CHAPTER III
METHOD OF RESEARCH
Method is a procedure or way of knowing anything with systematic steps
(Subyantoro, 2006: 30). The method in this study used qualitative research methods.
A qualitative research method is a research procedure that produces descriptive data
in the form of words written and spoken of people and behaviors that can be
observed. The data emerging form of words, not a series of numbers. The data is
processed through recording, typing and editing, but the analysis still use the words
organized into expanded text. Thus, the research contains excerpts of data to provide
images studied so easily understood by the reader.
In this research the writer applies qualitative approach and descriptive
analytic method to achieve the writer goal of this research. By using this method, the
writer attempts to identify and describe the data collected. This method is appropriate
to this research because the writer is able to find out, identify and explain issues in
the novel. In this study also seeks to explain the problems studied in detail,
systematic, accurate, and factual about the personality of the leading character in the
novel Blind Eye: The Terrifying Story of a Doctor Who Got Away with Murder.
3.1The Object of Research
The object of research literature is the subject or topic of research literature.
The object of this research is antisocial personality disorder of leading character in
the novel Blind Eye: The Terrifying Story of a Doctor Who Got Away with Murder
3.2Data and Data Sources
Data and sources of data in this study are as follows:
1. Data
The data in this study a text which is a word or phrase that describes the actions,
words which indicate antisocial personality disorder in the novel Blind Eye: The
Terrifying Story of a Doctor Who Got Away with Murder.
2. Data Sources
Source of data in this study is novel Blind Eye: The Terrifying Story of a Doctor Who
Got Away with Murder by James B Stewart with 336 pages thick. The novel
published in 1999 by Simon & Schuster Paperbacks.
3.3Data Collecting Procedure
In this research the writer collects the data found in the novel. In this process
of this research, writer collect the data found in the novel related to main character
then the data will be analyzed with antisocial personality disorder theory, such as the
Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV (DSM IV), a manual that is
referred by mental health professionals when diagnosing mental illnesses.
The procedure of collecting the data in this study uses the technique of
reading, record and library. To obtain the data contained in the novel writer must
read novel Eye: The Terrifying Story of a Doctor Who Got Away with Murder by
James B Stewart to get data that related to the study. After reading the novel, and
data is recorded. Note technique, writer as a key instrument do registrar data.
Technique is a technique that uses a library written sources for obtaining data.
Collecting Data used are taken from the data that written materials in the
library in the form of primary data (data obtained directly from the source) and
secondary data (data not obtained directly from the source). The primary Data of the
research is the literary work itself. There is Blind Eye: The Terrifying Story of a
Doctor Who Got Away with Murder by James B Stewart. The writer uses the novel
as Swango’s actions; behaviors, motivations, and past are depicted throughout the
novel that it used the theory to the general idea. The secondary of data are taken from
some Necessary books and the internet sources. Some books are used because they
are relevant to the analysis.
3.4Data Analyzing Procedure
Function of Process data Analyzing is to simplify into a form that is more
easy to read and interpreted. Dalam penelitian kualitatif, ada tiga hal dalam proses
analisis data, yaitu reduksi data, sajian data, dan verifikasi serta simpulan (Sangidu,
2004: 73). In data reduction, the authors chose the data that are considered important
and potentially in the context of data analysis according to the problem to be studied,
which is associated with antisocial personality disorder on the leading character in
the novel Blind Eye: The Terrifying Story of a Doctor Who Got Away with Murder
by James B Stewart. Data presentation is to present the data in an analytical and
synthesis in the form of a description of the data that lifted accompanied by textual
In the analytical data presentation, the author describes one by one the data
obtained coherently. In the synthesized data presentation, the authors associate the
data have been analyzed so that it can be concluded in an integrated and does not
give rise to a double interpretation of the results of the analysis.
In the verification and the conclusion, the authors check or recheck the data
have been analyzed to validate the results of the analysis, which subsequently
concluded the answers while on the issues discussed that antisocial personality
disorder on the leading character in the novel. It can be concluded that the techniques
of data analysis can be taken through the steps of identifying and classifying the data
to draw conclusions.
In use descriptive method qualitative textual model of psychological studies,
the authors through the following steps:
1. Analysis intrinsic element in in the novel Blind Eye: The Terrifying Story of a
Doctor Who Got Away with Murder by James B Stewart;
2. Locate and determine the characters that will be studied, character in the
novel Blind Eye is Dr Michael Swango as a principal or leading character is
the focus of research that use method telling and showing;
3. Tracing the development of the character of the hero who studied through
acting, thinking, and dialogue of the characters;
4. Determine personality disorder main character in the novel Blind Eye: The
Terrifying Story of a Doctor Who Got Away with Murder by James B Stewart
5. Reveals the causes of antisocial personality disorder on the leading character
in the novel Blind Eye: The Terrifying Story of a Doctor Who Got Away with
Murder by James B Stewart that intrinsic elements used to support.
6. The last, make a conclusion.
CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS OF LEADING CHARACTER’S ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY DISORDER
In this chapter, writer discuss about leading character’s personality disorder.
Before analyze personality disorder of the leading character in James B Stewart’s
novel Blind Eye: the Terrifying Story of a Doctor Who Got Away with Murder, the
writer gives the portrayal of leading character to introduce life and characteristics of
personality disorder. Here is the portrayal of leading character in James B Stewart’s
Blind Eye: the Terrifying Story of a Doctor Who Got Away with Murder.
4.1The Portrayal of Leading Character
Leading character in James B Stewart’s Blind Eye: the Terrifying Story of a
Doctor Who Got Away with Murder is named Dr. Michael Swango. He is the second
of Muriel and John Virgil Swango’s three sons. John Swango is an Army officer
which meant the family to constantly moving from one place to another. It was not
until 1968, when the family moved to Quincy, Illinois, that they finally settled down.
The atmosphere in the Swango home depended on if John is there or not. When he is
not there, Muriel tries to maintain a peaceful home, yet she keeps a strong hold on
Muriel at times. John’s struggle with alcoholism is the main contributor to the
tension and upheaval that go on the Swango home.
John Swango is an Army officer which meant the family is constantly
moving from one place to another. The family moved sixteen times in the course of
Virgil’s military career, from Washington State, to Fort Benning, Georgia, to Fort
Worth, Texas, to San Fransisco. From 1968 to 1975, the stretch when Virgil served
in Vietnam, the family lived in Quincy, where Michael entered junior high school.
Largely at the insistence of Muriel, who recognized that Michael is
academically gifted, he enrolls in the Christian Brothers High School, a private
Catholic school known for its high academic standards. Michael’s brothers attend the
public schools. At Christian Brothers Michael excels academically and become
involved in various extracurricular activities. His main interest expresses his
mother’s love of music; he is a talented pianist and masters the clarinet well enough
to become a member of the Quincy Notre Dame band and tour with the Quincy
College Wind Ensemble.
Michael graduated as class valedictorian from Christian Brothers in 1972. His
high school achievements are impressive, but minimal college counseling is available
in Quincy and his parents are relatively unsophisticated about higher education
outside military that made Swango’s horizons seem to have been limited. He decides
on Millikin University, a small private liberal arts school in Decatur, Illinois, where
he receives a full-tuition scholarship in music. As he has in high school, Swango
excels academically at Millikin, earning nearly perfect grades during his first two
years. Based on the above information, we know that Swango was very talented. He
socially he became somewhat of an outcast after his girl friend ended their
relationship. His attitude become reclusive and even his look changed. He begins to
dress in military grab and paints his old ford fairlane in camouflage olive green.
During the summer after Swango’s second year at Millikin, he stops playing
music, quit college and join the Marines. He shows the different interest, namely
med courses. He showed abnormal behavior in the end of his sophomore year,
pre-med courses at the local collage founded by Franciscan Brothers in 1860, Quincy,
Illinois, Southern Illinois University (SIU), Ohio State University, Ohio Columbus,
Virginia, Sioux Falls, and Zimbabwe also became a serial killer. He also kills his
patients by poison in each hospital where he works. A doctor is perfectly located to
reverse his purpose to kill rather than heal. Not only that, some of paramedics
becomes victims because he tries to poison his friends in hospital and his girlfriends.
FBI said that Michael Swango murdered more than sixty. A doctor that kills his
patients and poisons his friends and girlfriends is abnormal something. And then, in
the Novel his abnormality that he keeps secretly until nobody knows and realizes
about it. His abnormality is like personality disorder, namely antisocial personality
disorder, because after writer read novel Blind Eye, the writer found that Swango has
characteristics as asocial, introvert, repeatedly violation of law or norms, dishonest
and lie repeated as using another name/ cheats, impulsivity, irritability and
aggressive, irresponsibility, lack of remorse or guilt, manipulative and underhanded,
obsessed with violent death, and disorder personality before 15 years.
4.2Michael Swango’s Characterization of Antisocial Personality Disorder
disorder which reflected by leading character of the novel, Dr. Michael Swango. The
story of this novel is explained about Michael Swango’s characterization of
antisocial personality disorder and the causes of Swango’s antisocial personality
disorder that writer found from the novel written by James B Stewart entitled Blind
Eye: The Terrifying Story of a Doctor Who Got Away with Murder.
4.2.1 Asocial and Introvert
Asocial and introvert behavior have relation between one to the other,
because a loner who prefers to be alone rather than with other people, certainly feels
interested to himself/ herself and prefers solitary activities. An asocial is called
individualist or a loner often feels not have connection with other people or even feel
that society or culture that is common to avoid them, while an introvert is a quite
person who is only thinking about themselves, do not find happiness to other people
or more interested in their own thoughts, solitary activities and feelings than in
spending time with other people. The quotation below shows that swango is an
asocial.
“It was Rosenthal’s classmate Michael Swango, wearing military fatigue pants and doing jumping jack. Swango was lean and muscled at a time when fitness was far from most students’ minds. He’d been in the Marines, and his name was stenciled on the military garb he usually wore to class. It was weird, Rosenthal thought. Many of his classmates had been antiwar protesters. Swango was the only member of the class he knew who had been in the military.
Swango’s military garb and fanatical devotion to fitness were noticed by just about everyone in his class at SIU. Beside the military fatigues, he wore combat boots to class. When Rosenthal and other classmates struggled out of bed in the morning after a late night of studying, they would often see Swango outdoors doing early-morning calisthenics, chanting Marine cadences. Sometimes, at breakfast in the cafeteria, they teased him about his uniforms and military bearing. Swango bridled at their ribbing and increasingly keep to himself.” (Blind
In the above quotation explains that Swango choose to be a loner. In the
sentences “Michael Swango, wearing military fatigue pants and doing jumping jack”
and “they teased him about his uniforms and military bearing” the author directly
asserts that Swango who loved military-style appearance, so he often uses as military
clothing and shoes in the classroom. Every morning he is gymnastics and at the same
time he loves to sing rhythmic Marine Corps. The fascination appears at the time of
his first year in Mallikin and at the end of his second year he enrolls in the Marine
Corps. But many friends in SIU choose to become antiwar protesters. So his style
made him withdraw from his classmates, because he often hears their mockery about
his style. The behavior is like social isolation is a state of loneliness experienced by a
person because of other people gives negative expressing and threatening. Someone
that has withdrawn of personality would avoid interaction with others. Because
Rawlins (1993) said that withdrew behavior is an attempt to avoid interaction with
others, avoid contact with others. However, not only Swango that choose to avoid
from his friends, but his friends also keep away from him. The following are quotes
that show the relationship between Swango and his friend.
…. Rosenthal ended up having very little contact with his partner. This may have been because Swango was still working for the ambulance corps and frequently was either unavailable or fidgeting because he was going to be late for ambulance duty. But it was also because Rosenthal didn’t like being around Swango. He was Jumpy, nervous, and seemed unable to relax. (Blind Eye, 1999:29-30)
Though most students sharing a neurosurgery specialty would observe each other’s surgeries, Sweeney stayed away from Swango’s˗˗ he was horrified by the prospect of what he might see˗˗and Swango never showed up at Sweeney’s, either.
Rosenthal is Swango classmate. Swango is his partner to give an oral
presentation in the surgery rotation. From the quote above the words “very little
contact” shows that Rosenthal and Swango have little communication. Furthermore,
Rosenthal do not like being around Swango that seems uncomfortable because
Swango like to show his attitudes as nervous, anxious, and can’t relax. Not only
Rosenthal, Sweeney also avoids Swango as well as Mark Zawodniak that is a
resident who would oversee the work of Sweeney and Swango and act as a mentor.
Zawodniak doesn’t want to meet Swango which has made Zawodniak frustrating and
the sentence “What did I fucking doo to deserve him” Zawodniak really doesn’t
accept to be a mentor to Swango. It is contrast with Sweeney who avoid Swango
because he is afraid with something that he ever seen like incidents the corpse that
time. Incident corpse is a surgical task presented by Swango that the results are
surprising his classmates, his surgery that did the hip region into a form that is not
recognized. It is also the subject of ridicule of his friends in the party and the class
meeting. But Swango never attend it. He preferred to avoid it.
At SIU, the first-year students were divided into groups and each students was assigned one part of the cadaver to dissect and present to the rest of the group. Swango’s assignment was the hip and buttock region, including the gluteus muscles.
……… For when his presentation finally came, and he unveiled his dissection, his fellow students gasped. He had transformed the hip region of his cadaver into an unrecognizable mess of tangled flesh and bone. (Blind Eye, 1999:23)
Yet the combination of his weird grab, chiseled physique, odd nocturnal habits, “Swangoing,” and now the cadever mishap, made him one of the best-known of the seventy-two members of the class, much talked about and derided at the many class parties and gatherings, from which he was usually absent. (Blind Eye, 1999:23-24)
From some of the above quotation can be seen that the author portrayed
mockeries from his friends. Withdrew is an attempt to avoid interaction with others,
avoid contact with other people. Someone who decides to avoid the surrounding
environment or shunned by her friends are asocial attitude. Based on Swango’s
action who choose to avoid their friends as well as friends and mentors who do not
want to be near him, it can be said that a person who has an attitude Swango asocial.
He deliberately refused social relationships with his classmates because he felt better
and comfortable because it is far from mockeries his friends.
Moreover, Swango who chooses to withdraw from his friends, he prefers
doing activities that are his own and do not ever attend the party. It appears in the
following quotation.
But Swango never came in during the day evening, preferring to work on his dissection after mid night, when the lab usually deserted. Indeed, some members of his group, who nwver saw him in the anatomy lab at all, wondered how he was going to make his presentation.
What Swango gained in privacy from his unorthodox hours he lost in guidance from faculty and other students. (Blind
Eye, 1999:23)
………... But Swango didn’t drink alcohol and, despite his close relationship to Wacaser, never attended the parties. (Blind Eye, 1999:33)
Someone who likes to spend time alone and enjoy doing activities lonely can
be called a man of introverted nature. From the quote above, we can know that
Swango has introvert personality, because the words “preferring to work on his
dissection after mid night” explains that Swango like to do lonely activity and the
sentence “his close relationship to Wacaser, never attended the parties” shows that he
4.2.2 Dishonesty, Lie Repeated Using Another Name/ Cheats, Manipulative and
Underhanded
Lying is a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an
intentional untruth; a false hood. Arnold Goldberg, a professor of psychiatry at Rush
Medical College in Chicago said that lying is as much apart of normal growth and
development as telling the truth. But psychiatrists see lying as pathological when it is
so persistent as to be destructive to the liar’s life, or to those to whom he lies.
Pathological lying can be moderate or high:
• In moderate form: they will be shrewd, crafty, cunning, sly, and clever.
• In extreme form, they will be deceptive, deceitful, underhanded,
unscrupulous, manipulative, and dishonest.
After explanations above and write found that there are Swango’s lying from
moderate to extreme form like cunning, lying, manipulation, and underhanded, that
portrayed of leading character in novel Blind Eye: the Terrifying Story of a Doctor
Who Got Away with Murder. Cunning is an act that many bad sense; clever trick;
deceitful; cheating. According to Oxford, cunning is able to get what you want in a
clever way, especially by tricking or cheating. Lie is say something that is not true to
make people believe. Often people lie to keep a secret or reputation, protect
someone's feelings or to avoid punishment or repulsion for one action. Manipulation
is an engineering process by adding, concealment, removal or obfuscation against
part or the whole of a reality, reality, facts or history. They also often show dramatic
emotions even though they do not mean it. So they often referred to as “cold man”.
tendency to be smooth, engaging, charming, slick, and verbally facile. Some of the
quotations state about lying of Swango can be seen in the following quotations.
• Swango was cunning on his exams.
That didn’t deter Swango, however, from using his notes during the exam. He would choose one of the tests, take it, then choose his next test topic and sprint from the room back into the hallway. There he would frantically page through his notes and books, cramming for the second test. Then he would return, take that test, and repeat the process. His fellow students were dumbfounded, and some were disgruntled. Dashing into the hallway between tests seemed perilously close to cheating, though it wasn’t expressly forbidden. As the weeks went by and Swango continued the pattern, several students mentioned to him that they thought it wasn’t fair, but Swango was defiant, and continued his cramming. Inevitably, other students began to do likewise, which let to considerable faculty concern. Finally Chandra Banerjee, the first-year professor of pulmonary medicine, admonished his students: “Goddammit, no Swangoing.” A new word was coined. “Swangoing,” the noun, or “to Swango,” the verb, described the practice of racing into the hall and cramming between tests. (Blind Eye, 1999:22-23)
Swango is a cunning, because the word “cheating” that means about act in a
dishonest way in order to gain an advantage, especially in a game, a competition, an
exam, etc. So, we can conclude that Swango who ran into the corridor between the
two test times or called swangoing seemed to be approaching the act of cheating,
where cheating is the act of cunning, because cunning is an act that many bad sense;
clever trick; deceitful; cheating.
• Fabrication of documents
The word “embroider” above is to make Swango’s record more interesting by
adding details that are not always true. It is seen clearly that from the words “he
falsely claimed” author explains that Swango is full of lies and deception, because in
the quote above Swango fabricates his record that he claims he had received
appreciation as a Marine. Fabrication is an act dishonest or cunning because it has
same purpose as to trick other person, which is an action to invent false information
in order to trick people.
Given that he had spent a mere ten minutes with the patient, the carefully written report was perhaps too complete and polished, and it raised doubts in O’Connor’s mind. She visited the patient to inquire about Swango’s visit, and learned that the woman had barely talked to Swango. He hadn’t conducted any physical examination; he’d never even touched her.
Stunned, O’Connor concluded that in the entire three-page report was either a fabrication, a plagiarism from an earlier H&P by a resident, or a combination of the two. She had never encountered such behavior by a student.
……….
The faculty members were appalled and angry at Swango’s brazen misconduct and dishonesty, which very well might have posed of threat to a patient’s health… ( Blind Eye, 1999:49)
O’Connor reported this to the committee. She also testified about Swango’s performance in the OB/GYN rotation, detailing his frequent absence and presenting the evidence suggesting he had fabricated at least one patient’s history and physical, and perhaps others. (Blind Eye, 1999:51)
Swango also is accused of falsifying on the results of patient’s H&P. H&P is
a test in which the patient interview, recorded their medical history, perform a
routine physical examination, and enter the results in the patient chart. If we look the
quote above from the sentence “He hadn’t conducted any physical examination; he’d
never even touched her” shows that Swango don’t do H&P his patient, so it is
impossible that he can write his report was too complete and polished. Then there is
a possibility that Swango falsifying his patient’s report. This action is like an act
Dr. Schultz also checked with the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation, the body that had suspended Swango’s license, and learned that he had not, in fact, been convicted of battery because of any “altercation” in a restaurant, but had been convicted of six counts of poisoning. Dr. Schultz confirmed this is a phone conversation with the state’s attorney in Quincy.
………
Among the documents Swango provided was a prison discharge “fact sheet,” which explained the battery as a brawl. “Releasee struck a blow with his fist,” the document said. Similarly, a “docketing statement” contained this description of the case. ………
Scott Walden, the Adams County state’s attorney, immediately sent Schultz copies of Swango’s sentencing order and of the appellate court opinion rejecting his appeal. He also sent copies of the materials to Judge Cashman, urging that he, too, contact Schultz. In his note to Cashman, Walden wrote, ‘As you can see, Swango has gone to great lengths to cover-up what he has done−even to the point of falsifying documents.” (Blind Eye,
1999:158-160)
Miller was taken aback. So this was why such an attractive candidate had failed to gain a match. “What was all that about?” he asked, curious to know more.
Swango explained that he’d been convicted of battery in Illinois after a barroom brawl got out of hand. He said he hadn’t meant to injure any one, but that, having been a Marine, he sometimes forgot his own strength. (Blind Eye, 1999:205)
Swango who want to work as a doctor in Ohio Valley Medical Center in
Wheeling, West Virginia provide some documents, where Dr. Jeffrey S. Schultz is
head of medicine at the hospital to get the document liberation and prison in Illinois
medical license suspended. He is also seeking information about the document and
checks the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation. So he knows that content
of the document caused by attempt to murder by poison and it is not about crime/
persecution that started from contention in a restaurant. He finally ascertained that
Swango give false documents to an exemption from a prison that happened. From the
the point of falsifying documents” that statement of other character, Walden shows
us that Swango is a liar and deceiver.
Falsification of documents contains two meanings which acts make a false or
fake letter mail. Creating a false letter is to create a letter that is wholly or partly false
contents, while the fake letter was an act to change it in any way by those who are
not entitled to the letters that result part or all of its contents into another/ different
from the contents of the original letter. The act of forgery can be classified first in the
group of evil “deception”. Based on analysis above, the writer found that Swango is
falsifier who makes false documents on his appreciation as a Marine and falsifying H
& P his patient and the liberation of the prison.
• Manipulation of emotions
After reviewing his sterling record of accomplishments, Swango made an eloquent, almost tearful, plea that he be allowed to pay his debt to society. Citing his “faith in God” and “[the] support of my family and friends,” he said he was left with one overriding question: “What can I do, Judge Cashman… to convince you and show you that I still have a great wealth of good and caring to return to this society and that I should be allowed…to resume that service to society?
After graduation from medical school took the Hippocratic Oath and I have never nor would I ever violet the sacred trust of the doctor-patient relationship …. In no way, shape, or form, under no conceivable circumstance am I now, or have I ever been, or will I ever be, a danger to any human being on the face of this earth.” With that, Swango folded his notes and sat down. (Blind
Eye, 1999:142)
Cashman is a judge where he will lead the trial once the sentencing of
Michael Swango. Based on the above quote states that Swango plead and he does not
commit acts that violate the Hippocratic Oath. He shows dramatic emotions that
Cashman believes that he still cares for the people and does not violate the oath. His
engineering process by adding, concealment, removal or obfuscation against part or
the whole of a reality, reality, facts or history that they also often show dramatic
emotions even though they do not mean it.
• Swango did not acknowledge or lying that he had been poisoned his patients
and friends.
In novel Blind Eye, many patients and several paramedics became Swango’s
victims by poison. One of his patients is Mrs. Cooper. We can see two quotes below.
Freeman returned to the ninth floor, where Swango was still on duty, and confronted him with the allegation that he had given Cooper an injection. Swango denied that he had even been in cooper’s room after the doctors finished their rounds. Later, after hearing more reports from nurses, Freeman again asked Swango if he was sure he had never been in the room. Swango repeated that he had had no contact with Cooper. As Freeman later put it, “I confronted him and did question him and he said he was not in the room. Nor did he see her just previous to the incident.” (Blind Eye, 1999:69)
Dr. Carey, too, spoke to Swango, mentioning that there had been an “incident report” concerning him that would need to be investigated. Unlike Goodman, Carey did ask Swango specifically whether he had “done anything” to Cooper or “injected anything in her IV.” Swango said no, but then volunteered a detailed account that differed sharply from his answers to Dr. Freeman the night before. He said that he had gone into Cooper’s room because either Cooper or Utz−Carey couldn’t remember which−had told him her feet were cold, and asked him to fetch her slippers. He did so and left immediately, without doing anything to an IV line.( Blind Eye, 1999:73)
According to the quotes above, from the sentences “I confronted him and did
question him and he said he was not in the room. Nor did he see her just previous to
the incident” that statement of Dr. Rees Freeman, a chief resident of neurosurgery
and “he had gone into Cooper’s room because either Cooper or Utz−Carey couldn’t
fact, Swango give an injection that contains the liquid into Mrs. Cooper's infusion.
The liquid is poison. When someone give different answer in the same question and
give lengthy reasons that it is signs of their lies. Swango give two versions are
different, making it difficult to find the truth. So it is possible elements lie in it.
Swango gives the different answer in order that people can believe and he want to
cover up his mistake which means there is something to hide with a lie. Body
language or gestures can also explain the person is lying or not. So the following is a
quote.
“What did you do, Mike, poison us?” joked Unmisig. Swango looked incredulous, sitting forward in his chair and shaking his head earnestly.
“No, I didn’t,” he replied, staring down at the floor as he said it. “You know I wouldn’t do anything like that.” He picked up the box with the remaining doughnuts, saying he was going to take them down to the nurses’ station. (Blind Eye, 1999:97)
In the quote, there is sentence as “No, I did not, he Replied, staring down at
the floor as he said it” means that Swango trying to avoid eye contact with Unmisig
by staring at the floor. If someone is doing a lie, so it will looked in her eyes. The
eyes of people who lie will not clear the direction of view.
• Using a fake name and age
Someone uses other name, identity, and age has a specific purpose for the
benefit of them with lying to other people. A liar has different reasons. In the first
and second quotes below, Swango uses false name. From the words in quotes below
“Kirk” or “Dr. Michael Kirk” that explain to reader that the other name of Swango
namely Dr. Michael Kirk. In the first quote Swango uses Kirk as his identity to
introduce himself for his first rotation in the Stony Brook Medical School and people
name in order to accept to work in the hospital and cover that he had a problem
previously. His purpose also is to make other people interested with him, because his
name like a name of the starship captain in Star Trek that is assigned to internal
medicine at the sprawling, modern Veterans Administration hospital in Northport,
Long Island.
For his first rotation, Swango−or Kirk, as he introduced himself to some people, Kirk being the name of the starship captain in Star Trek−was assigned to internal medicine at the sprawling, modern Veterans Administration hospital in Northport, Long Island, one of the two hospitals affiliated with the Stony Brook medical school. (Blind Eye, 1999:208)
After a brief consultation with a respiratory specialist, Harris was assigned to a resident. When Elsie Harris arrived, she found the doctor sitting attentively near his husband’s bed in the private room. He had blond hair, clear blue eyes, an athletic build, and abroad smile that Mrs. Harris found immediately reassuring. He introduced himself as Dr. Michael Kirk. (Blind Eye, 1999:215)
The gardener admitted Michael Swango through the front gates a few days later, on March 31, 1996, and O’Hare met him at the door. She noticed a tic, or squint, that seemed on affect his right eye. She looked around to see what kind of car he drove, but there was none in sight. He introduced himself as Michael Swan. (Blind Eye, 1999:259)
From the sentence above in the third quote “He introduced himself as
Michael Swan” shows us that Swango also uses false name to introduce himself to
O’Hare. Swango also lied about his age in order to attract the attention of his
interlocutors, namely Lorimer and O'Hare. Swango says to Lorimer that his age is
twenty seven years old. While with O’Hare, Swango admits his age is thirty five like
O’Hare’s daughter. The following are some excerpts stating that Swango used false
age.
medical school there. For his part, Swango said he, too, was twenty-seven years old. (In reality, he was now forty). (Blind Eye, 1999:228)
O’Hare invited him into the parlor, where the two sat down and Keredo served them tea. O’hare was immediately reassured when “Swan” told her he was a doctor, a profession that was not only eminently respectable but would assure her of steady rental payments. He said he had been working at Mpilo Hospital, and had come from America to help “uplift” the Africans, “to do his part for humanity.” She asked him his age, and he teasingly replied, “How old do you think I am?”
“Thirty-five,” O’Hare guessed.
“Oh no,” he answered, in mock indignation. “I’m twenty-seven.”
“That’s Paulette’s age,” O’Hare exclaimed, delighted that she would have someone her daughter’s age around the house. (Blind Eye, 1999:259)
4.2.3 Impulsivity
Impulsivity is a psychological term that indicates that individuals who
involved and entangled themselves in the form of reactions that are performed
without thought, so that they are not able to withstand to respond. They are not able
to suppress or control the desire itself in response to stimulus. They are unconscious
and put forward command of id or instinct. Impulsive of people or their behavior are
acting suddenly without thinking carefully about what might happen because of what
you are doing. The occurrence of behaviors that are unpremeditated and lack
reflection or planning, inability to resist temptation, frustrations, and urges, a lack of
deliberation without considering the consequences, and foolhardy, rash,
unpredictable, erratic, and reckless.
Swango’s impulsive is clearly expressed in the novel. It can we see his
behavior or action and when he interacts with his friends. Swango is not able to
control his interest with the car crashes and his emotion. He behaves or acts without
“With his postgraduate career seemingly secure, Swango all but gave up any pretense of interest in his medical studies and indulged his growing fascination with the car crashes and emergencies he encountered on the ambulance crew.”(Blind Eye, 1999:48)
Impulsive behavior of individual is usually characterized by not being able to
control his desire. Based on the above quote “indulged his growing fascination with
the car crashes and emergencies” author describes indirectly that Swango has
interesting in cases of collision and emergencies. From word “indulged” shows that
Swango is not able to control his interesting without thinking carefully about what
might happen that he almost ignors his career. From the sentence above “Swango all
but gave up any pretense of interest in his medical studies” explains about he is
nearly sacrificed his education.
Impulsive also a form of reaction without thinking carefully like reactions
gets angry because cannot control emotion and gives a threat and when asked the
reason, they give different reasons and unclear. The quote below in the novel blind
eye also shows that Swango act without thinking. The word “she” is Kristin Kinney,
a nurse and Swango’s girlfriend. She found fact about the poison recipes and asks an
explanation it. From sentence below “he reacted angrily, even threatening to leave
her” shows us that Swango responds with abundant emotion that can not control,
because he gives a threat in the form of threatening to leave Kristin.
Whenever she confided any of her own concerns to Michael− such as when she asked for an explanation for the poison recipes−he reacted angrily, even threatening to leave her. Every day, it seemed, she learned new fact that needed different and convoluted explanations. (Blind Eye, 1999:195)
prayer group at Bulawayo Central Presbyterian Church. When Lorimer asked Swango to watch his language, Swango seemed startled that he might have offended, and never again took the Lord’s name in vain in Lorimer’s presence. (Blind Eye, 1999:227-228)
Person or impulsive behavior, they speak without thinking carefully. As the
quote above where the author indirectly explains that Swango is impulsive. It is
showed by the word “blasphemed” that is a word to speak about God or holy things
of a particular religion in an offensive way. Swango likes to say it but Lorimer and
Cherly as devout Presbyterians don’t like it. The following quotation also refers to us
that Swango is impulsive because he insults African country.
He and the others were particularly offended by one of Swango’s comments to the effect that “as Africa was a jungle, syringes can be used repeatedly without harm.” Swango added, by way of example, that in the Congo”injections were used again and again.” (Blind Eye, 1999:239)
Some of the above explanation states that Swango is not careful in speech and
don’t think the consequences to other people. Swango statements as “as Africa was a
jungle, syringes can be used repeatedly without harm” and “injections were used
again and again” heard like a humiliation to Africa that make “he” as P.C. Chakarisa
that is a superintendent in Zimbabwe Republic police and his friend offended.
4.2.4 Irritability and Aggressive
Person that have poor behavioral controls, actually they will act such as
expressions of irritability, annoyance, impatience, threats, aggression, and verbal
abuse; inadequate control of anger and temper; acting hastily. Irritability is behavior
of person that can’t control their emotion. They feel so hard to control their emotion,
sometime their get aggressive. Aggressive is angry, and behaving in a threatening
threatening or violent behavior or a violent attack or threats by one person against
another person or by one country against another country. But aggression of person
also can threat themselves. In Blind Eye author directly describe the behavior
Swango quick-tempered and aggressive to himself and others that show by the
following quotations.
Aggressive to himself, means that self-injurious actions resulted by the
reaction of others or their greatest desire from within. In the novel, Swango always
does push-ups every criticism from others. It is a punishment that he charges for
himself, and is one of aggressive action. Not only that, he only spend very little time
for a break and then jump up, for the sake of his desire to be able to be in a long time
in America Ambulance, Springfield. This is due to his interest in the victims of a
collision, heart attack, and other serious crimes.
“……….. Whenever they criticized Swango – as they often did, because of his incompetence – Swango would immediately drop to the floor and begin a strenuous set of push-ups. He could do hundreds of them. It was almost as if he was still in the Marines, and this was his self-imposed punishment.”(Blind Eye, 1999:59)
Swango told fellow paramedics that he could maintain such a schedule because he subsisted on only two or three hours of sleep a night. Indeed, colleagues in the ambulance service were amazed that Swango would sleep only thirty minutes, then jump up and work for twelve hours straight, almost manic with energy. They’d never seen anything like it. (Blind Eye, 1999: 47)
Aggressive to other people, means a response to anger, disappointment,
feelings of resentment and anger provoke threats that can lead to violent behavior as
a way to fight back or punish the form of action to attack, destroy, to kill other
people. In Blind Eye, Swango has an aggressive nature to others using poison. The
nine-years-old widow who had had an operation that morning for a lower back
problem. She is dying after her infusion getting injections from Swango.
Swango had apparently responded to the call. He was standing at Cooper’s bedside, only about three feet from Beery, and the student noticed that he was adding something to Cooper’s intravenous tube by inserting a syringe. “Her line must have clotted off” was her only thought; she assumed Swango was clearing a blockage. Berry stepped outside to enter data on Utz’s chart. She was running late, and ready to move on to her next patient when, no more than two minutes later, she heard Utz call out, “Are you all right, Mrs. Cooper?” then Berry heard a violent rattling of bed rails, followed by Utz’s screams.
She rushed into the room. Utz cried out, “There’s something wrong!” Cooper was turning blue and had stopped breathing. (Blind Eye, 1999:65)
Swango also can poison his friends and girl friends. Swango poisons his
friends and girlfriend by food and drink that he has brought. This action shows
aggressive of Swango. The examples are Kentucky Fried Chicken to residents of the
Children’s Hospital and donut to Blessing Hospital’s Paramedics in the following
quotations.
Swango completed his general surgery rotation and in April moved to Children’s Hospital for his pediatrics rotation. Swango had often mentioned to his fellow interns and residents how much he loved fried chicken, and one night he offered to get Kentucky Fried Chicken for the residents on duty with him. Thomas Vara, the senior resident, said that wouid be fine, but suggested, “instead of getting separate boxes, why don’t you get a big bucket for all of us to eat?”
“No, no,” Swango said. “Let’s keep it separate,” He insisted on taking everyone’s chicken and drink order. He returned with the orders about five P.M.
………
Vara, Hashimoto, and a third resident, Douglas Hess, ate the chicken. About three hours later, all three fell violently ill, with fever, nausea, and vomiting that lasted over a week.
………
After all, Swango, too, had eaten Kentucky Fried Chicken. He hadn’t been sick at all. (Blind Eye, 1999:85-86)
Based on the quote above explains that Swango have put something that
it with separate boxes, he is not sick. His friends were poisoned with symptoms such
as fever, nausea, and vomiting. It is also happened to paramedics at the hospital
blessing, they also poisoned after eating doughnuts that Swango brought. He doesn’t
take the doughnut, because he has put something into it so that it looks as if it had
melted slightly.
“I got you guys a bunch of doughnuts,” Swango said as he put the box on the table. Krzystofczyk took a doughnut, as did the three other paramedics in the room that morning. But Swango didn’t take one; he sat down near the TV.
………
The doughnut tasted okay, though the icing on it looked as if it had melted slightly, maybe from exposure to heat.
……….
About a half-hour later, one of the paramedics began to feel nauseated, flushed, dizzy, and had to rush to the bathroom to vomit. Within another fifteen minutes all four who had eaten the doughnuts were ill with similar symptoms. (Blind Eye, 1999:97)
In Blind Eye, Swango is able to poison his girlfriends, Kristin Kenney and
Joanna Daly. Kristin Kinney is a nurse in the intensive care unit at Riverside hospital
where place Swango enrolled in an advanced life-support course during the summer
of 1991. They became engaged in May 1992. Swango give poison to Kristin, because
of the anxiety that could provoke Swango’s anger because Kristin asked for an
explanation of the recipes in the poison that she found. The following quotation
shows us about Kristin’s symptoms of poisoning.
Then, on January 13, Kristin became violently ill in the lobby of a local clinic. She experienced intense nausea, headache, and disorientation, and she passed out when she got home. These are the classic symptoms of arsenic poisoning. (Blind Eye, 1999:195)
Joanna Daly is Swango’s girlfriend in Newton West, Zimbabwe. Daly is a
widow who has four boys. In Blind Eye Swango has poisoned Daly’s children and
in the novel Blind Eye. His anger makes him to aggressive to Daly. He gives Daly a
cup of tea that content poison. And Daly feels the same symptoms as Kristin.
Swango’s name still wasn’t mentioned, but Joanna knew it was he, and she raised the subject of the continuing press coverage. “People just don’t write all these stories out of nothing,” she told him. “You must have done something.”
Swango seemed shocked and annoyed at her suggestion. “No, no,” he insisted. “They’re just causing trouble. It’s a nuisance. People are always hassling me.”
“Are you sure?” she persisted. “You’re not lying, are you?” “No, no, no,” he repeated, shaking his head emphatically.
Although she had questioned him, Daly didn’t doubt Swango. She trusted her intuition and her feelings, which told her he couldn’t be guilty of murder, or a danger to anyone else. The first week of August, all four of Daly’s children fell ill with nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. (Blind Eye, 1999:271)
Swango brought Daly the tea, and she sat down and drank at least half of it, perhaps more. Then she went into the kitchen to begin preparing dinner. But after about ten minutes, she suffered a sudden attack of nausea. “Excuse me,” she said to Swango as she rushed to the bathroom and vomited. Then she lay down on the bed, weak and disoriented. (Blind Eye, 1999:272)
Irritability is an attitude that comes from a lack of self control to changes in
emotions and uncomfortable condition. As excerpt below, Swango who feel
uncomfortable with Sharon on the condition of his speech has to petulant manner
screaming.
Suddenly, all that changed. On April 22, Swango showed up in Virginia and moved in with Kristin. They came over to see the Coopers the next day. Al was out, and Sharon greeted him at the front door. Swango looked as if he’d gained some weight, which surprised Sharon, since he’d always been so determinedly trim and fit. “You look like you’ve put on a few pounds,” she said.
Swango nearly went berserk, ranting and pacing rapidly back and forth in the living room. “I don’t know why you say these things about me!” he shouted, proceeding to denounce her treatment of him.”(Blind Eye, 1999:203-204)
Irresponsible actions of the person is not thinking enough about the effects of
what they do; not showing a feeling of responsibility. An antisocial so will not weigh
the merits reward will be acquired later. They are not concerned with what will
happen in the future. When his actions harm others, they will dodge and evade
responsibility. As mentioned before Swango had poisoned his Patients, Paramedics,
and girlfriend, but he did not show a responsible attitude even deny it. He did not
think of that would be for his actions.
An antisocial also is repeated failure to fulfill or honor obligations and
commitments; such as not paying bills, defaulting on loans, performing sloppy work,
being absent or late to work, failing to honor contractual agreements.
She later confided that she realized almost immediately after marrying Swango that she had made a terrible mistake. Despite his years of purported devotion, he now showed scant interest−either romantic or sexual−in her. He wouldn’t sleep in the same bed, and lived almost entirely in one room of the apartment, its den. He was constantly working on his computer and ignored Rita. She also complained that he stole money from her account and refused to contribute any of his earnings toward household expenses. (Blind Eye, 1999:157)
In the above quotation, the word “she” is Rita Dumais, Swango wife. From
the sentence “She also complained that he stole money from her account and refused
to contribute any of his earnings toward household expenses” explain that Swango
shows irresponsibility on duty as a husband; do not give some of income to meet
household needs and the words “scant interest-romantic or sexual” and “He wouldn’t
sleep in the same bed” shows us that Swango does no sexual interest with his wife in
the form of a waiver to not sleep in the same bed with her.
Lack of Remorse or Guilt is a lack of feelings or concern for the losses, pain,
and suffering of victims; a tendency to be unconcerned, dispassionate, coldhearted,
and un-empathic. This item is usually demonstrated by a disdain for one’s victims.
Lack of sympathy and empathy is the cruelest nature that is owned by people
antisocial. They do not care how loss and grief of others caused by their action
because the most important is the sheer satisfaction.
“………..
When Effie Walls, a kindly patient whom Rosenthal had met, and whom Swango had been treating for an injury, died suddenly after a visit from Swango, he scrawled “DIED” over her name as well. Rosenthal went up to Swango and asked him why he did such a thing. “Don’t you feel bad that she died?”
Swango gave Rosenthal a blank look, “No,” he replied. “That’s just what happens.”
It happened often with Swango………..”(Blind
Eye, 1999:33)
In Blind Eye, many behaviors Swango that shows a lack of empathy and
remorse for the actions he did. From some of the quote above, the sentence “he
scrawled “died” over her name as well” Rosenthal feels that Swango as he is
celebrating the death and seeking attention for it. Rosenthal feel Swango not have a
sense of empathy for the death of the patient.
“Already on probation there because his violent outbursts, Swango had responded to an emergency call in Rochester, Illinois, a small town close to Springfield. The patient, gasping for air and in acute pain, was suffering a heart attack. Swango’s instructions were to administer any emergency treatment called for and then transport him in the ambulance to the nearest hospital. Instead, he made the patient walk to his own car and told the family to drive him to the hospital themselves.”(Blind Eye, 1999:57)
Swango who are in charge of emergency aid requested and bring the patient
to the nearest hospital in America Ambulance shirking its duty by neglecting his
walk to his own car and told the family to drive him to the hospital themselves” in
Blind Eye indirectly show that Swango who does not have sympathy. He is not
concerned with the state of the patient. Not only that Swango also does not have a
sense of guilt for not helping Ritchie when she helps patients with Code Blue
(Generally used to indicate a patient requiring resuscitation or otherwise in need of
immediate medical attention, most often as the result of a respiratory or cardiac
arrest) instead comment on what is done by Ritchie is very disgusting. Swango’s lack
of guilt is shown in the novel when he watched Ritchie that tried to help Barrick.
“Ritchie was stunned. Barrick had turned blue. She gave one terrifying shudder and gasp, then stopped breathing. Ritchie screamed “Code Blue! Code Blue!” then began mouth to mouth resuscitation, desperately trying to get breath into Barrick’s lungs. She looked up and saw Dr. Swango coolly watching her or the patient. “That is so disgusting,” Swango said of her efforts at mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, his voice tinged with contempt. Still in shock, Ritchie stared at him in disbelief. “You jerk!”she shouted, before returning frantically to the patient.”( Blind Eye, 1999:63)
The sentence “He leaned back and put his foot on the table” in the excerpt
below show that Swango is people who feel powerful or someone mastery over his
environment. It does not currently, Popko lost his daughter who died, but Swango
shows like having power over his daughter’s death and Swango like no feelings.
On the afternoon of February 20, Mary Popko came to visit her twenty-two-year-old daughter, Anna Mae, who had undergone intestinal surgery for a deformed bowel. She has sitting with her daughter when Swango asked her to leave the room so he could give Anna Mae an injection to raise her blood pressure. Popko asked to remain so she could hold her daughter’s hand. Swango refused, and she reluctantly left the room. Later that afternoon, Swango summoned Popko to a small conference room. He leaned back and put his feet on the table. “She’s dead now,” Swango said of Popko’s daughter. “You can go look at her.”
his ego or something,” she said of her daughter’s death. “He just seemed so happy. (Blind Eye, 1999:85)
4.2.7 Repeatedly Violation of Law or Norms
An antisocial is usually less obedient to social norms and the rule of law,
shown by the behavior or illegal conduct or norms. They often do not comply with
the norm, then the frequent social deviations and also do activities or work that is
contrary to the law such as lying, manipulation, aggressive, and crimes such as
poisoning or killing.
Based on some explanation Swango’s negative character above, such
dishonesty, lie repeated using another name/ cheats, manipulative and underhanded,
impulsivity, irritability and aggressive form of poison colleague and his girlfriend
and killing his patients by poison, consistent irresponsibility, and lack of remorse or
guilt and empathy included in the act of violating the norms and laws.
Not only was outside employment during the first year frowned upon (Rosenthal had to get permission from the dean to teach a Sunday school class in Carbondale), but Swango was commuting to a city one hundred miles away. And his violation of the anti moonlighting policy was particularly brazen, for the Springfield hospitals the ambulances served were affiliated with SIU and staffed with many SIU residents and professors. (Blind Eye, 1999:29)
From the quotation above, the author explains directly that Swango commit violation
of the anti-moonlighting. The anti moonlighting is opposed to have a second job that
you do secretly. Conducting a policy violation is one violation of regulations set by
4.2.8 Obsessed with Violent Death
Obsessions are thoughts, encouragement, or a picture repeatedly and
persistently disturbing, pressing and recognized as something excessive and
unreasonable, although it is a product of the mind is concerned. Obsessed with
violent death is something that makes no sense or is called Obsession abnormal.
Someone who is obsessed with heinous murder entered into impulsive obsession
because of the obsession which individual always shrouded by thoughts of deeds
cruel and disgusting. In the novel author also expressed abnormal obsession Swango.
His obsessions are abnormal fascination with Articles and books about violent death
and serial killer. According to Oxford “fascination” is a very strong attraction that
makes something very interesting. So, According to Swango, something like serial
killer and violent death are very interesting.
• Some of the quotations states about Swango’s fascination with articles and books about violent death
Working with America Ambulance in Springfield brought Swango into regular contact with victims of car crashes, heart attacks, and violent crime. His fellow paramedics, many of whom thought highly of his work, nonetheless noted his unusual fascination with violent death, and were familiar with the scrapbooks. They often saw him cutting out the articles while waiting for an ambulance call. (Blind Eye, 1999:47)
The report continued, “Detectives also observed numerous newspapers and various scrapbooks etc. The suspect appears to have been collecting information on disasters, car accidents, and even newspaper clippings in regards to the Tylenol murders in Chicago, Ill. area.”
entire city’s population. The Healer is a nonfiction account of the 1975 fatal injection of his wife with Demerol by Charles Friedgood, a Long Island surgeon. According to its jacket copy, it is “a fascinating psychological study of a physician-murderer. (Blind Eye, 1999:104)
• Some of the quotations states about Swango’s fascination with serial killer like Ted Bundy and John Reginald Christie.
Ted Bundy was a former law student who allegedly killed nineteen women,
culminating in the murders of two Chi Omega sorority women at University of
Florida in 1978. John Reginald Christie was a British serial killer active during the
1940s and early 1950s. He murders at least eight women and including his wife,
Ethel by strangling them in his flat at 10 Rillington Place, Notting Hill, London.
Christie moved out of Rillington Place during March 1953, and soon afterward the
bodies of three of his victims were discovered hidden in an alcove in the kitchen. His
wife’s body is found beneath the floorboards of the front room. Christie is arrested
and convicted of his wife’s murder, for which he is hanged.
Then there was his fascination with Ted Bundy. When Swango heard that a miniseries on Bundy’s life was going to air on Zimbabwean television, he insisted on watching and taping it on Daly’s VCR. Swango was riveted to the screen. He told Daly that he loved Bundy. (Blind Eye, 1999:268)
He seemed almost as fascinated by the story of English serial killer John Reginald Christie, who was convicted of murdering eight people, including his wife and a baby, over ten years ending in 1953. (Blind Eye, 1999:273)
4.2.9 Disorder Personality Before 15 Years
Early behavior problems is a variety of behaviors prior to age 13, including
lying, theft, cheating, vandalism, bullying, sexual activity, fire-setting, glue-sniffing,
Michael had had a fascination for articles about violent death since childhood, when he began clipping National Enquirer articles. He dutifully clipped articles and photographs and entered them into an ever-expanding library scrapbooks, which probably explains why his classmates at Millikin noticed an interest in car crashes. Sometimes, when he was busy, his mother clipped and pasted the articles into the books for him, Ruth Miller thought this peculiar; she once asked Muriel just shrugged and said that Michael had asked her to clip and save anything about violent death. “Mike likes to keep up on these things,” she explained, presumably in connection with his work in emergency medicine. (Blind Eye, 1999:46)
The quote above states that Swango’s habit has interest with violent death
strongly. The negative habit has been there since he was a child. The habit is also an
issue at the beginning of life and a personality disorder because Swango’s behavior is
unusual and differs significantly from an average person.
4.3The Causes of Michael Swango’s Antisocial Personality Disorder
Someone has personality disorder, it is of course having the causes or factors
that the disorder can shaped. After read the novel Blind Eye: The Terrifying Story of
a Doctor Who Got Away with Murder by James B Stewart, the following the causes
of Swango’s Antisocial Personality Disorder that writer found.
4.3.1 The Existence of A Mental Disorder
Actually, the experts do not classify a person with Antisocial Personality
Disorder as a form of mental disorder, because the individuals had normal
intellectual but has an abnormal personality. Likewise with Dr. Michael Swango is
very talented. He is Able to master the academic and non-academic. But he has an
obsession with violent death and serial killer who is an abnormal personality.
And he showed an intense interest in photos in the local paper of car crashes, which his classmates found peculiar. (Blind Eye, 1999:25-26)
4.3.2 Heredity Factor
Heredity factors are among the factors that affect the formation of one’s
personality. Swango’s fascination with articles and books about violent death and
clipped that like his father, that can we see the quote bellow.
AFTER Virgil’s funeral, Muriel discovered a box of books and papers that had belonged to her husband, and in it she found a scrapbook of articles and photographs of violent death. Knowing he would be interested, Muriel later gave the scrapbook to Michael. “I guess my dad wasn’t such a bad guy after all,” he said. (Blind Eye, 1999:46)
Hereditary factors contribute to hospitality, compulsive behaviors (imposed),
and ease in social interaction. Swango does not have a friendly nature to other people
who came to visit. This unkindness is revealed by his mother who was also not
friendly towards others. This resulted in the inhospitable tendencies to experience
social isolation well on their own. Social isolation is a state of loneliness experienced
by a person because of other people expressing negative and threatening. This
situation makes people withdraw from their social environment of Conduct withdrew
an attempt to avoid interaction with others, avoid contact with others. The behavior
also includes asocial behavior and introvert experienced Swango.
Once when relatives were visiting the Swango home, some from out of town, Michael entered the living room, looked them over briefly, then went to his room without so much as saying hello. (Blind Eye, 1999:44)
At the sime time, Muriel was oddly distant emotionally. (Blind
4.3.3 Environmental Factor
The environment is very large factor in the formation and development of a
person’s personality. According to Black states that basically heredity (genetic)
influence, but environmental factor that contributes to its development. Most people
may have genes that make them vulnerable to develop antisocial personality disorder
which is then catalyzed by the environment that triggers development.
An unhealthy environment can lead to personality disorders. Strong
environmental pressure can lead to stress individual. A child has a family history
messy and filled with experiences of violence, likely to have a personality disorder in
the future.
The family is the first social environment that gives enormous influence for
the formation and development of the child’s personality. At the start of family, the
child started to move to interact, discover the nature, attitude and the ability to
distinguish the various objects in the environment. The role of the family in shaping
and developing the child's personality can be seen from the parenting of parents.
Parenting includes interactions between parents and children in the fulfillment of
physical and psychological needs. Diana Baumrind identified four parenting styles:
authoritative, authoritarian, permissive-indulgent and permissive-uninvolved.
Authoritarian parenting is a style restrict and punish that requires children to follow
the commands of parents and respect the work and effort. Authoritarian parents set
firm limits and does not provide a great opportunity to the children to talk.
living at Fort Benning, he trained them to march in formation, salute, and execute military commands. Whenever visitors came to the spacious house reserved for the family because of John Virgil’s rank as an officer, he put the boys through their paces, then dismissed them. He also enforced a disciplinary code derived from the military principle that an officer is responsible for the conduct of those he commands. In the Swango household, this meant that the oldest child was responsible for his younger brothers, so Bob was punished whenever Michael or John misbehaved. (Dick, Muriel’s oldest son from her prior marriage, had left to live with his father, in part to escape the rigors of life with Virgil.) But the actual punishment was usually delegated to Muriel, except on a few occasions−such as the time Bob stole $10 from his father, or when he referred to an officer named Maloney as Baloney−when Virgil whipped Bob with a belt. Michael, on the other hand, was never subject to corporal punishment, not was John. Still, all the boys were afraid of their father. (Blind Eye, 1999:37)
Based on quotations above in Blind Eye, authoritarian parenting apply to the
Dr. Michael Swango when he is child, he fails to pass the oedipal phase transfer.
Oedipal transfer is the dearth of affection from one parent that causes the loss of a
sense of empathy in children. In this case Dr. Michael Swango has lack of affection
from his father, John Virgil U.S. Swango is a career Army officer who served in the
Vietnam War who rarely came home and often carry out the implementation of rules
and harsh military style discipline to their children without any communication
warm. He becomes stern and stiff that it is difficult to express love and affection. In
Swango home oldest child must be responsible for his younger brothers and if there
is a fault then it should receive corporal punishment in the form of lashes. Parenting
like this makes Virgil’s children feel frightened of him. As a result of this
upbringing, Swango becomes a person who lacks the ability to empathize and like to
break the norm. In contrast to Virgil, Muriel Swango spends more time with her
Michael is smarter than other children. The following are quotations that show
Muriel’s attention:
Muriel had always favored Michael over the boys, and she did so now, too. The attention galled Bob, who had long, unkempt hair, had never graduated from college, and still look like a hippie. (Blind Eye, 1999:35)
Michael’s aunts, Louise Scharf and Ruth Miller, and other relatives were concerned about Muriel’s blatant favoritism toward Michael. But she always defended it, saying Michel was much smarter than the other boys, was gifted, and needed special attention. Louise and Ruth disagreed. Michael was undeniably smart and talented, but so were Bob and John. Virgil’s sister thought Michael was arrogant and rude, in part because he was spoiled by his mother. (Blind Eye, 1999:43-44)
An individual who has always loved and cared more than the other brother by
one or both of their parents, will give a negative impact to the individual will have a
personality that is arrogant and rude. In the quote above also found a pattern of
assessment is too high (overvaluing) by his mother, thus for making Swango evaluate
pride with high standards do not correspond to reality. Swango’s behavior in the
novel is Swango’s cunning in examinations for its own sake, recognize award
winning Marine Corps, and manipulating his appearance to make it look attractive.
The development of personality disorder of Swango influenced by his family,
where Virgil is a figure who lost physically and emotionally because he choose
distant and indifferent to his family (p.36-37) and Muriel are difficult to express
physical affection to children son. Physical touch shows the quality of a bond of
love.
