CAROLINA, NOVITA. The Diminishing hf Main Character’s Ethnhcentrism as the Effect hf Vietnam War as Seen in Vincent Lam’s The Headeaster’s Wager. Yogyakarta: Department oo English Letters, Faculty oo Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2015.
This study discusses Vincent Lames novel The Headmaster’s Wager. This novel told Percival, a Chinese immigrant who lives in Vietnam. He is very proud oo his heritage because he always believes Chinese as the best culture. Thereby, it can be assumed that he is an ethnocentric person. The novel takes Vietnam War as the background. The situation makes Percivales ethnocentrism diminished. To go deeper, the writer chooses to analyze the diminishing oo Percivales ethnocentrism as the eooect oo Vietnam War.
There are two problems analyzed in this study. First problem is the main characteres ethnocentrism which is revealed in the novel. Second problem is the eooect oo Vietnam War that changes main characteres ethnocentrism.
This study uses the theory oo character and characterization by Roberts and Jacobs, and M.J. Murphy, theory oo ethnocentrism by Horton and Hunts, and Broom and Selznick, the theory oo relationship between literature and society by Wellek and Warren, and Rohrberger and Woods, and the last is the history oo Vitnam War and its eooect to Hoa by Herring, Pan and Lyons. In this study, the writer applies the library research method and uses the sociocultural-historical approach. The approach is chosen because this study examines the Vietnam War that aooected the main character.
CAROLINA, NOVITA. The Diminishing hf Main Character’s Ethnhcentrism as the Effect hf Vietnam War as Seen in Vincent Lam’s The Headeaster’s Wager. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2015.
Skripsi ini membahas sebuah novel berjudul The Headmaster’s Wager, karya Vincent Lam. Novel ini menceritakan seorang tokoh bernama Percival. Dia adalah perantauan Cina yang tinggal di Vietnam. Dia sangat bangga terhadap sukunya karena dia percaya bahwa Cina adalah kebudayaan terbaik. Oleh karena itu, Percival bisa diasumsikan sebagai seorang yang etnosentris. Pada masa itu, Vietnam dalam masa peperangan. Situasi ini membuat melemahnya sikap etnosentris dalam diri Percival. Untuk mengetahui lebih dalam, penulis memilih untuk menganalisa proses berkurangnya etnosentris dalam diri Percival sebagai akibat dari Perang Vietnam.
Ada dua masalah yang dianalisa dalam skripsi ini. Masalah pertama adalah sioat etnosentris yang dimiliki tokoh utama yang nampak di dalam novel. Kedua adalah pengaruh Perang Vietnam terhadap sioat etnosentris dalam diri tokoh utama.
Penelitian ini menggunakan teori-teori dari Roberts dan Jacobs, M.J. Murphy, Horton dan Hunts, Broom dan Selznick, Wellek dan Warren, Rohrberger dan Woods, Herring, Pan dan Lyons, dan Hoover. Dalam penelitian ini, penulis menggunakan metode studi kepustakaan dan menggunakan pendekatan sosial kebudayaan dan sejarah. Pendekatan ini dipilih karena skripsi ini meneliti kehidupan sosial yang mempengaruhi tokoh utama.
THE DIMINISHING OF MAIN CHARACTER’S
ETHNOCENTRISM AS THE EFFECT OF VIETNAM WAR AS
SEEN IN VINCENT LAM’S
THE HEADMASTER’S WAGER
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
NOVITA CAROLINA
Student Number: 114214037
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
ii
THE DIMINISHING OF MAIN CHARACTER’S
ETHNOCENTRISM AS THE EFFECT OF VIETNAM WAR AS
SEEN IN VINCENT LAM’S
THE HEADMASTER’S WAGER
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
NOVITA CAROLINA
Student Number: 114214037
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
ASar Jana astra Undergraduate hesis
THE DIMINISHING OF MAIN CHARACTER'S
ETHNOCENTRISM AS THE EFFECT OF VIETNAM WAR AS
SEEN IN VINCENT LAM'S
THE HEADMASTER'S WAGERBy Novita Carolina Student Number: l 14214037
i ..
0W
1
;�id asAdvisor
Elisa Dwi Wardani. S.S., M.Hum. Co-Advisor
Approved by
111
June 22, 2015
Name
Chairperson : Dr. F.X. Siswadi, M.A.
Secretary : Sri Mulyani, Ph. D.
Member 1 : Dr. Gabriel Fjar Sasmita Aji, M. Hum.
Member 2 : Dewi Widyastuti, S. Pd., M. Hum.
Member 3 : Elisa Dwi Wardani, S.S., M.Hm.
IV
Yogyakarta, June 30, 2015 Faculty of Letters
Sa Dharma University � Dean
A Sar Jana Sastra Undergraduate Thesis
THE DIMINISHNG OF MAIN CHARACTER'S
ETHNOCENTRISM AS THE EFFECT OF VIETNAM AR AS
SEEN IN VNCENT LAM'S
THE HAASTER'S WAGERBy N oita Carolina Student Number: 114214037
Deended beore the Board Examiners on June 30, 2015
and Declared Acceptable
I certify that this ldergraduate thesis contains no material which has been previously
submitted or the ward of any other degree at any uniwersity, and that, to the best of
my knowledge, this undergraduate thesis contains no material previously written by
any other person except where due reerence is made in the text of the undergraduate
thesis.
Yogyakarta, JlUle 22, 2015
No�lina
UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AK ADEMIS
Yng bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma
Nama : Novita Carolina
Nomor Mahasiswa : 114214037
Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Snata Dhama karya ilmih saya yang berjudul
THE DIMINISHNG OF MAIN CHARACTER'S
ETHNOCENTRISM AS THE EFFECT OF IETNAM WAR AS
SEEN IN NCENT LAM'S
THE HEADMASR'S WAGER
Beserta perngkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan dem.ikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universits Sanata Dhrma hak untuk menyimpan. mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolnya dalam bentuk pangkaln data, pendistribusikan secara terbats, dan mempublikasikannya di intenet tau media lain untuk kepentingan akadeis tanpa perlu meminta ijin kepada saya maupun memberikan loyalti kepada saya selama tetap mencntumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.
Demikin penyatan ini saya buat dengan sebenmya
Dibuat di Yogyakarta
Pada tanggal 22 Juni 2015
Yng menyatakan,
*
Novita Carolinavii
“For surely there is a reward;
And thy hope shall not be cut
off.”
Proverbs 23:18
Never let the fear of
striking out keep you
from playing the game.
viii
Dedicated
To
The Almighty God, Jesus Christ
The Name above All Names
To
My Lovely Mother in Heaven,
And My Family
ix
My first gratitude is for Jesus Christ who has given a wonderful life for me. It
has been His grace for me to finish the study, especially the undergraduate thesis.
My deepest gratitude is for my mother in heaven. She is my first supporter who
supports me with her love and pray. Then, I also want to give my gratitude to my
father, grandfather, aunts, and uncles who also always love and help me.
I would like to thank my best advisor, Dewi Widyastuti, S. Pd, M. Hum., and my
co-advisor, Elisa Dwi Wardani, S.S., M.Hum., for helping me to write this
undergraduate thesis. I thank them for their patience, guidance, and ideas, in
developing my undergraduate thesis.
My gratitude also goes to all the lecturers and the staff of English Letters
Department. I thank them for all their knowledge, wonderful experience, and their
guidance. I will not forget these valuable moments.
The last, I want to thank my best friends, Febe Olivia, Nadia Puri, Ka Veny
Tambunan, Yolanda Marcella, Ka Alandita Yogiswara, Ka Gracia Hoyi, Ci Rosalina
Omega, and Ci Priskila Nia Meliana. They also always support me and give me much
advice.
x
TITLE PAGE ... ii
APPROVAL PAGE ... iii
ACCEPTANCE PAGE ... iv
STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY ... v
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH ... vi
MOTTO PAGE ... vii
1. Theory of Character and Characterization ... 12
2. Theory of Ethnocentrism ... 15
3. Theory of the Relation between Literature and Society ... 17
C. Review of Related Backgrounds ... 18
B. The Diminishing of Percival‟s Ethnocentrism ... 35
xi
CAROLINA, NOVITA. The Diminishing of Main Character’s Ethnocentrism as the Effect of Vietnam War as Seen in Vincent Lam’s The Headmaster’s Wager. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2015.
This study discusses Vincent Lam‟s novel The Headmaster’s Wager. This novel told Percival, a Chinese immigrant who lives in Vietnam. He is very proud of his heritage because he always believes Chinese as the best culture. Thereby, it can be assumed that he is an ethnocentric person. The novel takes Vietnam War as the
background. The situation makes Percival‟s ethnocentrism diminished. To go deeper,
the writer chooses to analyze the diminishing of Percival‟s ethnocentrism as the effect of Vietnam War.
There are two problems analyzed in this study. First problem is the main
character‟s ethnocentrism which is revealed in the novel. Second problem is the
effect of Vietnam War that changes main character‟s ethnocentrism.
This study uses the theory of character and characterization by Roberts and Jacobs, and M.J. Murphy, theory of ethnocentrism by Horton and Hunts, and Broom and Selznick, the theory of relationship between literature and society by Wellek and Warren, and Rohrberger and Woods, and the last is the history of Vitnam War and its effect to Hoa by Herring, Pan and Lyons. In this study, the writer applies the library research method and uses the sociocultural-historical approach. The approach is chosen because this study examines the Vietnam War that affected the main character. Based on the analysis, there are two main points which can be drawn from this
study. The first point is the main character‟s ethnocentrism. The characteristic is mostly revealed through speech between, personal description and direct comment. Ethnocentric person is usually feeling as a superior person, withdrawn, and orthodox.
Percival always feels that Chinese‟s culture is the center of everything. His superiority influences him to withdraw himself from the Vietnamese. He tends to mingle with the Chinese. Third, Percival is an orthodox person. He believes that his culture is the truth of life. The second analysis is the effect of Vietnam War to Percival‟s ethnocentrism. There are four factors of the Vietnam War which are the new regulations, the cooperation with the American, the growing of nationalism, and
the nothern‟s victory. Those factors have changed Percival‟s opinion about his race.
Through the new regulations and the growing of nationalism, Percival realizes that he is not a superior person and Chinese is not a superior race. Then, Percival who used to be withdrawn has opened himself to the others by the cooperation with the American. Finally, the war is over by the victory of North Vietnam. The situation becomes worse for the Chinese. Their assets is taken over and they are being the target of deportation. Percival has lost his wealth. To continue his life, Percival has to go out from Vietnam. He used to believe that Chinese should go to China as the safest place for Chinese, but Percival goes to America. At the end, he realizes that his
“superior” race brings problem to his life. He has diminished his ethnocentrism
xii ABSTRAK
CAROLINA, NOVITA. The Diminishing of Main Character’s Ethnocentrism as the Effect of Vietnam War as Seen in Vincent Lam’s The Headmaster’s Wager. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2015.
Skripsi ini membahas sebuah novel berjudul The Headmaster’s Wager, karya Vincent Lam. Novel ini menceritakan seorang tokoh bernama Percival. Dia adalah perantauan Cina yang tinggal di Vietnam. Dia sangat bangga terhadap sukunya karena dia percaya bahwa Cina adalah kebudayaan terbaik. Oleh karena itu, Percival bisa diasumsikan sebagai seorang yang etnosentris. Pada masa itu, Vietnam dalam masa peperangan. Situasi ini membuat melemahnya sikap etnosentris dalam diri Percival. Untuk mengetahui lebih dalam, penulis memilih untuk menganalisa proses berkurangnya etnosentris dalam diri Percival sebagai akibat dari Perang Vietnam.
Ada dua masalah yang dianalisa dalam skripsi ini. Masalah pertama adalah sifat etnosentris yang dimiliki tokoh utama yang nampak di dalam novel. Kedua adalah pengaruh Perang Vietnam terhadap sifat etnosentris dalam diri tokoh utama.
Penelitian ini menggunakan teori-teori dari Roberts dan Jacobs, M.J. Murphy, Horton dan Hunts, Broom dan Selznick, Wellek dan Warren, Rohrberger dan Woods, Herring, Pan dan Lyons, dan Hoover. Dalam penelitian ini, penulis menggunakan metode studi kepustakaan dan menggunakan pendekatan sosial kebudayaan dan sejarah. Pendekatan ini dipilih karena skripsi ini meneliti kehidupan sosial yang mempengaruhi tokoh utama.
Berdasarkan penelitian, ada dua hal utama yang dapat ditarik dari skripsi ini. Hal pertama adalah sifat etnosentris yang dimiliki Percival. Karakteristik Percival kebanyakan muncul melalui deskripsi langsung dari penulis dan percakapan antar karakter di dalam novel. Terdapat tiga karakteristik dari sifat etnosentris, yaitu merasa diri superior, menarik diri dari masyarakat, dan ortodox. Pertama, Percival selalu merasa bahwa kebudayaan Cina terbaik. Perasaan ini membawa ia sebagai seorang superior. Kedua, Percival selalu menarik diri dari orang lain, terutama mereka yang bukan Cina. Percival selalu beinteraksi dengan sesama orang Cina. Ketiga, Percival orang yang ortodox. Dia selalu merasa kebudayaannya adalah ajaran yang paling benar di dalam hidup. Hal kedua adalah Perang Vietnam telah berpengaruh terhadap sifat etnosentris Percival. Terdapat empat faktor dari Perang Vietnam yang mempengaruhi Percival. Mereka adalah peraturan-peraturan baru, kerja sama dengan orang Amerika, tumbuhnya rasa nasionalisme, dan kemenangan Vietnam Utara. Faktor-faktor tersebut telah mengubah pendapat Percival terhadap ke-“superior”-an sukunya. Melalui peraturan-peraturan baru dan tumbuhnya rasa nasionalisme, Percival menyadari bahwa dia dan Cina bukan seorang yang superior. Kemudian, kerja sama dengan Amerika membuat Percival yang dulunya mengasingkan diri telah membuka diri terhadap orang lain. Terakhir, perang pun berakhir dengan kemenangan Vietnam Utara. Situasi menjadi sangat buruk bagi orang-orang Cina. Harta mereka diambil alih dan mereka menjadi target deportasi. Percival telah kehilangan hartanya. Demi melanjutkan hidupnya, ia harus pindah dari Vietnam. Dia dulu percaya bahwa Cina adalah tempat paling aman bagi orang Cina. Sayangnya, Percival harus pergi ke Amerika. Pada akhirnya, dia menyadari bahwa
1 CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
Some people live in a multicultural society where there are many races
and ethnics. Sociologists have tried to make a distinction between race and
ethnicity. Race refers to differences between people based upon inherited
characteristics, such as skin color while ethnicity refers to social differences in
acquired characteristics such as language, religion, national origins, and culture
(Broom and Selznick, 1977: 443). Most of people tend to group themselves in the
similar race or ethnicity. This produces a characteristic type of a group to make
the group easier to be distinct. Broom and Selznick say that when people of one
culture gather, they will produce a signature of their culture (1977: 113). The
goodness of the group is able to make continuity of the group. However, it can
also go to the assumption that their culture is the best. This assumption is called
ethnocentrism.
Ethnocentrism can be defined as the identification with the familiar and
devaluation of the foreign (Broom and Selznick, 1977: 73). Ethnocentric people
treat strange people, beliefs, or practices with suspicion and hostility simply
because they are different and they feel that their culture is the best. The most
extreme ethnocentric people support to treat the other less than human. In less
vicious form, ethnocentrism takes one‟s own culture for granted and passively,
nation of the United States. However, the word is the common property of all the
people of North and South America, Latin American sometimes becomes angry
because that word is equally used to them. Ethnocentrism appears through one‟s behavior in the society.
Ethnocentrism exists through socialization in the clan, tribe, or village.
People usually become tradition-directed. Their behavior focuses on the tradition
or mores that live in the society. A detailed norm of village life is learned directly
by people. When one person does something wrong, he will be ashamed because
wrongdoing is a transgression against the group (Broom and Selznick, 1977: 14).
Ethnocentric people are politically indifferent because they are traditional. They
are also subsistence-oriented which focus to make the continuity of the group.
Through those characteristics of ethnocentrism, people can see that
ethnocentrism can bring a trouble to society. Ethnocentric people feel that they
are superior while others are just inferior. In consequence, they will
underestimate other cultures and treat others as barbaric. They are also trying to
maintain their culture and close themselves from the others. Unfortunately, their
treatments to others, subsequently, can trigger others‟ resistance.
Feeling humiliated makes others have to show that they also have power
by rebellion. There will be a conflict between superior group and inferior group.
In South Vietnam, before the fall of Saigon, Chinese, as a minority group,
controlled 70% to 80% of commerce sector in Vietnam. The Hoa, overseas
Chinese, were respected as a an upper class group. They employed Vietnamese as
business were also taken over by government. Therefore, many of them were
driven out from Vietnam and they were being refugee in other countries. In fact,
superior group can be defeated to show that inferior group have power.
The Headmaster’s Wager by Vincent Lam has a main character that shows
ethnocentrism clearly. Percival is a Chinese descent who lives in Cholon, South
Vietnam. In the 19th century, Vietnamese tended to like reading in Chinese than
Vietnamese. At that time, Chinese had more prestige. Chinese was the language
that was used by nomad in South East Asia. Certainly, many Chinese in Vietnam
still hold on their tradition. Percival feels that he has a higher rank than
Vietnamese, but the situation in the novel does not support Percival to hold on his
culture. Percival who used to think that his heritage was the best one realizes that
he has to diminish his ethnocentrism.
Cultures may be weakened or destroyed under certain conditions. “A
culture may lose its strength and vitality as a result of internal social change or it
may be overwhelmed by outside influences” (Broom and Selznick, 1977: 78).
There are four situations that make culture weakened or vulnerable. First, a
breakdown of authority is threatened. Second, there is a serious gap between
cultural ideals and social realities. Third, individuals‟ life are fragmented, so that
they lack the sense of participated in a coherent and sustaining symbolic order.
Fourth, beliefs or practices hitherto valued for themselves become more narrowly
instrumental (Broom and Selznick, 1977: 79). The writer will focus on the second
situation that is suitable with the situation in the novel.
Society can destroy the culture of a group of people. The development in the
technology and economy makes some groups of people suffered to grow in the
development or stay in the culture or traditional life. “The rapid and radical
collapse of a way of life has frequently occurred when technologically advanced
societies have impinged on primitive communities” (Broom and Selznick, 1977:
82). War can also make the culture or the ethnocentrism of people diminished.
War is a situation that usually brings misery to people. It, actually, does
not need to happen because the war usually destroys not just material, but also
people. There are many victims and uncountable material destruction. Although it
is dangerous, Vietnam experienced this in the past, begun in 1950s. The
Headmaster Wager takes Vietnam War as the background of the story.
During the Vietnam War, the nationalism of Vietnamese was growing.
They thought that Vietnam had to have their own tradition, speak their own
language, and only Vietnamese could live in Vietnam. It forced immigrants to go
back to their homeland or stay there as Vietnamese. At the end of Vietnam War,
the Chinese and the American who were a minority and lived in South Vietnam
had to move. Americans would never have a place in Vietnam because America
was known as the causes of the second Vietnam War while Chinese could stay but
as a Vietnamese.
Vietnam War is described very well in novel The Headmaster’s Wager that
tells about the dilemma of Percival as a Chinese in a divided country, South and
North Vietnam. Percival has diminished his ethnocentrism as the effect of
refugee in another country. Percival used to be superior, but at the end of the
novel, Percival can not maintain his culture anymore. Through many aspects,
Vietnan War changes Percival‟s perspective as a Chinese.
The Headmaster’s Wager is written by Vincent Lam who never lives in
Vietnam, but in Canada. His grandfather, who lived in Vietnam during the war, is
inspiring him to write a novel. This novel does not tell about his grandfather‟s
experience. Instead, it picks up on a thread of his grandfather‟s life and an era his
grandfather experienced. Lam just heard and remembered what his grandfather
had said about the war and he made it as a story.
It is interesting that Lam does not experience the war or feel as a Chinese,
but he can describe the situation and the feeling clearly. Everyone who reads The
Headmaster’s Wager will think that this book was published at that time. In fact,
this book was published in 2012. The truth that Lam is a doctor will make reader
surprised. Even though he is a doctor, he is able to write a novel and short stories
aesthetically. It is being proper with the prize that he gets from his works.
The Headmaster’s Wager has been reviewed in Literary Review of
Canada Vol. 20 No. 6 July/August 2012 Edition. The Writer, James Fitzgerald,
said that “Lam has forged a testament to the immutable power of the filial bond”
(http://www.jamesfitzgerald.info/Vincent_Lam.pdf). Lam has got Giller Prize
(winning collection of linked short stories) on his short story Bloodletting and
Miraculous Cures. The Headmaster’s Wager, actually, is his first novel. This
novel will be the object of this study.
the main character which is Percival. Percival lives in Vietnam, but still holds on
the Chinese‟s tradition and makes him as ethnocentric person. This characteristic
will be analyzed together with Vietnam War, which is the society background that
has relation with the diminishing of Percival‟s ethnocentrism.
B. Problem Formulation
In this paper, there are two important points that will be discussed; it is to
observe the representation of main character‟s ethnocentrism in the novel. This
paper also wants to explain the effect of the Vietnam War to Percival‟s
ethnocentrism. These points are briefly formulated as follows:
1. How is main character‟s ethnocentrism revealed in the novel? 2. How does Vietnam War change the main character‟s ethnocentrism? C. Objectives of the Study
In formulating two questions above, the writer tries to focus on the main
character named Percival in the novel The Headmaster’s Wager by Vincent Lam.
First focus is the characteristic of Percival which is ethnocentric. The writer will
reveal Percival‟s ethnocentrism in the novel through the element character. After
identifying the ethnocentrism, the writer will analyze how Vietnam War can
affect Percival‟s ethnocentrism and make it diminished. At the end, the writer will
use first problem formulation to see how much change that happens in Percival‟s
D. Definition of Terms
There are some terms that the writer used in this undergraduate thesis. To
avoid ambiguities and misunderstanding in the meaning, the writer tried to give
some definition of those terms. There are two terms that have to be explained,
there are ethnocentrism and Vietnam War.
First, ethnocentrism is the perspective that “is using the standards of one‟s
own culture or subculture to evaluate the characteristics of other cultures or
subcultures, generally from the point of view that one‟s own are superior”
(Broom and Selznick, 1977: 73). Ethnocentric people will think that they are
superior while others are just inferior. Therefore they usually underestimate to
others.
Second, Vietnam War is “the commitment between North and South
Vietnam to be in a bloody war instead of conducting a General National Election
in accordance with the Geneva Accord that aimed to gain a final military victory” (Tran, 2000: 19). The superpowers countries that involved in the conflict were
Soviet Union and China supported North Vietnam and the United States
supported South Vietnam. The war ended in 1975 with heavy casualties of Nort
and South Vietnam. More than 4 million people including Vietnamese servicemen
8
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
A. Review of Related Studies
In this part, the writer is going to quote the studies related to the study in
this thesis, writing from other researchers. The studies can be the research on the
same author of the novel and criticism from other people who have read the novel.
The purpose of collecting the studies is that the writer wants to have another
perspective about the theme or the object of this study. Unfortunately, the study
or criticism of The Headmaster’s Wager by Vincent Lam are not found. Therefore,
the writer is going to use studies that have a similar topic.
A study based on the same topic is taken from a thesis written by Petriza
Giovanni Abu, who is an alumnus of Sanata Dhama University, entitled The
Effects of Vietnam War in 1960-1970 in Robert Olen Butler’s “Missing” and
“Salem”: a Sociocultural-Historical Study. The study questioned about the
similarities and differences of two short story Missing and Salem, go deeper the
study is the similarities and differences can lead to the effect of Vietnam War to
American soldier in Missing and to Vietnamese peasant in Salem. The study is
stated as follows:
The similarities found in both short stories are the setting and the condition where the main characters are the victims of their government. While the first difference found in both short stories is the identity. The main character in “Missing” is an American soldier. On the contrary, the
main character in “Salem” is a Vietnamese peasant. The second difference
second effect is that Vietnam is destroyed. The third is the Amerasians (the mixed children of US servicemen and Vietnamese). The fourth effect is that the ritual uncertainty which makes the spirits of the Vietnamese who are sent to war are unhappy. The last effect is the obligation for the Vietnamese and Americans to join the military service (2005: viii).
Abu‟s object of the study has a similar background to the novel that the
writer used. “Missing”, “Salem”, and “The Headmaster‟s Wager” take the
Vietnam War as the setting of the novel. However, those works have different
characters. “Missing” has an American soldier, “Salem” has a Vietnam peasant, while “The Headmaster‟s Wager” has a Chinese headmaster. War does not recognize citizenship, everyone get the horrible effect of Vietnam War. Abu‟s
study and this study have a similar objective that is finding the effect of Vietnam
to the main character.
Another study comes from a thesis written by Yulita Eva Setiawan,
entitled The Culture Clash of the Chinese American in Amy Tan’s “The
Bonesetter Daughter”. The study questioned the characteristics of Lu Ling and
Ruth Young, and go deeper to investigate the culture clash in the novel and the
factor that causes it. The study is stated as follows:
It can be summarized that the conflicts regarding the matter of culture happened because of the different characteristics between Lu Ling and Ruth which then results in misunderstanding of cultures. As a Chinese American, Ruth is accustomed more to the American culture than she is to Chinese culture. It is because of the nature of the children of the immigrants to assimilate to the culture of the country they were born at. In contrary, as a Chinese immigrant, Lu Ling tends to preserve the culture of her native country because she believes that her native culture as the best (2012: xii).
The writer thinks that Setiawan‟s research has a relation with this study.
They are an overseas Chinese. They have similar perspective that Chinese is the
best culture, therefore they are trying to preserve it. Regrettably, their culture got
a conflict with the society. Lu Ling gets trouble with her sister who has been
assimilated American culture, while Percival gets trouble through situation in
Vietnam. Setiawan‟s study and this study have a similar purpose that is finding
the cause of the clash of the culture.
Third study that will be used by the writer is a journal written by Neil
Segars, entitled How to Be Chinese in Mississippi: Representation of a Chinese
Grocer in Chyntia Shearer’s “The Celestial Jukebox. This study analyzes the
representation of Chinese grocer who lives in Mississippi Delta, go deeper to
investigate the society that influences the main character. The study is stated as
follows:
Angus with Chinese heritage of violence through renegade law and order
– the description works to contradict the stereotype of Chinese businessmen as neutral in civic matters, especially regarding racial conflict, by portraying Angus as playing an intimate part in the lives of everyone who enters his store (2009: 63).
Segars finds that Chinese in “The Celestial Jukebox” is different from the most of Chinese. Angus Chien, a Chinese descent, plays as a neutral player who let
everyone comes to his store, even black people. The writer thinks that this journal
has a relation with writer‟s study. This study also tries to find out the
characteristic or the representation of Chinese. Contrarily, Percival is an
ethnocentric person while Angus Chien not. Moreover, those main characters also
get a trouble from society because their characteristic.
entitled Relocating Notions of National and Ethnic Authenticity in Chinese
American and Chinese Literary Theory Through Nieh Hualing’s Overseas
Chinese Novel “Mulberry and Peach”. This study is trying to find out the
nationality of an overseas Chinese writer through their literary works. In this case,
Amato takes Nieh Hualing‟s novel “Mulberry and Peach”. Amato‟s research finds
out that the main character, Mulberry and Peach which are the same person has
schizophrenia represents the nationality of Chinese, Taiwanese, and North
American. The quotation is stated as follows:
Mulberry and Peach lies at the intersection between Asian American and
Chinese academic territories of literary research described above. By drawing on both fields, a comparative study of such text can work to loosen up some of the geographical, cultural, and national borders that solidify around literary canons and debates over cultural authenticity (1999: 33).
Actually, Amato‟s study is totaly different from the writer‟s study, but the writer
thinks that those studies have a relationship. Overseas Chinese writer can reveal
his nationality through the main character in literary work. Vincent Lam is also an
overseas Chinese who lives in Canada. He is actually a Canadian-Chinese, but he
does not show off his Canadian, but he shows his Chinese‟s culture through Percival‟s characteristics. The biography of the author can influence how he
writes his literary works.
Four studies above are definitely different from writer‟s studies. Even though those studies look like having a similar idea, in this study, the writer will
focus on the ethnocentrism of the main character. Then, the writer will analyze
be a rich and respectful man, but Vietnam War has changed him to be inferior
people. In the other word, this thesis is going to talk about Percival‟s
ethnocentrism and the effect of Vietnam War to his ethnocentrism.
B. Review of Related Theories
There are some theories that the writer uses to reveal the problem
formulation. They are theory character and characterization, theory of
ethnocentrism, and the relation between literature and history. Theory of
character and characterization and theory of ethnocentrism conduct the writer in
defining the ethnocentrism of Percival. Then, the writer uses the relation between
literature and history to define the historical value in the novel that affect
character.
1. Theory of Character and Characterization
Character can be defined as a person in a film, play, or story. Edgar V.
Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs state that character in literature is “an extended
verbal representation of human being, the inner self that determines thought,
speech, and behavior” (Roberts and Jacobs, 1987: 119). It means that character as
a person can think, speak, and act. The behavior will give the reader the
knowledge of what kind of person the character is.
Even though character is a representation of human being, the sequence of
events in the story is just a composition of the author. It is set to give a space to
this idea. It is stated that “whereas in life things may „just happen‟, in fiction the actions, interactions, speeches, and observations are all arranged to give you (the
reader) the detail you need for conclusions about character” (Roberts and Jacobs,
1987: 119).
As human being, people can not recognize others just through his
appearance. Roberts and Jacobs state that studying character means to connect the
appearance of character to his personality (Roberts and Jacobs, 1987:120). The
appearance of character give a clue to his personality, but the reader also have to
look in his thought, speech, and behavior. The author may focus more on one
character and slop on the other character. A character that is treated more by the
author is called protagonist, while the other is antagonist.
Roberts and Jacobs state that according to E.M. Forster there are two
types of character which are round and flat (Roberts and Jacobs, 1987: 120).
Character is divided into two types, round and flat. Round character is a
protagonist character who has more attention by the author. This type of character
has more descriptions and a chance to grow in the story which is called dynamic
character. Dynamic character will have different personality in the beginning of
story and in the end of the story.
The second type, flat character is known as antagonist character who
supports the round character. The reader just has a little information of flat
characters because they are not a major character that do not have more attention
from the author. This type of character stays the same in the beginning of the
Furthermore, M.J Murphy in Understanding Unseens: An Introduction to
English Poetry and the English Novel for Overseas Student mentioned that there
are nine ways for author to describe character in literary work understandable to
readers (Murphy, 1972: 161-173). There are:
a. Personal description is the author‟s description of personal‟s appearance, such as skin, hair, and clothes. As Roberts and Jacobs state before, studying
character means to connect the appearance to the personality. The character‟s
appearance gives a clue to the characteristics.
b. Character as seen by another is the author‟s description through another character‟s point of view. Fiction will have protagonist and antagonist character. Antagonist usually has an opinion of protagonist character. His
opinion is used to know the characteristics of the character.
c. Speech is the author‟s description through character‟s opinion when he says something. As human being, character can talk to deliver his opinion about
what happens in his life. Through his speech, such as what kind of language
that he uses, it gives information about the personality of character.
d. Past life is the author‟s description of character‟s past life that shape his characteristics to behave in such way. Personality of character is developed
through experiences that happened in his life. Therefore, the personality is
influenced by the past life.
e. Conversation of others is a description through the conversation of other
people and the things they say about character. Characters talk about each
the characteristics of character.
f. Reaction is the author‟s description about how a character reacts to various situation and events. Personality of the character can be seen through his
response. It is about the way of the character to something that happens in his
life.
g. Direct comment is the author‟s comment on a person directly. Author as the creator of the story has a right to describe by himself about the character.
h. Thought is the author‟s description of what a character is thinking about. Character is a person who can think. He will have an opinion about himself.
This opinion will lead the reader to the character‟s personality.
i. Mannerism is the author‟s description of a person‟s mannerism, habits, or idiosyncrasies. To give more knowledge, author will give the description of
what the character usually does or how he does something.
2. Theory of Ethnocentrism
According to Horton and Hunt‟s Sociology, it is stated that Sunner defines
ethnocentrism “as that view of things in which one‟s own group is the center of
everything and all others scaled and rated with reference to it” (Horton and Hunt,
1980: 73), while Broom and Selznick define as “identification with the familiar and devaluation of the foreign” (Broom and Selznick, 1977: 73). It can be
assumed that ethnocentric people think that their culture is superior. They will use
their beliefs or ideas as a standard to judge others and others are just a stranger
As they feel superior, ethnocentric people will treat others as just
strangers. Therefore, they usually protect their culture and one against changes.
“It is the feeling that one‟s own culture is the best in all respects and that others
are in varying degrees inferior-barbaric, heathen, or outlandish” (Broom and Selznick, 1977: 73). They think that others and changes can disturb their culture.
Horton and Hunt state that according to Ardono, ethnocentric people tend
to be less uneducated, more socially withdrawn, and religiously more orthodox
(Horton and Hunt, 1980: 74). First characteristics of ethnocentric people are
uneducated. Ethnocentrism can appear in many vary people. Horton and Hunts
reject the first characteristics because being educated or uneducated can not be a
standard of ethnocentrism‟s personality. It is stated as follow:
The old, the socially secluded, the less educated, and the politically conservative may be ethnocentric but so are the young, the well educated,
the widely traveled, the politically “left” and the well to do (Ray 1971). It
is obvious that different type of people vary in the ideas about which they are ethnocentric, but it is far less clear that there is any significant variation, by social background or personality type, in the degree to which people are subject to ethnocentrism (1980: 75).
Second characteristic is withdrawn. It means that ethnocentric people tend
to group themselves in order to maintain their culture. However, there are some
of ethnocentric people who do not fully draw off themselves from the world.
They still have interaction with others, but they do not absorb the strange culture.
They believed that others are just inferior.
Third characteristic is orthodox. Ethnocentric people will accept their
culture as the truth and follow it. Therefore, their culture can exist long time as
needs the unity of members of the group. As they think their culture is superior,
changes will never be accepted. They protect the culture from external changes
that can damage the value of the culture. In fact, changes can not be prevented. It
makes some cultures collapsed and extincted while the others can survive and
stable.
3. Theory of the Relation between Literature and Society
According to Rene Wellek and Austin Warren, literature is a social
institution that uses language as its medium. Literature has a social function that
implies social problem such as tradition, norms, and myth, but it can not express
the whole society as the truth. Author, as the messenger, just gives a little part of
life in society. Wellek and Warren state as follows:
To say that literature mirrors or expresses life is even more ambiguous. A writer inevitably expresses his experience and total conception of life; but it would be manifestly untrue to say that he expresses the whole of life or even the whole life of a given time, completely and exhaustively (Wellek and Warren, 1977: 90).
The basic source of literature is the author‟s biography. Before the author
influences society through his work, society previously influences the author. The
author is a social creature who lives and absorbs value in society. Critic can relate
the work of literature to author‟s social background, family background, or
society where he lives. However, author can not put all ideology he believed in
the work of literature.
The old approach to see relationship between literature and society is to
through author‟s idea. Thomas Warton believes that literature has a skill to record
characteristics of time series. It is stated as follows:
Thomas Warton, the first real historian of English poetry, argued that
literature has the “peculiar merit of faithfully recording the features of the
times, and of preserving the most picturesque and expressive representation of manners” and to him and many of his antiquarian successors, literature was primaly a treasure of costumes and customs, a source book for the history of civilization, especially of chivalry and its decline (Wellek and Warren, 1977: 98).
It means that literature has a role as historical document that records some events
in one time. Literature gives a picture of what of society that lives in one time
when we never know.
According to Rohrberger and Woods in Reading and Writing About
Literature, state that “they define civilization as the attitudes and actions of a
specific group of people and point out that literature takes these attitudes and
actions as its subject matter” (Rohrberger and Woods, 1971: 9). It implies that
society deserves to be learned as the component that build literature. Society
always takes part in building story of fiction.
C. Review of Related Backgrounds
As the writer uses sociocultural-historical approach, related background is
needed to understand the study. The novel The Headmaster’s Wager by Vincent
Lam takes Vietnam War as the background society. Therefore, the history of
Vietnam War and its effect to Hoa will be used to conduct the writer in defining
1. History of Vietnam War and Its Effect to Hoa
Vietnam started the first war with French which included Cambodia and
Laos. They used to be known as Indochina. At first, the war was about the
struggle to be free from French colonialism. Ho Chi Minh, on September 2nd
1945, proclaimed the independence of Vietnam from French rule (Herring, 1979:
3) and proclaimed himself as the president of the “Democratic Republic of Vietnam” (Pan and Lyon, 1966: 20). On March 6th
, General de Gaulle agreed to
recognize Vietnam as a free state within the French Union. French troops were to
re-enter the northern part of Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh, secretly had communist
party which is called Viet Minh. In 1946, he accused French of violating their
pledges to give the better live for Vietnamese. He increased the attack wherever
he could. French began to realize that Ho Chi Minh was part of communist party
that is supported by Soviet and China. War between French and Vietnam became
more intensified that brought them to Geneva Conference.
However, Geneva Conference did not bring good news for Vietnam.
Stephen Pan and Daniel Lyon state that second Indochina war started as the result
of Geneva Conference, 26 April – 21 July 1954 that mentioned there was a
division between North and South Vietnam (Pan and Lyon, 1966: 41). South
Vietnam got support from the United States, while north from Communist
country such as Soviet and China. The United States declared that no country
could disturb the peace in Vietnam. Actually, United States had helped Vietnam
during the war between French and Vietnam by sending the aid for Vietnam.
clearly supported the South Vietnam.
North Vietnam was led by Ho Chi Minh who did not agree of the division
of Vietnam. As a republic, Vietnam must be united to be free from colonialism.
Ho Chi Minh still did his communist action and made people believe on what he
taught. Vietcong, the army of North Vietnam did guerilla to make South Vietnam
and United State dropped. Undoubtly, American increased his army to more than
16.000 men. Vietcong also increased the attacked more and more wherever and
whenever they wanted.
Not only Vietnamese, but also Chinese or called Hoa in Vietnam felt the
effects of the war. The first migration happened in the beginning of Geneva
According to Daniel J. Hoover in his thesis The Migration of Chinese-Vietnamese
from Vietnam: The Truong Family, Hoa who lived in North Vietnam and were
Catholic mostly moved to the South which was not communist. The largest
population of Hoa was in Cholon, Saigon, South Vietnam which is now known as
Chinese City (Hoover, 2010: 11). Even though living in Vietnam, Hoa were still
bounded to their culture, such as in education, marriage, civic organization, and
economic endeavors.
Chinese in Cholon and the surrounding areas primarily focused on
economic activities. This could be reflected through their desire of for prosperity
that was associated with wealth and strong work ethic. Therefore, Hoa were
always the target of political reform. “Their (Hoa) capital and community structure could have been utilized in order to make more prominent gains within
their own market driven aims” (Hoover, 2010: 13). Hoa were always being target during Vietnam War, especially when the nationalism was growing.
During Ngo Dinh Diem reign, there was naturalization that made Hoa lose
their Chinese name. In 1956, the president declared that all Chinese should
renounce their Chinese nationality and adopt Vietnamese citizenship (Hoover,
2010: 14). Moreover, South Vietnam also discontinued the mail service to and
from China in order to cut the connection of Hoa with China. In October 1956,
Diem changed all school curricula, placing Vietnamese as the primary language
in the school. Chinese could be taught, but as a secondary language. As they lost
their name and their language, Chinese also forced to serve in military.
As economic activity was the main focus of Hoa, they absolutely avoided
military service. Most of them who were listed in military service chose to go
abroad than to stay in Vietnam and go to war. “Many other Sino-Vietnamese, used educational opportunities to keep their children from front-line military
service (Hoover, 2010: 18).” When the communist succeed taking control of South Vietnam, Bourgeoisie Hoa became the target of anti-comprador
bourgeoisie. Therefore many Hoa decided to leave Vietnam as soon as possible.
They paid bribe and gold so that they could leave by plane or boat.
D. Theoretical Framework
Each of the theory and review are presented before is used to analyze the
novel. The review of related studies is needed to strengthen the topic of this study
characterization and theory of ethnocentrism give a contribution to the study.
These theories help the writer to answer first problem formulation that analyze
characteristic of Percival which is ethnocentric. The writer will compile the
ethnocentrism that appears in the novel is similar to the ethnocentrism that
Horton and Hunt state. Moreover, theory of character and characterization by M.J.
Murphy will help the writer to see how the characteristic describes in the novel.
The writer will only use some of character‟s description that is appropriate to the analysis. The theory by Roberts and Jacobs will also be used to see the
complicated of the character and the changes that happen to character as the
dynamic character.
The theory of the relationship between literature and society is important
to give the writer the information about the close relationship between literature
and society. The theory gives a wide understanding that society can not be
separated from one character. Society gives strong influence to main character‟s characteristics.
The background of the Vietnam War and its effect to Hoa also gives
contribution in order to help the writer to have a good understanding of Vietnam
War. Vietnam War has played an important role in order to change main
character‟s characteristic. The Headmaster’s Wager talks about a Chinese descent who lives in Vietnam and gots the effect of the Vietnam War to his characteristic
23
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
In this thesis, the writer uses the novel by Vincent Lam‟s The
Headmaster’s Wager which is published by Hogarth in 2012. It consists of 441
pages, include Vincent Lam‟s essay Memories of My Grandfatther. This novel is
his first novel that is published after he wrote short story Bloodletting and
Miraculous Cures that won the 200 Scotiabank Giller Prize and was also adapted
for television and broadcast on HBO Canada. In addition to strong review, The
Headmaster’s Wager is longlisted for 2013 Andrew Carnegie Medals for
Exellence in Fiction with the other 49 fictions.
The story took the setting during the time of Vietnam War between North
and South Vietnam. In the story, Percival was the headmaster of English School,
Chen Hap Sing, in Cholon, South Vietnam. Percival was a Chinese who lived
with his son, Dai Jai. Percival was known as the person who held his Chinese
tradition sturdily. He always underestimated to Vietnamese and never let his son
to have a relationship with them. As a Chinese, he always thought that he was
superior and had a higher class than Vietnamese. Therefore, he only mingled with
Chinese and lived in Cholon which was a Chinese city. It could be assumed that
Percival was an ethnocentric person. However, he was just a minority in Vietnam.
When the war became worse, Percival could not hold his heritage anymore.
Percival had to change his perspective. Percival used to go home, to China,
unfortunately, he had to go to America to continue his life.
B. Approach of the Study
The aim of this study is to identify the effect of Vietnam War on Percival‟s ethnocentrism. To help analyzing the problem, the writer applies the
sociocultural-historical approach. Rohrberger and Woods in Reading and Writing
Literature state 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
civilization that produced it” (1971:9). It means that there is a relationship
between literature and society where the work is created. The critics will focus on
the actions and the attitudes conducted of a specific group of people in the society
and its relation toward the work of literature.
Likewise, Rohrberger and Woods also state that analysis of the society is a
necessity (1971:9). Literature is not created in short times, but it takes a process.
Before literature is influenced by the society, it is influenced the author first.
Then, the author expresses his reflection on society in literary work. Literature
will be a representation of ideas, actions, or attitudes of the society. So, society
takes an important role toward literature.
Additionally, Rohrberger and Woods state that “the traditional historical
approach to literature usually takes as its basic some aspect of the sociocultural
frame of reference, combining it with an interest join the biographical as well as a
represented in the text should be justified by the reality.
So, from the quotations above, sociocultural-historical can be defined as
the belief that puts literary works as the product of civilization in one time that
includes society, culture, and history. The approach gives contribution in order to
help the writer to analyze the society in the novel which is Vietnam War that
changes Percival‟s ethnocentrism. Sociocultural-historical approach will be suitable for the study to allow the writer to achieve deeper understanding about
the society, culture, and historical background of the society where the novel
takes place and time. By knowing the actual circumstance outside the text, the
writer will be able to reveal the idea that the author wants to inform the readers.
C. Method of the Study
In composing this research, the writer used the library research method.
The library research means collecting the data from a printed material such as
journals, magazines, and books. To support this study, the writer used two kinds
of resources as the requirement of the study. There are primary source and
secondary source. The primary source is the novel itself The Headmaster’s Wager
as the source information in order to answer the problem formulation. The
secondary sources were taken from some books, e-books, internet, PDF that
could be used as references and to support the research. The sources of the
theories had a contribution on identifying the character, ethnocentrism, and the
society in the novel, while the review of the studies was to get another point of
There were systematic steps that the writer took for the analysis. First, the
writer read the novel The Headmaster’s Wager for several times to have the
understanding of the story itself and to find the focus of this study which was the
diminishing of Percival‟s ethnocentrism as the effect of Vietnam War.
Second, the writer collected data from many sources to support this study.
The writer had to understand the theories and the other sources which were stated
in chapter two. The sources were acquired from the printed material. The writer
could acquire some books of theory, dictionary, other‟s thesis, and essay. The
writer also acquired data from the internet. These data would help and support the
analysis of the research. Understanding theories meant that the writer
comprehended the sources so that there was no misleading in applying the
theories to the analysis.
After gathering all information of the theories and studies, the writer had
to collect the data from the primary source. The information from the primary
source and secondary source had to be matched. So, the problem formulation
could be answered. It can be seen in chapter four. After the analysis completed,
there was still one chapter that have to be completed. The conclusion part was the
27 CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
In this chapter, the whole discussion of the thesis will be presented. The
analysis is to discuss the theories and the evidence in The Headmaster’s Wager
which lead to the answer of the two problem formulation. There are two issues of
discussion in this chapter as the follow up to the problem formulation. First is the
discussion of Percival‟s ethnocentrism and the following discussion focuses on
the effect of Vietnam War on Percival‟s ethnocentrism. In the discussion, the
writer uses the theory of character and characterization, theory of ethnocentrism,
and theory of relationship between society and literature which have been written
in previous chapter, and then the writer elaborates the theories with the evidence
found in the novel in order to reach a clear and systematic answer to the two
problem formulation.
A. Percival’s Ethnocentrism
In the first discussion, the writer is going to discuss Percival‟s characteristic which is ethnocentric. The discussion is on identifying the
ethnocentrism that appears in the novel through Percival‟s characteristics. The
writer uses the theory of character and characterization and theory of
ethnocentrism by M.J. Murphy, Roberts and Jacobs, and Horton and Hunt that
have been written in chapter two.
representation of a human being, the inner self that determines thought, speech,
and behavior” (1987:119). There are many characters in the novel The
Headmaster’s Wager, however, there is only one person who represents
ethnocentrism which is Percival. He is the main character of the novel who has
more attention by the author. Therefore, Percival is a round character. As a person,
he also develops himself. According to Roberts and Jacobs, he is a dynamic
character.
Sunner defines ethnocentrism “as that view of things in which one‟s own
group is the center of everything and all others scaled and rated with reference to
it” (1980:73). Most ethnocentric people will treat themselves as the best one.
Percival as the representation of human being in the novel shows that he
is an ethnocentric person. He sees his culture as the center of life. So, he treats
others, especially the Vietnamese as the lower people. Percival acts like he is a
superior person even though he, actually, is the minority group in Vietnam. At the
first part of the novel, he reminds Dai Jai three times that they are Chinese.
Percival‟s reminder shows that the ethnocentric people want to preserve their identities. Another that, Percival also wants to show that his culture has more
prestige than the Vietnamese‟s. Chinese is the foundation of the Vietnamese. The
quotation will be stated as follows:
“Did anyone asked you?” Percival turned to his son. “You are Chinese,
remember? For fifteen hundred years, this was a Chinese province. The Imperial Palace in Hue is a shoddy imitation of the Summer Palace in Beijing. Until the French came, they wrote in Chinese characters.”
“I know, ba, I know.” Dai Jai recited, “Before being conquered by the Han,
this was a land of illiterates in mud huts. Without the culture of China, the
Through speech (1972:163), Percival shows his superiority. According to
the history, China reigned Vietnam. After Vietnam got its freedom, Vietnam was
still influenced by China. Vietnam still held Chinese‟s culture, even the
Vietnamese spoke the Chinese language. Therefore, most of Chinese held to their
culture firmly. Percival, as the representation of civilization during the Vietnam
War, holds to Chinese‟s culture tightly. He believes that his culture is the foundation of the life and the Vietnamese‟s life. It can be assumed that Percival feels that he is superior person. According to Horton and Hunt, an ethnocentric
person will feel that they are better than the others.
According to M.J Murphy, Percival‟s superiority is also revealed through the speech with his father, Chen Kai. ““Son, amongst the Annamese it is so easy to make money. We Chinese are smarter than they are and can get rich from them.
It would be foolish for me to stay in Shantou”” (2012:93). Percival‟s superiority
somehow influences his treatment to the others. He always underestimates the
Vietnamese. He thinks that the Chinese is better than the Vietnamese, so it will be
easy for him to get money in Vietnam, because the Chinese is smarter than the
Vietnamese. Percival looks like he takes the advantage of the Vietnamese, but he
also shows that he is powerful than the Vietnamese. He is a Chinese who has
strong work ethic, so he is deserved to be rich.
Another Percival‟s treatment to the Vietnamese is when the two officer
come to his house to get his sign. There is a new regulation that the Vietnamese
Murphy, the superiority is revealed through speech (1972:163). It is not a
necessity for him to learn or teach the Vietnamese language. Percival who has
lived more than sixteen years in Vietnam can not speak the Vietnamese fluently.
For him, it is not important to learn the Vietnamese language because there is a
more prestige language which is Chinese.
Another Percival‟s ethnocentrism that is revealed through the speech
(1972:163) shows when he tried to convince Dai Jai that China was the best place
for the Chinese. The quotation as follows:
“The greatest minds of all civilization-Emperor Wong, Confucius, the Cheng brothers--all derived their wisdom from their mother China. You will thrive in Shanghai. You will get a better education that you could ever hope fore
here in this muddy backwater.” (2012:118)
Percival shows his ethnocentrism more often. He feels that his culture is the
center of the world. Percival believes that civilization comes from China. As the
consequence, he underestimates the education in Vietnam. He states that the
education in China is better than in Vietnam. Percival does not only
underestimates the Vietnamese, but also the white people. “”What good have the
French ever been to us Chinese, or any white people? You would be miserable in
a land of the gwei lo (white people)” (2012:117).” Percival convinces Dai Jai that living in America or Europe is better. Percival believes that white people only
bring problem. First Vietnam War was being the struggle of the Vietnamese under
the French colonialism. When the second Vietnam War began, The United State
supported Vietnam. There were many victims of the bomb that were caused by
the United State. Looking at the condition, Percival believes that white people
Next, Percival‟s ethnocentrism is revealed through direct comment. The
author describes that Percival lives in Cholon, South Vietnam. Cholon is a
Chinese City (2012:6). As an ethnocentric person, Percival withdraws himself
from the Vietnamese. He tends to group himself with the Chinese. Moreover,
Percival tends to mingle with the Chinese. Most of his friends are Chinese. First,
Mak is Percival‟s assistant in English school. “Though he was of Teochow
Chinese descent, Mak was born in central Vietnam and spoke the language
fluently” (2012:15). According to the personal description (1972:161), Mak is
Chinese.
Second, from the direct comment (1972:167), students and teachers in
Percival Chen English Academy are Chinese. “Of course, many of the students at
the Percival Chen English Academy were in fact of Chinese descent and spoke
only basic Vietnamese, like their headmaster” (2012:21). Percival lives in Cholon, that many Chinese live there means that most of his students are Chinese.
Percival also hires Chinese teachers to teach in his school. Percival knows that
Chinese workers have strong work ethic (2010:13), therefore it will be good to
his school‟s reputation.
According to the speech (1972:163), Chief Mei is the Chinese police in
Cholon. “”They let us Chinese police control Cholon as long as we don‟t come cross them . . . On sensitive matters”” (2012:60). When Dai Jai is arrested, Percival is asking help from Chief Mei who is a Chinese police. Percival believes
that the Chinese will help the Chinese, therefore he hopes that Chief Mei can help
