THE VALUE OF FEMINISM IN DEALING WITH
PATRIARCHAL VALUE AS SEEN IN JODI
PICOULT’S PERFECT MATCH
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
Lucia Danik Triastuti Student Number : 034214060
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
THE VALUE OF FEMINISM IN DEALING WITH
PATRIARCHAL VALUE AS SEEN IN JODI
PICOULT’S PERFECT MATCH
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
Lucia Danik Triastuti Student Number : 034214060
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA 2008
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They say that time changes things, but you actually
have to change them yourself.
≈ Andy Warhol ≈
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God wrote an entire book for us to learn from,
to show how we should live,
a book filled with wisdom and hope.
This undergraduate thesis is dedicated to
My beloved parents
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First of all, I would like to dedicate my very special gratitude and thankfulness to my only Savior, Jesus Christ for His blessing all this time.
I would like to thank Ni Luh Putu Rosiandani, S.S. M.Hum., my advisor, for giving me her precious time, patience, advice, guidance and encouragement that helped me to finish this thesis, and also for lending me books and laptop that are very helpful in writing this thesis. I would also say thank to my co advisor, Tatang Iskarna, S.S, M.Hum., for reading my thesis and giving advice for the improvement for this thesis. My gratitude also goes to my examiner, Paulus Sarwoto, S. S., M. A. and to all lecturers and staff in Sanata Dharma University for the guidance during my study.
I dedicate my thesis to my whole family, my beloved father in heaven, Thomas Sutardi and my lovely mother, Christina Suyatmi for their unconditional love. Thank you for giving me attention and support in my difficult time. My brother, Antonius Dandi, my sister, Rosa Danti and my sister in law, Fransisca Setyanti for their love, support and attention. I am lucky and grateful to have them all in my life.
My wonderful friends, Stella ‘Celia’ and Danang ‘Prammy’, thank you for the time and willingness to share everything with me. Thank you for being my listener and the place for my tears.
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My friends, Nisa, Mia, Tari, Budi, thank you for the beautiful childhood. Hopefully, our friendship will last forever.
Christian Endrojono, thank you for being my leader in doing great things. Thank you for the understanding that two people can look at the same thing and see it differently.
My best friends in English Letters Faculty, Tiara, Tika, Nitnot, Yohanes Adi, Bayu, Hardiyanto K, Yeremia, Sunu, Mas Teguh, Mas Ditto and Mas Jodi, thank you for support, comments and beautiful friendship that we had for years.
Deon, Alfred and Noel, thank you for our night chats. Thank you for coloring my “artificial world”.
Thank you to my sweet sisters in Cepit, Mbak Janti and Riris, for support, prayer and great times we have spent together.
I would like to thank the entire person, who helped me in finishing this undergraduate thesis that I cannot mention one by one.
For all, thank you for being the part of my life.
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ABSTRACT
LUCIA DANIK TRIASTUTI. The Value of Feminism Dealing With Patriarchal Value as Seen in Jodi Picoult’s Perfect Match. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2008
This study concerns the modern novel of Jodi Picoult’s Perfect Match. The novel tells about Nina Frost as the representation of feminism value who lives in a family where patriarchal value exists. The aim of the study is to find out how the value of feminism is depicted through the main character, how the patriarchal value views the value of feminism and how the main character deals with the conflict as the result of two opposing points of view.
In analyzing the problem, the writer conducted a library research. The data was obtained from the novel itself, some review on the novel and other sources related to the novel. The approach used in analyzing the problem is feminist approach. The theories that are used in this thesis are theory of Character and Characterization, theory of Feminism, theory of Woman and Family, theory of Woman at Work and theory of Patriarchal Value.
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ABSTRAK
LUCIA DANIK TRIASTUTI. The Value of Feminism Dealing With Patriarchal Value as Seen in Jodi Picoult’s Perfect Match. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2008.
Skripsi ini membahas novel modern berjudul Perfect Match karya Jodi Picoult. Novel tersebut bercerita tentang Nina Frost sebagai gambaran perempuan dengan semangat feminisme yang berada di keluarga yang memiliki pandangan patriarkal. Tujuan penulisan skripsi ini adalah untuk mengetahui bagaimana semangat feminisme digambarkan melalui karakter utama, bagaimana pandangan patriarkal terhadap feminisme tersebut dan bagaimana karakter utama mengahadapi masalah yang disebabkan oleh perbedaan pandangan tersebut.
Dalam analisa masalah, penulis menggunakan studi perpustakaan. Data diperoleh dari novel, tinjauan tentang novel tersebut dan sumber lain yang berkaitan dengan novel tersebut. Pendekatan yang digunakan adalah pendekatan feminis. Di samping itu, teori karakter dan karakteristik, teori feminis, teori tentang perempuan dan keluarga, teori tentang perempuan dalam pekerjaan dan teori tentang nilai patriarkal juga digunakan dalam penulisan skripsi.
aware in facing problems in reality. E. M. Foster in his book Aspects of the Novel and Related Writing shared:
We think one event occurs after or before another, the thought is often in our mind, and much of our talk and action proceeds on the assumption. Much of our talk and action, but not all; there seems something else in life beside time, something which may conveniently be called “value”… And what the entire novel does – if it is a good novel – is to include the life by values as well; using devices here after to be examined (1977: 19) There are so many social problems that are not easy to be solved but can be easily communicated through literature. One of the complicated problems in society is gender problem. Men and women are different in physique and emotion but they are created with equal rights and they were born with the same potentialities for achievement. But in social reality, women are conditioned to be dependent on men because they are considered as inferior. Ashley Montagu in
The Natural Superiority of Women stated that women have been conditioned to believe that they are inferior to men, and they have assumed that what everyone believes is a fact of nature. Because man occupies the superior positions in almost all societies, such superiority is taken to be a natural one (1953: 23).
Feminism, that has been fought by women all over the world, may not be a hot topic nowadays, but the change made by its power and its effect still can be felt. Not a few of feminists think that, by creating new openings for women and by showing their ability to work, they contributed to the future improvement of woman’s position. Feminism has symbolized the power to show the world about women’s ability.
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change in their life. The freedom to express their ideas and thoughts through literature, the freedom to enter any school to have higher education and the freedom to be the part of political activities are some of the feminism positive effects that women can feel. The other positive effect of feminism achieved is the freedom to have full day job with equal work and payment with men, without any differences between men and women.
But the problems always arise as the feminism goes by. The opposite of feminism is the traditional value in patriarchal society. Gerald Sutton in The Failure of Feminism tries to describe the patriarchal point of view about feminism. According to Sutton, feminism brings great change in the marriage.
Feminism is a sickness that has damaged and hurt men and women in different ways and has damaged our marriages and social structure. If ever the devil was to find a way to keep people further from God, he could do it by turning men and women against each other. He waited for our modern day for his feminism plan to work though. Women cannot deny their need for a man internally, nor can men deny their need for a woman.
Marriage is essential to happiness for most people because most people desire a life long partner. The meaning of marriage gets big change brought by the value of feminism. The existence of feminism threats the consideration that men and women need each other. Men need women to support every single step he takes for their life. Men need women to be responsible for their household. Women also are very concerned about their needs. Women need men to fulfill their needs. Women also need men for the security.
character, Nina Frost. Then, the writer tries to find out the perspective of patriarchal value through Caleb Frost’s responses toward her wife’s feminist value. The last, the writer also tries to find out the way Nina Frost responses to the conflict as the result of the two opposing points of view.
A. Problem Formulation
There are three questions formulated in this study. They are as follows: 1. How is the value of feminism reflected through Nina Frost in the
novel?
2. In what way does this novel portray the conflict between feminist value and patriarchal value?
3. How does Nina deal with the conflict?
B. Objective of the Study
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value. This study aims to focus on the perspective of the patriarchal value toward the feminism experienced by the female character. This study also reveals the way a feminist deals with difficult situation as the result of two opposing point of view.
C. Definition of Term
In order to understand about the subject matter of this undergraduate thesis, it is better to know the term of the subject matter.
1. Feminism
In The Dictionary of Feminist Theory, the definition incorporates both a doctrine of equal rights for women (the organized movement to attain women’s rights) and an ideology of social transformation aiming to create a world for women beyond simple social equality. In general, feminism is the ideology of woman’s liberation since intrinsic in all its approaches is the belief that women suffer injustice because of our sex (Humm, 1989 : 94).
2. Patriarchy
areas of life, such as the running of the household or (sometimes) work situations (Spencer, 1985 : 278).
3. Values
what it is like to love unconditionally and to want to lay down their life to protect their own, but even if they have not got them, they will feel like they know what it is like to do so. She also said that Picoult has an extraordinary way of developing characters. The way they think, act and relate to each other seems so real.
Anne Hood shared that like every Jodi Picoult novel, Perfect Match
absolutely grabs the readers from the very first page with Nina's shooting of the priest in court. This is formula writing that Jodi Picoult does so very well. Writing about the character’s struggle and her feelings that range from vengeance to guilt to sorrow and everyplace in between is a trademark of Picoult's fiction. She specializes in taking morally confusing question, then running with the exploration of that question. It must be said that sometimes she runs too far, forcing the reader to doubt the implausible turn of events. Still, even when that happens, there is no denying that she writes compelling courtroom dramas that test our notions of right and wrong. Sometimes this strength actually turns into a weakness. Almost all of her novels do not seem naturally happen. They are in a certain concept of writer’s thought.
Oddly, for all the gradations of morality that Picoult explores, her characters' code is often simplistic. For that reason, perhaps, Picoult's novels can feel a bit formulaic. What isn’t formulaic is Picoult's honest and emotional portrayal of motherhood, and the one she presents in
Perfect Match is no exception (Hood, 2002).
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From the criticism and opinions given, the writer is motivated to investigate this thesis based on the review of feminism issues. The writer is trying to identify the existence of feminist’s value, the perspective of the patriarchal value on feminism and the way a feminist deals with the conflict of the opposing values, feminism value and patriarchal point of view in a family.
B. Review of Related Theories
1. Theory of Character and Characterization
Holman and Harmon defined characterization as the creation of imaginary persons. The characters are created imaginatively, but they have to be seen real, therefore they exist for the reader or audiences as lifelike (1986 : 45).
Roberts and Jacobs in their book An Introduction to Reading and Writing
state that in literature generally, in fiction specifically, character is an extended verbal representation of a human being, the inner self that determines thought, speech and behavior. A character is then a person in a literary work (1987 : 50).
It is stated in Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama,
that a character may be defined as a person that appears in the story. Mostly, the character is recognized by their human personalities. If the story seems true and life, it is found that its character act in a reasonably consistent manner and that the author has provided them with motivation: sufficient reason to act like they do (Kennedy and Gioia, 1999 : 60-61).
Van de Laar and Schooderwoerd in An Approach to English Literature
works must pay attention to. Dialogues, in fact, serve several purposes in a novel. They must advance the story, the plot and the action. They must also express characters. Furthermore, the main function of dialogues is to advance plot and reveal the characters. Through the observation on the dialogues, the readers may learn what kind of persons the characters are (1969: 171-172).
There are four fundamental methods of characterization: (1) the explicit presentation by the author of the character through direct exposition, either in an introductory block or more often piecemeal throughout the work, illustrated by action; (2) the presentation of the character in action, with little or no explicit comment by the author, in the expectation that the reader can deduce the attributes of the actor from the actions, and (3) the representation from within a character, without comment by the author of the impact of actions and emotions on the character’s inner self. Regardless of the method by which a character is presented, the author may concentrate on a dominant trait to the exclusion of other aspects of personality, or the author may attempt to present a fully rounded creation. (4) The last is what the author says about them as observer. Usually, what the author says about the characters can be accepted as accurate. The author assumes the role of a reader or critic and any opinions may be either right or wrong (Roberts and Jacobs, 1987:147-148).
2. Theory of Feminism
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movement and the cause of women oppression. It is a social theory and political movement primarily informed and motivated by the experience of women. While generally providing a critique of social relations, many proponents of feminism also focus on analyzing gender inequality and the promotion of women's rights, interests, and issues. Feminism believes that women’s and men’s position in society are the result of social, not natural or biological factors. In general, feminism is an ideology of women liberation because every approach to the theory believes that women are oppressed because of their sex (Humm, 2002 : 158).
It is stated in the book Feminist Theory and Literary Practice that feminist movement is conducted because in the nineteenth century, women in America are unable to vote, and after marriage have no control of her property (2003 : 3). At that time, women are forbidden to vote, prohibited from attending college and barred from many trades and vocations. Married women are unable to sue, divorce or own property. This movement leads to the so – called “first wave” of American feminism. It begins in the 1840s marked by the first Women’s Rights Conventions held in Seneca Falls in 1848.
“What woman needs is not as a woman to act or rule, but as a nature to grow, as an intellect to discern, as a soul to live freely and unimpeded, to unfold such powers as were given her when we left our common home” (2000 : 5).
women’s consciousness of gender oppression and political issues of that oppression are the central to the efforts of early second wave feminism (2000 : 9). In 1920s, the American media publicizes the American new woman. She is young, educated, independent and career – oriented, although she might marry and have children later in her twenties (Hughes, 1997 : 267 – 268).
Madhavi Sunder writes in Introduction : Feminism in the Power/Knowledge Age that American feminists in twenty first century imagine equality as the equal right to exercise the liberty to produce new knowledge of the world. They calls upon to answer some of the most profound conflicts – resolving constitutional conflicts between religion and rights, confronting cultural difference, ending female poverty, eradicating violence against women, and facilitating women’s right to make the world. In step with an increasingly integrated global economy, women need to have higher education to oppose dictatorships and totalitarian movements that crush the liberty and rights of people, especially women and girls. They would be wise to abandon multicultural relativism and instead uphold a universal standard of human rights. Twenty-first-century feminists need to reassess the global threats to women and men and liberate humanity from all forms of tyranny and slavery (Chesler & Hughes, 2006).
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Stanton’s Declaration of Sentiments in Madsen’s Feminist Theory and Literary Practice,
We hold these truths to be self – evident: that all men and women are created equal… The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man toward woman, having in direct object, the establishment of an absolute tyranny over her… He has never permitted her to exercise her inalienable right to the effective franchise… He has made her, if married, in the eyes of the law, civilly dead (2000: 6).
Men and women should have equal rights because in front of God, there is no difference. This means that women should have the equal rights and duties that men have, as well as the opportunities.
This equality includes the equality of women’s opportunity of career. Feminism demands for the woman equality of education and equal access to professions. A woman should have an equal role with man in achieving her satisfaction through her abilities. Woman, as well as man, has the right to live an independent life. The right of a woman is to do something to fulfill the functions for which she is fitted and to earn a living.
Human beings have the right to live, work and liberty. Women, as men, have their own freedom and rights of doing anything they want. Women are no longer put up of being dependent on men. Charles Poisson’s in Leclerecq’s book stated,
The woman has, quite as well as the man, a right to life, work and liberty. The man has been lord and master long enough; the woman has all too long been a bondwoman in the household. The woman can no longer put up with being dependent, with being treated as a minor, with being supported and maintained. We claim to be human beings like the men; responsible, autonomous, able to decide what we wish to do with our activity (1942: 323).
Woman was born free and remains equal with man in rights. There is no differentiation between sexes. The aim of feminism is the preservation of the natural rights on liberty, security and especially resistance to oppression.
Woman’s first right is to be a woman. She does not seek the means of developing herself in imitation of the man. Georges Renard in Leclerecq’s
Marriage and the Family shared,
A rational and considered effort to take a thorough sounding of the nature of woman, with respect both to what she has in common with all human nature and to what differentiates her from other sex; to appraise with greater accuracy the scope and extent of her powers; to adjust her energies in a more efficient manner to the opportunities of time and place; in short, to allow the woman to realize more fully the potentialities of her human nature to be sure, but also of her femininity, without arbitrary shackles or artificial inducement to depart from it (1942: 331).
Both, man and woman are having equal dignity. They are under the same personal obligation to devote themselves in his or her place. Woman has the same duty as man to live a useful life.
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criticism is applicable. Feminist literary theory is frequently explained in terms of how theorists deal with the concepts of woman or the feminine. Feminism brings the idea of woman’s release from the oppression and injustice caused by their sex. Feminism in literature and criticism according to A Handbook to Literature is a general position but not necessarily confined to women. It has to do with advocacy and encouragements of equal rights and opportunities for the women – politically, socially, psychologically, personally and aesthetically (Holman and Harmon, 1986: 201).
3. Theory of Woman and Family
The family is a human institution that requires language, planning, cooperation, self-control, foresight, and cultural learning, and probably developed along these. Since man lives in society, the family as an institution of nature spontaneously arises. Gough in the book Women: A Feminist Perspective shared that the definition of family is:
A married couple or other group of adult kinfolk who cooperate economically and in the upbringing of children, and all or most of whom share a common dwelling (Freeman, 1984 : 83).
hunting and government, by men; (3) marriage exists as a socially recognized, durable, although not necessarily lifelong relationship between individual men and women and (4) men in general have higher status and authority over the women of their families, although older women may have influence, even some authorities, over junior men.
Every human being has exactly the same right to the unfolding of his personality, and to seek after his perfection and his happiness. Women have been subordinate to men in certain key areas of status, mobility, and public leadership. Jacques Leclerecq and Hanley in the book Marriage and the Family shared that the woman’s development, her happiness, her perfection, her glory lies in her woman’s nature. Her nature places her at a disadvantage, society and in particular the institution of marriage will have to be so organized as to protect the woman against possible injustice at the hands of the man. Woman must accept her nature (1942: 297).
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As the social life changes, women see their position in the family in a different way. In the case of work, feminist thinking about families and modern transformations in family and household life have forced some rethinking of their role in family. Nowadays, women think that combination of homemaking and child care is a full time job, but it carried none of the economic benefits that employment outside home provided. Besides the domestic work, they have some aspects of their life in the case of self – satisfaction as Michele Hoffnung stated in the book Women : A Feminist Perspectives.
Yet mothering within the narrow definition conflicts with other important aspects of women’s lives – productive work, companionate marriage, economic independence. Mothering is done at home, outside the world of achievement, power and money (Freeman, 1984 : 124).
They want to get their self – satisfaction that will be fulfilled by expressing their ability in working area outside home.
4. Theory of Woman at Work
Some women want careers because of their interest in the work or activity involved, or because of their desire to maintain “freedom” and independence, to have an independent income, to gain support if for one of the reasons of marriage is avoided or is not achieved, to find “self-expression” (1954: 73).
The other reasons why women seek careers are to escape boredom, to prove that they can do the work involved and to avoid housework.
For centuries before the Industrial Revolution, married women worked hard on farms and in home industries while bearing and caring for their large families. As the time goes by, with the growth of modern industry and large cities, young women continued to work as wage earners. Since the beginning of twentieth century and especially since World War Two, the situation had been changing dramatically. The opportunities for women to have full time work increased. Moreover, motherhood took less and less time, so that the home-centered work and child care decreased. Nevertheless, it seems clear that the raising employment of married woman is a powerful force in the drive for woman’s equality and emancipation.
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brightest young man. If she gets married and has children, she still continued to pursue her career (Chafe, 1998 : 124).
Women believe that men and women have the same type of productive work as written by Francine D. Blau in the book Women : A Feminist Perspectives.
Women and men have traditionally engaged in three types of economically productive work. First, they have produced goods and services for their family’s own consumption; second, they have engaged in household production of goods for sale or exchange on the market; third they have worked for pay outside the home (1984 : 297).
In the same book, Evelyn Nakano Glenn and Roslyn L. Feldberg stated that the feminist think that women are also committed to work. They find that working has meaning in three areas. First, work provides opportunities to form and maintain social connections. Second, it gives direction and purpose to their lives by structuring their time and getting them involved in useful activity outside home. Third, for some women particularly married women with children, working provides an identity separate from their family roles (1984 : 329).
5. Theory of Patriarchal Value
The patriarchal value in this study is related to the concept of gender where human beings are differentiated by their gender, masculine and feminine. The people who believe in this idea has aim to resist their position in the patriarchal society. They want to be powerful and be the leader in the society.
among women that they were naturally better suited to ‘domestic’ roles (Pilcher & Whelehan, 2004 : 56).
Linda Brannon said in her book Gender, Psychological Perspectives that in America, before the first feminist makes a movement, there are two traditional values that define the stereotype of women at that time. Those values are formulated in two beliefs, The Doctrine of Two Spheres and The Cult of True Womanhood. Those two beliefs arise because of the consideration that men have duties in business and industrial work, while the women are placed at home.
As men coped with the harsh business and industrial world, women were left in the relatively unvarying and sheltered environments of their homes. These changes produced two beliefs : the Doctrine of Two Spheres and the Cult of True Womanhood (1996 : 169).
The Doctrine of Two Spheres forms the basis for the description of male and female interest and activities. It is about the belief that women’s and men’s interests are different.
For women, the influence is home and children, whereas men’s sphere incudes work and the outside world (1996 : 169).
Women and men have separate areas of influence. As said before that men deal with the world outside home including working in full time job to earn money for their family, while the women influence area is at home. What they do are for the family necessities.
The Cult of True Womanhood gives the different view point of women. Here, the discussion some virtues women have.
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virtues – piety, purity, submissiveness, and domesticity (Brannon, 1996 : 169).
Women are conceptualized to be religious and pure. They are also supposed to be weak, dependent, timid, passive, refined and delicate. Their job are inside the house, making home, having children and taking care of the family. The idealization of women has the implication for men as well. Men are considered as active, independent, coarse, and strong. Women were put in the center of the domestic sphere, and were expected to be a calm and nurturing mother, a loving and faithful wife, to be passive and delicate creature.
The patriarch, typically a societal elder, has legitimate power over younger men, women and children. Walby identifies six structures of patriarchy in which men dominate, oppress and exploit women on her theory of patriarchy written in
Fifty Keys Concepts in Gender Studies. Those are in household production, paid work, the state, male violence, sexuality and culture (Pilcher and Whelehan, 2004 : 95).
Overall, the patriarchal value in the society sees women as people who run the household and do the domestic activities. The tasks of the women are cleaning the house, nursing the sick, preparing food for the family, caring the children and the other activities done inside the house.
C. Theoretical Framework
In the analysis, the writer uses some theories. The two theories, the theory of character and characterization and theory of feminism are applied to answer the first question. They are used to find out the ideas of feminism depicted through the character of Nina Frost as working mother. It is important in the analysis because by knowing Nina’s characteristics, the writer can see the values of feminism.
The theory of woman at work is also useful to find the answer of the first question. Her work takes an important role on her life. Nina Frost, as a professional career woman, wants to show her ability by working in the man’s world and doing what a man does in his work. By knowing the attitude of woman at work, it will be easier to understand Nina’s value of feminism.
The theory of woman and family is used to answer the second and third question. The family is an important thing in Nina’s life in the story. Family is also the first reason why some people try to hold the patriarchal value in their life. This theory supports the analysis of the patriarchal value’s perspective on feminism in family. It also supports the deal Nina Frost takes in her life.
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woman with the value of feminism, she proves that Caleb’s accusation is not true. Nina ignites a battle that may cause her to lose the very thing she is fighting for.
B. Approach of the Study
Literature in general does contain much information of facts dealing with customs, beliefs or events of the past that the readers do not know. It can be said that for an understanding of the meaning of literature can come only from a study of literature itself. A literary approach is needed in order to analyze a literary work so that a good analysis can be produced. Rohrberger said in the book
Reading and Writing about Literature, that approach gives a significant influence and best guide to the appreciation of a particular work of literature. An approach has its proper insight to give, and part of the task of the critic and the reader of literature is to find the approach or approaches that will best lead to a just appreciation of a particular work (1971: 15).
By reading some references which support the analysis of Jodi Picoult’s work, the writer tried to apply feminist values as an approach to have an analysis. Since the story is about woman and her struggle to resist the equality of rights and opportunities in the society, and also discuss the four goals of feminism, it is more appropriate to approach it through the feminist values.
C. Method of Study
In writing the analysis, the writer uses the library research which means the research conducted is based on book research. There are a lot of books help the writer doing the writing analysis. As the first step, the writer used the feminism as an approach to perform the analysis of the study. Getting help from some primary and secondary data, the writer tried to answer the first problem by showing the ideas of feminist’s value through the main character, Nina Frost.
Then, to find the answer of the second problem, the writer focused on the perspective of the traditional value on viewing the feminism in the family. The writer tried to analyze the way the traditional value views the value of feminism reflected through Nina Frost. Then, to find the final conclusion, the writer focused on the way Nina Frost deals with the conflict between two opposing view points.
having of a professional career and a happy family. Therefore, Nina decides to be a working mother. She believes that she can divide her time to do her two different duties. She moves fast through her own life, both in her work world and in her family life.
Nina’s value of feminism is seen from the beginning of the story. Nina is described as a determined person. She has the authority to choose her own way of living. It is told that before getting married, Nina has her own dream about what kind of woman she wants to be. Her choice of choosing her field of education and job is the way she expresses her ability of being independent. Before she reaches her position as an assistant district attorney, Nina believes that she can save the world. She believes that with her ability, she can be a professional prosecutor who will clean the state from crimes, as she says:
At one point in my life, I had wanted to save the world. I’d listened, dewy – eyed, to law school professors and truly believed that as a prosecutor, I had a chance to rid the planet of evil (p.177).
The only way to reach her dream about saving the world from crimes is by entering a law school and being a prosecutor in state court. To achieve her dreams, she should earn money to pay her school fee. She is not dependent on her parents to pay it. She earns money while she is studying at law school. It can be seen in the following statement.
But I worked in the gifts – wrapping department of Filene’s to put myself to law school, and it works (p. 7).
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Nina is a bright woman. Her brightness can be seen from how she proves that she is a very successful student at law study and is able to get her degree as an assistant district attorney. Nina shows that she achieves her dream to work at law field, a work place where the work is dominated by men. She reaches her dream to study law with the other men as well. She wants to let the world see that a woman can have an equal education with men. It is shown in the following extract that Nina proudly introduces herself.
“Hello, I’m Nina Frost, assistant district attorney. But I also am Nathaniel’s mother” (p. 10).
A person with high self–confidence is a person who is not afraid of risks. It also happens to Nina. She has high self–confidence. It is supported by her education, her position in her workplace, her cleverness and her independence. In dealing with her son’s case, she is also sure that what she does is the right thing to protect her son. Her self–confidence leads her to the understanding that everything she does is true if it is based on her belief to protect her son. Her decision to kill the priest is the right decision because she believes that she does it for the right reason. She believes that by punishing the suspect, she does the right thing for her son. She depends on her own understanding to give protection for Nathaniel’s life
“Killing him was the right thing” (p.141).
“People like that, they ought to be shot. Szyszynski took away a piece of him that we’ll never get back. So why shouldn’t I have done the same to him” (p. 168).
prosecutors in her district who refuses the procedure of competency hearing. A competency hearing is the question and answer session. A child as the victim should stand in front of the court and swear that he/she will tell the truth. But, Nina has a different opinion. She thinks that a competency hearing in court will give bad psychological effects for the victim. Her opinion can be seen in the following lines.
“I may be a prosecutor, but I’m also the first to tell that if you cannot communicate in a certain way, you cannot get justice in American legal system. I have tried a hundred of sexual abuse cases, seen hundreds of children on that stand. I have been one of the lawyers who tugs and pulls at them, until they reluctantly let go of the make – believe world they’ve dreamed to block out the truth. All this, in the name of a conviction. But you cannot convince me that a competency hearing itself doesn’t traumatize a child. You cannot convince me that even if I win that hearing, somehow, the child doesn’t” (p. 18).
The victim of child sexual abuse usually is too young to be competent to testify. It becomes difficult time for that child because he/she should tell the unexpected thing he/she experiences. It makes Nina understand that competency hearing is useless. The probability of victim to win the case is very small. Most of the defendant will be free with or without competency hearing because the victim is not able to communicate in certain way to convince the court that the defendant is proved guilty.
She also bravely expresses her dislike to the procedure at Maine’s Bureau of Children, Youth and Family Services (BCYF).
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The above quotation proves that she delivers her opinion frontally to the officer of Maine’s Bureau of Children, Youth and Family Services (BCYF) who will help her to examine Nathaniel’s case. However, she has different point of view on BCYF. She considers that BCYF does not help the victim at all. They only do the formal examination procedure before the case is taken to the court.
As a self–assertive woman, Nina courageously and frontally expresses her idea and thought about something whether she likes or not. She does not care if her opinion is different from another. If she has her own point of view, she would state it in her own way.
Nina has her own thinking about women’s roles. She thinks that marriage and domesticity are not the only focus of women’s life. She feels that as a woman, she is free to do what she wants to do. She is free to have a full time job besides doing the domestic work. She does not want to be a housewife who is merely taking care of her family and doing the household. It is different from her husband’s point of view. Caleb still holds the patriarchal value about women’s roles. He considers that a woman is supposed to be a housewife. A woman’s duties are bearing children, looking after the family, cooking food, cleaning the house and doing any other domestic routines.
things for women who are usually considered as soft and weak. However, the traditional assumption has pointed out that people who are responsible for interpreting and exercising law are men. Law is the written system through which state authority is defined. Margaret L. Andersen in Thinking about Women, Sociological Perspectives on Sex and Gender said that the legal methods called law reflects masculine culture. The legal method, debate and argument, is a masculine mode of thinking and acting (1997: 289). The men domination depicted through the trial on legal interrogation that is based on rational argument.
Working in the court let Nina suit herself with the men’s working atmosphere. To keep her job, she should show her ability to do all the things men have to do. Moreover, her choice of being a prosecutor is a difficult thing. She has to show her ability on defending her evidences and opinions against the defense attorney. What she experiences everyday is debating about the truths and lies in logical way, a way of thinking that is believed as part of masculine way of thinking. Her efforts to follow this way of thinking prove that she is as professional as other male prosecutors.
In her workplace, Nina is considered as a professional and highly – spirited hard worker.
Yes, she’s one of the DAs who calls all the time, checking up on the results we fax in. She’s even come to the lab. A lot of the prosecutors don’t bother, but Nina really wanted to make sure she understood. She likes to follow through from beginning to end (p. 317).
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evidence that because of her quality, she is welcomed to work in men’s world and equally positioned. Both Nina and Peter, her partner, work as assistant district attorney. They become working partner since Nina enters the West District and starts her career. Her equal position is seen in the following excerpt.
This is our game, Peter and me. It began when we were both assistant DA’s in the West District, splitting our time between Springvale and York (p.15).
All officers in court – judge, prosecutor, defense attorney and clerk – in court are men. In the novel, it is told that in the most cases that are taken to court, Nina stands as the only female officer.
The example is in Rachel’s case. The judge who leads the court is a man named McAvoy. The defense attorney who fights against her is man named Fisher Carrington. The clerk who takes note during the court is also man named Roger, and the prosecutor is a female, Nina Frost herself. There is no female officer presented in the story. It shows that in her workplace, Nina is considered as a woman who has an ability to propose arguments for her case as well as man.
As defense attorneys go, Fisher Carrington is quite respectful… He acts like a grandfather who will give them lollipops if they tell the truth (p. 18) Judge McAvoy turns to his clerk. Roger, why don’t you run into my chambers and see if there’s a stool for Miss Rachel (p.22).
Working with male partners shows Nina’s ability in achieving the equality of position at work and work duties.
growth is in women’s hand. Women should do all the duties related to the domestic work.
Both of Nina and her husband have their own job. Nina’s husband works as a stonemason and also a subcontractor.
Caleb’s been out in his shed, loading his truck. He does stonework – brick paths, fireplaces, granite steps, stone walls (p.7).
Nina thinks that a wife is also free to work outside home. Nina is free to have full time job. She works as an Assistant District Attorney in Maine. Her job takes most of her time and forces her to stay at her office all day long.
Their equal opportunity of career is followed by the equality of parenting duties. At home, Nina tries to set the responsibility of parenting as hers and her husband’s responsibility. Nina’s husband is conditioned to accept the share of parental responsibility. The statement below becomes evidence that she forces her husband to accept her decision to share responsibilities in the family.
“We just think he needs to be at home. Maybe you can spend this afternoon with him”.
“We have discussed this plan, trading our time like chips in a poker game. There is no majority share; I am split down the middle, fifty – fifty” (p. 52).
The lines below show that Nina Frost divides the parenting responsibility in equal share.
His day starts early and ends early, like most subcontractors. It means that I bear the brunt of getting Nathaniel to school, while Caleb is in charge of the pickup (p.8).
“I’ll get Nathaniel at four – thirty”, Caleb says, a line that, in the language of parenting, means what I love you once did (Caleb p.9).
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It is said that Nina Frost still does her duty as a mother, waking up her son, preparing his needs and driving him to school. Caleb, her husband has duty to pick him up from school. They have the equal responsibility on taking care of their son’s schooling. Another parenting duty Nina and Caleb do together is also shown in the following dialogue between Caleb, Nina and Nathaniel.
The sun hits the lip of my glass and a rainbow spills onto my plate. “What’s the opposite of left”, I ask.
Caleb flips a pancake. As a kid, he lisped. Listening to Nathaniel brings abject pain, and the belief that his son will be teased mercilessly, too. He thinks we should correct Nathaniel, and asked Miss Lydia if Nathaniel’s pronunciations could be fixed by a speech pathologist. He thinks a child going into kindergarten next year should have the eloquence of Laurence Olivier. “Then what’s the opposite of white”? Caleb asks.
“Bwack”.
“Rrrright”, Caleb stresses. “Try it. Rrrrright”. “Wwwwhite”.
“Just leave it, Caleb”, I say.
But he can’t. “Nathaniel”, he presses, “the opposite of left is right. And the opposite of right is….?”
Nathaniel thinks about this for a moment. “Ewase”, he answers (p. 32-33). At home, Nina and Caleb always accompany their son to study. They notice Nathaniel’s progress. When they find that Nathaniel’s pronunciation is wrong, they try to teach him the right pronunciation. They correct him and give him the new lesson. They do it together as it is their own responsibility. The equal share of opportunity of career and parenting responsibility shows that Nina has succeeded in gaining the equality.
woman is considered as someone who cannot do anything for herself and for the other. What woman should do is only keeping her opinion for herself and accepting the decision made for her life. But, Nina rejects the opinion that man is the one who makes decision for woman.
In the court where she works, Nina always makes her own decision on the cases she handles. She is a prosecutor who should make an effort for the victims to win their cases. She should know every risk before she makes decision for her client’s future life. As a prosecutor, Nina is accustomed to make decision by herself.
At home, she also makes her own decision for her life. The first decision she made is the decision of being a working mother. She knows that her decision has a big risk for her child’s growth. But, Nina insists on taking the opportunity to work outside the house although she realizes that she cannot fully focus on her family and cannot fully concentrate on her work. It can be seen as follows.
Nathaniel wasn’t really that sick last night. He didn’t seem himself, but that alone wouldn’t keep me from sending him to school – especially on a day when I’m due in court. Every working mother has been caught between this Scylla and Charybdis. I can’t give a hundred percent at home because of my work; I can’t give a hundred percent of my work because of my home; and I live in fear of the moments, like these, when the two collide (p. 8).
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In solving child sexual abuse Nathaniel experiences, she also makes a big decision to refuse the legal method. Most of her cases are about child sexual abuse, and she knows that most of the victims are failed to win their case. This can be described in the following dialogue.
Leaning forward, I bury my hands in my hair. “And then what am I supposed to do? Let him testify?”
“That’s the way it works”.
“Not when my child’s the victim”, I snap.
Patrick touches my arm. “Nina, without Nathaniel’s testimony against Szyszynski, you have no case”. He shakes his head, certain I haven’t really thought this through.
But I have never been more sure of anything in my life. I will do what it takes to keep my son from being a witness. “You’re right”, I tell Patrick. “And that’s why I’m counting on you to get the priest to confess” (p. 111 – 112).
From the dialogue above, it is seen that Nina knows that taking the case to the court is wrong, because Nathaniel is forced to follow a competency hearing. Legally, competency is defined as being able to communicate in a way that the fact finder can understand. The effort to let Nathaniel testify will traumatize him. Nathaniel is too young to have a competency hearing in court. She knows that the probability to win the case is very small. She decides not to take the case to the court.
In two steps, I am across the aisle of the courtroom. In a breath, I hold the gun up to the priest’s head. I pull the trigger four times (p.135).
She kills the priest in front of the court. She knows that her decision to punish the defendant by her own hand will change her life. The risk that can change Nina’s life is being under arrest because she is a defendant of murder. She will leave her family to live in jail for years as the punishment for killing someone. But, she decides to take the risk because she does it for her son.
For Nina, women are not created for command, not even her own husband’s command. They have their own thought and they have their freedom to express it. This understanding influences Nina in making her decision to handle the problem at home. All Nina’s efforts show her tendency and ability to make any decision herself.
From the explanation above, the writer can conclude that Nina Frost is a bright and determined woman. She has high self–confidence. She is also described as an assertive woman. She is courageously expresses her own idea and point of view. She achieves woman’s equality and independence by having her own career and making decision without being influenced by the other.
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the events happen in the family. In this novel, the presence of patriarchal value is represented by Caleb Frost, Nina’s husband. Caleb is described as a smart man.
He is a smart man, but he’s methodical and careful. He will finish one project with exquisite finesse before moving on to the next, and he makes decisions the same way (p. 8).
The patriarchal value is seen through Caleb’s traditional way of thinking. Caleb can not easily accept the concept of feminism brought by Nina Frost. There are some problems appearing in their family caused by the differences between Nina’s feminist thought and Caleb’s traditional thought. In the novel, it is told that patriarchal value sees that feminists break the traditional role of women. Nina’s work of being a prosecutor who spends most of her time in court breaks the consideration that women are supposed to do the domestic works all the time.
Caleb wants to have a family where he is the only one who protects the member of his family. When he builds strong wall around a house, he also imagines that he builds a wall around his family to keep them safe. It is shown in the following features.
The way Caleb Frost see it, you build a wall to keep something unwanted out…or to hold something precious in……He likes to think of the families inside these baileys he constructs: insulated, safe, protected (p. 13).
As a man, Caleb wants to be responsible for fulfillment of his family needs. He thinks that he is the only one who has a duty to protect his family from dangerous things that may harm them.
responsibility for domestic works, which involved many complicated skills, as well as cooking, laundering, cleaning, and child care (1984 : 125). Mother’s task is essential to provide safety, health care, education and other services that they know are necessary for their children’s welfare. As wives and mothers they are expected to be responsible for both their husband and children.
He also says to his wife about what he thinks of mother’s responsibility, especially for their son. He has his own description about a mother’s duties. Caleb’s statement can be seen in the following evidence.
“What do you think mother are supposed to do?” he asks. “Stay awake all night when an infant has a cold, as if she might be able to breathe for him. Learn how to speak Pig Latin, and make a pact to talk that way for an entire day. Bake at least one cake with every ingredient in the pantry, just to see how it will taste. Fall in love with your son a little more every day” (p. 194).
Caleb thinks that some works like staying awake to keep their child when they are sick, trying to understand and speaking in kid’s language, trying to bake a cake for their son are ways to show Nina’s responsibility as a mother. It will be the best way to pay attention to child’s growth. A mother is a person who is supposed to have the closest relationship with children in the family and considered as a person who should handle all the children needs.
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“This is my fault?”
Caleb looks at me, hard. “You’ve been awfully busy lately, that’s all I’m saying”.
“So I’m supposed to apologize for the fact that my job isn’t something I can do on my own clock, like yours? Well, excuse me. I’ll ask if the victims would be kind enough to get raped and beaten at a more convenient time”.
“No, you’ll just hope that your own son has the good sense to get sick when you’re not scheduled in court” (p.34).
From the dialogue above, it can be seen that Caleb indirectly says that all the things happen to Nathaniel are Nina’s fault. Nathaniel is sick because Nina ignores him. In the eyes of patriarchal society, the children’s growth and whatever happens to the children are mother’s responsibility.
Caleb Frost also complains about Nina’s busy time at the court to solve the other kids’ problems. He accuses that her own son becomes the second priority in her life. It is seen in the following statement. It is stated in the sentence “It’s true, Nina. How can everyone else’s kid be a priority over your own?” (p.35). Nina’s full time job makes her leaving her home all day long. The result is her son does not get any attention from his own mother. Her priority is to finish her works which are scheduled in court.
pass through the problem and pay attention to him more than a mother who is busy with her own affairs in court.
“Exactly – we’re talking about Nathaniel. And today he needs a mother more than he needs a mother who is a prosecutor” (p. 132).
Caleb also judges that Nina only thinks about herself and her own satisfaction. Caleb’s judgment can be seen in the following lines.
“You’re doing this for yourself, Nina. If you were thinking of Nathaniel, even a little, you’d concentrate on being his mother. You’d get out of bed and get on with your life and let the legal system deal with Gwynne” (p. 268).
Caleb, with his patriarchal value also sees Nina’s way of thinking and attitude as the causal factor of the suffering in the family. Nina is considered as a mother who is not able to play her role as a good mother.
Nina Frost’s independence in making decision also becomes one big problem for Caleb. In the novel, Caleb considers that Nina makes a big decision for her son without discussing it with her husband. Patriarchal culture views that the decision maker in every situation is man. Man is responsible to every decision made for the whole family. But, the opposite thing happens in Caleb Frost’s family. As a wife, Nina Frost does not discuss any decision related to Nathaniel’s case with her husband. She thinks that she knows everything about Nathaniel. Nina’s decision to kill the priest is the wrong choice, not only for Nathaniel, but also for both Caleb and Nina.
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In Caleb’s opinion, Nina also ignores the effects of her decision that affect Nathaniel’s psychological growth. She ignores the thought whether Nathaniel will be traumatized or not. He accuses that Nina does not care whether in the future Nathaniel needs his mother or not. What Nina thinks is ending the problems hurriedly and emotionally. The sentences below also become an evidence of Caleb’s disagreement of Nina’s ignorance.
“Nina. Jesus Christ, what were you doing?” “How’s Nathaniel?”
“How the hell do you think he is? His mother’s been arrested for killing someone!” (p.152).
To say that she killed a man in order to protect Nathaniel? Well, whatever trauma he might suffer as a witness couldn’t be nearly as bad as watching his mother get handcuffed and carted off to jail (p. 230).
From those sentences, it can be clearly seen that Caleb worries about Nathaniel’s future life resulted by Nina’s decision. Caleb implicitly accuses Nina for Nathaniel’s condition. Caleb thinks that he is the only who should make decision since he is the head of the family
Actually, Caleb Frost is angry with Nina because he thinks that Nina is too confident in making decision related to Nathaniel’s case. It is described in the following dialogue.
“Caleb, you need to listen to me. I’ll explain everything when I see you”. “What am I supposed to tell Nathaniel?”
I take a deep breath. “That I’m okay, and that I’ll be home tomorrow”. Caleb is angry; I can hear it in his pause, “Why should I do this for you, after what you did to us?” (p. 152).
to tell a lie to their son. This refusal is the actualization of his protest on Nina’s way in perceiving her independency.
Traditional value puts a man, a father as the head of family who has more power to control over the family. However, Caleb sees that Nina wants to show her power in dealing with Nathaniel’s problem. Caleb wants Nina to give the case to another lawyer who is able to handle the case.
“Nina”, he says pleasantly, “maybe we should just let Mr. LaCroix do his job right now” (Caleb p.132).
“It’s my job too”, I point out. “I put children on the stand every day, and I watch them fall apart, and then I watch the abusers walk. How can you ask me to forget that, when we’re talking about Nathaniel” (Nina p. 132). Single – minded is one of reasons that become a reason for Caleb to claim that Nina is the root of the problem. Caleb thinks that Nina has a different way of thinking from the other women. Caleb judges that woman’s way of thinking is not rational, it is more emotional. Therefore, it tends to ruin the situation. Her single – mindedness makes her looks attractive for some men. But this kind of characteristics is not helpful in solving problem especially Nathaniel’s child sexual abuse problem.
Nina’s single – mindedness has always been attractive – especially to a man who, in so many matters, is naturally hesitant. But now the flaw has been magnified to the point of being grotesque. She simply cannot let go (p.229).
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From the beginning of the story, Nina’s value of feminism let her break traditional value about women. A woman in patriarchal society is considered as weak, stupid, dependent and obedient. But, her education breaks the stereotype that woman is stupid. Her independence in making decision and having career breaks the statement that woman is considered as weak and dependent on man. She shows that she can have all the qualities men should have. Feminist’s effort in breaking the patriarchal value is reached by gaining equality in all aspects of life and being free from man’s oppression.
All of the phenomenon above explain that Nina Frost faces the conflict about women’s traditional stereotype and roles. Caleb considers that in patriarchal value, woman is supposed to be at home. Her tasks are running the household and taking care of the whole family. On the other hand, Nina thinks that a woman is free to express her ability. Woman does not merely do domestic works and take care of the children. She has her freedom to achieve her dream in various ways.
Woman is also considered as inferior. Caleb considers that woman is weaker and less intelligent than man. Woman is dependent on man in any aspects of life. Caleb thinks that Nina is the same with the other women. But, Nina thinks that she is not that kind of woman. She wants to show that she is more independent than other women. She proves that she is an intelligent woman. She is able to make her own decision for her own life.
It is different from Nina Frost’s point of view. She shows that she does not emotionally make decision. She has many reasons before she makes decision in her life. She is responsible for every decision she has made and done.
From those evidences and the explanation, it can be concluded that from the perspective of patriarchal value, Nina Frost’s feminism value gives some bad contribution to the relationship of the family. The presence of patriarchal value represented by Nina’s husband, Caleb Frost accuses Nina’s independence of financial aspect, independence in making decision and Nina’s way of thinking as the cause of their suffering.
B. The Way Nina Frost Deals with the Conflict
From the explanation above, the conflict Nina Frost experiences comes from the two points of view which are very different. Living in a family with two different points of view in viewing women’s stereotype and roles creates conflicting situation for Nina.
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Nina Frost faces the difficult situation because of two different points of view. She wants to express herself to achieve her dream by having full time job, being independent and being free to express her responsibility for her child. On the other hand, her husband wants her to be a real mother who totally takes care of her family as the patriarchs say.
Despite all qualities Nina has as a professional prosecutor and her ambition to gain equal role and position both at work and home, Nina wants to prove that she is a good mother. Nina tries to prove that she is still responsible for her child with or without having her own job. She has different way to express her responsibility for her child as she says:
However, unlike most parents, who lie awake at night worrying about the horrors that could befall a child, I have the chance to do something about them. I’m a white knight, one of fifty lawyers responsible for cleaning up the state of Maine before Nathaniel makes his way through it (p. 10). It is different from the social understanding of patriarchal value. Patriarchal value views that women’s role in a family is doing household duties. Women are responsible for domestic works. Women should stay at home all the time. Women’s responsibilities are looking after the children, taking care of husband, cooking food, cleaning the house, nursing the sick, washing dishes and doing the other domestic work.
It is mentioned in the explanation of the second problem that Caleb Frost, the husband has the value of patriarchy. He says that mothering is the part of women’s responsibilities. It is seen in the following paragraph.
entire day. Bake at least one cake with every ingredient in the pantry, just to see how it will taste. Fall in love with your son a little more every day” (p. 194).
He wants her wife to be a real mother who takes care of both her husband and child. He wants her wife to stay at home and give more attention to their child’s growth. Caleb disagrees if his wife spends most of her time to work outside the house. Caleb emphasizes that women are responsible for running the household, while men are responsible for earning money. It means that he wants her wife not to have paid work outside home. He does not want his wife to forget her responsibility of being a real mother because of her own business.
The day when Nathaniel is being sexually abused by a priest at Maine, he turns muted and does not speak at all. Caleb considers that Nathaniel’s problem is caused by Nina’s lack of attention to Nathaniel. But, Nina denies his judgment. She thinks that it is not fully her fault. She wants to refuse every single word Caleb says to blame her.
Dealing with the differences of values Nina and Caleb have, Nina shows some attitude to show that her feminism value is not the causal factor of family’s suffering. Nina wants to show that she is responsible for solving Nathaniel’s case, as she promises to Nathaniel:
“Who did this to you?” I demand. “Tell me honey, so that I can make it better” (p. 50).
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Women, it was alleged, had smaller brains than men, and less intelligence; they were more emotional and unstable; they were weak and sickly creatures; they had little judgment and less sense (Montagu, 1953: 21). Nina wants to show that woman is as intelligent as man. She has power and ability to handle her problems. To solve Nathaniel’s silence problem, Nina makes a decision that Nathaniel has to learn how to communicate by American Sign Language. She wants Nathaniel to communicate although he cannot speak. But, Caleb has different opinion about the sign language. He thinks that by teaching Nathaniel American Sign Language, it will not help Nathaniel to learn his verbal language. In Caleb’s opinion, Nathaniel will enjoy his new language and will be muted in his whole life. Nina’s decision to teach Nathaniel about American Sign Language is the proof of Nina’s responsibility, as she says in the following excerpt.
Caleb is not in favor of Nathaniel learning American Sign Language. He thinks if we give Nathaniel such a tool, he might never have the incentive to speak again. But all I want, all Dr. Robichaud wants, is to give Nathaniel a chance to communicate. Because being like this is frustrating him (p.63).
Nathaniel’s case is categorized as crime which breaks the law. Nathaniel experiences case of child sexual abuse, a case which Nina faces everyday at court. Her independence of making decision and solving problem let her solve Nathaniel’s problem herself. She thinks that she knows more about American legal system than her husband. She considers that she can solve this problem without her husband’s intervention.
way in the front of jurors, he/she will fail to win the case. She understands that Nathaniel cannot communicate well because of his silence.
Then, she decides to kill her child’s molester by her own hand. Caleb does not even know about this murdering plan. Nina has her own reasons to protect her son without involving Caleb. She thinks that she knows everything about law that may not help her son. She thinks that if Caleb knows her plan, he will stop her. She also thinks about the effects of her plan and how to face it. With the reasons above, Nina’s decision is not merely an emotional thinking. She has her own way of thinking that can save Nathaniel from any dangerous thing that may harm him. Nina’s reason is stated in the dialogue below.
“Because the police don't know you weren’t planning this with me”. Caleb folds in on himself. “Is that what you did? Plan it?”
“I planned to make it unplanned. Caleb, he hurt Nathaniel”. “You don’t know that – “
“I do. I see it every day. But this time, it was my baby. How many years do you think Nathaniel will have nightmares about this? How many years will he be in therapy?” (p. 169 – 170).
“Then, why didn’t you tell me what you were going to do?” Because, I reply, you would have stopped me” (Nina p. 170).
After killing the suspect, Nina still keeps struggling to stand up for Nathaniel. Nina takes all risks that may be caused by her decision. Nina wants to show that she is responsible for every decision she made. Nina follows the judicial process of murder she does. To get justice for her son, Nina courageously stated in front of the court about her defense of her murder case and her son’s case.
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raped? And you know that the law won’t even do a very good job – it will traumatize your child, it will set free a convict in only a few years. In the eyes of this law that’s dealing with your problem, what’s morally right is considered wrong… and what’s morally wrong, you can get away with. Maybe I knew that the judicial system would not work for my son. I shot Father Szyszynki, I knew exactly what I was doing. And at the same time, I was crazy. Love will do that to you” (p. 366).
All her efforts work well. Nina Frost is found not guilty of murder. She shows that as an independent woman, she does not ignore her responsibility as a mother accused by Caleb. Nina tries to deny Caleb’s accusation about her feminism value as the causal factor of suffering. Her struggle to show her responsibility becomes her way to deals with the differences between her and her husband’s point of view.
Nina also considers that as a prosecutor, she is not a professional prosecutor anymore. She understands that prosecutor has duty to maintain law. She knows that she already breaks the law. Nina makes a decision for herself that she will quit from her prosecutor work.
Sitting down at the computer, I type a very concise note. I am voluntarily turning in my license; I no longer wish to practice law. Sincerely, Nina Frost (p.385).
It has been such a big part of me for so long that there’s no easy answer. Maybe I’ll write the book everyone seems to want me to write. Maybe I’ll give legal advice to senior citizens at the town recreation hall (p. 385). The quotation above shows that she still has her freedom to choose what kind of woman she would be and what kind of life she would have.
