xii ABSTRACT
NUGRAHANTI, PRISCA ARMILDA. The Struggle of Chizuko Sakata As An Issei Widow In Wakako Yamauchi’s The Music Lesson (A Postcolonial
Feminist Perspective). Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2014.
Wakako Yamauchi’s The Music Lesson tells about the struggle of an issei widow, Chizuko Sakata, to adjust to a very tough life in an isolated area in Imperial Valley, California. During her settlement in the USA, Chizuko has to face discrimination, segregation and prejudice due to her immigrant status. Realizing that she lives in hard circumstances, Chizuko works hard like a man, she strives to support her family alone.
This research focuses on revealing the struggle of Chizuko Sakata as an issei widow perceived through a postcolonial feminist point of view. In this research, there are two questions related to the topic. The first question is how the
character and the roles of Chizuko Sakata is described in Wakako Yamauchi’s
The Music Lesson and the second question is how the struggle of Chizuko Sakata as an issei widow is seen through postcolonial feminist perspective.
The writer uses the library research method as the primary source. The writer also collects the data from the internet and some theoretical books to support the thesis. The approach that is used in this research is postcolonial feminist approach because this research highlights the struggle of Chizuko Sakata as a woman and issei widow in a foreign land, the USA. Therefore, postcolonial feminist approach is relevant to apply in this research.
xiii ABSTRAK
NUGRAHANTI, PRISCA ARMILDA. The Struggle of Chizuko Sakata As An Issei Widow In Wakako Yamauchi’s The Music Lesson (A Postcolonial
Feminist Perspective). Yogyakarta: Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2014.
The Music Lesson karya Wakako Yamauchi menceritakan tentang perjuangan seorang janda imigran Jepang generasi pertama, Chizuko Sakata, untuk menyesuaikan diri dengan kehidupan yang berat di sebuah wilayah yang terisolir di Imperial Valley, California. Selama hidupnya di Amerika Serikat, Chizuko harus mengalami diskriminasi, pemisahan dan ketidakadilan karena statusnya sebagai seorang imigran. Menyadari bahwa hidupnya sangat sulit, Chizuko bekerja keras dan berjuang untuk menghidupi keluarganya seorang diri.
Penelitian ini difokuskan pada perjuangan Chizuko Sakata sebagai janda imigran Jepang generasi pertama yang dilihat melalui sudut pandang poskolonial feminis. Penelitian ini terdiri dari dua pertanyaan yang berkaitan dengan topik. Pertama, bagaimana karakter dan peranan Chizuko Sakata dalam The Music Lesson dan yang kedua adalah bagaimana perjuangan Chizuko Sakata sebagai seorang janda dan imigran dilihat melalui perspektif poskolonial feminis.
Penulis menggunakan metode studi pustaka sebagai bahan utama. Penulis juga mengumpulkan data-data dari internet dan beberapa buku teori untuk mendukung penelitian. Pendekatan yang digunakan adalah pendekatan poskolonial feminis. Pendekatan ini digunakan karena tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah bagaimana perjuangan Chizuko Sakata sebagai janda imigran Jepang generasi pertama yang dilihat melalui perspektif poskolonial feminis.
THE STRUGGLE OF CHIZUKO SAKATA AS AN ISSEI WIDOW IN WAKAKO YAMAUCHI’S THE MUSIC LESSON
(A POSTCOLONIAL FEMINIST PERSPECTIVE)
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
PRISCA ARMILDA NUGRAHANTI
Student Number: 104214030
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
ii
THE STRUGGLE OF CHIZUKO SAKATA AS AN ISSEI WIDOW IN WAKAKO YAMAUCHI’S THE MUSIC LESSON
(A POSTCOLONIAL FEMINIST PERSPECTIVE)
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
PRISCA ARMILDA NUGRAHANTI
Student Number: 104214030
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
v
STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY
vi
Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma Nama : Prisca Armilda Nugrahanti
Nomor Mahasiswa : 104214030
Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul
THE STRUGGLE OF CHIZUKO SAKATA AS AN ISSEI WIDOW IN WAKAKO YAMAUCHI’S THE MUSIC LESSON
(A POSTCOLONIAL FEMINIST PERSPECTIVE)
beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin kepada saya maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.
vii Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil. Amen.
(Our Father)
Ajining diri ana ing lathi.
Ajining raga ana ing busana.
(Javanese Proverb)
You don’t need anybody to tell who you are or what you are.
You are what you are.
viii
This thesis is dedicated to
My beloved parents,
My lovely sister,
My lovely brother,
ix
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
First of all, I would like to praise the Lord for his blessings upon me and for always with me, without him I am absolutely nothing and I cannot finish this thesis well. My deepest gratitude goes to my thesis advisor, A.B. Sri Mulyani, M.A., Ph.D. for her patience, time, suggestion and guidance from the beginning. I thank her so much for the books and references that she gave me, those were helpful. I thank my co-advisor, Dewi Widyastuti, S.Pd.,M.Hum., for criticizing and giving advice to this thesis. I also thank Ni Luh Putu Rosiandani, for lending me a book and giving me this The Music Lesson playscript that I conducted a study on. I thank all lecturers for their guidance during my college days and also Mbak Ninik who helped me during that time. I realize that without them all, I would be lost and cannot write this thesis.
My special gratitude goes to my parents, my brother, my sister, my nephew, my aunties, my uncles and my cousins for their never ending support and pray, I love them all. I thank Augustina Kresia “Cia” , Theresia Anna, and Sinta Fitriani who have the same thesis advisor with me for the sharing and encouragement, I will be missing those days when we used to support each other during the thesis writing, indeed. The last but not least, my last gratitude goes to my friends who always support me for all this time, whose names I cannot mention in this acknowledgment page.
x
TITLE PAGE ... ii
APPROVAL PAGE ... iii
ACCEPTANCE PAGE ... iv
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH ... v
STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY ... vi
1. Theory on Character and Characterization ... 11
2. Theory of Postcolonial Feminism ... 13
3. Theory of Hybridity ... 15
4. Theory of Gender Stereotype ... 16
C. Review on Historical Background ... 17
1. Japanese Immigrant in the USA ... 17
CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS (RESULT AND DISCUSSIONS) ... 27
A. The description of Chizuko Sakata ... 27
1. Chizuko Sakata as a Breadwinner... 27
2. Chizuko Sakata as a Japanese Woman ... 29
3. Chizuko Sakata as a Mother ... 30
B. The Struggle of Chizuko Sakata as an Issei widow ... 35
xi
a. “American” Identity ... 38
b. Hybrid Identity ... 40
c. The Search of Identity ... 42
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ... 48
BIBLIOGRAPHY ... 52
xii ABSTRACT
NUGRAHANTI, PRISCA ARMILDA. The Struggle of Chizuko Sakata As An Issei Widow In Wakako Yamauchi’s The Music Lesson (A Postcolonial
Feminist Perspective). Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2014.
Wakako Yamauchi’s The Music Lesson tells about the struggle of an issei widow, Chizuko Sakata, to adjust to a very tough life in an isolated area in Imperial Valley, California. During her settlement in the USA, Chizuko has to face discrimination, segregation and prejudice due to her immigrant status. Realizing that she lives in hard circumstances, Chizuko works hard like a man, she strives to support her family alone.
This research focuses on revealing the struggle of Chizuko Sakata as an issei widow perceived through a postcolonial feminist point of view. In this research, there are two questions related to the topic. The first question is how the
character and the roles of Chizuko Sakata is described in Wakako Yamauchi’s
The Music Lesson and the second question is how the struggle of Chizuko Sakata as an issei widow is seen through postcolonial feminist perspective.
The writer uses the library research method as the primary source. The writer also collects the data from the internet and some theoretical books to support the thesis. The approach that is used in this research is postcolonial feminist approach because this research highlights the struggle of Chizuko Sakata as a woman and issei widow in a foreign land, the USA. Therefore, postcolonial feminist approach is relevant to apply in this research.
xiii ABSTRAK
NUGRAHANTI, PRISCA ARMILDA. The Struggle of Chizuko Sakata As An Issei Widow In Wakako Yamauchi’s The Music Lesson (A Postcolonial
Feminist Perspective). Yogyakarta: Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2014.
The Music Lesson karya Wakako Yamauchi menceritakan tentang perjuangan seorang janda imigran Jepang generasi pertama, Chizuko Sakata, untuk menyesuaikan diri dengan kehidupan yang berat di sebuah wilayah yang terisolir di Imperial Valley, California. Selama hidupnya di Amerika Serikat, Chizuko harus mengalami diskriminasi, pemisahan dan ketidakadilan karena statusnya sebagai seorang imigran. Menyadari bahwa hidupnya sangat sulit, Chizuko bekerja keras dan berjuang untuk menghidupi keluarganya seorang diri.
Penelitian ini difokuskan pada perjuangan Chizuko Sakata sebagai janda imigran Jepang generasi pertama yang dilihat melalui sudut pandang poskolonial feminis. Penelitian ini terdiri dari dua pertanyaan yang berkaitan dengan topik. Pertama, bagaimana karakter dan peranan Chizuko Sakata dalam The Music Lesson dan yang kedua adalah bagaimana perjuangan Chizuko Sakata sebagai seorang janda dan imigran dilihat melalui perspektif poskolonial feminis.
Penulis menggunakan metode studi pustaka sebagai bahan utama. Penulis juga mengumpulkan data-data dari internet dan beberapa buku teori untuk mendukung penelitian. Pendekatan yang digunakan adalah pendekatan poskolonial feminis. Pendekatan ini digunakan karena tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah bagaimana perjuangan Chizuko Sakata sebagai janda imigran Jepang generasi pertama yang dilihat melalui perspektif poskolonial feminis.
1
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
Literary works, as we know, always contain ideas, perspectives and representations about certain topic that interest the author to expose. Therefore, through literature we can enrich ourselves with knowledge and gain awareness in respect to issues in particular society or era. Moreover, it is not impossible that a literary work may contain a hidden message that the author wants to tell to the reader. There are many literary works telling about various issues in human lives, one of them concerning women issues. We can learn about women‟s roles, positions, hardships, way of
thinking, even unfair treatment and oppression toward them by reading some works.
lived in isolated area and were limited in their opportunities for any kind of equal status contact due to laws and customs applied there. (Kitano, 1996:239). It is hard for Japanese people to live in the California in 1935. The local government insisted that California was a country for white people and Japanese immigrants could not apply for citizenship due to their racial characteristics, heredity and religion, it applies to all Japanese regardless of the gender.
Meanwhile, when the Issei women arrived in the USA, they first came as picture brides and unfortunately, everything was not as good as they expected. Taylor Sakamoto in The Triumph and Tragedies of Japanese Women in America: A View Across Four Generations says,
“Kazue Aoki, my maternal great grand-mother, after a month long harsh voyage abroad the Shinyo Maru, she arrived at Angel Island Immigration Station.“I had never seen a prison-like place as Angel Island.. I wondered why I had to be kept in a prison after I‟d arrived”.” (Sakamoto, 2007:99).
Sakamoto notes that many Issei women struggled as there were limited to low-paying domestic jobs or farm work with their husband.
Wakako Yamauchi in The Music Lesson explores the sufferings and hardships of the first-generation issei women just like in her first play entitled And The Soul Shall Dance. Women who lived in 1935 not only had to adjust to their settlement in Imperial Valley, California, but also to an often bitter arranged marriage. Chizuko Sakata is an Issei and the major female character here. She experienced a bitter arranged marriage and sent to the USA as a picture bride. She is a widow and has three children. Chizuko is portrayed as tough and independent. She lives her hard life in California and tries to survive by running a small piece of land to grow crops. Mary Jo Maynes, Ann Walter, Birgitte Soland and Ulrike Strasser in the journal Gender, Kinship, Power: A Comparative and Interdisciplinary History summarize that there is a political slogan namely, “Woman without a man is like fish without bicycle”. The meaning of that slogan is women actually are capable of doing their roles quite well in the absence of men. Women alone can be essential within patrilineal system (Maynes, 1996:8). In Japanese family, father is described as someone who is never at home because he has to work, that is why mother becomes influential because she handles everything related to household and child-rearing.
adjustment to unfavorable circumstances. Therefore, in this research the writer wants to see her struggle as an immigrant who lacks in any opportunity for surviving in the USA through postcolonial feminist perspective.
B. Problem Formulation
1. How is Chizuko Sakata described in Wakako Yamauchi‟s The Music Lesson?
2. How is the struggle of Chizuko Sakata as an Issei widow seen through postcolonial feminist perspective?
C. Objectives of the Study
D. Definitions of Terms
1. Issei
Issei is the first-generation Japanese immigrants who came to the USA between 1870 until 1924. They were relatively homogeneous; most were young and had had four years of schooling. Most of them were male and most came from rural Japan. The Issei came primarily from southern Japan, particularly the prefecture of Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Wakayama, and Yamaguchi (Kitano, 1985: 239).
2. Postcolonial Feminist
Postcolonial feminist is a person or a group of people who challenges the concept of universalism in feminism. They critique European and North American feminists for „universalizing‟ the
7
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
A. Review of Related Studies
Since this thesis discusses how the sruggle of Issei widow in Wakako Yamauchi‟s play, some reviews on her works are important to see in order to get a better understanding about them and how Yamauchi describes Japanese women immigrant‟s lives in the USA in her works.
Shelley R. Terry in the thesis entitled Five Female Characters Driven to Suicide in Plays by 20th-Century Female Playwrights as a Result of Domestic Violence in a Patriarchal Society discusses a female character in Wakako
Yamauchi‟s And The Soul Shall Dance named Emiko who experiences an
arranged marriage. Her relationship with her husband, Oka, is not harmonious and often filled with emotional and physical abuse.
A male-dominated Japanese American society, verbal and physical abuse, and societally imposed oppression also drove unwilling Japanese emigrant Emiko to become unbalanced and commit suicide in Wakako Yamauchi‟s And The Soul Shall Dance (Terry, 2010: 25)
are treated very poorly for being a successful farmers, therefore, white people hate them and considered them as the enemy of white dominance.
Emiko, here, is described as depressed, isolated and victimized. The money she saves to go back to Japan has been stolen by her husband. Her dream is already crushed and she changes her strategy. She commits suicide as she is dancing and singing to her favorite song, “And The Soul Shall Dance”, she
chooses death over a life of abuse and servitude at the hands of her husband. Terry explains that Emiko‟s death is a form of freedom, a freedom from the oppression
she had experienced back then and finally, her soul is free to sing and dance.
Roberta Uno in says that Wakako Yamauchi based the main character in her play entitled The Music Lesson on a widow she once knew in her neighborhood when she was just a girl. Yamauchi, as cited by Uno, said that she admired this woman back then, that woman worked in a field and always wore her dead husband‟s clothes. Yamauchi described her as a woman who looked so
fragile yet she was able to drive truck, ran a piece of land and raised children alone. In The Music Lesson, Yamauchi implicitly comments on the lack of choices for many Issei women and their misery because of the sense of sacrifice and obligation.
sense of people who are isolated from each other by physical distance, occupied by their burden of labor, challenged by different culture values, gives impression that The Music Lesson is not merely a simple love story, it also presents a chronology and problems of Asian-American seen through women‟s perspectives.
Another study about Wakako Yamauchi‟s work comes from Valerie Matsumoto in the journal entitled Songs My Mother Taught Me: Stories, Plays, and Memoir, by Wakako Yamauchi, she writes,
Mother-Daughter Relations often form the axis around which Wakako Yamauchi‟s stories revolve. Her women—strong willed farmers, awkward adolescent, middle-aged divorcees—struggle to sort through the lessons their mothers tried to instill (Matsumoto, 1994: 8)
In The Music Lesson, an Issei farm widow and her stubborn teenage daughter argues over the attentions of an appealing nomadic worker. Their conflict, as Matsumoto says, reflects the big difference in women‟s expectation and
experience. The Issei woman character, Chizuko, described as a mother who always concerns about how she can support her family in order to keep alive. She is influenced by American‟s ideals of individualism and personal fullfillment.
Meanwhile Aki, her daughter, gets tired of her mother‟s monotonous work and
start demanding more. Yamauchi‟s stories often depict the relationship between mother and daughter, the tie they have, construct a source of their hugest vulnerability and their deepest grounding.
memory to their homeland. For the Nisei teenager, Aki, in The Music Lessson, the violin music she plays symbolizes her yearning of love. In writing her work, Yamauchi tends to emphasize commitments, compassion, love rather than false glamour and glibness. Matsumoto explains that Yamauchi‟s capability to explore the relation between immigrants and their American-born children, gives a clear picture of suspenses and delicate negotiations, as well as shared roots that bind them.
B. Review of Related Theories
1. Theory on Character and Characterization
Christopher Russel Reaske in How To Analyze Drama argues that in a play, there is no narration or description about the characters since all the characterization is conveyed through dialogue. The combinations of speeches and actions throughout a play, small asides and jokes, the short angry speeches, the length diatribes help our mind understand the characters in a drama as people who might really exist (Reaske, 1966:40). Reaske also says that there are some devices of characterization made by the dramatist to help us analyze the characters in a drama. Some of these devices as follow
a. The Appearance of The Character
In the prologue or in the stage directions the playwrights often give description on the characters‟ physical sense. We can learn from the stage directions how they look, how they walk onto the stage and how they dressed up. For short, from their appearances, we can put our first understanding of certain characters in a drama.
b. Asides and Soliloquies
c. Dialogue between Characters
The language or diction that the characters use when they talk to other characters throughout the drama also gives contributions in revealing their personalities.
d. Hidden Narration
The playwrights always implicitly give a clue about the characters through other characters. It often occurs in a drama when a certain character narrates something about another character.
e. Character in Action
As characters become more engaged in the certain situations, we can gradually learn more about them. When they get involved in the action of the play, they must perform particular acts which later will slowly reveal their motivations in behaving that way.
2. Theory of Postcolonial Feminism
states that feminism also has a strong emphasis on „constructedness‟ of feminity that concern with conditioning and socialisation, and how the images and representations of femininity affect literary works and culture. All these formulations are ways of avoiding the assumption that femininity is universal and unchangeable. According to the feminist criticism in the 1970s, female characters created by male tend to represent stereotypes of actual women and constructed by patriarchy. These women are fictional women who men think women actually are. 1970s was the period when the critical attention on mechanisms of patriarchy took place; it is the cultural stereotypes „mind-set‟ in men and women which perpetuated sexual inequality (Barry, 2002:122).
Female sexuality does not casually exist from the beginning, but it is constructed by experiences and adjustments to particular situations. For instance, in the nineteenth century fiction, it hardly finds female characters who work for a living unless they are urged by dire necessity. From the example, we learn that women roles in the family can be changed out of the circumstances they live in. Shulamith Firestone as cited by Rosemarie Tong in Feminist Thought argues that women‟s sexual passivity comes from emotional, economic and physical dependence on men, therefore, it is not naturally given (Tong, 2009: 133-134).
feminist criticism (Barry, 2002: 198). In the other words, postcolonialism can be compared to concept of patriarchy in feminist thought, which is applicable to the extent that it indicates man domination over women. Hans Bertens in The Basics Literary Theory writes,
Postcolonial studies critically analyses the relationship between colonizer and colonized, from the earliest days of exploration and colonization. It examines how these texts construct the colonizer‟s (usually masculine) superiority and the colonized‟s (usually effeminate) inferiority and in so doing have legitimated colonization. It is especially attentive to postcolonial attitudes—attitudes of resistance—on the part of colonized and seeks to understand the nature of the encounter between colonizer and colonized. (Bertens, 2008: 174-175)
Moreover, Helen Carr as cited by Loomba says that in the language of colonialism, non-Europeans occupy the same symbolic place as women and they are not seen as a part of culture but as a nature. Women are depicted as passive, child-like unsophisticated and as a group of people with no initiative, no intellectual powers and who are outside society. Meanwhile, in the relation with racial discrimination, Loomba also cites that „lower races represent the „female‟
type of human species, and females the „lower race‟ of gender‟ (Loomba, 1998:
159-160).
that postcoloniality is like patriarchy, it is articulated alongside other economic, social, cultural, and historical factors, therefore, it works quite differently in practice in various parts of the world (Loomba, 1998: 19).
3. Theory of Hybridity
Hybridity is a situation in where individuals or groups belong to more than one culture at once (for instance, that of the colonizer, through colonial school system, and that of the colonized, through local and oral tradition) (Barry, 2002: 199). The hybridity becomes a central in postcolonial theory, as it attempts to stabilize the status quo (Loomba, 1998:173-174). Homi Bhabha, as cited by Loomba, states that hybridity emerges due to the failure of colonial discourse to obtain fixed identity and it more adequately describes the dynamics of the colonial encounter (Loomba, 1998:105). The first-generation Japanese immigrant (Issei) tends to be the traditional ones, meanwhile their American-born children (Nissei) are more American as they interact with white people more often than their parents do. Therefore, culturally, there is a gap between Issei and Nisei. Nisei is mostly hybrid, because they adopt two cultures, a culture of native Japanese and American culture.
recalling the past in order to get that feel to be accepted and to find a true identity.
4. Theory of Gender Stereotype
Jane Pilcher in Fifty Key Concepts in Gender Studies states that the notion of stereotype was first introduced into social science in 1920s and it was understood as a typical image that comes to mind when talking about particular social group. In the other words, stereotype can be defined as a standarised and often pejorative concept or image held about an individual on the basis of their gender. Pilcher also shares some views about gender stereotype arguing that masculine characters tend to be depicted dominating and have wider range of roles, while feminine characters tend to be stereotyped in domestic settings. Meaning to say, women are seen either as sexual objects, housewives or in jobs that reflect their domestic/caring role. (Pilcher, 2004:167)
Mary Wollstonecraft, as cited by David Glover and Cora Kaplan in Gender, notes that women are shaped, not born: every thing that women see and hear will give impressions, call up emotions, and associate ideas, that bestow a sexual character to mind (Glover, 2000: 10). Based on these views, we can tell that gender stereotype has something to do with socialisation, such as families, education system and media.
It‟s been discussed earlier that the practice of colonialism similar to
1996: 152). A group of Japanese immigrants is seen as inferior in The Music Lesson, they are isolated, controlled and oppressed by white people that is the dominant group there. Blauner, as cited by Kitano in Race Relation, theorizes about domestic colonial perspective which has the same basic concept with the idea of gender stereotype in term of marginalized group. Generally, domestic colonialism is a form of unequal institutionalized contact and resembles a master-servant, paternalistic relationship (Kitano, 1985: 46). In the other words, domestic colonialism is a term to describe the exploitation of minority groups within a wider society which seems to be acceptable and considered normal since prejudice and discrimination are universal and have to be faced by all who are strangers (Kitano, 1985: 48).
C. Review on Historical Background
1. Japanese Immigrant in the USA
The Issei or first-generation Japanese immigrant came to the USA between 1870 and 1924. By 1884, Japan allowed the immigration to the Hawaiian territory and California. They came primarily from southern Japan , particularly the prefectures of Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Wakayama, and Yamaguchi and found jobs in agricultural sectors. Some Issei men returned to Japan in those early days after considering themselves successful and looked for a wife to bring to the US. Men and women were brought together through an exchange of photos, and many young women were called “picture brides”, this practice, of course, made
Furthermore, the Anti-Japanese demanded the United States government to restrict the immigration, which discouraged the first-generations immigrants. Taylor Sakamoto in The Triumph and Tragedies of Japanese Women in America: A View Across Four Generations says that, in 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt negotiated an agreement with Japan to prohibit any further male laborers from emigrating to Hawaii or the United States; the United States only accepted the members of laborers family who were already in the USA. This was reducing the number of males and picture brides, because that was the only way for Japanese women to legally emigrate to the USA (Sakamoto, 2007: 98). Because of their status as an immigrant, the Issei had to experience prejudice, discrimination and segregation. The majority of the Japanese settled in California had to face prejudice because the state had just passed through a period of a strong feeling against Chinese. The Bureau of Sociological Research Colorado River War Relocation Center in The Japanese Family in America states that The Japanese were accused of lowering the “American Standard of Living” and of
2. The Japanese Immigrant Family in the USA
expects the children will come to think that their selfish deeds suffer the mother. Kato also summarizes that Japanese children will soon regret their wrong doing after realizing that their parents have been suffering because of them and then end up following what their parents say. However, American people tend to think that amae or physical dependency of children to their parents indicates immaturity and negative quality. They assume that individualism is ideal since mature people should be independent as well (Kato, 1989: 52-53).
In addition, The Japanese is a patriarchal society. Hsiao-Chuan Hsia and John H. Scanzoni in Rethinking The Roles of Japanese Women says that, the Japanese were influenced by Confucianism and Buddhism that changed matrilineality system into patrilineality system. Women lost their legal privilleges, for instance, they could not own property and divorce their husbands. Confucianism and Buddhism not only changed the system, but also ascribed an inferior social and religious status for women (Hsia, 1996: 310-311). Chris Kincaid in A Look At Gender Expectations In Japanese Society states that in Japanese society, gender identities are defined by culture more than physical difference between men and women. Women are labelled into child-bearing because men are physically cannot. However, child-rearing roles are a product of a culture. Furthermore, Kincaid also adds a few key ideas about gender that persist within Japanese society, namely:
a. Men should work outside the home. b. Genders should be brought up differently.
d. Full time housewives are valuable to society because of their family raising role.
(http://www.japanpowered.com/japan-culture/a-look-at-gender-expectations-in-japanese-society)
D. Theoretical Framework
The first theory is the theory of character and characterization. The writer uses this theory to answer the research question number one. By using this theory, the writer is able to analyze Chizuko Sakata‟s character. It also embodies the context of Chizuko, attitude, role, perspective, and function as a woman, mother, and breadwinner in the play.
23 CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
The work analyzed in this thesis is a play entitled The Music Lesson written by Wakako Yamauchi. Yamauchi was born in Westmoreland, California. This play is taken from Shawn Wong’s Asian American Literature: A Brief
Introduction and Anthology published on 1996 by Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers Inc. Her mother and father both issei (first-generation Japanese immigrant), were farmers in California’s Imperial Valley. Actually, there is not much information related to this play, because it is not as popular as Yamauchi’s first play, And the Soul Shall Dance. Even though those two plays share the same settings which are dusty and isolated area, it was only And the Soul Shall Dance that won the Los Angeles Critics’ Circle Award for the best new play of 1977.
Yamauchi also shows how cultural imperatives brought on by American education influences Nisei children (the children of issei) and how their desire to assimilate is depicted throughout the story.
Generally, The Music Lessons tells us about the struggle of an issei widow in the late 30s, Chizuko Sakata and her children. They live under poverty, therefore, they have to work hard in order to survive. Chizuko is a farmer and she runs a piece of land to grow crops in an isolated area. Unfortunately, during their settlement in California, they have to face prejudice, discrimination and segregation. They are limited in their opportunities for any kind of equal status contact due to laws and customs applied there. Issei, for instance, they are not allowed to own land and to vote.
B. Approach of The Study
Since this thesis discusses how the idea of postcolonial feminism is carried by the main character in Wakako Yamauchi’s The Music Lesson, first, it is also important to know the concept of feminist approach in general. Feminist approach is an academic approach to literary study that brings feminist perspective in the context of production and reception to analyze the literary works (Goodman, 1996:XI). Feminist approach sees the literary text from women’s point of view and it concerns with a culture constructed by patriarchal system that aims to silence and marginalize women in the favor of men.
and middle class women. Postcolonial feminism uses women experiences as the main focus, it embodies some factors like ethnicity, class and culture. Since women have different experience, it is somehow not possible to make generalizations regarding to all women. Postcolonial feminist approach attempts to examine the relation between patriarchal culture which women live in and workings of colonialism. In the other words, it concerns on women who lived in colonialized and patriarchal societies as marginalized parties. Postcolonial feminist approach is the most suitable to apply as this thesis conducts a research on a Japanese woman immigrant living in a marginalized ethnic group in Imperial Valley, California. This approach helps the writer find out how the idea of postcolonial feminism perceived through the main female character as a Japanese immigrant.
C. Method of The Study
There were several steps required to work on this study. First, the writer conducted a deeper reading on the play in order to comprehend the story well and find the detail. After reading the play, the writer found something interesting to discuss which was, the struggle of a japanese woman immigrant to adjust to the isolated life in California perceived through postcolonial feminism point of view. In order to do more research on it, the writer used several theories from internet, essays and literary theory books after the writer finished collecting data from the text.
27
CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
This chapter aims to analyze how the struggle of Chizuko Sakata as an Issei widow in Wakako Yamauchi‟s The Music Lesson is revealed through postcolonial feminist perspective. First of all, it is important to know how Chizuko is depicted in the play. Chizuko Sakata is chosen since the writer wants to see how a first-generation Japanese woman immigrant who lacks of opportunity attempts to adjust to an isolated agricultural life in California and her struggle to maintain her culture in a foreign land. From the description of Chizuko Sakata, the writer can see the way she strives to overcome the hardships and play her roles in the family. In this part, the writer also discusses how patriarchy dominates the Japanese woman immigrant‟s life.
A. The Description of Chizuko Sakata
1. Chizuko Sakata as a Breadwinner
farm. Chizuko is willing to work from dawn to dusk to support her family even without a husband.
NAKAMURA. (looking around and lowering his voice) That women never lets up. Works like a man. Maybe better, eh? (Yamauchi, 1996:411) NAKAMURA. And the day after he was buried, she‟s out there plowing the field. (Yamauchi, 1996:413)
NAKAMURA. Can you believe it? A woman behind the ass of a horse the day after her man's funeral. It ain't right. So I tell her, "Chizuko-san, you got a right to cry. Take time out to cry." She says no. So I say, "I'll do your plowing. Stay home for a while." And you know what she said? (Yamauchi, 1996:414)
NAKAMURA. She says that's the way she cries, by working. (Yamauchi, 1996:414)
What Nakamura says in his conversation with Kaoru shows us the toughness of Chizuko as a breadwinner. It also proves how she attempts to bear the pain of losing a husband in order to make a living for her family because she knows that everything is no longer the same, she has to go on struggling no matter how hard life will be.
NAKAMURA. Yeah. She got lucky with tomatoes a couple of years ago and paid back all her old man's debts. People never expected to see their money again, but she did it. She paid them back. Now she never borrows-lives close to the belly-stingy, tight. That's the way she stays ahead. Not much ahead, but... (Yamauchi, 1996:413)
can tell that she is not only hard-worker and independent but also a woman who has a high self-esteem.
2. Chizuko Sakata as a Japanese Woman
In The Music Lesson, Chizuko is depicted as a traditional woman and mother. She still perpetuates Japanese culture even though she already immigrates to the USA where civilization has rapidly developed.
KAORU. Ah! I am Kawaguchi.
Kaoru extends a hand and Chizuko reluctantly takes it. It’s not a Japanese custom to shake hands.
CHIZUKO. Kawaguchi-san? (Yamauchi, 1996: 407)
Kaoru has been living in the USA since he was sixteen, therefore, he would have adopted and learnt American behaviors since then. Meanwhile, Chizuko feels awkward and hesitant when Kaoru extends a hand to shake hands with Chizuko. Japanese usually bow to each other when they have guests at home to show respect. However, Non-Japanese people mostly are not familiar with bowing, they more get used to shake hands.
Moreover, throughout the play Chizuko and her daughter, Aki, are often shown to be involved in an argumentation. In contrast to Aki, who is eager to assimilate to the western culture, Chizuko tries to preserve the culture she has strongly held onto since she was born.
AKI. Yes, you are! You‟re trying to control everything. It‟s a free country. If we want to talk, what‟s wrong with that?
(Yamauchi, 1996:437)
CHIZUKO. I mean other people! How do you think it looks: you all the time in a man‟s room?
AKI. I don‟t care how it looks.
CHIZUKO. (lowering her voice) I‟m not saying you‟re doing anything wrong. I‟m saying (that) ....
AKI. You‟re saying you don‟t like it. No one else cares. You‟re saying ...
CHIZUKO. Aki-chan It‟s not like that. You don‟t understand. Kaoru-san is a grown man.
(Yamauchi, 1996:438)
Aki is a second generation of Japanese immigrant or Nisei. Even though she was born and raised in a traditional Issei family, she ploddingly leaves her cultural heritage as a Japanese and start adapting the western culture. Chizuko who is an Issei, she emphasizes the Eastern culture within her family that a girl should not visit a man‟s room until late at night because people will talk this over as if they have done something in that room. However, Aki insists there is nothing wrong with that, to visit and talk with a man in a shed, she argues that it is alright, it is not important what people will say and how they will look. Meanwhile, from the dialogue, Chizuko assumes that what people will say about them does matter to their life, therefore, as a Japanese people, they should always maintain a good image to prevent other people from spreading a bad talk.
3. Chizuko Sakata as a Mother
decides to extrude Kaoru for harassing her daughter, Aki. Chizuko finds them kissing in the shed and she definitely cannot take it.
KAORU.Chizuko-san, please let me explain. Please…
CHIZUKO.“Please-please-please.” Don‟t beg now! Pack your things and get out! (she pulls shirts and things off the pegs and throws them on bed) (Yamauchi, 1996: 442)
CHIZUKO. You thought you could fool me. You... you violated my trust. You violated my daughter!
KAORU. Vio...? I did nothing. Believe me, I did nothing. AKI. It‟s not his fault!
CHIZUKO. I‟ll fix you. I‟ll get the police KAORU. Be reasonable. Let‟s talk this over.
CHIZUKO. I said out! Tonight. Now! (she pulls Aki downstage) (Yamauchi, 1996: 443)
Chizuko refuses to listens to Kaoru‟s excuses, she insists on sending him away. In this play, Kaoru‟s presence brings disturbance to Chizuko‟s family. In The Music Lesson, Chizuko seems to be interested in Kaoru. Since Aki has fallen for him, she and her mother are often engaged in a quarelling as Chizuko does not like if Aki sees Kaoru until late at night. The restrained atmosphere of politeness to which the family is accustomed then suddenly fades away as Kaoru‟s coming, Aki seems no longer to respect Chizuko because she starts arguing what Chizuko tries to tell her. Chizuko is disappointed with Kaoru, that night she loses all her respect toward him. Chizuko used to think that Kaoru will bring some sort of changes and reliefs to her family but it does not turn out as she expected.
KAORU. Believe me. I mean no harm…
CHIZUKO. What did you do to me?
KAORU: I‟ve made no pretenses. From the beginning, I told you….
CHIZUKO. I trusted you, I trusted you.
KAORU. I‟m sorry. I didn‟t betray that trust. Tonight I… I had too much to drink. I know that‟s no ex(cuse) …
Chizuko being a persistent and protective mother is not only out of a great disappointment with Kaoru but also a responsibility as a mother to protect her daughter, Aki, from anybody who tries to mess up with her. The quarrels between Chizuko and Aki indicate that, in fact, Chizuko mostly shows her concern for her daughter over her sons. That is why when it comes to harass her daughter and disrupt her family, Chizuko persists not to listen to any excuses, she will do anything to keep the family peaceful.
Chizuko spends most of her time to work hard for her family. It seems that throughout the play she is depicted as a work-oriented woman. Even so, a rigorous life does not make her fail to play the role of a good mother, she is a caring and mother, a care-taker who always pays attention and makes sure her children will grow up well. In the act two scene one, Chizuko expresses her worry about Aki going home alone,
CHIZUKO. What‟s matter with you, Ichiro? I told you to walk together. You‟re the oldest and...
TOMU. She ran away from us, Ma.
ICHIRO. God, she‟s a big girl now. I can‟t watch her all the time.
CHIZUKO. I want you to walk together. I told you that. Anything can happen.
ICHIRO. Like what?
Chizuko scolds Ichiro for letting Aki go home alone, she insists that they have to walk together and protect each other in their way home. However, Ichiro thinks that Aki is not a little girl who needs protection from her oldest brother since she is able to keep herself safe. Chizuko, of course, as a mother cannot take it. Her maternal instincts make her worry even over a little and insignificant thing.
CHIZUKO. I hear myself: “Don‟t do this; don‟t do that. Wear your sweater; study hard ...”I try to say other things: “How smart you are; how pretty you look ...” but my mouth won‟t let me. I keep thinking, life is hard. I shouldn‟t let them think it would be easy.
KAORU. That‟s true.
CHIZUKO. Well, they‟re used to me like I am. If I change now, they‟d think I went crazy.
KAORU. The important thing is, you‟re here. It‟s no good without a mother, Chizuko-san. I know.
(Yamauchi, 1996 : 428)
From the dialogue above, it can be learned that the way Chizuko communicates her concern for her children is slightly different. She does not speak like a mother who is described always speaks softly and delicately to her children to convey her love. She prefers to say it in a short and flat way because it is already Chizuko‟s intention to teach her children to be a life fighter. She refuses to show her love too much because she does not want to give an impression that she spoils her children.
CHIZUKO. (pulling Aki away) You know what you are asking for? From town to town ... no roots ... no home ... nothing. Maybe one day, he‟ll get tired of you ... throw you out ... leave you in some dirty hotel for another fool woman. Think, Aki. And you‟ll come crawling (home) ...
AKI. I‟ll never come home! I‟ll never come back to you! You‟re not a mother. You‟re a witch!
CHIZUKO. Witch? Who you calling witch? Someone who sacrificed a life for you?
AKI. You didn‟t sacrifice for me.
(Yamauchi, 1996: 444)
CHIZUKO. (in a towering rage) (Annngh) Go then. Go! Go! You‟ll find out. And when things get rough, remember tonight!
AKI. I‟ll never forget.
CHIZUKO. You think you know all the answers. You think everything‟s so simple. You haven‟t even tasted pain yet. You‟ll find out.
(Yamauchi, 1996 : 445)
B. The struggle of Chizuko Sakata as an Issei widow
After analyzing the characteristics and the roles of Chizuko Sakata in the play, in this part the writer would like to analyze how her struggle as an Issei widow in California is seen from postcolonial feminist perspective. Moreover, the struggle of Chizuko Sakata is examined in a specific sphere therefore the writer can do a deeper analysis and interpretation based on postcolonial feminist point of view.
1. The Struggle to Maintain the Native Culture
a. Gender spheres and gender roles
Even though she has lived in California for years, Chizuko still carries a Japanese culture which is very patriarchal with her. Being raised and educated within such culture, Chizuko surely already gets used to it and it influences how she perceives acceptable roles of men and women. The day when Chizuko meets Kaoru Kawaguchi for the first time becomes a crucial point to prove that Chizuko sees „working hard‟ as male nature.
CHIZUKO. Well, we never know how it turns out. Sometimes it‟s good; sometimes, bad. A lot depends on weather, prices ... things like that. Besides ... (she looks him over shamelessly.) I need a man who can work like a horse.
KAORU. Ma‟am, I know how to work. I come from peasant cock. (Yamauchi, 1996 : 407)
assumes physical powers to be the basic essence of man. She expects to get a good harvest as the farm work is done by a man, there will be a huge difference among man‟s work, woman and children‟s work. Chizuko finds it hard and exhausting for a woman to do plowing alone, therefore she needs a man whom she believes was born as a worker.
CHIZUKO. I‟ve been thinking ... ah, wondering how you would feel about ... what you think about staying on ... on this farm, I mean. With us. (she waits; Kaoru is silent) I mean, share profits ... a partnership.
KAORU. I don‟t have money, Chizuko-san.
CHIZUKO. (quickly) Oh, you pay nothing. I mean a joint venture. More or less. This farm is too much for a woman alone and I ...
(Yamauchi, 1996 : 427)
She thinks of Kaoru as a man who is physically stronger than woman and expects a better result from the work of a man. She assumes that it will be much easier if there is a man who can help her run the farm. Chizuko expresses how actually she tired of her life, showing that she requires a partner to work, somebody to share and to discuss many things. In addition, eventhough Chizuko Sakata seems to be a tough and independent woman, there is a moment when she really need someone who is reliable during the hard times. In act two scene two, for instance, Chizuko asks Kaoru whether they should irrigate the farm (p. 432), it implies that Chizuko also sees man as a primary decision-maker, she feels like she has to ask for Kaoru‟s consideration as if she cannot decide it by herself. From
and does not even think that she is being oppressed because she might get used to such culture since she was still in Japan.
Furthermore, it is also important to examine how Chizuko treats her sons and daughter in her her to perpetuate her native culture. Chizuko distinguishes the chores between her sons and daughter which shows she admits the labor division that is very patriarchal.
CHIZUKO. (to Kaoru) My boys spent summer here—flooding, plowing, getting ready for planting. It was hot. Hundred ten degrees.
CHIZUKO. (to Ichiro) You and Tomu clean the tool shed. Aki, get blankets and sheets for Kawaguchi-san.
(Yamauchi, 1996: 409)
AKI. Then why do I have to go bed so early?
CHIZUKO. The boys have to go to bed early because they work on Saturday. It‟s not fair to them.
(Yamauchi, 1996: 436)
identity, that being masculine is also culturally constructed which indicates the equality between men and women. Her act depicts a feminist movement regardles of she is aware of it or not because it is not her intention from the beginning to struggle for women‟s right. But, in fact, her attitude shows that gender roles are cultural product which become acceptable habitual acts in society.
2. The Struggle to Establish Identity
a. “American” Identity
In The Music Lesson Chizuko Sakata is also depicted as a traditional woman and mother and it is revealed through her role on daily basis when she interacts with her children. First, she does a labor division among her children that men are workers while women are doing household chores. Chizuko seems to play upon their common sense as if such division is the true value of their culture. Second, Chizuko scolds Aki for staying too long in a grown man‟s room, she also
express her distaste when Aki starts arguing her. It shows that actually for Chizuko, a woman should always maintain a good image so that people will not spread a bad talk among them and she finds it is inapropriate for a woman to argue or talk too much.
AKI. That‟s all you think about: work, work, work! CHIZUKO. (warning) Aki...
AKI. Well. It‟s true. You‟re always telling me what to do and how to do it. You‟re always trying to tell everyone what to do around here.
CHIZUKO. I‟m not trying to tell everyone...
AKI. You‟re going to drive Kaoru-san away from here—bossing him like you do.
(Yamauchi, 1996: 437)
CHIZUKO. That‟s what I mean. You don‟t care about anyone but yourself. You don‟t care how anyone else feels.
AKI. You mean you? (she turns back) (Yamauchi, 1996: 438)
independent, tough and even dominating like a man eventhough at first it starts from an urge to survive in California.
b. Hybrid Identity
In The Music Lesson, Chizuko is described as an independent breadwinner to support her family and she seems to struggle against patriarchal premise that a woman should be a housewife and follower. From Chizuko, it is blatant that two culture are overlapping within her. She does a labor division between her daughter and sons based on gender traits that has been set by patriarchy. However, she does not follow that patriarchal rule, she keeps on playing her double role as both a breadwinner and a good mother for her children and she is able to maintain Japanese culture as well.
CHIZUKO. No? No? You think I like this life? You think I like grubbing in dirt and manure (and)...
AKI. That‟s the only way you know to live. You don‟t want to change your life.
CHIZUKO. You believe that? You believe this is all I want? That I lived with a man I hardly knew, didn‟t understand, didn‟t respect because (I).. AKI. You didn‟t love him! You didn‟t love him, did you?
CHIZUKO. How could I love him—I didn‟t know him. All the time I was keeping our heads above water ... single-handed! Yes! While he was still alive, until the merciful day he drowned! Growing old before I was ready—dying before I ever lived. (Yamauchi, 1996:445)
The dialogue between Chizuko and Aki implies Chizuko‟s refusal to her
deeply-rooted in Japanese society forces Chizuko to accept what has been destinied for her despite the fact she does not want it. Moreover, from the dialogue above it is obvious that she does not like her „new‟ role. She used to be a housewife who took care of her family and depended on her husband, but suddenly everything changed, her husband died and she had to take over his job. It proves that Chizuko does not intentionally want to be a breadwinner, it is because her condition forces her to do so.
the field. The quarel involving Chizuko and her daughter, Aki that has been examined earlier, gives an significant point to this discussion. Chizuko‟s strong
desire to perpetuate eastern culture which is heavily patriarchal, triggers a fuss between her and Aki who is already westernized. Their conflict also implies the different perspective between two generations, Issei and Nisei.
c. The Search of Identity
The isolation area in which Chizuko has lived for years is kind of metaphor for her, who is isolated in marriage, within the family and obviously from Japan. Chizuko Sakata is a woman who was raised and living in a patriarchal society. Following her husband to the USA, Chizuko, of course, expects a better life and future since the USA seems promising for immigrants. Unfortunately it does not turn out as Chizuko had thought.
CHIZUKO. When I left Japan I never knew it would be like this. The babies came so fast... and me, by myself, no mother no sister—no one—to help. I was so young... never dreamed it would be like this. Never thought my life would be so hard. I don‟t know what is to be a... a woman anymore ... to laugh ... to be soft ... to talk nice ... (she can’t look at Kaoru) (Yamauchi, 1997 : 426)
CHIZUKO. I want a change too. But some of us... (glances at her children) we‟re not free to do that. Change. (Yamauchi, 1996: 408)
Nakamura also assumes that Chizuko must be crying all the time since she works harder and harder (p. 414).
The night when Chizuko finds Kaoru violates her daughter becomes a turning point in this play. The way Chizuko sees Kaoru is no longer the same. She insists on sending Kaoru away and refuse to listen to his excuses. She did not expect this problem will come along and throw her family into total confusion. Chizuko is very disappointed with Kaoru because at first she had already set a high expectation toward him.
ICHIRO. (counting the money) I knew what was going on. I should have knocked some sense.
CHIZUKO. No. If... no. I was thinking of myself all the time... the farm. It was easier with a man helping. I was thinking... I‟m getting old... tired...
(Yamauchi, 1996: 446)
Chizuko used to think that Kaoru would help her „escape‟ from her hard days. She was happy Kaoru came since she thought that there would be someone whom she could always count on no matter how difficult it is to live in such isolated agricultural area. Chizuko feels like she is not able to continue working alone as she is getting old and tired, therefore, she agreed on employing Kaoru.
changes, in fact, it brings trouble for her family. Chizuko shows that women also have the same right to own a privilege which culturally belongs to men, to be able to voice their mind, to think and to behave on their own
CHIZUKO. We can‟t stay here anymore. It will be too hard for us. ICHIRO. Don‟t worry, Ma. We can make it. I‟ll quit school and ... TOMU. Ma..
CHIZUKO. You can‟t quit school. ICHIRO. Where will we go? The crop...
CHIZUKO. After the harvest. I was thinking... Maybe San Pedro. ICHIRO. Where?
CHIZUKO. Terminal Island. I hear there‟re lots of Japanese there. And the canneries. You boys can get part-time work. After school. That way you don‟t miss school so much.. like you‟ve been doing.
(Yamauchi, 1996: 447)
Island, her sons can do part-time job without disrupting their study as they do not have to take turn to go to school. Chizuko‟s decision to move to Terminal Island represents her yearning of her hometown, Japan. During her settlement in Imperial Valley, she feels so far away from her people who share the same culture as her and she has to face some hardships due to racial discrimination.
48 CHAPTER V
CONCLUSION
In this chapter the writer wants to draw a conclusion from the analysis
which has been discussed in chapter IV. Wakako Yamauchi’s The Music Lesson
is about Chizuko Sakata, an issei widow who has been living a tough life in California for years. In order to find out the struggle of Chizuko Sakata as an issei widow in The Music Lesson, the writer observes the character of Chizuko and her roles as described in the play.
As a breadwinner, Chizuko is depicted as a hard-working woman. She does plowing and irrigating alone, she refuses to procrastinate since she realizes that she has to survive no matter what, she knows that she has to feed her children, Ichiro, Aki and Tomu. Furthermore, she strives to earn enough money for her family and to pay all debts that her dead husband left, therefore she does not owe anybody. Her attitude shows that she is not only an independent and hard working breadwinner, but also a woman who has a high self-esteem. In her struggle to survive, Chizuko indeed has defied the Japanese stereotype of women and gender roles because she has participated actively in both public and private spheres as a mother and a breadwinner.
shaking hands. Chizuko still maintains her culture as a Japanese woman, she expects her only daughter, Aki to do the same. Chizuko does not like if Aki goes to Kaoru’s room until late, because it is not good for a girl staying in a shed with a
man for hours. As an east woman, Chizuko finds it kind of embarrassing because people will talk this over and might spread rumors among them. Unfortunately, Chizuko’s intention triggers a conflict between her and Aki, they end up
quarreling over that.
Moreover, since her husband has passed away, there is no longer a father figure who provides protection for her children, therefore, Chizuko has to play that role as well. She sends Kaoru away for harassing Aki. She resists to listen to any excuses, she thinks that Kaoru has messed up with her family by doing such unethical act. From this finding, Chizuko reveals how persistent and protective she is as a mother because she feels responsible for her children and will do anything to protect them. In addition, Chizuko also described as a caring mother in The Music Lesson, she always makes sure that her children go to school and go home together, she does not want them to go apart, that is why she scolds Ichiro for letting Aki walk home alone. In relation with her traditional characteristic which has been previously mentioned, Chizuko also still performs japanese traditional method in child-rearing practice which is the use of guilt feeling and threat of abandonment to control her children so that they will follow her words and she can build intimacy within her family.
chores between her sons and daughter. She asks her sons to work outside while her daughter is inside to do household chores. It indicates that she admits the labor
division that heavily patriarchal. Chizuko proves that ‘constructedness’ is
applicable for both male and female identity, that being feminine and masculine are both culturally constructed, which indicates the equality of men and women.
herself from all boundaries and build a better life there with her children. Her yearning of Japan is already paid off as she is now living with people who share the same culture and perspective. Going back to her ethnic group does not mean she is completely Japanese, she is still hybrid as long as she still performs her role as breadwinner and decision maker in her family. From these findings, it turns out
that to have a ‘fixed’ identity is not easy for Chizuko. She has indeed come back
52
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