xii ABSTRACT
REGINA KUKUH PRASETYO ATI. The Idea of Social Castration Seen through
Symbols in Anita Shreve’s The Pilot’s Wife. Yogyakarta: Department of English
Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2015.
This study deals with Anita Shreve’s The Pilot’s Wife. The novel tells about how a wife named Kathryn struggles with painful truths regarding to Jack’s betrayal of having another wife named Muire. Through her struggles with reality, Kathryn is depicted as a powerless wife who lives under Jack’s authority and so is Muire. The
novel represents women’s being treated under men’s authority and women’s lack of
power in society, which is the idea of social castration.
The study focuses on finding the idea of social castration which is reflected through the symbols found in the story. It has two objectives to achieve. The first is to find out the symbols in the story. The second is to find how the idea of social castration is reflected through the symbols found.
The method used in this study is library research. The primary source was the novel itself, The Pilot’s Wife by Anita Shreve which is supported by other data from books and internet sources related to it. The approach used in this study is feminist psychoanalysis approach from which the term of social castration was firstly born.
From the analysis, the writer found the symbols. Kathryn and Muire are the
symbolic characters symbolizing women who are powerless and live under men’s
power, control and authority. The symbolic act is Kathryn’s action in throwing her wedding ring representing forgiveness which is externally taken as her lack of power in society. Kathryn does not have power to get her right as Jack’s wife and so does Muire. They do not have power that Jack has because they do not have penis that symbolizes power. It is not the women’s penises that are castrated but their rights as
Jack’s wives. Related to Kathryn’s action to throw the wedding ring, the only thing she can do is forgiving her husband to relieve her burdens as she does not have power. Wedding ring is the symbolic object which is involved in the action while forgiving is the symbolic meaning of the action itself. The action of throwing the wedding ring externally shows her lack of power in society. Through the symbolic character and the symbolic act, the writer could find the idea of social castration, a
viii ABSTRAK
REGINA KUKUH PRASETYO ATI. The Idea of Social Castration Seen through
Symbols in Anita Shreve’s The Pilot’s Wife. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Sastra
Inggris, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2015.
Penelitian ini membahas novel Anita Shreve, The Pilot’s Wife. Novel ini menceritakan bagaimana seorang istri bernama Kathryn berjuang menghadapi kenyataan pahit berkaitan dengan pengkhianatan yang dilakukan suaminya yang memiliki istri lain bernama Muire. Melalui perjuangannya dalam menghadapi realita, Kathyn digambarkan sebagai seorang istri yang tidak berdaya dibawah kekuasaan Jack sebagai suaminya dan begitu pula dengan Muire. Novel tersebut merefleksikan kehidupan wanita dibawah kekuasaan pria dan ketidakberdayaan wanita dalam sosial, yang merupakan ide kastrasi sosial.
Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menemukan ide kastrasi sosial yang direfleksikan melalui simbol yang ditemukan dalam novel. Penelitian ini memiliki dua tujuan untuk dicapai. Tujuan yang pertama adalah untuk mengetahui simbol yang ditemukan dalam novel. Tujuan yang kedua adalah untuk mengetahui bagaimana ide kastrasi social direfleksikan melalui simbol-simbol tersebut.
Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode studi pustaka. Sumber utama adalah novel itu sendiri, The Pilot’s Wife oleh Anita Shreve dengan
didukung oleh data-data dari berbagai sumber buku dan internet yang terkait. Pendekatan yang digunakan adalah pendekatan feminis psikoanalisis dimana istilah kastrasi sosial pertama lahir.
Dari hasil analisis, penulis menemukan simbol-simbol dalam novel. Kathryn dan Muire adalah karakter simbolis yang menyimbolkan wanita yang tidak memiliki kekuasaan and hidup dibawah kekuasaan, kontrol dan kekuatan yang dimiliki laki-laki. Aksi simbolis dalam novel adalah tindakan Kathryn dalam membuang cincin pernikahannya yang merepresentasikan pengampunan yang secara eksternal dianggap sebagai ketidakberdayaannya dalam sosial.
ix
THE IDEA OF SOCIAL CASTRATION SEEN THROUGH
SYMBOLS IN ANITA SHREVE
’S
THE PILOT’S WIFE
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
REGINA KUKUH PRASETYO ATI
Student Number: 114214110
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
ii
THE IDEA OF SOCIAL CASTRATION SEEN THROUGH
SYMBOLS IN ANITA SHREVE
’STHE PILOT’S WIFE
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
REGINA KUKUH PRASETYO ATI
Student Number: 114214110
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
iii
iv
v
vi
vii
All is well.
Everything is
gonna be
viii
FOR
MY GREAT LORD IN HEAVEN
WHO RAINS ME
WITH THE ABUNDANT LOVE OF
MY LOVELY FAMILY
AND
ix
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Words are never enough to express my biggest gratitude and
commendation towards God. I thank Him for all His endless love and His
blessings in my entire life.
My deepgratitude goes to my advisor, Dr. F.X. Siswadi, M.A., for his
patience to guide me during this thesis’ preparation process. I thank him for
always supporting me and encouraging me to finish this thesis with my best. I can
see how patient he is to help me dealing with all the problems I found while
working on this thesis. To my co-advisor, Dewi Widyastuti, S.Pd., M.Hum., I
would like to express my gratitude for rechecking and improving this thesis in
order to make it better. For all the lecturers, I thank them for all the knowledge
given during the last four years. I also thank all of the Department faculty
members, esp. Mbak Ninik, for being so kind and wishing me a luck for this
thesis.
My biggest gratitude goes to my parents, for always giving me hands
hugging me tight when I am at my worst, for always mentioning my name in their
prayer and hope, for always loving me no matter what. I thank my father who
always teaches me in strict ways to create strong and tough Regina reflecting the
meaning of Regina Kukuh. I thank my mother who always worries about me in
living my life and who always cries whenever I disappoint her. I should say it
works on me and I will always try to be better each day. I promise to make them
x
Angelia Brilian Kusuma, for becoming my diary, my half of life, my best friend.
To be born as their sister is a blessing.
I am grateful of all of my best friends: Amanda-the victim of all my anger
when I am hungry, Monika-the best Chinese friend who always claims herself as
Arabic breed, Nonon-my easily panic and pious friend. I thank Vania, Ayu,
Fanny, Ria, Enno, Maria, Anita, Nafta, Cukir, etc. for always lending me pen,
notes and giving me paper, cheering me up and giving me laughs. I thank them for
becoming part of my college world and all the friendship we have been through.
The last but not least, to my future, I will never stop trying to be the best.
xi
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH .. vi
MOTTO PAGE ... vii
3. Theory of Social Castration ... 19
C. Theoretical Framework ... 23 A. The Identification of the Symbols ... 30
1. The Symbolic Characters ... 31
2. The Symbolic Act ... 37
B. The Idea of Social Castration ... 46
CHAPTER V:CONCLUSION ... 59
xii
ABSTRACT
REGINA KUKUH PRASETYO ATI. The Idea of Social Castration Seen
through Symbols in Anita Shreve’s The Pilot’s Wife. Yogyakarta: Department
of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2015.
This study deals with Anita Shreve’s The Pilot’s Wife. The novel tells about how a wife named Kathryn struggles with painful truths regarding to Jack’s betrayal of having another wife named Muire. Through her struggles with reality,
Kathryn is depicted as a powerless wife who lives under Jack’s authority and so is Muire. The novel represents women’s being treated under men’s authority and
women’s lack of power in society, which is the idea of social castration.
The study focuses on finding the idea of social castration which is reflected through the symbols found in the story. It has two objectives to achieve. The first is to find out the symbols in the story. The second is to find how the idea of social castration is reflected through the symbols found.
The method used in this study is library research. The primary source was the novel itself, The Pilot’s Wife by Anita Shreve which is supported by other data from books and internet sources related to it. The approach used in this study is feminist psychoanalysis approach from which the term of social castration was firstly born.
From the analysis, the writer found the symbols. Kathryn and Muire are the symbolic characters symbolizing women who are powerless and live under
men’s power, control and authority. The symbolic act is Kathryn’s action in throwing her wedding ring representing forgiveness which is externally taken as her lack of power in society. Kathryn does not have power to get her right as
xiii
ABSTRAK
REGINA KUKUH PRASETYO ATI. The Idea of Social Castration Seen
through Symbols in Anita Shreve’s The Pilot’s Wife. Yogyakarta: Program
Studi Sastra Inggris, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2015.
Penelitian ini membahas novel Anita Shreve, The Pilot’s Wife. Novel ini menceritakan bagaimana seorang istri bernama Kathryn berjuang menghadapi kenyataan pahit berkaitan dengan pengkhianatan yang dilakukan suaminya yang memiliki istri lain bernama Muire. Melalui perjuangannya dalam menghadapi realita, Kathyn digambarkan sebagai seorang istri yang tidak berdaya dibawah kekuasaan Jack sebagai suaminya dan begitu pula dengan Muire. Novel tersebut merefleksikan kehidupan wanita dibawah kekuasaan pria dan ketidakberdayaan wanita dalam sosial, yang merupakan ide kastrasi sosial.
Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menemukan ide kastrasi sosial yang direfleksikan melalui simbol yang ditemukan dalam novel. Penelitian ini memiliki dua tujuan untuk dicapai. Tujuan yang pertama adalah untuk mengetahui simbol yang ditemukan dalam novel. Tujuan yang kedua adalah untuk mengetahui bagaimana ide kastrasi social direfleksikan melalui simbol-simbol tersebut.
Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode studi pustaka. Sumber utama adalah novel itu sendiri, The Pilot’s Wife oleh Anita
Shreve dengan didukung oleh data-data dari berbagai sumber buku dan internet yang terkait. Pendekatan yang digunakan adalah pendekatan feminis psikoanalisis dimana istilah kastrasi sosial pertama lahir.
Dari hasil analisis, penulis menemukan simbol-simbol dalam novel. Kathryn dan Muire adalah karakter simbolis yang menyimbolkan wanita yang tidak memiliki kekuasaan and hidup dibawah kekuasaan, kontrol dan kekuatan yang dimiliki laki-laki. Aksi simbolis dalam novel adalah tindakan Kathryn dalam membuang cincin pernikahannya yang merepresentasikan pengampunan yang secara eksternal dianggap sebagai ketidakberdayaannya dalam sosial.
xiv
1
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
Humans are all the same; men and women were born equally before
society differentiates them based on their political position, physical and
biological matter, and characteristics differences as what have been explained by
Toril Moi (Barry, 1995: 85). Women, who are assumed as weak, emotional, and
passive creatures, are treated differently by society that follows patriarchal system
since a long time ago. In patriarchal system, women are positioned by society
under men authority. The patriarch, has legitimate power over others in the social
unit (Pilcher and Whelehan, 2004: 93). Women do not have the same chance to
get in to the world which men have. Everything in this world is seen through
men’s eyes. The position that society has constructed which is felt to be unfair
leads to the term feminism. Feminism is the belief that women subjugated because
of their sex and that they deserve equality (Pilcher and Whelehan, 2004: 48).
Many feminists deliver their idea about feminism through literary works.
Literary works have become a media to deliver what they think related to
feminism. There are many ideas about women or men that are delivered or
reflected through literature showing the readers about both women and men’s
position in society.
The representation of women in literature, then, was felt to be one of
the most important forms of “socialization”, since it provided the role
acceptable versions of the “feminine” and legitimate feminine goals and aspirations. (Barry, 1995: 85)
Literature has many forms such as poem, short story, drama, novel, etc.
Novel has become one of the most well known literary works as its high access
among people. Through novel, the reader can imagine and feel the atmosphere
delivered. Everyone who read novel, even though the reader is not a literary critic,
can enjoy it. However, some basic knowledge is also needed in order to
understand a literary work deeply such as novel. Analyzing novel can provide
better understanding for the readers about the novel they read. Therefore the
writer is encouraged to analyze one feminist literary work, The Pilot’s Wife by
Anita Shreve.
Feminism has become one movement which develops rapidly (Pilcher
and Whelehan, 2004: 48). It develops as feminism represents the major change in
social thinking and politics where it questions society’s understanding about men
and women and the social structures which maintain their differences (Humm,
1992: xi). The influences of feminism can be seen in a range of society, politic
and also cultural life.
Feminism is likely to occur as a social force in this world which holds
patriarchal system (Humm, 1992: 1). Literary, patriarchy means rule by the male
head of a social unit such as in family or tribes (Pilcher and Whelehan, 2004: 93).
According to Walby, patriarchy is a system of social structures and practices, in
which men dominate, oppress and exploit women (Walby, 1990: 20). In
not, where men are assumed as strong, rational and active creatures while women
are considered as weak, emotional and passive creatures. There is a general
statement saying that feminism is the belief that women, purely and simply
because they are women, are considered as a weak creature and a second played in
a family while the man is the head (Gamble, 2004: 7)
Weedon states that
The term patriarchal refers to power relations in which women's interests are subordinated to the interests of men. These power relations take on many forms, from the sexual divisions of labor and the social organization of procreation to the internalized norms of femininity by which we live. Patriarchal power rests on social meaning given to biological sexual difference. (Weedon, 1987: 2)
It has been known that a woman is often treated differently under man’s authority.
“Patriarchal society gives absolute priority to men and to some extent limits women’s
human rights also. Patriarchy refers to the male domination both in public and private
spheres” (Sultana, 2011). It has been constructed and has become a general opinion
in the society like what Beavoir says that one is not born as a woman, rather, one
becomes a woman (Barry, 1995: 85). Related to Beavoir’s statement, Jane Pilcher
and Imelda Whelehan state
De Beavoir’s discussion makes clear the ways in which gender
differences are set in hierarchal opposition, where the masculine
principle is always the favoured ‘norm’ and the feminine one becomes
positioned as ‘Other’. For de Beavoir femininity can only be defined as lack (Pilcher and Whelehan, 2004: 57).
The word “becomes” in Beavoir’s statement implies that women’s
masculine principles. This happens continously and has become a culture in
society. Society, including women and men as its part, consciously or
unconsciously has accepted and agreed that women are created lower than men
(Gamble, 2004: ix). Beavoir also states that society sets up the male as a positive
norm and ‘woman’ as the negative, second sex, or ‘Other’. Beavoir claims that
society sets up oppositions such as culture or nature, production or reproduction
all of which combine to place woman in an inferior position (Humm, 1992: 57).
To see these facts, feminists come with the belief that women should have the
equality as men have.
The writer wants to analyze a novel titled The Pilot’s Wife by Anita
Shreve, which is a feminist writer. The writer wants to know how the symbol
through an action, known as symbolic act, that the main female character does in
the novel reflects the idea of social castration, signifying women’s lack of power.
The Pilot’s Wife is a novel written by Anita Shreve that is considered as a work of
feminist literature. The Pilot’s Wife’s main character is Kathryn Lyons. As a
pilot’s wife, she realizes the consequences that might happen to her husband, Jack
Lyons. Kathryn is shocked by a man whose name is Robert Hart telling that her
husband has died in a crash over the coast of Ireland. Robert is sent to console,
protect and keep Kathryn from media who come out with the idea that Jack has
committed suicide and has dragged all the people inside the plane with him as
what is heard on the CVR recording at just the moment before the explosion. Her
life goes fine until suddenly she finds out the truths revealing into the surface in
their marriage is covered with lies. Her husband, Jack Lyons, has secrets that
Kathryn has never known.
As a pilot who has a set route, Jack Lyons lives back and forth between
two different countries, America and Ireland. This novel tells Kathryn’s journey
to find the secrets that her husband has another family, a wife and two children in
England. “Do I really know who my husband, the one that I share my life with,
is?” begins her journey to find out who her husband really is. The question come
up in Kathryn’s mind short after Mattie, her daughter, asks “How do we ever
know that we really know a person?” (Shreve, 1998: 82). As a wife, Kathryn
thinks she knows everything about her husband that she actually never knows.
She wants to find out the secrets that her husband has kept from her for sixteen
years of their marriage.
Through the journey, Kathryn is depicted to struggle with the truth and
her realizing of being lack of power. She wants to fight against and defend herself,
but what she can do is nothing as she realizes that she has no power under Jack’s
authority. Kathryn and Jack’s second wife live under Jack’s power as a husband.
The novel shows that women are subordinated under men’s power.
In a glance, the title itself has shown feminism, where it relegates to
women’s second position in a family instead of relegating to women status as a
woman. Through this study, the writer firstly finds the symbols in the story
showing that women do not have power. The truth about women’s lacking of
power shows the idea of social castration strengthened by penis envy and
castration complex theories as penis symbolizes man’s power.
B. Problem Formulation
To show the idea of social castration through the characteristics of the main
character, there are two problems addressed in this study:
1. What are the symbols found in Kathryn’s action?
2. How do the symbols show social castration?
C. Objectives of the Study
This study has two objectives in order to answer the problems above. The
first objective is to analyze the symbol found in the story. The writer can analyze
the symbols through the character and action which holds more meaning. The
writer analyzes the symbols showing that women are powerless in the story. The
second objective is to analyze the idea of social castration which is shown through
the symbols found. The characters, which are the wives, and Kathryn’s action of
throwing the wedding ring implies women’s lack of power in society, including in
D. Definition of Terms
This part contains some definition of keyword and terms related to the
research. The following below are aimed to avoid misunderstanding and to make
this study understandable.
The first term used in this study is social castration. Barry explains that
social castration is the term introduced by Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar in their
book The Madwoman in the Attic. The term is used to signify women’s lack of
power in society as their position is constructed by society (Barry, 1995: 125).
Another keyword used in the study is symbol. Symbol is something that
stands for something else and holds more meaning. In literature, a symbol is a
thing that suggest more than its literal meaning (Kennedy and Gioia, 2005: 251).
According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, symbol is an action, object or even
thought that expresses or represents a particular idea or quality. It represents
something in the unconscious mind that has been repressed. According to
Christopher R. Reaske and John R. Knott, JR. in their book Mirrors: An
Introduction to Literature, a symbol stands for something, for example a dove for
peace, a cross for Christianity and such symbols have a basic meaning that are
taken for granted. They stated that literary symbols have no fixed meaning
independent of the work in which they appear. The context that the writer
establishes determines their significance (Reaske and Knott: 1975).
Symbol can be divided into two: symbolic characters and symbolic acts
little, practical effect but symbolizes, or signals, what the actor wants or believes.
The action conveys meaning to the viewers. “Symbolic act is a gesture or an
action with larger significance than usual. It represents a particular idea than its
meaning through action” (Kennedy and Gioia, 2005: 252). A symbolic character
is a character that may convey symbolic meaning through the character’s
appeareance. Symbolic characters make brief cameo appearances, they are often
not well-rounded and fully known, but are fleetingly and remain slightly
9
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
A. Review of the Related Studies
There are two studies related to this study. Both studies use the same
object, which is Anita Shreve’s The Pilot’s Wife. The studies related are
“Middlebrow Aesthetics and the Therapeutic: The Politics of Interiority in Anita
Shreve's The Pilot's Wife” by Timothy Aubry and “The Importance of Secondary
Characters in the Novel The Pilot’s Wife” by Lauren.
The study titled “Middlebrow Aesthetics and the Therapeutic: The
Politics of Interiority in Anita Shreve's The Pilot's Wife” by Timothy Aubry is
related to this study. In the study, Aubry writes about his though that feminism is
not the only one exist in a feminist novel, there is another issues tried to be
revealed up through the novel, for example is the political conflict related to a
country’s institution, IRA (Aubry, 2008: 87). Even though he agrees that many
novels within the category of women's fiction exhibit a therapeutic emphasis, he
does not believe that the meanings, implications, and ideological functions of this
emphasis have been adequately described. He gives the example of this case by
stating the politics issue happening in the feminist novel The Pilot’s Wife (Aubry,
2008: 89).
In his study, Aubry writes his thought that the reason for Kathryn’s
husband committing suicide has relations to political conflicts with IRA. Through
analyze the motive behind Jack, the character who commits suicide in a plane.
Another thing that Aubry states in The Pilot’s Wife is the author or Shreve's
writing nevertheless demonstrates the capacity of individual-centered, therapeutic
discourse to describe larger social formations and class anxieties through the
depiction of a single character's conspicuously conventional interiority (Aubry,
2008: 87).
He assumes that The Pilot's Wife works actively to politicize the
domestic sphere in a systematic fashion, cataloguing the ways in which the
husband's secret affiliation with the Irish Republican Army has shaped the
protagonist's family dynamics (Aubry, 2008: 92). Moreover, he gives explanations
that what have been passed by Kathryn concerning the painful truths about her
husband are not only caused by her position as a wife but are also still related to
the affiliation with IRA. Through this study, Aubry explains about the ending of
the novel which he thinks Anita Shreve succeeds at endowing all of the
psychological impulses, physical gestures, conversations, and memories that
usually constitute intimate familial relations with the dramatic valences and
affective energies of high-stakes political conflict . The excessive appropriation
and proliferation of the political serves psychological needs particular to the
protagonist and the category of middle-class women in this novel whose name is
Kathryn Lyons (Aubry, 2008: 103).
In the end of the study, Aubry argues that reading The Pilot’s Wife
carefully reveals a psychological realm ripe for the kind of politicization. In this
as Portrait of the Artist. He fistly compares the main female character from both
literary works then he relates them to the politic issue (Aubry, 2008: 98-99).
Aubry’s study is different from this study. This study analyzes the
symbol found in the main female character’s action showing that women lack
power in society while the study by Aubry focuses on the political issue related to
Jack’s committing suicide which is unconsciously giving contribution to
Kathryn’s characteristics.
The second study is an essay titled “The Importance of Secondary
Characters in the Novel The Pilot’s Wife” by Lauren which is also related to this
study. This essay explains that contributions given by minor or secondary
characters are very important in a novel including The Pilot’s Wife. She argues
that no matter how many times or how long the minor characters appear in the
story, each of them must have significant roles that contribute to the meaning of
the story.
Lauren states that Jack Lyons had never appeared in the novel but he was
depicted through the minor characters around him such as his father, his mother,
his brother, his another wife and children in Ireland that Kathryn had never known
before (Lauren, 2004). Jack’s another wife was Muire which was once a
stewardess in an airplane company where Jack worked, they had two children
from this marriage which one of them was Diedre. Lauren states Kathryn’s
realizing that once the life of a child was involved in a relationship, it become
more complicated for the couple to solve their problems, since they must undergo
Diedre knew nothing as the mistakes were done by his parents, therefore Kathryn
treated him like her own daughter.
Jack was not a faithful husband, yet Kathryn found that Jack was a very
responsible father through Diedre and Mattie which was her own daughter. The
main idea of the essay written by Laura is that every minor character, no matter
how long and how many times they appear, holds important and significant roles
to help the reader get the meaning of the story (Lauren, 2004).
The article written by Laura gives contribution in term of
characterization. What makes Laura’s study different from this study is this study
analyzes the symbolic act of the main character and how it represents the idea of
social castration while Laura’s study analyzes the importance of minor characters
which help the depiction of the main character.
B. Review of Related Theories
1. Theory of Symbol
In this part, the writer summarizes the theories that give contribution to
the analysis of this study. The focus in this study is how Kathryn’s symbolic act
shows the idea of social castration, therefore the theory of symbol is very helpful
for the writer to analyze the symbolin Kathryn’s action.
Every literary work, including novel, must have elements in it. Symbol is
one of element in a literary work. There are some definitions about symbols in
literature. “A symbol is simply ‘something that stands for, represents, or denotes
literature. Symbols have complex meanings which is not only literal meaning but
also the meanings beyond its literal. Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs in
their book Fiction: An Introduction to Reading and Writing state that symbols is
one mode of literary expression that are designed to extend meaning (Roberts and
Jacobs, 1987: 279). Symbols in a story have extended meaning which help the
author to deliver the idea of the story without mentioning it directly.
What is important about symbol is that the symbol points beyond itself to
greater and more complex meaning. Robert and Jacobs describe that a symbol
pulls or draws together (1) a specific thing with (2) ideas, values, persons, or ways
of life, in a direct relationship that otherwise would not be apparent (Roberts and
Jacobs, 1987: 279). Symbols we find in fiction are inanimate objects, but other
things may function symbolically.
Symbol can be divided into two: symbolic characters and symbolic acts
(Kennedy and Gioia, 2010: 224-225). A symbolic act is an action as a symbol
which holds more meaning. It is related to attitude and movement of a character
that gives the meaning of the story. Symbolic act is not only related to important
attitude and movement but also a gesture. “A symbolic act is a gesture with larger
significance than usual” (Kennedy and Gioia, 2010: 225). A simple gesture in a
story is a symbol when it gives meaning in the story. A symbolic act, however,
doesn’t have to be a gesture as large as starting a conflagration. A gesture is
interpreted by how characters act. It is supported by the setting when an action is
done that makes them a symbolic act (Kennedy and Gioia, 2010: 225). A
which hold more meaning in their appearances. Symbolic characters make brief
cameo appearances, they are often not well-rounded and fully known, but are
fleetingly and remain slightly mysterious (Kennedy and Gioia, 2010: 225).
According to Barnet, Berman and Burto in their book An Introduction to
Literature, Expanded Edition, some symbols are natural symbol and conventional
symbols. The meaning of conventional symbols are widely understood, agreed
and accepted, for example is a flag that stands for a country.
Some symbols are natural symbols, recognized as standing for something in particular even by people from different cultures. Rain, for instance, usually stands for fertility or the renewal of life. A forest often stands for some sort of mental darkness or chaos, a mountain for stability, a valley for a place of security, and so on. There are of course many execptions, but by and large these meaning prevail. Other symbols, however, are conventional symbols, which people have agreed to accept as standing for something other than themselves: a poem about the cross would probably be about Christianity (Barnet, Berman and Burto, 1993: 694).
To know and recognize something as a symbol in literary works, it is
important to know symbol’s characteristics. There are some characteristics of
symbol that help the reader to recognize something as a symbol in order to
understand the meaning of a story. Kennedy and Gioia mentions that writers often
give the symbol particular emphasis which is put in any particular position,
moment or situation.
They state;
perceptible objects or worded descriptions that cause us to imagine them. (Kennedy and Gioia, 2010: 226)
Different readers must have different interpretation of the same symbol
found in a story. Hans P. Guth and Gabriele L. Rico state on Discovering
Literature, that to respond fully to a story, readers have to become sensitive to
symbolic overtones and implications. According to them, symbols have some
characteristics:
a. Some symbols come into a story from a shared language of symbols. Much in
human experience has traditional symbolic associations: the dawn with hope,
the dark forest with evil, clay with death, water with fertility, rose with love,
etc.
b. Some symbols have a special personal meaning for the writer. Their meaning
may come into focus as they return again and again in the writers’ work. In
this point, the reader should read and compare some different stories written
by the same author to understand the meaning of the symbol found in the
story.
c. Literary symbols are rich in associations. They have more resonance, more
reverberation than simple signs.
d. Symbols may be ambiguous. The ambiguity is caused by the particular
situation or moment in the story.
e. Symbols acquire their full meaning in the context of a story.
To interpret the language of symbols, readers need to keep the points above in
There is a reason why the writer use symbol instead of telling the reader
directly about the meaning of the story. The readers are given some clues in order
to determine something as a symbol in order to understand the meaning of the
story.
Writers use symbols because they want readers to perceive- at least faintly- that certain characters or places or seasons or happenings have rich implications, stand for something more than what they are on the surface. How do writers help us to perceive these things? By emphasizing them-for instance, by describing them at some length, or by introducing them at times when they might not seem strictly necessary, or calling attention to them repeatedly (Barnet, Berman and Burto, 1993: 70).
According to Robert Stanton in An Introduction to Fiction, symbols have
three usual effects which each of them depends on how it is used. The first is, a
symbol which appears on an important moment emphasizes the significance of the
moment itself. The second is, one symbol which is repeated several time shows us
the consistency element in the story. The third is, a symbol that appears in
different contexts can help clarifying the theme (Stanton, 1965: 32). He also states
that the usual clues that a detail is symbolic is that it is conspicious for some
reason other than its factual importance.
2. Theory of Theme
The theme of a story is whatever general idea or insight the entire story
reveals. Theme is the central idea of a story. Robert Stanton states
But whatever value it may have, the theme is necessary, integral part
of the story’s reality, not something the author gratuitously tacks on to the facts, like the “morals” following Aeshop’s fables, nor the only reason for the story’s existence, like the pill within the sugar coating. (Stanton, 1965: 4)
According to Guth and Rico, theme is an idea or ideas that the story as a whole
seems to act out (Guth and Rico, 1997: 231). Theme is the main idea in the story
and point of the story’s content. In literary fiction, a theme is seldom so obvious.
The theme is what it gives unity to the story and meaning to the events (Stanton,
1965: 4). The theme in a story also may contain messages that writers are trying to
deliver to the reader. Even though, a theme need not be a moral or a message; it
may be what the happenings add up to, what the story is about (Kennedy and
Gioia, 1999: 175).
It is readers’ job to find the theme in a story. The writers do not state
what they mean directly in a story. Their task would be much easier if they could
first state the facts and in many words tell the readers what they mean as theme
must appear within the facts. In a story, theme corresponds to the meaning of
human experience. Theme may be a generalization about human life. It can be a
single fact of human experience in life that the story describes or explores. Some
stories convey moral judgments of their character’s actions, as wrong or right.
Like the meaning of a human experience, a theme illuminates or comments upon
some aspect of life (Stanton, 1965: 4). In this study, theory of theme is needed as
it helps the writer to reveal the facts in human life. It helps to show the fact that
society constructs women position under men’s authority and show that women
To identify the theme in a literary work, readers must start with a clear
idea of the characters, the situation, and the plot in order to identify the theme of a
story. Readers must look closely at any events, characters, or object that seem
irrelevant to the main line of action. To be more specific, the theme should meet
some such criteria as the following:
1. An adequate interpretation should account for every prominent detail in the
story.
2. An adequate interpretation should not be contradicted by any detail of the
story.
3. An interpretation should not rest upon evidence not clearly stated or implied by
the story.
4. The interpretation should be directly suggested by the story.
Thus, action, character, statements, symbols, and dialogue may be judged in terms
of how closely they relate to the idea of theme. A theme runs throughout a story
and ties things together muck like a continuous thread (Roberts and Jacob, 1987:
319).
To find ideas in a story, readers must read the work carefully,
considering the main characters and actions and evaluating such variable as tone,
setting and symbolism (Roberts and Jacob, 1987: 321). This study considers the
symbols found that show the theme in the story, which is social castration. The
symbol found in the story relate closely to the idea of the theme. The theory of
theme helps the writer to reveal the facts in society that women are living under
3. Theory of Social Castration
The theory used to help the writer to answer the second problem is social
castration theory. As feminist focuses on analyzing gender inequality, the theory
is applied in this study in order to show that gender inequality exists between a
wife and a husband, to show the patriarchy system that is socially constructed and
naturally applied in every family. From The Second Sex (1949), Simone de
Beauvoir states ‘one is not born, but rather becomes, a woman’ (Barry, 1995: 83).
The statement means that the roles women hold, including being a wife, that the
roles people associate with women are not given to them in birth, by virtue of
their biology, but rather are by society. The same as what Beauvoir states, Freud
also sees “masculinity” and “femininity” as social categories or social
constructed, that relations in a family are constructed under unconsciousness and
that our identity is closely tied with the concepts about sexuality and gender
(Gamble, 2004: 214).
The term “social castration” was introduced by Sandra Gilbert and Susan
Gubar in their book The Madwoman in the Attic. Through the book, they identify
women as “social castrates”. Social castration is a term that comes from
feminism’s relationship to psychology. Feminism’s early relationship to
psychoanalysis was largely a critical one (Pilcher and Whelehan, 2004: 120).
male possession, though not as in any sense a male attribute” (Barry,
1995: 125-126)
Gamble mentions Juliet Mitchell’s statement that social castration is
closely connected to the concept of penis envy and castration complex according
to Freud (Gamble, 2004: 214). The concept of penis envy and social castration
help to reveal the idea of social castration.
Penis envy theory is introduced by Freud. Castration complex theory is
also introduced by Freud related to the theory of penis envy. Penis in the penis
envy concept is a symbol of men’s power in society while women are the desire
for penis itself. Penis envy and castration complex theories by Freud imply that
penis symbolizes men’s power. According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s
Dictionary, castration means to remove testicles of a male animal or person. In
castration complex theory, women are assumed as men who are castrated because
they do not have penises.
The image of women as ‘castrated’ men who must prepare themselves
for a passive sexual role conveys the idea of their secondary status to men – that their lack of penis is translated in social terms as lack of power, status and authority (Pilcher and Whelehan, 2004: 121).
The thought from Pilcher and Whelehan above shows that the notions of penis
envy need not be taken as simply concerning the male physical organ itself
(whatever might have been Freud’s intentions), but as concerning that organ as an
emblem of social power and the advatages which go with it (Barry, 1995: 125).
At the beginning, Freud’s theories seem to emphasize the changing of the
feminist that according to him females are perceived as castrated when they see
the male genital and discover her own lack of penis. Some books, for example The
Dialectic of Sex by Firestone, result critics on Freud’s penis envy and castration
complex that Freud’s theories is a patriarchal theories viewing women as
unconsciously envy of men (Gamble, 2004: 219). The unconscious, according to
Jaques Lacan, is structured like a language. Lacan see the oedipus complex as a
symbol in the decline of the patriarchal hierarchy in Western society. It uses the
father’s name, the one who “have” phallus, which is an abstract paternal agency
that separates mother, the one who “is being” phallus, and child (Butler, 2006: 62
-63). Kate Millet through her book “Sexual Politics” evaluates the
misunderstanding thoughts about Freud’s penis envy theory. She states that
Freud’s work tries to rasionalize the bad relation between two sexes, to validate
traditional roles, and to validate temperamental differences (Gamble, 2004: 219).
She sees women’s being passive in Freud’s pre-Oedipal supports status quo in
patriarchal system. Julliet Mitchell, through Psychoanalysis and Feminism (1974),
evaluates the misunderstanding of the psychoanalysis from the previous works.
She clarifies that Freud’s penis envy does not state that women are biologically
lower than men but he gives the scientific tools to understand why women are
formed the way they are in society holding patriarchal system. According to her,
castration can be seen as a social phenomenon. The concept of penis envy is a
metaphor of men and women in biological matter, where men takes control to
penetrate towards women’s body during intercourse, showing possesion and
The term social castration is applied to denote the lack of power women
have in society which follows patriarchy.
…she misses the great lack [phallus], so that without man she would be indefinite, indefinable, non sexed, unable to recognize herself: outside the Symbolic. But fortunately there is man: he who
comes…Prince Charming. And it’s man who teaches woman (because
man is always the Master as well), who teaches her to be aware of
lack, to be aware of absence, aware of death. It’s man who will finally order woman, “set her to rights,” by teaching her that without man she
could “misrecognize”(Cixous and Kuhn, 1981: 46).
Women do not miss a penis they never had, but that they have been deprived of
something else that men enjoy which is the power to control their own destiny
while women follow what has been constructed by society which is
male-centered. Women are powerless without men, women follow society that men set.
Women’s power, a power which is symbolized by penis, is castrated.
The point of the word “castration” here is that in order to achieve
acceptability and feminity Catherine has to lose the power which men take for granted, namely power over their destiny (Barry, 1995: 135)
Society defines gender roles inequality. Inequality is the contrast of
equality where equality can be defined as a state or condition of being the same,
especially in terms of social status or legal/political rights (Pilcher and Whelehan,
2004: 37). Anthony Giddens and Simon Griffiths in Sociology mentions that Ann
Oakley in her text, Sex, Gender and Society, notes how Western cultures seem
most prone to exaggeration of gender differences and argues that the ‘social
efficiency’ of our present gender roles centers round women’s role as housewife
Society has also defines women roles in society including in a family.
For example, in patriarchal system society says that a wife should follow what her
husband says as a husband is the head of a family. The male gender is always
identified with power and authority while woman is someone who remains in awe
of his lofty position. In his academic research journal, Gatt states that the identity
or role that a woman gets is just a construct of social, cultural mores which have
their sanction from the patriarchal society (Gatt, 2014). Another example is
According to Pilcher and Whelehan, what most feminists question about
Firestone’s view that the mothering role is an evidence of women’s ‘natural’
disposition towards nurturance and pacificism such as taking care the children and
the family, preparing food for the family, keeping the house clean (Pilcher and
Whelehan, 2004: 57). The theory is used in this study to show women’s lack of
power in society, which is the idea of social castration.
C. Theoretical Framework
There are two research questions addressed in this study. To answer the
first question, the theory of symbol is applied. This theory helps the writer to find
the symbols in The Pilot’s Wife. Finding the symbols in the novel helps the writer
to answer the second question addressed, which is how the symbols found show
the idea of social castration which signifies women’s lack of power.
To answer the second question, the writer uses the theory of theme and
psychoanalytic feminism theories, which are social casration, penis envy and
constructs women position under men’s authority and show that women do not
have power that men have in society. This study reveals the theme of the story,
which is social castration, through symbols. Theories of penis envy and castration
complex by Freud are also applied to help the writer strengthens the idea of social
castration.
Feminists believe that there is gender inequality which is socially
constructed. Feminism focuses on gender inequality, therefore the theories are
applied in this study in order to show gender inequality existing between a wife
and a husband, to show the patriarchal system that is socially constructed and
naturally applied in every family. Society follows patriarchal system and has
divided roles which are not equal based on gender.
The theory of penis envy and castration complex by Freud help the writer
to illustrate in biological way of how patriarchal system in society is constructed.
The theory of theme is applied to help the writer to show the theme of the story
itself, which is social castration. The theories of penis envy and castration
complex relate one to another to strengthen social castration theory that signify
25
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
The work to be analyzed in the study is a novel from a feminist writer
named Anita Shreve. She has written many feminist novels and this study
analyses one of her work whose title is The Pilot’s Wife. The novel was written in
1998 and has been filmed in 2002.
This novel is a love and a tragedy novel, telling love and life story of a
woman named Kathryn who is a wife of a pilot. Through this novel, the readers
may get depiction of how women position in society and their second or other
position in a family. Kathryn is a wife of a pilot who has set route and it forces her
to be an independent wife and mother for her fifteen-years-old daughter. Nothing
surprised her more than a news from Robert Hart telling her husband has died in a
crash. The crash is assumed as her husband committing suicide as what it is heard
from the CRV before the explosion. Interviewed as the pilot’s wife, Kathryn does
not feel there is something wrong in her husband as the reason behind his
committing suicide. For this reason, Kathryn wants to find out who her husband
really is. This novel tells Kathryn’s journey to find out the answer of all the
questions she asks about her husband after his death. She goes to Ireland to find
out all the secrets her husband has kept. One by one, the truths about the man she
imagined before. She finds out that her husband lies about his relatives, his saving
on separated account and his having other family in Ireland. She finds out that she
is betrayed eventhough she has done the roles society gives for women as wife.
In the story, Kathryn finds out that Jack has another wife whose name is
Muire. Kathryn and Muire have the same status as Jack’s wife. As Jack’s wife,
Muire also lives under Jack’s authority eventhough she knows everything about
him compared to Kathryn. Facing the painful betrayal, Kathryn realizes that she
has no power to defend herself or change everything that society has constructed.
She ends up in an action that shows she wants to end her pain and to forget Jack
by forgiving him. Her forgiveness is externally taken as her lack of power as she
does not have other option. The lack of power is the idea of social castration.
The wives do not have power, that is symbolized by penis, that Jack has.
The wives’ lack of power is the idea of social castration.
B. Approach of the Study
Since this study focuses on social castration that happens to the main
female character, the approach used in this study is psychoanalytic feminism
approach from where the term social castration was born. Feminism questions
society’s understanding about gender equality. Feminism is about men and
women and the social structures which maintain their differences (Humm, 1992:
xi). Feminism is likely to occur as a social force in this world which holds
patriarchal system (Humm, 1992: 1). Feminism and psychoanalysis have relation.
Psychoanalytic feminism addresses idea about developing feminist principles.
Sarah Gamble mentions Julia Mitchell ‘s thought that psychoanalysis on feminism
is seen as social justification on status quo, borjuis and patriarchy, yet she
reevaluates that psychoanalysis gives the concept about how woman comes into
being (Gamble, 2004, 219-220). It is not only feminists that believe that
patriarchal culture is followed by our society, unconsciously all people also follow
and accept patriarchal system, meaning that everything is seen through men’s
point of view. Feminist focuses on the marginalization of all women: that is, one
organized in favor of the interest of men. Feminist literary critics try to explain
how power imbalance due to gender in a given culture is reflected in or
challenged the literary texts (Guerin, Labor, Morgan, Reesman, Willingham,
1999: 196).
Despite their diversity, feminist critics generally agree that their goals are to expose patriarchal premises and resulting prejudices, to promote discovery and revaluation of literature by women, and to examine social, cultural, and psychosexual contexts of literature and literary criticism (Guerin, Labor, Morgan, Reesman, Willingham, 1999: 197).
From the statement above, it is concluded that feminists try to expose the
concept of patriarchal system, to promote discovery and evaluate the literature
done by women and to discuss social, cultural, and psychosexual context of
literature and literary criticism. The object of this study, Anita Shreve’s The
Pilot’s Wife, is one of a feminist literary work representing social, cultural and
psychosexual aspects. Therefore, psychoanalytic feminism approach is used in
this study to analyze women’s position and roles in society that is oppressed by
C. Method of the Study
The writer used a library research in order to do analysis in this study.
The primary source that was used in this study was a feminine novel titled The
Pilot’s Wife by a feminist writer Anita Shreve. The secondary sources were some
books and websites related to this study based on the work, the approach, the
theories, and the study as the related study. There were several books used to help
the writer to write this study such as Gender Trouble,Feminism: A reader, The
Routledge Companion to Feminism and Postfeminism, An Introduction to Literary
and Cultural Theory, Fifty Key Concepts in Gender Studies, etc.
There were several steps taken by the writer. The first was reading the
novel which became the object of this study comprehensively in order to
understand the novel deeply. After understanding the novel, the writer found the
relation between the title of the novel and the story started from the beginning
until the end which overall represented women’s position in socity. Then, the
writer collected some theories from several books and internet sources that relate
to this study in order to provide more data for the analysis.
The next step taken was by applying the theories and the approach used
to answer the problem questions in this study. The theory of symbols was used to
answer the first question where it showed that Kathryn’s symbolic act symbolizes
her lack of power. The theory of penis envy and castration complex were used in
order to answer the second question where it helped to show the idea of social
show the idea of social castration which was the main topic of this study. By
answering those questions, the writer could draw analysis and conclusion in this
30
CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS
In this analysis, the writer discusses the two problems in the problem
formulation mentioned above. The discussion is divided into two parts based on
each problem to answer each of them. The first part of the analysis is to answer
the first problem, which is what are the symbols found in The Pilot’s Wife while
the second part is to answer the second problem question, which is how the
symbols found in the novel show the idea of social castration.
A. The Identification of the Symbols
A symbol can help to reveal the theme or the idea of a story. The symbol
found in a story may have complex meanings. Symbol is not always an object or a
thing, a particular act can be considered as a symbol. According to Kennedy and
Gioia symbols are divided into two which are symbolic character and symbolic
act. Symbols found in characters or person are known as symbolic characters
while symbols found through an action are known as symbolic acts (Kennedy and
Gioia, 2010: 224-225). According to Robert and Jacobs, a symbol is a person,
thing, place, action, situation, or even thought. It possesses its own reality and
meaning and may function at the normal level of reality within story (Robert and
Jacobs, 1987: 279). In this first part, the writer is analyzing the symbols found in
the novel to answer the first problem addressed. The writer analyses the symbols
the main female character that contributes more meaning to the whole story.
Finding the meaning behind the symbols helps the writer to show the idea of
social castration in the story, a term which signifies women’s lack of power.
1. The Symbolic Characters
Kathryn is Jack’s wife that finally finds out that she is betrayed.
She finds out that everything she knows in her marriage is a lie. The most
painful betrayal is her finding Jack’s another wife in another country named
Muire. Jack and Muire meet in the air as work partners. “We met in the air”
(Shreve, 1998:115). “I flew with him five and a half years ago. I was a flight
attendant with Vision” (Shreve, 1998: 114). Muire is an ex-flight attendant
in the Vision company where Jack works as a pilot.
Muire Boland, she read, had left the airline in January of 1993. Trained by Vision in London, she had been a flight attendant with the airline for three years (Shreve, 2004:100)
Muire knows everything about Jack compared to Kathryn. She
knows about Jack’s life that Kathryn never knows. That the dark-haired
woman had known everything. Whereas Kathryn had not (Shreve, 1998:
112). Eventhough she knows everything about Jack, she does not have the
life that Kathryn has as Kathryn is the real wife in his life while she is a wife
that is protected and is kept from public.
Had she been the pilot’s wife or Muire Boland? Muire Boland, who had been married in the Catholic Church, who knew of
Jack’s mother and his childhood. Muire, who knew of Kathryn,
whereas Kathryn had not known of her.
Or had Kathryn been the real wife? The first wife, the one he
had protected from the truth, the wife he wouldn’t leave?
Kathryn is the first wife that Jack does not marry in a Catholic
Church while Muire is the second wife that Jack marries in a church. This
situation, marry in a church or not, leaves Kathryn questions of its meaning
related to devoutness. “Kathryn said incredulously. It was one thing to be
married in a Catholic church because a lover wanted it, quite another to be
devout oneself” (Shreve, 1998: 153). Through her thought about it is one
thing to be married in Catholic church, Kathryn questions her marriage that
is not in a church. It shows how to be married in a church is something
important for her as it involves devoutness. She also questions herself about
who is the real wife for Jack empasizing that it is an important situation to
be married in a church.
Had she herself been the pilot’s wife or had Muire Boland?
Muire Boland, who had been married in the Catholic Church (Shreve, 1998: 141)
Apart from marrying in church or not, both women are living under Jack’s
control. Kathryn is the first wife who is protected from the truth but having
the real status as Jack’s wife while Muire is the second wife whose status as
Jack’s wife is kept and protected from society but having Jack’s full
attention and better intimacy.
“I knew about you from the very beginning,” Muire said. “Jack and I did not have secrets.” The greater intimacy, then, Kathryn
Eventhough Muire is a minor character in the story, her existence
contributes important meaning to the whole story. At the beginning, Muire
Boland is a misterious character that Kathryn tries to find.
And then, on a list dated 1992, she saw the name she hadn’t even realized she’d been looking for,
the unusual name that rose right up from the paper and traveled through her bones with a charge.
Muire Boland.
Flight attendant.
Kathryn spoke the name aloud.
Muire Boland.
She was pretty sure it was a woman’s name (Shrve, 2004: 98)
Kathryn tries to find Muire Boland after she finds Muire’s name in Jack’s
pocket for few times. She keeps asking herself about Muire Boland before
she finally decides to go to Ireland to find who Muire Boland and what her
relation to Jack is.
Who was the woman called Muire? And what was Jack’s connection to her? Might he have spent his last night with this woman? Had Jack been having an affair? (Shrve, 2004: 97)
Muire only appears twice in the story and she is depicted not to
speak much. Muire does not speak too much except to answer Kathryn’s
questions in short answer and sometimes leaves her in silence. “Had she
known from the moment she’d heard that transatlantic silence?” (Shreve,
2008: 113). She does not even answer Kathryn if she is Muire Boland that
Kathryn tries to find or not and leave Kathryn to follow her to get in her
house without invitation.
step backward into a hallway to allow entry. It was, rather, a statement, simple and without inflection, as though the woman had said instead: Neither of us has a choice now (Shreve, 1998: 111)
Muire Boland stood with her back to the fireplace, waiting for
her, although there had been no invitation to sit down, wouldn’t
be (Shreve, 1998: 115)
In the story, Kathryn is the one who is betrayed and Muire the one
who is involved in Jack’s betrayal. Muire may do wrong as she knows at the
very beginning that Jack has already had a family.
“How could you?” Kathryn cried, spinning, and she might have
been speaking to Jack as well... “I loved him,” Muire said.
“We were in love.”...
“There are things I can’t talk about,” Muire said (Shreve, 1998: 114)
“There are things . . . ,” Muire began. She stopped. “I wish . . .”
Kathryn waited. Muire turned her palms upward, seemingly in
resignation. “There are things I can’t . . .” She sighed deeply, put
her hands into the pockets of her jeans. “I’m not sorry for having had him,” Muire said finally. “I’m just sorry for having hurt
you.” (Shreve, 1998: 121)
From the previous dialogue, it can be seen that Muire has known that she
has done wrong as she apologizes Kathryn for having hurt her to have Jack.
Over the mantle, behind the woman’s head, was a massive gold
mirror, which reflected Kathryn’s image in the doorway, so that, in essence, Kathryn and Muire Boland stood in the same frame (Shreve, 1998: 111)
The word ‘frame’ in the previous quotation is an object and can be consider
as a symbol. It has more meaning to show that Kathryn and Muire has the
same status or position, which is Jack’s wife. The two women stood on the
parquet floor (Shreve, 1998: 121). The word ‘floor’ also can be considered
