WOMEN
’
S STRUGGLE AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
CAUSED BY PATRIARCHY AS SEEN THROUGH ELEANOR
AND SABRINA IN RAINBOW ROWELL
’
S
ELEANOR AND PARK
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
ARUM SRI UTAMI Student Number: 134214091
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
ii
WOMEN
’
S STRUGGLE AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
CAUSED BY PATRIARCHY AS SEEN THROUGH ELEANOR
AND SABRINA IN RAINBOW ROWELL
’
S
ELEANOR AND PARK
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
ARUM SRI UTAMI Student Number: 134214091
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
vii
“TAKE THESE BROKEN
WINGS AND LEARN TO
FLY”
viii
I dedicate this undergraduate thesis
ix
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to expresses my highest gratitude to Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala for His blessing, love, opportunity, health, and mercy so that I can complete this undergraduate thesis. This thesis would not have been possible without the support, advice, and encouragement of my advisor Drs. Hirmawan Wijarnaka, M. Hum. I also would like to express my gratitude to my co – advisor, E. Arti Wulandari, M.A., Ph. D., who has helped me patiently finishing this undergraduate thesis by giving guidance, suggestion, and correction. I also would like to thank all the lecturers in Sanata Dharma University for the knowledge that they have given to me.
I am very thankful to have my parents, Slamet and Sri Suwarti, and my siblings, Eka Sulistyowati, Dwi Astuti, Tri Ari Wibowo, and Sujatmoko who support me and cheer me up when I am in difficulties. I also express my gratitude to my best friend Feri Budi Santoso for the motivation throughout my undergraduate thesis writing process. I am also grateful for my friends in Sanata Dharma University, Nimastama C., Angela Marici Yuca, and Lolita V. who always accompany me for these past four years.
x
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE………..….……… ii
APPROVAL PAGE ……….…... iii
ACCEPTANCE PAGE ………...….. iv
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA…... v
STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY………..……...….. vi
2. Theory of Patriarchy and Women Oppression……….….. 10
3. Theory of Domestic Violence……….…... 11 A. The Description of Patriarchy in Eleanor and Park………...…. 18
B. Domestic Violence Experienced by Eleanor and Sabrina……….... 26
C. The Struggle of Sabrina and Eleanor toward Domestic Violence……... 39
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION……… 46
xi Eleanor’s mother, also becomes an object of Richie’s madness.
This study has three objectives. The first is to find out the description of patriarchy in the family. The second is to analyze the domestic violence that the women experience. The third is to see the struggle of the women against the domestic violence.
The method that is used in this study is library research. The writer collects some references in some books and other documents. The approach is feminist criticism. It is because the writer wants to reveal the women oppression.
xii ABSTRAK
UTAMI, ARUM SRI. Women’s Struggle against Domestic Violence Caused by Patriarchy as Seen through Eleanor and Sabrina in Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor and Park. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2017.
Penelitian ini berfokus pada kekerasan dalam rumah tangga yang tergambar di novel Rainbow Rowell yang berjudul Eleanor and Park. Novel ini bercerita tentang seorang gadis bernama Eleanor dan keluarganya yang berantakan. Dia sering mendapat perlakuan kasar dari ayah tirinya. Sabrina, sebagai ibunya juga menjadi objek kemarahan Richie.
Ada tiga tujuan di dalam penelitian. Tujuan pertama adalah menemukan gambaran patriarki di dalam keluarga. Tujuan kedua adalah menganalisa kekerasan dalam rumah tangga yang dialami oleh para wanita. Tujuan ketiga adalah melihat perjuangan para wanita untuk melawan kekerasan dalam rumah tangga.
Metode penelitian yang diganakan adalah studi kepustakaan. Penulis mengumpulkan referensi dari buku dan dokumen lainnya. Pendekatan yang diganakan adalah kritik feminis karena penulis ingin menyingkap penindasan terhadap wanita.
1
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
Domestic violence is a kind of abuse. Usually, it involves a spouse or partner, but a child, elderly relative, or other family member also can be the victim of the domestic violence (medlineplus.gov, 2017). Domestic violence often happens around us. Sometimes, women are being the object of the violence. Many women are oppressed because of this situation. There are many assumptions related to the women and men status in a society. It is believed that men are higher than women. Men are also believed to have authority toward women. So, the violence toward women cannot be avoided.
victim should make sure that the abuser does not disturb the victim’s life in the future.
According to Peter Barry, many literary works describe how happiness and fulfillment of a woman are determined by her marriage partner. As a marriage partner for a woman, a man also decides the social position of his wife (2009:117). Thus, men are described as leaders in the family who have a big influence to the family members. A woman’s social status is determined by his husband’s social position. Maybe, the status is not as good as she expects, but she cannot complain about it. Also, whether or not she is happy is determined by her marriage partner. In many cases, being a leader makes a man treat his wife whatever way he wants. He feels he has the right to do everything that he considers right. He has some power in driving his family.
3
Eleanor and Park tells about a love story between two adolescent. They are in love because they have similar taste in books, and music. The main characters are Eleanor Douglas and Park Sheridan. However, the writer’s concern is on Eleanor and her life in a chaotic family. She has a mother, Sabrina, who always obeys her step-dad. Her step-dad, Richie, always does violence toward her mother.
Eleanor is a sixteen years old girl who has a strange style that makes people stare at her. She lives in a family that is not as good as other families. In the families, she lives with her sisters and brother.
Sabrina, as a mother, yet she is abused. She takes care to all her sons and daughters. She always saves Eleanor by giving her advices and some warnings in order to make Eleanor not kicked out by her step-father.
The violence occurring in the novel can be a reflection to the real life that is happening nowadays. The writer is interested to this research because the writer wants to know how women face the reality of patriarchy which oppresses them. So, the writer can understand the way of women in facing their faith toward man’s authority in this kind of society.
B. Problem Formulation
In this study, there are three questions to lead the analysis: 1. How is the patriarchy in the family described in the novel?
2. What are the domestic violence caused by patriarchy experienced by Eleanor and her mother in the family?
C. Objectives of the Study
The aim of this research is to answer the problem formulation that is stated above. First one is to see the patriarchal family that is described in the novel. The second one is to know the domestic violence that Eleanor and her mother experience. The third one is the writer tries to see the struggle of Eleanor and her mother toward domestic violence.
D. Definition of Terms
There are some terms that need to be defined to help the writer to understand the terms well. The first term is patriarchy. It is written in Feminist Theory and Literary that “Patriarchy is a cultural (ideological) system that privileges men and all things masculine, and a political system that places power in the hands of men and thus serves male interests at the expense of women.” (Madsen, 2000; xii).
5 CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
A. Review of Related Studies
The aim of reviewing other related studies is to have some insights on the
existing research on the topic. The studies are from the same work and topic. In
this part, the writer is going to cite four sources that relate to this thesis.
The first study is an undergraduate thesis written by Dwiki Prenandita,
who is an alumnus from Sanata Dharma University, entitled “Park’s Motivation to Help Eleanor in Her Teenage Life Struggle as Seen in Rowell’s Eleanor and
There are two conclusions that can be drawn. The first one is how Eleanor and Park are described in the novel Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. Based on the theory of Perrine that have been explained in the previous
Rainbow Rowell’s first novel for young adults is a beautiful, haunting love story — but I have seen those. It’s set in 1986, and God knows I’ve seen that. There’s bullying, sibling rivalry, salvation through music and comics, a monstrous stepparent — and I know, we’ve seen all this stuff. But you’ve never seen “Eleanor & Park.” Its observational precision and richness make for very special reading (nytimes.com, 2013).
He says that Eleanor and Park has complex theme as a novel to be read by
teenager. It’s not only a love story but also a struggle from a young girl who suffers from the chaotic situation. She is bullied by her friends and she has a
step-father who always harms her and her mother.
The third study is also from the New York Times entitled “Marriage Gone Sour? Go Home to Ma Bell” written by Janet Maslin who is an American journalist. She is known as a critic for film and literary for The New York Times.
She talks about a novel from Rainbow Rowell entitled Landline. She states as marriageable), ways of spending their time (in high school or working full-time), cultural references (comics and MTV, or vintage bands and sitcoms) and, of course, problems (nytimes.com, 2014).
Landline, as Janet states, is an adult novel but it does not very different in
the style with Eleanor and Park which is a young adult novel. However, this
7
The forth study is from Elisabeth Rustaviani Nugraheni who is an alumnus
of Sanata Dharma University. In her undergraduate thesis entitled “Women’s Struggles against the Oppression of Men in Toni Morrison’s Paradise”, the writer focuses on the same topic about women oppression by patriarchy. She states,
“This study explains about the oppression of women within a black community, they are being oppressed by their own race” (Nugraheni, 2016: 2). She also states the women and man’s position on the society in the study, “Women are inferior to men, men have more power than women, and women dependent towards men” (Nugraheni, 2016: 60).
The writer of this undergraduate thesis has different idea from the previous
reviews. In this thesis, the writer wants to emphasize the effect of the patriarchy in
Eleanor and Park. The writer is trying to focus on Eleanor and Sabrina in their
experience on violence by a man. Meanwhile, the focus of the undergraduate
thesis from Prenandita is about the effect of the motivation. She emphasizes the
personality of Park that is able to change Eleanor’s personality. She also states that Eleanor is a dynamic character while Park is a static character.
In John Green’s reviews, he sees the complexity of the theme of the novel but he only states the bullying, romantic love, and an evil step-father. The writer
has different focus from Green’s review. In this thesis, the writer tries to see the struggle of Eleanor as a child and Sabrina as a mother toward the chaotic family
life.
A review that is from Janet Maslin helps the writer to figure out the other
Landline. In Eleanor and Park, the writer wants to analyze the female characters.
The writer also sees the oppression that the female characters experience
Also, the undergraduate thesis from Nugraheni gives the writer
enlightenment about the women oppression. She describes that the oppression is
because of the patriarchy. However, in this analysis, the writer focuses on the
different object. The writer focuses on Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor and Park, while Nugraheni focuses on Toni Morrison’s Paradise.
B. Review of Related Theories
In this part, the writer provides some theories that are related to this thesis.
Those theories are used to help the writer to answer the question that is written on
the pervious chapter.
1. Theory of Characterization
First of all, in this thesis the characterization of some characters should be
analyzed. It is because the characterization is used to get the clues and
understanding of how the patriarchy is described in the novel. Thus, the
examinations of characterization can help the further analysis.
According to Rohrberger and Woods, the definition of characterization is
“the process by which an author creates a character, the devices by which he makes us believe a character is like a particular person he is” (Rohrberger and Woods, 1971: 20). Based on that theory, characterization is the process of making
9
person the character is. Therefore, the reader can examine the characterization of
the character in the novel by the devices that are made by the author.
According to M. J. Murphy (Murphy, 1972: 161-173), there are nine ways
to get the understanding of the characterization.
a. Personal description. It means that the author describe the appearance of the
person.
b. Character as seen by another. It means that the character is described through
other character’s opinion and eyes.
c. Speech. It is when the person is described through what the person says.
d. Past life. It is when the past life of a person can be a clue which shapes the
person’s personality.
e. Conversation with others. In this part, the person is described through the
conversation with other people or through what the person thinks about others.
f. Reaction. The person is described by giving the reader a clue about how the
person reacts to some events or situations.
g. Direct comment. The person is described through the comments by the author
directly.
h. Thoughts. It is when the reader is given a knowledge of what the person is
thinking.
2. Theory of Patriarchy and Women Oppression
The term ‘patriarch’ is used to refer to when the senior of the society has legal power over the others social units, such as the younger men, all women and
the children. (Pilcher and Whelehan, 2004: 93).
In a general explanation, patriarchy is when a man being the head of the
social environment, such as in a family or a tribe (Pilcher and Whelehan, 2004:
93). Going deeper of the meaning of patriarchy is described as follow: “Patriarchy is a cultural (ideological) system that privileges men and all things masculine, and
a political system that places power in the hands of men and thus serves male
interests at the expense of women.”(Madsen, 2000; xii)
The description from Walby in Pilcher and Whelehan’s book states that patriarchy is a system of social structures and practices in which men dominate,
oppress and exploit women (Pilcher and Whelehan, 2004: 95). Furthermore,
Walby also recognizes the six structures of patriarchy namely household
production, paid work, the state, male violence, sexuality, and culture (Pilcher and
Whelehan, 2004:95).
Patriarchy is related to women oppression. It is because the domination of
the man has impact to the woman. So the writer also explains the theory of
women oppression in this section.
Stanton’s writing on marriage, maternity, and divorce recognizes the oppressed status of women as belonging to a subordinate sexual class. She also
explains the separation of women as a class into a female sphere of experience
11
toward the public sphere exclusively. Stanton argues that women should be
independent from men. It is because individual rights are natural rights which
individual brings into the world at birth. These rights are essential so that it cannot
be taken away from the individual (Stanton in Madsen, 2000: 39). It means that
women have right to be not dependent on the men. The right that is given to the
women when they are born cannot be detached from themselves.
Stanton says that the laws make the women in the subordinate class
because it denies women their full human rights. The woman is also said that she
willingly accepts it. The legal oppression in marriage represents in the relation of
power, of domination and control. In marriage the husband and wife become one
unit, the women surrender themselves in the relation. The men that are unwilling
to be equal as the women is the primary explanation of the unwillingness of the
man to give the political equality to women. The married woman gives all her
rights, such as the control of her body, though her husband gives up nothing.
Then, she becomes unpaid domestic drudge. (Stanton in Madsen, 2000: 40).
3. Theory of Domestic Violence
The term of domestic violence has several names such as spouse abuse,
domestic abuse, domestic assault, battering, partner abuse, marital strife, marital
dispute, wife beating, marital discord, woman abuse, dysfunction relationship,
intimate fighting, mate beating, and so on (McCue, 2008:2).
A definition of domestic violence commonly accepted by legal professionals is "the emotional, physical, psychological, or sexual abuse perpetrated against a person by that person's spouse, former spouse, partner, former partner or by the other parent of a minor child. Abuse may include threats, harm, injury, harassment, control, terrorism or damage to living beings or property” (Hubbard in McCue, 2008:2).
The other definition is from an article by the United States Department of
Justice Website entitled Domestic Violence which is written by Beatrice Hanson
who is the director. On the website she states that domestic violence is a kind of
insulting in a relationship. The doer is the person who wants to have authority to
the closer partner. The doer wants to control the object of the violence
(justice.gov, 2016).
4. Domestic Violence as the Effect of Patriarchy
As Kate Millet states in Elaine Showalter’s book: “Traditionally, patriarchy granted the father nearly total ownership over wife or wives and
children, including the powers of physical abuse…” (Millet in Showalter, 1971: 300). This statement shows that father has the authority toward the children and
wife. He also has the power to do everything he wants, including physical abuse.
All forms of patriarchy are able to cause domestic violence, it is because
many kinds of patriarchy make the husbands have full of power and authority that
can lead to domestic violence (Tracy, 2007: 593). From the statement, domestic
violence is stimulated by the patriarchy. The reason is because patriarchy is the
authority by men. This causes men has power to do everything toward the women
13
There are five types of violence that are categorized as domestic violence
according to Hanson. The types are physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional
abuse, economic abuse, and psychological abuse. However, the types that are used
are only four.
a. Physical Abuse
This abuse is related to the physic. This is the abuse that causes pain to the
body of the victims (justice.gov, 2016).
b. Emotional Abuse
It attacks on the victims’ self-esteem. They are mocked, and given sharp comments. So, they feel that they are not respected (justice.gov, 2016).
c. Economic Abuse
It related to the financial. The doers want the victims to be dependent on them.
The victims are unable to get some money by themselves because the doers
block them (justice.gov, 2016).
d. Psychological Abuse
The abuser will do anything to make the victim to be afraid. The abuser wants
to control victim’s psychology. It damages victim’s mental (justice.gov, 2016).
C. Theoretical Framework
There are several theories in this thesis that help to answer the problem
characterization of some characters that are analyzed in the novel. Thus, the
findings of patriarchy can be seen from the characterization.
The second is theory of patriarchy. It is used to helps the writer to get the
answer for the analysis about the patriarchy that occurs in the novel. By
employing this theory, the practice of patriarchy in the family can be analyzed
further.
The third is the theory of women oppression. It is used to see the unequal
treatment toward women and find the struggle that they do to against the violence
that they experience.
The fourth is theory of domestic violence. It is used to find the kinds of
violence that occurs in the novel. The writer also adds the theory about the
relation between domestic violence and patriarchy. It can show the root of
violence which happens in the novel. So, it answers the domestic violence that the
15
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
The object of this is Eleanor and Park. It is written by Rainbow Rowell
and published by Orion Books in 2013. This novel is a New York Times
Bestseller. This novel consists of 329 pages. It is divided into 58 chapters.
Eleanor and Park is a story about a young girl named Eleanor. She lives
with her mother, Sabrina, and her step-father, Richie. Her family is not like other
ordinary families. Her step-father likes to abuse her and her mother.
The situation of the family is very messy. They live in a small-miserable
house. Eleanor has to sleep with her sister and brothers. There is no more room for
her siblings. The bathroom in the house does not have a door, so that Eleanor
always tries to avoid the presence of the step-father because she does not feel
comfortable by the step-dad’s presence.
They are also very poor. However, in this kind of atmosphere, the
step-father does not encourage both of Eleanor and Sabrina when they are in
difficulties. He even becomes worse for the family members. He is not like a man
that can make happiness for the family members. He always blames Sabrina and
sometimes Eleanor. In this kind of situation, both of them try to bear the pain.
Sabrina becomes an object for Richie to release his anger. He also curses
the she is a bad girl which actually is not true. Both of the women experience the
violence by Richie which shows that there is something wrong with the family.
B. Approach of the Study
Literature deals with the environment and the society that the readers
should understand. So, when the work is read by the reader, it should give them a
perspective on the environment and the society. From the issues which appear in
the novel, feminist criticism is relevant to apply in this thesis. “Broadly defined,
feminist criticism examines the ways in which literature (and other cultural
productions) reinforces or undermines the economic, political, social, and
psychological oppression of women.” (Tyson, 2006: 83). Furthermore,
Indeed, feminism has often focused upon what is absent rather than what is present, reflecting concern with the silencing and marginalization of women in a patriarchal culture, a culture organized in the favor of men (Guerin, 2005: 222-223).
From the quotation above, feminism focuses on the silencing of women in a
society where men dominate over women.
C. Method of the Study
The method of this thesis is library research. The writer conducted the
analysis by searching for some references in some books and documents.
There were some steps to help the writer to analyze the study. The first
was selecting a novel as the object of the analysis. In this thesis, Rainbow
Rowell’s Eleanor and Park was chosen. Then, the writer read it carefully to
17
The second was focusing on the issue of patriarchy, the violence, and the
struggle of the women characters. The issues were also understood well in order
to gain the clear knowledge of the problems appearing in the novel.
The third was deciding the approach that was used in the analysis in order
to get the deeper meaning and see the message which was delivered by using the
novel. In the novel, the female characters experience violence because of the male
character. Because the female character of the novel experience oppression,
feminist criticism was used as an approach.
The fourth was observing the problem of patriarchy that was experienced
by the female characters. In here, the theory of patriarchy was applied. Then the
theory of characterization was used to get the clues and also to understand of the
characters.
The fifth was observing the relation between patriarchy and domestic
violence carefully. In here, the theory of the relation between patriarchy and the
domestic violence were used. Thus, the writer could see that in the patriarchy, the
domestic violence could occur.
The sixth was the examining results of patriarchy that made the women
characters oppressed. In here, the theory of domestic violence was applied. Then,
the categories of violence of each woman character were explained.
The seventh was examining two women characters that were analyzed by
using the theory of women oppression. This helped the writer to analyze women’s
struggle toward the domestic violence. The last was drawing the conclusion of the
18
CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
In this chapter, the answers of the problem formulations that are stated on
the previous chapter are answered carefully. The first problem formulation is how
the patriarchy in the family is described in the novel through the male character.
The second problem formulation is the experience of domestic violence as a result
of patriarchy by Eleanor and Sabrina. The third problem formulation is the
struggle and the responses of Eleanor and Sabrina in facing the domestic violence
that they experience. So, in this chapter the answers of the problem formulation
are explained by using the theories that are stated on the second chapter.
A. The Description of Patriarchy in Eleanor and Park
There are three characters that are discussed in this thesis. The first is
Eleanor. She is a person who does not like to be surrounded by many people. It
can be seen when she said, ‘I hate meeting new people.’ She whispered (p.127). From her action, Eleanor likes to read in her room alone (p.26). It means that she
like to be alone. The second is Sabrina. She cares to her child. It can be seen from
what she says to Eleanor as follow, ‘Are you okay?’ (p. 198) and ‘You look like you’re getting cold’ (p.198). It shows that she wants to make sure that her daughter is fine. The third is Richie. He is the one who is irritable. He is easily
19
203). If something is not like what he wants he gets angry and blames Sabrina
because she cannot grant his expectation.
From the theory of patriarchy mentioned above, it is known that men have
power to oppress women. The patriarchy in the novel is described by seeing the
relation of Richie – Sabrina and Richie - Eleanor. Their relations show how the characterization of the man can reflect patriarchy. Richie is the one who oppresses
the women in the family
In the novel, there are two women who are the objects of oppression by
the man. The oppression can be seen from the man’s actions which dominate the family. It can also be seen from the authority of the man over the women. He can
control the women. He also has power to rule the woman. The position between
the man and the woman is not equal in the family.
1. Richie and Sabrina
Family life has a lot of problems, but in the novel, the problem is started
from the Sabrina’s wedding. Sabrina marries with a man who brings her to a new life condition. Richie is a man who changes Sabrina life. Their relation can be
explained like this; Sabrina is the subordinate class and Richie is the superior.
Sabrina is subordinate because she cannot do anything to be equal with Richie. On
the other hand, Richie is the one who is higher which means he is the person that
has to be the primary. As Sabrina states, “I like to have everything settled before Richie comes home” (p. 19). In the novel it is also stated, “Her mom was distracted. Richie was late, and his steak was drying out in the oven. If she took it
tough.” (p. 122). The other case when Richie is in bad mood, Sabrina tries to serve Richie and calm him, as in the novel stated, “Her mom was walking around the house in nervous circle, offering Richie lemonade and sandwiches and aspirin.
Eleanor hated it when her mom acted like that. Relentlessly submissive.” (p. 155). He is treated by the women exclusively. It proves that Sabrina makes sure that
everything is fine. As a subordinate class, she carefully manages the situation and
condition to make Richie calm. Richie wants everything to be perfect. Thus,
Sabrina tries to make everything perfect. She does not want Richie feel
disappointed.
Patriarchy is known when a man became the head in an environment such
as a family (Pilcher and Whelehan, 2004: 93). It can be seen when Eleanor asked
her mother if she wants to go to her father’s house.
It shows that Sabrina thinks that her husband is the head of the household, she has
to obey the rule and grant Richie’s wish. Richie is the decision maker in the house. Sabrina thinks if everything should be asked to Richard whether it is
allowed or not. This part shows that Richie is the center of the family because
everything should be agreed by him. Whereas, Sabrina also has a choice, but it
cannot be applied if her husband does not agree.
When Eleanor comes back to the home, Sabrina should tell to Richie. She
21
expelled by Richie for a year. It happens when she types on typewriter. It makes
noisy sound. Richie does not like to hear it because he is not in a good mood. He
tells to Sabrina to stop Eleanor from typing. However, Eleanor does not want to
stop it because she enjoys it. Then, Richie comes to her and shouts to her. He is
really angry on Eleanor and says rude words such as, fuck, fat, and bitch. Those
words hurt Eleanor. She also says that he hates him. After that, she is kicked out
by Richie. She lives with Hickman’s family which is her mother’s friend (p. 155 – 158). Then, she comes back, but Sabrina asks to Richie if Eleanor is ready.
The case shows that everything should be asked to Richie. Sabrina should
report to Richie that Eleanor will be the part of the family again. Though Eleanor
is already included as a part of the family, because she was expelled, Sabrina has
to tell Richie. Therefore, in this case it can be said that Richie as the man is the
one who controls the choice in the family.
The action of patriarchy can be seen when the man is the one who makes
decision. While the women cannot do anything if the man does not agree. The
woman has no right to choose her own decision. The man has authority to control
the family members. He has the right to decide everything in the house. He also
the one that should be respected. As the person who must be respected, every
choice in the family should be reported first to him. Therefore, the woman’s role is not important as the man’s. However, the man’s role is dominant which means that he decides everything. The domination of the man among the women shows
that the practice of patriarchy occurs in the family. It means that the position of
thing in the family proves that the man’s position is very important. It is because he is the one who has the power to decide, to chose, and to agree the thing that the
women do.
In a nutshell, Richie’s treatment to Sabrina shows that he exploits her freedom. As an object of Richie’s anger, Sabrina is like a bird inside the cage. She has to fulfill Richie’s request. She also has to obey Richie, even though she, herself can make a decision whether it is good or not for them. The man also has
an authority over the woman because he is superior that determines everything. As
an oppressed woman, she is exploited mentally by the way Richie treats her like
the situation mentioned above.
2. Richie and Eleanor
Eleanor’s life changes a lot when Richie becomes her step-father. In her teenage age, she receives unpleasant treatment from her step-father. Eleanor is not
an object of Richie’s anger, but her freedom is exploited by her step-father. Their relation can be explained like this: Eleanor is the one who has to obey Richie, and
Richie is the rule maker or decision maker. It is because Richie is the one who
rules her and Eleanor cannot do anything if it is not allowed by Richie.
One day, it happens when Eleanor wants to go to her father’s house. She asks her mother if she wants to go there, but her mother should talk to Richie
about her wish. Sabrina makes sure that Eleanor is allowed or not. Eleanor said to
23
patriarchy is shown when Eleanor has no right to go to her father’s house. The fears that she feels is because she doubts if she cannot go to her father’s house because Richie does not like if she goes there.
The role of a man in this relation is very strong. As a center, he can make a
choice which has impact to the woman. Whether the woman does the thing or not
depends on the man’s decision. He has the power to rule the woman. Then, the woman has no choice to do it. She has to obey the man.
The other case is when Eleanor’s uncle sends a letter about a camp program for talented high school students from his university, Richie shouts that
he does not agree, “You can’t send her up to Minnesota by herself.”(p. 189). He said no, and then the she should agree with his decision. It proves that the woman
has no power to choose her own choice. She is forbidden by the man. Then she
cannot do anything.
Eleanor and Richie get different treatment in the house. As a woman, she
gets different menu with Richie. It can be seen from the statement in the novel.
She even made him a totally different dinner. The kids would get grilled cheese, and Richie would get steak. Eleanor wasn’t complaining about the grilled cheese either – it was a nice break from bean soup, and bean rice, and huevos y frijoles . . . (p. 26)
Even though it is only a simple matter, it shows that the woman has no
equality with the man. She just receives something that is not as expensive as the
man has. The difference proves that a man dominates the woman even in a dining
table. The domination of the man is not only in a decision but also in the food
choice that is served. The menu of the foods between them shows the superiority
Eleanor also gets the food that Richie does not like. “And her mom gave her a fried egg sandwich that Richie hadn’t wanted, and pinned an old, chipped glass flower to Eleanor’s jacket.” (p. 161). The quotation indicates that Eleanor does not get food that is deliberately for her. She gets the food that is for Richie
instead. It means that the women can have what the man does not like. However,
the man does not get what the woman does not like. She only gets man’s leftover. Richie gets food that should be fresh from the oven. He is served food that is not a
leftover from the woman.
The inequality between the woman and the man proves that patriarchy
occurs. The choice of for food shows that the place of the man is higher than the
woman. The man gets steak. It is known that it more expensive than what Eleanor
gets. The food that the man gets gives an example that the difference happens in a
small aspect in the family. Even the food is different. The woman and the man
have discrimination in a form of food choice. The discrimination determines that
the inequality between them. The menu gives a depiction that the woman and the
man are different in a matter of food service. As a subordinate class, the woman
cannot get what the man gets. The woman also cannot get fresh food. She gets the
man’s leftover instead while the man can get the fresh food. The matter of food shows the place of the man. He is the superior over the woman. It can be said that
he also gets the better thing while the woman cannot.
It can be concluded that patriarchy occurs between Eleanor and Richie. It
can be seen when Richie is the one who makes the decision. Eleanor as the
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choose what she wants to do. Her life is limited by Richie. She also has no right to
have a friend because Richie controls her. In the house, Eleanor and Richie don’t have same treatment. It can be seen when they are in dining table. Richie has
better food than Eleanor. However, the woman does not get what the man get. The
difference also occurs in the food choice. Besides, the man has power over the
women. He can do many things rather than the woman.
B. Domestic Violence Experienced by Eleanor and Sabrina
In this section, the writer tries to find the domestic violence that Eleanor
and Sabrina experience. From the theory above domestic violence is known when
there is an abusive behavior in a relationship. The doer misuses his authority to
control the object of violence.
First of all, the writer sees the relation between patriarchy and domestic
violence in the novel. From the theory stated above, patriarchy makes the man has
full authority toward the wife and the children. He can do anything to them. So,
the patriarchy that is shown from the man’s action in the previous section is seen how the patriarchy and domestic violence can be related.
Patriarchy makes a man has authority over the women including the power
of doing physical abusive (Millet in Showalter, 1971: 300). From the previous
section, the patriarchy can be seen when Richie is the head of the family. He is
also the decision maker which means that everything must be asked of him
whether it is allowed or not. The women also experience the domestic violence in
woman because the woman is subordinate. It means that she has no power to face
the man. While the man can harm her no matter she feels the pain or not.
The authority that Richie has can cause domestic violence. It is because he
dominates over the women. He is the one who is obeyed. From the previous
section, the women obey him. They have no right to choose and to be free. They
should grant what Richie wants. He also can injure the women in order to make
them more obedient to him. It can be seen from the women’s violence experience. Therefore, the writer tries to find some violence that occurs in the family
which the man dominates. The violence that is occurred in the novel is done by
the man. So, the writer sees some categories of violence that indicates domestic
violence.
1. Sabrina’s Domestic Violence Experience
Sabrina is the closest to Richie. She experiences the rude treatment that is
done by Richie. So, there are some kinds of domestic violence that Sabrina
experiences.
a. Physical Abuse
This abuse is when the victim’s body is injured (justice.gov, 2016). It can be seen when Eleanor sees the bruise on her wrist. “Eleanor had pretended not to notice the bruises on her mom’s wrist (p.26).” In the novel the incident when Sabrina’s wrist is bruised is not described in the novel. Even though the novel does not explain the event when Richie causes the bruise, it can be concluded that
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Richie. He can do anything he wants to her. This case is strengthened when
Sabrina and Richie are in fight.
In the night, Eleanor hears the sound of shouting and crying. “Underneath the shouting, her mother was crying. She sounded like she’d been crying for a long time – she must be completely out of her head if she was letting them hear her cry like that.”(p. 48). Those sounds wake the children. All the children are afraid of the tragedy. Even Mouse pees on Eleanor’s lap.
When in fight, the mother often cries. Richie yells at her for some reason
that is not explained in the novel. Richie is easily angry at her whenever he is not
satisfied with Sabrina. “Their mother shrieked, two rooms away, and they all five jumped together” (p. 48). Sabrina does not say any words to defend herself. She just accepts what Richie does to her.
Eleanor gets out of her room and sees the situations around after the
shouting last night. She feels relief because her mother is alive. Her mother cooks
breakfast for Richie. However, she notices the bruise on her mother’s face. “You couldn’t not notice the bruise on the side of her face” (p. 49). Eleanor pretends not to see the bruise. After the incident, Eleanor and Sabrina seems worry with the
Mouse’s pee on the Eleanor’s clothes. So that, they tries to hide Mouse’s mistake because they are scared that Richie will be angry and rampages.
Those cases prove that Sabrina experiences the domestic violence in the
form of physical abuse. She gets those harsh treatments from Richie. As a woman,
she is oppressed and tortured in such way by Richie. The torturing has the impact
on the victim’s body. It damages the victim. It can be seen when the bruises appear on the victim’s body. The victim also responds by crying and shrieking. Therefore, the victim has marks of abuse. It can be said that Sabrina receives the
violence in a form of physical abuse from Richie.
b. Emotional Abuse
This abuse is when the victim experiences the violence in an activity that
makes the victim feels not respected. It can be in a form of mocking and giving
sharp comments which makes the victim is not appreciated (justice.gov, 2016).
When Sabrina serves the Christmas dinner for Richie, he is unsatisfied with the
dessert because it is not like what he expects. He gives complaints to Sabrina that
she cannot cook well and she cannot provide good service to him. As he states,
“What the fuck is this?’, ‘Where is the pumpkin pie Sabrina?’ He shouted into the kitchen.”(p. 203). He wants pumpkin pie, but Sabrina does not cook it. (p. 203). Richie gives sharp comments on the food that Sabrina makes. It is because he
does not like the dessert. He expects to have pumpkin pie.
The case reveals that the victim is not respected well. She is given sharp
comments on what she cooks and serves. She cannot grant the man’s expectation. The violence in form of words is categorized as domestic violence that is called
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she feels that she is useless. The abuser makes the victim guilty on herself so that
he can have authority to blame on her.
c. Economic Abuse
The purpose of this abuse is to make the victim’s life rely on the abuser. It is when the victim cannot have the right to get some money by herself
(justice.gov, 2016). Sabrina is a housewife which means she is unable to get some
money. She said, “Richie is the one who puts food on our table” (p. 89). It shows that Sabrina’s life depends on Richie. It happens because Richie gives the family food.
Sabrina feels that Richie is an important person in order to support the
family life. He is the one who feeds the family. Richie is also the one who fulfill
the family’s needs.
Richie only gives Sabrina money when he wants something. As a woman
who does not work, she is also given limited money. Richie does not give all the
money to be spent the domestic fulfill. He rather wastes the money to drink
alcohol and go to bar (p. 141). It can be seen when Eleanor does not have
toothbrush (p. 54). She often wears a ripped jean that is pinned with scraps of silk
and velvet (p. 78). Sabrina also cannot give delicious food to her children.
However, Richie still can get delicious food. He has the money so that he can
easily ask Sabrina to buy everything he wants. Whereas, the children cannot get
what he get because the money that is spent for the family is bound by him.
The purpose of this abuse to make Sabrina cannot stand on her own foot.
be a trick to make Sabrina more obeys him. It means that she always rely her life
on Richie. Richie limits the money because he wants Sabrina to depend her life to
him. She has no right to manage all the money in the family. The dependency
makes him do whatever he wants to Sabrina. The abuser can control the victim to
be more obedient to him.
It can be concluded that the victim depends her life on the abuser. When
she cannot get the food by herself, she feels that the abuser is the life saver. The
dependency indicates that the abuser can make the victim powerless. The victim
also feels that she has to obey when the abuser commands her.
d. Psychological Abuse
The abuser tries to make the victim scarred of him. Therefore, the abuser
can take control the victim’s psychology. The victim feels that her life is intimidated so that the victim is powerless over the abuser (justice.gov, 2016). It
can be seen on the Christmas dinner, he gets angry on the menu deserved is not
like what he wants. On the previous category, Richie is angry and gives sharp
comments on Sabrina’s cook. However in this category, Richie tries to scare Sabrina by doing harsh action on her.
When she cooks rice pudding as the dessert, Richie does not like it. Then
Eleanor thought, “It’s a traditional Danish Christmas dessert, Eleanor thought. My grandmother made it, and her grandmother made it, and it’s better that pumpkin pie. It’s special.” (p.203). It is known that Sabrina purposefully makes the dessert like that because it is her family tradition. However, Sabrina does not tell the
31 mother and sprayed weepy chunks everywhere (p. 203).
The quotation proves that Sabrina tries to make Richie not angrier. She hides the
reason why she makes the dessert like that. She knows when she tells the reason,
she and Richie will fight and the situation more complicated. After that, Richie
gets out of the house and buys some pumpkin. Inside the house, Sabrina just
cleans the rice pudding.
What Richie does to Sabrina is excessive and very rude. It can hurt the
victim’s mental. From the case above, Sabrina cannot defend herself. The victim is subservient which means that she just receives it.
The writer sees that there is no freedom for Sabrina to deliver the reason
why she makes the dessert. It shows that a woman does not have a right to do that
because she knows the result when she delivers the reason. She chooses to be
silent in order to save the situation. She is always blamed when Richie’s wish is not granted. She is always wrong.
From the situation mentioned before, it can be seen that Richie is easily
angry to Sabrina. He always shouts to Sabrina. Sabrina is the object of Richie’s anger. It also shows that a woman is oppressed by a man. She keeps herself not
arguing with the man. However, the man can do everything he wants to the
When it was worse than bedsprings, when it was shouting or crying, they’d huddle together, all five of them, on Eleanor’s bed.
Maisie sat at Eleanor’s right hand then. When Mouse cried, when Ben’s face went blank and dreamy, Maisie and Eleanor would lock eyes (p. 27).
He shouts to Sabrina until the children hear it and they all scared. Richie’s anger to Sabrina disturbs the children. They worry about the situation. It is like Richie
does not care whether the children disturbed or not. It shows when he gets angry,
he will not think whether the children know it or not.
Eleanor also explains why Sabrina is very obedient to Richie. She said, ‘I don’t know, never. This is one of those things that don’t make sense. My mom doesn’t want to do anything that could possibly irritate my stepfather. And my
stepfather gets off on being mean…’ (p. 115). That quotation proves that Sabrina always acts carefully. She keeps her behaviors in order to make Richie calm. She
does not want Richie to rampage. She is afraid of Richie because Richie easily
gets angry on things.
Those cases prove that the violence can inflict the fear to the victim. The
victim cannot do something that invites the abuser’s anger. She is afraid of the abuser so that she just receives the contumely by the abuser. The victim’s fear that occurs by the abuser makes him to have power to control the victim.
From Eleanor and Park conversation, they talk about how Sabrina and
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The quotation above shows that Sabrina is hated by Richie. He is mean to Sabrina.
He often does something evil to Sabrina. Eleanor thinks that Richie hates Sabrina.
It is because what Richie does not treat Sabrina gently. He treats Sabrina badly
instead. Because of the bad treatment, it makes Eleanor thinks that Richie does not
like Sabrina so much.
‘Park took her hands again. ‘Why doesn’t she leave?’ She shook her head.
‘I don’t think she can . . . I don’t think there’s enough of her left.’ (p. 201). It is not easy to get out of the chaotic family. Eleanor thinks it is almost impossible to
run away from Richie. It is not safe if Sabrina gets out of the relation with Richie.
It is because she is not brave enough. ‘Is she scared of him? He asked. Then Eleanor said, ‘Yeah . . .’ (p. 201). Sabrina does not bravery to face Richie. She cannot escape easily from the chaos of the family. Richie is already successful to
make Sabrina feels scared of him. Besides, the goal of this abuse is to make the
victim afraid so that the abuser can take the control to do what he wants to do. As
an abuser, he can intimidate or make the victim wary.
Thus, the goals this of abuse is clear that it can make the victim afraid of
the abuser. The abuser has ability to have power over the victim. He can do injury
to the victim in order to make her feel powerless. Besides, emotional abuse is
affected by the crude action of the abuser. When the abuser throws the food that
the victim makes is a kind of activity that hurts the victim’s feeling. He also curses the victim that she cannot grant his wish. He also thinks that the victim is
dominates to take the control of frightening the victim. It is used to make the
victim grants his wish.
2. Eleanor’s Domestic Violence Experience
In this part, Eleanor experiences the violence that categorized as domestic
violence. The violence is done by her stepfather. There are some categories of
domestic violence that is explained.
a. Emotional Abuse
This abuse when the victim is not appreciated by the abuser. It can be in
form of mocking and giving sharp comments at her. It attacks on the victim’s self esteem (justice.gov, 2016). Eleanor often receives this treatment from Richie. As a
stepchild, she is always mocked by Richie. Richie who is easily angry says bad
words to Eleanor. It can be seen from the quotation “I know what you’re up to,’ he said, raising his voice, just as the door closed. ‘Nothing but a bitch in heat.’ (p. 68). The quotation shows that Richie says bad word to Eleanor. The word inflicts
a feeling of unappreciated to the victim.
The victim is not respected. She is abused by the rude words that the
abuser says. The rude words that are expressed by the abuser affected the victim’s self - esteem. She is not considered as precious. The abuser attacks the victim by
mocking her. Therefore, there is no appreciation to the victim’s self – esteem. On the other case, when Eleanor types song lyrics, Richie is mad at her.
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should not be said to Eleanor. However, because of Richie is angry at her, he
mocks her by the rude words. Richie often says bad words when he is angry.
Richie repeats those words to Eleanor, ‘FAT and BITCH and BEGGING
FOR IT, JUST FUCKING BEGGING FOR IT.’ (p. 156). It is because he is mad
at Eleanor. However, Eleanor responds those words, ‘I hate you,’ Eleanor said louder. ‘I hate you, I hate you, I hate you.’ Eleanor also said, ‘Fuck you.’(p.156). Then, Richie gets angrier on Eleanor. He repeats again the rude word ‘STUPID BITCHES.’(p. 156). Eleanor is too afraid of Richie so that she runs away from the house. Form that incident, Eleanor is kicked out for one year by Richie.
Those words make Eleanor’s self – esteem is not valuable. Richie also repeats the rude words for many times. The taboo words show that Eleanor is
mocked harshly by Richie. He considers that Eleanor is dishonorable. Besides, he
also attacks Eleanor by saying the shape of Eleanor’s body. He also raises his voice. He says the rude words with shouting to Eleanor. Richie snaps Eleanor
which affects toward Eleanor’s mental.
Those things make the victim feels that she is not appreciated and treated
as a useless child. The mockery also makes the victim feels be subordinated. By
those words, the victim’s self – esteem is not respected. The victim is underestimated by the abuser. Because of that, the victim feels that her self – esteem is not precious.
The experience when Eleanor is not appreciated is a cause of Richie’s utterance. As a teenager, she absorbs something in her environment. From the
from books and bathroom walls. Fucking woman. Fucking kids. Fuck you, you
little bitch – who the fuck touched my stereo?’ (p. 155). The quotation means that before knowing Richie, Eleanor only sees those words in the bathroom walls and
some books. However, when she lives with Richie, she can recognize those words
from Richie. She becomes more familiar with some rude words. It shows that
Richie influences Eleanor to those kinds of words. Richie frequently says the
harsh words so that Eleanor is used to it.
Richie is too often saying the harsh words toward Eleanor and in front of
Eleanor so that Eleanor identifies those words from Richie. ‘It was bad enough that, thanks to Richie’s influence, she went around mentally calling everyone she met a ‘motherfucker’.’ (p. 53). It show that how bad Richie’s impact to Eleanor. She is a teenager that has bad habit to call everyone she meets in that term.
Those cases prove that how often Richie says harsh words to Eleanor. A
teenager is used to those bad words because of the stepfather’s effect. Richie influences something bad to his stepchild. Besides, those harsh words that Eleanor
hears make her to call everyone ‘motherfucker’. Richie makes Eleanor does something bad and understands the harsh words.
It can be concluded that the abuser often mocks at the victim by saying
cruel words. He also often attacks the victim by saying that the victim is not
precious. Besides, because of the abuser too often saying those words, the victim
becomes more familiar with that. Thus, the victim which is still a teenager is used
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In this abuse, the victim gets the violence in a form of harsh words. Those
harsh words attack on the victim’s self – esteem. Her self – esteem is not respected by the abuser. Besides, the abuser also raises his voice when he says the
harsh words. He snaps and says that the victim is a bad girl. He also makes the
victim feels that she is not precious to him. This kind of violence indicates that the
victim receives the domestic violence in the category of emotional abuse.
b. Psychological Abuse
This abuse is when the abuser does everything to make the victim scared
of him. He wants to take control over the victim’s psychology by intimidating or doing something to damage victim’s mental (justice.gov, 2016). Eleanor also experiences this abuse by Richie who always tries to make Eleanor scares of him.
It can be seen when the night when Eleanor hears the back door slam open.
She also hears the gun shots. Even though she never hears it directly, she is sure
that it is gun shots. She thinks that there is something wrong in the house.
Therefore, she calls the police to make sure whether she really needs a help or not.
She wants to save the family. When the police come to the house, Richie gets
angry instead (p. 149 - 152). Then he shouts and says to Eleanor, ‘Are you trying to get rid of me?’ he shouted. ‘Did you think you could get rid of me?’ (p. 152) Richie thinks that Eleanor wants to make Richie does not live with them anymore.
Eleanor is frightened to what happen in the night. She thinks that she saves the
family.
Richie from his anger. But then, he still rampages to Eleanor. He is also mad at
Sabrina. “And then he shouting, ‘I can get rid of all you.’ He slammed the door behind him.” (p. 153)
The incident above shows that Eleanor gets cruel treatment from Richie.
Richie tries to make Eleanor powerless in front of him. He snaps her and makes
her afraid of him. Even though Eleanor thinks that she wants to save the family,
Richie does not like it. He intimidates Eleanor instead by shouting to Eleanor. She
is very shocked to Richie’s anger.
In this case, the abuser tries to weaken the victim by shouting and
threatening. The abuser threatens that he gets rid of her. The abuser makes the
victim to be afraid and has no bravery to face him. Therefore, the victim does not
have power. She also cannot do something to defense herself. However, the
abuser still can do something that can injure the victim’s mental.
Besides, Eleanor thinks that Richie is an evil person because he acts
violence behavior toward her. She even supposes that her stepfather wants to kill
her. ‘Because my stepdad would kill me.’ (p. 111). The abusive treatment and the threatening that he does to Eleanor influence her point of view toward him. She
only sees the bad side of Richie. When Park asked, ‘Why does he care?’ (p. 111). She rather says, ‘He doesn’t care. He just wants to kill me.’ (p. 111).
Eleanor’s thought about Richie shows how cruel Richie’s treatment toward her. She is often oppressed by him in order to restrain her so that she
39
Eleanor is terrified. Therefore, her presumption about Richie shows that she gets
the harsh treatment from him.
Eleanor gets panic when her sister, Maissie and her brother, Ben know that
she has a boyfriend. She worries if they tell to Richie about this. Eleanor does not
want get in trouble when Richie knows it. She realizes the bad punishment that
Richie will do. “He’ll make me leave, you know.’ Eleanor said fiercely. ‘If I’m lucky, that’s the worst that’ll happen.” (p. 232). The quotation explains that she assumes he can do cruelty to her. She tells to her siblings that he can do
something worse than kicking her out.
From the previous section, when she gets in trouble with Richie she is
kicked out. Therefore, in this case, she assumes of she is in a trouble with him, she
can be kicked out again. She is afraid of Richie because he has the authority to
punish her. The fear shows that the victim has no power to defense herself.
Besides, the abuser can do something that makes the victim’s mental worse. The oppression by threatening toward Eleanor proves that she receives the
domestic violence in a form of psychological abuse. The purpose of this abuse is
to make the victim afraid of the abuser. It can be seen from some cases that
Eleanor gets the harsh treatment from Richie. She is oppressed and scared of
Richie. The victim is snapped when she tries to save the house even though it is a
mistake. She is also fear when her siblings know she has a boyfriend. She has an
assumption that she will be kicked out. She has trauma of her past. It is because
she experiences when Richie kicks her out. Those fears indicate that the victim
C. The Struggle of Sabrina and Eleanor
In this section, the writer tries to explain and show how the women
struggle against the domestic violence. The writer also shows how they face the
man that oppresses and does the domestic violence to them. They are the women
who oppressed and experience the violence.
1. Sabrina’s Struggle
In the middle of the chaotic, she struggles to hold out the problem that
occurs in the family. The woman tries to receive what the man does to her.
Besides, she also keeps the man in order to make him get calm and not angrier.
Sabrina is the woman who often gets the violence from Richie. From the previous
section, she experiences domestic violence that hurts her.
a. Being Smart
A woman should be able to bear the pain even though she is always
abused and blamed by the man. She becomes the independent person even though
the husband is in her side. A husband who is in her side is not always able to give
happiness for the wife.
In this family case, the man cannot give support to make the woman
happier. From the previous section, he rather gives something bad to the woman.
He treats the woman harshly. The woman is injured. Therefore, as a woman who
is injured by the man, she should be able to stand on her own foot. She should be
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Sabrina is a woman who can hold the pain when she is abused by Richie.
From the previous section, she always does not do something to defense herself.
She receives it as it is. When she is blamed because she cooks the dinner that is
not like what Richie wants, she only tells a lie and makes Richie to not angrier.
She does not give justification.
As a woman who does not work, Sabrina can handle the money in an
unpredictable situation. She is a kind of genius to find the money. It happens
when she washes Richie’s pants. “I found money when I was doing laundry.’ Her mom said. Which meant that Richie had accidently left money in his pants.” (p. 141). From the quotation, it shows that she can look for some money when
Richie is neglectful.
She knows how to spend it so that she can hide it. “Whenever her mom found money, she tried to spend it on things Richie would never notice. Clothes
for Eleanor. New underwear for Ben. Cans of tuna fish and bags of flour. Things
that could be hidden in drawers and cupboards.”(p. 141). She is also smart in spending the money. The money that is not realized by Richie is spent to
something that is more precious to her kids. She knows that Richie’s negligence makes her get the benefit that can make her children happy. Besides, she also can
think whether it can be discovered or not. It happens because she recognizes
Richie. It proves that Sabrina can observe the thing that Richie realizes and the
thing Richie does not realize.
was keeping them all alive behind his back.” Sabrina can be sly. She does it in order to survive in the weak economic situation. She also does that to make her
children happy because she can spend that on the thing that her children need. In
this case, shows that the woman can do something cunning.
b. Being Creative
In the difficult situation, she can be creative. She uses the vanilla as a
perfume instead of buying the real perfume that can be expensive. She gives that
to Eleanor.
Eleanor get dressed quickly and tried to squeeze past her mother. Her mom grabbed her by the wrist. ‘I like to hear you sing,’ she said. She reached for a bottle on the counter behind Eleanor and rubbed a drop of vanilla behind each of the girl’s ears (p. 47).
It shows that she can use the vanilla as perfume. When Eleanor protests, “Why do you always do that? I smell like a Strawberry Shortcake doll.” Then Sabrina tells the reason, “I do it,’ her mom said, ‘because it’s cheaper than perfume, but it smells just as good.” Then she rubbed some vanilla behind her own ears and laughed (p. 47)
It shows that she can use the thing for something that is not expected. It
means that she can find a way to smells good by using vanilla rather than buying
expensive perfume. The creativity also shows that when in the limited money she
still can be fragrant.
c. Encouraging Her Children
She is also a caring person. It means that she takes care of her children.
