest thank to Dr. Taufiq Burhan,
M.Pd as her first advisor and Dra. Thathit Manon Andini, M.Hum as her second
advisor, for their suggestion, invaluable guidance and advice during the consultation
period, and their moments and corrections during the completion of this thesis.
Her thankfulness also goes to all her friends in the writer’s live who cannot be
mentioned one by one, particularly to her best friend Lilis Chan who always at the
writer’s side, in Kos Keisya (Bu Kos) at second floor (Tyas, Riska, Yuli, Yati, Yani,
Ria, Rahma, Nur) who are always supporting the writer, La Sorellanza (Ana, Gala,
Linda, Vina, Wulan) for the all feelings that they gave, Hani and Azizah who always
gave their support, Aples Ghaffarlin, and for the E Class UMM ’09.
Malang, March 2014
TABLE OF CONTENTS
APPROVAL ... i
LEGALIZATION ... ii
MOTTO AND DEDICATION ... iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ... iv
ABSTRACT ... v
TABLE OF CONTENTS ... vi
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1.1Background of Study ... 1
1.2Problem of Study ... 3
1.3Purpose of Study ... 4
1.4Significance of Study ... 4
1.5Scope and Limitation ... 4
1.6Definition of Key Term ... 5
CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 2.1Literature ... 6
2.2Novel ... 7
2.3Kinds of Novel ... 8
2.4Elements of Novel ... 9
2.4.2Characterization ... 10
2.5.1.4Arm’s-Length Prejudice ... 16
2.5.2The Reason of Racism ... 17
2.5.2.1 Race ... 17
2.5.2.2Stereotype ... 17
2.5.2.3Prejudice ... 18
2.5.2.4Discrimination ... 18
2.5.3The Way to Solve Racism ... 19
2.5.3.1Affirmative Action ... 19
2.5.3.2Contact Hypothesis ... 19
CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
CHAPTER IV: FINDING AND DISCUSSION 4.1Research Finding ... 26
4.1.1The Form of Racism among the Characters in Kathryn Stockett’s Novel “The Help ... 26
4.1.1.1 Intense Racism ... 26
4.1.1.2 Symbolic racism ... 29
4.1.1.3 Tokenism ... 33
4.1.1.4 Arm’s-Length Prejudice ... 35
4.1.2 The Reason of Racism among the Characters in Kathryn Stockett’s Novel “The Help” ... 38
4.1.2.1Race ... 38
4.1.2.2Stereotype ... 45
4.1.2.3 Prejudice ... 51
4.1.3 How Do the Main Characters to Solve Racism among the Characters in
Kathryn Stockett’s Novel “The Help” ... 56
4.1.3.1 Affirmative Action ... 56
4.1.3.2 Contact Hypothesis ... 57
4.1 Discussion ... 60
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION 5.1 Conclusion ... 63
5.2 Suggestion ... 64
5.2.1 The Readers of This Study ... 64
5.2.2 The Further Researchers ... 64
REFERENCESS
REFERENCES
Abrams, M. H and Harpham, Galt Geoffrey. 2009. A glossary of Library Term, ninth edition. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Arp, Thomas R and Johnson, Greg. 2006. Literature, Structure, Sound, and Sense, ninth edition. Wadsworth: Thomson Learning.
Ary, Donald, Lucy Cheser Jacob, and Asghar Razaveih. 2002. Introduction to Research in Education, sixth edition. Boston: Wadsworth Thomson Learning.
Franzoi, L. Stephen. 2003. International Edition, Social Psychology, third edition. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company.
Henslin, James M. 2002. Essential of Sociology, A Down-to-Earth Approach, fourth edition. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Kennedy, X. J. 1983. Literature, An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, third edition. Canada: Little, Brown & Company (Canada) Limited.
Koesnosoebroto, Dr. Suharyono Basuki. 1988. The Anatomy of Prose Fiction. Jakarta: Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan, Direktorat Jenderal Pendidikan Tinggi Proyek Pengembangan Lembaga Pendidikan Tenaga Kependidikan.
Meyer, Michael. 1990. The Bedford, Introduction to Literature, second edition.
Bedford: Martin’s Press.
Samavor, Larry A and Porter, Richard E. 2001. Communication Between Cultures, fourth edition. Wadsworth: Thomson Learning.
Sears, David O. and Henry, P. J. 2003. The Origins of Symbolic Racism. 259-275. Los Angeles: University of California. (Online), (http://www.isr.ucla.edu/sears/pubs/A149.pdf retrieved on October 16th, 2013) Stewart, Elbert W. 1981. Sociology,Tthe Human Science, second edition. New York:
McGraw-Hill Book Company.
Wright, S.C and Taylor, D.M. 1998. Responding to Tokenism: individual action in the face of collective injustice. 647-667. Canada: European Journal of Social
Psychology. (Online),
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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
This chapter presents background of study, problems of study, purpose of the
study, significance of study, scope and limitation, and definition of key terms.
1.1Background of study
One of the important subjects for the student in majoring English is literature.
It is known that literature is a kind of art, usually written, that offers a pleasure and
entertainment. Literature usually about a fiction but some of the authors also uses a
factual story. The form of literature can be a fiction and nonfiction but the purpose is
to make a pleasure and entertainment.
Literature can be enjoyable and interesting because it gives many functions,
not only pleasure but also lessons to the readers. By reading literature, the readers can
represent their feeling about thought, ideas, desire, and experiences of their life or
other person’s life.
Literature produces literary work such as poetry, prose fiction, drama, short
story, and novel that has existed since thousand years ago. Literary work expresses a
series of happening of human life such as their problem, struggle, and conflict of live.
Literary work teaches the reader about experiences both truth and imagination.
Novel is one of literary works which purpose to entertain, give enjoyment and
motivation. In reading novel, the readers can feel the characters’ feeling and mind. In
other hand, the purpose of novel is getting better understanding about human life and
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the particular vision of life. The theme of novel can be various such as: racism, a
problem which often arises in social life. It is related to discriminative attitude toward
certain people based on race.
Racism is the believe that one race is supreme and all others are innately
superior (Witt, 2010: 295). In U.S.A itself, racism has occurred since 19 century until
now although some of them do not show it briefly. Racism still often occurs until this
time. Racism not only based on the physical appearance, but also come in to system
right now.
Racism is giving discriminative attitude and unequal treatment toward certain
people by considering their race. It may make certain race feel considered superior or
inferior because of the discrimination and unequal treatment. The inferior group tends
to get unequal treatment because they are considered as minority. For example the
racism in football league, one of football player in Spain, he is colored person. He
was played in one of team and another team acted like a monkey when he got the
ball. In Indonesia itself, the racism refers to the system of tribes, religion, and race
(SARA).
The writer chose The Help novel to be analyzed because this novel contains
racism problem. And then, racism problem in this novel often occurs in every
chapter. The Help is a novel which tells about racism. In 2009, a film was produced
about this novel. Among the characters, there is a white woman, Skeeter, who helps
Negroes people. Her white friends do not know that she helps black people to make
rebellion. Skeeter is a good person but her white friends always said that Negroes
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fight white people because they feel that they are the same but they cannot do
anything because they do not have a power. While seeing this discrimination, Skeeter
looks for a way how to help black people to get the equal right. The Negroes people
and Skeeter do the rebellion secretly. While doing their rebellion, there are lots of
conflicts that make them want to get back. That is why this novel is interesting to be
analyzed.
Racism is expected to give an explanation about the social phenomena which
is a social action causing conflict in the society. In The Help novel, the racism
becomes a phenomenon which can cause a problem among the characters and make
the characters hate each others. From the issue above, it can give motivation to the
writer of this thesis to conduct a study on literature, especially on novel “THE HELP”
by Kathryn Stockett.
1.2Problems of the study
1. What are the forms of racism among the characters in Kathryn Stockett’s
novel “The Help”?
2. What are the reasons of racism among the characters in Kathryn Stockett’s
novel “The Help”?
3. How do the main characters solve racism among the characters in Kathryn
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1.3Purpose of the study
On the basis of the statement of the problems, the purpose of this study is
3. To tell the readers how the main characters do to solve racism among the
characters in Kathryn Stockett’s novel “The Help”.
1.4Significance of the study
The researcher hopes that this study will have some significances to the
reader. First, the study will make the students, especially students of English
Department interested in literature and to be more highly motivated to read novel.
Second, this study will serve as an additional source for students that study literature
and who would like to understand about literary works from different point of view.
Besides, this study is expected to give a model in analyzing racism of novel.
The thesis writer hopes this study can help the readers in analyzing novel, by
introducing the novel on literature subject such as poetry, prose, and drama.
1.5Scope and limitation
This study focused on “The Help” novel by Kathryn Stockett especially about racism. Hence, the writer of this thesis limits this discussion to the racism among the
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1.6Definition of key terms
In order to clarify and to avoid misunderstanding of the terms used in this
study, the writer would like to give the definition of the terms used.
- Racism is the belief that race is very important in determining people’s abilities and that people should be treated as inferior or superiors on the
basis of race (Stewart, 1981:199)
- Novel is a book- length story in prose, whose author to create the sense
that, while we read, we experience actual life (Kennedy, 1983:180)
- Kathryn Stockett is the author of the novel. She is an American novelist
and she worked in magazine publishing before publish her first novel, The
Help.
