The Portrayal of The Female Major Character in Michael Crichton's 'Disclosure' Through The Feminist Approach.

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ABSTRACT

Di dalam Tugas Akhir ini, saya menganalisis novel berjudul

Disclosure, karya Michael Crichton. Penggambaran tokoh utama wanita

bernama Meredith Johnson yang memiliki sifat-sifat negatif seperti

pembohong, tidak bermoral, manipulatif dan licik, mengundang banyak

cercaan dari para tokoh feminis. Oleh sebab itulah Michael Crichton dikatakan

sebagai tokoh anti-feminis.

Tetapi sesungguhnya dari karakter Meredith Johnson kita dapat

melihat semangat seorang wanita yang berjuang untuk mensetarakan posisi

wanita di dunia kerja. Namun karena sistem di masyarakat yang lebih

menomorsatukan laki-laki, maka kesempatan untuk setara itupun menjadi sulit

dan pada akhirnya Meredith Johnson terpaksa memilih cara yang negatif.

Untuk membuktikan argumen saya, saya menyertakan teori-teori

dari Women And Gender oleh Mary Crawford & Rhoda Unger, “The Socialist

Feminist Project” oleh Nancy Holmstrom, “Women Wage Earners” oleh Marie

Richmond-Abbott, “Professional Women: How Real Are the Recent Gains?”

oleh Debra Renee Kaufman, dan terakhir Career and Conflict oleh Anne Russel

& Patricia Fitzgibbons untuk membuktikan bahwa si penulis tidak bermaksud

mengkritik kaum wanita, melainkan bermaksud mengkritik sistem di dalam

masyarakat yang memberikan kesulitan-kesulitan bagi kaum wanita untuk

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SYNOPSIS OF DISCLOSURE

Tom Sanders is an executive at Digicom, a leading computer

software firm. Digicom is about to launce a new virtual reality-based data

storage system that is expected to revolutionize the industry, and Bob Garvin,

the owner of the company, is in the midst of negotiating a merger that could

bring $100 million into the firm. However, while Tom is expecting a

promotion, he discovers the position has been given instead to a new hire,

Meredith Johnson, with whom Tom had an affair years ago, before he was

married.

After her first day of work, Meredith invites Tom up to her office

and makes a concerted attempt to seduce him. The next morning, Meredith

accuses Tom of sexual harassment, and he realizes this is merely a power ploy

to get him out of Digicom for good. Tom is determined to fight, files a

counter-suit, but he finds himself stuck in a situation where people do not believe a man

could possibly be harassed by a woman and it leaves him with no friends at the

company.

Finally, because of his efforts with Louis Fernandez, his attorney,

he succeeds in proving that he is not guilty and consequently Meredith’s

position is replaced by Stephanie Kaplan, CFO in Digicom. At the end of the

story, Louis Fernandez concludes that this case has happened because of the

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22 Maranatha Christian Universitas

BIOGRAPHY

John Michael Crichton was born in Chicago, Illnois, but he grew

up in Roslyn, Long Island, New York. His father was John Henderson Crichton

and his mother was Zula Miller Crichton. His father was a journalist and

encouraged him to write and to type.

Michael gave up studying English at Harvard University. After

giving up English and spending year in Europe, Michael returned to Boston,

Massachusetts, and attended Harvard Medical School to train as a doctor. After

giving up medicine, Michael moved to Hollywood, California, in the early

1970s and embarked on a career as a writer and film maker called “the father of

the techno-thriller.” He began directing movies based on his books, his first big

break being Westworld (1973). His novels include The Andromeda Strain,

Congo, Jurassic Park, and State of Fear. He has also written four books of

non-fiction, including Five Patients, Travels, and Jasper Johns.

Other books of his that have been made into movies include The

Andromedia Strain, Congo, Disclosure, Jurassic Park, The Lost World, and

Rising Sun. Crichton has won an Emmy, a Peabody, and a Writer’s Guild of

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1. Background of the Study

The traditional and age-old custom which forces women to stay at home

and at the same time isolates them from the workplace and from the society has been

socially accepted as a fact, owing to the belief that women are inferior to men.

Feminist struggle to counter such misleading concepts started as early as in the 18th

century when Mary Wollstonecraft, one of the earliest feminists in England, tried to

disclose the inequality between man and woman in her book entitled A Vindication

of the Right of Women (1972). Through her book, she introduces her feminist ideal

which is “not only sexual equality in the family and society at large but the end of the

sexual division of labor” (Holmstrom 2).

The result achieved by the feminist movement is obvious today.

Not only are women freed from domestic ‘imprisonment’ and able to enter the

workplace, “[they] are beginning to realize and appreciate their own

potential… They say to themselves, ‘Where do I want to go with my

professional life, and what do I have to do to get there.”’ (Russel & Fitzgibbons

19). Recent statistics mentioned in Marie Richmond-Abbott’s essay entitled

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“Women Wage Earners” confirm the progress that took place in the 20th century in

the United States :

. . . Women have moved in ever increasing number into the labor force.

Between 1900 and 1980, female labor force participation grew 18

percent to 50 percent. (The number of women who work for pay or who

are trying to find a job almost doubled between 1950 and 1974 alone).

By 1988, 56 percent of all women were in the work force. These labor

force participation rates are projected to continue to rise to the year 2000

(p.135).

Although a lot of women are now able to enter the workplace, they still

have to fight for equality in the workplace with men. Despite having equal chance to

have a career, women still find it very difficult to be as successful as men. Women’s

jobs are usually limited to the low level ones. “For example, in the health care

industry the nurses’ aides, abortion clinic workers, social worker, laboratory

technicians, and nurses are likely to be women; physicians and hospital administrator

are more likely to be men” (Crawford & Unger 368). Research conducted by

Crawford and Unger shows that in general “[t]he closer to the top of the hierarchy,

the fewer women there are” (Crawford & Unger 368). The number of women in top

level positions all over the world is indeed far from satisfying :

In a recent study of more than 500 companies in the United Kingdom, 92

percent of top executives were male; in the United States, only about 5

percent of senior executives are women, and this hardly changed during

the 1900s. Women hold between one and five percent of top executive

positions in Canada, Brazil, and Germany. In fact, there is not a single

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field open to both women and men in which there are more women than

men at the top, in any country in the world (Crawford & Unger 368).

Having researched all these facts, I naturally become very interested

when I read a novel by Michael Crichton entitled Disclosure, which presents as one

of the major characters a career woman who is very successful in her job and even

outperforms the men in her office. However, in spite of the fact that Crichton “does a

very clever and innovative job at expressing his views of the various and very

different pressures and expectations that both men and women face in the corporate”

(Avernus ), I am aware that this novel is not received well among the feminists.

The portrayal of the female major character, Meredith Johnson, has

instead caused a controversy because in spite of her successful career, she is depicted

as a working woman with a lot of negative traits. It is not surprising, therefore, that

“[t]his novel was harshly criticized by feminist commentators, who saw it as just

another vilification of working women” (Michaelcrichton.com: Books &

Movies-Disclosure). However, the author defends himself by pointing out that :

Eventually I conclude that working women liked the story because it

focused attention on a female character they found difficult to deal with

the unscrupulous corporate climber. They weren’t able to publicly

criticize these climbers, because back in those days, working women

thought they should stick together and not criticize each other. So they

were pleased that a book did it for them (Michaelcrichton.com: Books &

Movies-Disclosure).

Such different opinions concerning the character and the novel have

challenged me to analyze the portrayal of Meredith Johnson more thoroughly. In

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order to obtain a deeper understanding of this subject, I am going to make use of

several feminist essays and books, namely “The Socialist Feminist Project” by Nancy

Holmstrom, Women and Gender by Mary Crawford & Rhoda Unger, “Women Wage

Earners” by Marie Richmond-Abbott, “Professional Women: How Real Are the

Recent Gains?” by Debra Renee Kaufman, and the last Career and Conflict by Anne

Russel & Patricia Fitzgibbons. Most of the source I use deal with the problem of

working women and gender inequalities in the workplace.

Finally, having analyzed the portrayal of the female major character in

this novel by using the feminist approach, I would decide if this novel is indeed “a

vilification of working women” or on the contrary, it is a novel that conveys the

feminist spirit.

2. Statement of the Problem

1. How does the author portray the female major character in the novel?

2. How is the portrayal of the character related to feminism?

3. Why does the author create such a portrayal?

3. Purpose of the Study

1. The way the author portrays the female major character in the novel.

2. The way the portrayal of the character is related to feminism.

3. The purpose of the author in creating such a portrayal.

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4. Methods of Research

The method I use is library research. I begin by reading Michael

Crichton’s Disclosure, and several books which are relevant to the topics to be

discussed. After that, I analyze the primary text by using some theories from some

references and materials from the Internet which can support the analysis and can

help me in writing a good thesis. Finally, I draw some conclusions of what has been

discussed.

5. Organization of the Thesis

I divide the thesis into three chapters, which are preceded by the Preface,

the Table of Contents and the Abstract. In the first chapter, I present the Introduction,

which contains Background of the Study, Statement of the Problem, Purpose of the

Study, Method of Research, and Organization of the Thesis. In the second chapter, I

analyze the way the author portrays the female major character in Michael Crichton’s

Disclosure by using the feminist approach, and in the third chapter, I draw conclusion

of my analysis. The thesis ends with the Bibliography and the Appendix.

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CHAPTER THREE

CONCLUSION

The negative characteristics of Meredith Johnson make assumption

that Michael Crichton is an anti-feminist. Meredith’s negative characteristics

are seen as ruining the image of women workers because the way she succeeds

in getting a top level position is regarded immoral. Moreover, the readers are

made unsympathetic toward her, which is proven when women speakers give

their reaction by saying that this novel is “just a vilification toward women

worker”. That is why Crichton is accused as an anti-feminist.

On the other hand, when I try to analyze this story thoroughly, I

find that Michael Crichton is not an anti-feminist. His novel actually tells about

women workers’ struggle which is represented by Meredith Johnson. Her

characteristics can be seen as the reflection of the spirit of a woman worker to

be in the top position. Where many women are pushed to become good

housewives, she dares to express what she really wants in her life. Her

characteristics are contradictory to women characteristics in reality which is

seen as submissive and easy to be influenced.

Meredith shows that women should not give up and be submissive

to the system in society which treats them unfairly; that is why she chooses to

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manipulate in order to cope with the unfair system. Maybe she will be stuck in her

position as sales executive because the company does not give her opportunity to show

her ability to lead a company. Men already underestimate women and I think not only

underestimate but they cannot accept if they must report to a female boss who is

regarded as second gender.

Meredith is a portrayal of women who strive for equality between men and

women. Through this novel I get a new understanding of women’s struggle in the

workplace where it is difficult to find a way to compete with men workers. Women

face many obstacles when they try to be equal with men; there are so many risks for

women to develop as men. These obstacles make women sometimes develop negative

traits and consequently they are trapped in crime but it is because they cannot find

other ways to cope with the unfair patriarchal system.

This is also what Meredith feels. She feels that the system makes her

trapped in a difficult position to choose the way which can help her to get the position

she wants. Digicom, a big company dominated by male employees, makes Meredith

use cunning ways and be trapped in crime.

Crichton shows that the position of women in society has been changed.

They are not merely housewives but they can become career women. However, they

must be careful with the unfair system because in reality there is still inequality

between men and women. Men still does not want to be defeated by women, because

they think it a shame if they must be led by a woman. I believe if the readers read this

novel carefully and thoroughly, they can see the form of unfairness in the company

which undermine women workers, and they find it difficult to deal with this unfairness

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and to criticize each other, as Crichton has said, which has been included in the

Background of the Study : “So they were pleased that a book did it for them”.

Through Meredith as the main character, Crichton also shows that actually

the inequality in the company can ruin the company itself because women can take

advantage of their position as women who usually become victims of sexual

harassment. Women can do sexual harassment toward man workers to get the position

they want as Meredith does in this novel. Meredith cannot be blamed for taking

advantage of her position as a woman, because this is how she copes with the unfair

system. This proves that the patriarchal system nowadays not only can weaken

women’s position but it can be a weapon for women to defend themselves.

Through this novel, women workers can take many lessons to face the

company which still discriminates women in the workplace. They should not give up

but try to find a way to cope with the system which discriminates them so they can

reach their professional life and show their ability as a woman in the world of men.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Primary text :

• Crichton, Michael. Disclosure. United States of America: Random

House, Inc, 1993. References :

• Avernus. “An Intense and Spellbinding view on a corporate sexual

harassment case.” Rev. of Disclosure, by Michael Crichton. Spotlight Review 12 March 2007. 8 October 2007

< http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/0345391055/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_helpful/10

3-5809303-0056640?ie=UTF8&n=283155#customerReviews>

• Booksfactory.com: Michael Crichton. Biography and Complete

Works. Books of the World. 10 August 2007. 24 October 2007

<http://www.booksfactory.com/writers.Crichton.ht m&hl>

• Crawford, Mary, and Rhoda Unger. Women And Gender, A

Feminist Psychology. Avenue: Quebecor World Fairfield, Inc, 2004.

• Davis, R. “Scary…” Rev. of Disclosure, by Michael Crichton.

Spotlight Review 13 February 2007. 8 October 2007

<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/0345391055/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_helpful/10

3-5809303-0056640?ie=UTF8&n=283155#customerReviews

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• Holmstrom, Nancy. “The Socialist Feminist Project.” March, 2003.

08 October 2007

<http://www.monthlyreview.org/0303holmstrom.ht m>

• Kaufman, Debra Renee. “Professional Women: “How Real Are the

Recent Gains?’” in Janet Kourany, James Sterba, and Rosemarie Tong. Feminist Philosophies. United States of America: Prentice-Hall, Inc. 1992.

Constant C Productions. 8 October 2007. <http://www.michaelcrichton.com/books-disclosure.html>

• Richmond-Abbott, Marie. “Women Wage Earners” in Janet

Kourany, James Sterba, and Rosemarie Tong. Feminist Philosophies. United States of America: Prentice-Hall, Inc, 1992.

• Russel, Anne, and Patricia Fitzgibbons. Career And Conflict. New

Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc, 1982.