xi
IRVYANI, FRISCA’. The Silent Fight toward Class Repression in Black Society as Seen through Frank Money and Ycidra in Tony Morrison’s Home. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2014.
The social status gap between the lower and upper class happens in a society. The upper class has more power than lower class. InHome, it is clearly seen that the upper class represses the lower class. In the novel written by Toni Morrison, it brings the issue of class repression. The two main characters Frank and Ycidra, are repressed by their grandmother who belongs to upper class.
The objective of the study is to answer the questions in the problem formulation. The questions are about the class repression in this novel. In the first question, the writer identifies the characterization of the main characters. For the second question, the writer tries to reveal the class repression within black society through the main characters. The last question, the writer tries to analyze the reactions of the main characters of the class repression.
The method used in this study is library research method. The writer used two kinds of sources. The primary source is the novel itself, Home, and the secondary sources are taken from books and undergraduate thesis. The approach of the study used in this thesis is socio-cultural historical approach.
xii
IRVYANI, FRISCA’. The Silent Fight toward Class Repression and in Black Society As Seen Through Frank Money and Ycidra in Tony Morrison’s Home.
Yogyakarta: Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, UniversitasSanata Dharma, 2014.
Kesenjanganstatus social antara kalangan atas dan kalangan bawah dalam masyarakat pun terjadi . Kalangan atas mempunyai lebih mempunyai kemampuan dibandingkan dengan kelas bawah. Dalam novel Home, dapat dilihat adanya tekanan dari kalangan atas terhadap kalangan bawah. Novel karangan Toni Morrison mengangkat isu tekanan terhadap kelas social. Dua tokoh utama dalam novel tersebut mendapat tekanan dari nenek mereka.
Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk menjawab permasalahan yang telah dirumuskan. Permasalahan tersebut mengenai tekanan status social dalam novel ini. Dalam perumusan masalah yang pertama, penulis mengidentifikasi karakter dari tokoh utama. Untuk perumusan masalah yang kedua, penulis mencoba untuk mengungkap tekanan status social dalam lingkungan orang berkulit hitam melalui tokoh utama. Perumusan masalah yang terakhir, penulis mencoba menganalisis reaksi tokoh utama terhadap tekanan status sosial yang mereka alami.
Metode yang digunakan dalam studi ini adalah metode penelitian pustaka. Penulis menggunakan dua macams umber. Sumber utama adalah novel itu sendiri, Home, dan sumber sekunder yang diambil dari beberapa buku juga skripsi. Pendekatan yang digunakan dalam studi ini adalah pendekatan sosio-kultural historikal.
MORRISON’S
HOME
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree ofSarjanaSastra
in English Letters
By
FRISCA’ IRVYANI
Student Number: 104214106
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
MORRISON’S
HOME
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree ofSarjanaSastra
in English Letters
By
FRISCA’ IRVYANI
Student Number: 104214106
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
iii
THE SILENT FIGHT TOWARDS CLASS REPRESSION IN BLACK
SOCIETY AS SEEN THROUGH FRANK MONEY AND CEE IN TONY
MORRISON’S
HOME
By
FRISCA’ IRVYANI Student Number: 104214106
Approved by
Dewi Widyastuti S.Pd., M.Hum. November 12nd, 2014
Advisor
iv
THE SILENT FIGHT TOWARD CLASS REPRESSION IN
BLACK SOCIETY AS SEEN THROUGH FRANK MONEY AND
YCIDRA IN TONY MORRISON’S
HOME
By
FRISCA’ IRVYANI Student Number: 104214106
Defended before the Board of Examiners on November 25, 2014
and Declared Acceptable
BOARD OF EXAMINERS
Name Signature
Chairperson :Dr. F.X. Siswadi, M.A. ________________ Secretary :A.B Sri Mulyani, M.A., Ph.D. ________________ Member 1 :J. Harris Hermansyah S., S.S., M.Hum. ________________ Member 2 :DewiWidyastutiS.Pd.,M.Hum. ________________ Member 3 : Dr. Gabriel FajarSasmitaAji, M.Hum. ________________
Yogyakarta, November 28, 2014 Faculty of Letters
Sanata Dharma University Dean
v
Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma
Nama : Frisca’ Irvyani
Nomor Mahasiswa : 104214106
Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul
THE SILENT FIGHT TOWARD CLASS REPRESSION IN BLACK
SOCIETY AS SEEN THROUGH FRANK MONEY AND YCIDRA IN
TONY MORRISON’S
HOME
beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlumeminta ijin kepada saya maupun memberikan royalty kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.
Demikian pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenarnya.
Dibuat di Yogyakarta
Pada tanggal 12 November 2014
Yang menyatakan,
vi
I certify that this undergraduate thesis contains no material which has been previously submitted for the award of any other degree at any university, and that, to the best of my knowledge, this undergraduate thesis contains no material previously written by any other person except where due reference is made in the text of the undergraduate thesis.
Yogyakarta, 12 November, 2014
vii
Have we not opened your heart, and relieved you of the burden which
weighed down heavily on your back, and raised your voice.So, with every
difficulty there is relief; verily with every difficulty there is relief.So, when
your task is over, prepare yourself and seek your Lord with all fervour
(Q.S Al Inshiroh)
Build your own dreams, or someone will hire you
to build theirs
viii
For My Beloved Grandmother
Karsiyem Warna Suharja
In Heaven
ix
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I would like to deliver my deepest gratitude to the Almighty God,
Allah SubhanahuwaTa’ala. I am very grateful for the love, guidance and blessing
during myundergraduate thesis. Thank You for teaching me how to fight for dreams.
You are the one and only strength who makes metough for every single obstacle and
problem in my life. Thank God for giving me a hand to go through the hardest part in
this life.
I am very grateful to have DewiWidyastutiS.Pd., M.Hum. as my thesis
advisorfor her patience and guidance in helping me finish this thesis. I also thank
forher willing to be my good listener in my difficulties and for giving me valuable
advice. The last but not least, thank you for lending me books about the theories to
my study.I would also like to thank Dr. Gabriel FajarSasmitaAji, M.Hum. as my co.
advisor for the suggestions and corrections.
I would also thank Fanny, Findy, and Dias for sharing the knowledge for the
entire semester and Laurent for motivating me to finish this thesis. I will not forget to
thank myfairy godmother Retnawati S.S. who always gives me the support and
taught me to be a tough and skillfulgirl. I would also like to thank my boyfriend who
always supports me and pays attention for every single progress in finishing my
study.
x
TITLE PAGE………. ii
APPROVAL PAGE………... iii
ACCEPTANCE PAGE………. iv
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH…….. v
STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY………. vi
2. Theory of the Relation between Literature and Society……….. 9
3. Theory of Marxism……….………. 12
C. Review on Historyof Blacks in America around the 1950s……… 13
1. Africans in America………. 13
A. The Characteristics of the Main Characters ………. 24
B. The Class Repression……… 33
C. The Reactions of the Main Characters ………... 44
APPENDIX... 60
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION... 55
xi
IRVYANI, FRISCA’. The Silent Fight toward Class Repression in Black Society as Seen through Frank Money and Ycidra in Tony Morrison’s Home. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2014.
The social status gap between the lower and upper class happens in a society. The upper class has more power than lower class. InHome, it is clearly seen that the upper class represses the lower class. In the novel written by Toni Morrison, it brings the issue of class repression. The two main characters Frank and Ycidra, are repressed by their grandmother who belongs to upper class.
The objective of the study is to answer the questions in the problem formulation. The questions are about the class repression in this novel. In the first question, the writer identifies the characterization of the main characters. For the second question, the writer tries to reveal the class repression within black society through the main characters. The last question, the writer tries to analyze the reactions of the main characters of the class repression.
The method used in this study is library research method. The writer used two kinds of sources. The primary source is the novel itself, Home, and the secondary sources are taken from books and undergraduate thesis. The approach of the study used in this thesis is socio-cultural historical approach.
xii
IRVYANI, FRISCA’. The Silent Fight toward Class Repression and in Black Society As Seen Through Frank Money and Ycidra in Tony Morrison’s Home.
Yogyakarta: Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, UniversitasSanata Dharma, 2014.
Kesenjanganstatus social antara kalangan atas dan kalangan bawah dalam masyarakat pun terjadi . Kalangan atas mempunyai lebih mempunyai kemampuan dibandingkan dengan kelas bawah. Dalam novel Home, dapat dilihat adanya tekanan dari kalangan atas terhadap kalangan bawah. Novel karangan Toni Morrison mengangkat isu tekanan terhadap kelas social. Dua tokoh utama dalam novel tersebut mendapat tekanan dari nenek mereka.
Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk menjawab permasalahan yang telah dirumuskan. Permasalahan tersebut mengenai tekanan status social dalam novel ini. Dalam perumusan masalah yang pertama, penulis mengidentifikasi karakter dari tokoh utama. Untuk perumusan masalah yang kedua, penulis mencoba untuk mengungkap tekanan status social dalam lingkungan orang berkulit hitam melalui tokoh utama. Perumusan masalah yang terakhir, penulis mencoba menganalisis reaksi tokoh utama terhadap tekanan status sosial yang mereka alami.
Metode yang digunakan dalam studi ini adalah metode penelitian pustaka. Penulis menggunakan dua macams umber. Sumber utama adalah novel itu sendiri, Home, dan sumber sekunder yang diambil dari beberapa buku juga skripsi. Pendekatan yang digunakan dalam studi ini adalah pendekatan sosio-kultural historikal.
1 CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
Repression is very close to life. Sometimes people are not aware of the
situation that they are repressed. The treatments that people get are different from
one another. Home is one of Toni Morrison’s works,it shows the
African-American experiences of slavery, poverty, repression and freedom. This novel
was published in 2012. Toni Morrison is an African-American Novelist who was
born on February 18th 1931 in Lorain, Ohio, United States. She wrote about her
observation of the blacks’ experience especially within black society. The novel
includes native American, African, and mixed-race characters. All of them are
looking for a place in this new world. The main character Frank Money as a black
Korean war veteran who has returned from an integrated army tried to protect his
sister, Ycidra and found a safe place to life. On the other hand, he felt that the
place where they lived was uncomfortable for him because of many reasons. One
of the reasons was about the repression and class of people who lived there. Tony
Morrison showed the blacks’ experience of repression in the black community
itself influencing the life of colored people through her work entitledHome.
Repression ended as the end of Civil War but the class repression does
exist. The act of repression can be found in some of literature books as mentioned
in Louis Tyson book
with the civil war. Unfortunately, though, the evils of slavery are still with us today in a heritage of racial bias that is so thoroughly built into American law, politics, and social behavior that many white Americans are unable to see it (Tyson, 2011:207).
The statement above can become the proof that the bad treatments do exist. It
shows the repression of the upper class toward the lower class. It is interesting to
understand why it happens and how the repression can be revealed. He gives also
the evidence that happened in America which describes the repression
Discriminatory laws spotlight drug activity in poor black neighborhoods and have resulted in increased police surveillance in these areas, while drug activity in middle and upper class white neighborhoods is largely ignored. In fact, although the majority of drug users of all kinds in the United States are white, the majority of inmates serving prison sentences for drug-related offences are black (Tyson, 2011:207).
According to Louis Tyson repression also happened in the action of law by his
statement above. Law of drug seemed only concerned in poor black
neighborhoods. The repression about law which is shown in the work of literature
can be seen and analyzed using African American theory as he stated in his book
about African American theory. The work of literature by Toni Morrison which is
told about African American story entitled Home showed how social status has
the big impact for the black characters in the story.
In this study the writer wants to analyze why social class has a big impact
for people to repress or discriminate other people who are considered of having
lower classes. Studying about class can help people to know that being repressed
person who has negative stereotypes can cause repression toward other people
whom they think are the inferior and make people as human break the human
Toni Morrison’s Home used by the writer because this work is suitable
because Morrison’s puts the issue ofthe repression. The writer wants to reveal
what exactly that the author did not explain clearly. The writer wants to reveal the
reactions of the main characters toward class repression by analyzing the
characterization of the main characters. By studying this work hopefully it can be
used tohelp people see the effects of negative stereotypes. Those kinds of point of
view can cause people to repress other people which were happening at that time
in African American society. It becomes the learning point that people as human
being should treat other people in the same way without any repression.
B. Problem Formulation
1. How are the main characters depicted?
2. How is the class repression toward the main charactersdescribed?
3. How is the reaction of the characters toward repression?
C. Objectives of the Study
The objective of the study is to give clear descriptionto the questions of
the repression in African-American Society in problem formulation. The
questions are about the description of the main characters, the class repression
toward the main characters, and the reactions of the characters toward their
experience being repressed within African-American society. In the first question,
the writer will depict characterization of Frank Money and Ycidra as known as
Cee. In the second question the writer will give the evidence of class repression
which is experienced by the characters presented in the novel. For the last
being repressed through Frank Money and Ycidraas the main African-American
characters in novel entitledHome.
D. Definition of Terms
In this study, in order to avoid the misunderstanding on certain terms the
writer makes specific key terms as mentioned in the title.
Silent Fight
Fight is struggle determinedly to make a strenuous effort to do, obtain,
achieve or defend something; to make vigorous effort to oppose, resist, or
overcome something or somebody which is not expressed or voiced, though felt
or believed; not speaking or communicating, especially through voice (Webster,
2006: 1345).Fight is struggle determinedly to make a strenuous effort to do,
obtain, achieve or defend something; to make vigorous effort to oppose, resist, or
overcome something or somebody. The silent occurs when someone has no power
to react directly. Someone who feels that actions will not make any changes, will
take no action towards the problem. It also happens when someone has no choice
to express his or her feeling.
Class
Class is an objective economic category, it can be defined as a position of
an individual within the structure of production relations, including their effective
rights and duties (Stearns, 1996: 184). The status in the society that is shaped by
Repression
Repression is the process of suppressing somebody or the condition of
having political, social, or cultural freedom controlled by force (Webster, 2006:
1230). The repression occurs when there is a gap between the upper and the
lower.The way someone suppresses another people who have less power. This
6
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
A. Review of Related Studies
Home is the one of popular works of Toni Morrison which was published
in 2012 describing the social life within the black community in Georgia. She
lived with her grandmother after the death of her mother. The author of Home
Toni Morrison as an African-American novelist observes the black experience
using the strong fantasy and myth in her works and most of her works that she
wrote telling the issues and experiences of the black community especially
women. In 1993, she received the Nobel Prize for Literature as mentioned in
Merriam Webster’s Encyclopedia of Literature:
Toni Morrison an African- American writer noted for her examination of the black experience, particularly the experience of women within the black community. She received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993. Morrison’s use of fantasy and myth, mastery of ambiguity, and sinuous poetic style gave her works great strength and texture (1995: 781).
From the statement above, the writer knows that Morrison is one of the authors
focuses on the issues of the black community. The reader can see the problems
which were faced within the black community including their experience to facing
their class repression that had limited their life. It is interesting how the novel
which tells about the experience of black community written by an African
American author and Nobel Prize winner. It means that Toni Morrison used
Siska Angeline Suganda, in her thesis entitled “Racial Discrimination
towards African Americans in the 1950S Reflected through The Setting in Alice
Childress’Florence” stated as follows:
The schools of black children were not only inferior but they were also segregated by law. The Jim Chow schools of the South were very pathetic. Student ranging in the age from six to seventeen were crowded into a single classroom, taught by a twenty years old teacher with only a high school education (2011: 17).
As mentioned in the statement above she focused on how the setting can reflect
racial discrimination. Suganda elaborated the racial discrimination by the different
places and condition of the education place for black community which is
described as the place with lack of facilities and qualified teachers.
Kumala Dewi, in her thesis entitled “Racial discrimination in the 20th
Century United States of America Seen from Troy Maxson`s Conflicts in August
Wilson’sFences”asmentioned below:
As a wife of diplomat, Mrs. Taylor tends to be very rude to her servants. Her racial background as a Caucasian also makes her underestimate the poor Indian people. Being a rich woman with luxurious lifestyle also triggers Mrs. Taylor to be very suspicious-minded to thr poor Indian people (2011: 28).
From Dewi’s statement stated above concerned on the discrimination caused by
the background of race and class. She describes not only how the race of a person
which defines the treatment that they will get from others but also how the class
status of a person influences how they will be treated by others because of their
race or class where they belong to. The quotation above, it can be seen also that
the powerful races and high classes can act impolitely to them who belong to the
certain race and a high class they will be treated politely also they can treat the
inferior whatever they want whether it is polite or rude.
The analysis of this study is about the class repression towards the black
people from the black within black community which are described in the story.
Observing the blacks’ experience being repressed by their own race because they
are acknowledged to different classes and gender. Elaborating their reactions of
being repressed because they belong to certain classes or as the inferior and they
are blacks male or female.
B. Review of Related Theory
1. Theory on Character and Characterization
Character as one of the part in intrinsic elements takes an important role in
a story. InA Glossary of Literary Terms, Abrams and Harpham state that:
Characters are the persons represented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as possessing particular moral, intellectual, and emotional qualities by inferences from what the persons say and their distinctive ways of saying it-the dialogue-and from what they do-the action. The grounds in the characters’ temperament, desires, and moral mature for their speech and actions are called their motivations. A character may remain essentially “stable,” or unchanged in out look and disposition, from beginning to end of the work (2012: 46).
As mentioned above Abrams and Harpham emphasize that the characters are
the figures presented in a story. Each of the characters has their own
characterization which differentiates one another. The characters are classified as
person’s character ifthe figure’s character has no change from the very beginning
until the end. When the figures characters’ changing in the middle or at the end of
the story so it is not classified as the characterization of the figure presented in a
The characterization cannot be separated from character because it has the
correlation to one another. Characterization in general means the way or how the
author creates a character of a story. The writer will give the definition of
characterization according to Yelland, Jones, and Easton which is mentioned in
their book entitledA Handbook of literary Termsstated as follows:
Characterization is the further aspects that may be considered are the treatment of main and minor characters, and the degree to which they are allowed to change or develop. Many writers present their main characters with fullness or detail, “in the round”, while the minor figures appear flat sometimes lifeless. However this conception of major and minor, of stars and supporting cast, is also passing and there is a tendency to regard every human being who strays into the book as being worthy of close inspection (1953: 31).
From the quotation above characterization is the way the authors create the
characters completely in literary work through their development.
Murphy mentions in his book entitled Understanding Unseen: An
Introduction to English Poetry and the English Novel for Overseas Students the
ways an author attempts to make characters are easy to be understood by the
reader.
a. Personal Description
The author describes the characters by their appearance which can be seen
from the physical appearance such face, skin tone, dress, hair, and so on and so
far.
b. Character as Seen by Another
The way an author describes a character indirectly. The character is described
can see the character’s behavior and personality through another character’s
comments.
c. Speech
The author’s way in describing the character by what the character says.
Whenever a person having a conversation with another. It can be monolog or
dialog. By giving speech the author gives the reader clues about the character.
d. Past Life
The author mentions events that happened in a person’s past life which has a
role in shaping a person’s character. The character’s past life can be mentioned
directly by the author, through the conversations or a person’s thought and by
another person opinions.
e. Conversation of Others
The way author gives the clue through the conversation of other people who
talk about certain person. People do talk about other peolple and the things they
say often give as a clue to the character of the person spoken about.
f. Reactions
The author can also give the reader a clue through a person’s characterby
letting the reader know how the person reacts to various situations and events.
g. Direct Comment
h. Thoughts
The author can give the reader direct knowledge of what a person is thinking
about. In this respect he is able to do what we cannot do in real life. He can tell
what different people are thinking.
i. Mannerism.
The author can describe a person’s mannerism, habits or distinction which
may also tell the reader something about the characterthat may become the
difference from another character (1972: 161-173).
The theory of characterization can be appliedto reveal and to get the deep
understanding about the characters. It can be seen by some ways. First, the reader
analyzes the personal description which is given directly by the author. Second,
the character analyzed by another characters’ point of view and opinions. Third,
the dialog and speech defines what the character of the person is. Fourth, the
character can be seen by understanding the person’s past life which is given by the
author. Fifth, the author gives the clue of a person’s character through
conversations of others. Sixth, the reactions of the person towards the situation or
events may describe what his or her characters. Seventh, the character can be
analyzed through the direct comment of the author towards the person in the story.
Eighth, the way the person thought can describe the person’s character. The last is
by analyzing the person’s behavior through the manner, activities, and the
2. The Relation between Literature and Society
The relation between literature and society mentioned in the book entitled
Theory of Literaturewhich was written by Rene Wellek and Austin Warren. They
described the influence of society towards literature stated as follows:
Literature is a social institution, using as its medium language, a social creation. Such traditional literary devices as symbolism and metre are social in their nature. They are conventions and norms which could have arisen only in society. But, furthermore, literature ‘represents’ ‘life’; and ‘life’ is, in large measure, social reality, even though the natural world and the inner or subjective world of the individual have also been objects of literary ‘imitation’ (1956: 94).
Wellek and Warren explain literature as a representation of life. It is clear what
was happening in the reality can be described in the literary work such as poem,
drama, short story or even in a novel. Some aspects in the real life become the
message of the story or it could be criticized towards reality and society.
While in the book entitledSociety in the Novel, Elizabeth Langland gives
the description of the relation between literature and society as mentioned below:
Society as do all other aspects of novels, functions as an element in a structure that is, at least in part, self-referential. Studies of society must acknowledge, then, that society is a concept and a construct in fiction. In the past, definitions of society that explicitly or implicitly see society always as an imitation of an outside world have tended to obscure the formal variety of social presentations in novels (1984: 4).
From the statement above, society has an important role in literary works. Society
as one of the elements of the literary works itself. In the literary works there are
values which are taken from the reality and it becomes imitation of real life in
fiction. Sometimes it was stated clearly but it can also be unspoken. Knowing that
authors have different ways in creating their works so the readers have to analyze
way. What Langland said is not really different from Wellek and Warren. The
way authors wrote a story became Langland’s point that the representation of the
world can be implied or defined.
The writer decided that society have influenced literary works and fictions
because literary works is the attributes of a transcendent idea of life. Lifting some
issues of the real world into fictions became a big deal to criticize or just to lift up
without any tendency.
3. Theory of Marxism
The writer appliesthe theory of Marxismto reveal that power and social
classes play an important role in shaping society.
Marxism sees progress as coming about through the struggle for power between different social classes. This few of history of class struggle regard it as ‘motored’ by the competition for economic, social, and political advantage. The exploitation of one social class by another is seen especially in modern industrial capitalism, particularly in its unrestricted nineteenth-century form (Barry, 2002: 157).
From the quotation above, it can be seen that the social class defines the power
that people have. The people who belong to higher social class repress the people
with lower social class. It can be seen clearly in the industrial system. Marxist
discusses about the power especially in economic causes the distinction between
the strong and the weak ones. The gap between the superior and inferior, made
them to gain more power. The superior focuses on the exploitation of the inferior.
Besides, the inferior tries to gain power to resist the superior. The struggle for
power between the different social classes becomes continuity.
The theory of Marxismwill help the writer to reveal that the repression in
the real world because it is created in a concrete context (Haslett, 2000 :8). The
theory of Marxism is not only help the writer to see the connection between
literature and society but also to see that social classes has the big power in
shaping a society. By applying the theory of Marxism the writer is able to see the
influence of a social status in a society.
C. Review on History of Blacks in America around the 1950s
The writer focuses on two aspects within the black community. The
aspects are:
1. Africans in America
The history of the settlement of black in America being an important
explanation used by the writer to see the background of black in America around
the 1950s. Knowing the issues and also the historical figures who had influenced
the Blacks in America. Mentioned in Introduction to Black Studies written by
Maulana Karenga stated as follows:
There is strong evidence that Africans did not come to America first on slave ships or as crew members and pilots on white ships, but on their own ships as early as 800-900 B.C.E. and afterwards in 1311 and 1312 (1993: 110).
According to Karenga’s statement the settlement of African in America was not
the impact of slavery. They even came before the enslavement era happened.
Karenga mentions also Van Sertima who has published new data about the
settlement of Africans in America as stated below:
that Africans came first to America, not as enslaved persons, but as explorers, traders, visitors and built with the Native Americans agreat civilization that fortunately could not be erased by Europeans’ wholesale book burning and vandalism in Mexico. In doing this, he has made a significant contribution to the rescue and reconstruction of Blacks history and humanity (Karenga,1993: 114).
The discovery ofthe skullto be oneproofthatblackshavelivedbeforethe arrival of
Columbus. Blacks had settled in America long before the enslavement.
The settlement of blacks in America was not really accepted. In the 1950s
the African Americans was not treated as same as White. For example in
education the blacks did not get what the white got. Blacks aged seventeen got the
same materials as thirteen years old white. It proves that although blacks can go to
school but their schools were not actually had a good standard (Thernstrom and
Thernstrom, 1997: 533)
2. Black Economics
The economic condition of the life within black society can depicthow
affluent their life was. Karenga mentions the black economics seen from the
employment status.
The economic disadvantage of the African American community appears also in employment data and labor market trends. Employment for Blacks fluctuates between 54.1 and 55.7 percent. There are several reasons offered for black unemployment: low educational levels and lack of jobs skills, the recurring recession, unwillingness to take menial jobs; displacement, the move of industry from the central city; shutdowns in industries where Blacks are in heavy numbers; lack of viable social networks and above all, continuing discrimination (1993:361).
Karenga states some reasons of why Blacks were being discriminated in the job
field. Education background has important role during the nineteenth century. The
where they life.The low education levels or even uneducated background seen as
the strong reason for them hard to find a job and being jobless. Blacks were also
discriminated because they had no skills become a reason of their difficulties to
find job. Know that some jobs require typical skills needed.
3. Class Repression
The writer uses this review to reveal what reason that exactly influences
the class identification especially within the black community towards the
characters’ life. The book which was written by Stephan and Abigail Thernstrom
entitledAmerica in Black and Whitemention:
The emergence of a strong black middle class has not received the attention it deserves. “Black” still goes with “poor” in the minds of many. According to this view, blacks live in ghettos, next door to, if not actually in, a high rise public housing project. The mean street of their neighborhoods are filled with predatory muggers high on crack. The main source of income for males is a crime, and for females, the welfare check (1997: 183).
The neighborhood where the blacks live can define what class they belong to. The
blacks who live in a well environment belong to higher middle class rather than
working class who live in cruel neighborhoods. The place where blacks live also
defines how wealth they are. Their Job classified their position of social status that
the blacks with a good job are higher than them with a regular job as blacks or
even jobless.
The job that they work on is defined by their educational background. The
ending of World War II the education play the big role in shaping the American
class structure includes the African Americans who obtained more education
middle class jobs required at least graduated from high school (Thernstrom and
Thernstrom, 1997: 189-190).
In the beginning of 1959, two-third of all black children under the age of
eighteen lived in the poor neighborhood and their parent income was under
poverty line. Although they worked but the salary that they got was not enough to
live the family. In the 1950s until 1960s, African American made the great deal by
narrowing the gap in occupations, educations, and income. In the other hand,
although they made the great action but in social reality they still lagged
behind(Thernstrom and Thernstrom, 1997: 200-236).
The class repression toward black men and black women was experienced
by African-American within the black society in the nineteenth century.The writer
gives a picture on how black men thought about black women. The point
ofblackmen’s view that the black women are weak and they have to protect them
as described in Home.The book entitled The Afro-American Woman: Struggles
and Imagesmentions:
Basic to the struggles of the black woman was the way others viewed her and the way she viewed herself. According to Rosalyn Terborg-penn’s “Black Male Perspectives on the Nineteenth-Century Woman,” some black men in nineteenth century America felt that black women were no different from themselves in that both were struggling to improve that lot in society (Harley and Terborg-Penn, 1978: 10).
Harley and Terborg-Penn states that the gender status between black men
and black women was not equal. There was the difference treatment that was
experienced by African-American with a different class.
Throughout the American history black and white women gave the big
order to get job. There was a gap between whites and blacks, also black women
and black men, Afro American are less educated become the reason that their
income not as high as the white’s, and they were faced with limited job options.
This condition influenced by the slavery, even though the enslavement era was
ended a long time ago (Goldin, 1990: 27).
In competing with the white women to get job the black women.Black
women did less effort as job seekers because the white women did not want to do
the domestic job. In the 1950s many middle and upper class whites in the South
that regularly employed African American to do jobs such as cooks, maids, even
taking care of the children. By hiring the blacks, whites domestic job problems
were solved (Rose, 1997: 138). The ending of enslavement era did not really make
contribution for the black get their freedom of slavery. Only a few of blacks been
freed on the same basis as indentured servants. Free blacks more often were
skilled blacksmiths, carpenter, cobblers, farmers, or common laborers. The limited
skills that blacks had, made them could not work at the same place with the whites
in the factory. The employers chose to hire the whites rather than blacks because
blacks were not suitable to the requirements that the factories needed. Blacks only
had skills that they were taught as a slave (Tindall, 1989: 360).
Black women earn money by working exclusively as the servants and
agricultural workers. On the other hand, black menhad to compete with white
men in the same field of work because they would not do the domestic job as the
black women did. Black men would not win because the low educational level
high rate of unemployment and lower educational of black men directly
proportional with the repression that they got. Some people argued that black men
are more repressed than black women(Goldin, 1990: 27).
D. Theoretical Framework
The focus of this study is to see the class repression toward African
American in Black Society reflected in Home. Each theory and review as stated
above is needed to analyze the novel. The theory of character is used by the writer
to see the relation and conflict within black community particularly the way of
Blacks treating each other. This theory helps to answer problem formulation
number one. The review of class repression contributes to see the position of the
social status including their economics condition and occupations in black
neighborhoods. The theory of class repression helps the reader to see the different
point of view of strength and weakness towards black men and black women.
How the economics condition define their position in the society. The theory of
Marxism helps the writer to reveal the issues of concerning class. The theory of
relation between literature and society contributes to see that what written in the
novel is as the imitation of the real world.
The review on history of black in America around the 1950s is used to
understand in general the background of African-American in America including
their settlement and their economics. It gives clear understanding that the history
cannot be separated because it has a role in the development of African-American
20
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
The object of this study is a novel entitled Home. Home is one of Toni
Morrison’s work which shows the African American experiences of poverty and
freedom in United States of America in 1950s. The novel consist of 17 chapters
and 146 pages. It was published in 2012 by Alfred A. Knopf in New York. Home
is written by an African American writer Toni Morrison. The main characters in
this novel are Frank and Ycidra, they are a sibling. Frank is an African American
and Korean War veteran and Ycidra is Frank’s little sister. This novel shows how
the poverty play an important impact towards the black’s life especially in
Georgia.
This novel is about the life of African American in the poor neighborhood.
In this novel there is a gap between working class and middle class within the
black society. The writer shows how bad Frank and Ycidra are treated by Mrs.
Lenore as their step grandmother. Mrs. Lenore also an African American but she
treats her grandchildren unequally than other. Frank and Cee are discriminated
just because they belong to working class. The writer wants to analyze about how
the main characters reactions towards the class and gender discrimination in this
B. Approach of this Study
In analyzingHome, the writer needs to use certain literary approach which
is appropriate for the topic which is analyzed. Hence, in this thesis the writer uses
socio-cultural historical approach. In order to understand between the background
knowledge and the work of literature itself, the writer considers that socio-cultural
historical approach is an appropriate approach to analyze this novel. Mary
Rohrberger and Samuel H. Woods in Reading and Writing about Literature say
that:
Critics whose major interest is the sociocultural-historical approach insist that the only way to locate the real work is in reference to the civilitation to produce it. They define civilitation as the attitudes and actions of specific group of people and point out that literature takes these attitudes and actions as its subject matters (1971: 9)
From the statement above, the researcher concludes that socio-cultural
historical is an approach affirms that the history and society where the author
lived play the important role that influence the way story is created. The work of
literature is a reflection from the culture and reality. The author transforms the
history and culture in the real life becomes a story in fiction The researcher wants
to understand the historical background of the novel to analyze the historical
novelHome. As mentioned earlier that the historical novel is a picture of the real
C. Method of the Study
The appropriate method used by the writer in analyzing this work is library
research method. The writer uses two kinds of data. The first data is the work of
Toni Morrison’s entitled home. The second data are taken from several books,
Such as International Encyclopedia of Ethics, Merriam Webster’s Encyclopedia
of Literature, A Glossary of Literary Terms, Understanding Unseen: An
Introduction to English Poetry and the English Novel for Overseas Students,
Theory of Literature, Society in the Novel, Introduction to Black Studies, America
in Black and White, and undergraduate thesis.Know that the novel Home had not
been analyzed before the writer uses not only library sources but also internet
sources.
Some steeps were taken in this study. Firstly, the writer decided the work
that is going to be analyzed. Secondly, the writer read the book and took
important note to get the deep understanding. The writer also reads the book over
and over again to make sure that nothing is left to be analyzed and put some sign
to the important part in the novel.
Thirdly, the writer found the most important issues for the topic as the
problem formulation in this analysis. In order to support this research the writer
collected some data that fit into the topic, so the writer decided the theories and
approach relate to this study. The theories were: the theory of character and
characterization, the relation between literature and society also the review of
by reading some books of literature theory and approaches. Besides, to know and
understand the historical background of African American the writer had to
collect the information that is needed by reading historical books.
Fourthly, the writer analyzed the novel by answering the issues as stated in
problem formulation. The writer applied the theories of character and
characterization which had been mentioned in the review of related theory. In
analyzing the story, the socio-cultural historical approach was applied to
understand the background of the novel was made which related to the history in
the 1950s. The next step was the writer related the theories and approach in order
to reveal the problem as questioned in the problem formulation. The last step the
writer was drawing the conclusion based on the analysis that would be presented
24
ANALYSIS
Home talks about the life of black in the black society. The colored people
have to deal with the class repression. This analysis will be divided into three parts.
Each part will discuss about each number of the problem formulation questioned in
Chapter I. The first part analyzes about the main characters Frank Money and Ycidra.
The second part is the discussion about the class repression within the black society
in 1950s as described in the novel. The last part discusses the reaction of the African
American toward the class repression seen through the main character inHome.
A. The Characteristics of the Main Characters
In this part, the writer tries to analyze the characterization of the African
American family which are revealed through Frank Money and his sister Ycidra as
the main characters in the novel entitled Home. Frank and Ycidra or called as Cee
have the different characterization that brought them to the dissimilar reactions
toward the problem of class repression within the black society that they try to fight
for. The writer describes the personal appearance and the personality of Frank Money
and Ycidra. In analyzing the characteristics of the main characters, the writer applies
the theory of characterization taken from a book which is written by Murphy. The
writer analyzes the characterization of the main characters by concerning on character
as seen by another, speech, fact life, conversation of others, reactions, direct
1. Frank Money
Frank is one of the main characters inHome. He is a Korean War veteran. He
moved from Texas to Lotus, Georgia with his family, he lives in his grandmother’s
house until his parents can rent a house for them to live. His characteristics play an
important role in the reactions toward class repression. Frank’s characteristics are
chosen by the writer because he is one of the main characters. In this part, the writer
depicts the characteristics of Frank Money in Home, uses the theory of
characterization as stated in Chapter II.
a. Brave
Frank is an African American Korean War soldier who tried to escape from the
hospital where the soldiers are looked after. In analyzing this part, the writer applies
the theory of characterization, it focuses on the reactions of the character. Frank
shows how brave he is, when he has to choose the right decision in the hard situation.
Four a.m., before sunrise, he managed to loosen the canvas cuffs, unshackle himself, and rip off the hospital gown. He put on his army pants and jacket and crept shoeless down the hall. Except for the weeping from the room next to the fire exit, all was quiet-no squeak of an orderly’s shoes or smothered giggles, and no smell of cigarette smoke. The hinges groaned when he opened the door and the cold hit him like a hammer (Morrison, 2012 :10-11)
According to the quotation above the way Frank escape is considered as a brave
action because he will be killed, when someone or the nurse saw him.
The author comment on Frank’s characteristic directly. “Now, with Mike
gone, he was brave, whatever that meant.” (Morrison, 2012: 98). The author
comments that after Mike, Frank’s best friend died in the battlefield, Frank became a
The two quotations mention above gives a picture of what one of the Frank’s
characteristics are. Frank was a child who grew as a brave man while he joined the
army. Frank knew what he had to do when the situation was getting harder. He had to
escape from the hospital even though the risk is death when someone recognized him.
Both quotations are taken by the writer to prove the characteristics of Frank. Frank is
a brave man to take high risk of death and it was shaped while he joined the army.
b. Caring
Frank is described also as a caring man for his family and his one and only
younger sister Ycidra. Frank experiences the condition living with his mean
grandmother Lenore and the tough life brings him to be a caring man. He is the one
that can protect Ycidra in their grandmother house while their parents work or even
when Ycidra socializes with her friends. Frank is very protective becomes the reason
of Ycidra not to have a boyfriend yet. The writer sees the direct comment from the
author to get more clues about Frank’s characters. “When Cee and a few other girls
reached fourteen and start talking about boys, she was prevented from any real
flirtation because of her big brother.” (Morrison, 2012: 47). Frank cares of Ycidra or
called as Cee that much. He would not let any boys to get closer to see and hurts her.
The writer analyzes also the characterization of Frank which can be seen from
Ycidra’s thought mentioned as follows:
from the quotation above known from Ycidra’s thought that she misses her brother.
She knows that Frank would protect her no matter what. She could tell frank about
anything that she would to tell about. Frank is the one that will always stand beside
her to make sure that everything is going right.
The way Frank treated his sister, Ycidra, can also be seen from another
Ycidra’s thoughts as mentioned by the writer in the following quotation.
Standing at the window, wrapped in the scratchy towel, Cee felt her heart breaking. If Frank were there he would once more touch the top of her head with four fingers, or stroke her nape with his thumb. Don’t cry, said the fingers; the welts will disappear. Don’t cry; Mama is tired; she didn’t mean it. Don’t cry, don’t cry girl; I’m here. But he wasn’t there or anywhere near (Morrison, 2012: 53).
Frank is the one that she always thinks about when they are separated. Frank
is the brother that she always runs to when she gets any problem. Frank also calms
her down when Lenore did something rude to her and told her that Lenore actually
did not mean to do a bad thing to her. Take care of his own sister is the thing that
brother has to do and it is a common thing but here the writer sees Frank as a caring
man because Frank does not stop to take care of Ycidra, anywhere and anytime.
c. Friendly
In this story Frank is described as a friendly man. Many people like to be his
friend even though they have not met before. In this story Frank meets some new
friends after he escaped from the hospital. The first people that Frank met were
Reverend John Locke and his wife Jean Locke. The writer will describe how friendly
Frank is by applying the theory of characterization that focus on speech which deals
Locke and his wife treat Frank nicely. They also give Frank money to pay for the bus
to go to Georgia (Morrison, 2012: 14-19).
The second person that he met was Billy. Frank met him at the Café as
mentioned as follows:
“Billy scanned the addreses and frowned. “ Forget that,” he said. “ Come on home with me. Stay over. Meet my family. You can’t leave tonight anyway.”” (Morrison, 2012: 29).
The quotation above shows that Frank can easily make friends with people they just
meet. Billy just met Frank in the café at that time and they have not met before but
after had conversation with him, Billy knows that Frank is a fun guy then he asks
Frank to come to his house and meet his family. No one will ask a stranger to come to
their house, unless they like the stranger. The way Frank communicates with people
and the respond of the people toward him are considered by the writer that Frank is a
friendly man.
d. Protective
Frank is depicted as the brother of Ycidra who is very protective to his sister.
Frank loves her so much, after their mother died, Frank becomes the one who
responsible to take care of Ycidra. The writer will describe how protective Frank is
by showing Ycidra’s thought.
Whenever the situation go tough, Ycidra believed that Frank will stand right beside
her. From the quotation above the writer sees that Frank is a protective person. He
tries to protect his sister from any bad situation although Ycidra is not a child
anymore.
2. Ycidra (Cee)
a. Tough
In this novel Ycidra is described as a tough person. It can bee seen from the way
she reacted when her grandmother treated her. She does not let Ycidra to sleep in the
bedroom. During those years living in the discomfort place Ycidra and her parents
sleep on the floor, on a thin pallet. She accepted all of the bed treatment that her
grandmother did. She did not complain for a better place to sleep (Morrison,
2012:45).
The toughness of Ycidra can be seen from Lenore’s thought as stated in the
quotation below:
Lenore took it is as a very bad sign for Cee’s future that she was born on the road. Decent women, she said, delivered babies at home, in a bed attended to by good Christian women who knew what to do. Although only street women, prostitutes, went to hospital when they got pregnant, at the least they had a roof overhead when their baby came. Being born in street or the gutter, as she usually put it-was prelude to a sinful, worthless life (Morrison, 2012: 44).
Lenore’s gave bed impression on Ycidra. Lenore’s mouth was sharper than a knife
when she told her that she was a girl who was born on street without any birth
Since Yacidra’s mother, Ida died, she decided to work at Bobby Restaurant.
She would not rely on her grandmother anymore. She had no choice except working
because Frank left the town long before their mother died.
b. Uneducated
InHome, Ycidra is described as an uneducated girl. It can bee seen when she
was interviewed for a job. She states that she did not take any school but she could
read and write. She also mentions that she ever worked as a cashier (Morrison, 2012:
59-60). Ycidra’s statement that she did not take any formal school shows that she is
an uneducated girl.
The job that someone takes describes their educational level. InHome, Ycidra
works as a waiter then a maid for a doctor in Atlanta (Morrison, 2012: 53-60). The
jobs, such as maid, cook, and servant do not need any special skills. The ending of
World War II, education plays the big role in shaping the American class structure
includes the African Americans who obtained more education rather than their
parents had. It helps the blacks to get a better job. Middle class jobs required at least
graduated from high school (Thernstrom and Thernstrom, 1997: 189-190).
The writer sees Ycidra as an uneducated girl by her own statement which tells
that she does not take education in school. The writer sees also by Ycidra’s Job, the
job that Ycidra takes is the job with no skill and knowledge requirement. Those jobs
c. Hard working
Ycidra is depicted as a hard working girl. The writer will quote some actions
that she did, it can be considered as the proof. The first one it is shown by the letter
that she wrote to Frank as mentioned below:
“Hello brother how are you I am fine. I just got me an ok job in a restaurant but looking for better one. Write back when you can Yours truly Your sister.” (Morrison, 2012:53)
In this quotation, it can be seen that although Ycidra was very young but she decided
to work at Bobby’s restaurant. After her parent died, she had to work to earn money
for her daily needs because she no longer stay with her grandmother and their relation
was not good. Ycidra could not ask for Lenore’s help so she decided to work.
Working as waiter in the restaurant was a good deal for her.
Ycidra was not satisfied with the salary that she earned when she worked as a
waiter in a restaurant. One day she asked her friend Thelma about job, and Thelma
told her that a doctor in Atlanta needed a maid and the salary was higher than the
salary as the waiter in Bobby’s Restaurant. The quotation below shows when Thelma
told Ycidra about the new job:
“No. A helper. I don’t know. Bandages and iodine, I guess. His office is in the house, the woman said. So you’d live in. She said the pay was not all that good but since it rent-free, that made all the difference.” (Morrison, 2012: 60).
She was looking for another job that give higher salary for her. Ycidra decided to quit
from there and go to Atlanta because she heard a doctor needed a helper (Morrison,
2012: 54-60). The writer sees Ycidra as a hard working girl because she took a job as
their friend while Ycidra as a young girl chose to spent her childhood to work so she
could earn money. The writer also sees how hard Ycidra tries to earn a lot of money
so she can get a better life.
2. Lenore
a. Cruel
In Home, Lenore is depicted as a cruel step-grandmother. She has two
grandchildren, they are Frank and Ycidra. The cruelty of Lenore can be seen from her
treatments toward Frank and Ycidra that:
Over the years, the discomfort of the crowded house increased, and Lenore , who believed herself superior to everybody else in Lotus, chose to focus her resentment on the little girl born “in the street.”.Young Frank slept on the back porch, on the slanty wooden swing, even when it rained (Morrison, 2012: 45)
From the quotation above, it can be seen that Lenore repressed Frank and Ycidra by
treating them badly. Frank was not allowed to sleep inside the house even though it
rained. Lenore makes Ycidra feels so uncomfortable living in her house. Lenore’s
house is big enough but she did not let Ycidra to sleep in the bedroom. During those
years living in the discomfort place Ycidra and her parents slept on the floor, on a
thin pallet (Morrison, 2012: 44). Lenore’s actions to her grandchildren are considered
as a cruel action.
b. Rich
Lenore is described as the upper in the novel. Lenore is a wealthy woman who
collects a five hundred dollar life insurance payment upon her first husband death.
her (Morrison, 2012: 44-45). Lenore belongs to higher class because she does not
need to work. She gets life insurance payment of her first husband death.
B. The Class Repression
In this part, the writer focuses on class repression as the main issue. The
writer wants to give the brief explanation about class repression before analyzing the
class repression in Home. Repression is the process of suppressing somebody or the
condition of having political, social, or cultural freedom controlled by force (Webster,
2006: 1230). Class repression means the different way of treating someone based on
their social status. Here, the different way of treating direct to the unequal or negative
treatment. There are parts of class repression. The class repression that happens
between the superior and inferior. People who belong to the upper class will
discriminate the people who belong to the lower class. Superior who repress inferior
can be classified as the class repression. The repression is not only influenced by the
material that people have but also by the educational background. Educated people
see themselves as the superior and the uneducated people as the inferior. They think
that there is a border line which separates them into two different classes. It becomes
a reason for the superior to give the unequal treatment toward the inferior.
a. Class Repression toward Frank Money by Lenore
Luther and Ida have two children, their names are Frank and Ycidra. Frank is
the oldest one. He is a Korean War veteran who has no job after his retirement. He is
raised in a poor family and he has to help his parents to take care of his sister Ycidra
from Texas to Lotus, Georgia. They live in Salem Money’s House. Salem is Frank’s
grandfather. In this house Frank is repressed by his step grandmother, Lenore, as
mentioned below:
Over the years, the discomfort of the crowded house increased, and Lenore , who believed herself superior to everybody else in Lotus, chose to focus her resentment on the little girl born “in the street.”.Young Frank slept on the back porch, on the slanty wooden swing, even when it rained (Morrison, 2012: 45)
The quotation above shows that Frank is treated in a bad way by Lenore. The
repression Frank experience is when Lenore sees herself as the upper class and Frank
and his family as the lower class. Lenore thinks that Frank and his family is poor,
they can not rent a house for them to live. Lenore does not give the appropriate place
to frank and his family to sleep. Just because they belong to the different classes
Lenore lets her step grandson to sleep at the porch behind her house even though it
rains. Lenore does not even care about Frank’s health because she thinks that it is her
generosity to permit Frank to live in her house. She argues that what she does towards
Frank is more than enough that he could get. The Moneys is considered as a lower
class, they do not have a house to live. They cannot rent a house in Georgia because
they lack of money.
Lenore also shows the repressing treatment about the food that Frank can eat.
In Home, Frank is not really welcomed by his step grandmother though she allows
him to live in her house. It can be seen in the way Mrs. Lenore feed him and Ycidra.
The shredded wheat which is served by her for breakfast is poured with water instead
Lenore’s perspective on the lower class that Frank’s family belong to, is not
without a reason. Frank and his family did not have a house. The did not have money
to buy a house. People who do not have a house belong to the lower class. The
American history about black economics mentions the gap between black society
influenced by the job that they work on. There are different categories of job that
divide them into different classes. The first is Ida’s job, “Ida picking cotton or
working other crops in the day and sweeping lumber shacks in the evening.”
(Morrison, 2012: 45). Ida worked as the cotton picker also worked at the other crops
and sweeping lumber shacks. The cotton and tobacco picker became the job of black
women especially for them who have no educational background because these jobs
have no requirement of educational limitation. A job without any educational
background requirements is classified as lower class job. The writer sees that the
blacks are not treated equally by the different class in black society.
The writer considers Lenore’s acts toward the Moneys as class repression
because the social status gap between them. Lenore sees her family as the superior
and the Moneys as the inferior due to their economic condition and jobs that they did.
b. Class Repression toward Ycidra (Cee) by Lenore
Ycidra thinks a cruel grandmother is one of the worst things a girl could have.
Living in Lenore’s house is not a big deal for her. Ycidra’s imagination of fond and
caring of grandmother’s figure is out of the box while Ycidra has to live with Mrs.
Lenore. Evidence by evidence convinces Ycidra that her step grandmother does not
