THE DISCRIMINATION BETWEEN CLASSES AS SEEN
THROUGH THE RED AND SILVER FAMILIES
IN VICTORIA AVEYARD’S
RED QUEEN
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
LUISA NASTITI WIKANINGTYAS Student Number: 134214131
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
ii
THE DISCRIMINATION BETWEEN CLASSES AS SEEN
THROUGH THE RED AND SILVER FAMILIES
IN VICTORIA AVEYARD’S
RED QUEEN
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
LUISA NASTITI WIKANINGTYAS Student Number: 134214131
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
vii
Impossible is just an opinion.
viii
ix
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
There is no journey that is completely perfect, there is no road that is
completely smooth, and so does thesis. It has been such a journey for me to pass
through all the process of finishing this thesis from the beginning until now. I would
like to express my gratitude toward God and Mother Mary for the blessing and grace
so that I am able to finish my thesis. I want to state my biggest gratitude to my father,
my mother, and my little sister who always be there to support me.
I would like to thank Mrs. Th. Enny Anggraini, Ph.D. as my thesis advisor for
the guidance, support, and patience along my working process on this thesis so that I
can finish this thesis in time. I would also like to thank Mrs. Ni Luh Putu Rosiandani,
M.Hum. as my co-advisor. I thank you for the very helpful advices. I also want to
thank Van-Deventer Maas Stichting for supporting and helping me finishing my
study at this college through scholarship. And last but not least I want to thank my
greatest friends for the support help toward the process of finishing this thesis: Dayu,
Desi, Donna, Disa, Rahel, Ula, Nino, Satya, and Halim. Thank you very much for the
push and mental support.
x
A. Characters and Characteristics in the Novel ... 29
1. Red’s Characters ... 31
2. Silver’s Characters ... 46
B. Settings of Place in the Novel ... 60
1. Red’s Setting of Place ... 61
2. Silver’s Setting of Place ... 64
C. The Discrimination of Class Revealed on the Novel ... 69
1. Discrimination seen from the Characters ... 70
2. Discrimination seen from the Setting of Place ... 76
CHAPTER V ... 79
xi ABSTRACT
WIKANINGTYAS, LUISA NASTITI. THE DISCRIMINATION BETWEEN CLASSES AS SEEN THROUGH THE RED AND SILVER FAMILIES IN VICTORIA
AVEYARD’S NOVEL RED QUEEN. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters,
Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2018.
Victoria Aveyard’s Red Queen is a story about two different classes of people who have completely different conditions. The higher class is Silver family and the lower class is Red family. Other than their physical differences which is the superpower owned by the Silvers, readers may find the other different conditions in
the characters’ characteristics and the setting of place in this novel, and later on may find out whether these differences happen because of discrimination or not. This study specifically discusses the discrimination towards the lower class that is done by the higher class.
There are three objectives of the study. First of all, the study discusses about how the characters and characterization are described in the novel. Second of all, the study discusses how the setting of places are described in the novel. Lastly, based on the discussion of characters, characterization, and setting of places, it can be seen whether there is any discrimination in the novel.
Library research method is conducted in order to find the proper theories and the related studies. Moreover, theories from reliable websites are also collected to support the discussion of this study. The approach used in this study is Marxism. The Marxism approach is used in order to find out the discrimination between classes in this novel based on the intrinsic elements which are the character and the setting.
Discrimination is a condition where there is a group of people who are treated differently and poorly because they are considered as disgraced people that it leads to condition when they find difficulty to fulfill their fundamental needs. In this research, it is proven that the discrimination can be seen from the characters of Reds and Silvers. Red people have to go to conscription as soldiers for Silver’s war, they have to work for Silvers without enough payment to fulfill their needs, and they have certain hurtful and hatred feelings toward Silvers as the result of being treated badly, while Silvers get everything they need from their Red workers and they do not feel bad at all. Discrimination also can be seen from the setting of places. While Red’s
places are very improper to be lived, chaotic, messy, and prone to disease, Silver’s
xii ABSTRAK
WIKANINGTYAS, LUISA NASTITI. THE DISCRIMINATION BETWEEN CLASSES AS SEEN THROUGH THE RED AND SILVER FAMILIES IN VICTORIA
AVEYARD’S NOVEL RED QUEEN. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters,
Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2018. diskriminasi. Studi ini secara khusus membahas tentang diskriminasi yang terjadi terhadap masyarakat kelas bawah yang dilakukan oleh kelas atas.
Dalam skripsi ini, ada tiga tujuan yang ingin dicapai. Pertama-tama, studi ini membahas tentang bagaimana karakter dan karakterisasi dijelaskan dalam novel. Kedua, studi ini membahas tentang bagaimana keadaan setting tempat yang diceritakan dalam novel. Dan terakhir, berdasarkan diskusi tentang karakter, karakterisasi, dan setting tempat, dapat dilihat apakah ada diskriminasi yang benar-benar terjadi dalam novel.
Studi pustaka dilakukan untuk mendapatkan teori dan penelitian terkait yang sesuai. Pengumpulan teori melalui situs yang terpercaya juga dilakukan untuk mendukung pembahasan pada skripsi. Pendekatan yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah pendekatan Marxisme. Pendekatan Marxisme digunakan untuk menemukan adanya diskriminasi kelas dalam novel dilihat dari unsur intrinsik novel yaitu karakter dan setting.
1 CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
When reading a literary work, readers will be brought into their imagination
related to the work they read. Sometimes the story in a literary work can be
related to the experiences of the readers, and sometimes it is not. If it happens to
readers’ experience, then they can relate to the story easily – but when it is not,
the readers will have their imagination as wild as it might be in order to get the
story deeper. G. Armour Craig, Frank M. Rice, and Edward J. Gordon in
Literature said that:
We read, and we enter a mysterious world that is both near to us and remote from us. It is a world in which we sometimes find our own concerns—our own hopes and fears, loves and hatreds (1970: 2).
It can be understood that human beings as readers can relate to things happening
to the literature they read. Even though things happening on the work has never
happened to the readers, they still can relate it with their own concerns of their
feelings.
One interesting fact about reading a literary work is that the readers can be
brought into the things that has never happened to them, and later on it also can
bring them to wider understanding on other aspects of life even though they never
experience it before. It is written in Literature:
of difficulties, about the desperation of men and women frightened by great events, about what it feels like to meditate upon a great idea, about the way in which comedy dissolves our anxieties and refreshes our presence of mind. When we understand a work of literature we discover powers of judgment and insight in ourselves that we had not known we possessed. We become aware of ranges of experience that we share with every imaginative writer who speaks to us in our language (1970: 2).
By this explanation it can be seen that reading a literary work can bring readers
into deeper understanding about life through awakening the unconscious
knowledge the readers might already have. This happens not only in one aspect of
life, but in many aspects – love, desperation, happiness through comedy, and so
on.
As readers understand this consciousness inside the literary work through
their imagination deeply, then they also can see these things in their daily life that
is related to their social life. The function of literature that is very beneficial for
human kind is its function on understanding the social life in daily life with people
around the world. Raymond A. Mar and Keith Oatley on their journal entitled The
Function of Fiction is the Abstraction and Simulation of Social Experience said
that:
Narrative fiction also creates a deep and simulative experience of social interactions for readers. This simulation facilitates the communication and understanding of social information and makes it more compelling, achieving a form of learning through experience (2008: 173).
By “simulation” it means that the readers can refer the story in two ways:
the first is by their imagination of the story – they can give abstract imagination
on the situation, the feelings of characters in the story, the settings, and so on; and
somewhere in this world so that the readers may know a little real picture of the
situation in the story (Mar and Oatley, 2008).
The imagination of the readers is significant to the effect on how they
perceive the world based on their point of view that might be affected by the
literature they read – how they see people from around the world that they never
meet before, how they see cultures they do not know, how they feel the
experiences of certain people with “specialty” (example: depression,
discrimination, and so on) even though they never experience it themselves,
believing into some stereotypes that is written on the literature, or otherwise
realizing that the stereotypes that they have always believed are actually wrong
because of the explanation on the literature they read. Furthermore, their mindset
that is affected by literatures they read can lead to their behavior on the real life –
how they understand certain people and situation that leads into how they treat
people and situations they are into. The readers will also begin to understand the
social life in the different circumstances from them. Based on this explanation, it
can be concluded that literature can be used as an entertainment and also for
understanding the social life for both the author in her or his process of writing
and for the reader in the process of reading it. The entertainment part of the
literature can give stress relief for both the author and the readers. Other than the
entertainment, literature also contributes to further understanding about the
different condition of social life to the readers – giving them more understanding
Red Queen is a story about two different families – or clans – living in the
year of 302 after New Era. One of the families is the Silvers – demi-god people
who have superpower, living in wealth and prosperity, with peaceful circumstance
that they have. They are the noblemen of the world, the leader, the kings and
queens. Their superpowers are various – they are the controller of land, air, water,
fire, mind reader, and so on. Another family who live with the Silvers are the
Reds – the common human being, without any superpower. The Reds live in a
poor condition, without enough guarantees on foods, health, proper living,
education, and other parts of life. They are the workers, servants, and soldiers in
wars. Even they work at the Silvers’ cities without proper payment. The Reds
fight for the victory of the Silvers – the Reds’ blood is spent, the victory of the
Silvers is gained. As stated in the novel, the main difference of the Silvers and the
Reds is their blood; while the Silvers have a silver-colored blood, the Reds have a
red-colored blood.
It is interesting to see the issue happening between the Reds and Silvers, to
see how different their situation is. Some parts of the novel show the grudge felt
by the Reds to the Silvers. For example, in Chapter I of the novel, there is a Silver
competition between two different clans of Silver – the competition is held only
as a show in an arena in the middle of Red buildings (2015: 4). Kilorn, one of the
characters in this novel, is really interested to watch the show only to see the
blood split from the Silvers – for there is never any Silver blood split for any
things happen to them related to their superpower (2015: 6). The truth is that this
to the Reds about their superpower, as written in the novel: “You are no match for
us. We are your betters. We are gods” (2015: 6).
The case about discrimination between two classes in this novel is
interesting because the issue of discrimination between classes case can be seen in
daily life. To understand that issue, it is important to analyze what kind of
differences happening between the Silvers and Reds and how these classes cope
with one another – the higher class to the lower class and vice versa.
In Weber’s book entitled Economy and Society (1978), it is explained that a
group of people can be linked into the same one class when they have similar or
same chances on their lives related to economic interests with the same share of
possession of goods and jobs, and is also represented under the conditions of the
commodity or labor markets. It means that a class can be seen from its particular
people’s strength in society – measured by how powerful and how rich they are,
and then they will be grouped based on the level of their power and wealth. In the
case of this novel, the class of the society divided with the Reds and the Silvers
who has significantly different power and wealth.
In a book entitled American Ethnicity: The Dynamics and Consequences of
Discrimination, Adalberto Aguirre stated that discrimination is an action when
superior group of people restricts the other group from getting and having their
fundamental rights. Aguirre continued in his book that the member of the
dominant deny the people of the different group who are less powerful, and
restricts them from many necessary access like “jobs, income, education, health,
These powerful people are actually able to give the less powerful people help or
giving them ways to necessary rights, but they choose not to do it. Instead, these
powerful people let the inferiors go lower.
In the novel Red Queen, the discrimination between classes happens at the
Silvers to the Reds. The Reds live in a very different condition environment with
the Silvers. While the Silvers live in proper condition and live as wealthy people,
the Reds live in a very bad condition place with broken houses and mud without
getting enough food to eat. Things they know is only how to survive in living in
poverty, how to have enough money to eat, and how to serve the Silvers well so
that they will not be punished. One of the characters, Gisa, works for the Silvers
inside the Silver’s area without enough payment, representing a Red being
enslaved by the Silvers. She works there because she has talent on tailoring. One
interesting thing about the discrimination for the Reds working at the Silvers
society is that when the Reds enter the gate of the Silvers’, they will have a kind
of temporary stamp on their skin as a sign of being Red, and this stamp cannot be
detached until they are out from the gate of Silvers. This stamp is made as the
reminder for the Reds that they do not come from the same world and are not the
same family with the Silvers. They are workers, they are weak, and they are
nothing for the Silvers. It also happens at the war. When the Silver is having a war
with other kind of Silvers out there, they use the Reds to be the soldiers. It is the
Reds’ blood that is split, the Reds’ lives that are gone. Only some of the Silvers
them are prepared for the war, they only wait for the Reds in the camp, letting the
Reds fight and bleed for them.
B. Problem Formulation
In conducting the study, three problems are formulated as written below.
1. How are the characters and their characteristics described in the novel?
2. How are the settings of place described in the novel?
3. How is the class discrimination revealed through the characters and the
settings of place?
C. Objectives of the Study
To know and understand about the class discrimination happens on this
novel, it is important firstly to know the characters and their characteristics.
Characters and characteristics are important in order to know the differences of
the Reds and the Silvers' characteristics in facing things.
Besides the characters, the setting is also important to understand about the
class discrimination between the Silvers and the Reds. The setting is important to
understand how different the setting of place is between the Silvers and the Reds
that is related to their classes – upper and lower class.
After knowing the differences of the characters’ characteristics and the
settings of the Silvers and the Reds, it can be seen whether there are any class
D. Definition of Terms
Definition of terms is important in order to give a deeper understanding for
the reader about this study. The term class and discrimination is needed to be
explained since this study is about this term.
In Weber’s Economy and Society (1978), he explained that a group of
people can be linked into the same one class when they have similar or same
chances on their lives, especially when it is related to economic interests with the
same share of possession of goods and jobs, and is also represented under the
conditions of the commodity or labor markets.
Adalberto Aguirre, Jr. and Jonathan J. Turner in their book entitled
American Ethnicity: The Dynamics and Consequences of Discrimination said that
discriminationis “the process by which an individual, group, or subpopulation of
individuals acts in ways that deny another individual, group, or subpopulation
access to valued resources” (2010: 6). Based on the explanation above, it means
that discrimination is about the different and unequal treatment that was done by
10 CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
A. Review of Related Studies
The novel Red Queen takes place in an imaginary place called Norta and is
more focused on The Stilts, the city where the Reds live. The division of class in
this novel is divided into higher and lower class which are known as the Silvers
and the Reds.
There are some studies that have similar topic with the researcher’s topic
about class discrimination. The first study is from the undergraduate thesis by
Kumala Dewi, the student of English Letters Department of Sanata Dharma
University entitled “The Class Discrimination in India as Seen through the
Characters and Settings in Vikas Swarup’s Slumdog Millionaire”. This study
proves the existence of class discrimination happening in India through the novel
Slumdog Millionaire. In her study it is stated that:
Class system divides the society members according to their economic prosperity. The difference of economic prosperity undeniably creates the gaps of the society. This gap is the most important factor influencing the existence of discrimination towards people from the lower classes (2011: 15).
This explanation gives an understanding that the main reason of the
existence of class discrimination in India lays on the difference on the economic
condition of the people: the gap of the economic condition creates the gap on the
society.
The second related study is an undergraduate thesis by Angelin Elizabet
University entitled “Bhima’s Struggle against Class Discrimination in Thirty
Umrigar’s “The Space between Us””. In this study the researcher talked about the
lower and upper class in this novel that happens between the servant and her
mistress. The researcher’s study results in a conclusion that the discrimination
happens because of Bhima’s uneducated society, and Bhima’s characteristics
shows her struggle to face the problem of being discriminated by her society
(2016: 44).
The third related study that has similar topic with this study is a study held
by Anna Guðjónsdóttir from University of Iceland entitled ”Magical Minority:
Social Class and Discrimination in the Harry Potter Novels”. In this study, she
divided the class of the characters – wizards and witches – into upper, middle, and
lower class that would help the researcher to find out where the power lied (2014:
2). She focused on the treatment between characters. It is stated that:
Muggleborn wizards and witches must struggle to prove their worth and fight to hold on to their right to practive magic after Lord Voldemort and his followers wish to eliminate all those that they deem unfit to use magic, that is, those that do not have the right blood. Two notable characters, the half-breeds Rubeus Hagrid and Remus Lupin, show the discrimination people out of the norm of the wizard community must face and how it influences their life and at the same time the story itself. The characters and the treatment of them gives the reader a deeper look into the society and how the wizard world works as it becomes evident that discrimination is a ruling power in the wizard community like in any society (2014: 23).
Here she explained that the discrimination on Harry Potter novels lays on the
differences of the people who are “out of the norm of the wizard community”,
meaning that there might be some norms and if there is something unfit to the
This research is different from three related studies above. While the first
study focuses on the difference of the economic condition of the people, the
second research focuses on the discrimination that happens because of different
education given to the society, and the third research focuses on the different
treatment between different class of the characters, this research aims to find out
the proof of class discrimination happening on the novel Red Queen by focusing
on the setting of place and on the characters. After taking a look at the characters
and setting of place deeper, than it can be concluded whether there is a
discrimination on class happening on this novel.
B. Review of Related Theories
In conducting this research, researcher uses some theories that are related to
the study. Some reviews of the related theories are needed for deeper
understanding about the theories used in this research.
1. Character and Characterization
Character is one important part in criticizing this novel as one intrinsic
element. In A Glossary of Literary Terms, Abrams stated the definition of
character:
Characters are the persons presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with moral, dispositional, and emotional qualities that are expressed in what they say – the dialogue – and what they do – the action (1993: 23).
By this statement, Abrams wanted to say that the character is the figure that is
readers which is brought by the character’s dialogue to other characters and their
action in the events on the story.
Characters are always related to characterization. In his book, Abrams
shows two alternative methods in characterizing as quoted below:
a. In showing (also called “the dramatic method”), the author simply presents the characters talking and acting and leaves the reader to infer the motives and dispositions that lie behind what they say and do. The author may show not only external speech and actions, but
also a character’s inner thoughts, feelings, and responsiveness to
events (1998: 34).
b. In telling, the author intervenes authoritatively in order to describe, and often to evaluate, the motives and dispositional qualities of the characters (1998: 34).
According to Murphy in his book Understanding Unseens: An
Introduction to English Poetry and the English Novel for Overseas Students, there
are some ways that the author does to make the characters become more
understandable for the readers (1972: 161-173), which are: Personal description:
the author describes the character by their physical appearance; Character as seen
by another: one character describes another characters in his/her point of view;
Speech: insight to the character as seen by his speech – when the character is in
conversation, speech, or gives opinion; Past life: the character that is shaped by
his/her past experiences – can be seen from the direct explanation from the author,
his conversation, or the view from another character/person; Conversation of
others: the personality of the character can be seen from what people or other
characters talk about him/her; Reactions: the character seen through his/her
reaction to certain events or situations happening around; Direct comment: the
Thoughts: a character is explained through his/her own thoughts about
himself/herself; and Mannerism: the author tells about the character by his/her
habits, or unique things that he/she usually does.
These ten ways are helpful to determine the characterization of each
character in the story. After the readers understand the personalities of the
characters, they will understand why these characters give certain behavior to
certain conditions they are involved into (Murphy, 1972: 161).
Getting to know better about what kind of a character described in the story
and the way they are described helps the writer to make analysis about the class
discrimination happening in the story.
2. Settings
Theory on setting is important in this study as setting is one of the intrinsic
elements of a novel. In his book Understanding Unseens: An Introduction to
English Poetry and the English Novel for Overseas Students, Murphy (1972)
stated that:
The setting of the novel is the background against which the characters live out their lives. In some novels the setting is important, whilst in others it is less so. The setting can be concerned with the place in which the characters live and also the time in which they live. These have a great effect upon the personalities, actions and way of thinking of the characters.
According to this statement, Murphy wanted to say that setting is the
surrounding situation where the characters live. The setting influences the
characters in many ways – their personalities, their decisions, and their opinions
In his book, Murphy gave three points that can be considered as setting
which are time, place, and atmosphere (1972: 143-148). The explanations about
setting are presented below:
a. Time, which are divided into three parts of time: Present time: the author writes
his/her book based on his own lifetime that it makes the setting of time more
familiar to the readers; Past time: the author writes his/her book based on the time
before him/her (historical events or to attempt to recreate the past to the readers),
Future time: the writer brings the readers to the futuristic image based on his/her
imagination; and No specific time: there is no picture of when the story takes
place, usually used in old fairy stories or first chapter begun with ‘once upon a
time’.
b. Place, setting of place is divided into three kinds: Familiar place: the author
chooses places that are possibly familiar to most of his or her readers from his or
her own nation, meaning that the author chooses the places for the novel which
information is easily found by readers from his or her own nation, who can be said
as the writer’s main market, in other sources such as newspapers, conversations,
television, and so on – for example, if the writer is from England than the setting
of place he uses is cities at England; Unfamiliar place: the author chooses places
that are not familiar to the readers from his or her own nation – for example, the
author is from England but the setting of place that is chosen is location at Asia or
America; and Imaginary place: the authors chooses or creates his or her own
example, Hogwarts the school of magic in Harry Potter series written by J.K.
Rowling.
c. Atmosphere, which is the surrounding situation of the characters. Murphy said
that:
A person might say, for instance, ‘The meeting between the workers and the management was conducted in a genial atmosphere.’ This means that the
person considered that the general feeling he got from the meeting was one of geniality or friendliness. Thus we can talk of the atmosphere of a novel or of apart of it as being: gloomy, sombre, terrifying, evil, cheerful, happy, sordid pessimistic, optimistic, and so on (1972: 146).
This means that atmosphere is the real situation about how the characters feel
about certain condition happening on them, and furthermore, atmosphere is also
about how the characters cope with the situation or condition they are within –
whether it is related to their relationship with other characters, the setting of place,
their own economic or social status or situation, their job, and so on.
Edgar V. Roberts in his book Fiction: An Introduction to Reading and
Writing explained that there are two types of setting (1987: 190-191), which are:
a. Natural, which is the outdoor place that is used by the author as the setting.
Roberts stated in his book:
Nature herself is seen as a force that shapes action and therefore directs and redirects lives. A deep woods may make walking difficult or dangerous, or may be a place for a sinister meeting of devil worshipers. The open road may be a place where one person seeks flight, other face showdown, and still others may meet their fate. A lake may be the location where one person literally rescues another and also silently and unconsciously makes a direct commitment to the saved person (1987: 190-191).
This means that the natural condition where the characters might live or pass will
b. Manufactured, which means the places built by the people in the story and this
will reflect all people who make them and furthermore in will also explain the
other condition of the people – the economic, politic, or social environment.
Roberts stated:
A richly decorated house shows the expensive tastes and resources of the characters owning it. A few cracks in the plaster and some chips in the paint may show the same persons declining in fortune and power. Ugly and impoverished surroundings may contribute to the weariness, insensitivity, negligence, or even hostility of the characters living in them (1987: 191).
This means that the condition of buildings made by the people can determine their
condition in many aspects such as their fortune and power.
In his book, Roberts also explained about studying the uses of setting. He
said that it is important to firstly discover all the details that might be a part of the
setting, and then after that it can be determined how the author uses these details
on the setting. Roberts also explained that “the setting may be so prominent that it
may almost be considered as a participant in the action” (1987: 191). There are
many uses of setting, but this research will only use two of them, which are:
a. Setting and Character. In this part Roberts wanted to show that there is a part of
the setting that might be intersected with the character that in the end will help
readers understand the character deeper. Roberts explained to the story he referred
to:
This explanation shows clearly that the setting of place is related closely to the
character and their characteristics and this fact will help readers to understand
deeper about the character.
b. Setting and Atmosphere. The atmosphere here refers to the mood of the story.
Functional description of a setting is required to describe an action. Roberts said
that the clear description of something like the trees, the shapes, the shadows, the
animals, the winds, the sounds, different shades of colors used for the buildings or
settings –“warm” colors for happiness or “cooler” colors for gloom – can be the
fact that the author is trying to create certain moods for the action. He also
explained that “the setting of a story on a farm or in a city apartment may evoke a
response to these habitats that may contribute to a story’s atmosphere” (1987:
193).
Getting to know better about the settings of the story and the way they are
described helps the writer to make analysis about the class discrimination
happening on the story.
3. Theory of Discrimination
Theory of discrimination is important in order to reveal the discrimination
between classes that happens on the story.
In a book entitled American Ethnicity: The Dynamics and Consequences of
Discrimination, Adalberto Aguirre stated that:
This explanation means that the discrimination happens to certain group of people
done by another group of people that the superior group restricts the other group
from getting and having their fundamental rights. Aguirre continued in his book
that the member of the dominant deny the people of the different group who are
less powerful, and restricts them from many necessary access like “jobs, income,
education, health, prestige, power, or anything else that the members of a society
value” (2010: 6-7). These powerful people are actually able to give the less
powerful people helps or giving them ways to necessary rights, but they choose
not to do it. Instead, these powerful people let the inferiors go lower.
It is also written in a book Compasito written by Council of Europe:
To discriminate against someone is to exclude that person from the full enjoyment of their political, civic, economic, social or cultural rights and freedoms. Discrimination contradicts a basic principle of human rights: that all people are equal in dignity and entitled to the same fundamental rights (2009, 224).
According to this explanation, discrimination gives different treatments for
different people – discrimination restricts some people for having and enjoying
their rights which supposedly can be enjoyed by all people in the world.
Compasito also explains about the elements on discrimination which are
explained on and summarized from many articles related to human rights (these
articles are from Universal Declaration of Human Rights, European Convention of
Human Rights, International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Racial Discrimination, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women). Compasito summarizes it into three elements
a. the cause of discrimination: the child’s or his or her parents’ or legal
guardian’s race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion,
national, ethnic or social origin, property, disability, birth, or other status
(social class, occupation, sexual orientation, or preferred language).
b. The action of discrimination: rejection, restriction, exclusion (a pattern of
discrimination that denies members of certain group certain positions on
some aspects such as in politics or economic or simply having the
fundamental rights (Agguire and Turner, 2010: 9)) of a person or a group of
persons, genocide (members of certain group are killed or exterminated),
slavery (using certain group as workers or slaves without equal payment and
right treatment), ethnic cleansing (related to genocidal behavior – which
tries to get rid of a certain group) or religious persecution.
c. There are consequences in discrimination: this action can prevent people
from having and/or enjoying the human rights which are their basic needs of
freedom. Later on, discrimination leads to many impacts on society which
are reinforcing prejudice and racist attitude.
These three elements go hand in hand, when one happens, the other follows.
According to Compasito, discrimination might happen because of people’s
ignorance, prejudices, and negative stereotypes. When these things happen on
people’s mind and still continue for sometime, then discrimination to certain
situations is possible to happen. “Because many people fear what seems strange or
unknown, they react to suspicion or even violence to anyone whose appearance,
Theory of Discrimination is important for this research in order to
determine which action can be considered as a discrimination between the Silvers
and the Reds.
4. Theory of Class
Theory of Class is important for this research. This theory will help in
determining which one is the upper class and which one is the lower class seen in
the differences of the characters and the setting of place happening in this novel.
In his book entitled The Communist Manifesto, Marx (1971) grouped the
social class into two different divisions, which he called as the bourgeoisie – the
owner, and the proletariat – the workers (1971: 80). As quoted in his book:
By bourgeoisie is meant the class of modern Capitalists, owners of the means of social production and employers of wage labour. By proletariat, the class of modern wage-labourers who, having no means of production of their own, are reduced to selling their labour power in order to live (1971: 79).
The bourgeoisie is the person who is on higher class – the owner, the boss,
the ruler, the person who gives jobs for the workers. Marx also explained in his
book:
The bourgeoisie has subjected the country to the rule of the towns. It has created enormous cities, has greatly increased the urban population as compared with the rural, and has thus rescued a considerable part of the population from the idiocy of rural life (1971: 84).
It means that the bourgeoisie has such a great power that it can be used to rule a
country, from the development of the cities to the increasing amount of the people
live there.
On the other hand, the proletariat is the working class or lower class – the
energy and all to work for the boss in order to live and to continue their lives.
Marx explained:
In proportion as the bourgeoisie, i.e., capital, is developed, in the same proportion is the proletariat, the modern working class, developed – a class of labourers, who live only so long as they find work, and who find work only so long as their labour increases capital (1971: 87).
The proletariat really lives under the rule of the bourgeoisie – this lower
class works for them. They are, as Marx determined them on his writing, the
“commodity” for the bourgeoisie or things that are very important for the
development and betterment of the bourgeoisie. The proletarians work so hard and
are being exposed for the importance of the bourgeoisie while they do not get
their life and economic condition better.
This theory of class is important for this research in order to differ the
higher and lower class, and furthermore it will show what happens to the higher
class and the lower class.
C. Theoretical Framework
Each one of the theories above is important in criticizing the novel. The first
theory which is theory on character is important in order to understand their
position in the story, their condition, their experience through the story, and how
the Silvers and the Reds treat one another as different families with different
physical and economic condition. Theory on character is used to answer the
problem formulation number one. Theory on setting also has its own importance.
It is used in order to understand the places lived by and the social life lived and
problem formulation number two. The third theory which is theory on class
discrimination is also important. It is used in order to find out the different
condition of the two different families – the Silvers and the Reds – in relation with
the huge contrast of their economic condition. This theory is used to answer the
24 CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
The object of this study is a novel entitled Red Queen, written by Victoria
Aveyard who is currently an author and screenwriter. Red Queen is the first book
of trilogy series novel, which are followed by Glass Sword and Queen Song. This
novel was published for the first time in 2015 by HarperTeen, the imprint of
HarperCollins Publishers. This novel has 388 pages, consists of 28 chapters,
followed by an epilogue and acknowledgements at the last part. This first edition
novel of the Red Queen was chosen as The #1 New York Times Bestseller.
This story of this novel is about two different families – the Reds and the
Silvers – who live in very different environment and therefore creates a very
different personalities. The Silvers are the people who were born with superpower
on them. They can control elements around them: land, air, water, fire, mind,
metal, and so on – each person controls one element. On the other hand, the Reds
are the common people with no superpower. The Silvers and the Reds live in a
very different environment. The Silvers live in wealth and prosperity. They are the
government of all including the Reds. They get enough education and have
nothing to worry about their economic condition. The Silvers have a huge gate
and wall which separate their living area with the Reds. They will not let the Reds
come easily to their area. They have special stamp for the Reds if they want to
Silvers. The Reds live in poverty. They live in miserable environment: houses
made of moldy woods, muddy lands, and pathetic economic condition, and they
do not get enough education as the Silvers get. If they are lucky enough for having
certain skill, they will be able to work at the Silvers’ area as servant or other
workers. If not, then they will be sent to the Silver’s war as soldiers – men and
women.
The main character of this novel as well as the narrator, Mare, is a girl who
was born as a Red. Mare firstly wants to help Kilorn, her best friend, to not be
sent to the war as a soldier. Her effort to help Kilorn leads her to enter the Silver
area. In short, she is caught by the Silvers and is forced to act as a Silver because
suddenly she has a superpower – the same as the Silvers. Even though she has a
superpower, she does not want to be with the Silvers – in fact, she still wants to be
with the Reds because her heart is for them and her family who are also Reds.
This story then leads to Mare’s, Kilorn’s, and their Red friends’ fight to oppose
the Silvers with the aim of getting equal treatment as the Reds and not to be
discriminated and treated differently.
This novel shows clearly the class discrimination happening on the different
families. Even though the final of the whole story will be told in the final series of
the Red Queen series, still the purpose of the writer to show the discrimination
and the fighting of the lower class can be seen in this story. The story brought by
Mare as the narrator leads to the understanding that gaining equality in life by
B. Approach of the Study
This study uses Marxism approach specifically in his theory about class as
the suitable approach to be used in analyzing this literary work. This theory of
class was introduced and also developed by Karl Marx (1818 – 1883). As
explained above, Marx wrote in his book entitled The Communist Manifesto
(1971) that the social class is grouped into two different divisions, which he called
as the bourgeoisie – the owner, and the proletariat – the workers (1971: 80). As
quoted in his book:
By bourgeoisie is meant the class of modern Capitalists, owners of the means of social production and employers of wage labour. By proletariat, the class of modern wage-labourers who, having no means of production of their own, are reduced to selling their labour power in order to live (1971: 79).
The bourgeoisie is the person who is on higher class – the owner, the boss, the
ruler, the person who gives jobs for the workers. Marx also explained that the
bourgeoisie has such a great power that it can be used to rule a country, from the
development of the cities to the increasing amount of the people live there. On the
other hand, the proletariat is the worker for the higher class. The energy and
works of proletariat are used by the higher class or the bourgeoisie in order to
fulfill the needs to live. The proletariat really lives under the rule of the
bourgeoisie – this lower class works for them. They are, as Marx determined them
on his writing, the “commodity” for the bourgeoisie or things that are very
important for the development and betterment of the bourgeoisie. The proletarians
work so hard and are being exposed for the importance of the bourgeoisie while
The reason behind choosing this approach is that the approach of Marxism is the
most suitable one to analyze this novel. His definition of class – which is the
higher and lower class – is the basis of determining the different condition
between these two classes and how these classes cope with the situation they are
into and also about what they do toward each other.
The Marxism approach will help in finding out the class discrimination
happened between the Silvers as the upper class and the Reds as the lower class
by seeing the differences of the characters’ characteristics and the settings of
place.
C. Method of the Study
The study of class discrimination in Red Queen was a library research. The
main source of this study is the novel Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. The
secondary sources were books as well as some websites which were related to the
theories and approach used to analyze the problem.
Some steps were done in order to analyze this literary work. The first step to
start this study was reading the whole novel as careful as possible in order to get a
thorough understanding about the story. From the comprehensive reading, the
case of class discrimination happened in the novel revealed by the characters and
the settings was the most interesting part to be discussed by the writer.
The second step taken was collecting the data about this novel and some
references on the theories and studies related to this novel. These data and
were collected by listing all the evidences about class discrimination that are
related to the characters, their characterization, and the settings of the story.
The third step taken in conducting this study was answering the problems in
the problem formulation. This step was done by using the theory on character,
setting, and class discrimination in order to reveal the existence of class
29 CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
The novel Red Queen has two main different families which are the Reds
and the Silvers. These two families have completely different lives – the Reds
with their poverty and difficulties and the Silvers with their wealth, prosperity,
and superpowers. The novel mainly tells the readers about how different these
families are related to their personality and their live condition, and also about
how the Silvers who are the higher class treat the Reds who are the lower class.
The first part of the discussion talks about the characters and
characterization of the Reds and the Silvers, revealing their big differences
between one another. The second part discusses the settings of both families, also
revealing the differences between one another. The third part discusses about the
discrimination between classes happening on this novel based on the characters,
characterization, and the settings of both families.
A. Characters and Characteristics in the Novel
Characters are one of the most important part on a literary work. In A
Glossary of Literary Terms, Abrams stated the definition of character:
By this statement, Abrams wanted to say that the character is the figure that is
made by the writer to show the emotional qualities that will be interpreted by the
readers which is brought by the character’s dialogue to other characters and their
action in the events on the story. It is also explained in his book that there are two
alternative methods in characterizing, which are by showing and by telling (1998:
34). Furthermore, Murphy wrote in his book that there are many ways to make the
characters of a literary work become more understandable by readers, which are
by the personal description, characters as seen by another, speech, past life,
conversation of others, reaction, direct comment, thoughts, and mannerism (1972:
161-173).
This novel has many characters who come from different families – the
Reds and the Silvers. The Reds are the people who are just common people with
no superpower. They live in poverty and in unpleasant condition – improper
houses, limited education, uncertain economic condition, and so on – under the
government and lead of the Silvers. The Reds also work for Silvers – as soldiers
or workers at Silver’s market or as servants in the castle. The Silvers are the
characters of this novel who have superpower. They live in wealth and prosperous
condition with magnificent castle and houses, proper education, and everything
greater than the Reds have. Below will be explained deeper about the Red’s and
Silver’s characters, what they face in their lives, and what they feel toward each
1. The Reds’ Characters
There are many characters of the Reds, as well as the Silvers. The main
character of this novel is Mare Barrow, a girl who was born at The Stilts, one of
the settlements for the Reds provided by the Silvers – who were also the
government for both the Reds and the Silvers. Mare Barrow was the biological
daughter of a Red family. She lived with her family – which consisted of her
father, mother, three older brothers and one younger sister – in a house which was
not so feasible to be lived. All of her brothers were sent out from home to serve
for the government – which was the Silvers – as soldiers to fight Lakelanders in a
war (2015: 2). Mare’s sister, Gisa, worked at the Silvers’ settlement which was
called as Summerton (2015: 29). Her mother was a housewife and her father was a
retired from serving as a soldier for war. Mare also had one best friend, Kilorn –
an orphan and a fisherman apprentice. As he was already had a job, he did not
have to serve for the Silvers in wars. But soon after his master died, which meant
that he lost his job, he had to serve as a soldier after he was eighteen years old.
Below will be explained clearer about the Red’s characters.
a. Mare Barrow
Mare Barrow is the main character of the novel Red Queen. The story is told
in first point of view which is from Mare’s point of view. The first information
readers know about Mare Barrow is written on the beginning part of the novel:
Not that I’ll be in school much longer. My eighteen birthday is coming, and
with it, conscription. I’m not apprenticed,I don’t have a job, so I’m going to
be sent to the war like all the other idle ones. It’s no wonder there’s no work
Based on this description, readers will know that Mare has no job, and that
there is an obligation for any man or woman with no job to take part as a soldier
and later on he or she will be sent to the war. Next fact that the readers will know
is that it is so hard for Mare and the people around her to find a job.
The more complete basic information about Mare is explained by the King –
who is a Silver – as written below in the novel:
“Mare Molly Barrow, born November seventeenth, 302 of the New Era, to
Daniel and Ruth Barrow,” Tiberias recites from memory, laying my bare
life. “You have no occupation and are scheduled for conscription on your next birthday.” (2015: 83)
Murphy in his book Understanding Unseens: An Introduction to English
Poetry and the English Novel for Overseas Students said that there are many ways
the author does to make the characters become more understandable for the
readers, and one of them is by the personal description (1972: 161-173). Here, the
King gives his personal description about Mare – where he describes her by the
clearest outer view. The King’s explanation emphasizes the basic situation of
Mare that she possibly will face in front: she is designated to be one of the
soldiers and will be sent to the war by her birthday because that is the rule given
to the Reds from the government – who are Silvers.
First part of the novel explains more about the neighborhood condition
where Mare lives. She lives in Reds’ settlement named the Stilts. Mare already
explains about herself from the first page of the novel. She is not a girl who is
usually called as a good girl – instead, she tries to find money by being a thief to
The market deflates, with everyone closing up their stalls for the day. The
merchants are distracted, careless, and it’s easy for me to take whatever I
want from their wares. By the time I’m done, my pockets bulge with trinkets
and I’ve got an apple for the road. Not bad for a few minutes’ work. As the throng of people moves, I let myself be taken away by the human current. My hand dart in and out, always in fleeting touches. Some paper bills from a
man’s pocket, a bracelet from a woman’s wrist – nothing too big. Villagers are too busy shuffling along to notice a pickpocket in their midst (2015: 1).
Based on the theory of character and characterization, Mare’s speech makes it so
obvious that she is really used to be a thief – she does everything very carefully
and smoothly, showing that she has already done that many times. The next
explanation shows what she usually takes and what those things are used for:
I drop my pouch of stolen goods next to her, letting the coins jingle as much
as they can. “I think I’ve got enough to get a proper cake for Dad’s birthday.
And more batteries, enough to last the month” (2015: 13).
From this passage, it can be seen that she actually steals things from people for
good, even though it is wrong, meaning that she does that to make her family
happy even though her younger sister, Gisa, and her father realize that what she
does is wrong and that they do not like it (2015: 13-14). It seems that she is so
desperate for not having any skills to find any job so she chooses to steal things as
she says “I can’t do anything but steal from people who can actually do things”
(2015: 14). This part uses the theory of character and characterization about the
reaction of certain things happening to her. As seen from Mare’s reaction towards
her inability to do things and her family economic condition, she knows that she
needs to help her family’s economic condition that she tries to do anything, even
The beginning of this novel also explains the relationship between Mare and
her siblings – three older brothers and one younger sister. She has a pretty good
relationship with them as she says from her direct speech in the novel:
I was thirteen when Bree left. He kissed me on the cheek and gave me a single pair of earrings for my little sister, Gisa, and me to split. They were dangling glass beads, the hazy pink color of sunset. We pierced our ears ourselves that night. Tramy and Shade kept up the tradition when they went. Now Gisa and I have one ear each set with three tiny stones to remind us of our brothers fighting somewhere. I didn’t really believe they’d have to go, not until the legionnaire in his polished armor showed up and took them
away one after another. And this fall, they’ll come for me. I’ve already
started saving – and stealing – to buy Gisa some earrings when I go (2015: 2-3).
Mare’s speech about her relationship with her family in this passage shows how
Mare and her siblings really love each other: they are affectionate to one another,
even her brothers gave her earrings as remembrances when they left for wars, and
even though Mare wants to do something bad – steal – to give earrings to Gisa,
she still loves her. Furthermore, the mannerism of her – the fact that Mare also
steals something for her gift to her father’s birthday and for the house’s needs
along the month – shows that she loves her father and she cares for her family
even though what she does is wrong.
So far, it can be seen that Mare has a good relationship with her family and
her siblings – this can be seen from her being a thief to help fulfilling her family’s
needs and her brothers giving her and her sister earrings as remembrances of their
leaving for wars.
Mare has a kind of hatred and negative feelings towards the Silvers. These
something to the Reds even though it was just the beginning of the novel. It is
written on the novel:
The usual call rings out over the arena. Many rises to their feet, eager to watch, but I stay seated in silent protest. As calm as I might look, anger boils in my skin. Anger, and jealousy. We are gods, echoes in my head (2015: 8).
This part Mare shows her hatred characteristic through her reaction to the
situation she is in and her thoughts about the set. The set of this passage is when
the Silvers wants to start First Friday event: a competition between two Silvers
with their superpower in front of the Reds in an arena located in Red’s settlement
(2015: 4). The purpose of this competition is merely to show the Reds how
powerful Silvers are. Mare’s reaction to this competition shows what she feels for
Silvers. She feels such a huge anger and jealousy for the Silvers: how they have
the superpower Mare and other Reds do not have, how they can show it off to her
and the other Reds freely, and how they arrogantly equal themselves to gods
because they have superpower. In one hand, Mare hates Silvers for doing such
horrible things to Reds and to show off their powers to people who do not have
superpower. On the other hand, she feels jealous for not having the same
superpower just like the Silvers.
The next part of the story tells about how the two Silver competitors fight
each other, then when one of the competitor loses – which means dead – the
Silver’s officers work so fast to hide his death in front of Reds, because Silvers
are not supposed to die – at least not in front of the Reds (2015: 10-11). Showing
Reds that they are able to die shows that Silvers have a weakness, and that is not
Murphy, the reaction of to this fact shows that Mare feels the unfairness of life
between Reds and Silvers. Mare explains on this novel:
In school, we learned about the world before ours, about the angels and gods that lived in the sky, ruling the earth with kind and loving hands.
Some say those are just stories, but I don’t believe that.
The gods rule us still. They have come down from the stars. And they are no longer kind (2015: 11).
Abrams in his book A Glossary of Literary Terms explained that one of the
methods of characterizing is in showing the character’s talking and acting,
external speech, inner thoughts, feelings, and responsiveness to events (1998: 34).
This part shows the example of showing. Mare’s speech and reaction shows that
she feels that gods are being so unkind to her. The passage above shows that it is
hard for Mare now to believe the loving hand and kindness of gods because of the
different condition between the Silvers and the Reds. When the Silvers were born
with superpower, the Reds were born with nothing special. The superpower that
the Silvers get leads them into acting higher and putting Reds lower than them,
treating Reds unequally. There is a gap between the knowledge Mare gets from
the school and the reality she lives in: in school she was taught about the kind and
loving gods, but in reality she feels no kindness and no love from gods. All she
feels are the ruthless Silvers and the unfairness of live between the Silvers and the
Reds, and this drives Mare into a conclusion that the gods that are taught at school
as kind and loving are no longer that way.
Mare has her own way in reminding herself that she is a Red who is being
treated unfairly by Silvers. Her identity as a Red is at her hair. She says:
life. Most keep their hair short to hide their gray ends but I don’t. I like the reminder that even my hair knows life shouldn’t be this way (2015: 13-14).
This part shows the characteristic of Mare which is her hatred to the Silvers
through her thoughts. This section shows what Mare really feels toward her
situation as a Red and the Silver’s action to Reds. She keeps her hair that way –
not cutting it short or whatsoever – as a reminder that having a life as the Reds is
so stressful and so hard that it gives bad effect to the people’s hair. Her hair
condition reminds her of how bad Silvers treat Reds, about how Silvers let the
condition of the Stilts that way that it makes the people’s hair become bad – pale
gray ends of hair. Her hair keeps her on her feet, keeps her remember about how
bad Silvers are.
Mare also has a kind of sarcastic thought to the Silvers. One part is when
she points out about Silvers’ need of embroidered silk. It is very rare for the Reds
to have a good quality of clothes with their poor economic condition, and having
silk that is embroidered must be such a luxury that only can be enjoyed by rich
people – and in this case, it is only the Silvers who are able to have that privilege.
When Mare says “But the Silvers love their silk, don’t they?” she says that as if
embroidered silk is one of the most important things for the Silvers.
Next, there is a part when she explains about the war Silvers has. The war
between Silvers is something out of her mind. She says:
