CHAPTER V
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Chapter V is the final chapter of this research study. This chapter consists of conclusion of the study and recommendation for further study using the same object or theories.
The conclusion part discusses the result from the analysis and interpretation in chapter IV, in summary, as the answering process from the problem formulation of:
1. What are the characteristics of the main female protagonist, Gwenda Cataret?
2. How does Gwenda's unconscious part of mind influences her consciousness as seen from her characteristics (personality traits)?
The next part of recommendation involves some suggestion topic for further study on the some object of May Sinclair's The Three Sisters, and also some possible alternative ways to use the same theories of characterization and psychoanalytic on other object of study, another novel.
5.1. Conclusion
In conclusion, the study main aims on analyzing Gwenda's personality as seen from her psychological side, using Psychodynamic of Conscious and Unconscious theory by Sigmund Freud, has been developed and reached the main
core of the study on how unconscious part of human mind determines most of
human's consciousness in the ways of thinking, speaking and also behaving as well. The study has revealed Gwenda's unconscious influences over her consciousness as she thinks, speaks, and also behaves in her relationship and interaction with her inner-self and other significant characters in the story; her father, sisters, and lover, as can be seen through her personality traits or characteristics.
Gwenda's personality traits, or in literature term it calls characteristics, has derived from characterization study using the mixing theories of Pickering-Hoeper and Roberts-Jacobs, it analyzes and interprets her characteristics through her appearance, the description by a narrator, her dialog and action as she makes relationships and interaction with her inner self and another characters around her in the story. And the data result from the characterization analysis and interpretation process taken for further study on psychological point of view. Using Psychodynamic of Conscious and Unconscious Theory by Sigmund Freud, the study tries to reveal how unconscious part of mind influences consciousness as seen from the defense mechanism process occurs in Gwenda's life.
5.1.1. Gwenda's Characteristics
In summary, Gwenda's personality traits or characteristics as discusses on the characterization analysis and interpretation part in chapter IV, using a combination theories of Pickering – Hoeper and Roberts – Jacobs for characterization study through appearance, narrator's description, dialog and action, in her relationship with her inner–self and the most important characters around her, the father : Mr. James Cataret, the sisters : Mary and Alice Cataret, and the lover, Dr. Steven Rowcliffe, as follows:
1. Gwenda is smart strong willed self whose youth energetic provides the strength for her to do anything she wills; capable to do anything,
2. Gwenda is capable to do anything, her father term to describe her stubbornness as he sees her.
3. Gwenda is strong and healthy, seeing from her energetic youth of walking habits, an out door sport activity, rarely done by a Victorian female, but the writer of the story portrays her character, Gwenda to be like that, she calls her like Artemis, a Greek goddess for virgin who love freedom and adventure.
4. Gwenda is intelligence, mostly appears in her relationship and interaction with father and lover.
5. Gwenda is independent or stubborn, her intelligence and strong willed self makes her an independent character, or in her father's and lover's point of view it calls stubborn.
seen through her capability to do anything she wills: sacrificing her love chance to save her dying younger sister, accompanying her betraying
older sister in her child birthing and loves the children; devotionally,
taking care her dependent invalid father because of heart attack, that in
their earlier relationship she is the most trouble maker daughter for the father.
7. Gwenda is fragile-hearted and sensitive. The tragic thing happens in her life has revealed her fragility and sensitivity side of self, that all of the time covers by the dominant side of her strong-willed self.
In short, in a whole picture, Gwenda is smart strong willed-self character, whose intelligence and youth energetic provide her the circumstance to be an independent female who is capable to do anything, using her father term for her.
She is stubborn in her father's eyes, full of compassion for her family, and strong and healthy as seen from her habits of walking activity, that is rare for a Victorian
5.1.2. Gwenda's Psychodynamic Side Views through Her Personality.
The study's main aim is to know and to understand the process of unconscious part of human mind that mostly consists of irrational wishes or
impulses as Freud believes influencing human consciousness in the way they behave, whether they are alone or in interaction with other people. The character studied Gwendolen Cataret, or Gwenda, a main protagonist in The Three Sister by May Sinclair. It has been discussed before on the previous part of characterization analysis and interpretation process in chapter IV, Gwenda describes as a smart – strong willed self, whose youth energetic provides her the circumstance to be an
independence female who is capable to do anything. There are also stubbornness,
compassion, and fragility side in her characteristic. These personality traits takes
from her relationship and interaction with her innerself and other significant character in her life, through dialog and action, there is also some support element in determining her characteristics, through her appearance and the narrator's description. However, viewing from the way she behaves or speaks in her
consciousness of thinking, speaking, behaving. In other word, based on Freud's theory, any human consciousness determines mostly with the thing existing in the unconscious part of mind. Since, anything exists in the unconscious part of mind
are irrational: unacceptable impulses of hidden desire, or taboo wishes as perceived by the morality or society, such as killing desire or unusual sexual orientation wishes, the mind unconsciously struggle with the conscious demands or needs for a safe or acceptable outlet for the unacceptable impulse, this struggle produces responses that Freud calls as defense mechanism (Bernstein, 1991:544-545).
5.1.2.1. Gwenda's Repression
The defense mechanism takes many forms in overcoming the irrational impulses to be acceptable by the outside world of the character. The first defense mechanism Freud has ever developed, repression seems mostly appearing in human's life, for the reason most of the things exist in the unconscious part of human mind are the repressed things of the irrational impulses. In this research study, Gwenda does the defense mechanism of repression that she herself not aware of being repressed something in her mind, but the reader can indicate the repression through her way of thinking, speaking or behaving as she makes an interaction process with her inner-self as well as with another characters around her, the data takes from her personality traits. Understanding more about Gwenda through her characteristic.
desire to kill her betraying older sister whom takes her lover to marry with, thus, one night Gwenda dreams about Mary and her first born child on the crook of her arm has death. The dream occurs after Gwenda waiting and accompanying her sister's first child birthing. It is in the evening and the night Gwenda dreaming, the dream makes her waking up in anguish and terror. The dream content shows Gwenda irrational wishes for the death of both Mary and her child. She is not aware about its existence in her unconscious part of mind, until she had the dream, therefore, she gets shock that she wakes up in anguish and terror as describes by the narrator. (p. 98-99)
Another repression process as seen through her fragility characteristic is when Gwenda refuses to feel the misery in her heart. The narrator says about Gwenda's heart as so mortally wounded as to be unaware that it is hurt, it shows Gwenda repression on her hurt feeling; her disappointment to her betraying lover and sister. Further at the sight of white path Karva and the flowering thorn-trees, Gwenda's heart stirs from its hiding place, showing there is pain in her heart she refuses to feel. The sight of the white path on Karva and the flowering thorn-trees reminds her to Dr. Steven Rowcliffe whom used to be her lover and the path were their, the flowering thorn-trees as well. When she has to face with the things remind her to her betraying lover, the repressed hurt feeling appears on the surface. (p. 96-97 ).
result of the hurt feeling she repressed as the entire tragic thing happen in her life, happen in the village. The narrator describes her feeling as “It share her fear as it crouches there, like a beaten thing, with its huddled houses, naked and blackened
as if fire had passed over them” (Sinclair, 1984:387), Gwenda feels beaten, naked
and blackened as the storm passing over her life. The fear for the village she used to love is an indication of the repressed things in her unconsciousness about what has happened in her life, during her stays in the village, that hidden some unpleasant memories of hers. (p. 97-98)
Further, in her fragility, Gwenda unconsciously has transformed the way she sees her surrounding. Her love for nature has created an outlet to refuse the existence of misery and pain in her heart. However, the dim color of green, grey and opal, also the blue and violet for winter, instead of bright color, represents Gwenda's fragility. The wound in her heart as caused by the tragic things she has to experience has created fragility in her heart, that unconsciously she has changed the way she sees the nature surround her, that untouched by any direct contact with human, it exclusively hers. That out of her awareness, she is afraid it is taken by anybody, as everybody she loves leaving her alone. She says that at least this is hers, and no one can not take this away from her, not even Steven. Her mention of
Steve shows her feeling about him that she loves him still, but repressed the feeling, that makes her a fragile -hearted character (p.92-96).
5.1.2.2. Gwenda's Reaction-Formation
defense in the form of the person reaction or responses over an anxiety impulse, produces by a certain situation, into an opposite to his or her true feeling (Lazerson, 1975:18). Gwenda's defense mechanism of reaction formation occurs in her compassion characteristics. More specific, in one occasion in her interaction with her older betraying sister, Mary. After three years of their marriage, finally Mary gets pregnant and she tells her sister, Gwenda. Her response at the hearing of the news is glad, she is happy for Mary. Viewing from ordinary perception, it shows Gwenda's compassion to her sister. But, through a direct access to her mind, as describes by the narrator, there is an indication of reaction-formation occurrence, Gwenda feels an aching in her heart, she glad but her true feeling is hurt. Gwenda's respond to Mary is glad, but her heart is aching (p.100-103). It is a reaction formation of defense mechanism, as Gwenda's respond to overcome the anxiety impulse of aching in her heart.
5.1.2.3. Gwenda's Projection
Rowcliffe still shows how he does really care and love Gwenda, there are many times both of them alone together, it also many times for Gwenda to take the chance to go back to her betraying lover whom showing her that he loves her still. However, her consciousness rejects the temptation, but outside her awareness there is a desire to do a caddish thing as Mary does to her. It can be seen from the duologue inside her mind, instead taking her chance of going back to her lover, she projects Mary as the one who does the caddish thing. Gwenda projects her hidden desire to her betrayal sister, Mary.
5.1.2.4. Gwenda's Displacement
5.1.2.5. Gwenda's Intellectualization
The term intellectualization in defense mechanism, as develops by Sigmund Freud, relates with how the mind reducing the anxiety feeling caused by a certain situation, by creating an excuse using abstract term. The defense mechanism of intellectualization appears in Gwenda's life can be viewed through her stubbornness, when she has to deny her true feeling as Rowcliffe asks her to marry him, Gwenda says that she does not want to marry him nor anybody else, in the effort of reducing the anxiety feeling caused by her denial of her own self, she creates an excuse that she wants her liberty by earn her own living like any other women do, and Rowcliffe believe her because she capable of anything(p.109-111).
Another intellectualization occurs when Rowcliffe tries to catch her attention to him, but Gwenda prefer to create arguing conversation about the moon, and her liberty as the most important thing in her life (p. 107-109). Being alone with a man who understand her well and loves her as the way she is, has never occurred in her life before, the uncomfortable situation has produced anxiety feeling that makes her tend to stay in her comfort zone of intellectuality.
5.1.2.6. Gwenda's Denial
Denial says to be the most primitive defense, in which “a person distorts
reality simply by negating the truth “(Bernstein, 1991:545). Gwenda's denial can
mechanism in her strong willed-self, that Gwenda simply denies her flirting desire on Dr. Steven Rowcliffe, at the beginning of the story, because Gwenda never flirts or attracts on any men before, she has never in love. Thus, the flirting desire has produce anxiety in her mind that she denies the desire, later (p.114-116 ).
5.1.2.7. Gwenda's Sublimation
From an ordinary reading habit, Gwenda has became a furious reader. She has the brain, the brain of intellectual one, it can be seen through her independence or strong willed-self that makes her capable to do anything in the
support with her smartness. Therefore, as a strong willed-self character, Gwenda refuses to pity on herself when all the tragic things happen continuously in her life, instead she uses her mind to channel her passion for life into reading, she reads all the heavy stuff her brain can bite on to keep her mind thinking. It is sublimation, a defense mechanism process that transforms libido into socially acceptable and useful achievement. (Lazerson, 1975:18). Gwenda's fragility does not make her into a weak creature; instead she fights it and channeling the energy of passion for life into a furious reading habit (p. 116-118).
around her. Furthermore, the study reveals her inner-self viewing from psychological side. It digs deeper into her characteristics, explaining and exploring anything happen in her inner life. All the repressed things, the causes and the effects of it into her behavior that creates her characteristics as whole characters. The repression, reaction formation, projection, displacement, intellectualization, denial and sublimation, explain Gwenda certain behavior views from her personality traits. It also reveals how her unconscious part of mind influences most of her consciousness.
5.2. Recommendation
May Sinclair's The Three Sisters has three main protagonists in the story: Mary, Gwendolen and Alice Cataret, each character represents a typical of female personality: a steady womanly older sister, the young independent female, and frail younger sister. Each protagonist in their differences and unique quality have
Sisters by May Sinclair:
1. The study on Alice Cataret's personality, how her unique typical of personality has created her into a tend to be neurotic anxiety character. 2. Study on Alice Cataret weakness in nature (her fragile self) as influenced
by her father, Mr. James Cataret, dominant tyrannical style of parenting. 3. Study on Mary's femininity of sweetness and goodness influences the
motive behind her betraying action to her sister, Gwendolen Cataret. 4. The study on Mr. James Cataret's personality, how his windowed status of
three daughter with different characteristics has created him into a hard tyrannical father. A socio-psychological study.
5. The study on Dr. Steven Rowcliffe inner conflict as he has to decide to marry with his lover's sister, viewed from his psychological side. It will study on his id, ego, and superego process of problem overcoming.
Those suggestion topics above are a few among many other topics can be digged from the novel's characters. However, the research study on the characters in the novel will enrich the researcher's and the reader's understanding and knowledge about humanity, more specifically as views from psychological side.
