ABSTRACT
PURWANDARI, INDRIANA CHRISTY. Identity Crisis Resulting from the Conflicts of Tribal Tradition and American Tradition in Alice Walker’s Possessing the Secret of Joy. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2017.
Tradition always belongs to its society. It is different in every society. One tradition which is still maintained is female circumcision. There is one literature which represents this tradition is Alice Walker’s Possessing the Secret of Joy. This novel shows the description of Olinka tradition and the effects of female circumcision. The effects are illness and death. Moreover, there is a meeting between American culture and African culture which makes someone experienced hybridity condition. This condition creates someone experience identity crisis. Therefore, the tribal tradition reveals one’s identity crisis.
In the first problem formulation, this research describes the tribal tradition and the female circumcision in the novel. Setting and character and characterization theories are used to analyse the description of the tradition.In the second problem formulation, the researcher uses postcolonial theory and identity and identity crisis to analyse the way the tribal tradition and the female circumcision reveal Tashi’s identity crisis. In postcolonial theory, there are two division theories: hybridity and hegemony. Hybridity theory is used to see the interference in the novel. Then, hegemony theory is used because there is a hegemony issue in the novel.
The researcher uses a library research method. This method is consisted of some steps. The steps are close reading, read and collect theories and supportive data from books, journals, internet sites, thesis or other resources. After that, the researcher analyses the intrinsic element of the novel using character and setting. By postcolonial approach, the researcher uses postcolonial theory to elaborate the work and the supporting data. The last, the researcher make a conclusion of the analysis.
ABSTRAK
PURWANDARI, INDRIANA CHRISTY. Identity Crisis Resulting from the Conflicts of Tribal Tradition and American Tradition in Alice Walker’s Possessing the Secret of Joy. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra,Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2017.
Tradisi selalu ada disetiap masyarakat. Tiap tradisi berbeda disetiap masyarakat. Salah satu tradisi yang tetap dipertahankan adalah sunat perempuan. Salah satu literatur yang menunjukkan tradisi ini adalah Possessing the Secret of Joy oleh Alice Walker. Novel ini menunjukkan penjelasan mengenai tradisi suku Olinka dan efek dari sunat perempuan. Efeknya adalah penyakit dan kematian. Selain itu, ada pertemuan kebudayaan America dan kebudayaan Afrika yang membuat kondisi pencampuran. Kondisi ini membuat seseorang mengalami krisis identitas. Sehingga tradisi suku ini menciptakan suatu krisis identitas seseorang.
Pertama, penelitian ini menjelaskan tradisi Olinka dan sunat perempuan. Teori setting dan karakter dan karakterisasi digunakan untuk menganalisis deskripsi tradisi. Dalam rumusan masalah kedua, peneliti menggunakan teori postkolonial dan identitas dan krisis identitas untuk menganalisis cara tradisi suku dan sunat perempuan mengungkapkan krisis identitas Tashi. Dalam teori postkolonial, ada dua divisi teori yakni hibridity dan hegemoni. Teori hibriditas digunakan untuk melihat percampuran kebudayaan Africa dan kebudayaan Amerika dalam novel. Kemudian, teori hegemoni digunakan karena ada masalah hegemoni dalam novel.
Peneliti menggunakan metode penelitian perpustakaan. Cara yang digunakan didalam analisis adalah menyimak, membaca dan mengumpulkan teori dan data penunjang dari buku, jurnal, website, thesis atau sumber yang lain. Setelah itu, peneliti menganalisa intrinsik elemen; karakter dan setting. Dengan pendekatan poskolonial, peneliti menggunakan teori poskolonial untuk menggabungkan novel dan data penunjang. Terakhir, peneliti membuat kesimpulan dari analisis.
IDENTITY CRISIS RESULTING FROM THE CONFLICTS OF
TRIBAL TRADITION AND AMERICAN TRADITION IN
ALICE WALKER’S
POSSESSING THE SECRET OF JOY
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
INDRIANA CHRISTY PURWANDARI
Student Number: 124214083
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
ii
IDENTITY CRISIS RESULTING FROM THE CONFLICTS OF
TRIBAL TRADITION AND AMERICAN TRADITION IN
ALICE WALKER’S
POSSESSING THE SECRET OF JOY
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
INDRIANA CHRISTY PURWANDARI
Student Number: 124214083
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
vii
But I say unto you which hear, love your enemies, do good to
them which hate you, bless them that curse you, and pray for
them which despitefully use you.
Luke 6: 27-28
A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an
optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
viii
For
My beloved parents who have given me their endless
love and support
My lovely sister whose always gives me courage
And
those who believe that dream can be true and
ix
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to express my gratitude to my Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, for everything He has done in my life. He blesses me abundantly, including the process to make this research from beginning until finishing.
Then, I would like to express my gratitude to my families for their supports. Their endless love for me gives me courage to do my best. I also would like to thank my advisor, Elisa Dwi Wardani, S.S., M.Hum who has patiently advised me in the process of making this research.
I want to thank Yayo, my friend and my sister from another mother, for times she has given to me in my ups and down. I also thank Winda for every random stories we have shared together. Then, I would like to thank Teater Garis and CANTIK. I would like to say a big thank to J, the initial name of someone who makes me see the world from different side. For those whose cannot I mention their names here, I would like to thank them for every support they have given to me. God blesses them.
x
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI ILMIAH ... vi
MOTTO PAGE ... vii
1. Theory of Character and Characterization ... 13
2. Theory of Setting ... 14
3. Theory of Identity and Identity Crisis ... 15
4. Postcolonial Theory... 20 Female Circumcision and the Tribal Tradition ... 43
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ... 59
BIBLIOGRAPHY ... 62
xi
ABSTRACT
PURWANDARI, INDRIANA CHRISTY. Identity Crisis Resulting from the Conflicts of Tribal Tradition and American Tradition in Alice Walker’s Possessing the Secret of Joy. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2017.
Tradition always belongs to its society. It is different in every society. One tradition which is still maintained is female circumcision. There is one literature which represents this tradition is Alice Walker’s Possessing the Secret of Joy. This novel shows the description of Olinka tradition and the effects of female circumcision. The effects are illness and death. Moreover, there is a meeting between American culture and African culture which makes someone experienced hybridity condition. This condition creates someone experience identity crisis.
Therefore, the tribal tradition reveals one’s identity crisis.
In the first problem formulation, this research describes the tribal tradition and the female circumcision in the novel. Setting and character and characterization theories are used to analyse the description of the tradition.In the second problem formulation, the researcher uses postcolonial theory and identity and identity crisis to analyse the way the tribal tradition and the female
circumcision reveal Tashi’s identity crisis. In postcolonial theory, there are two division theories: hybridity and hegemony. Hybridity theory is used to see the interference in the novel. Then, hegemony theory is used because there is a hegemony issue in the novel.
The researcher uses a library research method. This method is consisted of some steps. The steps are close reading, read and collect theories and supportive data from books, journals, internet sites, thesis or other resources. After that, the researcher analyses the intrinsic element of the novel using character and setting. By postcolonial approach, the researcher uses postcolonial theory to elaborate the work and the supporting data. The last, the researcher make a conclusion of the analysis.
xii
ABSTRAK
PURWANDARI, INDRIANA CHRISTY. Identity Crisis Resulting from the Conflicts of Tribal Tradition and American Tradition in Alice Walker’s Possessing the Secret of Joy. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra,Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2017.
Tradisi selalu ada disetiap masyarakat. Tiap tradisi berbeda disetiap masyarakat. Salah satu tradisi yang tetap dipertahankan adalah sunat perempuan. Salah satu literatur yang menunjukkan tradisi ini adalah Possessing the Secret of Joy oleh Alice Walker. Novel ini menunjukkan penjelasan mengenai tradisi suku Olinka dan efek dari sunat perempuan. Efeknya adalah penyakit dan kematian. Selain itu, ada pertemuan kebudayaan America dan kebudayaan Afrika yang membuat kondisi pencampuran. Kondisi ini membuat seseorang mengalami krisis identitas. Sehingga tradisi suku ini menciptakan suatu krisis identitas seseorang.
Pertama, penelitian ini menjelaskan tradisi Olinka dan sunat perempuan. Teori setting dan karakter dan karakterisasi digunakan untuk menganalisis deskripsi tradisi. Dalam rumusan masalah kedua, peneliti menggunakan teori postkolonial dan identitas dan krisis identitas untuk menganalisis cara tradisi suku dan sunat perempuan mengungkapkan krisis identitas Tashi. Dalam teori postkolonial, ada dua divisi teori yakni hibridity dan hegemoni. Teori hibriditas digunakan untuk melihat percampuran kebudayaan Africa dan kebudayaan Amerika dalam novel. Kemudian, teori hegemoni digunakan karena ada masalah hegemoni dalam novel.
Peneliti menggunakan metode penelitian perpustakaan. Cara yang digunakan didalam analisis adalah menyimak, membaca dan mengumpulkan teori dan data penunjang dari buku, jurnal, website, thesis atau sumber yang lain. Setelah itu, peneliti menganalisa intrinsik elemen; karakter dan setting. Dengan pendekatan poskolonial, peneliti menggunakan teori poskolonial untuk menggabungkan novel dan data penunjang. Terakhir, peneliti membuat kesimpulan dari analisis.
1
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study
In every society, there is always a tradition. According to Handler and Linnekin, tradition is a custom and belief through written, oral or act inherited from the ancestor to the next generation (1984: 273). The other defines tradition as “the internal handing on through time” also can be called as a tradition
(Kroeber, 1948: 411). Handler and Linnekin explain what Kroeber‟s statement means that a tradition is the base of the cultural traits that is descended to the next generations. Furthermore, the forms of cultural traits are such as “say, prayer, ritual, making of stone tools by percussion and so on” (Majumdar and Madan, 1960: 18).
Tradition varies throughout different societies. Moreover, Handler and Linnekin explain:
Both the scholarly and common sense understandings of tradition have presumed that a society is identified by its traditions by a core of teachings handed down from the past (Handler and Linnekin, 1984: 275).
From the explanation, tradition can be the identification of a society. Since it is handed down from the ancestor, people can see that the tradition belongs to its society.
One example of a tradition that is still maintained until now is circumcision. This tradition occurs in Jewish people.There is a verse between God and Abraham about circumcision that become their base of doing circumcision is “this is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee: Every man child among you shall be circumcised” (Genesis, 17: 10).
However, in some parts of the world, circumcision is not only apply for men, it also applies for women. It is called as female circumcision. This kind of practice happens mostly in Africa. “More than 28 countries in Africa” keep the
female circumcision tradition (Otoo- Oyortey MBE, et al, 2012: 2). Women who undergo female circumcision live mostly in Sub- Saharan Africa, yet this practice is also well known in some parts of Asia and the Middle East (Dorkenoo O.B.E, et al, 2001: 5).
Female organ has been circumcised based on some beliefs that have been kept for generations. Belief is “a conviction, a principle or an idea” which is
directly approved by people without examining its justification (Dorkenoo O.B.E, et al, 2001: 39). There are some beliefs which are known to be the background of
the female circumcision tradition. First, the belief that female genital brings lust for them, so that they do not needmale to achieve their sexual satisfaction. Second, it is believed that religion supports the practice of female circumcision, for example:
It is believed that female circumcision has been mentioned in Koran. Thus, Muslim societies practice female circumcision, even though Koran does not state about this tradition (Dorkenoo O.B.E, et al, 2001: 24).
The third belief holds that female circumcision increases the intensity of male sexual satisfaction (Otoo- Oyortey MBE, et al, 2012: 4). A man can feel more sexually satisfied with a circumcised woman. In rare cases, female circumcision eases the process of childbirth, because the pain she experienced during circumcision has prepared mentally for her childbirth‟s pain. She does not
feel shocked by the childbirth pain because of her initial pain of circumcision (Otoo- Oyortey MBE, et al, 2012: 4).
The last belief holds that clitoris is a filthy part of a female body and needs to be cut off. Female circumcision proposes the purity idea which refers to sanitary, aesthetic and ethical (Otoo- Oyortey MBE, et al, 2012: 4). When clitoris is left uncut, “the clitoris would grow excessively” (Otoo- Oyortey MBE, et al,
2012: 4).
Those are beliefs as the background of the practice of female circumcision. To see the idea of the female circumcision tradition in Africa, one can see it in the work of Alice Walker‟s Possessing the Secret of Joy. This novel reveals the
female circumcision tradition and the way tribal traditions reveal one‟s identity crisis.
undergo female circumcision even though she ever had a trauma in her childhood. It is related to the death of her sister because of the female circumcision tradition. The action of undergoing female circumcision is an action of realizing her identity as the Olinkan people. After she takes the circumcision, her characteristics change. She has a grudge to her circumciser. Her trauma reminds her again. The change reaches its peak when she kills her circumciser which result in her being given sentenced to death by the court.
This novel persuades the readers that female circumcision is a tradition that should not be cherished. Not all traditions give good impact towards the adherent. Such tradition does not give females any advantage, but only bring harms to them. Also, to realize one‟s identity is a difficult thing when native person meets other culture which is really different than his own culture.
Moreover, in the novel, Africa is described as an independent country where there is no more colonial conquest or colonial rules. In reality, although the colonial era has ended, yet the Western people come to Africa because they still have interest to Africa. They mingle together with native people. They practice “spreading their own ideology” to the native people “in the name of
the native people are in a condition of hegemony. Missionary is an easier thing to do because it can be accepted by the native people because they know nothing but their stuff in the village. The native people easily welcome the missionaries in the village.
When the Westerners see a tradition which is not agreeable with their knowledge, they prohibit their adherents to undergo the tradition. It is not upright in the eyes of the native people. Their tradition is the originality of them. They do resist the tradition from the Westerners by hiding the implementation of the tradition and giving tribal mark to strong the nationality of people. Rostami mentions that “one way of cultural resistance was by keeping culture alive by
hiding it from the strangers who were in their lands to civilize them” (2014: 126). With the existence of the Westerners in Africa, native people are wary. Jolly, as quoted by Lomba said that:
Nasionalist Afrikaners continued to see themselves as victims of English colonization and ... the imagined continuation of this victimization was used to justify the maintenance of apartheid (2007: 29).
They want to protect their remaining land because some of them have already taken by the Western countries. There are African liberators who investigate and arrest all suspicious people in Mbele. They do it for nationalist reason. It is believed that the Westerners just want to take everything they have. Therefore, they protect “the only precious thing they have and wish to preserve
are their forefather‟s customs” (Rostami, et al, 2014: 126).
tradition, or else she is not an Olinka. Thus, she feels what people call as identity crisis. It is condition where someone is confused of the real identity she has because of hybridity. She ever lived in Africa, and then she migrates to America. There is a hybridity in the interference between American tradition and African tradition. To identify this identity crisis, this research uses postcolonial theory. This postcolonial theory also concerns on voice, hegemony, otherness, miscegenation and racism issues in this novel (Huggan and Tiffin, 2010: 135). B. Problem Formulation
1. How are the tribal tradition and female circumcision described through the characters and setting?
2. How do female circumcision and the tribal tradition reveal the identity crisis experienced by Tashi, the main character?
C. Objectives of the Study
D. Definition of Terms
There are some explanations below which are useful to define some terms in this research:
1. Funk and Wagnalls Standard Dictionary (Comprehensive International Edition) defines tribe as “a division, class or group of
people, varying ethnologically according to circumstances from which their separation or distinction is supposed to originate,” or “a group or
aggregate of persons among primitive peoples, usually consanguineous and endogamous, under one chief, characterized by its own culture and having a name, a dialect, a government and usually a territory of its own” (Deogaonkar, 1994: 15) Meanwhile,
tradition means “the internal handing on through time”(Kroeber, 1948: 411). Thus, tribal tradition means a group of people with same ancestors who inherit tradition from generation to the next generation. 2. American tradition means a group of people who share the value or
moral of America from generation to the next generation.
3. According to Webstern’s New World Dictionary, identity crisis is “the condition of being uncertain of one‟s feelings about oneself, especially
4. Circumcision “ (from Latin „circumcidere‟ meaning to cut around) is one of the most ancient and common surgical procedures worldwide.”
(El- Gohary, M. Amin, 2015:114). This practice is a kind of mutilation. In medical term, this refers to female genital mutilation. Based on WHO‟s A Student’s Manual, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is “a term now generally accepted for the traditional practices
9
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE A. Review of Related Studies
In the review of related studies, there are four studies are provided in this research,
1. “Sexual Blinding of Women: Alice Walker‟s African Character Tashi and the Issue of Female Genital Cutting”by Gabriela EltzBrum.
In her thesis, Brum observed how Walker creates literary works which shows her anger and her emotion towards her literary work. Brum uses many approaches to see the issue of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). The approaches are religion, health and sexuality, colonialism and post- colonialism, anthropological view, and gender and aesthetic feminism. Brum, also, observes Tashi in three novels of Alice Walker; the Color Purple, Possessing the Secret of Joy and The Temple of Familiar. In her thesis, Brum presents Tashi as a model of
the reality of Post- colonial. “The goal of this thesis is mainly to investigate what is for Walker, after all, the implicit concept of literature” (Brum, 2005:10).Brum
wants to show that Walker intention is to make the world see the tradition and its effect for women.
This research uses the same character, Tashi, in Walker‟s Posessing the
Secret of Joy. Then, it is different with Brum‟s thesis because this research
2. “Possessing the Secret of Black Womanhood: Reading African Women in Alice Walker‟s Possessing the Secret of Joy, The Color Purple, and Warrior
Marks” by Nontsasa Nako
In Nako‟s thesis, Nako discusses Walker‟s works regarding to
postmodernism. She wrote to represent African women towards African tradition and the immigration from Africa to America. Nako does not just talk about women that Walker presented in her work, but also relates it to the African women in reality. Nako uses a female character in the novel to use it as the stereotype of woman that Walker presents in her book. She analyses the representation and the tradition of female circumcision. She argues that,
when national and cultural differences are sacrificed for sisterhood and solidarity based on a superficial universalisation of racial and gender oppression, the totalising, discursive tendencies that many critics objected to in second wave mainstream feminism are replicated (Nako, 2004: i).
Nako shows that the sisterhood of women, who share the thing in common, is influenced by the culture or tradition where they belong. Nako also makes a comparison between Walker‟s The Color Purple and Possessing the Secret of Joy
to see the African identity and the African American identity. It can be seen that there is an unequal position where the African American identity is superior to African identity. She analyses more on the representation of female African people.
to the female circumcision tradition. It does not focus on the representation of African women and womanhood.
3. “Alice Walker: A Literary Genealogist” by Paege Alessandra Moore
Moore relates Walker‟s work towards the previous writer who has the same writing style with Walker, such as Zora Neale Humon. She states that both of them have the same theme in several literature works of them.
Walker draws on the precedent set by Hurston; as a result, similar themes reappear in Walker's work, including: the use of American vernacular; focus on women's roles within the African American community; female sexuality within the context of women's achievement of personal growth, individuation, and the desire for control over their sexual and physical selves (Moore, 1998:1).
She makes a research on the connection between Hurston and Walker work of literature. The way Walker brings the female protagonist of the story, being the struggling one against the patriarchal system. Walker, also, consolidates the female on the story, thus they can make sisterhood over the problem they have shared.
This research differs from Moore‟s research because this research uses only
Possessing the Secret of Joy without examining Walker‟s writing style. The tribal
tradition is the main thing being discussed. The researcher focuses on the close reading of the novel, rather than relate to the outer world of the work. Relating to the tribal tradition, this work uses postcolonial theory. It is to see the tradition and the revealing idea of Tashi‟s identity crisis. This theory is also preferred because
4. “The RelationshipBetween the African and American Heritages in Alice Walker‟s Novel Possessing the Secret of Joy and the Short Story Everyday Use”
by Anna Golubeva
Golubeva‟s research is to describe the significance of African and American
culture towards Walker‟s work. Since Walker‟s work includes the cultural duality of African- American. She analyses the connection of African and American culture in general towards postcolonial using Walker‟s Possessing the Secret of
Joy and Everyday Use. She does not analyse the tribal tradition and its effect.
Chapter II studies the possible relationship between the African and the American heritages on the example of Alice Walker's novel Possessing the Secret of Joy and the short story Everyday Use (Golubeva, 2009: 2).
Although, this research uses the same object with her work, Possessing the Secret of Joy, this research concentrates on the tribal tradition, female
circumcision. This also sees the culture, but mainly to analyse the tradition and the revealing idea of identity crisis is experienced by Tashi. The researcher uses the tribal tradition to reveal the identity crisis of Tashi. Meanwhile, Golubeva‟s work
focuses on both African and American heritages.
The researcher uses these four researches with same object to make a difference among them. The researcher can see the other people idea and their ways to analyse Walker‟s work. It gives idea of some preferable theories to use in this research.
B. Review of Related Theories
1. Theory of Character and Characterization
A character in a story has person characteristics; which means it does not have to be a person as an individual, but more on human characteristics. It can be seen through character‟s dialogue and actions in narrative work. The readers can
make their own perspective towards the character of the work, since they read the dialogue and imagine the action. Based on the interpretation, it helps to analyse the characteristic of the character deeper, so that it can make the reader to see and understand the character.
In fiction work, according to Literature: structure, sound, and sense by Laurence Perrine, he states that to define character needs two presentation ways. Firstly, the direct presentation, the author gives the information of character straight away to the reader. The author gives narration about “what a character is
like, or have someone else in the story tell us what he is like” (Perrine, 1974: 68). Thus, the reader automatically can imagine the appearance of the character through the explanation of the author in the work. Secondly, the indirect presentation, the author gives information of the character through thought and action of the character. The reader knows the character from “what he thinks or says or does” (Perrine, 1974: 68).
about the character social status or the character trait from the environment and the appearance (Roberts and Jacobs, 1991:141). Third, the characters‟way of saying and thinking; if their thoughts are expressed by the author. Fourth, the opinion of other characters (Roberts and Jacobs, 1991: 141-142). Fifth, the author explains about the character as if he is an observer or a storyteller of the character (Roberts and Jacobs, 1991: 142). The author wants to make the character is accepted factually, in order to help the reader making their own conclusion of the character.
Meanwhile, characterization based on book Understanding Unseen by M. J Murphy, he defines
Characterization as the way in which an author attempts to make his characters understandable and come alive for his readers; therefore, the readers are able to visualize the characters as the author expected (Murphy, 1972: 161).
It means that characterization is like a visualization of a character so that the readers can see the character as the author sees it.
2. Theory of Setting
An author needs some elements to create setting. According to William Harmon (2003: 470), there are four elements of setting: first, “the actual geographical location”means the place, scenery, and object location in the story. Second, “the occupation and daily manner of living of the characters”means the character‟s job. Third, “the time or period in which the action takes place,”means
the time even the season in the story. The last, “the general environment of the characters,” example: mental, moral, religious, emotional condition, and social.
Furthermore, Roberts and Jacobs explain about setting in Fiction (1991), they both mention three elements in setting (Roberts and Jacobs, 1991: 243- 244): Nature and the outdoors mean the natural surroundings, living creatures, and the general condition in which the story takes place. It can give an effect to the character and his action. Object of human manufacture and constructure is the building or object that the author added in order to make a lifelike fiction. Cultural condition and assumption can influence the character and action, such as cultural belief.
From those explanation about elements of fiction, people can see that the physical thing, time, occupation, cultural condition, even general environment can influence the character and his action. This theory is used to define the important of the tradition and see the background of Olinka.
3. Theory of Identity and IdentityCrisis
Introduction to Modern Societies, there are three concepts of identity (Hall, et al,
1996: 597).
a. Enlightenment subject
This concept is based on the identity or the fully individual since he was born. It is so “individualist” concept because the center is the one‟s self only. The person‟s identity is “the essential center of the self” (Hall, et al, 1996: 597).
b. Sociological subject
When there is an interaction between society and self, it would form an identity (Hall, et al, 1996: 597). It can be related to the originality of society where he belongs to. It is also formed by “the significant other”. This „other‟
refers to “the other who resembles the self” (Aschroft, et al, 2000: 155). It means
someone can be aware of his existence, so that he can differentiate between the origin and the reflection of himself.
In post- colonial theory, it can refer to the colonized others who are marginalized by imperial discourse, identified by their difference from the centre (Aschroft, et al, 2000: 155).
According to Peter Barry,
The East becomes the repository of projection of those aspects of themselves which Westerners do not choose to acknowledge (cruelty, sensuality, decadence, laziness, and so on)” (2002: 193).
He mentions that the East is the projection of the West which contains of barbarism and immorality. The West is defined themselves by contrasting their experience and personality toward the East. They want to civilize the East so that the East realizes their own identity.
c. Post- modern subject
Identity is not “fixed, essential, or permanent” (Hall, et al, 1996: 598). Moreover, Hall explains that
identity becomes moveable feast: formed and transformed continuously in relation to the ways we are represented or addressed in the cultural systems which surround us (Hall, et al, 1996: 598).
Identity is different related to the representation in society‟s culture. The fully unified, completed, secure and coherent identity is a fantasy (Hall, et al, 1996: 598).
Related to personal identity, it only exists in society in which society categorizes and defines it. When someone feels confused and searches for his own identity, it means that he experiences of what people call as „identity crisis‟.
his identity, “because of unfortunate childhood experiences or present social
circumstances” (Hjelle and Ziegler, 1981:127).
Furthermore, Bhabha defines “identity is only ever the problematic process
of access to an image of totality” (Bhabha, 1994: 73). Thus, the Africans see that
the Western people are the better side of them so that they imitate the appearance and language of the colonizers. It is their desire to be in the same place like their former colonizer. This imitation is called as mimicry by Homi Bhabha. In the Location of Culture, Bhabha states that “colonial mimicry is the desire for a
reformed, recognizable Other, as a subject of a difference that is almost the same, but not quite” (Bhabha, 1994: 122). They imitate what they have perceived, but the other people still can see the differences on it.
Moreover, Bhabha explains “the desire for the Other is doubled by the desire in language, which splits the difference between Self and Other so that both positions are partial; neither is sufficient unto itself” (Bhabha 1994: 72). The partial position means “both „incomplete‟ and „ virtual‟” (Bhabha, 1994: 123). Hence, there is a shift between Self and Other and it is called as ambivalence.
As they have ambivalence, they are struggled to their own value and goals. Regarding to Baumeister,
People who have problems with identity are generally struggling with the more difficult aspects of defining self, such as the establishing of long- term goals, major affiliation, and basic values (Baumeister, 1986: 4).
Although they imitate the colonizers culture or value, they have their own value from the tribe or society which they are belong to. It is hereditary value they get from the society, it cannot be erased easily. Example is following the tribal tradition.
Identity crisis is divided into two types. There are legitimation crisis and motivation crisis (Baumeister, 1986: 199). First, legitimation crisis or identity conflict refers “to the multiply defined self whose multiple definitions are
imcompatible” (Baumeister, 1986: 199). It means that a person who experiences this crisis has multiple identities. Consequently, he needs a commitment to choose which his identity is. There might be a possibility that he may betray the other identity which he has. Second, motivation crisis or identity deficit refers “to
inadequately defined self, characterized by a lack of commitment to goals and values” (Baumeister, 1986: 199). A person who experiences this crisis is not consistent about his decision. Therefore, he might seeks the sources of value, meaning even he questions himself (Baumeister, 1986: 199).
4. Postcolonial Theory
The term „postcolonial‟ is a nebulous term. It is still ongoing debate because
there is no original moment of this term. It seems that the term indicates period marking which the colonial period is over and the successor of once- colonized people lives all over the world so that “the whole world is postcolonial” (Loomba,
2007: 7). The prefix post- can also be indicates as „aftermath‟ in temporal sense as in coming after and ideological sense as in supplanting (Loomba, 2007: 7). In temporal point of view, it indicates the period after the colonialism is over.
"Post- colonialism (or often postcolonialism) deals with the effects of
colonization on culture and societies” (Aschroft, et. all, 1998:186). The point of this theory is that this theory sees the effect of colonialism to the former colonized country. Furthermore, Ashis Nandy states in the Intimate Enemy that there are two kinds of colonialism; the first one is "the physical conquest of territory and the second one is the colonization of the minds, selves, and cultures" (Nandy, 1983: 11). In Alice Walker‟s Possessing the Secret of Joy, Africa is a former colonized country. It means the physical conquest of territory is over from Africa but, there is still colonization through mind and cultures.
Terms (2008: 265). Related to identity, Baldick emphasizes the question of
identity in postcolonialism, it is after and during the period of colonialism.
Related to culture, in postcolonial theory is always hybrid. It means that there is a mingle culture between the colonizer and the colonized. From the mingle culture, it leads to the resistance from the colonized people.
According to Barry in his Beginning Theory (2002) there are four characteristics of post-colonialism: an awareness of the “Other”, language, “identity as doubled, or hybrid”, „cross-cultural‟ interactions (Barry, 2002:194
-196).
4.1 Theory of hybridity
Barry explain that hybridity is
the situation whereby individuals and groups belong simultaneously to more than one culture (for instance, that of the coloniser, through a colonial school system, and that of the colonised, through local and oral traditions) (Barry, 2002: 199).
It means when they meet new culture, they are mingled. Thus, they create a combination of both two cultures. Moreover, Loomba explains the statement of Robert Young that “a hybrid is technically a cross between two different species”,
then they share their culture to each other (Loomba, 2015: 171). The combination of both two cultures contain of the ideology and value of both cultures. This theory is used to define Tashi‟s condition of hybridity which influences her to
4.2 Hegemony theory
According to Loomba, hegemony is defined as
A power achieved through a combination of coercion and consent. The rulling classes achieve domination not by force or coercion alone, but also by creating subjects who‟willingly‟ submit to being ruled (2007: 29).
Thus, the colonized people do not realize that they are being ruled by the colonizer. They do what the colonizer tells them to do, without any objection. The colonizer uses the common sense of the colonized people to influence and rule them. The ideologies are the crucial thing to create consent in hegemony (Loomba, 2007: 29). Since “ideologies are conceptions of life that are manifest in all aspects of individual and collective existence”, they transmit it to the colonized
in order to control them (Loomba, 2007: 29).
Moreover, Althusser explains about interpellation(1971: 127-186).He gives more explanation from Gramsci who has suggested about hegemony (Loomba, 2007: 32- 33).He states that interpellation is about the colonized do their free- will, yet they are being ruled by the colonizer structure (Loomba, 2007: 33). It can be called as “„Ideological State Apparatuses‟ such as schools, the Church, the
family, media and political systems” (Loomba, 2007: 33).
This ideological apparatuses assist in the reproduction of the dominant system by creating subjects who are ideologically conditioned to accept the values of the system (Loomba, 2007: 33).
C. Theoretical Framework
In this research, the researcher chooses the topic of women and female circumcision in Africa. It is related to the tradition of circumcision that has been practicing in Africa from long time ago, uncertainly of time. The literature work of Alice Walker, Possessing the Secret of Joy, is the object of this research. This novel contains of tradition as the theme of the story. The tradition itself is called as female circumcision. This tradition is same with the tradition that the researcher wants to analyse.
In the beginning, the researcher states the background of the tradition, the implementation and the function of the tradition. It is to see the description of the female genital tradition in the novel. Even to see the reason behind maintaining the tradition. Then, the researcher analyses the way of female circumcision and other tribal tradition reveal the identity crisis that Tashi has experienced. Not only the contrast when she undergoes female circumcision, but also before and after she left Africa, in terms of setting.
This research uses a postcolonial approach because the main topic is the female mutilation tradition or the female circumcision, so it is related with the tradition. Also, there are some issues in the novel such as colonialism, hegemony, otherness and racism around the main character lives.
After that, the researcher uses postcolonial theory and identity theory to analyse the second problem. These theories are used to see how the tradition reveals the identity crisis is experienced by Tashi. There are two divisions of the postcolonial theory that is significantly used to analyse Tashi‟s identity crisis. First is hybridity theory. This theory is used to see the interference of cultures in the novel. It influences the identity crisis Tashi has experienced. Second is hegemony theory. This theory is used because there is a hegemony issue in the novel. It helps the researcher to understand about the issue of hegemony, for hegemony influences identity crisis in the novel. Then, there is identity and identity crisis theory. Since Tashi is confused with her own identity in the novel, theory of identity and identity crisis are needed to see the notion of identity or „self‟ and to analyse the identity crisis in the story.
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CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY A. Object of the Study
Possessing the Secret of Joy is the fifth novel by Alice Walker, published in
1992. Previously, Walker has made several novels, among others are The Third Life of Grange Copeland (1970), Meridian (1976), The Color Purple (1982), The
Temple of My Familiar (1989) (Britannica.com, 2016). According to Walker‟s bibliography page in Possessing the Secret of Joy,
Walker was the first African- American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, which she won in 1983 for her novel The Color Purple, also a National Book Award winner (2011: 157).
In Walker‟s Possessing the Secret of Joy, she wrote multiple narrators. It
means that she wrote her novel by telling it uses different point of view from each character involved in the story. By providing multiple narrators, the readers are able to see the story from each character‟s point of view. In this novel, she uses
back and forth plot and vice versa. It might confusing the reader for a while when they read the novel, but when they use close reading, they can get the point of what Walker wants to share.
of realizing her identity as the Olinkan people. Then, she is married to Adam, the son of missionaries. Because of undergoing the female circumcision, her characteristics change. She has a grudge to her circumciser. Her trauma returns to her. The change reaches its peak when she kills her circumciser which results in her being given sentenced to death by the court.
B. Approach of the Study
This research uses the postcolonial approach. Since this research focuses on the tradition and identity crisis in the story, this approach is preference. According to Barry, “postcolonial criticism draws attention to issues of cultural difference in
literary texts,”so that this theory is appropriate to the issue in this research (Barry,
2002: 198).
Postcolonialism is used to analyse the effect of colonialism during and after the colonialism era, so that it can be used in this research. In the novel of Possessing the Secret of Joy, colonization still happens in Africa through people
cultures and mind. As some American missionaries go to some villages in Africa, they colonize the native people using their value. The native people are oppressed indirectly by the American missionaries.Tashi, the main character, mingles with the missionaries even she is married to their son, Adam. From this point, Tashi experiences what people called as hybridity. It makes this approach is relevant to analyse the hybridity condition in Africa.
contact (Barry, 2002: 194- 196).These characteristics are included in the story so, it is appropriate to use post-colonial approach in this research.
C. mMethod of the Study
The researcher uses a library research to conduct the definition of female circumcision, tribal tradition, and identity crisis. The primary source is Alice Walker‟s novel entitled Possessing the Secret of Joy. The researcher uses printed
resources such as books, journals, and thesis, also internet resources such as internet sites; as the secondary source. There are some book that the researcher mostly uses, there are Beginning Theory (2002), Fiction (1991), How to AnalyzeFiction (1966), and Colonialism/ Postcolonialism (2007).
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CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS
The researcher solves the two questions of problem formulation in this part. The first question is about the description of the tribal tradition and female circumcision. The researcher uses two intrinsic elements, character and setting, to answer the first question. It is used to explain the background and the perspective of the characters. Then, the second question deals with how the female circumcision tradition and other Olinkan traditions reveal the identity crisis of Tashi.
A. The Description of the Tribal Tradition and Female Circumcision Tradition in the Novel
The analysis of the tribal tradition and female circumcision description uses the theory of character and characterization and setting. This description is to see the position of the tribal tradition and female circumcision tradition in the novel. The description can be seen through intrinsic elements; setting and character. The setting can be seen from its elements,
The actual geographical location, the occupation and daily manner of living of the characters, the time or period in which the action takes place, and the general environment of the characters (Harmon, 2003:470).
The tribal tradition and female circumcision tradition come from Africa, especially in Olinka village.
“we‟d somehow- through jungle, grassland, across rivers and whole countries of animals - arrived in the village of the Olinka that he‟d spoken so much about” (Walker, 2011: 4).
This statement is from Adam‟s point of view, the son of the missionaries,
who thinks about what they have been through to reach the village. The indirect presentation shows the readers that the newcomers need to walk for miles to reach Olinka. It is also supported by the statement that “we had been weeks on the march that brought us to Tashi‟s village” (Walker, 2011: 4). The Olinka village is
far and indigene from the description of the nature to reach the village. From the distance itself, people can tell that Olinka tribe is such an isolated tribe in which the tribal people preserve tradition from the outsider‟s influences.
In Olinka, people keep the tradition well in order to maintain their originality as part of their tribe. There are several traditions been mentioned in the novel, firstly, the tradition of face scar marking towards the women and men in Olinka. Every woman and man in the village should have “the Olinka tribal
markings” in their cheek (Walker, 2011: 65). Tashi also has this tribal marking.
The reason behind the scar marking is to show their pride and to honor their leader because “Our leader had these same markings, and was obviously proud of them”
(Walker, 2011: 65). This scar marking is usually being held when someone is going to marry. It is a day before the wedding day as it is seen in the statement, “the evening before the wedding, Adam had these same Olinka tribal markings
Another tradition is related to taboo. Olinka people really believe in taboo. Taboo is a prohibition to do something against belief in the society which is thought to be sacred. Taboo has its consequences. It means a taboo is such an indirect rule to regulate the tribal people‟s life. They do not do a taboo so that
there is nothing bad happens as the consequences of doing it. Then, it is useful to relate to the interaction in society. The existence of a taboo is influenced by the quantity of people who supporting or not supporting the taboo. When many people believe a taboo, the existence of it grows stronger. People can think over it to consider the weakness and the strength. Hence, a taboo can exist and disappear through time.
There are some taboos in the village, the greatest taboo is “making love in the fields” (Walker, 2011: 16). It is believed that “love making in the fields
jeopardized the crops” (Walker, 2011: 16). Moreover, “it was declared that it there was any fornication whatsoever in the fields the crops definitely would not grow” (Walker, 2011: 16).Fornication is seen as something wicked. Thus, it pollutes the land so that the nature does not get enough nutrition. Since the crops are useful to the human‟s life, the native people do not want their source of food become a
place of immoral action. The Olinkans really believe that their live is controlled by the nature, because they believe gods which is related to the nature.
Another taboo is cunnilingus or oral sex in Olinka. Since women in Olinka tribe do not have clitoris, they cannot feel the pleasure through it.Even they make cunnilingus as a taboo. It can be seen from Adam‟s perspective, “my tongue
taboo, “when I was little I used to stroke myself, which was a taboo,” it means
Tashi ever experiences masturbation which is a taboo in Olinka society. (Walker, 2011: 67).
Then, the other tribal tradition is a female circumcision. The Olinkan word for female circumcision is “bath”. It can be seen in Tashi‟s question to M‟Lissa (the circumciser), ”then why is it that it is a woman‟s vulva that is destroyed? I
ask. ”Bathed,” as they say, ”clean off,” I ask” (Walker, 2011: 134).Tashi wonders
about the importance of woman‟s genitals to be circumcised. The word „bath‟ implies the cleanliness of something dirty. Related to the female circumcision, it emphasizes that the circumcision is used to clean the filthy part of a woman body – „clean off‟ (Walker, 2011: 134). To the villagers, the cleanliness of woman‟s body related to the “Our Leader” belief. Moreover, it can be seen when Tashi says
to Raye (her new psychiatrist) about the leader‟s belief. Tashi explains the “Our
Leader” belief that “we must keep ourselves clean and pure as we had been since
time immemorial- by cutting out unclean parts of our bodies” (Walker, 2011: 67).The leader believes that a woman has a filthy part on her body which refers to clitoris.Thus, it must to be cut off. Since the leader is the respectful person among Olinka people, the Olinkans are believed and followed him.
There are some reasons why the tribal people are still maintaining the tradition of female circumcision. The first reason have mentioned before, it is about the “Our Leader” belief. Before explaining more about the leader‟s belief, it
is better to know the leader and his contribution to the Olinka village. “Our
Our Leader, like Nelson Mandela and Jomo Kenyatta and others before them, had been forced into exile and eventually captured and jailed by the white regime (Walker, 2011: 64).
Since the Westerners are superior than the native people, African liberators are jailed to prevent any rebellion. In the novel, “Our Leader” does not has any real name. The tribal people keep calling him, “Our Leader”, “because the white regime made it a crime to say his name aloud” (Walker, 2011: 69). They will get a punishment if they break the rule of not saying his name out loud. Then, the tribal people do honor him because he fights the white regime to achieve the freedom of African people. Additionally, Adam sees that “Our Leader” is reputed as Christ in
the village. Adam said that “he seemed like Christ to the villagers except for one
thing: his acceptance of violence as a means to the end of African oppression” (Walker, 2011: 69).“Our Leader” allows violence to achieve the freedom of Africa no matter it takes.
Because of his contributions on achieving freedom of Africa, Olinkans are respect him. Even “Our Leader” becomes the role model in the village. Every single word from him becomes a mandatory. His speech influences the tribal people. Related to the female circumcision tradition,
From prison Our Leader said we must keep ourselves clean and pure as we had been since time immemorial- by cutting out unclean parts of our bodies. Everyone knew that if a woman was not circumcised her unclean parts would grow so long they‟d soon touch her thigh; she‟d become masculine and arouse herself. No man could enter her because her own erection would be in his way (Walker, 2011: 67).
naturally both sexes, so that people have to ensure which one sex a child has by removing one of the attributes. For a woman, clitoris is believed as a minuscule penis.Hence it must be removed from her body. When the condition of both sexes is maintained, the person would not need other to achieve sexual pleasure.
Moreover, the leader states “that we must return to the purity of our own
culture and traditions” (Walker, 2011: 65). It is related to the white regime that ever comes to Olinka. He does not want the Westerners or the outsiders change the tradition of Olinka. He also emphasizes “that we must not neglect our ancient customs,” means they have to cherish their tradition especially female circumcision (Walker, 2011: 65).The feeling of being a nationalist brings the tribal people cherishes the tradition as their honor to the leader and their nation.
Besides, Our Leader, our Jesus Christ, said we must keep all our old ways and that no Olinka man-- in this he echoed the great liberator Kenyatta--would even think of marrying a woman who was not circumcised (Walker, 2011: 68).
Because of the belief that a woman has an unclean part of her body, so that it affects her life; someone would marry her only if she is circumcised. It can be portrayed in M‟Lissa‟s statement that “if Dura is not bathed, she said, no one will
marry her”(Walker, 2011: 141). This implies that there is someone, later, will marry her after she done the female circumcision. Tashi also affirms it that “without it no man would marry me” (Walker, 2011: 127). It is ashame for a man
to take an uncircumcised woman as a wife. The general use of female circumcision tradition is maintaining the virginity of a woman by decreasing women‟s desire for sexual pleasure.The act of decreasing the women‟s sexual
pleasure is also used to improve their spouse‟s sexual pleasure. Therefore, the men are dominant in their relationship.
For the uncircumcised woman, she can get sexual pleasure on her own which is taboo in Olinka. If she is circumcised, the only way to get sexual pleasure is just by doing intercourse with a man. It gives more feeling towards men, because the pleasure is based on the width of the cut. Besides, the cut shows the virginity sign of a woman. It will affect the sexual satisfaction of the spouse. Many women who has married and her genital width cut is large, she wants to be re-sewn so that her width cut will small again.The tighter the cut is, the more sexual pleasure of the spouse has.
Although this tradition is such an obligatory in the tribe, it has its own effects. The effects are not only for one who undergoes the female circumcision, but also the uncircumcised women. For the uncircumcised women, they can get mocked by the tribal people. The uncircumcised woman would be thought as a monster. It can be seen in Tashi‟s perspective, “certainly to all my friends who's
been circumcised, my uncircumcised vagina was thought to be a monstrosity”
(Walker, 2011: 67).
The other effect is they are rejected by the tribal people. Even the uncircumcised women “would sometimes actually run from us,...” which shows
that they prefer to go away from the tribe (Walker, 2011: 67). This is happened because the tribal people do not accept their existence in the village. They realize the risk and make their own decision to live away from the village. Since they want to resist, they should be living separate from the tribe. They are called as “mad”, because they reject the female circumcision and choose to be a rebellion.
They mainly live in the bush, as seen in the following quotation,
in the village when I was a girl the mad were kept out in the bush. They lived alone in smelly, ramshackle huts, their filthy clothes in tatters. Their matted hair covering their backs like moss (Walker, 2011: 115).
permitted to live” (Walker, 2011: 127). Since they only give shame and fear to the tribal people, the tribal people do not let them to live.
The other effect is pain. The pain that makes Tashi even do an abortion to avoid the pain of being cut open, as she is not ready for childbirth, ”but I knew I
could not bear being held down and cut open” (Walker, 2011: 121). Her baby is supposed to be a girl, but she aborts her. It can be seen from her statement, “for
the daughter I was forced to abort” (Walker, 2011: 121). Then, she is pregnant with Benny, her second pregnancy. In the process of giving birth,
the obstetrician broke two instruments trying to make an opening large enough for Benny's head. Then he used a scalpel. Then a pair of scissors used ordinarily to sever cartilage from bone (Walker, 2011: 34).
Since the hole is small, it is not enough to pass the baby. In order to help the baby, the doctor needs some things to cut the genital wider. The baby can get a bad head shape. It can be seen at Benny‟s head, “his head was yellow and blue and badly mishapen” (Walker, 2011: 34).
Related to the pain, there are many people in prison, in which Tashi is being jailed, who have AIDS. They are placed on the second floor of the prison in which “had been turned over to a mounting number of AIDS victims” (Walker, 2011:
51). They are not be brought to the hospital because it is “being small, was swamped” (Walker, 2011: 51).Due to the fact that a tsunga or the circumciser uses unsterilized tools to do the female circumcision, it can cause HIV which, later, brings the infection that leads to AIDS. In the novel,
The unsterilized equipments bring bacteria from one person to other person. Furthermore, the traditional cure always used some ingredients which are unsterilized and possibility harm the person.There is no scientific proof that the ingredients they used really can cure the wound.
Then, this is not only because the unsterilized equipments, but also because the intercourse early after one undergoes the female circumcision. In this act of intercourse, the woman gets forced by the man so that the opening cut will enlarged through time. As the effect of the forcing, “infections and open sores are
commonplace” (Walker, 2011: 138).
The African government does not expose the truth about AIDS to the public. They believe that “they had no such thing as AIDS existed in the country”
(Walker, 2011: 51). The existence of AIDS has been spread to the civilization, “though there was no official speculation about what might have caused it printed
in the news” (Walker, 2011: 52). The government does not take them as the national epidemic.
The government idea to not expose about AIDS publicly is similar with a taboo in Olinka in which people cannot say out loud about the female circumcision. It seems that the government takes the traditional idea to not give the information about AIDS publicly. For the tribal people, they are afraidif theoutsiders could change their culture or tradition. In Tashi‟s perspective, the outsiders “want to change us, I said, so that we are like you” being like the
Then, the most harmful effect of female circumcision is death. In the novel, Dura is dead because of undergoing female circumcision. Dura is the older sister of Tashi. She is bleeding until her dead. It can be seen from the Tashi‟s statement that “she's bled and bled and bled and there was death” (Walker, 2011: 47).
Although it can cause death, still the tribal people maintain the tradition of female circumcision.
The tradition of female circumcision is arranged by a Tsunga or a circumciser. Her role as a tsunga is a hereditary occupation, “like the priests” (Walker, 2011: 119). In her family, “the women were tsungas” (Walker, 2011: 119).The job as a tsunga “is such an honor.” (Walker, 2011: 119) The Olinka people respect her because she has done the important part in the tribe. Moreover, “her source of income” is only by regulating female circumcision (Dorkenoo
O.B.E, et al, 2001: 23). It can be seen in the novel that “it is the way we fill our bellies” (Walker, 2011: 119).
Tsunga is also a midwife and a healer, “I knew that, among the Olinka, she
was a prized midwife and healer,...”(Walker, 2011: 37). She is a midwife, it can be seen “that she had in fact delivered me into the world,...” (Walker, 2011:
84).Then, she is a healer, the healer has a job to re-sew the woman‟s vagina, “even today, after giving birth, they come back to the tsunga to be resewn, tighter than before” (Walker, 2011: 121). In Olinka, if the hole of the woman‟s vagina is wide,
the sexual pleasure depends “on an opening it might takes month, even years, to
enlarge” (Walker, 2011: 121).
M‟Lissa is a stubborn person who does not let the tradition down. It can be
seen in a quotation, “...,though to those Christianized ones who also turned to Western medicine, she was shunned” (Walker, 2011: 37). Although she has shunned by the tribal people who convert to Christianity, she still regulates the female circumcision ion tradition to the remains. It shows that her position as “a prized midwife and healer” only works for the members of Olinka who still remain their originality. She maintains her own way of healing. It implies that she does not want to be changed by the foreigners. She also makes the female circumcision as a tradition which every person born with and the remaining tradition the tribal people should honor to.
Related to Tashi before she undergoes the female circumcision, she “was never trusted, considered a potential traitor, even” because she has such close
relation to Adam (Walker, 2011: 67).The tribal people see that Tashi would disobey her own tribe if she has close relation to the missionary. Since Adam is a foreigner and he comes from America, the tribal people are not feeling safe. Although he has black skin, the tribal people still does not trust him. It can be seen that “she could not imagine a black person that was not Olinkan” (Walker, 2011:
141). Not only she can forget her originality as an Olinkan, but also she gives the tribal information to the outsiders. The tribal people do not want to be changed even be colonized again. Also they want to follow their leader to “return to the
“that we must not neglect our ancient customs” (Walker, 2011: 65). When
someone has close relation towards the foreigner, they believe that their perspective will be influenced by the foreigner‟s perspective.
From “the general environment of the character,” religion can be the
element of setting (Harmon, 2003: 470). As far as the researcher knows, Olinka people do not have a religion. They welcome the missionaries to come to their place. As Adam and his family has black skin, it makes they share the sameness with the tribal people. By the time, some Olinka people convert to Christianity. Even though there are white missionaries before, but it seems that people are not influenced by them in terms of religion. The Olinka people are welcome the foreigners, which can be shown when they tell Tashi and her mother “to put on a good face and make the foreigners welcome” (Walker, 2011: 9). They can get information and learn about Christianity from them. Even so, they learn about the English language.
In the Christian perspective, the practice of female circumcision is a barbaric act, “for they called the “bath”, barbaric” (Walker, 2011: 141). They
believe that it just makes the women suffer. The white missionary once asks the Olinka leader to stop the female genital tradition, so that the Olinka leader makes the female circumcision tradition hiatus for some time. From this thing, it can be seen that the female circumcision is irrelevant with the Christian value because the missionary think that the tradition is a barbaric act.
Regarding Tashi‟s mother named Catherine, who is in tribe named Nafa, she
