ABSTRACT
VANIA ANINDHITA KUSUMASARI. The Construction of Bone’s Sexual Identity throughout Her life in Bastard out of Carolina: Psychoanalytic Reading. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2016.
Sexual identity defines how someone is able to identify herself due to the orientation and her sexual behavior. Basically, the sexual identity is not only influenced by the development of the psyche but also constructed by the condition, society and people around him/her. The nature of sexual identity is not constant but fluid until it reaches certain time. The novel taken in this study tells about a fatherless daughter who struggles to get her sexual identity. It gives a complete picture of children psychosexual stages. Bone as the main character in the story is taken as an example because she happens to be the one who experiences the psychosexual changing.
In order to see the development of Bone’s sexual identity, research questions are made for this research. Firstly is to find out Bone’s characteristics by looking at the characterization. Secondly is to analyze her psychosexual development which can be seen by her characteristics.
The goal of this study is to find out how Bone’s sexual identity is constructed. Therefore the theory of psychosexual development from Freud is applied. The characteristics of Bone shows whether or not she pass the stages during her psychosexual development. In a certain stage of psychosexual development, her characteristic will show the tendency of her sexual identity.
After the analysis is done, the result shows that Bone is a brave, fantasy prone, defenseless, self-sacrificing, loving and independent daughter. The positive characteristics of Bone confirm that she could successfully pass the first three stages of psychosexual development. Unfortunately she experiences a failure in the fourth stage, called phallic stage that makes her to be a fantasy prone kid. The failure factor is because she does not have biological father, which is the requirement to pass the oedipal stage. In this stage, the failure happening causes the disorder sexual behavior in Bone. This behavior makes her a masochist person because she is pleased by the sexual enjoyment through the pain. In her fantasy, she also fantasizes herself being a man which leads her to have masculinity complex. Masculinity complex is said to be one of the homosexual identity factors.
Moreover, the inability of Bone to shift her love to her father also become supporting factors that creates the homosexual identity in herself. On the other hand, Bone unconsciously activates her masculine side in herself through the stimulation in clitoris area when she keeps masturbating. Thus, the conclusion is Bone lives out her masculinity in her homosexual identity.
ABSTRAK
VANIA ANINDHITA KUSUMASARI. The Construction of Bone’s Sexual Identity throughout Her Life in Bastard out of Carolina: Psychoanalytic Reading. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2016.
Identitas seksual menentukan bagaimana seseorang mampu mengidentifikasikan dirinya menurut orientasi dan perilaku seksualnya. Pada dasarnya, identitas seksual tidak hanya dipengaruhi oleh perkembangan psikologi seseorang tersebut tetapi juga dibentuk oleh kondisi, tempat tinggal dan orangorang sekitar. Sifat dari identitas seksual ini tidak tetap melainkan dapat berubahubah sampai pada waktu tertentu. Novel dalam penelitian ini, membahas tentang seorang anak yatim yang berusaha untuk menemukan identitas seksualnya. Cerita ini memberikan gambaran lengkap tentang tahap-tahap psikoseksual anak. Bone sebagai tokoh peran utama di cerita ini yang diambil sebagian contoh karena ia mengalami perubahan dalam pembentukan prilaku psikoseksualnya.
Untuk melihat perkembangan identitas seksual Bone, dibentuklah dua tujuan studi untuk penelitian ini. Pertama adalah mencari karakter Bone dengan melihat penokohannya. Kedua adalah menganalisa perkembangan psikoseksualnya yang bisa dilihat dari karakter-karakter Bone.
Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah mencari tahu bagaimana identitas seksual Bone terbentuk. Maka dari itu, teori perkembangan psikoseksual dari Freud di aplikasikan. Karakter-karakter Bone akan menunjukkan apakah Bone mampu melewati tahap-tahap selama perkembangan prilaku psikoseksualnya. Didalam tahap perkembangan psikoseksual tertentu, karakter Bone akan menunjukkan kecenderungan identitas seksualnya.
The Construction Bone
’
s Sexual Identity throughout Her Life in
Bastard out of Carolina: Psychoanalytic Reading
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in
English Letters
By
VANIA ANINDHITA KUSUMASARI Student Number: 114214104
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTER
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
By
ii
The Construction of
Bone’s
Sexual Identity throughout Her Life
in
Dorothy Allison’s
Bastard out of Carolina: Psychoanalytic
Reading
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
By
VANIA ANINDHITA KUSUMASARI
Student Number: 114214104
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTER SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
vi
You have no one to depend on but
Yourself.
Never ever forget that.
Be courageous
“So please ask yourself:
What would I do if I weren’t afraid?
And then go do it.”
vii
This thesis is dedicated to
My dearly loved Kusmaningsih in heaven
My strong father Sarino Manaf
The supportive sister Astrid Yunita Hapsari
And
viii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I am writing this acknowledgments with the feeling of joy and gratitude. This is because in this page I am writing the names of wonderful people who have assisted me a lot on working on this thesis.
Firstly, I would like to thank my Lord Allah S.W.T for His never ending bless. Secondly, I thank Dr. F.X. Siswadi, M. A. for always giving his hands to class D. Thirdly, my deepest gratitude goes to my advisor Paulus Sarwoto, S. S., M.A., Ph. D. for always challenging me with his questions to push myself to the limit. Fourthly, my lecturer who patiently directs me to a broader way of doing the analysis, Maria Ananta Tri Suryandari, S.S., M. Ed. I also would like to express my gratitude to my mom. I believe she keeps praying for me in heaven and I hope she is happy with what I am now. I also thank my hard worker dad who is never tired to provide everything I need and my sister who always listens, helps and supports everything I do. Moreover, I am glad to have little doll and beautiful niece named Jasmine, who have given colors in my darkest days.
Last but not least, my thanks goes to my second family Ayu, Indra bh, Nindy and Tata for always cheering me up whenever I’m down. I also thank Monica, Regina, Helga, Cukir, Harry and my aunties. They are my second teachers and great companions during the past few years living in Yogya. I thank Sanata Dharma University for giving me a chance to join exchange student to Thailand and Taiwan. Both countries have changed me into a much better person.
x
B. The Sexual Identity Constructed in Bone………..45
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION………...66
xi
ABSTRACT
VANIA ANINDHITA KUSUMASARI. The Construction of Bone’s Sexual Identity throughout Her life in Bastard out of Carolina: Psychoanalytic Reading. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2016.
Sexual identity defines how someone is able to identify herself due to the orientation and her sexual behavior. Basically, the sexual identity is not only influenced by the development of the psyche but also constructed by the condition, society and people around him/her. The nature of sexual identity is not constant but fluid until it reaches certain time. The novel taken in this study tells about a fatherless daughter who struggles to get her sexual identity. It gives a complete picture of children psychosexual stages. Bone as the main character in the story is taken as an example because she happens to be the one who experiences the psychosexual changing.
In order to see the development of Bone’s sexual identity, research questions are made for this research. Firstly is to find out Bone’s characteristics by looking at the characterization. Secondly is to analyze her psychosexual development which can be seen by her characteristics.
The goal of this study is to find out how Bone’s sexual identity is constructed. Therefore the theory of psychosexual development from Freud is applied. The characteristics of Bone shows whether or not she pass the stages during her psychosexual development. In a certain stage of psychosexual development, her characteristic will show the tendency of her sexual identity.
After the analysis is done, the result shows that Bone is a brave, fantasy prone, defenseless, self-sacrificing, loving and independent daughter. The positive characteristics of Bone confirm that she could successfully pass the first three stages of psychosexual development. Unfortunately she experiences a failure in the fourth stage, called phallic stage that makes her to be a fantasy prone kid. The failure factor is because she does not have biological father, which is the requirement to pass the oedipal stage. In this stage, the failure happening causes the disorder sexual behavior in Bone. This behavior makes her a masochist person because she is pleased by the sexual enjoyment through the pain. In her fantasy, she also fantasizes herself being a man which leads her to have masculinity complex. Masculinity complex is said to be one of the homosexual identity factors. Moreover, the inability of Bone to shift her love to her father also become supporting factors that creates the homosexual identity in herself. On the other hand, Bone unconsciously activates her masculine side in herself through the stimulation in clitoris area when she keeps masturbating. Thus, the conclusion is Bone lives out her masculinity in her homosexual identity.
xii
ABSTRAK
VANIA ANINDHITA KUSUMASARI. The Construction of Bone’s Sexual Identity throughout Her Life in Bastard out of Carolina: Psychoanalytic Reading. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2016.
Identitas seksual menentukan bagaimana seseorang mampu mengidentifikasikan dirinya menurut orientasi dan perilaku seksualnya. Pada dasarnya, identitas seksual tidak hanya dipengaruhi oleh perkembangan psikologi seseorang tersebut tetapi juga dibentuk oleh kondisi, tempat tinggal dan orang-orang sekitar. Sifat dari identitas seksual ini tidak tetap melainkan dapat berubah-ubah sampai pada waktu tertentu. Novel dalam penelitian ini, membahas tentang seorang anak yatim yang berusaha untuk menemukan identitas seksualnya. Cerita ini memberikan gambaran lengkap tentang tahap-tahap psikoseksual anak. Bone sebagai tokoh peran utama di cerita ini yang diambil sebagian contoh karena ia mengalami perubahan dalam pembentukan prilaku psikoseksualnya.
Untuk melihat perkembangan identitas seksual Bone, dibentuklah dua tujuan studi untuk penelitian ini. Pertama adalah mencari karakter Bone dengan melihat penokohannya. Kedua adalah menganalisa perkembangan psikoseksualnya yang bisa dilihat dari karakter-karakter Bone.
Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah mencari tahu bagaimana identitas seksual Bone terbentuk. Maka dari itu, teori perkembangan psikoseksual dari Freud di aplikasikan. Karakter-karakter Bone akan menunjukkan apakah Bone mampu melewati tahap-tahap selama perkembangan prilaku psikoseksualnya. Didalam tahap perkembangan psikoseksual tertentu, karakter Bone akan menunjukkan kecenderungan identitas seksualnya.
1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
The word white trash has been widely spread throughout the United States. Some people might have already known what it is, when they use it and why they use it but some still consider it as a taboo. They might have heard about it but with different terms. According to Wray in White Trash: Race and Class in America,
the term white trash is invented around 1820s and arises around Baltimore, Maryland. For people who lives in The States in about 1830s, they obviously know about this term used by the group of whites against the white people as well. The rich whites refer to the poor whites living in rural area as white trash.
They do not use that derogatory term of white trash only but also redneck for rural poor whites of the Southern United States. “Many of these accounts became popular with the American public, and family clans like “The Jukes” and “The Kallikaks” became widely known, entering the public imagination as poor,
white society. Low class whites are given such names because they have low income, low education and the stereotypes of their behavior.
The effects of the term white trash to them are physiologically and physically disturbing. People always try to get rid of them because they are stereotyped as dangerous, hazardous and corrupt. Matt Wray says “some white people are now identified as “white trash” to signal rebelliousness and cultural difference—their refusal of a bland, mainstream white society that oppresses and stifles” (www.thesocietypages.org). Other than that, white trash itself brings the sense of exoticness, sexually disruptive behavior and immoral which is assumed as negative.
The successful of passing every phases determines the future of the child. Each of it has its own primary concern. In this study, it focuses more on the development of a child in constructing her sexual identity. Therefore, the concern is more on the sexual necessity. It starts with her needs when she is a baby, toddler, teenager until the identity is constructed. In completing every phases, a child cannot do it by herself. She needs the help from the primary care taker or the closest person she is relationship with. Therefore the existence and the help from both parents mother and father influences a lot in constructing children’s identity. A child needs
a help to identify herself and her surroundings. In the condition when one of the requirements of development is missing, there has to be an abnormal development happens. The failure itself affects the psychology of a child that determines her future.
Relating to this story, the abnormal development has to occur in Bone’s sexual development. The problems caused by the absence of one of the parents give a lot of impacts in structuring Bone’s identity. In this story, Dorothy Allison does not really emphasize how the white trash men live. It is because white trash men are known for their wildness and rebelliousness so they still could fight for what they are supposed to get. It contrasts to white trash women’s life. They never have a chance to do it. Therefore, the identity of the white trash women in the novel is constructed differently. Morris says that the idea of identity is “the collective aspect of the set of characteristics by which a person or things is recognized or known”
getting their real identity, a person can ameliorate her own image in herself or making her own images. However it still depends on the experience of sexuality that someone goes through.
In the story, the white trash children are indicated as the victims, especially Bone. It is called victims because almost all of the white trash children do not have one of their parents. They have to struggle more to determine their sexual identity. Bone is a daughter who does not have biological father and has an abusive step father. Her mother Anne loves her but she is busy of making a good life for her. Thus, she does not get a chance to have a good parenting from both of her parents.
The reason of doing a research in this book is because it provides the complexity of identity construction. It tells about the intricacy life since Bone is still a baby until she finds out her identity. In order to reveal the problem, the writer is challenged to see the gaps throughout her childhood experience until adulthood. However this reason is supported with the review stated:
one, the author knows the craft of storytelling; two, the book is brutally honest about a frequently noted ailment in our society, sexual abuse; three, the protagonist deals with the common problem of coming of age in an uninhabitable family environment; four, the language and ideas suggest that young adolescents possess sophisticated reasoning tools; and five, the book is complex and thoroughly engaging (Glenn: 1996).
such as economic structures, terms adopted, sex’s matters and family lineage are some of the factors that disempower Bone. Other than that, this novel has strong main character who fights for her identity. Therefore, this book is very challenging for a research about identity.
This study discusses the process of having a sexual identity in a fatherless daughter. The method of this study is firstly to observe Bone’s characteristics. And then it is related to one of the literature theories called psychoanalytic theory. After that, the application of the theory of female sexuality is done when she experiences a failure in one of her sexual development stages. Psychoanalysis offers an analysis of unconscious, preconscious and conscious of someone in developing her identity. It also observes the existence of repression and disorderliness in children’s biological sexual development.
Specifically, the theory used in psychoanalysis is psychosexual development. The reason is because “it covers the development of the first instinct theories, which drew attention to the biological sexual development of the child” (Thompson, 2003: 4). It gives a complete theory or explanation on how to analyze a child’s development biologically that influences the psychology. The background
throughout her life. The experiences and phases of someone have big influence for structuring her identity. Psychoanalytic criticism sees how this process could happen in someone. Thus, it shows that this approach is appropriate for this kind of avant-garde story, its problem and the development of the character’s libidinal.
The approach of psychoanalytic realizes on the analysis of a psychological of the character in a literary work. According to www.merriam-webster.com psychology is the science or study of the mind and behavior. It deals with the study of observable patterns of human’s behavior while literature exhibits how human
beings behave in dealing with their problems and environment. So there is a close relationship between both of them. The approach used is to critics view works through the lens of psychology. It looks either at the psychological motivations of Bone or Dorothy Allison as the author. Based on journal of literary criticism: an overview of approaches, there are advantages of disadvantages of applying psychoanalytic approach to a literary work. The advantage is it is a useful tool for understanding some works, in which characters manifest clear psychological issues. Like the biographical approach, knowing something about a writer’s psychological
B. Problem formulation
Based on the background of the study above, two questions are formulated in order to answer the problem.
1. How is Bone characterized in Allison’s Bastard out of Carolina?
2. How do Bone’s characteristics reflect her sexual identity?
C. Objectives of the Study
The first objective is to find out the characteristics of Bone by looking at her characterization and also understanding its development. The second objective is to analyze the phases Bone passes. It will be seen by observing her character development from childhood to her adulthood. And the third is to see the tendency or the sexual orientation Bone has.
D. Definition of Terms
In order to understand more what is discussed in this study, the key terms used should be defined.
1. Psychoanalytic
“Psychoanalytic criticism is a form of literary criticism which uses some of the
is a form of literary approach that is based on psychology theory. So it uses the psychoanalysis method to deconstruct a literary text. It helps to examine the psychology and sexuality of the characters in a literary work.
2. Sexual Identity
According to www.merriam-webster.com, Identity refers to the qualities, beliefs that make a particular person or group different from others. Therefore, it is likely to say that sexual identity is the quality that someone adopts that are associated with the sex orientation. It is constructed along with the journey someone passes. It becomes a very important part to understand by the individual in order to identify her or his sexual orientation. The sexual identity constructs the awareness of the individual to determine and to express herself in the society she lives in.
Sexual identity development is a process for which GLB individuals have been unprepared and which is contextually unsupported and stigmatized, it would seem that the process would be characterized by inconsistency or incongruence among its affective, cognitive, and behavioral components, such that behavior may not always coincide with affect and/or identity (Rosario, 2006 : 2)
9
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
There are three parts divided into this chapter. The first one is review of related studies that covers the studies related to this topic done by previous researches. The second is review of related theories that presents the theories applied to answer the problem formulations above. And the third one is the theoretical framework. This is the part that explicates the way the writer uses the reviews in solving the problems.
A. Review of Related Studies
In this chapter, the relevant studies done by the previous researchers are examined in order to improve the recent study.
The first related study is according to Melissa L. Grunow-Chavez titled
Trashes Rises: Class Consciousness and the Transcedence of “White Trash”
Assumption in Allison’s Bastard out of Carolina. She writes how the term white
trash in the novel gives a lot of influences to Boatwrights family especially to Bone as the main character. The white trash here is rooted in the blood line theory which means unavoidable for the next generations to be called that way and get stereotype from the society. As Bone grows up, it gives her an awareness to the stereotype given:
from their “trash” image. Bone’s resistance to her family’s societal image and her simultaneous affection for them plays an important role in developing her identity. (Chavez, 2004:52)
Chavez contemplates that the term trash there holds a big role in constructing Bone’s identity and the instability condition happening to her can only
be maintained by the affection Bone feels from her family. It is said that the stereotype of white trash also affects to Bone’s personality. In a certain time, Bone hides her real identity as a Boatwright for the sake of having a better life. It makes her having confusion with her own personality.
Another supporting study is written by Madsen. This study consists of the examples on how to see the process of becoming a women. This process observes the structuring of feminine identity which is related to psychoanalytic feminism theory. From this study, it can be seen how Madsen applies the theory of Freud to reveal the identity of the main character. She explains the theory of Psychoanalytic Feminism through The Awakening by Kate Chopin. “Kate Chopin’s work focuses
upon the themes of maternity versus paternity and the structuring of feminine identity” (Madsen, 2000:108). Madsen relates Edna’s character development with
Edna’s phases when she is adopting the ideology of patriarchal romance.
married yet. Since she goes back to the habit she is yearning for, she is awakened by what she has missed in the past and starts to forget her two sons and husband. When she moves to New Orleans, she has an affair again with the Don Juan Alcee Arobin. In here, she is awakened by her sexual desire needs; she could retain her freedom from male domination. The feeling of happiness transforms her attitude because it realizes her that many other things are still available to her.
“Edna Pontellier frees herself from her social obligations in order to pursue
her desire for individual autonomy. But she herself is unable to develop a deep understanding” (Madsen, 2000: 110). She could get rid of the things she is not ready yet, such as having a husband and a child. She doesn’t have a chance to do
what a kid is supposed to do. However in the analysis she can get rid temporarily from all the social obligations she is supposed to responsible, but Edna is still having difficulty to understand her unconscious and conscious mind. For example she tries to pursue her desire by becoming an artist but she is unable to explain it to her husband. Also when she cannot verbalize to her doctor that she wants to be let alone. The reason why she cannot do it is because she feels everything she utters are incoherent with her thoughts. She is drown into a confusion.
next one is when she is self-contained caused by depression of losing her mother when she is a child. She has to pass her oedipal development on her own. With the absence of feminine figure, she replaces it with the authoritative father. Therefore, she is unconsciously adopting her father manner and experiencing pre oedipal identification. The last step happening is when she finally meets her friend Mademoiselle that awakens her of her feminine identity. However it does not work really well on her so she shifts from masculine world of patriarchal to the unknown area of the feminine. She is lost in the unknown area of feminine and ends up drowning herself to the see as she sees it as a place that empowers and frees her. According to Edna, sea links to feminine aspects which is life-giving. It symbolizes freedom, calmness, purifying the soul and rebirth. This analysis helps the study in applying the theory of psychoanalytic to the story and also to see the identity development of a daughter.
Another study works on Psychoanalytic is a work conducted by Sofie Forsgren. From this study, it can be perceived that Forsgren analyzes the characters’ characteristics and deconstruct their fragmented identity. This researcher conducts a study on Wuthering heights by Emily Bronte. She establishes a fragmented identity disclosed in both novel’s main female characters. In her research on
Wuthering Heights, Sofie describes that Catherine is different from Edna in The Awakening who adopts her father manner. Even though the situation is the same where both are motherless, Catherine seems to identify neither of them at all. It is because her father does not really give attention and affection to her. “Catherine
of 'penis envy'.” (Forsgren, 2013: 4). But in her work, Forsgren writes that
Catherine is having multiple identities. And in further analysis, Forsgren uses psychoanalytic feminism to see whether or not fragmented identity that Catherine has liberating her. This study gives contribution to this project on how to see the development of structuring an identity in a daughter. Both of the study also have the same focus observed which is about a woman’s psyche growth.
The focus of this study is in the process of identity construction in a daugther’s life that is seen since the infancy until in the end of the story. The
similarity of this recent study and the previous one is both of them analyze the construction of the identity. The object analyzed is also the same which is a girl who loses one of her parents. It is quite different with the previous research in the part of the approach used. In previous studies, they use psychoanalytic theory to dissect the identity construction, but then the psychoanalytic theory is combined with feminism theory for a further analysis. In the first study done by Madsen, she does not only focus on the identity of the child but also the patriarchal system and the role of paternity and maternity. Another difference lays within the theorist of the theory used. Madsen does not use Freud’s psychoanalytic theory to analyze the psychology of the child. She uses the theory of Lacan that emphasizes on Imaginary and Symbolic Order. Even though both Freud and Lacan are in the area of psychology, the method of analyzing the psychology of a daughter is different.
theory used belongs to Freud. Thus, the part concerned is on the child’s sexual parts.
This study also develops the previous studies in the result of the analysis. In the previous study, it only mentions about the child’s sexual orientation in the end of the story, while in this study it is not only the sexual orientation or identity that is offered, it also provides the nature or the personality of the child after they get their permanent identity.
B. Review of Related Theories
This part consists of some theories invented by some literary scholars. It aims to help the study in analyzing the object of the study, limits the scope to process the data and draw into conclusion.
1. Theory of Character and Characterization
Character is one of the fundamental intrinsic elements in a story. It is fundamental because sometimes in some stories it holds an important role that will affect the message. To know deeper about the message or intended meaning of the story, the readers have to know what to consider as a character. And since the writer will use psychoanalytic approach, the characters are necessary to be evaluated. According to Abrams
Characters are the persons presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with moral, dispositional, and emotional qualities that are expressed in what they say-the dialogue-and by what they do-the action (1993:23).
be seen by their activities or thoughts. To know the characters, a way to describe them is needed because some authors have their own way to show it. For example Klarer’s book, he took an example how Bronte depicts Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre.
“In the example of Victorian novel, the character is represented through the filter
of a selective and judging narrator (1999:19). To find out the characters, a reader needs to know the way of unfolding the qualities of someone or can be called as characterization. Based on Murphy’s book, there are nine devices of
characterizations used in the story to make the characters understandable and come alive (1972: 161-173). These are the following devices:
a. Personal description
As it has been decclared by Murphy (1972:161) a writer can describe how someone is dressed, their details of physical appearance and other personal description that shows the characters. “The author can describe a person’s
appearance and clothes”.
b. Character as seen by another
In this way, the characters are not described directly by the writer; instead he uses the judgment of another. It will be reflected by the descriptioins from another characters to get more ideas of the characters chosen through what another sees from that person. For example through the impressions, thoughts made by another, the choice of words and phrases stated can strengthen the characters.
“The author can give us an insight into the character of one of the persons in the book through what the person says” (Murphy, 1972:164).It will be shown in
a situation in a very clear way to be understood by letting the person giving out their thoughts, statement, and opinion in a conversation to another people. Even though in a small chat it can give a big clue for the readers because whatever he says, comment and the way of talking made showing the kind of person he is.
d. Past life
The writers briefly in many ways will describe this device, like through the conversations made by that person or by another or stated directly by the author. Usually the writer will be telling about the person’s experience of life so we can
predict what kind of person he was that made him takes action or performs in a certain way.
e. Conversation of others
“People do talk about other people and the things they say often give as a
clue to the character of the person spoken about” (Murphy, 1972:167). It delivers
many important clues to the readers because everything they say, there must be reasons or facts behind it that made them say so and it is also needed to see another’s
point of view to know the character deeper. Just like in Susan Glaspell’s Trifles, the
main character and the intended meaning can only be known by analyzing the neighbor’s chats.
Someone acts, respond to anyone’s behavior and how he replies the
comments put for him can show person’s character. By looking at one’s behavior,
the reader could find out which class the character is coming from, the education he has, the society he lives in and many other things.
g. Direct comment
“The author can describe or comment on a person’s character directly”
(Murphy, 1972:170). This is the clearest way for readers to get to know the characters because it is straightforwardly coming from the authors’ thoughts so it is fully undoubted.
h. Thoughts
This one is using a different way. The reader has opportunity to read the person’s thought about anything. The reader will not only analyze what can be seen
in real daily life but seeing another thing that another people in the story cannot do. So the thoughts that the person have towards something will show what type of person he is.
i. Mannerism
“The author can describe a person’s mannerisms, habits or idiosyncrasies
which may also tell us something about his character” (Murphy, 1972:173). This
of that person.
2. Theory of Psychosexual development
Tong quotes Freud’s theory that says “children go through distinct
psychosexual development stages, and their gender identity as adults is the result of how well or badly they have weathered this process” (2008:129). Sexual
maturation is derived from childhood experience which is the main cause that shapes and determines sexual orientation, identity and behavior when they grow up. In her book, Feminist Thought: A More Comoprehensive Introduction, Tong represents Freud’s theory on the psychosexual stage development encountered by children. Psychosexual theory examines the progress of someone’s libido development. It proposes to see whether or not someone has a healthy psychology. Psychosexual stage is started at very early age since the child has just born. Each stage focuses on one of the body parts to be a pleasure zone.
Clara Thompson completes the previous theory in her book titled Psychoanalysis: Evolution and Development that “Thus the oral stage is organically determined but not primarily because of its pleasure” (2003: 35). She does agree with Freud’s statement that the infants contact the world through her mother in terms of mouth. But there is another supporting factor that could affect the child’s
personality. The experience of being breast fed is depending on cultures variations. The frequency of time is one of the factors that gives certain pleasure for the child. Some mothers feed their children customarily and some feed theirs only when they cry. So it can be concluded that the focus in oral stage is when the child is having her first pleasure and also the basis of their nursing habits. “Thus although there is an organic base for the oral stage, its effect on the personality of the child is undoubtedly greatly influenced by the cultural attitude towards it.
in this stage. If her needs are fulfilled adequately, as the result, the feeling of trust, comfortableness will be occurred in the child’s personality. Oppositely, in the condition that she fails in the stage, the oedipal fixation will occur. “Fixating at this later part of the oral stage produces what is known as an oral aggressive or oral sadistic personality” (Carducci, 1999:93). The habits that are possibly occurred is
when the child copes with problems associated with oral area like yelling or screaming. It includes over eating disorder, biting nails and other incorporative manners.
The next stage is called anal stage. “The primary erogenous zone begins to shift from the oral region to the anal region” (Carducci, 1999: 93). It signifies the
pleasure zone of a child moves from the area of mouth to the area of sexual organs. An example that stimulates child’s personality in this stage is when the mother
trains her toilet training. Her muscles around genital are trained to urinate and defecate. The moves that stimulate the anal region can get the child satisfied. The satisfaction she gets here means she is satisfied that she finds her pleasure. Carducci quotes Freud’s theory that “the principal source of pleasure associated with the anal
stage is the reduction of tension that accompanies reducing bodily tension by urinating and defecating” (1999:93). The act of urinating and defecating are likely similar to remove the discomfort in child’s body and giving the feeling of relieve.
the struggle of the parents to make it true is also constructing the child’s
psychology. Not only the form of training itself but the method used by the parents. The ways the parents teach the child affect her personality traits when she grows up.
During this stage, the anus becomes an erotogenic zone, for children become sadistic, expelling and destroying through defecation as a means of expressing both their anger and their excitement upon discovering their independence from their mothers (Bressler, 1999: 151).
In the condition when the child is trained in the proper time, it creates the independence and tidiness in child’s personality. While the child could have
difficulty in this stage when she holds the fesses. It obtains some implications for the child’s future. The child may challenge the training with anger and develop her aggression personality. “The anal sadistic personality is characterized by the tendency to deal with stress in an explosive and unexpected manner, such as getting angry over the slightest disturbance” (Carducci, 1999:94).
Robert Bocock says that “in the oral and anal phases, up to two or three
years of age, children experience similar pleasures and pain whether they are boys or girls” (2002:47). Starting when both boys and girls feel the pleasure and pain
from being breastfed, taken care of by mother and trained to release the emotion through urinate and defecate. They also experience about the social control in the first two stages. They have a glimpse of environment that is contrary with their natural desire.
as a source of pleasure. Boys become more concern to their penises and girls are interested in the erotic pleasure from clitoris. According to Carducci, “during phallic stage, the child expresses the intense emotional affection for the opposite sex parent while viewing the same sex parent as a source of competition” (1999:95). In the previous stage, mother has the role to maximize the children’s pleasure but
in this phase, both parents hold the same important role for children to distribute their affection. They are awakened by the difference they have when they look at their different sex parents and notice the genital difference between them both.
As they grow up, they compare their bodies with the parents and start to touch their genitals to search what they have enough and lack of. The act of touching the genital in anal stage may lead to the fantasy and the appearance of Oedipus complex. Oedipus complex is “a sexual desire that a child feels toward the parent of the opposite sex along with jealous feelings toward the parent of the same sex”
(www.Merriam-Webster.com). The first love of both girls and boys are the same which is the mother, but in this stage, they have to shift their love to the different sex parent to complete their sexual development. Boys could move his love to his father because of his anxiety of being castrated. At the first time he invests a hatred feeling towards his father. He hates him because when he see his mother does not have penis, he speculates that his father has cut the mother’s penis. But then the
However, this complexity of shifting love also has to be done in a sexual development for girls. In this stage, libidinal or sexual development is always associated with the opposite sex parent. Meanwhile, the relationship with the same sex parents is relatively argumentative. In the earlier stages, the libidinal or sexual for boys and girls are the same. As it has been said before, their first love is placed in the mother. But after this stage, girls have a task to move their love to the different sex parent. It purposes to make them aware and able to identify the different sex partner. It has to be done properly so the sexual development will be constructed normally. Normal in this term means heterosexual. But the most important thing is the process of shifting itself. Shifting from clitoris to vagina and from mother to father. Based on Robert Bocock, the term for the girls is not Oedipus complex but called feminine Oedipus complex instead.
Freud rejected the use of the term Electra complex, introduced by Jung, for these feelings of love towards the father and hatred towards the mother figure by the feminine part of both sons and daughters. Freud thought the notion of the ‘feminine Oedipus complex’ was sufficient” (Bocock, 2002: 51).
Feminine Oedipus complex has the same definition with the Oedipus complex that happens to the boys. But the process of shifting the love from her mom to the father is rather complicated. The transition of love appears at the time when they realize that they do not have penis. When the girls see the penis, they do not have the same feeling as boys’. They are not afraid to be castrated because they
have more priority in their life. They get more prerogative rights than the girls do. For example boys are allowed and not seen to be breaking the rules when they are wild, aggressive, playing with mud and dirty. While girls are expected to be clean, domestic and unaggressive. A metaphor example is made by Sacco to picture the prerogative rights for the boys. “Boys possessed a penis and could stand when they had to pee. They could do their business quickly and be done with it. Unfairly, girls had to squat or sit. They had to invest more time and effort. (2012:7). That feeling in girls arises her yearning for having a penis. Freud names this enviousness toward the boys’ genital as penis envy. Basically, penis is just the symbolic expression
from girls to have the same rights and priorities as boys do.
Normally, as a result of penis envy, the girls feel the lack of power against the boys. She does not satisfy with her clitoris and tries to find another gratification. According to Freud, in the female love-shifting complexity, they will move their loves to the male figure or father in order to fulfill her lack and her inferiority. “In Freud’s view, then, the girl turns away from her mother in order to acquire a penis;
and by turning to the father enters the positive Oedipus phase (Burke, 1998:126). Therefore, if they have moved their loves to the father they are able to identify the different sex partner. If they could identify the different sex partner then they could also move their primary pleasure area from clitoris to vagina. It means from the area of masculine to the feminine. They leave their masculine side and keep the feminine side. They become the girl expected by the society.
daughter from her mother and the feminine is characterized by the attachment of the daughter to her mother. “Feminine experience is presented as characterized by weakness, confusion, self-doubt, uncertain judgments” (Madsen, 2000: 101). On the opposite, masculine is associated with men’s role behavior and attributes. For
examples are strong, assertive, independent, ambition and etc.
In this stage, if the child can successfully pass it, she will be a heterosexual person because she can identify the different sex partner. And then, she can move to the next stage which is latent stage. Otherwise, if she grows up differently or unable to move the love, there will be fixation called sexual dysfunction that affects her sexual identity. It is the time when sexual desire disorder occurred in herself. The fixation is specifically explained in the next part of the theory. The theory is called as female sexuality theory by Freud.
Nevertheless, the explanation above is related with Chodorow’s testimonial. There is still possibility when a child has certain condition that cannot successfully transfers the love.
Whether a girl develops into a heterosexual woman or not, she will probably find her strongest emotional connections with other women. Thus, the pre oedipal mother-daugther relationship provides a reference point for female friendship and lesbian relationship (Tong, 2000:144).
According to Ruitenbeek, the development in girls is much more complicated compare to the boys. The erotogenic zone or the sensitive part of the body for boys remain in the area of penis. On the other side, girls renounces from clitoris to the area of vagina. “The sexual life of the women is regularly split up into
two phases. The first of which is of masculine character while only the second one is specifically feminine” (Ruitenbeek, 1996:91). It recounts the clitoris with its
masculine character because it actives like a penis. While vagina is associated with feminine characteristics because of its passiveness and its need of the help of the penis. And for the matter of child’s love, boys incline to put his love to his mother
until he can replace it with the girl he marries to. But for girls, her first love to the mother is exchanged to the father.
Ruitenbeek analyzes two observations from Freud in seeing Female sexuality. “First, analysis has shown that where the attachment to the father was
peculiarly strong it had been preceded by a phase of equally strong and passionate attachment exclusively to the mother” (Ruitenbeek, 1996:89). It means that in the
condition when a girl could shift her love to her father it signs that there is a strong love before that she has for her mother. Therefore her love to both parents, father and mother are equally the same. And the second is “the duration of this attachment
1996:89). The second possibility implies that sometimes the long period of time when a child put her love to her mother is being ignored and forgotten. While there is supposed to be a time when their attachment has to be ended and shifted. The consequence if it is underestimated, the girls is stuck in the zone of mother-love attachment and cannot intertwine her attachment to the different sex partner.
As it has been explained before, if a daughter gives up her masculinity and prefer to lay on her femininity, then it means she completely passes the phallic stage. After passing the phallic stage she can move to the next one. She is coming the next stage called latent stage. It is called as latent because there are not many changes in this stage. This is the time when child’s ego and superego is developed. The child starts to learn reading, drawing and etc. in school. Her sexual development is not disappear but postponed for certain time. She experiences it until finally she reaches puberty. In the puberty time she transfers into genital stage. This is the top of human development. It continuous until the end of someone’s life.
Psychoanalytic believes that the problems around gender is rooted from their infantile experience. The reason is because from that moment, a psyche of someone starts to be determined, remembered and practiced until they grow up. Those infantile experience has to be observed. The observation could help in showing the transformation of that person, how they deal and deny with the stage passed and the reciprocity with others. However, to know whether or not the child approach the end of the journey of sexual identity is signed when they meet these criteria: “masculinity and femininity are represented in the narrative in terms of the
116).
3. Theory of Female Sexuality
This theory is attached for the reason that Bone experiences a failure in one of her psychosexual development stage. The theory is needed to see the tendency of her sexuality when she fails the development. It consists of oedipal fixation that constructs human’s sexual orientation.
Relating to this story, the fixation happening is caused by the child abuse done by Bone’s father. Therefore, another related theory taken is from Freud in The
Subject of Addiction: Psychoanalysis an the Administration of Enjoyment. In this book, Loose writes about the masturbation as one of the effects of the abuse. It is said that the act of masturbation is very important for infantile sexuality. It greatly influences the child’s personality and her identity. It can emerge a positive image
only if it meets certain condition. Otherwise, it damages the child’s infantile sexuality. The kinds of masturbation affliction itself can be varied. There are masturbation that organic injury, develops psychological illness and the masturbation that is accompanied by fantasy. The third one is the most concerned one. “Freud suggested that this kind of masturbation is important because it leads
to fantasy as compromise mechanism which attempts to reconcile the pleasure principle with the reality principle” (Loose, 2002:70). It is defined as when a child
According to Aljouni in his journal, he also has the same belief as Loose that childhood masturbation is not always a good sign in children development. “Childhood masturbation has been linked to emotional deprivation, which may in
turn lead to more self-stimulation. It may also be associated with sexual abuse” (Aljouni, 2010:6). That can be a possible effect coming out of violence happening to the child. Coleman also writes about fantasy relating to someone who is depressed. She can be depressed of being beaten or any reasons. According to him, fantasy made by someone who is depressed is one of her reaction to defense the stress. The reaction can be varied but the purpose is one, to relieve the tension and anxiety. It is also an ego-defense mechanism to keep herself from feeling hurt and devaluation. “By means of this mechanism, frustration is overcome by the imaginary achievement of goals and meeting of needs. Two common varieties of wish-fulfilling fantasy are the conquering hero and suffering hero patterns”
(Coleman, 1976:123). The first mechanism acts as an alternation of her pain in her life. She makes that alternation in her imagination so the pain she feels can be substituted. The second one acts as an appreciation of her inferior performance for suffering from some dread disease in her fantasy.
Freud gives an explanation about infantile beating fantasy. It is when the girls are masturbating while imagining being beaten by her father or surrogate father. “Freud describes two crucial phases in the development of parental complex. In the first, children enjoy “the heaven of their imaginary omnipotence” and “love -affairs” with the parent of the opposite sex” (Person, 2013:50). The first crucial
were beaten by the father they do not feel the pain and unpleasant experience. Instead, they replace it with masturbation while fantasizing being beaten by the father. They get the pleasure from feeling the pain. They fantasize the sadomasochist sex with her father. ”at the climax of the imagined situation, we are told, beating phantasies are carried out “Almost invariably” with masturbation”
(Person, 2013:52). The girls are said to be masochist in the condition when the fantasy of being beaten begins, it happens at the same time when the child pleases themselves by masturbating. The second crucial phase is when their imagination shows the girls are not becoming the victims but they are just the spectators. They start to speculate that their father beats another people for loving them. As a result “the girl in her penis envy identify with the victim and enjoys a masochistic,
disguise incestuous pleasure” (Person, 2013:52).
As it has been explained in the previous theory, according to Freud in the psychosexual development, girl passes the stage named penis envy. The process of penis envy requires the love movement to different sex parent. The process of this complexity is quite different to the girls. Bocock states Freud’s theory of female
sexuality about some possibilities that can happen in the failure of phallic stage for girls.
penis some time. That hope becomes her life’s aim; and the phantasy of being a man in spite of everything often persists as a formative factor over long periods. This ‘masculinity complex’ in women can also result in a manifest homosexual choice of object. Only if her development follows the thirds, very circuitous, path does she reach the final normal female attitude in which she takes her father as her object and so finds her way to the feminine form of the Oedipus complex (2002: 53).
The complexity that occurs in girls happens when they start to think that their penises are cut. The fact that they see is that penis brings superiority and the authority for the male. It brings women a position to the inferior one. Thus, the quotation above explains the different outcome of this phenomena occurred in a daughter. First is the general rejection. She is discontented with her lack of penis and being positioned under the men. So, their feelings toward male figure is changed. She gives up her masculinity and shift it to another field. The second is about the radical threaten toward her masculine side. It intrigues their intention to have penis in her future. It becomes a part of their fantasy to be boys. The occurrence of the fantasy can happens in a long period of time. Bocock calls this phenomena as masculinity complex. This complexity influences her sexuality and emerges the tendency of becoming homosexual.
Masculinity Complex can get the child into neurotic. The reason is because she knows that it won’t happen to her but she still yearns for it. She could build the feeling of rejected, disappointed and worried. She is forced to sublime her libido if she lives in the society that confronts her. As a result, she will try to find a protection for her confusion. “She will do what all living creatures do in situations of danger.
influenced by the closest female figure other than her mother. Therefore, for the protection a child needs suffering from the masculinity complex will be the closest female figure around her. If the masculinity complex suffered by the child leads to the tendency of homosexuality, certain characteristics might start to occur in child’s
behavior or appearance.
C. Theoretical Framework
The first problem mentioned is to understand how the character is characterized in the story. The characteristics she has here show the development of her psyche. It is analyzed using the theory of characters and characterization. The theory is chosen because it works for revealing the characteristics of someone. It can be seen and analyzed briefly by nine ways. Some of them are from her actions, speeches, and other characters’ speech about her and other ways that have been mentioned above. This theory answers the first problem formulation.
After finding out her characteristics, Bone’s character development is seen
because its development influences in structuring her identity. Then, the theory of psychosexual development is applied to analyze the phases she goes through. This theory is chosen because it has comprehensive explanations on steps, repression, development and experience that someone has.
34 CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
The object of this study is an American novel written by an American feminist, Dorothy Allison. She is also a working class storyteller, a Southern expatriate, a sometime poet and a happily born-again Californian. She writes this novel about
white trash after she writes a book about an explanation of white trash in America.
Bastard out of Carolina covers 320 pages and was published on March 1992. The novel is adapted in a movie in 1992 with the same tittle, it becomes one of the chosen finalists in National Book Award of Fiction.
This novel is about the white trash family called Boatwrights in Greenville Country in South Carolina. It centers Bone as the main characters and the story teller in the novel. Bone is a daughter of 16-year old unwed mother who is left by her husband and remarried for twice. Her father left her when she is still a baby. Her first step father died in car accident. The second step father is Glen Wadell who comes from upper middle class family.
leaves her the birth certificate without illegitimate stamp anymore. Again, Bone is left alone by her mom, step father, her sister and lives with her Aunt Raylene.
B. Approach of the study
Dorothy Allison writes this novel to show how an identity of someone is actually determined by their representations of themselves. It is the reason why every person have different identity depends on the journey throughout her life. It is related to the approach selected which is Psychoanalytic because:
Many of Freud’s ideas concern aspects of sexuality. Infantile sexuality, for instance, is the notion that sexuality begins not at puberty, with physical maturing but infancy, especially through the infant’s relationship with the mother (Barry, 2002: 97).
The quotation above gives an idea about psychoanalytic believes that someone’s experience and the way she thinks will determine her identification of herself. One of the factors constructs someone’s identity is it has to be seen since she was born until she got her permanent idenity. Thus, both the novel and the approach emphasizes the same thing that the infantile life has to be considered to see the development of someone’s sexual.
Moreover, in the book of Feminist Thought, psychoanalytic is said to be able to discuss psychosexual developments such as oedipal stage, pre oedipal stage and post oedipal stage. Inside this theory from Freud, there are some concepts offered. “The models of the psyche, the concepts of repression, the role of the sexual instincts” (Wright, 1998: 9). All these concepts are needed to know to analyze
C. Method of the Study
The library research is the procedure taken to analyze Bastard out of Carolina.
The primary source is the novel itself written by Dorothy Allison. The secondary sources are Bernardo J. Carducci’s The Psychology of Personality: View Points,
Research and Application. The second is a book titled Psychoanalysis and Female Sexuality by Hendrik Marinus Ruitenbeek. Also, the studies on the novel worked by the previous researchers such as “Trash Rises”: Class Consciousness and the
Transcendence of “White-Trash” Assumptions in Allison’s Bastard out of Carolina
by Melissa Chavez, a book by Newitz, Annalee and Matt Wray titled White Trash: Race and Class in America, Abram’s A Glossary of literary terms, An Introduction to Literary Studies An Introduction to Literary Studies by Klarer and a book from Murphy titled Understanding Unseens: an introduction to English poetry and English novels for Overseas Students.
37
CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS
This chapter discusses the analysis that describes the characteristics of Bone by looking at her characterization. The second is understanding its development and then analyzing how the process of sexual identity is constructed in Bone. It is done by seeing her character development from childhood to her adulthood.
A.The characteristics of Bone
Considering to the goal of this analysis that is to reveal how an identity of someone is constructed, it is important to know the character changing in every phases to get her permanent identity. In this part, the character from a novel entitled
Bastard out Of Carolina will be observed. The main character, that is going to be analyzed is Bone. The following explanation is about Bone’s characteristics.
1. Brave
Considering to the condition of her marginalized family and her fate of being a woman, Bone is always looked down by the people around her and gets mocked by her friends at school. When she starts the school, one of her friends calling her something offends her.
When I started school, one of the Yarboro cousins, a skinny rat-faced girl from the Methodist district, had called me a nigger after I pushed her away from the chair I’d taken for mine. She’d sworn I was as dark and wild as any child “born on the wrong side of the porch,” which I took to be another way of calling me a bastard, so I poked her in the eye. It had gotten me in trouble but persuaded her to stay away from me. (Allison, 1993:54-55)
disparage or bad mouth about her. The second prove can be seen from what the character utters in the story. When she gets into a fight with her Pearl in front of her parents, she is not afraid to swear on Pearl and hurt her.
"You bastard!" I staggered forward, and he backed up, rocking on his little silver heels. "You goddam gutless son of a bitch!" His eyes kept moving from my face to Shannon's wilting figure. "You think you so pretty? You ugly sack of shit! You shit-faced turd-eating—"(Allison, 1993:165).
The way to see her characteristic also can be done by looking at what another characters think about Bone. Her cousin and aunt see that Bone changes a lot into a brave and strong girl after something happens to her. It is not only both of them who notice but another characters also do.
"Girl," Cousin Grey told me, "sometimes your face is just scary!"
"Bone's gotten almost mean-hearted," Aunt Alma told Mama. "Something's got to be done." (Allison, 1993:119)
Her bravery is also shown when she is courage enough to make up her own identity every time she moves to a new city and new school. It is cited in Allison’s:
“What's your name, now, honey?" the woman asked me again, speaking slowly, as if she suspected I was not quite bright. The anger lifted in me and became rage. “Roseanne," I answered as blithely as if I'd never been called anything else. I smiled at her like a Roseanne. "Roseanne Carter. My family's from Atlanta, just moved up here." (1993:67)
She is actually afraid of doing that but she realizes if she keeps using her real identity, people will start to take a glimpse on her again.
2. Loving
looking down on them, Bone really loves and worship their uncles. “I worship my uncles—Earl, Beau, and nevil. They were all big men with wide shoulders, broken teeth, and sunken features (Allison, 1993:22). She also really loves her mom. She would do anything just for Anne happiness. Even she does not tell her misery of being beaten by Glen because she knows it would hurt her. Other than Anne, she has a loving heart for her family who is disliked by the society. “I liked being one
of the women with my aunts, like feeling a part of something nasty and strong”
(Allison, 1993:91).
3. Self-sacrificing
Having experience being beaten, tortured, and raped by her stepfather, Bone turns out to be depressed and not able to tell the truth to her mother so she prefers to keep it as her own secret. She chooses to suffer her pain alone, hopes to spare her mother from the horrible actions she received from her mother’s beloved husband. The sacrifice Bone concerns for her mother is shown on quote below:
“Then Daddy Glen would take me into the bathroom again, crying that it hurt him more than it could ever hurt me. But his face would tell the truth, his hands on my body. He would show me just how much he hurt when Mama left him in that parking lot, and then when he beat me, we would both know why. But Mama wouldn't know. More terrified of hurting her than of anything that might happen to me, I would work as hard as he did to make sure she never knew” (Allison, 1993:118).
between them. Bone has the mother-like role and her mother in the role of protected daughter.
"Never have been able to sleep past sunrise," she told me.
"No matter how little sleep I've had, I just come awake." Her face was haggard. She hugged me to her hip and laid her chin on the top of my head. It was as if I was her mother now, holding her safe, and she was my child, happy to lean on my strong, straight back. I closed my eyes, wanting time to stop, wishing the moment would go on forever, the day never begin. But inevitably Daddy Glen would get up, or Reese, and Mama would rinse her coffee cup and go put on her uniform (Allison, 1993:118).
Facing her unspeakable abuses, Bone is never really given the chance to be a child. She acts like a mother to protect Anney’s happiness and marriage life. She
sacrifices her own happiness to keep the secret only for her to know while Glen comes into the family and takes up the space, leaving no room for Anney and Bone’s relationship. Bone sees the difference in Anney after she finds Glen in her
life. She thinks Glenn is the perfect figure to be the father of her children and that she deeply falls in love with him. She could be happy because of Glenn. At this point, Bone only has good feelings about Glen as Bone remembers from below quotation:
“But I could tell that Mama had begun to love Glen. I saw how she blushed when he looked at her or touched her, even in passing. A flush would appear on her neck, and her cheeks would brighten until her whole face glowed pink and hot. Glen Waddell turned Mama from a harried, worried mother into a giggling, hopeful girl” (Allison, 1993: 35).
