THE FIVE BASIC M
QAIS
Presente
ENGL DEP
S
C MORAL TEACHINGS OF ISLAM
ISRA SHAHRAZ’S
HOLY WOMAN
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
nted as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
RISANG HANURAGA
Student Number: 07 4214 060
LISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME EPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA 2012
M AS SEEN IN
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(Michael Jordan)
v
For
For
For
For
My
My
My
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LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN
PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS
Yang bertandatangan dibawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma:
Nama : RISANG HANURAGA
Nomor Mahasiswa : 074214060
Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul:
THE FIVE BASIC MORAL TEACHINGS OF ISLAM AS SEEN
IN QAISRA SHAHRAZ’S HOLY WOMAN
Beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam bentuk lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di Internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu ijin kepada saya maupun memberikan loyalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.
Demikian pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenarnya.
Dibuat di Yogyakarta
Pada tanggal: 31 Agustus 2012
Yang menyatakan
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STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY
This is to certify that all ideas, phrases, sentences, unless otherwise stated, are the ideas, phrases, and sentences of the thesis writer. The writer understands the full consequences including degree cancellation if he took somebody else’s ideas, phrases, or sentences without proper references.
Yogyakarta, August 31, 2012
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The first and foremost, I would like to bestow my deepest gratitude to Allah
SWT whom I believe always guides me through the finishing of my thesis. My
greatest appreciation goes to my beloved parents: Suryaningsih and Suroso for their unconditional love, prayer, patience, inspiring figure, and support. My thanks
go to my siblings: Kian Sinanjung and Nadyan Winastan who never forget to give
their spirit for me. My thanks are also given to my nephews: Afshan Arsalan
Setiawan and Afareen Anahita who always make me happy.
I am heartily thankful to my advisor, Drs. Hirmawan Wijanarka, M.Hum., whose encouragement, guidance and support from the initial to the final step enabled me to develop an understanding of the subject. My deepest gratitude
also goes to my co-advisor Elisa Dwi Wardani, S.S., M.Hum. Without their knowledge and assistance this study would not have been successful.
My special thanks are given to people who directly or indirectly are
involved in the making of this thesis. My thanks go to Megasari Chitra Adhisty
who always gives the sprit and support for me. My thanks also go to my best-ever
friends: Martinus Bangkit Riandito, Harry Sucianto, Rohmannursyawal S who
always give their best wishes for me. Last but not least, I would like to thank to the
lecturers, the kind librarians and all my friends in English Letters department. I am
proud to know them all who are always in my heart.
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1. Theory of Character and Characterization ... 10
2. Theory of Setting ... 12
3. Theory of Messages ... 16
4. Theory of Moral ... 17
5. Theory of Moral Teaching of Islam ... 19
6. Theory of the Five Basic Moral Teachings of Islam ... 20
7. Theory of the Relation Between Literature and Moral ... 24
C. Theoretical Framework ... 25
A. The Characterization of Zarri Bano ... 31
B. The Characterization of Fatima ... 36
C. The Description of the Setting ... 39
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ABSTRACT
RISANG HANURAGA. The Five Basic Moral Teachings of Islam As Seen in Qaisra Shahraz’s Holy Woman Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2012.
This thesis discusses Qaisra Shahraz’s novel entitled Holy Woman This novel tells the story of Zarry Bano as the major character, a girl who is oppressed by her culture. She is forced by the culture to be a holy woman (woman who is unmarried) till the end of life. In the end of the novel, she marry with man who was a husband of her sister.
In this thesis, there are three main questions to answer. They are (1) How are Zarry Bano and Fatima’s characters portrayed in Shahraz’s Holy Woman? (2) How is the setting described in Shahraz’s Holy Woman? (3) How do the characters and setting in Shahraz’s Holy Woman reflect the five basic moral teachings of Islam?
The approach used for analyzing this literary work is moral-philosophical approach. The method of this study is library research. The primary source is the novel entitled Holy Woman by Qaisra Shahraz as an author. The secondary data are some critics from theses and some books of theories. The very important source is Al Qur’an.
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ABSTRAK
RISANG HANURAGA. The Five Basic Moral Teachings of Islam As Seen in Qaisra Shahraz’s Holy Woman. Yogyakarta: Program studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2012.
Skripsi ini mendiskusikan mengenai sebuah novel dari Qaisra Shahraz yang berjudul Holy Woman. Novel ini bercerita tentang seorang tokoh karakter utama yang bernama Zarri Bano yang hidupnya ditekan oleh keberadaan budayanya. Dia dipaksa oleh budayanya untuk menjadi perempuan suci (perempuan yang tidak menikah) seumur hidupnya. Tetapi di akhir novel dia menikah dengan pria yang sebelumnya menjadi suami adiknya.
Dalam skripsi ini ada tiga pertanyaan utama. (1) Bagaimana karakter Zarri Bano dan Fatima yang digambarkan di novel Holy Woman. (2) Bagaimana seting novel Holy Woman didiskripsikan. (3) Bagaimana karakter dan seting di novel yang berjudul Holy Woman mencerminkan 5 ajaran moral dasar Islam.
Pendekatan yang digunakan untuk menganalisis karya sastra ini adalah pendekatan moral-filosofis. Metode penelitian ini adalah penelitian kepustakaan. Sumber utamanya adalah novel yang berjudul Perempuan Suci yang dikarang oleh Qaisra Shahraz. Data sekundernya adalah beberapa kritik dari tesis dan beberapa buku teori. Sumber yang sangat penting adalah Al Qur'an.
1
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
There are many ways for human beings to express their ideas and
thoughts. One of them is in the form of literature. Literary work is something
precious that gives pleasure and knowledge for those who read it. There are some
kinds of literary works such as drama, novel and poem. By reading a literary
work, we can get some experiences of life because so many authors use their own
experiences of life in their works. C.S Lewis stated that literature adds to reality,
it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily
life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives
have already become (http://www.brainyquote.com). In other words, literature is a
part of human’s life that describes what happenings in reality and draws it with
words.
Literature is the reflection of a real life; it consists of characters and
interaction in form of dialogue, and it creates a value based on those elements.
People may also see the reflection of their experience in real life through
literature. In other words, a literary work is created by using a very creative and
interesting story to represent the social reality. Through the messages contained in
the literature, people who enjoy reading literature can get something intended by
says a literary work does not only please the readers, but also gives them a kind of
knowledge. (1956:94)
Everything presented in the novel can be learned or taught as a guide to
deal with this world. Henkle also says that “Novels deal with many kind of
characters, society, and even philosophic idea. The readers can obtain lessons
through the characters, societies, and ideas that are presented in the novel.” (1977:
21). The way the author writes the story is sometimes based on his own sight
about life and reality. The message as an intrinsic element of the story can be the
reflection of human’s life problems. They are sometimes experienced by human
being, adults, women, men, and children.
Message is defined as an idea that someone tries to communicate to
people. It also the meaning, thought or idea that is intended to express (Sinclair,
1988: 490). The message here can be moral form that the author wants to share to
the readers. Moral messages can be found implicitly or explicitly in the novel.
Moral is a very interesting issue that gives us such a guideline for doing
something. When our moral is not good, the action will be not good. In daily life,
we have read all problems that are ethically not appropriate done by someone
because the effect does not give any good for people around but only good for
himself. This action is done by someone for his own sake instead of other’s
happiness. Utilitarian says the greatest happiness of the greatest numbers. If this
understanding of moral could be done by everyone in the world, someone would
respect personal life of people around. The effect from the action which is done
Islam as a religion that gives a complex moral system until the root of
living aspects is a guidance for believers. In this age, it is difficult to differ
between good and evil because both of them are often looked at as relative
concepts. However, Islam holds that moral positions are not relative, and instead,
defines a universal standard by which actions may be deemed moral or immoral.
Islam’s moral system is striking where it not only defines morality, but also
guides the human race to achieve it, at both an individual as well as a collective
level. (FaithinAllah.org:2011)
Some people in the world have not heard of Islam and others have heard of
the word Islam but they know nothing about it. Some people know the religion of
Islam more than just a word but some have received a bad information about
Islam and make them disliking Islam. They evaluate the religion by considering
the actions taken by extremists who do not know the real Islam especially in
moral teaching. The people easily believe when the issue of Islamic extremists
rises on some news and the effect is some people judge a religion easily. Ridarson
Gallingging says that the terrorists that operate in Indonesia are hiding behind the
banner of Islam. They often claim that any government effort to discredit them
will discredit Islam. This circumstance has made it difficult for the government to
aggressively arrest, detain the radicals and ban their organizations for fear of
being labeled as anti-Islamic (Jakarta Post; 2006). The quotation above gives an
insight of the impact on the counter terrorism efforts of the government by the
Islam and the worse thing is some suspects who did terrorism do not know the
real Islam but they hide behind the banner of Islam.
Aware of this reality. the writer will focus on the moral message which is
seen in Qaisra Shahraz’s Holy Woman, because the writer believes that Qaisra
Shahraz, through Zarry Bano and Fatima as major characters, states some moral
messages. The writer believes that the moral messages can give knowledge to the
readers which can be used as a kind of guidance in their life. In this novel, Qaisra
Shahraz tries to show the moral message from the behaviors of Zarry Bano and
Fatima. This is shown by many acts given to the character of Zarry Bano and
Fatima and their dialogues with other characters. They are shown in almost every
chapter.
Qaisra Shahraz tries to show the moral message from the behaviours of
Pakistan’s society at that time. Shahnaz Khan says that “Traditionally, comments
by native informants have reinforced stereotypes of the third-world woman and
the muslim woman.” (2006:17). This book tells that in this modern life there is
still a tradition that a woman should carry and obey to, even if she has already
spent many years in school. There are several interesting Pakistani tradition are
told in this novel, especially regarding to marriage and family matters.
The reason why this novel is good to read is because the novel has been
printed in 41 different languages and selling at least fifty-five million copies as of
one of them is The winner of Jubilee Award 2002. It was also awarded the title
“Best Book of the Month by Waterstones.
Holy Woman become the object of this study because this novel contains
of some moral teachings that can be revealed from Zarri Bano and Fatima’s
experiences from the beginning to the end of the story and the setting. This is the
third reason why this book is worth to read because it contains some goodness in
form of moral messages. This novel rises a dramatic story of family intrigue,
religious, passions and rip-roaring romance. (Michele Roberts, 2001). Using
moral philosophical criticism, the moral messages revealed by the character and
setting will be analyzed. By reading this novel, the writer is sure that the reader
will get a better thought about this life through the characteristics and setting. So,
the readers will know the religion of Islam more than just a word and although
some have received bad information about Islam it cannot make them disliking
Islam.
B. Problem Formulations
Referring to the background of the study above, there are three main
questions formulated that will be discussed in this study. The questions are:
1. How are Zarry Bano and Fatima’s characteristics portrayed in Shahraz’s
Holy Woman?
2. How is the setting described in Shahraz’s Holy Woman?
3. How do the characteristics and the setting in Shahraz’s Holy Woman
C. Objectives of the Study
Based on problem formulation above, the aim of this study is to reflect the
five basic moral teachings of Islam in the novel. The objective can be found by
answering the three questions in the problem formulation.
The first one, the writer will find out the characteristics of Zarri Bano as a
major character in this novel and Fatima. Then, the writer moves to the next
objective, the second objective is the writer tries to know how the setting is
described. The third or last objective is the writer tries to know. How do the
characteristics and the setting in Qaisra Shahraz’s Holy Woman reflect the five
basic moral teachings of Islam.
D. Definition of Terms
In this part, the writer tries to give some definitions in order to help the
readers to understand this thesis because there are some key terms that are used in
the next parts and to avoid ambiguities and misunderstanding in meaning. These
definitions are mostly taken from the book and they are qualified.
1. Islamic Moral
According to Azim Nanji, “the translation of term moral in Arabic as
Akhlaq is suitable translation (1991:3). According to Azim Nanji “akhlaq was
eventually shaped as a successful amalgamation of the Qur'anic teachings, the
that human behavior that distinguishes good and bad, then good is loved and
chosen to be practiced in deed, but a bad act is hated and removed based on Al
Quran and Al Hadith. (2002:72). Montgometry says that a person's behavior which appears automatically based on obedience and submission to the message
of Allah Almighty.(1953:90)
2. The Five Basic Moral Teachings of Islam
According to Dr. Marzuki, M.Ag.,et al based on Al Quran and Al Hadith,
there are five basic moral teachings of Islam: akhlaq towards Allah SWT, akhlaq
towards family, akhlaq towards neighbors, akhlaq towards self, akhlaq in
leadership. (2002). According to Syaikh Abu Bakar Jabir Al-jaza’iri, good
muslims have to believe in Allah and surrender to him, have to respect both
parents, have to improve the quality of ourselves, have to maintain the
relationship of human being properly, and have to keep a trust as a leader
(2006:191). Basic moral teaching is also stated by Samina Ali that greating each
other, loving Allah, staying clean and sharing our things are the characteristics of
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CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL REVIEW
In conducting this study, presenting some theories which are relevant to
the analysis of the novel. This chapter consists of three sections to be discussed.
They are review of related studies, review of theories, and theoretical framework.
A.Review of Related Studies
The writer does not use the similar novel for review of related studies
because this novel is a new book, it was published in 2001 and published to the
world in different languages in 2007. The analysis on this novel has not published
yet, so the writer uses the similar topic as review of related studies.
1. The Significance of Dorine in Revealing Moral Messages in Moliere’s
Tartuffe By Bondan Adhi Wibowo (2008).
The result of the analysis of this thesis shows five of Dorine’s
characteristics. In the play Tartuffe, Dorine is described as a brave, unselfish,
calm, wise woman and caring to the family. Those characteristics are the
characters which make Dorine able to help this kingdom family save from
destruction. While the messages which can be concluded in this thesis after
analyzed Dorine’s characteristics are; firstly, people should have bravery so that people will be firm and steady, especially when they have to defend for the sake
of truth. Secondly, people should be unselfish so that people can have a passion of
taught to be calm in everything people do so that people will able to think clearly
in solving problems. Forth, people are taught to be wise so that people will know
how to do and to act. Fifth, people should care to their family so that people understand the essence of a family. From these messages, the moral message of
this play is that people must tell the truth in every situation and condition.
2. Moral Lessons as Seen in Dorian Gray’s Character Development in John Osborne’s The Picture of Dorian Gray : A moral Entertainment by Bob Morison S (2010).
There are some moral lessons that can be attained from the character
developments in this thesis. The most observable moral lessons in this thesis that
can be achieved are that we should work hard and do not give up easily to reach
our dreams. The other is that we should be responsible for all of our actions, and
ready to accept the mistake and the consequences of our deed. The analysis of this
thesis is about character developments and their relations with moral lessons that
will strengthen the notion that literature gives its readers a deeper and richer
knowledge of human life.
Basically, the writer agrees with Bondan and Bob says that there are many
messages that are revealed by the author of the novel through the characters. The
messages rises because the author has experiences about that. Some messages will
give the readers information or guideline for being good person or getting a better
life. Therefore, in this thesis, the writer would like to do a research about the
B. Review of related Theories
1. Theory of Character and Characterization
Graham Little in Approach to Literature states that character may be
presented mainly through description and discussion, or, in a more dramatic
manner, by the author’s simply reporting the character’s speech and action
(1981: 89).
In addition, according to Ian Milligan in The Novel in English (1983: 155),
characters can be distinguished based on their role in the story. Those
characters are major and minor characters. Major characters are characters that
become the focus of the story from the beginning to the end, while minor
characters are characters that only appear in certain setting, and only become
the background of major characters and have less important role.
Holman and Harmon in A Handbook of Literature stated that
characterization is the creation of imaginary person so that they exist for the
reader as if the people in the real life (1986: 81). While in order to understand
the characteristic of a character, M.J. Murphy in his Understanding Unseen: An
Introduction to English Poetry and the English Novel for Overseas Students
stated nine important points that are needed to understand (1972: 161-171).
They are:
a. Personal Description
The author describes the character by his/her physical appearance. The
the character’s economical condition. For instance, the rich character can be
shown by the good quality of his/her clothes.
b. Character as Seen by Another
The author describes the character from the eyes and opinions of the
other characters’ opinion.
c. Speech
The author describes the character in the novel through hat the
character says in the novel. It includes how is the character speak, whenever
the character is in the conversation with another, and how the character puts
forward an opinion.
d. Past Life
The author can describe the character by letting the reader know
something about the past life of the character. This way can be described by
direct comment from the author, the character’s thought, his/her conversation,
or through the medium of the another characters.
e. Conversation of Others
The author can describe the character through his/her conversation
with other character and the things they say about the character.
f. Reactions
The author can describe the character by letting the reader know how
g. Direct Comment
The author can describe the character directly.
h. Thought
The author can describe the character by letting the reader know what
the character is thinking about.
i. Mannerism
The author can describe the character’s manner and habits.
According to C.Carter Colwell in A Student’s Guide to Literature,
character as personality is important in literature because, as most authors have
discovered, people are interesting. Since the first requirement of any work of
art that it becomes interesting enough to stimulate the audience to continue
reading, looking, or listening, artist portray interesting people. Frequently, of
course, morality and personality blend. (1968: 175)
2. Theories of Setting
Abrams in A Glossary of Literary Terms give definition about setting of
narrative or dramatic work as follows:
the overall setting of a narrative or dramatic work is the general locale, historical time, and social circumstances in which its action occurs; the setting of a single episode or scene within a work is the particular physical location in which it takes place (1981: 175).
Holman and Harmon in their A Handbook to Literature mention that there are
four elements forming a setting, namely:
room;(2) the occupations and daily manner of living of the characters; (3) the time or period in which the action takes places, for example, epoch in history or season of the year; (4) the general environment of the characters,for example, religious, mental, moral, social, and emotional conditions through which the people in the narrative move (1986: 465).
From the quotation above, we can see that the setting is the environment of
the events in the story and the immediate world in which they occur. There are
many things that can be included into setting and those have important roles in the
story. The setting can influence the behaviors and the mindset of the characters in
the novel. The characters can have bad or good behaviors and mature or childish
thinking based on the environment where they live. For example people who have
bad attitude live in the environment which has good custom inside, their bad
attitude may changes into good attitude.
Holman and Harmon also defined setting as the physical, and sometimes
spiritual, background against which action of a narrative takes place. (1986:465)
According to Harvey in Character and the Novel, the social environment
basically refers to the society that is taken mostly in the novel. The social
environment shows a social condition of people who live there. (1965:56)
Meanwhile, Langland explaines that society is understood not merely as
people and their classes, but also customs, conventions, beliefs and values, their
institutions – legal, religious, and cultural – and their physical environment. In
brief, society remains everything we have seen it to be – norms, conventions,
codes, backgrounds, places, people, institutions – but its particular manifestations
in a novel will be determined by its role within the work (1984:6-7). Moreover,
everything related to the society’s life in a certain place, which is being described
in the story. It includes the customs, tradition, belief, ideology, the way of
thinking, and behaving, and perhaps the social status of the character (1980:33,
35).
Murphy in his Understanding Unseens, also has some points about how
the setting is important. He says that setting of novel has great effects upon
personalities, action and way of thinking of the characters (1972: 41). According
to Murphy, there are four kind of setting of time as stated below
a. Present time
Murphy explains that an author may write a story about his or her own time, the
things that are happening around him or her, or the events about them.
b. Past time
An author may choose to go backwards in time and write about historical events
in order to light up the past to readers. Some imagination may be used to go back
to past historical times.
c. Future time
An author may also take readers to the future through his imagination. The story
may deal with the condition of the world free from any economic-social-political
pressure (totalitarian tyranny, anarchy, capitalism), or with the development of
d. No specific time
An author has the right to give the readers no indication of the time in which the
story takes place. The story is something like the old fairy stories; they happen
‘once upon a time’ (1972: 143-144).
In addition, Murphy also states some points on the setting of place. He
says that a story may have three kinds of place as the settings. The first is a
familiar place, which is considered by the author to be familiar to most of the
readers, either from experience or by close acquaintance. Thus, a British writer
may choose to write about events that take place in London or any other part of
Britain. The second place is an unfamiliar place that is likely to be unfamiliar to
many of the readers of the author’s own nation. Then, the third is imaginary place.
It is a place which is not familiar to anyone at all may be used as well by the
author to be the setting of his or her work of literature. However, in this thesis, the
writer will only focus on the setting of place and social circumstances.
3. Theories on Message
Henry Hudson in his book “An Introduction to the Study of Literature”
states that a good message is a message that discloses new a large possibility they
do not realize, most writers would try to tell and to show those possibilities by
using their work. In fact, he even tries to create those possibilities themselves. A
good message does not tend to follow general pattern or norm but it creates new
John Sinclair in Collins Cobuild Essential Dictionary defines messages as
an idea that someone tries to communicate to people (1988: 490). The message
can be in form of valuable of words, advice, and God’s commandment as
guidance to give advice and the like.
According to Beaty and Hunter in New World of Literature, message is the
real meaning or some easy conclusion that can be simply stated or summarized
inside a work of art (1988: 899). This statement has meaning that inside a literary
work there is something that an author wants to give or share which is can be
stated or summarized through a work of art.
Sometimes, message has a relationship with moral. It means that if we are
talking about message, we are also discussing moral. It can be said that, in
general, moral means a teaching of good and bad (Kenney, 1966:89). However,
people’s point of view about moral and values from one place to another is not
always the same. Usually their point of view is influenced by their way of life.
Based on preceding paragraph, it can be said that every work of literature
may offer a moral message and there are many types of moral lesson conveyed.
The type of message occurring in a literary work depends on the author’s belief,
wish, and interest. Moreover the messages have not been involved by the
interpretations that come from the readers. Message in a work of art usually
reflects the way of the related author. Message in a story is intended as a
suggestion related to practical lesson that can be taken by the readers through the
the like. The readers can find them in a real life, in the same manners as they are
reflected in the story through its characters.
The message is distributed through those various ways. By contrast, if the
readers want to understand or interpret the message, they should do it based on the
story and the character’s life.
4. Theories on Moral
Moral comes from Latin word moralis which means customs or manners.
Moral is about the relationship among human being. Thiroux in his book Ethic
Theory and Practice states that the area of moral concentrates on human conduct
and human values (Thiroux, 1995: 3). The moral of a person depends on their
action and their relationship between one and another in the society.
Another theory is taken from Gardner’s book On Moral Fiction, which is
appropriate in this thesis. Gardner says that art is essentially and primarily moral –
that is, life-giving-moral in its process of creation and moral in what it says.
Gardner also says that the “Good for man, which rightly understood cannot be
divorced from what is good for his society and environment, is by another
formulation (whenever action is called for) the moral.” Morality is the body, or
engine, of the Good. The Good is form: morality is function or at any rate form
can no more exist independent of function than time can exist without a natural or
man made clock (1933:134)
Gardner still, he has statement that morality is definitely complex to be
reduced to any code, which is why it is suitable matter for fiction, which deals in
Daniel C. Maguire in his book The Moral Choice states that morality is relational.
It means that morality depends on the relation between people. He also says that
what is moral for one person may be immoral for another because of the diversity
of circumstances (1978: 63). From those statements from Gardner and Daniel
above the writer can conclude that people could see morality in different ways and
moral is different for one person to another.
Another source from Harold C. Gardiner which is also related with
statements above in the book Norms of The Novel stated that:
In Aristotle’s concept, art is essentially, if indirectly, a moral activity-the individual act captured in the creative activity always implies a relationship towards ends and purposes. Such a relationship is a moral fact and the portrayal of such relationship is a moral activity (1953:121)
The quotation made the writer believes that moral found in art is different
from each person’s perspectives or ways. It depends on the relationship among
people, and the circumstances in which the character lives in the novel, or if
related to the readers, then it will depend on the circumstances in which the
reading. In this thesis, theory on moral here is used to help the reader how to
know the moral through the character and setting from this novel.
Every literary work contains and offers moral teaching. There are many
types of moral teaching. Fiction, like novel, sometimes may have more than one
moral teaching. Roth states that moral teaching is "a learning that results
advancement in thought and emotions from a self-centered orientation to socially
responsible and ethically mature" (1998: 571). In this analysis, the writer analyzed
writer finds out the messages in the novel to conclude the moral teaching. Moral
teaching in literary work can be in the form of message but not all messages are
moral teaching. Therefore, the writer also uses theories of message to analyze the
moral teaching inside the novel.
5. Theories on Moral Teaching of Islam
The famous word in Islam that used to represent moral word is akhlaq.
According to Azim Nanji, “the translation of term moral in Arabic as Akhlaq or
even as Ilm al Akhlaq, which means the science of Akhlaq, is suitable translation
(1991:3). Islamic akhlaq comes from divine sources (the Qur'an and the Sunnah).
According to Azim Nanji “akhlaq was eventually shaped as a successful
amalgamation of the Qur'anic teachings, the teachings of the Sunnah of
Muhammad (1991:4). Dr. Marzuki, M.Ag.,et al says that human behavior that
distinguishes good and bad, then good is loved and chosen to be practiced in deed,
but a bad act is hated and removed based on Al Quran and Al Hadith. (2002:72).
Montgometry says that a person's behavior which appears automatically based on
obedience and submission to the message of Allah Almighty.(1953:90). Harun Yahya says “The Qur’an orders people to be dignified, modest, trustworthy, kind,
faithful, mature and responsive.”(1999:9). Hammuda says “Muhammad was only a mortal being commissioned by God to teach the word of God and lead an exemplary life,” writes Hammuda Abdalati. “He stands in history as the best model for man in piety and perfection. He is a living proof of what man can be
6. The Five Basic Moral Teachings of Islam
In the book Minhajul Muslim, the five basic moral teachings of Islam had
been stated implicitly. Good muslims have to believe in Allah and surrender to
him, have to respect both parents, have to improve the quality of ourselves, have
to maintain the relationship of human being properly, and have to keep a trust as a
leader (2006:191). Good akhlaq is also stated by Samina Ali that greating each
other, loving Allah, staying clean and sharing our things are the characteristics of
good akhlaq. (2006:8). Dr. Marzuki, M.Ag.,et al (2002) says that in Islam there
are five basic moral teachings. These morals are listed in the Al-Quran and Al
Hadith that will be described below.
a. Akhlaq towards Allah SWT (God Conciousness)
`Moslems must have only one God, is Allah SWT and they are prohibited to
equate others with their Lord. It has to be done by witness and implementation of
Shahada. There is no god but Allah and Mohammad is the messenger of Allah. In
this statement imply that moslem believe in Allah and they have to obey the rule
of Allah has decided in Al Quran such as doing shalat, zakat, and so on and they
have to follow the teaching of prophet Mohammad, it’s called as Al Hadith. This
point has been written in Al Quran surah Al An’am : 150
Islamic people have the correct aqeedah and strong, good moral duty to
Allah SWT, by maintaining a willingness to align tauhid, obeying Allah orders,
sincere in all charity, khusu' in worship, praying and hoping in God SWT, every
kind of thought in the name of God, tawakal after having the willingness and
determination, gratitude, and repent when making mistakes.
b. Akhlaq towards family
People have obligation to give good treatments to their parents because
they cannot live without them. Respect and care of parents is very much stressed
in Islam. Individual has to do what parents ask though it is not easy to do and
Islam prohibits every individual saying “ah” or “uff” (dislike expressions). This is
equal and fair with the struggle of parent in birthing process. This statements has
been listed in Al quran surah Al Isra :23-24
And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as], "uff," and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word. And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy and say, "My Lord, have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small."( Dr. Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilali)
Akhlaq to the family can be done by doing devoted to both parents,
praying for them, doing good treatment to them, if we are the parents we have to
give nafkah as best as we can and teach our children a good moral.
c. Akhlaq towards Neighbors
Islam gives freedom for the people to do their human right. Moslem has to
do justice and good treatment to everyone. There should be no oppression in one
trouble, the others should be ready to help. This statements also has listed in Al
Quran surah Al Nahl : 90
Indeed, Allah orders justice and good conduct and giving to relatives and forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded.
Building an akhlaq towards neighbors is very important, because the
neighbor is the closest friend. Even the Prophet Muhammad explains that Jibril
never stopping to told me to do good treatment to neighbors, until I feel like the
neighbors are heirs" (H.R. Al Bukhari:1976). Prophet Muhammad also describes
the rights of neighbors as follows: getting a loan if necessary, getting help if
asked, being visited when ill, being assisted if necessary, having poor should be
helped, getting congratulations if they received a victory, being accompanied if
they have a difficult situation, and giving some foods to the neighbors.(HR Al
Bukhari:1976) It can be concluded that to be kind to everyone is a must.
d. Akhlaq in leadership
In principle, every leader needs to be decorated with akhlaq karimah.
Therefore the leader should have the following characteristics: knowledge so that
matters can be handled in a professional manner and mismanagement does not
happen, having the courageous, graceful, trustworthy, honest, diligent, and
patient. (HR Al-Bukhari:1976)
. They are listed in Al Quran Surah Al-Mukminun 8-11. The following
And they who are to their trusts and their promises attentive and they who carefully maintain their prayers. Those are the inheritors who will inherit al-Firdaus. They will abide therein eternally. (Dr. Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilali)
In this quotation above, Allah will give a reward to people who keep
promises. The reward is heaven al Firdaus. The second characteristic of the leader
in Al Quran is described in surah As sajdah 24
And We made from among them leaders guiding by Our command when they were patient and [when] they were certain of Our signs (Dr. Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilali)
The quotation above tells about good leader should has a patient. There are
many handicaps in life so the people should be patient to face them. Another
characteristic of the leader in Al Quran is described in surah Al anfal 58
If you [have reason to] fear from a people betrayal, throw [their treaty] back to them, [putting you] on equal terms. Indeed, Allah does not like traitors. (Dr. Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilali)
The quotation above tells about honesty. The leader should be honest in
every action. Allah tells honesty by using the sentence throw back to them on
equal terms. It means that people should return back goods on equal, honest in
terms of quantity, depends on the treaty. The fourth characteristic of the leader in
Al Quran is described in surah Fathir 29-30
The leader should consider in the greatest happiness of the greatest
numbers. The leader should think about people interest than self interest. The fifth
characteristic of the leader in Al Quran is described in Surah Al Imran 159
So by mercy from Allah , [O Muhammad], you were lenient with them. And if you had been rude [in speech] and harsh in heart, they would have disbanded from about you. So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them and consult them in the matter. And when you have decided, then rely upon Allah . Indeed, Allah loves those who rely [upon Him]. (Dr. Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilali)
e. Akhlaq towards self
Humans have been created by Allah SWT. Therefore humans have an
obligation to maintain the sanctity of physical and spiritual, maintain neatness,
add knowledge, and enhance self-discipline (HR Al Bukhari:1976)
7. The Relation between Literature and Moral
According to Guerin, the function of literature is to teach morality and to
probe philosophy issues. The reader would interpret literature within a context of
the philosophical thought in a period of group existence. (1979: 29)
Matthew and Arnold, quoting from Guerin’s The Victorian Ethic, state that a
great literary work must possess “high seriousness”, in each instance. The critic,
working from a moral bent is not unaware of firm, figurative language, and other
purely aesthetic considerations but they also added that the important thing is the
moral or the philosophical. (1979: 30)
Gardner says in his book On Moral Nature of Human that literature as an art is
that literary works, such as a novel, may contain moral values reflected from
human life and experiences.
Gardner also states that a work of art, which contains moral lesson, provides
values and rouse trustworthy feeling about the best and the worst in human action
(1978: 19). From those statements above it can be concluded that throughout
literary works, the reader can obtain moral messages as the lesson by
understanding the context; in consequence, it is meaningful for human beings as a
kind of guidance of life.
C. Theoretical Framework
This thesis is entitled The Five Basic Moral Teachings of Islam as Seen in
Qaisra Shahraz’s Holy Woman. In this study the writer needs some theories to do
analysis that the writer has explained before such as the theory of character and
characterization, theory of setting, theory of moral, theory on moral teaching of
Islam and the relation between literature and morality. All of theories are used to
answer three problem formulations that the writer has explained before.
The first theory is the theory on character and characterization. This theory
is considered suitable to answer the first problem formulation. This theory is used
to analyze Zarry Bano and Fatimah attitude and behavior from the beginning to
the end of the story. The second theory is theory of setting, this theory is used to
describe how the setting is in this novel. The third theory is theory of message,
theory of moral, theory of moral teaching of Islam, and the relation between
literature and moral. Those theories are needed to analyze the message that
of message is a fundamental to answer the third problem formulation. After
getting the answer, the writer can find moral lessons existed in the novel related to
27
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
This chapter presents the methodology in this study. There are three
subtitles in this chapter. They are: object of the study in which the information
on the novel is presented; approach of the study, discussion on the approaches
in this study; and method of the study which tells about the procedures of
gathering and arranging the data used in writing this thesis.
A. Object of the study
In this part the writer wants to describe everything which is relevant with
the object of the study. The object of this study is a novel. This novel is
entitled Holy Woman which written by Qaisra Shahraz. It was written in 2001
and published by Black Amber. In 2002 this book became the winner of the
Golden Jubilee Award in Manchester, was nominated The Best Book of the
Month in Bradford and was featured in literary festivals throughout Great
Britain including Coventry One Book.
This novel is also translated and published in several languages and
countries. In Pakistan, it was published by Alhamra Press, in Turkish by Truva
but the title change into Kutsal Kadn as a result of matching process with the
language of Turkish and in Indonesia this novel was published by Mizan
Pustaka and was translated into Bahasa Indonesia entitled as Perempuan Suci.
Qaisra Shahraz loves Pakistan, country where she was born. That is why
which explore theme and issue happened in Pakistan. Issues that were risen in
this novel are domination, moral, economic, and love. Every issue was
presented by using a dramatically story. The story also cannot be easily
predicted by readers because Qaisra Shahraz played the plot beautifully.
This novel tells the story of Zarry Bano as a major character, a girl who
lives oppressed by her culture. She is forced by the culture to be a holy woman
who is a maiden untill the end of life. In the end of the novel, a destiny made
she change her mind to marry with man who was a husband of her sister.
Conflicts are described very beautifully as if the readers feel sad when they
read this novel.
B. Approach of the Study
In order to obtain a deep understanding about literary work, the writer
needs a certain approach to analyze it. The approach used to analyze this
literary work is philosophical approach. The writer chose
moral-philosophical approach because the approach will help the writer in analyzing
how the characteristics and setting reflect the five basic moral teachings of
Islam. As stated before, the characters show some moral values. Some theories
are used to justify the analysis theoretically. Those theories are stated in the
following paragraph.
Guerin states that moral-philosophical approach is approach that insists on
finding and stating what is exposed and taught (1979: 39). The statement here
through what is seen and learnt from a character. The study is commonly
relevant with human life and experience. The writer needs intellectual and
rational ability to find the moral in human life.
C. Method of the study
Since literary work is the focus in the study, the writer uses library
research to answer the problem formulations. Library research has a meaning
that books are very important for doing a research where the data are
collected. There are two kinds of data used in this study. The primary source is
the novel entitled Holy Woman by Qaisra Shahraz as an author. This novel
was published by Black Ambar in 2001.
The secondary data are some critics from theses and some books of
theories. Some of important sources which the writer used in this thesis are A
Glossary of Literary Terms that is written by Abrams, Understanding Unseens
by Murphy, How to analyze Fiction by Kenney, On Moral Fiction by
Gardner, Din Al-Islam by Dr. Marzuki, M.Ag.,et al, A Handbook of Critical
Approaches to Literature 4th edition by Guerin and Al Qur’an
There were some steps done to do this analysis, First, reading the novel on
detail. Second is analyzing the data. The analysis was done by answering the
problem formulations in previous part. The last part was drawing a
conclusion. In the first problem formulation, the writer used theory of
character and characterization to find answer about characteristics of Zarry
moral, moral teaching of Islam the relation between morality and literature to
answer the last problem formulation that found about the moral lessons
existed in the novel related to the Zarry Bano and Fatima characteristics and
31
CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS
In this chapter, the writer tries to answer the questions which have been
mentioned in the problem formulations. The writer uses some theories that have
been discussed in previous chapter to find out the five basic moral teachings of
Islam through the characteristics and setting.
A.The Characteristics of Zarry Bano
Zarri Bano is one of the major characters of the novel and this section
discusses her characterization. Her background and personality are completely
described by the author. She is also described as a character who has some
troubles in this novel. Her characterizations as seen in the story are important for
the writer to support the process of the analysis. In order to understand Zarri
Bano’s character, the writer uses the theory of characterization that has stated in
chapter II. Zarri Bano is a Pakistan girl who lives in a village where is dominated
by patriarchal system. Zarri Bano is a feminist that she is described as an
independent woman. Her responsibility to the family and culture makes Zarri
Bano gets a contradiction with what she has believed. She is forced to be a holy
woman, a girl who is not married, because Zarri Bano’s brother get an accident
and die. She has to take place him in guarding heritage properties of her family.
She is described as a woman who gets several problems but she has grown up to
1. Responsible
She is a responsible woman because the novel tells that she does not want
to be a coward because refusing her father request to be a holy woman. She is
responsible to her family heritage. This responsibility is done though obstacles
come to her continuously. Even, she sacrifices her own needs in order to fulfill the
obligation of her family. This is the quotation from the novel Holy Woman that
strengthens the point above.
“Yes I could have refused my father, if I had wanted to. But I didn’t at the end, for the same reason as thousands of other young women in our patriarchal society end up saying “yes”. For our izzat’s sake, and our family’s honour, like other women, I became a coward and a victim rolled into one, by suppressing and sacrificing my own needs for the sake of my family. I just couldn’t be the cause of turning my family and tradition upside down.” (p. 192)
In another part, Qaisra Shahraz describes that Zarri Bano believes her way
to be a holy woman is right. She is not disappointed with her father decision about
holy woman and even she still believes that this title is the only way to save a
heritage property that her family has. Although she is proposed by Sikander, the
man who is still in her heart as a fiancé before and she still has love in him, she
refuses his proposal in order to keep the heritage as her responsibility to be a holy
woman. Although her father who has a significant role in deciding holy woman is
died, she still keeps her responsibility. The following quotation is as a proof to
this explanation above
2. Religious
She is a religious woman. Whatever that she feels, she tries to be honest to
the God by telling the beautiful story or talking about her sadness. She believes
that the only God that can save her life. She can be strong because she is sincere.
She can solve her problems wisely because she feels peace and solace. This is the
quotation from the novel Holy Woman that will strengthen the point above. This
quotation is taken from sentences that Zarri Bano uses in praying.
“’Allah pak, help me!’ she beseeched again through dry, quivering lips. She stood up resolutely to say her late-night prayers. She believed in her Allah pak and in Him she would seek peace and solace. She knew she would get it” (p. 271)
Although Zarri Bano is tested by Allah, she still believes in God and prays
in the night and even, she does not blame God about her condition. She feels her
heart breaks into pieces when knowing her sister want to marry with the man she
has ever loved. Actually she is still in love with Sikander, a man who was a fiancé
of Zarri Bano, but she has to do an obligatory as a result of being a Holy Woman,
the victim of patriarchal system. The proof of the explanation above is written in
this following quotation
“Oh Allah pak, please help me. This is the worst test. You could have devised. You are testing my willpower and purity of mind and heart. In test I can never hope to win! How can I be pure of mind when the thought of Sikander with my sister slices through me like a knife?” (p. 269)
3. Patient
Zarri bano does not hate her sister though she knows that her sister marries
with the man who was her fiancé. Although she is still falling in love with her
can manage her emotion immediately because she does not want to break that
holy ceremony. This is the quotation from Zarri Bano when she tries to explain
how she feels about her sister’s marriage is.
Yes he was. Zarri bano managed to keep her expression neutral. That was the past, my dearest sister. You have nothing to apologize for. Never feel guilty on my account. It was my kismet, my destiny.(p. 264)
4. Educated
Zarri Bano is an educated woman. She does not want to be a woman who
does not get an education because she believes that education is very important for
girl to go out from patriarchal system. This is the quotation from the novel Holy
Woman which strengthens the point above. It is taken from Nighat’s opinion that
says about her totally different condition with she has been committed before and
Zarri Bano is an educated woman.
…you said that women held their destinies in their hands. What a travesty! You have betrayed and let down a whole generation of us Pakistan Women. If it has happened to a mature university-educated-woman – a feminist at that, an extrovert, a modern woman – then Allah help a young, uneducated woman in the backwoods of rural Pakistan…(p. 189)
Another quotation will strengthen that Zarri Bano is an educated woman.
This quotation is taken from the discussion between Zarri Bano and her friend.
She wants to tell her how she is.
…I had convinced myself that as an educated, urban, upperclass woman, I was different from those “poor” woman, lower down the strata of our society, who had to do as they were told. (p. 190)
Zarri bano is a very good learner. She thinks human has to do the
philosophy of sponge when studying some knowledge. She absorbs all knowledge
outcome will be gotten quickly and a lot of knowledge will be absorbed. She also
has a motivation to be an expert in religious matters and then shares them to the
people because this is the one of the holy woman duties.
Thank you for the compliment, Brother Musa . I find all the subjects I am studying very interesting. I feel as if I am a sponge. I want to absorb as much knowledge as possible. It is my goal to become a very learned woman on religious matters, and in as short a time as possible. (p. 225)
5. Earnest
Zarri Bano always does something seriously. There is no hard feeling
when she does. She never does anything half-heartedly. Even though it is really
hard to do, she still believes that she can do it. In learning Islam, she does this
work seriously and with a great commitment. Therefore she can get a good result
to be an expert of Islamic teaching quickly and even many problems that she faces
can be solved without disturbing her work. This following quotation is taken from
Ruby’s speech as Zarri Bano’s sister.
It was true Zarii Bano had now become a fully fledged holy woman. She never did anything half-heartedly. (p. 185)
This following quotation will support idea above and is taken from
Nighat’s opinion about Zarri Bano that she has committed to her decision to be a
holy woman and she cannot be stopped. She is earnest with her job as a holy
woman and instead she does not need any one’s support or help to do holy
woman’s obligation.
She does something seriously. Holy woman has an obligatory to wear a
hijab. It covers her hair from man sight. Zarri Bano as a holy woman has to wear
it every day but there is no obligation to wear it when she does sleeps. Because of
her commitment with her title of Holy Woman, she wears it every moment though
she sleeps.
I do not have to wear it, least of all in bed. There were no rules about wearing it. It was, however, a striking symbol of her new role. How else would people recognize her as the Holy woman? Hence I will always have to wear it. (p. 179)
B.The Characteristics of Fatima
Fatima is also a major character in this novel. She is a servant in Zarri
Bano’s family. In this novel, Qaisra Shahraz describes her as a mother who has a
daughter named Firdaus. Firdaus has an affair with Khawar who is a son of Kanis.
The conflicts begin when Khawar wants to marry to her daughter but he does not
get a permit from his mother. His mother has a sentiment to Fatima. It because of
Fatima was a fiancée of Kanis husband. From that statement, it shows that there is
a conflict between Fatima and Kanis’ family. Fatima is the lower class while
Kanis is the upper class in terms of wealthy.
1. Responsible
Fatima is responsible woman, especially for her family. She will do
something that will make her family happy and even she does it as servant that
will be considered as low class. She earns money to meet all of her family needs
because her husband cannot do it anymore. Although she leaves her job to be a
is to work and live in faraway location with her family. This action shows that
although woman is oppressed by patriarchal system, woman actually has a
significant role to family when man cannot do that. This following quotation will
prove the ideas above. According to Graham Little, character may be presented
mainly through description and discussion, or in a more dramatic manner by the
author’s simply reporting the character’s speech and action (1981: 89). This
quotation is taken from the discussion between Fatima and her neighbor Naimat
Bibi.
To do this, however, Fatima had to abandon her own children at home with her husband, appealing to her neighbor Naimat Bibim the village cook, to keep an eye on them for her young children left alone without their mother. I have no choice. It is either that or no food in their mouth. (p. 107)
2. Hard-working
Fatima is a hard-worker. She does something to support financial aspect of
her family. She does not want to beg hand to anyone. She wants to fulfill her
family needs by herself. Although she was a land owning family, she does not
want to get money without any efforts. She still believes that it is a pride when
she supports her family with her own achievements and work. Although she
works as a servant which is different from her past as the upper economic class,
she is unashamed and even it will be a pride for her. The quotation is taken
from the discussion between Kaniz and Fatima when Fatima goes to Kaniz
house and tries to help Kaniz understand for the real life, life is not easy and
need to be hard-working. It still follows theory of Graham Little (1981:89) that
You know that my family are a land-owning family, and it was my pride that wouldn’t let them help me. I wanted to support my family myself. My weakness, unlike yours, Kaniz, is pride in my own achievements and work. I didn’t want to extend a begging hand to anyone. (p. 291)
This following quotation is also the evidence of hard-working. Fatima
wants to achieve all her goals with her own efforts. She does not want to beg
hand to others and becomes lazy. It is different from Kaniz lifestyle which is
lazy. Kaniz is a woman who just waits for money which is given by her
husband and still begs hand to her husband. This quotation is also part of the
discussion between Kaniz and Fatima at Kaniz home.
But it is good honest work. It is very different from your lazy lifestyle, where you are totally dependent on other people. I have made my daughters self-sufficient too. All this I have achieved from my own efforts. (p. 292)
3. Kind
Fatima is a kind woman. She does good treatment to everyone. When her
neighbor’s son leaves home for long time because he does not want to live with
Kaniz, Fatima tries requesting him for returning home. Although she gets bad
treatment by her neighbor, Kaniz, she is still kind to Kaniz. Fatima tries to say
about the condition of his mother who is sick when he is leaving home. Fatima
tries to make sure that the way which is taken by him is incorrect and does not
want that an unapproved marriage with her daughter is the reason of his
leaving. This following quotation is taken from sentences which are spoken by
Fatima to Khawar who is her neighbor’s son.
Fatima does not try to revenge with all bad treatment which has been
taken. When her daughter named Firdaus did wrong thing to the woman whom
she always dislike it, she is angry with Firdaus. She should treat everyone
kindly whether he or she likes or dislikes. Fatima calls her treatment as
unforgivable act and she offers Firdaus to ask for apologies to anyone who gets
hurt by her action. This following quotation is taken from discussion between
Fatima and her daughter.
“I have always disliked that woman but Firdaus what you have done is unforgivable. It goes against all the rules of decent human conduct. Nobody deserves what you have done, not even one’s worst enemy. Poor woman!.” (p. 445)
C. The Description of the Setting
Besides characters, setting is also important in the novel. It can influence
or even change the behaviors of the characters in the novel. Different settings can
result in different characteristics of the characters in the novel. In this thesis, the
writer describes the setting and then the setting will be used to see the social ethics
which is presented by Qaisra Shahraz.
1. Setting of place
The setting of place in this novel is in the province of Sind. Sind is a small
town. It is one of the provinces of Pakistan.
“In the province of Sind, on the outskirts of a small town, a mela was in full swing.” (p. 3)
And in the second paragraph of the preceding novel is also the evidence of
