ABSTRACT
Dalam Tugas Akhir ini saya menganalisis elemen penokohan dari novel
APPENDICES
Synopsis of Pride and Prejudice
Elizabeth Bennet is the second of five daughters of Mr Bennet - a country gentleman living in Longbourn, and his wife. Having five unmarried daughters
and no son to be the heir of his husband’s inheritance, Mrs Bennet is eager to find
eligible and wealthy husbands for her daughters. When a well-off young gentleman named Charles Bingley has rented Netherfield Park, a grand house in the local area, Mrs Bennet sees it as an opportunity for one of her daughters to obtain a wealthy spouse. Much to her delight, Bingley sets his eyes on Jane, the eldest of Bennet sisters. Lizzy, on the other hand, finds Mr Darcy – a friend of Bingley – an arrogant and conceited man. Lizzy’s dislike of him increases when
she finds out that Darcy is the man behind Bingley and Jane’s separation, in
completely, and she is indeed in love with him. It is not until Lady Catherine – Hall, she and her young son, Arthur, become the talk of the small village. Gilbert
Markham, a young local farmer, soon finds himself enchanted by Helen’s charms.
Gilbert refuses to believe any scandalous rumours about Helen. However, owing
to the artful Eliza Millward, Gilbert’s former love interest, he is led to believe that
Frederick Lawrence is courting Helen and might be in fact, the father of Arthur on account of their resemblance. Urged by his feelings, Gilbert proposes to Helen, which she turns down. Instead of explaining the reason of her refusal, Helen gives Gilbert her diary. On reading this, Gilbert finds out that Helen is actually Mrs Helen Huntingdon, the wife of Arthur Huntingdon, the lord of Grassdale Manor. The diary tells the accounts of their marriage and the degradation of Huntingdon due to his alcoholic and debauchery lifestyle. Huntingdon’s corruption of their son
– encouraging little Arthur to drink and swear – is the final straw for Helen. Helen
gravely-ill husband, who soon passes away. A year later, when Gilbert hears a rumour about Helen’s impending wedding, he goes to Grassdale only to find that
it is Frederick who marries Esther Hargrave, Helen’s friend. He also finds out that
Helen is now the heiress of her late uncle and lives at her estate in Staningley. Gilbert, despite being aware of their different social status and rank, confesses his unaltered love to Helen. The two marry in the next summer and live happily at Staningley.
Biography of Jane Austen
Jane Austen was born at Stevenson Rectory, Hampshire, England on 16 December 1775. She was the seventh child (out of eight) and the second daughter (out of two) of Reverend George Austen and his wife, Cassandra. At their young age, Austen and her siblings had been encouraged to read from their father’s extensive library. In order to acquire a more formal education, Austen and her only sister, also named Cassandra, were sent to Abbey School in Reading. However, owing to financial constraints, Austen and her sister returned home after a short period of time and received education at home, guided by their father and older brothers, James and Henry. Austen began writing at a young age, but her first novel, Sense and Sensibility, did not appear until 1811. The novel gained favourable reviews and provided Austen with some financial independence, although it was pseudonymously published. Her second novel, Pride and Prejudice, was published in 1813 and received critical acclaims. Her other works,
Mansfield Park (1814) and Emma (1815) were also quite a success. In 1816,
Austen’s health was declining; yet, she still continued working. Subsequently,
age of 41 in Winchester. A retrospective analysis of her symptoms, published today, suggests that she may have died of tuberculosis. By the effort of Henry and Cassandra, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion were published posthumously in 1818 with a preface by Henry, unveiling Austen as the author who was then still nameless to the world. Until today, Austen is still regarded as one of the world renowned authors whose timeless works have earned her a place as one of the most widely read authors in English literature.
Source: “Jane Austen Biography”, “Jane Austen’s Biography : Life (1775-1817)
and Family”, Bowcott
Biography of Anne Brontë
Anne Brontë was born in Yorkshire, England on 17 January 1820. She was the youngest child (out of six) of Patrick Brontë – an Irish clergyman – and his wife, Maria. Anne and her siblings had been brought up by their father and aunt
since their mother’s death in 1821. The unexpected deaths caused by consumption
of the two eldest Brontës – Maria and Elizabeth – while attending school in 1825, distressed the family so that their father decided to educate the children at home.
Their father’s well-stocked library was a source of knowledge for the Brontës
children which fed their imagination and later became the apprenticeship for their literary talents. Anne received her formal education at Miss Margaret Wooler’s boarding school. After leaving school, a 19-year-old Anne became a governess in order to earn a living. The traumatic and tiresome experiences while being a governess at Blake Hall were depicted in her first novel, Agnes Grey (1847).
Anne’s notable work is her second novel, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, published
Charlotte and Emily – under the pseudonyms of Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell, the initials of which were the same as theirs, published Poems by Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell in 1846. In 1848, following the deaths of her brother Branwell and her sister Emily, Anne fell ill. In May 1849, when visiting Scarborough, Anne’s physical health was gradually declining. She died of pulmonary tuberculosis on 28 May 1849, at the age of 29.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
The nineteenth century society in England was divided into three major classes. They were the aristocrats; the middle class, which was divided into upper-middle class and lower-upper-middle class; and the lower class, which was divided into the working class and the poor. During that time, the middle class people were the largest population. (“19th Century England Social Hierarchy”)
Besides the class division in the society, there was also a distinction between men and women. The women in the nineteenth century England were stereotyped as weak, passive, timid, illogical, dependent, emotional, susceptible to madness or hysteria, and unable to resist temptation. These traits are the opposite of men’s, following the thought that men and women were contrary to one
to these ideals were ostracized and deemed to have "unsexed" themselves. (“Women in the Nineteenth Century”) Women’s roles were limited to the
domestic sphere, meaning that their business only revolved around managing the household. They were “expected to be primarily responsible for housework and childcare” (“Gender in the Proceedings”).
From the information mentioned above, it is known how women were treated and expected to behave during the nineteenth century. This notion mainly affected the middle class women as they were the largest subject in the society. However, the protagonists of the two novels I have chosen are considered to have some characteristics that were unusual for young middle class women during that time. Both the protagonists lived at the first half of nineteenth century when women – mostly the young middle class ones – received unfair treatment from the society; still, they managed to maintain their characteristics.
One of the novels I have chosen to analyze is written by Jane Austen. Austen is an English novelist who has earned her place as one of the most well-known authors through her novels. Most of Austen’s novels depict the lives of the
early nineteenth century women. Austen is praised for her social observation towards the patriarchal society at that time. Austen’s second novel, Pride and
Prejudice, which was published in 1813, is “an unputdownable read” (Lambert). Austen “manages her characters with a master’s touch” (Thornley & Roberts
116). Anthony Trollope, one of the most successful English novelists of the Victorian era, praised that “Miss Austen was surely a great novelist. What she did, she did perfectly” (“Jane Austen’s Art and Her Literary Reputation”).
“as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print” (Bilger & Greenfield), Austen
criticizes the society during the first half of the nineteenth century, in which young middle class women are not considerably in favourable position.
Another author who also gives insight into the lives of the nineteenth century women is Anne Brontë. She also gives the readers a view into young middle class women’s life in the first half of the nineteenth century. Through her notable novel published in 1848, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, which “should be
credited for its bravery in including elements that stand out as protesting the male-dominated values of the society” (Narter), Brontë refers to certain errors of the
society. The protagonist of this novel is a married woman named Helen, who flees from her profligate and alcoholic husband with her young son. At that time, even a married woman was not in better estate because “women who held property of any kind were required to give up all rights to it to their husbands on marriage” (“Marriage: Property and Children”). In addition, at that time it was difficult for a
woman to obtain a divorce even if her husband was not faithful or treated her badly (“19th Century Marriage”).
Although this novel received some harsh criticisms because it contained some issues which were considered inappropriate to be displayed openly at that time, it also gained a success throughout England and America. The protagonist in this novel remains as a fascinating character for “Helen’s transgressing the society
standards is not only constrained to words; she also actsaccordingly” (Narter).
and have some traits that challenge the social conventions at their times. Since protagonist is “the central character in a literary work” (Perrine 44), I believe that
protagonist plays an important role in a novel. Thus, by analysing the protagonists, I expect to reveal the authors’ purpose of creating the characters.
Since the two novels are considered social criticism I believe the strength of such characters will be best revealed using sociological approach. According to the article “Critical Approaches to Literature”, X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia
explain that sociological approach “examines literature in the cultural, economic
and political context in which it is written or received.” It also explores the relationship between the artist and society and sometimes, in order to understand the author’s literary works better, this approach examines the artist’s society;
other times, it may examine the representation of such societal elements within the literature itself. (“Critical Approaches to Literature”) By using this approach, I
hope the readers can understand why both the protagonists are considered different from other young middle class women in their times. The approach will give the readers some explanation about the customs at that time that were thought of as important. By using this approach, I also hope to reveal the authors’
purpose of creating the protagonists.
Statement of the Problem
The problems I am going to discuss in this thesis are: 1. How is the protagonist portrayed in each novel?
Purpose of the Study
Based on the problems above, the purposes of this study are: 1. To show how the protagonist is portrayed in the story.
2. To show the authors’ purpose of creating such characters.
Method of Research
The method I use in writing my thesis is library research. I begin the study by reading the primary texts, which are Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Anne Brontë’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Then I read some references from the Internet and books that are relevant to the topic to support my analysis. The information and the knowledge that I have gathered are then used to analyse the texts. Finally, I draw a conclusion from the research I have done.
Organization of the Thesis
This thesis consists of four chapters, preceded by the Table of Contents and the Abstract. Chapter One is the Introduction, which consists of the Background of the Study, the Statement of the Problem, the Purpose of the Study, the Method of Research, and the Organization of the Thesis. Chapter Two is the discussion on the portrayal of the protagonist of Jane Austen’s Pride and
CHAPTER FOUR
CONCLUSION
After having discussed the two novels in the previous chapters, I have come to some conclusions which will be discussed in this chapter.
In Pride and Prejudice, Austen portrays the protagonist to have different characteristics from the stereotypes of women during the first half of the nineteenth century that mainly affected the young middle class women. Lizzy is portrayed as a rational, incompliant, outspoken and persistent woman. All these characteristics are proven from the events in the novel. Her being rational is proven by her family. Her incompliance can be seen when she gives opinions that are against the societal customs at that time. Her being outspoken can be seen when she is having a conversation with Lady Catherine. Lizzy says her opinion regarding the custom at that time and the reason why she thinks it is not a good idea. Lastly, her persistence can be seen when she refuses two marriage offers because she does not love the suitors.
Brontë also portrays the protagonist differently from the commonly believed and accepted stereotypes of women that influenced young women from middle class. Helen is portrayed as a strong-minded, brave, independent and incompliant woman. Her strong-minded characteristic is shown when she does not change her decision of not marrying someone she does not love even that someone is an eligible gentleman. Her being brave is clearly seen when Helen – who is now married to Arthur Huntingdon and has a son – decides to leave her husband in order to protect her son from the bad influence of his father. Her independence is proven by the fact that she manages to make a living by selling her paintings instead of relying on someone else. Lastly, her being incompliant is stated by Arthur’s friend, Mr Hattersley and Arthur himself.
Brontë show the readers how women were treated and stereotyped during the first half of the nineteenth century, yet, both of them created the protagonists that are against the stereotypes to convey their ideas of how a woman should react to the treatment.
Although the two novels have some similarities, there are also some differences. One of the differences between both of the protagonists that I can find is their marital status. Lizzy is portrayed as a single woman whereas Helen is portrayed as a married woman. The different marital status leads to an effect which influences one of the protagonists. That is one of the protagonist is more lively and cheerful than the other. I think that is because this protagonist is still a single woman while the other is more serious and quiet because she is a married woman. I also think that the authors have deliberately created their protagonists this way because the authors want to focus on particular aspect. Austen puts her focus on the life of single woman in the first half of nineteenth century while Brontë focuses on the life of a married one. Regardless the different marital status of the protagonists, both of the authors eventually show the readers that women still received the same treatment even that it was generally believed that a marriage would result in a better life for a woman.
I find that the purpose of the authors to encourage women is accomplished through the portrayal of both the protagonists. Both of the protagonists represent women who lived at the time when they were believed to be inferior and stereotyped as the opposite of men’s good traits; yet, both of the protagonists
will get encouragement to be themselves rather than forcing themselves to be ideal women according to society. I also hope they will understand that society can sometimes be wrong for labelling people based on gender. Women can also be happy even if they think, act and behave differently, as long as it is still in a good way, from the societal expectations.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Texts:
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. London : HarperCollins Publishers, 2010. Print.
Brontë, Anne. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. London : HarperCollins Publishers, 2011. Print.
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