ABSTRACT
DESILVA PUTRI UTAMI. The Moral Value Revealed through the Major Character’s Bad Experience in Toni Morrison A Mercy. Yogyakarta:
Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2016.
A Mercy is the novel that tells about the slavery in 17th century in America. At that time, America was still a mess. It had not gotten independence yet. Moreover, many European people came to America. They brought many slaves to employ them there. The European people called America as the New World that had many sources that would be profitable for their company. Therefore, they opened the land and took control several regions in America. Then, they employed black people and natives American in their farm or plantation. Florens as the black girl slave had many bad experiences as an ignorance and an abandon. Through this study, the writer wants to reveal the moral values with the perspective of the major character’s bad experiences.
This thesis is aimed at (1) depicting the characteristics of the major character, (2) describing Florens’s bad experiences based on novel, (3) finding out the moral values revealed through Florens’s bad experiences.
In this thesis, the writer used the library research method to answer the problem formulation. The writer collected some data and references in order to strengthen the analysis. In this study, the writer used theory of character and characterization, theory of moral value, and literature message and moral values. In addition, the writer took some references from the internet to support the analysis. The writer used the moral philosophical approach as the main point to reveal the moral values in this novel.
ABSTRAK
DESILVA PUTRI UTAMI. The Moral Value Revealed through the Major Character’s Bad Experience in Toni Morrison A Mercy. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2016.
A Mercy adalah cerita tentang perbudakan pada abad 17 di Amerika. Pada
saat itu keadaan di Amerika masih kacau dan belum merdeka. Selain itu banyak orang Eropa datang ke Amerika membawa banyak budak kulit hitam untuk dipekerjakan disana. Orang-orang Eropa menganggap Amerika sebagai dunia baru yang memiliki banyak sumber daya alam yang akan membawa banyak keuntungan bagi perusahaannya. Oleh karena itu mereka mulai membuka lahan dan mengambil kekuasaan di beberapa wilayah Amerika. Kemudian mereka mempekerjakan budak-budak hitam dan orang asli Amerika di ladang pertanian. Florens adalah tokoh utama yang mengalami banyak pengalaman buruk sebagai gadis kulit hitam yang ditolak dan terabaikan. Melalui penelitian ini, penulis ingin menyampaikan pesan moral dari segi pengalaman buruk tokoh utama tersebut.
Thesis ini bertujuan untuk (1) melukiskan karakter tokoh utama, (2) menggambarkan beberapa pengalaman buruk tokoh utama, (3) menemukan pesan moral tokoh utama berdasarkan beberapa pengalaman buruk yang dialaminya.
Pada penelitian ini, penulis mengunakan penelitian kepustakaan untuk menjawab rumusan masalah. Penulis mengumpulkan beberapa data dan referensi untuk memperkuat analisis. Pada penelitian ini penulis menggunakan teori karakter dan watak, teori pesan moral, dan pesan kesusastraan dan pesan moral. Disamping itu, penulis mengambil beberapa referensi dari internet untuk mendukung analisis. Penulis juga menggunakan pendekatan moral filosofi dalam penyampaian pesan moral di novel ini.
THE MORAL VALUES REVEALED THROUGH THE MAJOR
CHARACTER’S BAD EXPERIENCES IN TONI MORRISON’S
A MERCY
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
DESILVA PUTRI UTAMI Student Number: 114214026
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
ii
THE MORAL VALUES REVEALED THROUGH THE MAJOR
CHARACTER’S BAD EXPERIENCES IN TONI MORRISON’S
A MERCY
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
DESILVA PUTRI UTAMI Student Number: 114214026
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
vii
Life is not a problem to
be solved, but a reality
to be experienced
ix
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Firstly, the writer would like to send her deepest and her most gratitude to her lord, Jesus Christ which is the creator of all. He always gives His strength to live her life, especially to guide the writer, finishing her thesis. Without His blessing and His help, she believes that she was nothing.
Secondly, the writer would like to send a deep appreciation for her advisor Drs. Hirmawan Wijanarka M. Hum. for all the kindness in guiding her in the process of finishing her thesis. The writer thanks for his advises, his guidance, his time, and his thought. She would also like to thank her co-advisor Dra. A.B. Sri Mulyani, M.A., Ph,D. for inputs and correction so that the writer can improve her thesis. It is the honor for the writer to have both great lecturers in this department.
Thirdly, the writer would like to acknowledge her beloved family especially to her parents and her older brothers for all the motivation to finish her thesis as soon as possible. She thanks for all the prayer, care, support, and finance that they have given to her.
Lastly, the writer would like to thank all her friends whose names cannot be mentioned one by one in her university during study. She thanks for all help, support, motivation, and laughter. Moreover, the writer thanks for all lecturers and staffs that the writer cannot mention each in Sanata Dharma University for all those kinds and helps.
x
1. The Theory of Character and Characterization ... 12
2. Theory of Moral Value ... 17
3. Message and Moral Values in Literature ... 20
C. Theoretical Framework ... 22
A. The description of Major Character ... 28
B. The Major Character’s Bad Experiences ... 37
C. The Moral Values Revealed through The Major Character’s Bad Experiences ... 43
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ... 57
BIBLIOGRAPHY ... 62
xi ABSTRACT
DESILVA PUTRI UTAMI. The Moral Value Revealed through the Major
Character’s Bad Experience in Toni Morrison A Mercy. Yogyakarta:
Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2016.
A Mercy is the novel that tells about the slavery in 17th century in America. At that time, America was still a mess. It had not gotten independence yet. Moreover, many European people came to America. They brought many slaves to employ them there. The European people called America as the New World that had many sources that would be profitable for their company. Therefore, they opened the land and took control several regions in America. Then, they employed black people and natives American in their farm or plantation. Florens as the black girl slave had many bad experiences as an ignorance and an abandon. Through this study, the writer wants to reveal the moral values with the perspective of the major character’s bad experiences.
This thesis is aimed at (1) depicting the characteristics of the major character, (2) describing Florens’s bad experiences based on novel, (3) finding out the moral values revealed through Florens’s bad experiences.
In this thesis, the writer used the library research method to answer the problem formulation. The writer collected some data and references in order to strengthen the analysis. In this study, the writer used theory of character and characterization, theory of moral value, and literature message and moral values. In addition, the writer took some references from the internet to support the analysis. The writer used the moral philosophical approach as the main point to reveal the moral values in this novel.
xii ABSTRAK
DESILVA PUTRI UTAMI. The Moral Value Revealed through the Major
Character’s Bad Experience in Toni Morrison A Mercy. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2016.
A Mercy adalah cerita tentang perbudakan pada abad 17 di Amerika. Pada
saat itu keadaan di Amerika masih kacau dan belum merdeka. Selain itu banyak orang Eropa datang ke Amerika membawa banyak budak kulit hitam untuk dipekerjakan disana. Orang-orang Eropa menganggap Amerika sebagai dunia baru yang memiliki banyak sumber daya alam yang akan membawa banyak keuntungan bagi perusahaannya. Oleh karena itu mereka mulai membuka lahan dan mengambil kekuasaan di beberapa wilayah Amerika. Kemudian mereka mempekerjakan budak-budak hitam dan orang asli Amerika di ladang pertanian. Florens adalah tokoh utama yang mengalami banyak pengalaman buruk sebagai gadis kulit hitam yang ditolak dan terabaikan. Melalui penelitian ini, penulis ingin menyampaikan pesan moral dari segi pengalaman buruk tokoh utama tersebut.
Thesis ini bertujuan untuk (1) melukiskan karakter tokoh utama, (2) menggambarkan beberapa pengalaman buruk tokoh utama, (3) menemukan pesan moral tokoh utama berdasarkan beberapa pengalaman buruk yang dialaminya.
Pada penelitian ini, penulis mengunakan penelitian kepustakaan untuk menjawab rumusan masalah. Penulis mengumpulkan beberapa data dan referensi untuk memperkuat analisis. Pada penelitian ini penulis menggunakan teori karakter dan watak, teori pesan moral, dan pesan kesusastraan dan pesan moral. Disamping itu, penulis mengambil beberapa referensi dari internet untuk mendukung analisis. Penulis juga menggunakan pendekatan moral filosofi dalam penyampaian pesan moral di novel ini.
1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A.Background of the Study
human experiences and adding some of his/her imagination. All literary works are shaped by speeches, scenes and a plot, which become one package of experience that can be learnt by the reader. It is not as simple as that since the author also creatively shapes the scene or history in order to give the reader moral values.
Grambs states about novel as known as a genre of fiction that can be defined as “a work of prose fiction, usually an extended narrative that tells a story
or uses incidents to dramatized human experience and individual character”
(1925: 93). A novel can be analysed from intrinsic or extrinsic elements. For example, it can be analysed from the intrinsic element like the moral value. The moral values have relationship with the character because moral is revealed by the character. From the characterization of the character, the reader can see the moral values that the character is depicted.
Moral is derived from Latin language “mores” which means manners or moral (Ross, 1972:8). The attitude depends on determination of right or wrong of a certain act. In addition, value means the criterion of conventional principle. In a
single word, moral value is a standard attitude based on right or wrong‟s
determination that is regarded by those people by the standard of moral conventionally.
The point of view of moral is always influenced by way of life. Casually,
the moral values in literary works reflected author‟s way of life. From the author‟s
point of view, he/she delivers the message to the reader through the story indirectly. Moral values that are given by the author usually related to life problem such as behaviour, attitude, and politeness. Moral of literary works is viewed as a message and a mandate. The element of message is the idea based on
literary work‟s creation or fiction as the endorser of message.
In this research, the writer chooses the novel A Mercy to be analysed. It is the novel which is written by Toni Morrison. This novel describes the main point slavery in America in the 1680. The major character in the novel is Florens. She is an African young girl slave. She is enslaved, first by D‟Ortega and second by Jacob Vaark. Both of them actually are from European country. One day she is bought by the other landlord because of the bad debt of plantation owner in Maryland. Because of the difficult situation from the first owner, her mother offers Florens to be sold and to be employed to the other owner in order to shield
Florens from the D‟Ortega‟s cruelty.
This novel arises the particular time of historical background in America around 17th century that was still a mess. It is under control of political power from the European countries. Florens as the major character portrays how she gets hard situation in that era that she must face several bad treatments toward her life.
Firstly, Florens‟s mother offers herself to the other owner. Secondly, Florens is
Florens is blamed by blacksmith because of Malaik‟s bad condition. Blacksmith
mocks Florens as a black woman slave because she does not get the freedom yet. She is accused to do bad treatment to Malaik, blacksmith‟s step son. At the end,
he orders Florens to keep one‟s distance from them.
A Mercy contains several characters like Native Americans, Negros‟
people, and white people that actually the men have power to control over black people. One of the reviewers of Toni Morrison‟s novel, Jason Koivu said “A Mercy is a gorgeous narrative of dark time that flitters from person to person:
child slave, sympathetic Dutch businessman, mother. Betrayal is ever present, even seemingly from mother to child. This writing is so strong, emotive and filled
with vivid imagery. It is the kind of writing that inspires writers in the craft.”
(http://www.goodreads.com, September 2, 2015). This novel gives such ideas that intrinsic elements depict the immediacy and vividness of those characters. The silent voices arises readers‟ sense of sympathetic. Some powerful characters make this novel is precious and wonderful works to be read and to be learnt. Because of the tractive power of the novel, the writer decides to study the moral values
behind the novel Toni Morrison‟s A Mercy. To reveal the moral values, the writer
explains some characteristics of the major character and several bad experiences of Florens‟s experience through the novel.
B.Problem formulation
Based on the study that the writer has explained in the background of the study above, there are three problems formulation to be analysed. They are
2. What are Florens‟s bad experiences revealed in the novel?
3. What are the moral values revealed through Florens‟s bad experiences? C.Objectives of the Study
This thesis focuses on a black slave girl as the major character in the novel
A Mercy. The characteristics of the character are very important to interpret the
author‟s perspective to the readers. This is important to know how the character is
created as one of the significant elements in the novel. From a certain character, the readers know the situation from the story toward the character. The readers get sense of the character‟s behavior or treatment by other character. Toni Morrison creates Florens as an African young girl slave reveals the character of a silent that is oppressed by white people around 17th century in America. From several bad experiences of the major character, the moral value is seen.
Firstly, the writer finds out how the main character‟s characteristics described in the novel. Therefore, the writer flattens several characteristics of the major character. From others characteristics that the author creates, the writer explains more clearly to identify personal quality based on the theory of character and the theory of characterization such as speech, act, reaction and behavior.
Secondly, the writer explains about the theory of moral value. This theory has several types of theory moral values that can be used to find out the major
character‟s action, attitude and behavior. Message and moral values in literature is
From all aspects that are explained above, the aim of the study is written to look for the moral values of the major character. It is revealed through several bad experiences that those are experienced by the major character in the novel.
D. Definition of Term
To avoid the confusion in understanding some words, defining certain terms which those are used in this study is very important. This definition of term also makes some words clear because each person may has his or her own interpretation, therefore, some terms in this study is explained in the following.
According to Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture,
“moral is concerning or based on principles of right or wrong behavior and the
difference between good and evil” (1992: 862). The meaning of value from
Collins Cobuild: English Dictionary for Advanced Learners is “the value of something such as a quality, attitude, or method is its importance or usefulness” (2001: 1733). While according to Longman dictionary of English language and
culture, “values are value standards or principles or idea about worth or importance of certain qualities especially those generally accepted by a particular group such as moral value” (1992: 1452). Thus, moral values define as the right or wrong principle based on human behavior, quality or attitude that can be accepted in a certain particular group or community.
According to Random House Webster’s College Dictionary, “message is
communication delivered in writing, speech, by means of signals” (2003: 832).
Schuller states that “by „something bad‟ we mean : (1) moral evil; (2) non -moral evil, an evil, therefore, such as sickness, pain, poverty, and error” (1992: 2052). While in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
8 CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL REVIEW A. Review of Related Studies
There are some other researchers and studies with different topic by using
A Mercy to be analyzed. Toni Morrison, the writer of the novel, wants to
emphasize interracial adoption, African American girls, and racism. In a single word, A Mercy tells about different race in America around 17th century which brings out several bad treatments by white people toward black people especially for girl, woman and child. Thereby, for the entire story of A Mercy, the writer wants to discuss the intrinsic values. It is the moral values revealed through Florens’s bad experiences. There are some other researchers who take novel A
Mercy as an object of a research with different topic and different approach.
Leila Baradaran Jamili and Sara Faryam Rad from the Islamic Azad University, Bojoujerd Branch, Iran, with their essay entitled Unhomeliness:
Desconstructing Western Narratives in Toni Morrison’ A Mercy, explain about
the reconstruction of Florens’s Identity in such patriarchal system. They use Homi
Bhaha’s idea of unhomeliness, in-between space and hybrid identity. Jamili and
Rad want to set their critical analysis based on Bhabha’s socio-political definition of colonial studies. The limitation and marginalism toward particular double colonized black woman. They state, “Morrison’s use of stream of consciousness, as the narrative mode in A Mercy, she wants to use this mode of narration as a performative act of resistance that challenges the time or causal sequencing of the
2015). By the performative act that Toni Morrison uses in the novel with particular time, it makes the story is real by consciousness meaning and by the historical background inside even though the story is fiction. Jamili and Rad show the identity, redefining the identity of home by the notion Homi Bhabha of unhomeless to follow the idea of counter-hegemony in Morrison’s novel.
To find out the solution of the problem such as marginality and limitatively of black girl slave by white people, Toni Morrison uses colonial idea that reflects the discrimination by white. Jamili and Rad declare that
Deliberate definition of characterization and the installation of anti-heroic, flawed, or broken persons, at the center of her novel and exploration of socio-political (McCarthy el al. 251) issue as a subject matter to show the
relationship of individual’s fate to community in contrast to the heroic
individual adventurous novels of Western letter-writing. Morrison portrays the struggles and desire of black woman for reconstructing their identity and this way, she deconstructs the standardized norms of white community (http://omgntng.com, July 1, 2015).
Florens draws as an anti-heroic, flawed and broken person in A Mercy. In this case, Morrison wants to describe Florens as a major character that deconstruct her identity toward white community. Florens adopt their manner, culture, social political power from the white people indirectly. Therefore, Jamili and Rad address Florens as an unhomeliness slave under control her master in America.
The next essay is in the book of Toni Morrisson’s A Mercy Critical Approaches, Anissa Wardi with entitled The Politics of “HOME” in A Mercy. She
colonizers who have an authority take control the political power around the land that black people settle. They exploit the otherness as a weakness. They treat them cruelly and pretend them as nonhuman.
Samira Spatzek in her Black Study Paper entitled “Own Yourself,
Woman”: Toni Morrison’s A Mercy, Early Modernity, and Property. Spatzek’s
study uses John Locke’s “Two Treaties of Government”. She reveals in black study related to the Western subjectivity. Depending on historical time, with early modern conceptions that is allocated to the characters of A Mercy, Samira Spatzek says, “Jacob Vaark enters A Mercy as a setter with high moral commitments. The
way in which his arrival at the coast of colonial Virginia is narrated is reminiscent of numerous accounts published by seventeenth-century European explorers of the
New World” (http://elib.suub.uni-bremen.de/edocs, September 9, 2015). Morrison
creates Jacob Vaark in her novel which has high responsibility and humanity. He sees slave as a human being rather than a property. Jacob Vaark comes from England and arrives in Virginia, making the settlement and employing people in America. In this case, Morrison reminds the readers of Jacob Vaark who comes to America around 17th century, the time when European countries come to the New World in America.
The next study is MM. Rahayu Ambarastuti a graduate student from Sanata Dharma University, entitled “Toni Morrison’s A Mercy: The Black Woman Slave’s Struggle to Gain Freedom in America in the 1600s”. In her thesis,
she wants to emphasize how Florens’s abilities can motivate herself to achieve her
right about his judgments, and that is why she fights back. She shows her ability
to control her emotions, problems, and stay focused on her purpose”. It means that
by using their own abilities to struggle, Florens struggles for equality and better treatments toward their race. In this case, she uses her own capabilities and cleverness to show that she can gain the freedom.
The other study is Victoria Sulistyaningrum a graduate student from Sanata Dharma University, entitled “Toni Morrison’s A Mercy: The Black
Women’s Reactions toward The White’s Treatments in The 17th
Century”. In her thesis, she analyses about the reactions of a black female slave under white society around 17th century in America. In her thesis she concludes that “Florens faces some danger, she is able to read the situation and reaction that she should take. She uses her knowledge to survive”. As an African female slave, Florens actually wants to get her equal rights as human beings. Even though white people have given bad treatment to many slaves, they try to fight against them with their ability that they have. In Sulistyaningrum’s thesis, Florens as an inferior uses her abilities and her cleverness to solve the problem in order to be an independent woman.
Several reviews, thesis, and essays talk about Toni Morrison’s novel A Mercy with many different ideas to be analyzed. Her novel is very vivid because
to analyse an African female slave’s characteristics. The writer also describes the
specific point about Florens’s bad experiences as an oppressed girl under control
of her white master. Primarily, the writer analyses the moral values revealed
through Florens’s bad experiences from the novel A Mercy which is different from
the other reviewers.
B. Review of Related Theories
The author creates the novel with some elements. Fundamentally, a character is based on the story or novel that conveys such personalities or characterization. Therefore, there are several theories including the theory character, the theory characterization, theory of moral value and literature message and moral values to support the analysis. Moreover, it is to understand and to answer the problem formulation with some theories conduct with analysis. 1. Theory of Character and Characterization
a. Definition of Character Abrams explains that
Character is the name of a literary genre, it is a short and usually witty. The 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 by what they do the action (1981: 23).
Another theory is explained by Jacobs and Roberts, the traits describe the
character’s behaviour toward other people. “If we learn about a person’s traits, we
can develop an understanding of that person” (1989: 144). Therefore, the readers
are able to understand a certain person or a character by its traits. Some perspective, attitude and value can be learnt by the readers. The reader can see the qualities of the character by that kind of analysis that they learn.
b. Definition of Characterization
The authors must have the technical skills to acquaint the creation that
they made. “Characterization is the technique used by the writer to make the sum
total of such traits character known” (Blair, 1948: 53). Generally, the author gives
some personalities to a certain character more than one characteristic. It is very important how to make some traits which is described toward the character.
There are some ways to characterize the character. M.J Murphy has
mentioned nine ways of the author to create the character’s personality to such
literary works.
1. Personal Description
By physical appearance, the character is described. Analysing by their personal appearance such clothes, shoes, and trousers are also important. Furthermore, this becomes such code to know how the character is. ”The author
can describe a person’s appearance and clothes” (1981: 161). Moreover, the
2. Character as seen by another
To analyse traits of a certain character, the author also has the way by using the other character to be described in a certain character. Through the other character, the author can also describe the image of a character that is reflected with others opinions. For example, woman is seen by a man’s eyes. It means that a man see what the woman act and do in whatever situation she has. “Instead of describing a character directly the author can describe him through the eyes and opinions of another” (Murphy, 1981: 162).
3. Speech
The personality of the character can be seen in her or his speech. Whatever the character says or speaks to the other character, and gives arguments or opinions of something, it reflects what his/her image of trait is. Murphy states
The author can give us an insight into character of one of the person in the book through what that person says. Whenever a person speaks, whenever he is in conversation with another, whenever he puts forward an opinion, he is giving us some clue to his character (1972: 164).
Through the way he/she speaks, it is very important to identify his/ her characteristics. It gives some clue for the readers to analyse with more detail. The trait can be seen from the way the character speaks with other person.
4. Past Life
By letting the reader learn something about a person’s past life the author
can give us a clue to events that have helped to shape a person’s character.
This can be done by direct comment by the author, though the person’s
thought, through his conversation or through the medium of another person (Murphy, 1972: 166).
Depending on character’s past experience or events, it gives the readers some clues to analyse the traits. Direct comment, character thought, and the conversation with another character are depicted to convey a certain character. The past experience assures the character’s traits in the present.
5. Conversation of others
Conversation of others is the one of several clues of the author’s methods. Characteristics are also obtained by the dialogue of character and by the other conversation of character. Murphy also says in the following quotation.
The author can also give us clues to a person’s character through the
conversations of other people and the things they say about him. People do talk about other people and the things they say often give as a clue to character of the person spoken, spoken about (1972: 167).
The characteristics is revealed in some conversation and also spoken to another people. How they speak and what they talk about something are clues to be learnt. The readers must listen whatever they give opinion or argument that is influential to be analysed.
6. Reactions
Murphy states that “the author can also give us a clue to a person’s character by letting us know how that person reacts to various situation and
events” (1972: 168). It means that by reaction of certain character, it gives a clue
7. Direct comment
Murphy states that “the author can describe or comment on a person’s
character directly” (1972: 170). Direct comment is used by the author to describe
a certain character. In this part, the author mentions the characteristics that he/she wants to created. The author describes whatever a character is beautiful or ugly, lazy or diligent. The nature of characteristics by direct comment has been drawn for the readers.
8. Thoughts
The author gives some information or knowledge by a character’s thought. The readers get some knowledge by describing of a certain character’s thinking. Murphy also says that
The author can give us direct knowledge of what a person is thinking about. In this respect he is able to do what we cannot do in real life. He can tell us what different people are thinking. In the novel we accept this. The reader then is in a privileged position; he has, as it were, a secret listening device plugged in to the inmost thoughts of a person in a novel (Murphy, 1972: 171).
In some cases, the author gives a character with different ideas that people cannot do in real life. In such literary work, the author creates a character whatever they want. It is possible for the readers to know about character’s trait even though his/her thinking diverge from the readers. Therefore, by literary work the readers can see a character’s personality. Moreover, the readers know more deeply by analysing a character’s thought in such novel or story.
9. Mannerisms
“The author can describe a person’s mannerism, habits or idiosyncrasies
author describes a character by habit or manner. By telling a character action, manner and habit that the author gives to a character in particular time in such story, the readers are able to see the personality that a character has.
Actually, there are many kinds of ways the author creates the characteristics for a character. Those methods are created by M.J Murphy to find out personalities or characteristics that is given to a character. In this case, the researchers can use several ways of the methods to investigate a character’s personality from the novel or story.
2. Theory of Moral Value
a. Actual Consequences of the Act
Wellman states that “one theory of value holds that what makes an act
morally good or evil is the value or disvalue of its consequences” (1975: 135).
Meaning to say that the moral value can be defined as good or evil, it depends on the consequences of a certain person action that they do. For example when people give some foods for poor people is virtuous. While people give poison to poor people is morally wicked.
b. Conscientiousness
Immanuel Kant in the same book states that “the conscientiousness that makes an act morally good. Every act motivated by a sense of duty is virtuous.
Whenever one’s sense of duty is overcome by some conflicting desire or
inclination, the act is morally evil” (1975: 140). By the sense of obligation, the agent does a good moral because it is the right to do. While the act defines as wicked if it ignores the inclination. In this case, the sense of duty is actually moral motive because it is very natural with respect of moral law and it desires to morally right.
c. Useful Character Traits
traits is morally evil” (1975: 145). It means that every virtuous act is behavioral
which express a character trait that is useful and valuable. While evil act is behavioral which express a character trait that is endanger.
d. Motives
Another thing that can draw whether the morally good or not is “motives”. Through the moral evaluation, the actions of a certain person can be clearly seen in motives. Wellman states that “ the moral value of an act is that most other factors to which we appeal to justify the judgments of virtue or vice are indirectly
relevant simply because they are indications of the motive of an act” (1975: 146).
The consequences of an act actually reveal something about the motivation of act. For example, there is a person who harm to other person intentionally, it means that the person is indicated an act which is unrestrained by such motives of love or compassion.
According to Kohlberg, there are several types of moral stage or moral development. In this theory, the writer describes conventional level and principle level. Those are explained in the following.
1. The interpersonal concordance or “good boy-nice girl” orientation.
In this stage, good behavior is “pleases” or “helps” to the other person.
“Behaviour is frequently judge by the intention” (1982: 92). If people have good
behavior, their act will receive to the other by approval. 2. The “law and order” orientation.
order for its own sake” (1982: 92). Fixing the ruled and maintaining the social
order is very important toward authority. 3. The universal ethical principle orientation.
In this stage, right defines as the decision to choose ethical principle based
on logical comprehensiveness, universality and consistency. “Equality of human
rights and of respect for the dignity of human beings as individual persons” (1982: 92). In people’s conscience, they have universal their principle of justice, respect and equality.
3. Message and Moral Values in Literature Sinclair states that
Message is something important in the story, message can evaluate us for better life. Message is defined as an idea that someone tries to communicate to people. It is also the meaning, thought or idea that is intended to express (1956: 490).
Message can be called as an idea, meaning and thought which express certain information. In such story, message is the valuable inputs for the readers to guide them for a better life. Story as part of literature is not only entertaining the readers but also giving the readers the message or value that is depicted in indirect form.
According to Henry Hudson, message is good when made by literary work itself; message is not only follow norm in such society. A good message makes new better pattern based on human values (1958: 23). The readers can see a good message not only from society life, but it also comes from such literary works.
conflict or problem, the author gives the moral value behind the story so that the readers interpret it by themselves whether the character in fictional work behave rightly or wrongly (https://books.google.co.id, October 21, 2015).
According to Kohlberg “the study of literature does more than merely
expand the range of our experience; it enables us to feel empathy for others in a
way that enlarges our moral perspectives” (1982: 108). It means that the story in
such literary work is not only tell the experience but also give empathy to the reader. Therefore, the readers get moral perspective from certain story. In his essay about moral psychology and the study tragedy, he admits that “literature stimulates new stages, qualitatively new forms, of moral and aesthetic thought and
feeling” (1982: 108). It means that in literary work, the author creates the story
with several elements of intrinsic value that can stimulate not only aesthetic and moral but also thought and feeling in a new form.
Moody explains that moral message always exist in a literary works that
connect with human’s noble behavior and attitude. The moral value is seen in
character behavior, the way the character think and the way the character faces the problem. Besides a good character, the evil/ bad behavior sometimes is carried by the antagonist character. The various degrees of goodness and badness for most human beings have at least some features (1971:48). The author creates various characteristics to a certain character in order to notice that there is the diversity between the good character and the bad character especially to learn moral value/ message in literary works. The society and the reality sometimes connect with
moral value in literary work such as plays, drama, and novel. Hence, the readers get the idea of moral value/message from literary work and understand them with
the character’s behavior inside of it.
C. Theoretical Framework
In this thesis, the writer uses several theories to answer the questions stated in problem formulation. These several theories are explained in the following paragraph.
Theory of character is used to analyse the main character of the novel. It is applied to understand the character in the novel. The theory of characterization
reveals Florens’s characteristics. The theory characterization is used to answer
Florens’s personalities by using her act, her dialogue, her thought and her speech. The experience of the past life, the conversation with the other and the manner of the character portrays in the novel. The theory of character and characterization is used to answer the first problem formulation.
23 CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY A.Object of the Study
The writer takes a novel A Mercy by Toni Morrison for her literary research. The novel tells about an African girl slave who gets bad treatment in America in 17th century. This novel was written by Toni Morrison. Besides, she wrote several novels like: Love, Paradise, Jazz, Beloved, Tar Baby, Song of
Solomon, Sula, The Bluest Eye, The Dancing Mind, and Playing in the Dark,
Whiteness and the Literary Imagination (http://www.blackpast.org, September 1,
2015). She got the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize, and awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993. Moreover, she also became an editor and a professor. Appropriate with her background as an African-American novelist, she had made several viscous books with black character. Toni Morrison is living in Rockland Country, New York, and Princenton, New Jersey. A Mercy was published in New York, 2008 by Vintage Books. The publisher was a registered trademark and Vintage International. The colophon was trademarks of Random House, Inc. This fiction book is also international bestseller, first vintage international open market edition on June 2009.
farmer. After that, Florens became a servant in the Vaark’s house. Florens was a smart slave. Although she was slave, she can read and write. In the Jacob Vaark’s house, she had some friends. These were Lina, Sorrow, Williard and Scully. All of them were servant. Moreover, she ever loved with blacksmith, an African man who ever helped Sorrow’s illness and Rebecca’s disease to heal them with his medical treatment. At last, Florens was abandoned by him. Throughout her life in the novel, she experienced many things especially bad experiences that being treated injustice by white people. Through Florens’s bad experiences, the writer draws out the conclusion to analyse the moral values in Toni Morrison’s A Mercy.
B.Approach of the Study
The focus of the study is to analyse the major character’s moral value through her bad experiences. The approach of this study is used moral philosophical approach. This approach is appropriate with the purpose of this study which helps the writer to catch the moral values of the major character’s bad experiences. “Moral philosophical approach is the approach which examine the moral and philosophical issue in a text, focusing mostly on what it says, what is
being taught in the text, not on its technique” (Guerin, 2005: 70).
Moral philosophical approach is very old, it is equal with classical Greek and Roman critics era. In the same book, Guerin states that
The statement above means that moral are indirectly seen in a novel because they are figurative language. Moral is considered with figurative language and aesthetic considerations. In the sense of moral philosophy, the moral or philosophical teaching is the important ideas because literature teaches the readers the significant message. The basic position of such critics is that the large function of literature is to teach morality and probe philosophical issues (Guerin, 2005: 60). Literary work is interpreted based on the context of the philosophical thought. This moral philosophical approach achieves moral quality that is seen by a certain character in such literary works. This study concerns about human life and experiences, therefore, the writer needs to be rational analysing moral values in this literary research. The main reason the writer chooses moral philosophical approach because it helps the writer to revealed moral values through the major
character’s bad experiences.
C.Method of the Study
characterization, theory of moral value, literature message and moral values, and moral philosophical approach. The other resources were some kind of theories from several books. In addition, the others resources were needed that consist of criticism, theories, opinion, and essay from internet. Most method of the writer’s thesis applied the theories by using library research. Those combinations of sources helped the study to analyse this thesis more deeply.
There were some steps of the study. Firstly, the writer read the novel several times to understandable more about the story. Then, the writer made a conclusion to take the topic about slavery and focus on an African female girl’s bad experiences. Moreover, the writer decided to reveal the moral value through the major character experiences.
Secondly, the writer formulated some problems that were taken from the novel. Afterwards, the writer applied all theories in order to answer the problem formulation in the analysis. Moreover, the writer found out appropriate theories and appropriate approach for this thesis and analyse further. The theory moral values helped the writer to analyse some bad experiences that the major character experienced. The same issue or critical theory from different author helped the writer to analyse the moral values of the major character.
evidence and theories. Secondly, the writer described several bad experiences of the major character. Lastly, the writer analysed about the moral values revealed
through the major character’s bad experiences.
28
CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS A. The Description of Major Character
According to Blair, the character is depiction of the figure in the story. The depiction includes the depiction of dialogue, thought and statement (1928: 52).
Murphy has nine ways to know the character‟s personality. The traits of the
character can be seen by personal description, the other character, speech, past life, conversation of others, reaction, direct comment, thought, and manner (1972: 161-173).
In this part of analysis, the major character is depicted. Florens as the major character has an important role in the novel. Florens is an African female slave that grows up and enslaves in America. “Florens, she says, its 1690. Who else these days has the hands of a slave and the feet of Portuguese lady?” (2009: 4). It takes in 1690. It describes that there are many white people in America that have a slave and have a wife from Portuguese.
“It was there I learned how I was not a person from my country, nor from
become one culture which is different from her identity of a Negrita. Her skin reveals that she is an African female slave. Current says that
The slaves found themselves almost completely under the control of their owners. Identifiable by their color, black slaves could not run away and merge themselves with the mass of free humanity as white servants (1976: 16).
The white people who have slaves have an authority to control them. They employ the slaves and indenture servants in their plantation. The slaves cannot escape to everywhere place because of the principle of white people, but they can adapt their manners with white servant. “Lina entered the cowshed and glanced at
the broken sleigh where, in cold weather, she and Florens sleep” (2009: 63). As a
slave and a white servant, Florens and Lina (a native American woman), they become roommate each other.
Slavery existed in all the English colonies in North America. Yet our first census, in 1790, showed that of seven hundred thousand slaves in the United States, North slaves were used chiefly as house servants. Their labor was not profitable on the small Northern farms. Few of them were used in commerce and manufacturing because so many whites objected to working side by side with persons of another race (1957: 265).
Landing in America with European people, many slaves work as a house servant in the north of United States because they are not profitable in a farm. Any of them work in a commerce and manufacturing. Many slaves work with white as well.
1. Kind
After Florens spends the night in the Widow house, she continues her journey to find the blacksmith‟s house, in order to cure her Mistress. In a single word, Widow‟s daughter, Jane explains how to get the blacksmith house is. Then, for all her aids that Florens is received, Florens sends her gratitude to Jane. She
says “I say thank you and lift her hand to kiss it. She says no, I thank you” (2009:
114). From the conversation above, Florens is kind and polite to daughter Jane. She sends her gratitude to Jane for all helps such as spending the night in her house. The act of Florens‟s lift hand shows that she has kind characteristics
because she wants to kiss Jane‟s hand in order to send her gratitude to her.
In the other analysis, arriving in blacksmith house, blacksmith makes a deal with Florens that she must keep Malaik until blacksmith back from the
medical treatment of Florens‟s Mistress. “In the dark I know he is there. Eye big,
wondering and cold. I rise and come to him and ask what. What Malaik, what. He is silent but the hate in his eyes is loud. He wants my leaving” (2009: 137). Malaik does not like Florens. Therefore, he hides himself from Florens. Malaik is
quiet but actually he hates Florens. He wants Florens left him. “In the morning the
boy is not here but I prepare porridge for us two” (2009: 138). Even though
2. Smart
Reverend Father teaches some slaves to read and write once every a week. Actually slave is forbidden to get education by Virginian and Protestant. Therefore, Reverend Father teaches Florens, her mother and her baby brother concealed near the marsh. They have stick through the sand, pebbles to write in a smooth rock.
When the letters are memory we make whole words. I am faster than my mother and her baby boy is no good at all. Very quickly I can write from memory from the Nicene Creed including all the commas (Morrison, 2008: 6).
It means that even though Florens is a slave, she can read and write. She is smart because she is faster to receive some education rather than her mother and her baby brother. She can write quickly. In addition, she can memorize all the whole words from the letters Nicene Creed including the punctuation commas.
“As Florens grew, she learned quickly, was eager to know more and would
have been the perfect one to fine the blacksmith if only she had not been crippled
with worship of him” (2008: 63). Under the order from the Mistress to find
blacksmith, Florens as a young girl grow up and learn quickly. She is very curious to learn much knowledge. Therefore, she can find out blacksmith‟s house easily with all her thought.
“Rebekka had confidence in Florens because she was clever and because
she had a strong reason to succeed. And she felt a lot of affection for her, although
it took some time to develop” (2008: 96). From that quotation above, even though
slave which has much ability to work. Therefore, Mistress is very confidence to order Florens to do her task because of Florens‟s cleverness. One thing that can make Rebekka believes with Florens is her cleverness. “Already Florens could read and write. Already she did not have to be told repeatedly how to complete a
chore” (2008: 61). Florens implements her work without her mistress‟ order, she
works actively. She is perceptive under Rebekka‟s errand. 3. Naive
Florens is described as a naïve black slave. It portrays in the novel when Jacob Vaark is offered slave as his bad debt payment by D‟ortega. It takes place in the cookhouse.
Just then the little girl stepped from behind the mother. On her feet was a pair of way too big woman‟s shoes. Perhaps it was that feeling of license, a newly recovered recklessness along with the sight of those little legs rising like two bramble sticks from the bashed and broken shoes, that made him laugh (2009: 26).
As a naïve slave, Florens is shy and she hides behind her mother. She wears the broken shoes. Florens‟s physical appearance which wears broke shoes, it makes Jacob Vaark laugh because of her naïve. It is caused not only by wearing broke shoes but also by rising two bramble sticks from the bashed in front of him. Again in the boat, Florens is accompanied by the Reverend father but then she gets bad treatment unfairly from white woman, when the Reverend Father
goes somewhere else. “A woman comes to me and says stand up. I do and she
takes my cloak from my shoulders. Then my wooden shoes. She walks away”
She neither does anything nor called Reverend Father or begs the other passengers to help her.
“My Mistress is dying I say. My errand can save her. She frowns and
looks toward the fireplace. Not from the first death, she says. Perhaps from the
second” (2009: 108). From the quotation above, it means that Florens wants to
save her Mistress. When Widow Ealing asks to her about the Rebekka‟s illness, Florens is not sure with Rebekka‟s illness. She just answers “perhaps from the second”, it means that she doesn‟t know more about Rebekka‟s illness. It is depicted that her characteristic is naïve.
Even though Florens is stubborn, she is naïve. She has been admonished
by Lina, she has ambition to find blacksmith beside her Mistress‟s errand. It can
be seen in Floren‟s thought below.
I don‟t need Lina to warn me that I must not be alone with strange men with slow hands when in liquor and anger they discover their cargo is lost. I have to choose quick. I choose you. I go west into the trees. Everything I want is west. You. Your talk. The medicine you know that make Mistress well. You will hear what I have to say and come back with me. I have only to go west. One day? Two nights? (2009: 41).
free yet. Her condition is bad because she is still under control her Master. In this diversity, it must be difficult for Florens and blacksmith‟s to be united because their statuses are different. In this case, Florens‟ naivety is seen from her thought. 4. Unyielding
In her journey, she never gives up whatever the situation she has. Under the
errand of her Mistress, she continues her walk to go to the blacksmith‟s house.
The land slopes sharply and I have no way to go out but down as well. Hard as I try I lose the road. Tree leaves are too new for shelter, so everywhere
the ground is slop with snow and my footprints slide and pool…I hold one
arm out in front and go slow to not stumble and fall (2008: 41).
In the middle of her errand she has difficult condition such as the land slopes, lose the road, and slop with snow. In that condition, she never gives up, she has responsible from her Mistress‟s errand to be done.
“Yet, what about Florens? Look what she did when the things change
abruptly: chose to go her own route once the others had crept away” (2009: 65).
Florens has unyielding trait. It looks from the other character‟s thought. Florens is
not easy to desperate to find blacksmith. If she knows the route that there are creep people, she chooses her own route. If she is desperate, she will come back to Mistress‟s house without blacksmith. In fact, it reveals that she continues her errand with her own way to get blacksmith. Florens is unyielding girl. It shows from her thought, her action and her friend.
5. Brave
his medical treatment. “More than fear of loving bears or birds bigger than cows, I fear pathless night. How I wonder, can I find you in the dark? Now at last there is
a way. I have orders. It is arranged” (2009: 5). In a way, she feels so scary because
in the dark, she can‟t see any path or a way to go. Because of the order of her Mistress, she continues her journey. Even though the situation is quiet appalling to her, she is brave persistently. “My head is light with the confusion of two things, hunger for you and scare if I‟m lost. Nothing frights me more than this errand and
nothing is more temptation” (2009: 4). Under her Mistress‟s errand, she thought
the risk that she gets in the middle of her journey. She is afraid if she lost in the middle of her errand. Although she is afraid of the situation, she unchanged her mind to continue her errand to find blacksmith whatever situation is. Therefore, she bears down her afraid and faces it bravely.
In the middle of journey to get blacksmith, Florens needs a shelter for one
night to get protection in the wilderness. “I decide to knock the door of the larger
house, one that will have servant inside. Soon as I knock a woman opens the door (2009: 106). In that situation, Florens doesn‟t have any choice to choose except to find somebody‟s house to protect herself from the wild animals and the strange men. Without any fear, she is brave to knock Widow Ealing‟s door whatever the situation is better or worse.
I am not understanding anything except than I am in danger as the dog‟s head shows and Mistress is my only defense. I shout, wait. I shout, please sir. I think they have shock that I can talk. Let me show you my letter I say quieter (2009: 111)
The situation gets worse, in the Widow Ealing house, Florens is against by
as nobody. Suddenly, Florens shouts out to the society bravely. She explains that she is under the errand of her Mistress who gets illness. Then she shows up the
Mistress‟s letter to prove that she is in the errand. Florens is brave, it is seen by
her action, her conversation and her thought. 6. Trustworthy
Because of Florens‟s cleverness, Rebekka is trustworthy with her. She gives an order to find blacksmith. Firstly, it is to cure Sorrow‟s sickness and secondly, it is to heal Rebekka‟s mouth illness.
“Already she did not have to be told repeatedly how to complete a chore.
Not only was she consistently trustworthy, she was deeply grateful for every shred
of affection, any pat on the head, any smile of approval” (2009: 61). Because she
is trustworthy, her Mistress likes her way to do the work. Therefore, Rebekka gives affection for Florens as a sign of her good work.
“They stuff them with hay and oily corn husk and tell me to hide the letter
inside my stocking no matter the itch of the sealing wax. I am lettered but do not read what Mistress writes and Lina and Sorrow cannot” (2009: 4). Florens is trustworthy because her Mistress orders her to go to find blacksmith alone. In the statement above, Florens is depicted that she has a letter from her Mistress, but she is not open it. It reveals that she is trustworthy. Her master believes with
Florens that she won‟t escape everywhere. Florens is loyal with her master. Even
B. The Major Character’s Bad Experiences
The novel is full of intrigues. The time when the civil war occurred in America, it became harsh life for colored people from Africa. Many whites from Europe sold not only good, raw, and material but also the Negro‟s people which existed in America. The exploitation between the superior and inferior occurred
because of the Western people wanted to take a big profit from the America‟s
land. They took control the economic and employed many slaves in the plantation. As a black girl slave, Florens has several bad experiences. It is very usual that slave always gets bad treatment from white people in the colonialism era. Black slaves are under control white people. They are oppressed for sure by white. Kellog says, “on the whole, life for the slaves was bleak” (1995: 131). From that quotation, it means that black slaves experienced the difficult condition throughout their life. Hine and Thompson explain that
Oni and the other women in that first ship were the first of thousands, tens of thousands, of black women who would be brought to labor in America. They would live lives of sorrow and toil, separation and loss, and often desperate humiliation. They would also create a new culture in this new land. Weaving fragments of their African past with rags and threads from a new, Allen world, they would dress themselves in dignity, love, and even joy (1998: 9).
slaves. They pretend them as a property. Hence, Florens‟s bad experiences based on the novel A Mercy are described in the following.
1. Being Abandoned by her Mother
This occurs when D‟Ortega (the first Florens‟s master) a plantation owner in Catholic Maryland gets bad debt. He doesn‟t have enough money to pay his debt, therefore, he offers his slaves as the payment of his debt. Her mother says,
“please Senhor. Not me. Take her. Take my daughter” (2009: 26). Minha Mae
begs her master to offer Florens as a payment for his debt.
Me watching, my mother listening, her baby boy on her hip. Senhor is not paying the whole amount he owes to Sir. Sir saying he will take instead the woman and the girl, not the baby boy, the debt is gone. A Minha Mae begs no. Her baby boy is still at her breast. Take the girl, she says, my daughter, she says. Me. Me (2009: 7).
Firstly, D‟ Ortega bids Minha Mae and Florens to Jacob Vaark. Minha
Mae neither wants to be sold nor moved to the other owner. She has a reason that she has a baby boy which he still in her breast. Therefore, Minha Mae offers Florens, her daughter to Jacob Vaark.
Agreeing that the girl was worth twenty pieces of eight, considering the number of years ahead of her and reducing the balance by three hogsheads of tobacco or fifteen English pounds, the latter preferred (2009: 27).
Agreeing from Minha Mae first to be offered, finally Florens is sold by
D‟Ortega. He and Jacob Vaark count the price of Florens to be change with
D‟Ortega‟s debt. From the quotation above, Florens equals with three hogsheads
of tobacco. It is priced fifteen English pounds. After that Florens moves to Jacob
Vaark‟s house. She works in Jacob Vaark‟s house, hence, she separate with her
2. Being Abandoned by Blacksmith
The story begins when Florens arrives in the blacksmith‟s house. She tells
that she is in Rebekka‟s errand. She informs that Rebekka is sick. There is the sore in her mouth. Therefore, she needs help to get medical treatment from him.
Hine and Thompson explain that
They came into contact with each other regularly. A community formed in which black people knew each other, spent time together, feel in love with each other, married, had children who played together (Hine and Thompson, 2009: 34)
The black people come contact regularly because they are work side by side to the same owner. As time goes, they become closer to each other. There are several couples which are in love even married then they have children.
After Florens tells her purpose, he makes a deal with her. Florens cannot return with blacksmith because he has steps boy that she must guard and keep him. Blacksmith cannot travel with him, hence, his steps boy can‟t be left alone. Therefore, Florens must keep Malaik as well as blacksmith to change the position
of blacksmith to accompany him temporarily during his duty to cure Rebekka‟s
not want to eat. Then Florens approaches him, taking his corn husk doll and holding his arm to stop his screaming. However, Malaik just screams and screams. His mouth is bleeding because he hits his mouth in the table by himself, then he is faint. Blacksmith comes back to his home. He sees the situation then blaming Florens directly because Florens is suspected to do bad things to Malaik. Blacksmith imputes Florens. He ignores her and orders her to return in Rebbeka‟s house. At the end, blacksmith expels Florens from his life. Blacksmith mocks
What is your meaning ? I am a slave because Sir trades for me. No. You have become one.
How?
Your head is empty and your body is wild. I am adoring you.
And a slave to that too” (2009: 141).
mind and heart. In this case, she is still tough to face the problem especially her broke heart toward the blacksmith.
3. Being Abandoned by the Widow’s neighbor
In the middle of her journey, Florens stops in the Widow Ealing‟s house. She needs shelter to rest. Then, she takes time for a while because the rain falls. Widow Ealing has a daughter named Jane who suspects illness. The illness is kind
of witchcraft. Jane has a wound‟s leg that bleeding and after bloodwork, then
Widow Ealing takes out the goat outside the door as a ritual. “This is my daughter
Jane, the Widow says. Those lashes may save her life” (2009: 108). From that
quotation, it means that daughter Jane has an abnormal illness because Widow Ealing does the unusual treatment to her. One day, there is a village authority who
wants to see Jane‟s behavior to investigate her illness. Then Widow Ealing offers
them to seat inside the room. Not only village authority but also a man, three women and a little girl, those are Widow Ealing‟s neighbor. Suddenly they are surprise of Florens by looking her physical appearance.
Then each visitor turns to look at to the floor causing the remaining hen to squawk and flutter. He retrieves his stick, points it at me saying who be this? One of the women cover her eyes saying God help us. The little girl wails and rock back and forth. One woman speaks saying I have never seen any human this black as others I have seen. She is Afric. Afric and much more, says another (2009: 111).
without wears clothes, they are very surprise, the child screams and the people gibe her. Then they decide Florens to dress again. They judge Florens as the
maker of Daughter Jane‟s illness. There is a woman who pretends Florens as a
satan. “A woman‟s voice asks would Satan write a letter. Lucifer is all deceit and
trickery says another” (2009: 113). Florens takes out Rebekka‟s letter in order to
prove that she is in the errand of her Mistress so that the societies release her. Finally, even though Florens is success to release from the society‟s bad treatment, the society is still curious and ridicules her as nobody.
4. Being treated unfairly by White Woman
The story begins in the boat. Florens goes with Reverend Father in order to trade the tobacco to another region in America. She has an errand from her Master and she goes with Reverend father. In second days, the weather become cold, however, Florens is happy with her thin cloak. Then there is a white woman who
comes close to Florens. “A woman comes to me and says stand up. I do and she
takes my cloak from my shoulders. Then my wooden shoes. She walks away”
