AN ANALYSIS OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS FOUND IN JENNIFER ARMSTRONG’S NOVEL STEAL AWAY
A THESIS
BY
RUTH YUUN BR GINTING REG. NO: 100721008
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
AN ANALYSIS OF
THE MAIN CHARACTERS FOUND IN
JENNIFER ARMSTRONG’S NOVEL
STEAL AWAY
A THESIS
BY
RUTH YUUN BR GINTING REG. NO. : 100721008
SUPERVISOR CO-SUPERVISOR
Dr. Matius CA. Sembiring, MA Drs. H. Chairul Husni, M.Ed. TESOL Submitted to Faculty of Cultural Studies University of Sumatera Utara Medan in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Sarjana Sastra from Department of English
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
Approved by the Department of English, Faculty of Cultural Studies University of Sumatera Utara (USU) Medan as thesis for The Sarjana Sastra Examination.
Head, Secretary,
Accepted by the Board of Examiners in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Sarjana Sastra from the Department of English, Faculty of Cultural Studies University of Sumatera Utara, Medan.
The examination is held in Department of English Faculty of Cultural Studies University of Sumatera Utara on June 29 2012
Dean of Faculty of Cultural Studies University of Sumatera Utara
Dr. H. Syahron Lubis, MA NIP. 19511013 197603 1 001
Board of Examiners
Dr. H. Muhizar Muchtar, MS ……….
Dr. Hj. Nurlela, M.Hum ……….
Dr. Matius CA. Sembiring, MA ………
Dra. Swesana Mardia Lubis, M. Hum ………
AUTHOR’S DECLRATION
I, RUTH YUUN BR GINTING DECLARE THAT I AM THE SOLE AUTHOR OF THIS THESIS EXCEPT WHERE REFERENCES IS MADE IN THE TEXT OF THIS THESIS. THIS THESIS CONTAINS NO MATERIAL PUBLISHED ELSEWHERE OR EXTRACTED IN WHOLE OR IN PART FROM A THESIS BY WHICH I HAVE QUALIFIED FOR OR AWARDED ANOTHER DEGREE. NO OTHER PERSON’S WORK HAS BEEN USED WITHOUT DUE ACKNOWLEDGMENTS IN THE MAIN TEXT OF THIS THESIS. THIS THESIS HAS NOT BEEN SUBMITTED FOR THE AWARD OF ANOTHER DEGREE IN ANY TERTIARY EDUCATION.
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COPYRIGHT DECLARATION
NAME : RUTH YUUN BR GINTING
TITLE OF THESIS : AN ANALYSIS OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS FOUND IN JENNIFER ARMSTRONG’S NOVEL STEAL AWAY
QUALIFICATION : S-1/SARJANA SASTRA
DEPARTMENT : ENGLISH
I AM WILLING THAT MY THESIS SHOULD BE AVAILABLE FOR REPRODUCTION AT THE DISCRETION OF THE LIBRARIAN OF DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH, FACULTY OF CULTURAL STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF SUMATERA UTARA ON THE UNDERSTANDING THAT USERS ARE MADE AWARE OF THEIR OBLIGATION UNDER THE LAW OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First of all, I would like thank Almighty God, Jesus Christ for blessing me to complete this thesis and fulfilling one of requirements to get the Bachelor Degree from the English Literature Study Program at the Faculty of Cultural Studies University of Sumatera Utara. Thanks God for all your kindness and your love.
I would like to thank The Dean of Faculty of Cultural Studies Dr. H. Syahron Lubis, MA Ph.D. I would like also to thank The Head of English Department Dr. H. Muhizar Muchtar, MS and the Secretary of English Department Dr. Hj. Nurlela, M. Hum. Special thank also to my Supervisor Dr. Matius CA. Sembiring, MA for his support, suggestions and his willingness to share time in correcting throughout the preparation of this thesis during the period of doing this thesis. Then, I would like to thank my co-Supervisor Drs. H. Chairul Husni, M.Ed. TESOL who helps me read and check this thesis. I also express my sincere gratitude to all my lectures for their valuable knowledge, guidance, and advice during my study.
In this opportunity, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my beloved parents Pdt. J. Ginting and Pdt. S. Purba for their motivation including advices, support, materials and encouragements during my study and God bless you forever. I would like to thank my beloved Andy and my little angel Khenzy. I love u……
Finally, I realize that my thesis is still far from being perfect. Therefore, advice, constructive critics and suggestions aiming at this thesis will be warmly welcomed, and highly appreciated.
Medan, June 15th, 2012
The writer
ABSTRAK
TABLE OF CONTENTS
AUTHOR’S DECLARATION
COPYRIGHT DECLARATION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ………. i
ABSTRAK ………. ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ………. iii
I. INTRODUCTION ………. 1
1.1 Background of the Study ………. 1
1.2 Problems of the Study ………. 4
1.3 Objectives of the Study ………. 4
1.4 Scope of the Study ………. 4
1.5 Significances of the Study ………. 5
II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ………. 6
2.1 Literature ………. 6
2.2 Novel ………. 6
2.3 Character ………. 9
2.3.1 Main character and Peripheral character………. 10
2.3.2 Round and Flat character ………. 12
2.3.3 Protagonist and Antagonist character ………. 14
2.4
Character traits ………. 17III. METHODOLOGY ………. 20
3.1 Research Design ………. 20
3.2 Data Collecting ………. 21
3.3 Data Analysis ………. 22
IV. ANALYSIS AND FINDING ………. 23
4.1 Susannah ………. 23
4.2 Bethlehem ………. 29
V. CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION ………. 35
5.1 Conclusion ………. 35
5.2 Suggestion ………. 36
REFERENCES
APPENDICES
ABSTRAK
I.
INTRODUCTION
1.1Background of the Study
Literature is like a mirror that reflects all the lives of people in other places and a period of time. We can learn the history of one country through its literary works. The word `literature’ comes from the Latin word `litera’ which means an art of written works. Early literature was oral, meant to be memorized and recited. Later, literature was written down and read. All cultures and countries have their own literature, even some of them famous in the world. Taylor (1981:1) says, “Literature, like other arts, is essentially an imaginative act, that is, and act of the writer’s imagination in selecting, ordering, and interpreting life-experience”. It means that literature is an interpretation of human’s mind that uses language as medium. It has a large scope and fantastic. In literature, there are three branches of literature such drama, poetry, and prose. Meanwhile, prose can also be divided into novel, short story, romance, etc.
The author of novel of course has a certain purpose why he or she writes a novel. It means that the author has some messages to the reader through his novel. That is why; an interpretation must be done to find out the meaning of novel. We can approach the novel through the characters. As Gill (1985:235) says that the approach through characters to analyze a novel is very important. If you interpret a novel in this way, you will have to consider the effect characters have on you, the feelings they arouse in you, and the judgments you make about them. It means that we can find the meaning and the significance of novel by exploring characters’ mind. Therefore, I interest to discuss the main characters in this thesis.
Characters are the person who plays an important rule to build up the story. A character in a novel is not a real human being and has no life outside the literary composition, however well the illusion of reality has been created by the author. Characters action the way how people live their lives, how they love and hate, how they struggle for their ideals, even how they struggle to prove themselves. All the characters must act and behave according to themselves. He arranges everything, which is to be the main character. He can be a hero or heroine. And minor character completes the story. Sometimes a novelist takes himself in character; he usually uses another name or uses the first person singular pronoun ‘I’ in his work. It proves that most of author made their works base on their background of life, and the situation of their period. Bonazza (1982:3) says that character refers to one of the persons in the story, the end result of the author’s effort to create a fictional personality. It is, of course, not possible to have action without characters or no conflicts without character.
or individuality of a character. Gill (1985:97) explains that we need to do this, because many questions in public examination ask to write about what a character is like. In answering a question like that we will be writing about the ways in which an author has made a particular character distinctive. When we talk about characters, they must be included protagonist and antagonist character. Generally protagonist presented the good habits, and in contrary with antagonist which presented the bad habits or evil.
There are some students of literature in the faculty of cultural studies, University of Sumatera Utara, discuss about main character in their thesis. Such, Rani Yusniati Andayani Damanik’s thesis, An Analysis of the Main Characters’ in Harper Lee’s novel To kill A Mockingbird (2009), and Nadya Natasha’s thesis, An Analysis of Main Characters in Arthur Golden’s novel Memoirs of a Geisha (2011). Most of them describe about how the main characters portrayed in the novel and how the main character struggle in their life. But there is no thesis discuss about main characters in the novel Steal Away. That is way I would discuss about this novel in my thesis.
Steal Away is written by Jennifer Armstrong, the winner of numerous awards
Steal Away because this novel is full of escape adventure, the friendship, and the enduring racism.
There are many characters in this novel, they are; Bethlehem Reid, Susannah McKnight, Free, Mary, Uncle Reid, Aunt Reid, Fidelia, Byron, Mary’s mother, Mary’s father, Lizer, Nahum, Anna Tuke, Given, Mrs. Tuke, and Dorothea Tuke. Meanwhile this thesis focuses to the main characters; Susannah and Bethlehem. 1.2 Problem of the Study
Base on the background of the analysis above, the problem of the analysis may be recognized as follows:
• How the characteristics of the main characters portrayed in the novel?
1.3Objective of the Study
Every analysis has certain purpose or objective to be obtained and avoid deviation from have been planned. Based on the problem of the study above, this thesis has an objective to analyze. It may be recognized as follows:
• To identify the characteristics of the main characters portrayed in the
novel.
1.4 Scope of the Study
1.5 Significances of the Study
II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1 Literature
Rees (1973: 2) says, “Literature, we may now agree, is writing which expresses and communicates thoughts, feelings and attitudes towards life”. Taylor (1981:1) says, “Literature, like other arts, is essentially an imaginative act, that is, and act of the writer’s imagination in selecting, ordering, and interpreting life-experience”. Taylor (1981:1) also says that literature reflects or comments on actual experience; social, philosophical, psychological and moral concerns are inescapable. Rees and Taylor tell us the same about literature, but they write in difference style. Furthermore Taylor (1981:1) says “In the case of literature, words are the medium of expression and it makes little difference whether those words are recorded in the living memory of a people or by some mechanical means such as writing, sound recording, etc.” It means that language is the medium of literature. Actions, characters, and settings are the basic elements of literature and language merely expresses these larger entities which combine to form a literary composition (Taylor 1981:12). Narrative fiction, drama, and poetry are three major genre divisions of literature. There are many subdivisions of narrative fiction, but they are divided into two; traditional and modern narrative fiction. Folk tale, epic, romance, allegory, and satire belong to traditional, novel and short story belong to modern narrative fiction. 2.2Novel
present a documentary picture of life. Peck (1984: 103) adds that novels, however, are long works with a great amount of detail on every page. They thus present all the complicating facts that need to be taken into account before we can reach any sort of judgment. The effect of this detail is what we come to recognize the complex reality of a character or event in the story.
A novel should not be read as the newspaper or even the magazine. A novel should be formulated with the aspects of novel. It means that novel is made up by intrinsic and extrinsic elements. According to Wellek and Warren (1956) in Melani Budianta (1990:82-134), extrinsic elements include author’s biography, psychology, and social condition. And Nurgiyantoro (1995:23) tells that intrinsic elements include plot, theme, setting, characters, point of view, and style.
In a well-done story, all the actions or incidents, speeches, thoughts, and observations are linked together to make up an entirety, sometimes called an organic unity. The essence of this unity is the development and resolution of a conflict, in which the protagonist, or central character, is engaged. The pattern in which the protagonist meets and resolves the conflict is called the plot, which has been compared to the story’s map, scheme, or blueprint. The plot is based on the interactions of causes and effects as they develop sequentially or chronologically. There should be a beginning, middle and an end.
Characters in a novel are the vehicles by which the author conveys to us his or her view of the world. We learn about individual characters form their own words and actions; from what other characters say about hem and the way others act towards them characters help to advance the plot and characters must grow and change in response to their experiences in the novel.
Theme is the central idea which runs through the novel; the author’s purpose in writing. There may be a moral in the story – such as the need for social reform in many of Dickens’ novels. It is the message that author wishes to convey or the lesson author wants the reader to learn. Theme is revealed through the value of characters when confronting obstacles and resolving conflict in pursuit of their goal. It can be considered the foundation and purpose of your novel. Without purpose, the story becomes trivial.
The theme gives the story focus, unity, impact and a ‘point’. The theme becomes clear by looking at what happens to the major characters. If the main character survives while others do not, it shows us that the author is rewarding his (or her) behavior.
The medium of fiction and of all literature is language, and the manipulation of language, the style is the primary skill of the writer. A mark of a good style is active verbs, and nouns that are specific and concrete. Even with the most active and graphic diction possible, writers can never render their incidents and scenes exactly, but they may be judged on how vividly they tell their stories.
2.3Character
It is, of course, not possible to have action without character; events are determined by character and character is also defined by events. The author, of course, arranges the events of novel with characters. Gill (1985:79) says, “An author can use letters, can rely on the conversation of characters, can write about characters’ thoughts, can concentrate on the expressions on characters’ faces, can employ a number of characters who tell the story from their point of view, and can invite the reader to have doubts about the reliability of the one who is telling the story”. It means that, in fiction, a character may be defined as a verbal representation of a human being. The glossary of term defines a character as a person presented in a dramatic or narrative work and characterization is the process by which a writer makes that character seem real to the reader. Through action, speech, description, and commentary, authors portray characters that are worth caring about, rooting for, and even loving, although there are also characters we may laugh at, dislike, or even hate.
Character and characterization are closely related but essentially different concepts. Character refers to one of the persons in the story, the end result of the author’s effort to create a fictional personality. Characterization on the other hand, refers to the means by which the writer creates the sum of traits, thoughts, and actions which, taken together, constitute a character.
2.3.1 Main character and Peripheral character
diutamakan penceritaannya dalam novel yang bersangkutan. Ia merupakan tokoh
yang paling banyak diceritakan, baik sebagai pelaku kejadian maupun yang dikenai
kejadian.” Through quotation, it can be mentioned that main character is kind of character, which often shows up repeatedly as if it dominates every parts of the events in the novel. Regarding to the meaning of active-passive in doing something, both of them can act as a subject that has capability in doing something or as an object that suffers the impact from treatment done by the subject or circumstances. In the other words, a main character does not only act subject but also as object. This kind of character plays important role in the novel and it cannot be ignored. The main character of a story represents the audience’s personal perspective into the story. Through this perspective, we the audiences get to experience what it would be like personally to experience the story’s problems.
Main character in the novel may more than one person, although the superiority degree not always same. For example in the novel Steal Away, found two main characters, Susannah and Bethlehem. These characters will be discussed in this thesis. And of course we may find many peripheral characters in the novel, for example Free, Mary, Uncle Reid, Aunt Reid, Fidelia, Byron, Mary’s mother, Mary’s father, Lizer, Nahum, Anna Tuke, Given, Mrs. Tuke, and Dorothea Tuke, which also found in novel Steal Away as the source of this thesis.
2.3.2 Round and Flat character
The British novelist and critic E. M Foster in his critical work Aspects of the Novel, distinguishes between round and flat character, E.M. Foster, (1993:47:54) says, “Flat characters are constructed round a single idea or quality and can be expressed in a single sentence; round characters are multi-faceted and unpredictable.” “For foster, the test of a round character is whether it is capable of surprising in a convincing way both flat and round characters can coexist in the some novel. Flat characters have advantage of being easily recognized and convenient for their creators.”
The basic trait of round characters is that they recognize,
Because round they usually play a major role in a story, round characters are often called the hero or heroine. Many main characters are anything but heroic, however, and it is therefore preferable to use the more neutral word protagonist. The
protagonist is central to the action, moves against an antagonist, and exhibits the ability to adapt to new circumstances. To the degree that round characters are both individual and sometimes unpredictable, and because they undergo change or growth, they are dynamic. The round characters also known as the main characters because they play a main role in a story of novel.
In contrast, flat characters do not grow. They remain the same because they may be stupid or insensitive or lacking in knowledge or insight. They are static because they end where they begin. But flat characters are not therefore worthless, for they usually highlight the development of the round characters. Usually flat characters are minor (for example relatives, acquaintances, functionaries), although not all minor characters are necessary flat.
Stock characters stay flat as long as they merely perform their roles and exhibit conventional and unindividual traits. When they possess no attitudes except those of their class, they are labeled stereotype, because they all seem to be cast from the same mold or printing matrix.
When authors bring characters into focus, however, no matter what roles they perform, they emerge from flatness and move into roundness. It means that the ability to grow and develop, to be altered by circumstances, makes characters round; absence of these traits makes characters flat.
2.3.3 Protagonist and Antagonist characters
There are two order important terms to keep in mind of description people: protagonist and antagonist. A protagonist is considered to be the main character or lead figure in a novel, play, story, or poem. It is referred to as the “hero” of a work with whom we generally sympathize. Nurgiyantoro (2005:178) says “Tokoh protagonist adalah tokoh yang kita kagumi- yang salah satu jenisnya secara popular
disebut hero-tokoh yang merupakan pengejawantahan norma-norma, nilai-nilai
yang ideal bagi kita.” It means that protagonist reflected a good moral value in his/her action. For example, Damanik in her thesis “An Analysis of the Main Characters’ in Harper Lee’s novel To kill A Mockingbird”(2009) says that Scout Finch (the central figure in the novel) is a protagonist because she has a good moral. Damanik (2009:21-22) says:
an adult moral outlook. She was terrified of Boo, but once she actually saw him, she realized he was harmless. She learns the true value of getting to know someone before judging them. Scout is very warm and friendly. Even in the midst of the tension, when the mob gathers in Tom’s prison, she attempts at a friendly conversation with Mr. Cunningham. During the ladies’ meeting held.”
From the quotation above, Damanik tells that Scout is a good girl, she shows the good moral value, so that Scout called as a protagonist. We can see another example to show about the characteristic of a protagonist from Nadya Natasha’s thesis, An Analysis of Main Characters in Arthur Golden’s novel Memoirs of a Geisha (2011). In this thesis Natasha says that Sayuri, the central figure in the novel is protagonist. Natasha (2011:23) says,
“Sayuri is a hard worker. Since she arrives at the okiya
(geisha house), she works hard. Mother tells her that she can begin her training within a few months if she works hard. Sayuri is a smart girl. After she meets Mameha, she gets a chance to study to be an elegant geisha. At school, she can master all of the lessons only in six months, especially dance, with her own ways and tricks.
Sayuri is a patient girl. She tries to be patient to face all of the situations
around her. Hatsumomo knows about Sayuri’s sister, but when Sayuri asks her where she can find her sister, Sayuri is slapped by Hatsumomo. It does not make little Chiyo gives up. Sayuri is a faithful woman. Since she meets the Chairman in Shirakawa River, she has a purpose of life and tries to be a successful geisha. The only reason is to meet her love, the Chairman.”
Sahap Maranatha’s thesis ‘An Analysis on Hendry Fleming, the Protagonist of Stephen Crene’s Impressionistic novel The Red Badge of Courage.’ This thesis analyzes about protagonist named Hendry Fleming, he is a boy who dreams of battle, and he wants to be a soldier. His mother forbids him to go to battle, but he against his mother. Maranatha (1989:34-35) says:
“He had of course dreamed of battles all his life of vague and bloody conflicts that had thrilled him with their sweep and fire. In vision he had seen himself in many stuggles. He had imagined people secure in the shadow of his eagle-eyed prowess”
It is clear now that his fantasy encourage him to make a decision to enlist although his mother forbids him to become a soldier.
Ignoring his mother’s advice is a bad action, but Hendry Fleming still protagonist because a whole story he gives empathy to the reader. As Nurgiyantoro (2005:178) says “Tokoh protagonis menampilkan sesuatu yang sesuai dengan pandangan kita, harapan-harapan kita pembaca. Maka, kita sering mengenalinya
sebagai memiliki kesamaan dengan kita, permasalahan yang dihadapinya
seolah-olah juga sebagai permasalahan kita, demikian juga halnya dalam menyikapinya.”
It means that a protagonist usually represented what our feeling and our wishes. That is way; the reader may cry when the protagonist being hurt and laugh when a protagonist character gets happiness.
The antagonist is the character with who the protagonist is in conflict, generally not a sympathetic character. This is the character driving the story forward; the one leading the charge towards the Story Goal. This character may or may not be the main character of the story. Either way, the main function of the protagonist is to pursue. The antagonist doesn’t necessarily have to be a person (antagonistic force). It could be death, the devil, an illness, or any challenge that prevents the main character of virtue in a literary work where the protagonist represents evil.
2.4 Character Traits
2.5 The Way of Character Disclosed in Novel
Roberts and Jacobs (1993:132) tell that an author use five ways to present their characters in the novel. As the readers, we must use our knowledge and experience to make judgments about the qualities of characters being revealed.
1. Actions
What characters do is our best way to understand what or who they are. As the ordinary human beings, fictional characters do not necessarily understand how they may be changing or why they do things they do nevertheless, their actions express their characters. Action may also signal qualities such as naiveté, weakness, deceit, a scheming personality, strong inner conflicts, or a realization or growth of some sort.
2. Descriptions, both personal and environmental
Appearance and environment reveal much about character’s social and economic status, of course, but they also tell us more about character traits.
3. Dramatic statement and thoughts
Although the speeches of most characters are functional-essential to keep the story moving along-they provide material from which we can draw conclusions. Often, characters use speech to hide their motivates, though we as readers should see through such a ploy.
4. Statements by other characters
5. Statement by the author speaking as story teller or observer
III. METHODOLOGY
3.1 Research Design
According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, research is a careful, systematic, patient study and investigation in some field of knowledge, undertaken to establish facts or principles. And according to Supranto (1997:1), research basically is an activity to acquire the data/information which is very important to know something, to break a problem, or to develop a science. This definition makes clear that each research need a data to obtain the result. According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, data is a thing known or assumed. Supranto (1997:1) divides the data into two, qualitative data and quantitative data. Qualitative data is the data which is not formed of numerical matters; on the other hand quantitative data is the data which is formed of numerical matters. In this thesis I use the qualitative data, because I will interpretation a novel as the source. In completing this thesis, I use library research. Library research means that I collect my data from written text.
Supranto (1997:39) says “Rancangan riset ialah suatu pengaturan syarat-syarat untuk mengontrol pengumpulan data di dalam suatu riset sedemikian rupa
dengan tujuan untuk mengkombinasikan segala informasi yang relevan dengan (ada
hubungan) sesuai dengan tujuan riset. It means that research design can be
interpretation through extrinsic approach and interpretation through intrinsic approach. In doing this analysis of course I use intrinsic element, focus to characters although entire elements actually connected one with other. Besides, literary theories and approaches are also very helpful in this literary analysis. According to Gill (1985:234-235), there are five approaches to interpretation of literary work; interpretation through characters, interpretation through society, interpretation through ideas, interpretation through literary forms, and interpretation through history. I use these approaches to analyze this novel, but I give priority to interpret through characters. Gill (1985:235) says that approach through characters is very popular. It finds the meaning of work in what they show about characters’ thoughts and feelings, the views they have of themselves, the way they change and grow, and the way they establish, maintain or break relationship.
3.2 Data Collecting
3.3 Data Analysis
IV. ANALYSIS AND FINDING
In this term, I would analysis the main characters found in novel Steal Away. Begin determining the character’s outstanding traits and find out the characteristics of main characters. There are two main characters found in this novel, they are most told in the novel, they are Susannah and Bethlehem. Susannah and Bethlehem are the characters that appear in most part of the novel. Then it is also means that they are main characters. It is not too much if I say that almost the whole story in the novel talk about them, but everything is related to their vision and action.
This story use flash back style. In the fall of 1896 elderly Susannah McKnight coaxes her granddaughter Mary to travel with her to Canada to visit someone Mary regards as an "old slave woman." When Susannah meets Bethlehem, they tell their amazing story of undying friendship and courage which happened in their past time to Mary. As young girls Susannah and Bethlehem helped each other escape to the North: for Bethlehem, freedom; for Susannah, a return to the home she loved.
4.1 Susannah
“And everywhere I looked were slaves. I had seen Negroes before, of course. There were freedmen-a few-in Bennington. But to me, the condition of these Front Royal slaves loomed as large in my imagination as though they stood wrapped in chains. In fact, they merely carried sacks, or stood at the heads of nervous horses or stepped out of white folks’ way. I was terrified of them. “Susannah!” Behind me, my uncle barked my name like a warning, and I nearly fell out onto the platform. For a moment, I thought, I might cry.”
(Armstrong 1992: 11)
The quotation above shows the first way that Susannah is protagonist on this novel because she has an empathy sense toward slavery. She always cries to see slavery, because the slaves are treated and traded like animal. This story takes place in 1855 where slavery is legal in America, especially for southerner who has a large farm. Before, Susannah only saw a few freedmen in Bennington but in Virginia she found so many slaves. She is more disappointed when she knows her uncle also has many slaves. It is noticed that her uncle’s family are antagonist in this novel. They are Reverend Reid, Miz Reid, Fidelia, and Byron. Susannah is frightened when Uncle Reid gives her a slave, named Bethlehem. Susannah would not be a slaveholder. She is kind-hearted girl.
Susannah has a good moral, she against slavery, she knows that slavery is wrong. But, her uncle, Reverend Reid agrees with slavery. He is a minister who uses Bible to support his idealism of slavery. The quotation below shows it:
“I take as my text today the words of Leviticus: “Both thy bond-men and thy bond-maidens which thou shalt have shall be of the heathen that are around you; of them ye shall buy bond-men and bond-maids; and ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you; they shall b your bond-men forever”
sons of Ham, the accursed son of Noah. And God said, “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.” It is ordained by God himself that the black man shall be held in perpetual bondage to the white man.’ “Our lord Jesus came to fulfill the laws of God, not to overturn them! Thus, as slavery is held in God’s favor and esteem, they sin mightily who seek to abolish our sanctified institution. Therefore, my friends fear God and obey him. Treat your servant as you should. Turn you face from those who tread the path of damnation. Cleave unto our laws in all righteousness. In the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.”
(Armstrong 1992:32-34)
That is one of his sermons in 1860 edition, tells that God even agrees with slavery, He instructed to have slaves. Mr. Reid says that slave is identical with black race, African; descendants of Canaan who had been cursed by God. And Mr. Reid says that they must obey God’s instruction to being a slaveholder. It is makes Susannah against the southerner conviction and become disrespectful of the clergy. She believes that every people born freely and same degree.
Susannah is a girl of great courage, she ignorant of southern ways by make a friend with slave. Actually it is not easy to make a friend with her slave Bethlehem, because Bethlehem scared when Susannah treat her as a friend, so Bethlehem dreaded meeting her every turn. But Susannah is always kind to Bethlehem until she believe her and feels comfortable. Even Susannah broke low by teaching her slave to read. In that period slave cannot read and forbidden to teach a slave to read, so that the slaves are stupid permanent. But as a courage girl, Susannah teaches Bethlehem to read.
“I know it may seem peculiar that I did not try harder to make a friend of Fidelia and Byron, but would choose instead to seek out a black slave girl. I can only say that Fidelia and I had a natural antipathy toward each other that was evident from the first, and we made no pretense of love. She was peevish, indolent, and vain, or seemed so to me then. Now, I suppose she was lonely and raised to believe she was made of finer stuff than everyone around her. And of course, her strong affection for Byron made any newcomer an instant rival. It was perhaps for this reason as well that Byron could not relieve my loneliness. The more attention he paid to me, the more aversion Fidelia displayed. And for all his charm, there was a weakness in Byron that I was not old enough to forgive: he was an apologist for slavery. I avoided him finally. And although young ladies at that time were discouraged from idleness, my aunt took very little notice of me. Whenever she happened upon me, she acted rather surprised, and then set me to some small domestic task, such as copying out recipes, counting stores, or making lace for the missionaries. I was thus very much alone.”
(Armstrong 1992:60-61)
The quotation shows how much she becomes stress in Virginia. She never felt home. This is the reason why she wants to go back to Vermont. She still pined for Vermont, although at first it was a hopeless wish. But one day, after reading Andersen’s Danish Storybook she gets an idea. This book inspired her to running away. It is noticed that Susannah is a round character. She is main character who has multi-faceted and unpredictable.
“Don’t you understand the littlest thing?” Bethlehem blazed up. Her eyes looked hot. “I’m running away! Runaway niggers mostly get strung up when they’re caught or they feet chopped. Don’t you know it?”
“Well, we ain’t getting caught!” I retorted. “I don’t aim to go back there either!”
(Armstrong 1992:76)
The quotation shows Bethlehem was regret to run away, she is so panic when imagine the risk of Runaway nagger. She can be strung when they caught. But in this case Susannah shows her responsibility. Although she is still young but there are some ways shows her responsibilities to Bethlehem since they are running away. When they arrive at Maryland, they see an announcement about them. It frightened her very much because the announcement tells that they had been chased. See the following quotation:
“My lord, she knew,” Susannah said. Her eyes were huge. I was breathing hard. “No more towns. I can’t take no more towns.” She nodded and gulped for air. “No more going on the reads, neither,” I said. She nodded again. Then she stared down at her hand. She still clutched her licorice stick, and her fingers were black with it. A wasp hovered, with a shudder, Susannah flung the candy away from her into the grass. “I won’t let them get you, Bethlehem,” she breathed. She looked up and met my eyes. “I swear by God I won’t.” I know she meant it. But there was something bigger and stronger than her that wouldn’t let it be true.
(Armstrong 1992:122-124)
Their escape adventure is not easy to done. Susannah gets a big trouble when she cut her hand intuitively in the dark woods. She trembled because of rain and bleeding. She gets worse, her skin was hot and it fainting her. But Bethlehem saves her to Tukes’ home in Pennsylvania. Tukes were very kind to them; they stay there for several days. Actually, Susannah can live with Tukes but not for Bethlehem. Because there was no guarantee of a fugitive slave there, even there was no love of slavery in Pennsylvania, so Bethlehem cannot stay there longer. But, Susannah refuse the offer to stay with Tukes because her friendship with Bethlehem. This is the second way shows that Susannah keeps her responsibility. Moreover, this case noted that she is a loyal girl. See the following quotation:
“Thou might stay on here,” Brother Amariah said, breaking the late, golden stillness. A crow flapped languidly across the horizon. “May we? I know Bethlehem would love it. I think she has a genuine fondles for Nahum. He’s the best baby I ever-“ “Not Bethlehem.”
From the quotation above, found that Susannah is not egoist, her love and her solidarity make her like that. Her struggle to keep their adventure, her sacrifice to her slave and her loving, strengthen that Susannah is Protagonist.
4.2 Bethlehem
Bethlehem is a slave that given by Uncle Reid to Susannah. She is a dark-skinned nagger, has same age with her new miss, Susannah, thirteen years old. Bethlehem is the second main character found in this novel. She reflected the condition of slavery in that period, where they feeling always ignored by white race. She is unlucky girl who always miss Canada, the place where is no slavery there. She believes that one day there is an angel brings her to the freedom. Bethlehem also an orphan girl, she lives in Reid’s Farm without kin. She always works in Reid’s Farm without rest. Her life is full of sadness and darkness. She is also a lonesome girl. She was separated from her family, because they are sold anywhere. Her deep sadness make her being melancholy.
“Lizer. Monday. Squash. Betty’s Tim. Saul. Nancy. One after the other, the faces of my black brethren floated down through the nighttime shades and passed across my eyes. Some faces I couldn’t even put a name onto, and those were faces from the place I was before Reids’ or at the place before that one. One of those faces might be my own mother’s, but I didn’t know. “ “I had walked off and left them all behind me. How could I? How could I?” “For the first time in a very long time, I felt a deep hole in me that I knew was from my mama. I’d never know her, not now; there wouldn’t aver be a way.” “Who was that woman? What sound rose from her mouth when a white man took me away? What did she do with her hands when her child was gone? What tears of lamentation did she rain onto Jesus’ feet? “
(Armstrong 1992:39)
treatment every day. Often Miss Reid slaps and scratches her out. The fact can be proved from the following quotation:
Her crying was wild and crazy, and her nails tore into my ankles again and again. I did not know what to say. I agree with her: I was sure my God would send her and all her kind to hell for their wickednesses, just as sure as the slaves would find freedom with the angels on the right hand of the Lord. I wanted to say, “Yes, King Jesus!” and raise my arms. But the creature at my feet turned my stomach. It sickens me even now.
(Armstrong 1992:39)
The quotation above shows that she is a mistreated girl. Bethlehem needs freedom very much, so she agrees to run away with Susannah. Bethlehem hope can reach Canada, the Promised Land. Actually she scared because she can imagine the risks if they will be recaptured, but her ambitious to get freedom defeat her fear. See the quotation below:
I had never thought of running until Susannah put it in my head. Before that, the dull, same old sameness of my days was like a dose of laudamun: nothing changed; nothing happened. I was no way resigned to my life, but neither was I desperate. Besides, the whispers about runaways were tales of panic in the woods, dogs, recapture chains. There was a line that needed stepping over to face those things. I needed something to push me. What started to push was a skinny white girl with foolish ideas but a strong power of wanting.
And Susannah’s path lay along the road to Canada. It was something for me to think on.
(Armstrong 1992:39)
From the quotation above we know that Bethlehem is changed. She has a braveness to change her destiny. It is noticed that Bethlehem is round character in this novel.
weather was fair, the way was mountainous but clear, and people were generous. Mostly their pay was supper and a place to sleep; one kindly woman on the road to Emmetsburg gave Susannah a few pennies for the job and Bethlehem cleaning out a smokehouse. No doubt it was that pretty hair again. But when they reach Maryland, they conscious they are not safe any longer because Uncle Reid distributed the poster which shows that Susannah and Bethlehem are in recapture. So they must be hiding and ignore the eye contact with another people, they run into the woods.
As I said before, their escape adventure is not easy, but in this case Bethlehem shows her loyalty toward Susannah. When Susannah got sick in the woods, Bethlehem tried to help her although she is also tired. When Susannah cannot continue to walk Bethlehem try to safe her, whatever the risk. See the following quotation:
“I’m going to find a doctor for you,” I said, although she was asleep again. A trail of noise and disruption opened up as I went. Quails burst from the ground; wood cracked; squirrels rattled. Each way I turned put brambles in my path; each step I took rocked a stone under my feet. The trees clawed over my head, clashing arms against me. I could not breathe. I would keep that with me as my silk and my honey when I was caught and in slavery again. (Armstrong, 1992:150)
that Bethlehem is a loyal girl and a kind-hearted girl. So, Bethlehem is also a protagonist in this novel.
In this novel we found that both of Susannah and Bethlehem has the characteristics of protagonist. Susannah is a kind girl, courage girl, self confident, responsible girl, ambitious girl, has a sympathy sense toward slave and has a high solidarity sense. Through these characteristics, she can establish the friendship with her slave. It means that she can establish the friendship between white race and black race. They running away together and help each other. Their friendship can be seen the following quotation:
“And listen, a real dab cut was what Susannah had. “let me tote your bundle,” I said. Susannah hitched it clumsily under her left arm. “You don’t have to do that.” “I knew she had the same bad and itchy feeling she had when she came to the farm, not wanting to be beholden to a slave. But I was not a slave, not anymore.” “I know I don’t have to. I’m doing it just the same.” “I slipped the bundle away from her and started walking. I thought she might want to stop in that glade awhile, but I had it in mind to get moving as soon as we could. What with Susannah being hurt, there was no telling what happen next. Best to be always going ahead, I thought.’
(Armstrong 1992: 141)
From the quotation above, we can learn that Bethlehem help Susannah when she being hurt in the woods. The sentence But I was not a slave, not anymore, shows that Bethlehem feel the same degree with Susannah, she has felt the sense of freedom with Susannah. Bethlehem tries to protect Susannah, she bandage Susannah’s injury, tote Susannah’s bundle, and searching for the food. See the following quotation:
was cold and tasteless. I chewed it mechanically and tried to ignore the throbbing ache in my right arm. Bethlehem fed me the fish piece by piece until I was too tired to chew. I was as obedient as a baby. I didn’t have the strength to turn my head away.
(Armstrong 1992: 145)
The quotation above shows that Bethlehem take care of Susannah, she fed Susannah when Susannah get worse. Actually once, Bethlehem had tried to run away from Susannah because she was not believed that Susannah could give a freedom. Bethlehem wanted goes to Canada alone, but when she looked Susannah being hurt, she cannot let her alone. From the bottom of her heart, she starts to love Susannah. See the quotation below:
“My eyes grew cold as I beheld her. I was only in trouble because of her. A burden. She had become a terrible burden. How could I hope to see freedom with this trial before me? I so much wanted to be shut of her.” “But if I left her, then what kind of freedom would I have?”
(Armstrong 1992: 155)
V. CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
5.1 Conclusion
Having analyzed the description of main characters in this thesis, character is an important element in literature. It has a dominant part of literary work which determines the integrated elements of literature from beginning to the end. Characters are fictitious living person who live as if they were real. They talk, have feelings and live together to fulfill their needs as individual and social living in a character or person, he or she has the quality of being person.
There are two main characters in the novel Steal away, named Susannah and Bethlehem. They are called as the main character because both of them are most told in the novel. Susannah is protagonist because she reflects the moral value and reflects what the reader wish. Susannah is the central figure in the novel. She is an encourage girl, an ambitious girl, responsible girl and has a solidarity sense toward slave. She against the slavery and success in make a friend with black race, even she loves her slave so much. She is also ambitious girl in struggle to get a freedom. Her sacrifices toward her slave strengthen her as protagonist in this novel. Susannah is also round character, because her action is unpredictable
Bethlehem is a loyal girl; she is a slave of Susannah. She is a melancholic and pessimist girl. It is normal because she is slave. But she has an ambitious side to get a freedom. Her ambitious defeat her fear. This way noticed that she is also round character.
5.2 Suggestion
REFERENCES
Armstrong, Jennifer. 1992. Steal Away. New York: Scholastic Inc.
Bonazza, Blaze O and Roy, Emil. 1982. Studies in Fiction. New York: Harper and Row Publishers Inc.
Budianta, Melani 1995. Teori Kesusasteraan. Jakarta: PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama. Foster, E. M. 1970. Aspect of the Novel. Harmondswort: Penguin Book.
Gill, Richard. 1985. Mastering English Literature. London: Macmillan Press Ltd. Kennedy, X. J. 1991. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama.
New York: Harper Collins Publisher Inc.
Nurgiyantoro, Burhan 1995. Teori Pengkajian Fiksi. Yogyakarta: Gadjah Mada University Press.
Nasution, S. 1995. Metode Research. Jakarta: Bumi Aksara. Nazir, Moh. 2005. Metode Penelitian. Ciawi:Ghalia Indonesia.
Peck, John and Coyle, Martin. 1984. Literary Terms and Criticism. London: Macmillan Education Ltd.
Roberts, Edgar. V and Jacobs, Hendry E. 1993. Literature: An Introduction to
Reading and Writing. New York: A Simon and Schuster Company.
Supranto, J. 1997. Metode Riset. Jakarta: PT Rineka Cipta.
Sutrisno, Hadi,. 1980. Metodologi Research. Yogyakarta: Andy Offset
APPENDICES Appendix 1: Biography of Jennifer Armstrong
Born in 1961 in Waltham, MA, Jennifer Armstrong moved to New York
when she was two. Except for a year in Switzerland, she spent most of her time
growing up in South Salem, NY (about 50 miles north of New York City).
The winner of numerous awards for both fiction and nonfiction, Jennifer Armstrong has written more than 100 books for all ages, from pre-school through young adult. Growing up in South Salem, New York, Armstrong knew by the time she was six that she was going to be an author. As a child she spent countless hours outside, making up adventure stories and acting them out. After graduating from Smith College in Massachusetts, Armstrong worked as a ghostwriter for a bestselling teen series and began to write her own books. She has since written picture books, easy readers, chapter books, young adult novels, and nonfiction. History has been a recurring theme in both her fiction and nonfiction.
Among her recent works are Photo by Brady: A Picture of the Civil War
(Atheneum), a James Madison Book Award Honor Book and an IRA Teachers' Choice for 2006 and Magnus at the Fire (Simon & Schuster), a picture book illustrated by Owen Smith that won a 2005 Henry Bergh Children's Book Award from the ASPCA.
She is also the author of Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The
Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance, winner of the NCTE
Children's Book and an SCBWI Golden Kite Honor book; and Becoming Mary Mehan (Knopf), a pair of novels set during the Civil War. She is the recipient of the New York State Library Association Knickerbocker Award for Juvenile Literature.
A frequent speaker at schools, conferences, and children's literature events, Jennifer Armstrong has also been a guest lecturer at the MFA in Writing for Children program at Vermont College and a writer in residence at the Writers Voice of Silver Bay. She serves as Vice President of the board of directors at Ausable Press, one of the leading not-for-profit small poetry presses in the country, and also sits on the board of the Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs, New York, a project to turn a historic church into a performing arts center.
W o r k s
Steal Away
Hugh Can Do
(novel), Orchard (New York, NY), 1992.
Chin Yu Min and the Ginger Cat
(picture book), illustrated by Kimberly Root, Crown (New York, NY), 1992.
That Terrible Baby
(picture book), illustrated by Mary GrandPre, Crown (New York, NY), 1993.
Little Salt Lick and the Sun King
(picture book), illustrated by Susan Meddaugh, Tambourine Books (New York, NY), 1994.
The Whittler's Tale
(picture book), illustrated by Jon Goodell, Crown (New York, NY), 1994.
King Crow
(picture book), illustrated by Valery Vasiliev, Tambourine Books (New York, NY), 1994.
Wan Hu Is in the Stars
Black-eyed Susan, illustrated by Emily Martindale, Crown (New York, NY), 1995. (picture book), illustrated by Barry Root, Tambourine Books (New York, NY), 1995.
The Dreams of Mairhe Mehan
The Snowball, illustrated by Jean Pidgin, Random House (New York, NY), 1996. (young-adult novel; also see below), Knopf (New York, NY), 1996.
Patrick Doyle Is Full of Blarney, illustrated by Krista Brauckmann-Towns, Random House (New York, NY), 1996.
Mary Mehan Awake
Sunshine, Moonshine, Random House (New York, NY), 1997.
(young adult novel; also see below), Knopf (New York, NY), 1996.
Foolish Gretel, illustrated by Bill Dodge, Random House (New York, NY), 1997.
Lili the Brave, illustrated by Uldis Klavins, Random House (New York, NY), 1997.
Pockets
Pierre's Dream
(picture book), illustrated by Mary GrandPre, Crown (New York, NY), 1998.
Theodore Roosevelt: Letters from a Young Coal Miner
(picture book), illustrated by Susan Gaber, Dial (New York, NY), 1999.
Thomas Jefferson: Letters from a Philadelphia Bookworm
("Dear Mr. President" series), Winslow Press (Delray Beach, FL), 2000.
Becoming Mary Mehan: Two Novels
("Dear Mr. President" series), Winslow Press (Delray Beach, FL), 2000.
(includes The Dreams of Mairhe
Mehan and
The Snowball, illustrated by Jean Pidgeon, Random House (New York, NY), 2003.
Once upon a Banana, illustrated by David Small, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2006.
Magnus at the Fire, illustrated by Owen Smith, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2005.
Appendix 2: Summary of Steal Away
The author chose to tell the story alternating between flashbacks in 1855 and
the current year, 1896, when Bethlehem and Susannah are old women, reunited in
Canada to tell the story of their escape. In the fall of 1896 elderly Susannah
McKnight coaxes her granddaughter Mary to travel with her to Canada to visit someone Mary regards as an "old slave woman." Mary's vision of Bethlehem Reid is shattered, however, when she hears an amazing story of undying friendship and courage.
Susannah, a white girl rose in the North, Vermont, watches her parents die
when they fall through the ice of a frozen lake, and is sent to live with her father's
brother, who is a slave owner in the South, Virginia. Susannah believes that slavery is wrong, and matters are made worse when she is given a slave, Bethlehem. Susannah befriends her and teaches her to read. Having been taught the evils of slavery all her life, Susannah hates everything about life on her uncle's farm. She makes a plan to
escape and then asks Bethlehem help getting back to Vermont. Bethlehem deals with her hatred of slavery and ends up joining her on their dangerous journey to freedom
in the North. But Bethlehem needs to go on to Canada rather than to stay with
Susannah; Bethlehem believes that Canada is the Promise Land where there is no
weeks without a bit of worry. They crossed the Potomac on a boatload of horses bound for Baltimore and took turns spitting into the current, as boys will. Sometimes they rode for miles on a farmer’s wagon, and they were making steady progress. The weather was fair, the way was mountainous but clear, and people were generous. Mostly their pay was supper and a place to sleep; one kindly woman on the road to Emmetsburg gave Susannah a few pennies for the job and Bethlehem cleaning out a smokehouse. No doubt it was that pretty hair again. But when they reach Maryland, they conscious they are not safe any longer because Uncle Reid distributed the poster which shows that Susannah and Bethlehem are in recapture. So they must be hiding and ignore the eye contact with another people, they run into the woods.
