Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
MARCELLINA YULIANA
Student Number : 064214026
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA 2010
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
MARCELLINA YULIANA
Student Number : 064214026
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
“If I am not for myself, who will be for me?
If I am not for others, what am I?
And if not now, when?”
(Rabbi Hillel)
“Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s future, but
today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the
present.”
vi
This undergraduate thesis is dedicated to:
My
Beloved
Mother
and
Father
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I would like to thank Jesus Christ for His blessing and grace He gives me every time. He is the only One who could make all of this happens.
My deep gratitude is for my advisor, Drs. Hirmawan Wijanarka, M.Hum for being so patient in reading and correcting the mistakes in this undergraduate thesis. I am indebted to his priceless time, ideas, and encouragement during the process of this undergraduate thesis writing. My gratitude is also for Maria Ananta Tri Suryandari, S.S., M.Ed., my co-advisor, in helping me by giving me some corrections, and advices to complete my thesis writing. This thesis will not be complete without her suggestions. I also thank to all lecturers who have supplied what I need to work on this undergraduate thesis and the English Letters Department staffs for being so helpful in the process of my study. I thank to the Library staff for being so helpful in providing me a comfortable place in the process of thesis writing.
My deepest gratitude is especially for my father, Andreas Sukadiyanto
and my mother, Christina Norma Mariana for their love, time support, patience, and prayer. I am grateful to Lord because I have both of you as my parents. Thank you for always loving me. I also thank my brothers, Andi and Rico for the support they have given me. We should prove to the world that we can do everything.
For my best friends who are always there with me Sella, Arum, and Elok, thank you for everything that we share, for all support and for accompanying me in the Library. I have a lot of GREAT moments with all of you. I could not make it without all of you. Let’s start to be a real Backpacker and show to the world that we can do it.
I would like to thank my brother, Mas tio for being so patient in reading and correcting the mistakes in this undergraduate thesis.
I would like to express my thanks to my friends “Class A of 2006”:thank you for all the great memories, thank you for togetherness that we have, thank you for all support to me.
Thank you for the people who I can not mention one by one who have helped me in writing this thesis. God Bless you all.
APPROVAL PAGE………...……..ii
1. Theory on Character and Characterization………..13
2. Theory on Child Abuse………....15
2. Theory of Personality Development………16
C. Theoretical Framework………...19
A. Clare Briscoe’s Personality Portrayed in the Novel…..………...25
B. People’s Treatments toward Clare Briscoe………...36
C. The Influence of Other People’s Treatments on Clare’s Personality Development…48 CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION...59
BIBLIOGRAPHY...63
x
ABSTRACT
MARCELLINA YULIANA. Clare’s Rebellion as the Effect of Childhood’s Treatments. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2010.
This thesis discusses Constance Briscoe’s novel entitled Ugly. This novel tells about the life of Clare Briscoe that is full of sorrow. All the sorrow in her life is caused by the bad treatments on the childhood from people in her surrounding. This thesis will analyze the influence of the people’s treatments to Clare’s personality especially to her rebellion.
The aim of this study is to find the influence of the treatments that is given by people in Clare’s childhood on her personality development and Clare’s rebellion. The objective will be fulfilled by analyzing the characteristics of Clare and identifying the childhood treatments that are experienced by Clare on her childhood.
In the analysis, the writer uses library research method. This study applies three main theories to answer the problem proposed in the problem formulation. They are theories of character and characterization, theories on child abuse and theories on personality development. The writer uses psychological approach in analyzing novel because the focus of this study is the main character’s psychological aspects.
Treatments. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2010.
Tesis ini membahas novel karya Constance Briscoe yang berjudul Ugly. Novel ini menceritakan tentang kehidupan Clare Briscoe yang dipenuhi dengan kesedihan. Semua kesedihan di dalam hidup Clare disebabkan oleh perlakuan yang kurang baik dari orang-orang di sekitarnya pada masa kecil. Tesis ini akan membahas pengaruh perlakuan tersebut terhadap kepribadiannya khususnya terhadap kebebasannya.
Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menemukan pengaruh dari perlakuan yang diberikan orang-orang di sekitar Clare pada masa kecil terhadap perkembangan kepribadian Clare dan kebebasannya. Tujuan ini akan terpenuhi dengan meneliti sifat-sifat Clare dan mengenali perlakuan yang diterima oleh Clare pada masa kecil.
Di dalam pembahasan, penulis menggunakan metode penelitian pustaka. Penelitian ini menerapkan tiga teori yang digunakan untuk menjawab pertanyaan-pertanyaan yang dikemukakan di dalam perumusan masalah. Teori yang digunakan adalah teori tokoh dan penokohan, teori kekerasan pada anak dan teori perkembangan kepribadian. Penulis juga menggunakan pendekatan psikologi karena fokus penelitian ini adalah membahas tentang aspek psikologi dari tokoh utamanya.
1
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
Every human in this world has experiences. Several people will experience happiness while the others will not. The way someone shares his or her experiences is also different. Someone prefers to tell their experience directly or writing on the media. An author uses his or her work as the medium to express his or her experiences, feeling, and idea. It means that literary works can deal with human’s thought experiences, feeling, and idea. Hudson points out that,
Literature is a vital record of what men have seen in life, what they have experience of it, what they have thought and felt about those aspects of it which have most immediate and enduring interest for all of us, it I thus fundamentally an experience of life trough the medium of language (1958: 10)
Sometimes the influence of childhood experiences can not be seen clearly because some experiences are embarrassing or painful and will be hidden. They become a private world and private personality. A private personality is difficult to be revealed. In cases, an author shares these experiences through his or her literary works.
Rita L. Atkinson, Richard C. Atkinson, Ernest R. Hilgard in their book Introduction to Psychology say that,
Because private personality is difficult to study, Psychologist have tended to focus on the public personality leaving the private personality for the novelist, a biographers to analyze and describe (1981: 146).
Childhood experiences as a part of human’s development, have a role to shape later personality of people. According to Hurlock in Personality
Development (1974: 233-234), basically human’s development is influenced by two factors of early experiences: home experiences, and experiences outside the home. We can state that childhood experiences are influenced by families, and outside environment. Families’ treatment will become the first personality determiner in someone’s future. Someone’s past life will always be related to their family, how they grow in a family. The outside environment then becomes the next determiner of children’s personality. If the children are lack of love from their parent, they may develop unhealthy interpersonal modes. Family is the first
The child’s attitude and behavior are marked by the family into which he is born and in which he grows up. Because the home is the child’s first environment. It sets the pattern for his attitudes toward people, things, and life in general (1974: 514).
In the Family, a mother becomes the important figure in shaping the children’s personality. Her treatment from the baby up to adult will influence the children personality. Mother is not only giving influence in her children’s childhood but also in the future life of them. There will be an effect from mother’s treatment toward her children. The childhood experience especially mother’s treatment in the childhood also shown in Briscoe’s Ugly. Ugly is a novel and an autobiography of Constance Briscoe, black British child. According to Stone in The American Autobiography, an autobiography as a type of writing has been widely accepted in the field of literature. However, many scholars still debate upon this classification, whether to put it as a factual or fictive work. There is no really opposite to the argument because the other existing argument says that autobiography is simultaneously fact and fiction. This side argues that the language of autobiography points both outward to the world of remembered experience and inward to a reflective consciousness. Dealing with experience, it is fact, but with reflective consciousness it can be fiction since it may not be felt the same with the occurrence of the experience (1981: 7)
Constance is bed wetter and she was born as a Black British different with other siblings who are mixed. Because of that, she gets different treatment from her mother. She has a very hard childhood due to her mother’s treatment. Her mother abuses her both mentally and physically.
This young girl is subjected to abuse that will sting wide eyes scanning the pages, one of the main most vocal reasons is because a mother cannot believe she has born something so ugly. So too, young black women on our streets and in the media are condemned and targeted as the less beautiful woman amongst the various types approaching in all forms, shapes and shades. The black woman as ever is seldom signified as an object of beauty (Natalie Campbell://www.helium.com/knowledge /48598-book-reviews ugly-by-constance-).
Someone’s past life cannot be separated from his or her childhood experience. Talking about childhood experience especially the bad one always relates with someone psychology. Every little thing that happened in the past will influence the growth of someone’s psychology in the future. Watson and Lindgren in their book Psychology of the Child agree with it. They describe that what someone has in the future often depend on what he or she experience in his or her past life.
We realize that we are more that we were birth, and our exploration of the event and experiences of infancy and childhood holds the promise of filling in the gap between ourselves at birth and what we are today. We examine the accounts of these events and experience in search of ourselves, in search of explanations for our success and failure, our inhibition and capacities, our potentialities for pleasure and sorrow
(1973: 6).
The story of the novel that is used by the writer as the main source shows a cause and effect. There is the effect of something that happened in the past to Clare’s future. There are changes in Clare’s personality. From the explanation above the writer wants to reveal “the cause and effect” in the novel. The effect can be positive and negative. The effect might be an action to change the situation or free from the situation. One action that will be focused by the writer is an action that is called rebellion.
In other words, the writer tries to relate literature and psychology. Psychology things may be presented in the literary work. Wellek and Waren in their book Theory of Literature state that literary works relation to psychology means studying theory of psychology that may present within works of literature (1956: 81).
All of the explanation above shows that the topic is worth studying. The writer use psychological approach in analyzing the novel. That approach is the most suitable one because it deals with one’s personality development and the topic that writer chooses is the rebellion as the effect of childhood’s treatment seen in Constance Briscoe’s Ugly. Hopefully the readers get some benefit from this analysis.
B. Problem Formulation
These are the problems or questions which are formulated on this undergraduate thesis:
1.How is Clare’s personality portrayed in the story?
3. How do the treatments in the childhood influence Clare’s personality development?
C. Objectives of the Study
The objectives of this study are firstly to observe the characterization of Clare as the main character. Theory of characterization by Murphy will be used in this step. The personality will be analyzed from the nine ways, personal description, character as seen by another, speech, past life , conversation of other, reactions, direct comment, thought and mannerism.
Secondly this study tries to examine the most important treatments that Clare received in her childhood. There are people who give strong influence to Clare’s personality that lead her to rebellion: Clare’s family, Clare’s teacher and Clare’s friends.
Thirdly, the study analyses the influence of Clare’s childhood treatments on her personality. The writer will apply the theory of psychology on personality development.
D. Definition of Terms
This part will give brief explanation of some terms that are used in this thesis in order to guide the reader to understand this thesis. There are three terms which are needed to define in this thesis
1. Childhood
(2001: 101). According to Reber in his book, The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology, childhood is a period between infancy and adolescence (1995:122). According to Hurlock in her book Child Development, childhood is a period between two years to adolescence.
2. Personality
According to Arthur S. Reber’s The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology, personality means a simple description of an individual’s characteristic modes of behaving, perceiving and thinking (1995:312)
3. Rebellion
Based on The New International Webster’s Comprehensive Dictionary of the English Language, Rebel as a verb means to resist any authority or established usage or to react with violence aversion. The word Rebel as a noun means one who rebel. And Rebellion means the act of rebelling. (1996: 1051)
4. Treatment
CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL REVIEW
A. Review of Related Studies
Theories and other works are vey helpful for the writer to accomplish this thesis. There are some reviews that discuss about Briscoe’s novel Ugly and others that are very helpful in the process to finish this thesis.
Constance Briscoe was one of the first black female judges in Britain. She’s well known with her book Ugly. Dennis Loy Johnson states in Moby lives newspaper,
Constance Briscoe was one of the first female black judges in Britain, and recently she’s become as well known for her misery memoirs. Her autobiography, published in three parts by Hodder, has sold incredibly well: nearly 600,000 copies of the first book in the UK
(http//www.mobilivesnewsguardian.co.uk).
Ugly written by Constance Briscoe is a true story of Constance Briscoe or often called as Clare in this novel. Ugly is a story about young girl who is abused mentally and physically by her mother, Carmen Briscoe.
Ugly: the True Story of a Loveless Childhood is a novel or an autobiography about a young girl called Clare who has a very hard childhood because of her mother. Her mother abuses her both mentally and physically (Gray//www.helium.com/knowledge/48598-book-reviews-ugly-by-constance-).
Later, Raymond states that most parents who abuse their child carry no serious psychiatric diagnosis, but they do often have difficulty with social relationship and with controlling their temper and impulsive reactions which quickly become violence. Frequently they not only experience considerable stress from the environment, but much more important have difficulty dealing with stress through appropriate nonviolent means (1994: 215).
Constance Briscoe is black writer. Toni Morison in his book The Bluest Eyes also points on children abuse because of her blackness. Maria Bring in her essay Racism within African American Communities in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and Paradise Lost states the protagonist of The Bluest Eyes is a black girl called Pecola Breedlove. Pecola is a neglected, abused and even hated child. She and everyone around her think that she is ugly and useless (2005: 7).
The statement above shows that both Toni Morrison and Constance Briscoe wrote the same topic about black girl who is abused by family and judged as ugly girl. Clare has a very difficult childhood because of her mother is not always care and doing her role as a good mother.
This young girl is subjected to abuse that will sting wide eyes scanning the pages, one of the main most vocal reasons is because a mother cannot believe she has born something so ugly. So too, young black women on our streets and in the media are condemned and targeted as the less beautiful woman among the various types approaching in all forms, shapes and shades. The black woman as ever is seldom signified as an object of beauty. What takes her place in the beauty stakes is the light-skinned or mixed-raced counterpart. If they are, they tend to have less African and more European features; light eyes, weaved or straightened European hair, a small nose, etc. This discrimination takes place
The statement states the reason for Clare’s mother to abuse Clare is because she thinks that Clare’s is ugly. The word ugly in the story represents blackness, foolish, and stupid girl. The characteristic of not ugly in Clare Mother’s mind is beauty. White skin represents beauty in her mother’s mind. It becomes a fact that the judgment of someone using skin criteria was still worked in American Society in 1960s. We soon learn Clare Briscoe's ugliness' is based largely upon her Black or African features. Clare’s mother comments on her nose below. But in the middle of this book, there is a fact that Clare is not foolish and stupid as her mother said. The fact that she passes her A-levels and gets into Newcastle University proves that she is not foolish, stupid and ugly.
Nathalie Campbell review that Ugly is the title of a novel and autobiography, in which Constance Briscoe describes her early life as part of a large family living in London. There are her mother, her dad, her two brothers, her three sisters, an adoptive sister, a stepdad, three half-sisters, a half-brother and lodger. The family makeup changes throughout the years. The abuses changes as well, but not disappear. According to Nathalie Campbell Ugly is a book about child abuse, mainly but solely by Clare’s mother. Clare has coped with somehow being on the receiving end of most of the abuse. The abuse is not only physical, but especially psychological and it leaves deep scares (www.helium.com/knowledge/485 98-book-reviews-ugly-by-constance).
this novel in psychological side. Clare does not only get bad treatments from her mother but she also gets kind treatments from her teacher, Miss K.
Reading her own interpretation of her childhood was thought provoking, making me stop and think about myself, what I would do if I saw a child present him/herself to me in some of the states Constance did. I realised, especially as a teacher, it can all too often just be easier to ignore what you see – as many of the teachers at her school did as they did not want to get a ‘bad reputation’ for the school. Miss K, her teacher was different and Constance gained so much from this relationship, as did Miss K. Had this been a fiction book the author could have explored Miss K more, but it isn’t and instead I felt I read a wonderful piece of writing that never came
across as her feeling sorry for herself for writing it for a specific purpose (http://www.ciao.co.uk/Ugly_Constance_Briscoe__6561670).
Ugly is a controversial autobiography. Constance Briscoe's autobiography, Ugly, makes unproven allegations that have yet to be tested in the courts, of extreme physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her mother (http://www.statemaster.com/encyclopedia/Constance-Briscoe). Ms Briscoe's autobiographical account of her upbringing has been vigorously challenged by other members of her family. According to the UK newspapers The Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday, her sisters Patsy and Christine, and her brother Martin, together with half-sister Norma, have disputed Briscoe’s account (http:// www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=405472&i n_page_id=1770).
lawyers act for Carmen Briscoe issued proceedings in the High Court in London (http://www.statemaster.com /encyclopedia/Constance-Briscoe).
Although this book is still in debate, the writer cannot avoid that this is an inspiring novel. Nattinoo states Constance Briscoe's story is an inspiration to anyone. How anyone who suffers such traumas manages to have a successful career and marriage of her own is astonishing. This story tears you apart and then puts you back together again a changed person (http://www.statemaster.com /encyclopedia/Constance-Briscoe).
Other review states in this book tells us that Ugly is inspiring novel. Marcel Berlins states in The Guardian:
‘This is a lawyer’s memoir with a difference, an inspiring antidote to the usual catalogue of tedious milestones towards legal eminence. She’s also managed a rare feat for a lawyer to write an absorbing book in language untainted by convoluted legal speak (http//www.features reviewguardian9 .co.uk)
Lesley Pearse also states in The Guardian online news,
‘Horrific, but remarkable too. Let us hope that Constance’s story will inspire young people every where to not only hold on to their dreams and make them happen, but also to be better parents themselves.’ (http/www.featuresreviewguardian9.co.uk)
B. Review of Related Theories
In analyzing Ugly, the writer applies two theories. They are theory on character and characterization, and theory on personality development.
1. Theories on Character and Characterization
Character has an important role in a literary work. In the novel character are the actor and the actress. They reveal the story in action. They give ‘soul’ for story. Meaning to say that character is a significant and an interesting element in the literary work. Abrams in his book, A Glossary of Literary Terms explains that:
Characters are the person presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with oral, and emotional qualities that are expressed in what they say- the dialogue- and what they do- the action- (1985: 23)
Character helps the reader to understand the content of the story easily through the character’s dialogue or actions. The author will attempt to make his character understandable and to come and alive for the readers. Murphy’s Understanding Unseen: An Introduction to English Poetry and the English Novel
for Overseas Students states that the characters and personalities of the people in a novel can be understandable by nine ways. There are some examples of the ways in which an author attempts to make his characters understandable to, and come alive for, his readers. (1974: 233-234)
a. Personal description.
b. Character as seen by another.
The author describes the character trough the eye and opinions of another. They will give explanations, comments or opinion about what character is like. Their opinions can help the reader to understand a character.
c. Speech
The author can give the reader insight into of one of the persons in the book through what the character says. Whenever a person is speaking, he is giving the reader some clue to his character.
d. Past life.
The author describes the character by giving a clue to event in a person’s past life. This can be done by direct comment by the author, though the person’s thought, through the conversation or through the medium of another person. e. Conversation of others
The author can give clues to a person’s character through the conversations of other people and the things they say about him. People talk about other people and the things say often give the reader a clue to the character of the person spoken about.
f. Reactions.
The author can also give us a clue to a person’s character by showing how that person reacts to various situations and events.
g. Direct comment.
h. Thoughts.
The author can give direct knowledge of what a person is thinking about. In this respect, he is able to do what we cannot do in the real life. He can tell the reader what different people are thinking. In the novel we accept this. This reader then is in privileged position; he has, as it were, a secret listening device plugged in to the inmost thoughts of a person in a novel.
i. Mannerism.
The author can describe a person’s mannerism, habits or idiosyncrasies which may also tell us something about his character.
2. Theories on Child Abuse
Pritchard mentions that the precious time of childhood is one should be nurtured by adults (19: 1). Many adults, even parents, do not really take care of children a how it should. They are two types of abuse, namely phsycal abuse and emotional abuse.
a. Physical Abuse
Pritchard proposes physical abuse as severe bruising and fractures caused by blows, head injuries, shaking, eye damage, suffocation, poisoning, and marks by sticks, whips and cords, marks of burning, biting and scalding(19: 1). Commonly, children who experience physical abuse will have the continuing punishment from abusers. Pritchard and Butler say,
attribution, in which apparently deviant children are subjected to further punishment and rejection (2003: 13)
Physically abuse children will also have increased risk in later life of depressive symptoms, suicidal thought, alcohol abuse, physical abuse of children, and wife beating (2003: 13-14)
b. Emotional Abuse
Based on National Committee for the Prevention of Child Abuse, Emotional abuse is defined as a pattern of behavior that attacks a child’s emotional development and sense of self-worth. It also includes excessive, aggressive, or unreasonable demands that place expectation on child beyond his or her capacity.
When parents ignore their children, devote little time to the, as they grow older, their poor adjustments frequently lead to mischief (19: 652)
3. Theories on Personality Development
The characters in a novel have personality, the characteristics that make the imaginary person alive. In the novel, the characters’ personality may change. Personality is a psychological pattern of a single person consisting of characteristics, thought, feelings, and behaviors. Personality is dynamic, as it continually existed over time ad situation.
develops his or her personality. Time and situation differs human’ personality from his past. (1973: 52)
According to Hurlock in Personality Development clarifies that personality development is a stage in growth of a constantly changing and evoking process within and individual. The changing in personality is so because people are not satisfied with their personality. They often desire to change it for the better or to improve it. Furthermore, there are some choices that may be taken: being steady, being better, or being worst because the society has a variety of influences to a personality (1976: 7). According to Hurlock in Personality
Development (1974: 233-234), basically human’s development is influenced by
two factors early experiences, home experiences, and experiences outside the home. Or we can say that childhood experiences are influences by families, and outside influences. In other word, children get their early experiences from their home and their parents play important roles in shaping their personality pattern.
Hurlock proposes that a nice personality becomes the demand of a society and it requires such personality. All of the people want to be the best in all aspects. Some of the time, they want to change their personality to be a better person. It is common that people will never be satisfied with their belongings (1976: 119).
these experiences as the years go by leave and indelibly impressions on the individual personality (1974: 732).
Society will affect the personality development, as it is importance for each of us to feel an acceptance in our environment. A person who felt uncertain condition would tend to criticize others who made him feel this way. In other side, if he felt secured, he would be more tolerant to others. As Hurlock states that an individual’s personality pattern was the product of learning during the course of social relationships with people inside and outside the home (1974: 19). Family took part in developing one’s personality. Family was the closest environment for the children in their first attitudes, as they also got their values and social activities from their family.
A continuous interaction between environment and heredity determine human development. Atkinson, Atkinson and Hilgard state that,
Adult behavior and personality characteristics are influenced by events that occur during the early years of life. The saying “the child is the father of the man” reflects this continuity between childhood and adulthood. Thus, to understand the psychological processes of human adults-their perception, patterns of thinking, motives, emotions, conflicts, and ways of coping with conflicts we need to know how these processes originate and change over time (1981: 61).
C. Theoretical Framework
This analysis will take some theories to answer the problem proposed in the problem formulation. There are theories on character and characterization and theories on personality development. This study uses library research method in analyzing the data. Besides using the novel as primary sources of data, this study also uses articles and books that deal with psychology.
This undergraduate thesis will analyze the main character of the novel, so the analysis needs theories on character and characterization. Theories on character and characterization by M.J Murphy help to examine the characteristics of the main character through the dialogue, actions, and other characters’ opinion about her. All at once, those theories answer the first problem that is stated in problem formulation.
Theories on personality development will be applied to answer the second and the third question. The theories will help the reader to examine the development of the main character, the factors of personality development and the influences of the development to the main character personality. The writer also applies Hurlock’s theory of personality development to understand the personality of Clare. Hurlock’s theory is important to see the influence of two factors (home experience and outside home experience) in leading Clare’s rebellion.
A. Object of the Study
This undergraduate thesis analyzes the novel entitled Ugly was written by Constance Briscoe. It was published in London in 2006 by Hodder & Stoughton. The novel has 400 pages. Ugly is categorized as non-fiction novel. This book is autobiography of Constance Briscoe or Clare. This book is very inspiring book. The fact, in 2006 Ugly has sold more than 400,000 copies in the UK.
Ugly is divided into twenty five chapters. Each chapter has different title. First chapter up to chapter eight contains Constance Briscoe or Clare childhood. Chapter nine up to sixteen contains of Clare’s religion, and Clare’s interest. The rest chapters contain Clare’s school, her effort to reach her dream and free from her mother.
The weekend National Post carried a story on a lawsuit filed in England over Constance Briscoe's Ugly, her memoir of an abusive childhood. Ms Briscoe's mother, 74-year-old Carmen Mitchell, is seeking damages from her daughter on the grounds that incidents of abuse related in the narrative did not actually occur. The Post was closest to accurate when Katie Rook, its reporter, claimed that "the veracity" of the book "is being tested" (2008: 3).
Finally, Constance Briscoe wins Ugly case on December 1st 2008, “one of Britain’s most high-profile black women barristers has won her case after facing a writ for libel damages from her mother over allegations that she was abused as a child.
In sum, Ugly written by Constance Briscoe is the story of an anxious child born into a West Indian family who suffers abuse at the hands of mother Carmen Briscoe and boyfriend, Eastman. She is regularly bullied and beaten up, subjected to verbal abuse and treated like a slave within her own home. Showing anxiety she wets the bed well into her teens but shows courage and fight ultimately as she succeeds in her goals and survives her situation
B. Approach of the Study
By ‘psychology of literature’, we may mean the psychological study of the writer, as a type and as individual, or the study of the creative process or the study of psychological types and law present within works or literature…(1978: 81).
According to Berger and Woods (1971: 13), psychological approach is an approach to literary which involves the effort to locate and demonstrate certain recurrent patterns and which refers to different body of knowledge that is psychology. In applying this approach, psychological theories are generally used as interpretive tool.
The writer wants to reveal the main character’s personality and what the effects of her mother treatment dealt by the main character related to her personality. As quoted by Hall in Theories of Personality, Sullivan mentions that personality is formed by some related situations happened in one’s life recurrently. It manifests certain behavior that will be carried throughout his relationship with other people (1957: 111).
C. Method of the Study
In completing the analysis, this study applied library or desk research. Data were collected from books of literature, criticisms on the works, and other books that may enrich the analysis. Further information is taken from internet sources.
Glossary of Literary Terms, and characterization by M.J Murphy in his book Understanding Unseen: An Introduction to English Poetry and Novel for
Overseas Students, theories on personality development that is taken from Lawrence A. Pervin and Oliver P. John in their book Personality: Theory and Research and is supported by Rita Atkinson, Richard C. Atkinson, and Ernest R. Hilgard’s theories that is stated their book Introduction to Psychology.
The study took some steps to answer the problems on the problem formulation. The first step was to read and reread the novel as the primary data of the study until the writer got comprehension of it, with focusing the attention on the treatment of people and environment in main character’s surrounding especially main character’s mother and main character’s teacher.
Secondly, the writer decided to raise the topic, the effect of childhood treatments related toward personality. Then the writer drew the problem formulation.
Thirdly, the writer decided to use psychological theories on personality and child’s development. The writer decided that the novel could be analyzed also by using psychological approach.
Fourthly, the writer looked for other sources and references, such as books related with this thesis and also others data from Internet, such as articles.
Fifthly, the writer examined the character’s personality by the theories of character and characterization.
25
CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS
Chapter four is divided into three subchapters. In the first subchapter, the writer will answer the first question stated in the problem formulation. It will discuss the characterization of the main character, Clare Briscoe. The second problem is answered in the second subchapter. It presents the way Clare is treated by people surrounding her on her childhood. After that, the third subchapter will present the influence of the childhood’s treatment toward Clare’s personality in the present.
A. Clare Briscoe’s Personality Portrayed in the Novel
This part is divided into two parts, as they contained a comparison between Clare’s personality in her childhood and after the treatment by her mother. There are some ways in showing Clare’s personality. First, Clare’s character is analyzed by the use of theory of Character. Whereas, the writer uses Murphy’s theory of Characterization to analyze Clare’s personality traits. Abrams propose characters are the person presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with oral, and emotional qualities that are expressed in what they say-the dialogue-and what they do-the action (1985: 23). Based on the story, Clare Briscoe is classified into the actress who is presented in the novel. She becomes the central figure of the story.
sister turned that to Clare. They still call me Clare. My school reports called me Clare. So that’s how you will know me in the story (p. 7)
Clare’s character shows by her action from the beginning of the story until the end. The novel focuses on Clare and how she struggles during her childhood until she can enter the New Castle University. Clare Briscoe is the daughter of George Briscoe and Carmen. Clare lives in some addresses during her early life. Last, she lives in a 19th Sutherland Square in London. Clare is Briscoe’s the fourth child.
Clare has some personality traits. Kalish mentions that personality is neither a single entity nor a combination of entities, but an organization or a whole. Personality also is organized into a whole (1973:52). In order to clarify Clare’s personality traits, the writer involves theory of Characterization.
The author can give the readers a clue of the character through the personal description The author can describe a person’s appearance, his skin-color, his hair or his face (1974: 233).In the novel, Clare is seven years old when the story begins (p. 37). Physically, Clare is described as five feet three and a quarter fully grown, medium build. She describes herself as ugly girl. She has black skin, very black skin. Clare is British black.(p. 9).
Clare is known as a depressed girl in her childhood. Carmen is the oppressor. She is Carmen’s robot. She does home work like what her mother wants. Carmen always pushes Clare to do what she said. Clare is a servant for her mother in their home.
Character also can be described by through the eye and opinions of another. They will give explanations, comments, or opinion about what character is like (1974: 233). Clare is a pessimist girl. Clare is known as unwanted girl Clare’s mother, Carmen describes Clare as an unwanted daughter. Carmen says that all family members hate her. Carmen gives an ugly name for Clare. Carmen often protests God for bringing Clare in her life. Although Clare is her daughter, she never considers Clare as her daughter. The reason is because Clare is ugly and different with others children.
Families don’t like ugly children-that a fact of life. ‘You are ugly.’ ‘Jesus Christ, me give birth to that?’ She stared from the photograph to me. ‘Lordsweet Lord, how come she so ugly? Ugly. Ugly. If I hadn’t given birth to her sweet Lord, I would have sworn she was a fraud. Heavenly Jesus, sweet and kind, why You given me a swine? (p. 67).
Clare is not described as a confident girl. Carmen says that Clare is a swine with a big nose. Based on The New International Webster’s Comprehensive Dictionary of the English Language the word “swine” means a low, greedy, stupid or vicious person. Meaning to say, Clare has unpleasant behaviors (p. 67). Her mother also calls Clare “Bed-wetter girl” because until Clare was seven, her bed-wetting got progressively worse. It is mentioned in chapter one (p. 14). More over her mother says that Clare is the biggest regret in her life. Clare has an inferiority complex about her looks, and her habits.
Bedwetting, also called nocturnal enuresis, is the involuntary passage of urine (urinary incontinence) while asleep. Inherent in the definition of bedwetting is satis-factory bladder control while the person is awake (http://www.medicinenet.com/ bed wetting/article.htm). Clare still pisses the bed until she is eleven. Carmen thinks she is abnormal.
‘You are eleven, Clare, and you are still pissing my bed. If you didn’t wake up you’d drown. You’d piss right up to your neck. I’ve never heard of a child up to their neck. You’ve got a crack, not a dick. If you had a dick I could tie it down but you’ve got a crack. Well, if the worst come I suppose I could always plug it.’(p. 90).
Clare is known as a smart girl. According to Murphy, the author can give the reader a clue of the character through what the person says. That way of characterization is called speech. (1974: 233). In the novel, Clare has a good mark in her school. It indicates that she is a smart student. Clare says, “School was cool. I got y homework back with two stars-A++ and could do better. I loved school and they thought I had potential. If I wanted, I could make it” (p.152). Clare is very good at athletics and netball. Her marks during school are excellent. In doing the homework, she always completes them on time. Clare says, “My homework was always completed in good time. No piece of work was handed in late (p.349). On the other hand, through Clare’s mother eyes and opinion, Clare is not a brilliant’s girl. In the conversation between Carmen and Clare, Carmen judges Clare as a silly girl. In Carmen’s opinion, Clare is unable to do everything. Clare is a common girl with no ability both in her school and in her home.
Clare’s personality change after her mother leaves her alone in a home. Clare tries to study hard. She learns everything from one of her teacher. Clare’s personality trait can also be known when the author describes character through the conversation of others people and the things they say about him (1974: 234). Clare’s teachers think that Clare is a smart girl. The teachers write the report,
A truly excellent round of result-well done.
A very able girl-will go far. Clare has been making steady progress. If it continues she should do well in the next set of results.
A truly delightful and intelligent young lady with remarkable recall. Should do well in life (p. 273).
The report above shows that Clare teacher compliments her excellence. Clare’s personality trait as a smart girl can also be seen from the opinion of another character of the story. “According to my teacher, ‘a delightful young lady with huge potential” (p. 374).
Clare’s mark has a significant progress. Clare’s study goes well. She states, “In my exams I did quite well. Not as well as my teachers thought I could have done, but well enough not to cause them any concern” (p. 368). Clare says,
I was given a slip of paper. Horray! I had managed to pass all my GCes! Now I had ten O-levels under my belt, the next stage was A-levels, which were two years away (p.377).
Those proofs above show that Clare is smart. When Clare has an interview before entering New Castle University, the interview goes well. In her hard life, she tries hard to study and gets good marks in order to accomplish the requirements to enter the university.
reactions to others people. Clare stays again with her family because of the government’s law. Clare shows her braveness to oppose her step father, Eastman. When Clare cleans her room, Eastman tries to disturb her. There, Clare says,
‘What you looking at?’ I said. ‘Why don’t you go and spy somewhere else?’
‘What you say? What you say, you black bitch? What you say? ‘Stupid,’ I said (p.53)
Clare’s reaction to ask Eastman to go somewhere and say that he is stupid can be classified as reactions of a brave girl. The way she reacts when Eastman punches her might be a proof. Clare states,
By the time I was about twelve, my relationship with Eastman was at an all-time low. During one argument, he had punched me and I punched him back. He grabbed me and hit him in the stomach and stamped on his giant feet (p. 130)
Clare tries hard to protect herself from Eastman’s beatings. Her effort to attack Eastman is brave action. Most of children are fear to oppose adults. They think that they are weak. Clare wants to show that she has right to be saved in her own home. Therefore, she can be described as a brave girl.
At her age, she dares enough to go to a Court and tell that her stepfather abuses her. Clare says,
The next day, Monday, I asked Dad to drop me off at Camberwell Green Magistrates’ Court. I pressed the bell and a lady appeared.
‘Hello’, she said. ‘What can I do for you?’
‘My stepfather keeps abusing me and I was just wondering whether I could take out some actions against him.’
Clare determines to go to court because she wants to prove Eastman and Carmen that they can not underestimate her. She has her right to be appreciated and respected. When she feels unappreciated, she reacts to go to Court. Finally, Eastman gets the letter from Court, and Eastman no longer beats Clare anymore. Those Clare’s reactions can show that she is a brave girl.
When Clare has a speech with Eastman about going to Court, Clare shows her courage in it. Clare says,
‘What you going to do Eastman? I said. ‘Put my head through another window? Save your reason until we go to court and if you touch me again I’m going back to tell them, so you can do what you want.’ …’Go on, Eastman, why don’t you hit me? (p. 135-136).
From the conversation above, Clare is brave enough to oppose Eastman because she feels secured. At her twelfth, Clare is brave to go to Court and tell what happens to her. Based on the conversation between Clare and Eastman above, Clare can be said as a brave girl through her speech.
Clare is described as a hard worker. Since Clare is living with an abusive mother, she must work at home. Clare has weekly routine. She washes the kitchen floor, cleans the gas stove, sweeps the stairs, washes the dishes, cooks, and tidies her bed (p. 149). Her personality traits as a hardworking girl can be seen through her speech. As the story is told by first person-narrative, when Clare tells her story, it can be considered as her speech.
While she has finish the house works, Clare still tries to finish her school works. Clare says,
Once I had finished my task, I went to find my mother ‘Is there anything to do?’ I said.
‘It’s done, and the toilet is cleaned, all the hovering is done and all the clothes are on the line.’
‘Go and find something to do!’ she bellowed (p. 208).
When Clare is thirteen, her mother leaves her alone. Clare does not only have to look after herself but also he must pay rent each week. In order to earn money, Clare has cleaning and Saturday jobs. After school, she finishes all her school tasks before doing cleaning job. On weekend, she has a Saturday job (p. 354). Clare works hard to pay the house rent to her mother. She says, “ In fact, there were a number of occasions when I finished off my homework after I cleaned the offices, sitting at a nice large polished desk until it was time to set off for school” (p.349). Clare s accustomed to work hard at home and at her office. Clare’s habit to finish everything at home and her job at her office makes her to be a hard working girl. It can be analyzed through her speech and her mannerism, and habits.
Clare can be also depicted as a young girl who dreams as Barrister or a lawyer. She is interested to be a Barrister when her school visits a courtroom. She is looking for all information about how to be a barrister. She goes to library to find out the qualifications to be a barrister.
Clare tries to find all the ways to be a barrister. In order to realize her dream to be a barrister, Clare needs to be optimistic. She tries to find out the requirements to realize her dream. The teacher thinks that Clare cannot be a barrister because she fails the eleven-plus. In fact, she has the eleven-plus. Actually, Clare wants to have a further study in Notre Dame, but because her sisters are in Sacred Heart School, Clare just follows them.
Even though Clare is just in Sacred Heart School, She thinks that she still can go to the University. The teacher thinks that Clare’s dream to be a barrister is too high. However, Clare does not stop trying. Clare’s effort to find out the information at the library shows her optimism. She tries to prepare accomplishing the requirements to enter the University at library, even though her teacher does not support her. Here, that Clare is an optimistic girl can be analyzed through her reactions.
Clare thinks that she will need a pupil master when he studies to be a barrister. Clare goes to the Court and tries to find one of the barristers there. She likes the good looking man with a nice smile. His name is Mr. Mansfield. With her spirit, Clare talks to Mr. Mansfield that she wants to be a barrister. She says,
‘I want to be a barrister.’ I piped up. ‘ I am going to University and I will study Law and then I am going to the School of Law and then I’m going to find a pupil-master in London.’
‘Mr. Mansfield, when I qualify as a barrister, do you think that you can be my pupil-maser?
‘Sure, but you’ve got a long way to go. Stay in touch and when you qualify I’ll give you my pupilage.’
pupil-master later, she is really optimistic that she can reach it. As she living with an abusive family, she wants to change her life by being a better human being. She needs an optimism to realize her dream. From her reaction, Clare can be describes as an optimistic girl.
When the teacher knows that Clare meets Mr. Mansfield, the teacher does not like Clare straightforwardness. The teacher says that it is good to have dreams, but they have to be realistic and have boundaries (p. 244). The teacher thinks that it is impossible for Clare to reach her dream. Whatever the teacher says, Clare does not care. She will be qualified as a barrister. What she needs now are her O-levels, A-levels and a degree. Clare thinks that it is easy to get them (p. 244). Clare’s reaction to keep her mind that she will be qualified as a barrister shows her optimism. No matter the teacher says about her dream, there is nothing impossible in this world. Here, Clare reaction shows that she is an optimistic one.
The narrator emphasizes Clare’s rebellion in the description in the last chapter. The sign of Clare’s rebellion is Clare’s statement that life is unfair. She starts to ask about her life. Clare becomes very demanding.
Life is unfair. I was tired of having to take biscuits from my mother’s room, tired of the struggle to keep out of the way. I did not want any more hand-me–downs (p. 209-210).
Looking at the explanation of the narrator, Carmen’s words, and Clare’s behaviors, it can be concluded that Clare shows rebellion because she does not agree with something. Clare shows the disagreement by doing something in opposite. Clare dares to show the disagreement. She is not afraid of having different opinion with the others. For example, Clare has her own opinion about children’s right. In her opinion, children have the right to be happy. Children should have presents twice a year and new clothes once a month. An absolutely necessity is that every child should have a dry bed, parents who beat their children should get what’s coming to them. Clare states that no parents have the right to abuse their children (p. 301).
an honest and a religious girl. Most of the characterization of Clare Briscoe can be found trough the description given by the narrator, reaction (the characters show her personality from their action), and opinion of the other.
B. People’s Treatments toward Clare Briscoe
This second part of the analysis describes Clare’s childhood treatments that influence to her personality development. Clare is treated kindly by several people, but rest of people on her childhood treats physical and emotional abuse to her.
1. Emotional Abuse
Emotional abuse is defined as a pattern of behavior that attacks child’s emotional development and sense of self-worth. It includes bad word, wrong judgment, and underestimate act.(http://www.childwelfare.gov /systemwide/laws_ policies/statues/define.cf.m). As it is mentioned in part A, physically Clare has dark skin and big nose. Because of those characteristics, it seems that people in her surrounding (in this case her mother, her step dad, and her baby sitter) cannot accept Clare’s appearance and attitude. They consider Clare’s appearance as unnatural and ugly.
Carmen often shows her regret to God because of she has Clare. She wonders to have better daughter, but God gives her ugly daughter (p. 67).
The criteria of being ugly in Carmen opinion is completely about physical appearance. Clare looks different from her sibling. That becomes the reason why Carmen rejects Clare as her daughter. Carmen often compares Clare’s appearance with other sibling especially her first daughter, Pauline. Carmen often asks Clare to look herself in the mirror and to see how terrible she is.
Clare is treated differently from her siblings. She does not have the same treatment as her sisters and brothers. Clare shows her picture in the school’s event and asks her mother to buy it. Unfortunately, Carmen never wants to buy Clare’s picture. Carmen says she never wants to put her money just to buy an ugly picture of Clare. Carmen wants to buy Pauline’s picture because she is pretty.
Once everybody had their presents we all sat around with them on our laps. Pauline was very pleased with hers. She had been given a new sewing machine. Patsy too had an identical new sewing machine. I opened my present. The first one was soft and squiggly. I peeled the paper off. ‘Oh thank you, Mummy,’ I said. It was my black doll.
‘What you have got?’Pauline wanted to know. ‘Let’s see.’ ‘Didn’t you get her last year?’ said Pauline.
‘And the year before that,’ I said (p. 60).
Clare is a smart student. She wants to continue her education into Notre Dame rather than Sacred Heart. Her mother thinks that Clare is not bright enough to go to Notre Dame. The mother thinks that Clare cannot go to Notre Dame because it is for grammar-school girls, but Clare is not. (p. 89).Carmen also rejects Clare’s dream as a barrister. She hates when Clare talks about her dream as a barrister. She never gives support of what Clare’s done. Carmen thinks Clare is not more than an idiot girl. Clare should not dream too high. Carmen disagrees with Clare’s plan to enter the university. Carmen refuses to fill the university registration form and tears the form into pieces.
My mother asked me why I had applied to go to university and I told her that I wanted to read law. ‘But only clever people go to university, Clare- why do you want to go there?’ she said
‘I want to be a barrister.’
‘An embarrasser more like,’ she said as she stretched her arm out in my direction.
‘Only clever people go to university,’ she said, and then she threw the small pieces of paper up into the air. ‘Now fuck off out of my sight, if you know what’s good for you (p. 389-390).
At home, Clare has many things to do. She has to do house works. Carmen does not give Clare leisure time. While asking Clare to do many things, Carmen often hurts Clare by her word. Carmen says,
Carmen prohibits Clare to go outside with her friends. Carmen gives a limitation for Clare. Clare only can go outside to school and to church. It makes Clare only has a few friends. Besides Carmen never allows Clare to go outside, Carmen never allows Clare to have a friendship with other children. When one of Clare’s schoolmates, Mary comes to her home, Carmen provokes Mary to hate Clare. Carmen tells Clare’s weakness to Mary. And on the next day, Mary tells Clare’s weakness to all friends in her school. It makes no one wants to play with Clare.
‘Can Clare come out to play?’ a girl’s voice said.
‘Oh Clearie, dearie,’ said my mother. ‘I think she is busy.’ ‘What’s that?’ she asked. I stared at my mother.
‘Oh, that’s her alarm,’ my mother said. ‘Did she not tell you that she still wets the bed?
‘You still wet the bed, Clare?’ asked Mary, backing away. ‘Only sometimes,’ I said. ‘Don’t you?’
‘Only all the time and the twice at night,’ my mother said (p. 82).
2. Physical Abuse
Her treatment of my sisters was certainly very different from her treatment of me. They did not get the unkind words I got, or have their nipples pinched, and they were not beaten or punched. They were bought new dresses, but I had only hand-me-downs, third-hand from Pauline and Patsy. My mother had piles and piles of hand-me-downs, in plastic bags, ready to pass on to me (p. 12).
Carmen often punishes, beats, punches and slaps Clare. Her mother often punishes Clare because of Clare’s habit of wetting her bed. Since Clare is five, she sleeps in a bed with just a bare mattress-no sheet, just a plastic cover because her mother said that Clare will wet the bed again so she does not need any sheets (p. 13). One day, when her mother knows Clare wets the bed, she slaps Clare and punches her on the right shoulder (p. 50). Clare states,“ My mother pushed me back into the corner by punching me in the shoulder, and as I raised my hand to fend off the blow she grabbed my Minnie and squeezed tightly” (p.50). Wetting her bed is not only a reason for Carmen to abuse Clare. There are so many reasons of Carmen to abuse her daughter.
Carmen also treats Clare as a servant in her home. Clare is accustomed to work hard at home. Clare works hard in her home start from cooks, washes the clothes, cleans the table, and dishes. Carmen considers it as her punishment for Clare because she still wets her bed. When Clare’s work is unperfected, she will punish Clare. Carmen will punch, and will not give Clare food. Carmen often ignores to give Clare food, after Clare doing her home works. When all of families finish their eats, Carmen will force Clare again to clean a table and to wash plates without gives her food.
said that if I were to eat it I would wet the bed. When I got up to leave, my mother told me to clear the table and wash the plates. I protested, after all I hadn’t eaten, but she only punched me in the back and told me to shut up. (p. 48).
One day when she cooks in the kitchen, Carmen comes to her and complains because the chicken’s feather is not clear yet. Carmen will not afraid to hurt Clare when Clare makes a mistake.
‘The chicken!’ she said. ‘Now do you think that you will forget to pull all the hairs out again?’
‘No.’ I said
My mother pressed the knife harder into my wrist and drew blood. ‘And why will you remember?’ she said.
She pulled the knife across y arm. Beads of blood rose up from the track of the knife and a straight line of flesh opened up (p. 73).
Clare needs to clean everything because of the blood. Even she is hurt, Carmen does not care. Clare must do her job at home well in every situation if she fee fine or not.
Clare plans to tell about her being abused to the teacher. When Carmen hears Clare’s plan, she becomes mad. Carmen pulls Clare toward her and moves her hand towards Clare’s nipple as she scoops Clare’s left breast in her hand. Clare says,
My mother moved her hand to my left nipple and squeezed it between her fingers. She dug her nails into my nipple and pulled me towards her. As she slapped onto my hand, it began to string. She let go of my nipple doubled her fist and then she punched me in the left breast (p. 187)
do and to make a report for Carmen. Eastman tells Clare’s weakness to Carmen, so Carmen will punish Clare again. He is the second person in the home who likes to see Clare’s suffered.
It was around then that Eastman started spying on us. On one occasion I was in my room removing my sheet, which I had wet the previous night, when I heard the stairs creaking and then Eastman appeared at the door. ‘Carmen, come quick.’ In a flash she appeared at the door and marched into my room. ‘Look, Carmen, look how she piss the bed.’ My mother grabbed me in the chest, pulled me towards her and asked me why I wet the bed. I said I did not know and she punched me in the head and let me go (p. 53).
Eastman also often treats Clare as he likes. He never treats Clare as his own daughter. Eastman often treats Clare badly. His action shows that he is an uneducated father. He is only a parasite in Clare’s home. Eastman never treats the other siblings badly. There is no exact reason why Eastman really hates Clare. Clare becomes the only victim of Eastman’s action. One day Eastman ever does sexual harassment to Clare. Eastman often grabbed Clare’s minnie and he warns her not to tell her mother of what he does to her. Even Clare tells to her mother what Eastman does to her, Carmen will not believe it. More over Carmen will protect Eastman. There is no justice for Clare.
I crawled backwards on my hands and ended up on my back in the bed, revealing my Minnie. As I reached to cover myself up, Eastman grabbed my Minnie and said, ‘What a nice little mitt.’ I pulled the covers up over myself and tucked the blanket in under my chin.
‘You better not tell your mammy,’ he warned, ‘or you get a beating and everybody know you a damn liar’ (p.40).
his cigarette on Clare hands when Clare calls his as a stupid fool. Eastman is brave to do anything to Clare because Carmen also supports him.
My back was against the work surface and my hands were both on the table in front of me. Eastman took the cigarette in his right hand and said, ‘ So I’m a fool, am I? All right, we’ll see who the fool is,’ and with that he stubbed the cigarette out on the back of my hand. (p. 131)
The other relatives who are in Carmen’s side are Georgie Porgie and Rose. Georgie Porgie and Rose leave for a break in Scotland. They rent back part of Carmen’s home. When Carmen is away from the house Georgie Porgie and Rose will keep an eye on Carmen’s children. They become baby sitters for Carmen’s children. Actually Rose is a nice woman for Clare. Georgie Porgie is a nice man too at the first time, but then he does not treat Clare well. Georgie Porgie is same as Eastman. Georgie Porgie takes the advantage of Clare’s innocence. He often does sexual harassment toward Clare. When they are in the park, Clare asks about the caterpillar. Georgie Porgie tells that the caterpillar is in his trousers and he forces Clare to wake up the caterpillar. The caterpillar is his genital.
‘No! Still looking.’ He moved his hand across from the outside of my thigh to the inside of my leg and patted my minnie. ‘No, I can’t see it. It must be hiding. Let’s start at the top. Turn around. Aha- there it is!’. I froze, terrified of the caterpillar. At that moment, Rose come out and asked us what all the noise was about (p. 35-36).
wants to come often, but Carmen and Eastman really hate him. Eastman and George are just like an enemy each other.
My father called us again: ‘Come and get your presents.’
George put his hand in the bag that was by his side, pulled out a large wrapped present and threw it into the hall. ‘Clare, this is for you, dearie. That’s yours,’ he said (p. 58).
Clare not only gets abuse during her childhood, she also gets protection, and attention from other people. George is a responsible father for Clare. George protects Clare when Carmen expels her from home. George picks Clare and brings her to his home. George seldom stays at home because of his job. He is afraid to leave Clare alone. So, he asks Miss Lindsey, one of his friends to take care of Clare. Clare stays in one of her father home with Miss Lindsey. Miss Lindsey is a nice person. She gives Clare own bedroom. Miss Lindsey also treats Clare nicely. She always promises to make Clare comfortable.
‘Get out,’ my mother said ‘You are not welcome in here.’
George arrived at the house late one night and told me to pack a bag and get into car. I did and he took me to a lady called Miss Lindsey. She was very kind to me and I had my own bedroom. I was given a meal every day after I returned from school (p. 87).
‘Clare, why are you not well?’ she asked ‘I don’t want to go home, miss.’
‘Why, Clare? Something you don’t want to tell me?’ ‘Yes, miss.’
‘Your face- is that something you don’t want to tell me?’ ‘Yes, miss.’
‘Right- you come and stay with me for as long as you like. I have no children and a big flat’ (p. 266).
Miss K loves Clare like her own daughter. She understands when there is something wrong with Clare. Miss K and Clare have close friendship when Clare often talks to her. Miss K knows about Clare’s mother treatments. She asks the head master to allow her take care of Clare. Miss K provides a real home for Clare. Miss K gives Clare a better life than when Clare is in her mother’s hand. She never counts how much money she is used to feed Clare.
Life was getting better and during my time with Miss K not once did I wet the bed. She was very kind to me. My mother was happy for me to stay there as long as the embarrassment was kept away from the school and from her. Miss K had not asked for a contribution for my keep although my mother still getting child benefit for me. I suppose in a way my mother was quids in (p. 272).
Miss K always says that she will make Clare comfortable in her flat. She shows Clare’s room and tells Clare to treat the flat as Clare will do her own home. As a closest person in Clare’s life, Miss K always remember Clare’s birthday. Clare’s mother never remembers it. Miss K also gives present for Clare. It is not Dolly doll as Carmen gives, but it is the best present for Clare. She buys Clare a book when Clare is in fourteen years old. She buys Clare, the Little Princess. It becomes the best present Clare has ever had and the favorite book for Clare.
this is the best present I’ve ever had.’ I put my arms around her and kissed her (p.276).
Although she has no child, she is a perfect mother. Miss K is a good motivator for Clare. Miss K supports Clare and often gives a suggestion to being better in the future. She is a good teacher of life. She gives the book for a purpose. The purpose is to make Clare learns from the message of the book. The Little Princess’s story is not far different with Clare’s life; Miss K hopes that Clare can take the message from the book. Miss K invites Clare to learn a new thing from anywhere. A book may become an illustration of our life.
The Little Princess made me cry. That poor girl lost her father. She was very badly treated, but she never gave up, not once, an in the end it all came right.
‘The book has a message, Clare- never give up, never. Whatever you want, you can do if you want to’ (p. 277).
Miss K supports Clare in any case, including her dream. When the first time Miss K knows that Clare dreams to be a barrister, Miss K laughs at Clare. Miss K appreciates Clare’s dream to be a barrister. Although many people say that it is impossible, but she always support Clare. She makes Clare to be more confident because she knows that Clare’s mother does not do that. Clare needs someone who supports her. Miss K says Clare should believe that she is able to do everything. She always makes sure Clare that Clare can get what she is dreamt.
Once on the way home I mentioned to Miss K that I wanted to be a barrister and she burst out laughing, rolled her head back and slapped the steering wheel twice.
‘That’s right, my girl, aim high,’ she said ‘There’s only one person who can stop you, Clare, you remember that. Anya Korchinskey says there is only one person in the whole world who can stop you.’
‘Who is that, miss?’ I said.
