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GENDER EQUALITY
IN PEARL S BUCK’S PAVILION OF W OM EN NOVEL (1946)
PUBLICATION ARTICLE
Submitt ed to Fulfill One of the Requirem ent s for the Complet ion of
Post Graduat e Degree in Language Study Program
by
M ETA KHAIRUN NISA
S 200 110 018
M AGISTER OF LANGUAGE STUDY
POST GRADUATE PROGRAM
M UHAM M ADIYAH UNIVERSITY OF SURAKARTA
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GENDER EQUALITY
IN PEARL S. BUCK’S PAVILION OF W OM EN NOVEL (1946)
PUBLICATION ARTICLE
Subm itt ed to Fulfill One of the Requirem ent s for the Com plet ion of
Post Graduat e Degree in Language Study Program
by
M ETA KHAIRUN NISA
S 200 110 018
It has been declared eligible
December , 2014
Advisor I Advisor II
3 ABSTRACT
(M et a Khairun Nisa, S 200110018, 2014. Gender Equalit y in Pearl S Buck’ s Pavilion of Women Novel (1946)). Thesis. M agist er of Language St udy. Facult y of Language Depart ment . M uham m adiyah Universit y of Surakart a. Advisors: (1)Dr. M . Thoyibi, M .S (2) Dr. Phil. Dew i Candraningrum, M .Ed
This research aims at : (1) To describe t he social condit ion of Am erica and China in 1940. (2) To analyze t he personal profile of M adame W u in Buck’ s Pavilion of Women novel. (3) To analyze gender equalit ies described in Buck’ s Pavilion of Women novel.
The qualit ative research is carried out by making use of t he descriptive met hod. The researcher analyzes t he dat a by using fem inist perspect ive and sociology approach. The approaches are used for analyzing t he gender equalit y in Buck’s Pavilion of Women novel.
Based on t he result of the data analysis, the research unveils som e gender equalit ies in the novel. The gender equalities found here are in aspect s of w om en’ s posit ion, role and right . Aspect of right s are divided int o right to cont rol, access and part icipat ion.
1 A. INTRODUCTION
Lit erat ure is used t o express person’s idea in view ing life in t he societ y. We can find some ideas, m essages and port rait of a societ y by exploring it. It is t he mirror of hum an life t hat port rays hum an feeling, though, im aginat ion, and percept ion which can be view ed based on personal judgment .
Act ually in some w ays w om en are equal to men. But , in many societ ies w om en become t he second. They are charact erized as passive, dependent and emot ional, whereas m en are charact erized as aggressive and act ive. Women have been subordinat e t o men in st at us, mobility and public leadership. They should do domest ic sphere, nurt uring children, maint aining
t he household and serving t heir husbands (M adsen, 2000:2).
Pat riarchy is t he st ruct ural and ideological syst em t hat perpet uat es t he privileging of m asculinit y. Such syst em s make w om en overlook t heir ow n m arginal posit ions and feel inst ead secure, prot ect ed and valued. That m arginalization has been accom plished, t hrough m en’s abilit y t o define and cont rol fem ale sexual behavior. Women, according t o this view , were valuable only on the basis of their abilit y t o reproduce (Kuhlm an, 2008: 21).
Since w om en have been t reat ed as inferior t hey realize here t hat t hey have t o do som et hing. Thus, t hey can have equal right with other persons especially m en. Therefore, t hey did a movem en t . According t o Holman and Harmon (1986: 201) such movement is now called fem inism m ovement .
Buck’s Pavilion of W omen is a fairly radical approach t o t he subject of m en and wom en in the decade of the 40s. It is t he st ory of M adame Wu, a w om an whose surprising decision t o ret ire from m arried life and select a concubine for her husband upset s her ext ended household.
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of m asculine dominat ion over w om en. Buck here t ried t o show about a w om an nam ed M adame Wu t hat st ruggles t o have t he sam e right as m en in som e aspect s of life. The m al e dom ination and Chinese culture force M adam e Wu to be a wom an t hat has no right t o have a good education.
M adam e Wu lived in the era of t he Second World War w hen m any foreigners cam e and visit ed China. It is also the era of w om en’s movem ent in Europe and America. How ever, China st ill m aint ains t heir t radition and beliefs t o rest rict w om en. They believe t hat w omen are not allow ed to work out side of the house because t hey do not have a smart brain like m en.
Women just become w ives t hat give birt h, nurture t he babies and do t he household m at t ers. It also happens t o M adam e Wu. She did and handled t he household mat t ers like choosing a w ife for her sons, doing accounting, and designing t he house. How ever, in her fort iet h birt hday she realized t hat she had to do som et hing for her freedom from the rest rict ions.
Based on those aspect s, t he researcher w ould like t o analyze t he charact erist ics, sym pt oms and effect s of fem inism as shown in Pearl S Buck’ s Pavilion of Women novel, and t he title is: GENDER EQUALITY IN PEARL S BUCK’S PAVILION OF W OM EN NOVEL (1946).
B. Theoretical Foundation
Pat riarchy lit erally means t he fat her’s rule. Originally, it w as used t o describe a male-dominat ed family – t he large household of t he pat riarch w hich included wom en, junior m en, children, slaves and dom est ic servant s all under t he rule of t his dominant m ale. It is now used m ore generally t o refer t o m ale dominat ion, to t he power relat ionships by which m en dominat e w omen, and t o charact erize a syst em w hereby w om en are kept subordinat e in a num ber of ways (Bhasin in Abeda, 2011: 2).
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relat ionship bet w een men and women. Thus, pat riarchy is more t han just a t erm; fem inist s use it like a concept, and like all other concept s it is a tool t o help us underst and w om en’s realities.
In this pat riarchal syst em , m en and wom en behave, t hink, and aspire different ly because t hey have been t aught to think of masculinit y and femininit y in w ays w hich condit ion difference. Pat riarchal syst em show s in or accept s t hat m en have, or should have; one set of qualit ies and charact erist ics, and women anot her such as masculine qualit ies (st rengt h, bravery, fearlessness, dominance, com pet it iveness et c.), and fem inine qualit ies (caring, nurturing, love, t imidit y, obedience et c.).
Act ually, the m ale’ s dominat ion in pat riachal syst em is made by t he m ale. And t he male condit ions the female as inferior, passive people, and subordinat ed human. The ale usually uses t he physical violence t o m ake t he female obey t hem and to cont rol the fem ale.
Nat urally, w om en are condit ioned as inferior. Example of t he discrimination tow ard w om en is t hat women have sm aller brains t han m en and less int elligence; t hey are more emot ional and unst able. W om en have been conditioned t o believe t hat t hey are inferior t o m en, and they have assumed t hat it is a fact of nature (M ont agu, 1953: 23).
In the past , gender discrim inat ion w as clearly seen as w om en are t reat ed unfairly. Wom en them selves f eel t hat t hey are w eak and inferior. The feeling of w eakness m akes t hem m uch w eaker. In most of t he cult ures w om en are considered t o be a sort of low er being; a creat ure human enough, but not quit e as hum an as the male (M ont agu, 1953: 27).
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autonom y which are prot ect ed by guarant eed right, economic just ice, and equalit y of opport unit y (M adsen, 2000: 35).
The liberal movem ent arose as t he result of cult ural and ideological construction about wom en. Gilm an, as cit ed by M adsen, said that the fallacies t hat wom en w ant t o be dependent on men, their am bitions and aspirations are less t han men’ s, t hey do not w ant educat ion or professional att ainm ent or live out side hom e, are exposed as t he product of social condit ion t hat work t o t ransform individual people into sexual st ereot ypes. Therefore, w om en w ant t o have equal opport unit y in many aspect s of life such as having job, good educat ion, et c (M adsen, 2000: 41).
A great deal of feminism is t o break t he silence on women: disent angling the supposed unities of the family t hat conceal relat ionships of pow er and subordinat ion; identifying new issues t hat arise w hen w e t urn from t he abst ract ions of humanit y t o put the spotlight on w om en them selves; draw ing at t ention t o conflict s of int erest bet w een t he sexes; bat t ling on behalf of w om en’s right s or needs. In one part icularly st rong formulat ion of t his is t hat our understanding of cit izenship has t o be reformulat ed to open up space for t w o figures: one m asculine, one fem inine. Inst ead, t hat is, of subsuming wom en under t he false universalism s of hum anit y, fem inist s have sought to refram e view s on freedom, equality, or dem ocracy w it h t he knowledge that there are both wom en and men (Susan and Palm er, 2002: 12).
Buck’ s Pavilion of W omen novel is a st ory about a Chinese w om an. The st ory and the charact ers are influenced by t he Chinese culture. Therefore, t his st udy is relat ed to women in Chinese culture.
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The boys w ould be allow ed t o go t o school while t he girl rarely had such opport unit y and they were illit erat e.
Chinese t radit ional culture is much influenced by Confucius. The core of the Confucian value syst em w as set of hierarchical relat ionships bet w een people. For Confucian, harm ony could only be achieved if people adhered t o t heir posit ion in t he hierarchy, w het her it is high or low . The essence of t his syst em w as t hat everyone w as unequal. The harmony of life is t he posit ion of people in t he hierarchy t hat is a fat her over sons or a husband over his w ife (Smit h, 1991: 34).
In Chinese marriage, Sm ith said that the inst rum ent alist underpinnings t o m at chmaking in China, whet her perform ed by fam ily m em bers or official agencies, has produced a som ewhat blasé at t it ude t ow ard m arriage among young people. In difficult t im es one should marry w it h a suit able m at ch, not for perfect love. Love is not very im port ant; therefore everyone can get m arried w ith someone w ithout love (1991: 200).
Chinese w om en t ried t o hide their feelings. They do not w ant people t o know about their feeling. They w ill hide t heir anger, love, or hat e. It is a t aboo thing to t alk about love and sex. The t radit ion and habit influence the Chinese people, bot h men and wom en, t o think and t reat w om en as inferior individual. Wom en cannot do w hat m en can do such as get t ing a job out of t he house and get t ing good education. They just w ork at hom e and do t he household matt er like nurturing t he children.
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from educat ion in general and from the direct rew ards of achievem ent in it (Hook, 1991: 95).
During the lat e of t w entiet h century, gender equalit y became a major issue in the w orld. In many societ ies, w om en and men are t reat ed different ly. Typically, wom en face various form s of discrim inat ion that limit t heir abilit y to develop capabilities, enjoy freedom from violence and have t he sam e social st at us as men.
Before t alking about gender equalit y, w e should underst and first about gender. According to Inglehart (2003: 8) gender refers t o the socially construct ed roles and learned behavior of w om en and m en associat ed w it h t he biological charact erist ics of fem ales and m ales. Talking about gender is t alking about t he at tit udes, feelings, and behaviors t hat a given cult ure associat es w it h a person’ s biological sex.
Agassi (1989: 164) said that t heories of gender equalit y are based on t he assumption that all st ereot yped social roles for men and wom en have t o be abolished t o achieve equal st atus. Gender equalit y refers t o t he equal right s, responsibilit y and opportunities of women and m en. Such equalit y can be achieved w hen women and m en enjoy the sam e right s and opport unit ies t o all sect ors in the societ y including economic, polit ic and when the different behaviors, aspirations and needs of t hem are equally valued and favored.
7 C. Research M ethodology
The w rit er uses descript ive qualit ative research t o analyze t his novel and other relat ed dat a sources t o support t he subject m at t er. Cressw ell (2007: 36) st at es t hat descript ive research is a kind of qualit at ive research in which t he researcher describes t he present st at us of people, at titude, and progress.
In this st udy, the w rit er focuses on analyzing t he plot in Pavilion of Women novel. It is used to find the gender equality shown on the novel.
This st udy deals w ith one of Buck’s novels ent it led Pavilion of Women. For first t ime it w as published in 1946 as a John Day Edit ion. In this case t he
w rit er uses Pavilion of Women novel t hat w as published in 1975 by Pocket
Book. This novel is divided into 15 chapt ers and consist ed of 329 pages. This
novel is over 2 m illion sold in Unit ed St at e. It also had been m ade as m ovie in
Am erica and shown all over t he w orld. The aut hor of t he novel, Pearl S. Buck,
w ho w as born on the 26th of June 1892 in Hillsboro, West Virginia, in 1932 got
a Pulit zer Prize and in 1938 a Nobel Prize in Lit erat ure.
This t hesis uses descript ive qualit ative m et hod. There are t w o dat a sources in t his research. The prim ary dat a sources is Buck’s novels ent itled
Pavilion of Women. It w as first published in 1946 as a John Day Edit ion. In t his
case t he w rit er uses Pavilion of W omen novel t hat w as published in 1975 by
Pocket Book. This novel is divided into 15 chapt ers and consist ed of 329
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arranging the import ant dat a based on it s, developing the dat a that are provided and making conclusion on the data.
The first problem in this st udy is about underst anding t he charact er of M adam e Wu as t he m ain charact er in t he novel, Pavilion of Women. The second is about the experiences of M adame Wu in pat riarchal culture. To answ er t his quest ion the w rit er applies t he Feminist t heories. This is also support ed by the background of Chinese cult ure w hich helps the w rit er t o underst and the w om en’s rest rict ion in Chinese culture. Aft er underst anding t he cult ure, t he w riter w ill t ry t o find the idea on gender equalit y described by t he author of this novel.
The last is about the sociology. Here t he sociological approach w ill be used. By the sociological approach, the writ er show s the sociological aspect s of t his novel t hey are; social, economic, polit ical, cult ural, science and t echnology, and religious aspect .
D. Finding and Discussion
Pavilion of W omen is one of Pearl S. Buck’s novels. This novel t ells t he st ory of a Chinese woman nam ed M adame Wu who lives and get s m arried w ith a rich m an. As a Chinese w om an, she has t o obey t he rule and the Chinese t radition.
The first is about the present at ion of M adam e Wu in Buck’s Pavilion of W omen. It can be concluded from the explanation above t hat M adame W u is a Chinese w om an that lives in an old-fashioned family. Her parent s m at ch her w ith the only son of a rich fam ily, M r. Wu. Then she lives w it h her husband in t he W u’s fam ily house and had four sons. They are Liangm o, Tsemo, Fengm o and Yenm o. M adame Wu serves her husband w ell. She does all of her dut ies as a wife and a mot her w ell.
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narrow hand, lit t le narrow feet and slender figure, though she is already fort y years old. Her beaut iful physical appearance is almost perfect . It m akes her look so young in fort y.
As said in the descript ion, M adam e Wu is described as an intelligent w om an. She likes reading and learning. She is also depict ed as w ise, ingenious, astut e, compet ent , sensible and rat ional w om an.
She is also a perfect w ife because of bearing sons, an adorable and care m other for her sons and a good daught er-in-law for her parent s-in-law . She has good moral qualities. She is moral, kind, honest and kind. She is also kind of an honorable w oman. M adame Wu is also confident and idealist ic. She believes herself t hat she know s what t o do and w hat to think about . Then, her w isdom is t rust ed by her first son t o choose a bride for him . M adam e Wu is also port rayed as a brave and firm wom an. In the novel, M adame Wu decides t o t ake a concubine for her husband though she know s t hat t his action breaks t he t raditions. It show s that she is brave. Her idealist ic is shown w hen she t ries t o insist her husband to accept her decision. She also cannot be influenced by anyone even her daught er-in-law in canceling the decision. It also can be seen in w hen she decides a w om an for her t hird son. She believes t hat her third son will accept the bet rot hal.
As a Chinese w om an, M adame Wu has the crit eria of being hospit able, congenial as a good w ife. It is seen t hrough her polit e at t itude, and capabilit y t o do all household m at t ers. M adam e Wu is also recognized perfect because she can bear sons who carry on t he fam ily nam e. M adam e Wu is also kind of court eous wom an.
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In the novel Pavilion of Wom en, the m ain charact er of M adam e Wu described as a w om an who fait hfully serves her husband. M adame Wu has t he highest fem ale posit ion in the Wu family. Sim ilarly, her husband, M r. Wu, has a highest position m an in the Wu family. M adam e Wu is the head of t he dom est ic environment while M r. W u heads t he affairs out side t he home. It show s t hat M adame Wu has equal position with her husband, just different in scope.
M adame Wu is also described as a perfect wife because she can m anage all the dom est ic routines and the most import ant thing is that she can bear sons t o continue t he fam ily nam e. At t hat tim e, a w ife could be cat egorized as ideal when she could be a good w ife and loving mother. Therefore, she w as a perfect w om an.
M adame Wu has the sam e access like m en inside t he family. She can read t he books inside t he library w it hout any rest rict ion. M adam e Wu is also a care and adorable mot her for her sons. She cares and concerns in her sons’ educat ion and m arriage. She chooses t he best educat ion and wives for her sons. It shows t hat she is a care and good mother. She also m anages and cont rols the managem ent of the house of W u. Those m ean t hat M adam e Wu has a sam e right t o access, great er right t o cont rol and same right for part icipat ion.
Pearl S Buck t ri ed t o give a descript ion of Chinese w om en life by using t his novel. As she spent m any years in China, she could give a w ell descript ion of w om en life t here. The patriarchal condit ion in China at t hat t im e seem ed w rong for her and she w ant ed t o expose it hoping t hat there w ould be a change for such condit ion.
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cont rolling the inferior if she got a chance. A w om an also could be an int ellect one if her fam ily gave her opport unit y t o get educat ion. Even, in the st ory, Buck show ed that a w om an could be m uch w iser t han a m an.
Pearl S Buck also a vocal support er of t he Civil Rights M ovem ent in the Unit ed St at es. She also became an advocat e of cross-cult ural underst anding and racial harmony as a means of achieving world peace. As an act ivist of civil right s m ovem ent in USA, she w ant ed to share idea on equalit y of w om en right s. She saw much about wom en’s life in pat riarchy societ y, in China, and did not want it t o cont inue grow ing. She w ant ed t hat Chinese w om en should st ruggle on t heir own right so that t hey could decide t he life t hey w ant ed to live on.
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