ABSTRACT
UCCA MANGGALAGITA. The Significance of The Symbols to the Characterization of Sarah O’Rourke in Chris Cleave’s The Other Hand. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2013.
The writer discussed the significance of the symbols to the characterization of
Sarah O’Rourke in Chris Cleave’s The Other Hand. This topic is interesting to discuss since there are some symbols that influence the development of the main
character. This development shows the character’s change in characterization over the course of the story.
There are three problem formulations that are formulated to analyze. The first is about the characterization of the main character Sarah O’Rourke. The second is to identify the symbols that are mentioned in the novel. The last is to find the
significance of the symbols to the characterization of Sarah O’Rourke.
The writer applied library research. The data were collected from the novel entitled The Other Hand written by Chris Cleave. To support the analysis, the writer applied criticisms and articles from the internet. The theories that are used in this study are the character theory, characterization theory, and the symbols theory. The formalistic approach is applied to this study.
The study finds that O’Rourke is a dynamic character in which she changes
through the problems she faces in her life. O’Rourke was a neglectful person before many terrifying things started to happen to her. After the incident in Nigeria, she started questioning her life and changed her character into a heroic and helping person. She became different and settled in a better life for the sake of helping many other people. The writer finds two symbols in the novel, which are
the missing finger of O’Rourke and Little Bee. The two symbols that occur in the novel cannot be separated from the change of the main character because they both influence one another. With the two symbols the writer analyzed, it is seen that the representation of the symbols came together with the mutation of
O’Rourke as a dynamic character. The missing finger represents hope for
O’Rourke and Little Bee represents O’Rourke’s love and care. The significance of both symbols influenced the development in the characterization of Sarah
ABSTRAK
UCCA MANGGALAGITA. The Significance of the Symbols to the Characteristics of Sarah O’Rourke in Chris Cleave’s The Other Hand. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2013.
Penulis membahas makna simbol-simbol terhadap karaterisasi dari Sarah O’Rourke, di dalam novel The Other Hand karya Chris Cleave. Topik ini menarik karena ada beberapa simbol yang mempengarhi perkembangan pada tokoh utamanya. Perkembangan ini menunjukkan perubahan tokoh utama dalam karakterisasinya. Ada tiga permasalahan yang di rumuskan oleh penulis untuk diuraikan. Pertama, adalah tentang karaterisasi tokoh utama, yaitu Sarah O’Rourke. Kedua, untuk mengidentifikasi simbol-simbol yang disebut di dalam novel ini. Terakhir, untuk menemukan signifikasi dalam simbol-simbol yang ditemukan terhadap karaterisasi tokoh utama, Sarah O’Rourke.
Penulis menggunakan data keperpustakaan. Data utama dikumpulkan dari novel yang berjudul The Other Hand karya Chris Cleave. Untuk mendukung analisa ini, penulis menggunakan kritik-kritik and artikel-artikel dari internet. Teori-teori yang digunakan dalam analisa ini adalah teori karakter, teori karakterisasi, and teori simbol. Pendekatan formalistic juga digunakan dalam analisa ini.
CHARACTERIZATION OF SARAH O’ROURKE IN CHRIS CLEAVE’S
THE OTHER HAND
By
UCCA MANGGALAGITA
Student Number: 094214057
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
CHARACTERIZATION OF SARAH O’ROURKE IN CHRIS CLEAVE’S
THE OTHER HAND
By
UCCA MANGGALAGITA
Student Number: 094214057
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
“Trusting Allah would not make the mountain
smaller, but it will
make climbing easier. Don’t
ask him for a lighter road, but ask Him for a
stronger back.”
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, all praise is due to the almighty Allah SWT for giving me the simplicity to go through the experiences and helping me reach my goals in life an also so to his messenger the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) for helping me seek guidance. May the peace and blessings of Allah SWT be upon him.
My deepest gratitude goes to my thesis advisor Dr. F. X. Siswadi, M. A. for his guidance and patience in the process of writing my undergraduate thesis. His help encouraged me to finish this paper. My gratitude also goes to my co-advisor Dr. Gabriel Fajar Sasmita, M. Hum., for his corrections and notes on my undergraduate thesis. I also want to thank my academic advisor, Dr. Bernadine Ria Lestari M.A, the USD lecturers, the secretariat staff, and the library staff who have helped me in my study.
I would love to give my biggest gratitude to my beloved mother, Tri Wayuningsih, for always praying for me so I would be where I am today and for always supporting me in life. Secondly, I would like to thank my beloved father for always encouraging me to never stop what I have started. I also thank my big sister Cita, for giving me love and warmth throughout my life.
I would like to thank my best friends Icha, Riza, and Ubed for their love and care they give to me, also to all my other friends I cannot mention one by one. Without them all I would not learn as much in life as I am so far. Lastly, thank you to my partner Tazakka M. Prakoso for giving me strength and spirit and making me believe that I can. He has inspired me throughout my days.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE………...... i
APPROVAL PAGE………...... ii
ACCEPTANCE PAGE………... iii
STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY……… iv
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH ….. v
MOTTO PAGE………. vi
2. Theory of Characterization………. 15
CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS……….. 26 A. The Description of the Main Character Sarah O’Rourke………... 26
1. Neglectful……….. 27
2. Heroic……… 33
3. Helping………... 37 B. The Symbols Related to the Characterization in The Other Hand.. 42
1. Sarah’s Missing Finger……… 42
2. Little Bee………. 46
C. The Significance of the Symbols to the Characterization of
Sarah O’Rourke………. 51
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION……… 56
ABSTRACT
UCCA MANGGALAGITA. The Significance of The Symbols to the Characterization of Sarah O’Rourke in Chris Cleave’s The Other Hand. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2013.
The writer discussed the significance of the symbols to the characterization of Sarah O’Rourke in Chris Cleave’s The Other Hand. This topic is interesting to discuss since there are some symbols that influence the development of the main character. This development shows the character’s change in characterization over the course of the story.
There are three problem formulations that are formulated to analyze. The first is about the characterization of the main character Sarah O’Rourke. The second is to identify the symbols that are mentioned in the novel. The last is to find the significance of the symbols to the characterization of Sarah O’Rourke.
The writer applied library research. The data were collected from the novel entitled
The Other Hand written by Chris Cleave. To support the analysis, the writer applied criticisms and articles from the internet. The theories that are used in this study are the character theory, characterization theory, and the symbols theory. The formalistic approach is applied to this study.
ABSTRAK
UCCA MANGGALAGITA. The Significance of the Symbols to the Characteristics of Sarah O’Rourke in Chris Cleave’s The Other Hand. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2013.
Penulis membahas makna simbol-simbol terhadap karaterisasi dari Sarah O’Rourke, di dalam novel The Other Hand karya Chris Cleave. Topik ini menarik karena ada beberapa simbol yang mempengarhi perkembangan pada tokoh utamanya. Perkembangan ini menunjukkan perubahan tokoh utama dalam karakterisasinya.
Ada tiga permasalahan yang di rumuskan oleh penulis untuk diuraikan. Pertama, adalah tentang karaterisasi tokoh utama, yaitu Sarah O’Rourke. Kedua, untuk mengidentifikasi simbol-simbol yang disebut di dalam novel ini. Terakhir, untuk menemukan signifikasi dalam simbol-simbol yang ditemukan terhadap karaterisasi tokoh utama, Sarah O’Rourke.
Penulis menggunakan data keperpustakaan. Data utama dikumpulkan dari novel yang berjudul The Other Hand karya Chris Cleave. Untuk mendukung analisa ini, penulis menggunakan kritik-kritik and artikel-artikel dari internet. Teori-teori yang digunakan dalam analisa ini adalah teori karakter, teori karakterisasi, and teori simbol. Pendekatan formalistic juga digunakan dalam analisa ini.
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
This chapter is divided into four sections: the background of study, problem formulation, objectives of the study, and the definition of terms. The background of study explains the writer’s reasons for choosing the topic and why
both the topic and novel are worth studying. There are 3 questions that will be discussed in the study. The objectives of the study show the purposes and the advantages of the topic for the readers. Definition of terms is aimed at avoiding ambiguous interpretations of the terms used in the study.
A. Background of the Study
Characters are figures in fiction that readers empathize with. The main focus of the characters are their problems that they face in the story which usually moves the plot and conflict forward. According to Guth and Rico in Discovering Literature, storytellers create characters and set them in motion. The writers appeal to an ancient curiosity: “We are fascinated with the variety of people in our world”. Their hopes and fears, their goals and self-doubts, their quirks and ploys,
their clever and dense ways are an interesting thing to plunge in and explore (1997: 68).
Symbols are dealt within different sections of human’s life. This means
to literary symbol that can be used in defying meanings behind those symbols to be much deeper and more significant. Symbols shift meanings depending on the context they are used in. Symbols in literature are often a figure of speech in which a person, object, or situation representing something in addition to its literal meaning (http://www.myteacherpages.com/webpages/sheckman/files/symbols.pdf). According to An Introduction to Fiction by Robert Stanton (1965), symbols may be anything from an egg to the story’s setting like a single object, a repeated type of object, a
physical substance, a shape, a gesture, a color, a sound, a fragrance. This explains that symbols can be anything from a literary work (1965: 31).
In this research, the writer chooses a novel The Other Hand by Chris Cleave
as the object because the writer thinksthat the beauty of the novel seems to be lying in
the use of symbols that influence the development of the character throughout the
story. The use of symbols helps express the insufficiency of the language that is used
and they help convey a complex idea through a single object which makes it
interesting in the novel. This story is about two women, Sarah O’Rourke the
magazine editor, and Little Bee an asylum seeker, who once met in an awful situation
in Nigeria. Sarah had to make a very disturbing decision to cut her own middle left
finger to save Little Bee’s life. After that incident, they had both never seen each
other and had continued with their own lives. Until one day in England, Little Bee
came to O’Rourke’s house and everything changed, from O’Rourke’s husband
committing suicide, to a holiday in Nigeria where they both recalled memories of
The writer chooses to study the symbols that are in the novel because the
writer finds that the symbols hold together the changes that the main character goes
through. Cleave identifiessymbols that make a connection to O’Rourke’s character.
This study includes a symbol that is represented as the cut finger of O’Rourke, and
Little Bee as character O’Rourke meets along the story as they areinteresting to
examine.By examining the primary symbols, it can lead to a greater understanding of
the work.
This novel which was first published in the United Kingdom on August the 7th
2008 sold 3,000 copies on its first year. On its second year in early 2009, its
paperback copy sold only 100,000 copies. This was despite of no advertising and
only little marketing that Chris Cleave had deliberately done to try his motive of what
he calls “word-of-mouth-success”, which means recommendations from readers to
their family and friends that had been attributed by “The Times” for its success. By
late 2009, The Other Hand had risen its selling to over 300,000 copies.
This novel is called The Other Hand in the UK, Ireland, Australia and India,
and Little Bee in the U.S and Canada.Even if this book has two different names for
what country it is in, they both have identic stories. The author of the novel says it is
common for novels to change names when they cross the Atlantic. His reasons why
they are titled differently are stated in his web page:
approachable – and my aim with this novel was to write an accessible story about a serious subject. I like the fact that the novel has two titles (http://chriscleave.com/little-bee/the-true-story-behind-my-new-novel/).
As Cleave explains, The Other Hand is used as a title because it refers to the
injury of Sarah’s finger. Chevalier and Gheerbrant in their book Dictionary of
Symbolsstates that “the hand expresses ideas of action, as well as those of power and
dominion”. (1994: 466) This meaning connects to the book as the hand refers to the
hand of O’Rourke that was injured in Nigeria. That hand gave O’Rourke action to
change her life as well as Little Bee’s life. It is called Little Bee in some parts of the
world because the writer thinks that the title would be more interesting in those
countries since the novel is based upon Little Bee herself.
Something common that happens to titles and even covers of novels is that
they change depending on which country they are sold in. Many popular novels like
Harry Potter and The Hunger Gameshad changed their titles and covers because of
various reasons. Some reasons are due to marketing reasons, and some are because
the words used in the titles are not familiar, or they might be understood differently in
particular countries. Some countries might consider some titles rude and
inappropriate therefore publishers change their titles under the author’s permission.
(https://www.nytimes.com/books/00/07/23/specials/rowling-gleick.html)
The history that made Cleave start writing this book was because the social
history of refugees, asylum seekers and violence caused by oil industries in the world.
The author himselfhad experiences in dealing and facing the asylum seekers in
lot of innocent people living in disgust. Cleave writes the characters to symbolize
different kinds of attitudes and meanings, giving an idea to readers of the book about
dealing with these kinds of situations.
Cleave believes that through fiction, there is no space to do in the news media,
but fiction gives back a measure of humanity to the subjects of an ongoing story that
remind people of what good to do. The responses to this novel about the background was inspiring to people. It made them open their mind to a wider view about refugees and asylum seekers. ( http://chriscleave.com/little-bee/the-true-story-behind-my-new-novel/
This novel is inspiring and it teaches a lot about hope to readers. It teaches
about building good in every evil and maintaining the good to defeat the evil of life.
This novel teaches readers to give hand to the people in need and make their lives and
their own lives better by sharing and motivating.It makes people think about
positioning themselves as the characters in the story, whether they would have done
the same good to others in the real life.Or whether they would be as strong as
thecharacters in the real life.All of this can be seen through the symbols that are
studied in this research. The symbols that are mentioned connect to the affection of
O’Rourke’s life and how they give her motivation to keep being strong as a woman.
writer can interpret the significance of symbols to the changes in characterization of the main character in this novel.
A. Problem Formulation
Based on the background study above, the writer formulates the following questions:
1. How is Sarah O’Rourke described in the novel?
2. What are the symbols that are related to Sarah O’Rourke?
3. What are the significance of the symbols to the characterization of Sarah O’Rourke?
B. Objectives of the Study
This analysis aims at answering the problem formulations above. The first problem formulation aims to find how the character is described in the novel. The writer tries to describe the characteristics of the character in the story.
The aim of the second problem formulation is to find what symbols are used and how they are explained in the novel.
C. Definition of Terms
In order to understand the key terms being used in the title of the study, there are some terms that should be clearly defined according to how they are used in the study to make an easy understanding of the problem and avoid ambiguous meaning to the terms which can be otherwise interpreted in different ways.
1. Characterization
In his A Glossary of Literary Terms, M. H. Abrams defines 'characterization' as a method for establishing the distinctive characteristics on characters in a literary work (2009: 42-44).According to Bernado in her paper entitled
2. Symbol
In Merriam Webster’s Encyclopedia of Literature, Symbols are “something
that stands for or suggests something else by reason of relationship, association, convention, or accidental resemblance; especially, a visible sign of something invisible” (1995: 1085).According to Harmon in A Handbook to Literature,
that“a literary sense a symbol combines a literal and sensuous quality with an
CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL REVIEW
A. Review of Related Studies
In this review of related studies, the writer shows criticisms or comments about the novel from the internet since information on printed media is very rare on this novel.
In an article called A Beach Vacation Goes Horribly Awry by Sarah L. Courteau, she explains that O’Rourke in the story is a very complex character, as she stated:
Sarah, meanwhile, has a life that invites envy: a whip-smart husband, an adorable son, a satisfying adulterous affair and a glamorous career; the full story is more complex, though, and Cleave gives it to us with unpitying sympathy.(
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/24/AR2009022403232.html?sid=ST20090225011 65)
From the quotation above, O’Rourke is a character with a lot to handle in her
life. She has a smart husband but she can not have the relationship she had with him in the start of their marriage as she cheats on him with another man. She has a beautiful son who is in the age where he likes to ask many questions. O’Rourke has a
Courteau also analyzes the life Little Bee and when she had met O’Rourke for
the first time. For O’Rourke, the first time meeting Little Bee was in a situation that
was unusual for her because she had to make a disgraceful decision.
On a beach in Nigeria, the lives of Little Bee, a teenager from a small village, and Sarah O'Rourke, editor of a posh British women's magazine, are brought into brutal conjunction. Little Bee and her older sister have the misfortune to live on valuable Nigerian oil deposits, for which their family pays a deadly price. Sarah and her husband, heedless tourists out for a walk in the sand, are confronted in an instant with a choice: Save the girls at great personal cost or ignore them.(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2009/02/ 24/AR2009022403232.html?sid=ST2009022501165)
Little Bee is a strong teenager who has an unfortunate life compare to the life of O’Rourke. For her, scars that are left on her body don’t make her sad, but they are
symbols that represent survival, that she made it without meeting death. As she meets O’Rourke, she was in the arms of the men that would kill her unless O’Rourke’s
husband would cut the middle finger of his left hand. O’Rourke’s husband Andrew
failed to do it as O’Rourke herself grabbed the knife and cut her own finger to save Little Bee. It is seen in this situation that O’Rourke has the courage and bravery to do
something so painful to save someone’s life who she had not known before
undergraduate thesis, Little Bee’s Motivation to build a Relationship with Sarah Seen
in Chris Cleave’s Little Bee. In her research, she stated that
Since she receives love from Sarah and she gives her love to take care of Charlie, Bee feels her love needs are fulfilled only by Sarah (2013: 44)
From the above quotation, the writer can see that O’Rourke and Little Bee give love to each other in order to build warmth to their relationship. Ever since Little Bee met O’Rourke, even before they had the chance to know each other’s name,
O’Rourke had already helped Little Bee from the men that were going to kill her in
Nigeria. From there, Little Bee thought she had to give back what was taken from O’Rourke for helping her. She came to England and gave love not only for O’Rourke,
but also for Charlie, O’Rourke’s son.
…fully Sarah helps and supports Little Bee to get a legal status. In every step, Sarah has a role to teach and guide her from tracking down the caseworker until revising the British Citizenship Exam. What she does is only save Little Bee from deportation. Thus, Sarah is the only person who can make safe because she saves and protects her life from the oil company and even deportation (2013: 44.)
Kartikasari explains in her research that O’Rourke helps Little Bee for a legal
status too. In any way possible, O’Rourke had to make it possible for Little Bee to be there in England with her. O’Rourke needed to make Little Bee’s life happy because
of the sadness she had been through all her life from running away from getting killed. Even though the legalization did not succeed and Little Bee was caught by the authorities before the papers were managed to be dealt with, O’Rourke still did not
deported. The help from O’Rourke was unlimited and O’Rourke would not stop
before Little Bee can receive her freedom
O’Rourke becomes very precious to Little Bee after she helps Little Bee save
her life from the hunters that were going to kill her. Pawestri Sukmajati writes in her undergraduate thesis titled Reavealing Moral Messages Through the Character of
Little Bee in Chris Cleave’s The Other Hand that:
Sarah becomes very important for Bee because she hopes Sarah will help her and to meet Sarah means survival for Bee. Bee thinks that when she meets Sarah, she will be safe. She believes that Sarah will help her like she did in Africa. Her string effort brings fortunate, she can reach Sarah's house and meet her. (2010: 31)
Little Bee came all the way from Nigeria to England just to see Sarah again. Little Bee only had Andrew’s I.D card that was left in the beach that she had picked
up in order to find their address in England one day. Even though Little Bee did not meet O’Rourke as soon as she got to England, Little Bee enjoyed her stay in a
detention center where she learned British English for 2 years. When she meets O’Rourke, Little Bee could only hope that O’Rourke could help her. Little Bee would
do anything just to be beside O’Rourke because she only had O’Rourke to rely on. Bee tries to convince Sarah that she will give any help if Sarah allows Bee to live with her. Bee really needs Sarah because Sarah is the only person she knows in England and she is also the only person who might understand Bee's situation. In fact, she is not sincere to Sarah. She does not tell Sarah about the problem between Andrew and herself. (2010: 49)
As Little Bee turns up in front of O’Rourke’s doorstep, she expects O’Rourke
that it was fair to help Little Bee again. Sukamajti states that Bee was not sincere to O’Rourke. This is because Bee she does not tell O’Rourke the truth about why
Andrew started to get depressed and decided to commit suicide. Bee was in their house all along in those 5 days but she had kept that a secret to O’Rourke because she
did not want to think it was Bee who made Andrew kill himself. Bee thought that this was the idea because she wanted to gain trust to O’Rourke.
As many readers comment about books and as they have their own opinions, not everyone will agree to someone’s thought all the time. As for this book, the same
thing happened and not all comments of this book were positive. Some agreed that this book was written appallingly.
Anne Brooke stated:
He should have written a factual account, or – better if he could have managed it – subsumed his righteous indignation to the demands and life of the novel and the characters in it. ( https://vulpeslibris.wordpress.com/2009/08/04/the-other-hand-by-chris-cleave-but-on-the-other-hand/)
Brooke was disappointed about how Cleave writes the characters and how he could nott handle them. Brooke stated that he should have thought about the traumas of the Nigerian refugees that they had to face.
B.Review of Related Theories
1. Theory of Character
Holman and Harmon in A Handbook of Literature says that
a character is a complicated term that contains the idea of the moral constitutions of the human personality, the presence of moral uprightness and the simpler notion of the presence of creatures in art that seem to be human beings of one sort or another (1986: 81).
According to M. H. Abrams in A Glossary of Literary Terms, “character is a person presented in a work and the person is interpreted by the reader through his speech and action” (2009: 42).
2. Theory of Characterization
Baldick in The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms says that characterization is the representation of a person in narrative and dramatic works. This may include direct methods like the attribution of qualities in description or commentary, and indirect methods inviting readers to infer qualities from characters’ action, speech, or appearance (1990: 34). The creation
of imaginary person so that they exist for the reader as lifelike is called characterization.
Murphy in Understanding Unseen (1971: 161-173), stated that there are some ways in which an author attempts to make his character understandable and come alive for his reader, as follow:
a. Personal description
The author can describe the characters through the details of his appearance which are shown in the physical appearance of the character. Personal description helps the reader both to visualize the person and to understand his characteristics.
b. Characters as seen by others
The author can describe characters through the eyes and opinions of others. The other characters will give explanation about what the character is like.
c. Speech
The author can give us insight into the character of one of the persons in the book through what the person says. The characters of a person can be seen whenever he/she speaks, having conversation with others, and stated in his/her opinion.
d. Past life
The author can give us a clue to events that have helped to shape a person’s past life. The readers can learn to know the character’s
the author provides pictures of the character’s past life, it can be traced to
help us figure out his motives of recent events. e. Conversation of others
The author can also give us clues to a person’s character through the
conversation of others and what they say about one another. The character’s conversation with others may help us understand and gain
more information on the character to show more of his/her personality. f. Reactions
The author can also give us a clue to person’s character by letting the readers know how that person reacts to various situations and events, the actions are related to his/her motives and thought.
g. Direct comment
The author can describe or comment on a person’s character directly.
A direct comment gives the reader a straightforward description about the character.
h. Thoughts
The author can give us direct knowledge of what a person is thinking about.
i. Mannerism
The author can describe a person’s mannerism, habits, or
Those theories of character and characterization help the author present a character, as well as helping the readers understand the message implied to the work. Those theories will be helpful for the writer to identify and understand a character.
3. Theory of Symbol
Symbolism is said to be one of the most important aspects of serious imaginative literature. According to Burton, it is a meaning calculated and willed, a deliberate mental translation of concepts into illustrative, pedagogic, sensuous terms. The symbols are illustrative in a readers mind and that by sensing symbols it can create a meaning rather than its literal meaning seeing symbols on where they lay in a literary work. (1977: 189)
According to Merriam Webster’s Encyclopedia of Literature, the symbols
used in literature are often a different sort are often a different sort which means that they are usually private or personal in that their significance is only evident in the context of the work in which they appear. A symbol can also have not only one meaning (1995: 1085).
symbols that carry a universal meaning. In this case, a sunrise may represent a new beginning or a stream the passage of time. With the second type, an object or process is invested with a particular meaning by author (Barton and Hudson, 1997: 491-493).
Stanton implies that ideas and emotions often seem as real as any physical fact; yet they are invisible, intangible things. In literature, one way of giving them the vividness of reality is to use symbol-concrete, factual details that evoke ideas and emotions in the readers' mind. He says that by using symbols, the author can make his meaning visible (1965: 31).
Another theory which is about the effects of symbols is also explained by Stanton, as he states that
First, the symbol that apperas during an important moment of the story underlines the significance of that moment. Second, a symbol repeated several times reminds us of some constant element in the story's world. Third, a symbol that recurs in varying contexts helps to define or clarity the theme (1965: 31-32).
The next quotation according to Barnet, Burto and Cain in Literature for Composition, Essays, Fiction, Poetry, Drama explains how to find symbols in literature
If writers use symbols, they want readers to perceive.. How do writers help us to perceive things? By emphasizing them-for instance, by describing them at some length, or by introducing them at times when they might not seem strictly necessary, or by calling attention to them repeatedly (2005: 231). Based on the theory above, it is important to find objects that the writer wants to use as a symbol. This theory shows that the writer has to emphasize the symbol by describing them at some length, by introducing them at times when they might not seem necessary, and by calling attention to them repeatedly.
According to Kennedy and Gioia in An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry and Drama, it is stated that interpreting symbols have to begin avoiding vagueness. It is begun by listing the specific object, people, and ideas with which a particular symbol is associated. It is not suggested to be objective but rather subjective when interpreting them. Identifying an exact place in the story where the symbol links itself to other things has to be done. The list of associations does not need to be long; it only needs to be accurate and reasonable (1999: 242).
C. Theoretical Framework
Characterization is needed to identify the character through physical description of the character, the dialogue, the actions, the thoughts, the conversations with other characters, the reactions, the past life and the manners of the character.
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
A. Object of The Study
The object of this study is a fiction novel called The Other Hand written by Chris Cleave. As it is stated in the previous chapter, this novel can be also found under the name of Little Bee in different countries depending in which it is published in. This novel was first published in the United Kingdom on August 7th 2008 and sold 3,000 copies in its first year and raised a number up to 100,000 in its second. Lack of advertising which Cleave did purposely was done to try his “word-of-mouth-success” strategy that actually succeeded increased the selling to 300,000 copies.
This 374 paged book reached number 13 on the 2009 Sunday Times best seller list and topped the New York Times Best Seller list for paperback trade fiction in 2010. It was also nominated at the 2008 Costa Book Awards and also the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize as best book originating from Europe and South
Africa.
This book explains the life of Little Bee who went to England illegally due to
oil wars in Nigeria. Little Bee gets treated with disgrace in England for the first 2
years being held in a detention Centre for illegal immigrants. She was finally let out
with 3 other girls from the detention Centre, none having papers with them explaining
who they were and where they had come from.
Little Bee had only one destination and that was to go to the house of
someone from the past. She only held an ID of a man named Andrew O’Rourke
complete with his address that she was heading for. As she turns up in the house of
Andrew O’Rourke who had just died, there was Sarah O’Rourke who couldn’t
believe her eyes who she saw.
The two had met each other in Nigeria where Sarah was taking a vacation
with her husband to refresh their minds from their complicated relationship they were
having. They had seen Little Bee and her sister Nkiruka in the hands of “The Men”
who were going to kill them. Sarah and Andrew had told them to back away from the
sisters, but the men were not going to unless Andrew had cut the middle finger of his
left finger off for “The Men” to keep. Andrew failed to do so as Sarah grabbed the
knife herself and cut her own finger off. Luckily Little Bee was saved due to Sarah’s
finger but unfortunately the finger had cost for one living soul only.
Andrew had died only days before Little Bee arrived at her door step. Sarah
was left with a 5 year old son who was just growing to ask so many questions about
more than she did with Andrew. She was also left with the reason why she had cut
her finger off in front of her face.
As the story goes, Sarah learns that having Little Bee besides her was the
company she truly needed. Little Bee helped Sarah when she was troubled with
Charlie her son and Sarah wanted to help Little Bee receive legal papers and also
spread out the news on the oil wars that no one knew about in Nigeria. For the first
time Little Bee had felt warmth in her heart and Sarah had finally felt that this was the
effort she was meant to be doing to make peace for herself and others.
B. Approach of the Study
This study is aimed to find the significance of symbols through the
characterization of the main character. Since symbols are a part of intrinsic elements
in literary work, the writer finds that the Formalistic Approach is the proper one to be
applied in the analysis.
Formalistic approach is an approach which regards literature as "a unique form of human knowledge that needs to be examined on its own terms". All the elements necessary for understanding the work are contained within the work itself. Of particular interest to the formalist critic are the elements of form-style, structure, tone, imagery, etc.-that are found within the text (Kennedy and Gioia, 1995: 1790-1818).
C. Method of the Study
The method that the writer uses for this study is a library and internet research. The writer gathered information as the requirement of the study. There are two main sources for composing this study which are the primary data and secondary sources.
The primary data for this study are taken from the book The Other Hand by Chris Cleave. The secondary data are taken from books and the internet that consist of criticisms and theories to analyze the topic of this study.
The steps that the writer takes for this study was to first read and re-read The Other Hand as the primary data. This was to improve the understanding of the novel in preparing evidence to support the study.
Secondly, the writer determined a topic and three problem formulations for the study. The writer took some notes of the novel and notes concerning about symbolism to uncover the symbols used in the novel itself. The writer also explored the intrinsic elements such as characterization which helped establish the symbols significances.
Thirdly, the writer collected the secondary sources which were related to the study such as books about symbols and characterization. This helped gather information to analyze this study.
CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
In this chapter, there are three problem formulations that will be analyzed by the writer. The first problem is the description of the major character Sarah O‟Rourke.
The second is the symbols that are mentioned in the novel and the description that follows. The last problem is the significance of the symbols to the characterization of Sarah O‟Rourke.
A. The Description of the Major Character Sarah O’Rourke
Sarah O‟Rourke as the main object of this study is a character who faces a change in
her life in the novel. This change of character in literature is called a dynamic character.
Holman and Harmon in their book A Handbook to Literature explain that a dynamic character is a character that is modified by actions and experiences, and one objective of the work in which the character appear to reveal the consequences of those actions (1986: 83). Sarah O‟Rourke of this novel is a major character who has many conflicts
throughout her character in the story. She goes through many stages of problems as a woman and mother and she is changed by the problems that she faces.
life. After 2 years of this incident, her husband died leaving her a single mother for Charlie and Little Bee living with her without legal papers. This journey of conflicts left her questioning her life and her world.
The intervening of two years had brought a series of worsening premonitions, culminating in the horrible morning ten days earlier when i had woken up to the sound of the telephone ringing (pg. 37).
It started when she was realizing that it was just 2 years after the incident in Nigeria. She remembered clearly what had happened to herself, Andrew, Little Bee and Nrikula. Every time she had remembered Nigeria, she always remembered that her finger had represented it. Just ten days before Andrew had died, there was a phone call that made her wake up from her sleep. She did not know who had called but she knew that it had made her husband shocked. Andrew was left worried during the ten days after the call. O‟Rourke was wondering who was on the phone and did the call
that Andrew had received made him jump to the conclusion of suicide. If only she knew what Andrew had on her mind, she might have made things different.
There are some characteristics the writer analyzes to show the the change in Sarah O‟Rourke‟s character development as a dynamic character. Before the incident in Nigeria, O‟Rourke was a neglectful person to her husband, her son and her job.
Neglectful
Sarah can be considered neglectful as her character because of her actions. The story starts with O‟Rourke telling about the day that her husband Andrew died.
Andrew‟s face was like when he glanced at her, and how she was busy getting ready
to go to work while Andrew was just laying on their bed staring. At that time, O‟Rourke had no idea what was going to happen to her husband, not even a little
sense.
O‟Rourke was actually facing a terrible relationship with her husband long
before he died, this is what makes her neglectful and as a character. O‟Rourke had an
affair with a man named Lawrence Osborn, a married man with three kids who she had met at his office to do an interview. When they first met, Sarah gained feelings for Lawrence immediately at that moment. As she explains in the story:
“I felt adrenaline aching in my chest. This thing that was happening, then, it had apparently slipped quite subtly over some line. It had become something acknowledged, albeit in a relatively controlled form that both of us could still step back from. Here it was, if we wanted it, hanging from a taut umbilicus between us: an affair between adults, minute yet fully formed, with all its forbidden trysts and muffled paroxysms and shattering betrayals already present, like the buds of finger and toes.” (p.223)
These feelings occurred out of nowhere and she did not think that she would gain any feelings for any other man except her husband. But O‟Rourke knew that her
love and her passion for her husband started to fade out. O‟Rourke had something
bigger with her feelings to Lawrence than her feelings with her husband. Not only did they help each other face their troubles with work and their families, but they did not have to show their love with any effort because it had just appeared naturally, as she says:
wish I could say that‟s all it was. Nothing serious. Nothing sentimental. Just a merciful interruption. A brief, blinking cursor before our old stories resumed. But it was gorgeous. I gave myself completely to Lawrence in a way that I never had with Andrew. It happened easily, without any effort on my part. I cried when we made love. It just happened; it wasn‟t an act. I held him till my arms ached and I felt agonies of tenderness. ” (p.230).
From the quotations above, it is clear that O‟Rourke cannot control her own
feelings towards other men. She did not think that she would ever cheat on her husband, but it turned out that Lawrence had been more than what she had ever found in her husband. O‟Rourke was disregardful to their marriage because she explained
the details of her relationship with Lawrence more approaching and close. But O‟Rourke felt that she was happy when they were together. O‟Rourke could be
herself again like when she was Sarah Summers, a character where she was fun and free, unlike when she became Sarah O‟Rourke where everything changed. The
feelings for Lawrence came out from her heart without trying so hard to love.
A reason why O‟Rourke found her marriage with Andrew was not sincere from the start was because their marriage was forced by her mother. O‟Rourke‟s
mother knew that Andrew was a perfect man for her who was soft and caring. Her mother said that she needed a man who was an opposite personality of her.
In Murphy‟s statement, the author can describe characters through the eyes
and opinions of others. The other character will give explanation about what the character is like (1971: 162). Andrew was devastated at O‟Rourke when she cheated
because Charlie had missed his father, their conversation led to Andrew expressing what he felt about O‟Rourke:
Later, with Charlie tucked up in bed, I phoned my husband. „Charlie wants you back, Andrew.‟
Silence. „Andrew?‟
„Charlie does, does he?‟ „Yes.‟
„And what about you? DO you want me back?‟ „I want what Charlie wants.‟
Andrew‟s laugh down the phone—bitter, derisory. „You really know how to make a man feel special.‟
„Please. I know how badly I‟ve hurt you. But it‟ll be different now.‟ „You‟re bloody right it‟ll be different.‟
„I can‟t raise our son alone, Andrew.‟
„Well I cant raise my son with a slut for his mother.‟ (p.237)
The conversation above between O‟Rourke and Andrew had led Andrew saying what he had really felt about O‟Rourke after the affair she had. Andrew did
not think that O‟Rourke was not worthy being a mother for their son because he was
scared that it might affect Charlie. What O‟Rourke had done was neglecting their
marriage and made things very bad for their relationship. O‟Rourke regretted what she had done in that time. She promised Andrew to be different because the pain she caused Andrew.
O‟Rourke can be a neglectful by lying in some parts of her character. She lies
to Andrew about what type of feelings she had with Lawrence. She only explained that their relationship was nothing more than just a one time affair.
…„Why did you do it?‟
From the quotation above, it can be seen that O‟Rourke lies to her husband
about the feelings she had with Lawrence. Instead of telling the truth about the real feelings she had with Lawrence, she puts sex as an excuse and that it was just lust that had controlled her so Andrew would understand her alibi. Even when O‟Rourke knew
she was wrong, she still stood up for herself because she did not want to make things worse with her husband.
After the bad incident in Nigeria, her husband hanging himself, and Little Bee showing up on O‟Rourke‟s doorstep after 2 years of the incident in Nigeria, things
had become different for Sarah. She always had remembered what had happened and she needed someone to talk to. It turned out after Nigeria, she still could not stay away from Lawrence so she was still unfaithful to Andrew after he died, as she says:
I realized it was the second time I‟d phone Lawrence that day. I‟d be trying not to. I‟d lasted almost a week, since Andrew died. It was the longest I‟d been faithful to my husband in years (p.167).
The relationship O‟Rourke and Lawrence had been very special according to
her. O‟Rourke admitted that after trying to fix things up with her relationship with
Andrew in Nigeria, she was still in contact with Lawrence. After Andrew had died, O‟Rourke could not resist in calling anyone else apart from Lawrence. O‟Rourke was
unstable in dealing with her marriage. Even though she said she loved Andrew, she had always gone back to Lawrence for that love she was always looking for.
O‟Rourke began conscious about the life she had before the suicide of her
husband. O‟Rourke knew that she was not being fare and loyal to her husband when
“I didn‟t lose Andrew, Bee. I destroyed him. I cheated on him with another man. That‟s the only reason we were in bloody Nigeria in the first place. We thought we needed a holiday. To patch things up. You see? (pg.198)
When Andrew was alive, she did not think of what damage it could affect him. She had cheated with Lawrence because she thought that he was more than she could find in Andrew. After the holiday in Nigeria, it was not enough to make her conscious about what she had done to her husband. After her husband committing suicide, she realized not only did she hurt him, but she destroyed him. Her life was flighty without a husband, a child to raise up on her own, with Lawrence by her side but not her husband.
Not only did O‟Rourke realize what she did to her husband, but she was also
worried about the future of her job. She did not come to the office for a couple of days after the sad news of her husband, but when she did, she had changed her motivations to work again as a magazine editor. “i don‟t know what to think any
more, Car. About the magazine, I mean. It all seems a bit unreal suddenly.” (pg. 289) When she arrived at her her office, she had a talk with her assistant telling her that fashion was not in her soul any more. As her assistant was advising her that she was not thinking clearly because what had happened with Andrew, O‟Rourke was serious
about not writing about fashion any more. “...Anyway, maybe you should have my
job. I‟m loving the plot, i really am. I don‟t see the point in it any more.” (pg. 292)
everything hectic that had happened, she realized that it was time for her to sacrifice many things and do things that had made her happy and help others all at once. O‟Rourke‟s assistant told her not to be at the office just for a couple days more to get
her mind off things and return to the office with a better mind but O‟Rourke had
made a round decision to continue her husband‟s research.
A dynamic character changes through the events and experiences of the story. O‟Rourke is one major character who faced changes through an experience that
happened in Nigeria while meeting Little Bee. O‟Rourke had changed from someone
who was neglectful to someone that was more heroic and helping. 1. Heroic
According to M. H Abrams in A Glossary of Literary Terms, “character is a person presented in a work and the person is interpreted by the reader through his speech and action” (2009: 42). Sarah O‟Rourke is a married 32 year old woman with a husband named Andrew O‟Rourke and their 4 year old son named Charlie
O‟Rourke. Not only does she take care of her son, but she is a pretty busy woman
who runs a trendy fashion magazine Nixie that is doing great in the fashion magazine industry. She uses Sarah Summers as a professional name where she thinks she builds a different character to it. “But I was happy as a child, at least, and my name was
Sarah Summers. I still use Summers as my professional name, but personally it is lost.” (p.176) As O‟Rourke grew up with the name Sarah Summers, she was like a
real choice in life was when she had to decide what course to take in university. Her teachers told her to take law but she naturally chose journal. Then her second big decision making was when she met Andrew O‟Rourke and took his name so that no
one else could have it. O‟Rourke had chosen to use Sarah Summers as her
professional name so she could think freely like when she was a little girl. It was a lot easier for her to use Summers as her name because she did not have much confidence with that name.
“O‟Rourke is a sharp name and I imagined my happiness would soften it. But as Sarah O‟Rourke I lost the habit of happiness. In its place came a sense of amazed separation.” (p.177)
The quotation above explains that O‟Rourke had a change of character ever since she took her husband‟s name as a surname. She thought that she would have
strong personality with the name but the reality was different because she lost her confidence in herself. Their marriage was all too sudden because her mother had begged her to get married quickly. O‟Rourke had thought that Andrew was too much
like herself and he was as stubborn as she was. O‟Rourke realized after a couple of
years in the marriage that Andrew was not the one she was looking for. A part of happiness that she had ever since she was a little girl was separated as soon as she got married.
Murphy states that “The author can give a clue to events that have helped to
shape a person‟s past life. The readers can learn to know the character‟s personality
approached O‟Rourke and Andrew to hand over Little Bee and her sister Nrikula,
O‟Rourke was very anxious to not give them away because she knew that the men
would kill them. The men then offered a deal that if Andrew cut his middle finger off, then one of the girls would be saved. Andrew was by close to doing it as he bailed out and cried. All of a sudden, O‟Rourke grabbed the machete and cut her finger off instead.
When the killer turned away, I dropped to my knees. I looked straight at Little Bee. She saw what the killer did not see. She saw the white woman put her own left hand down on the hard sand, and she saw her pick up the machete, and she saw her chop off her middle finger with one simple chop, like a girl topping a carrot, neatly, on a quiet Surrey Saturday, between and rock back on her heels, holding her hand. I suppose the white woman looked just amazed. „Oh,‟ I think I said. „Oh, oh, oh.‟
The killer span round and he saw me with the blood welling through my closed fist. On the sand in front of me, there was my finger lying. The finger looked silly and naked. I was embarrassed for it. The killer‟s eyes went wide. (p.166)
This was very brave and strong of her to do so as it made Andrew regret himself for not doing it. O‟Rourke had a big heart for doing this for someone who she
had never met in her life. In this part of the story, O‟Rourke became very heroic
because she did a courageous thing that her husband was expected to do.
A Murphy states, the author can also give us a clue to persons‟ character by
letting the readers know how that person reacts to various situations and events, the actions are related to his/her motives and thought (1971: 168). After what had happened in Nigeria, O‟Rourke had made changes in her life although she had her
“I set up direct debits from my bank accounts to a couple of African charities. When people asked what had happened to my finger, I said that Andrew and I had hired a scooter out there and been involved in a minor accident. My soul entered a kind of suspended animation. A home I was calm. At work I was the boss. At night I did not sleep, but I thought I could probably make the days work indefinitely.” (p.180)
The quotation above explains that O‟Rourke always had the incident about
Nigeria in her head but she still passed her days calmly. It was still pressuring her that she did not know what had happened to the girls after she had left the beach. It was brave for O‟Rourke to move on with her life even if the incident had affected her
really bad. O‟Rourke was very strong for not showing her feelings and not telling the
truth about what really happened in Nigeria to anyone.
O‟Rourke was shocked and had panicked when Little Bee was at her door after
2 years of the incident in Nigeria. Although Lawrence did not want Little Bee in her house, O‟Rourke was welcomed and had defended Little Bee because she felt sorry
for Little Bee. Little Bee also made good friends with Charlie just like an older sister which made her even happier.
O‟Rourke thought that loosing a finger for Little Bee was not enough because
Little Bee had still suffered living alone and loosing her sister. She wanted to do even bigger things to help Little Bee no matter what Lawrence had said in their dialogue:
„Sarah?‟
„I‟m not going to call the police. I‟m going to let her stay.‟ „But why? What possible good can come of this?‟
„I couldn‟t help her last time. Maybe now I can.‟ „And that would prove what, exactly?‟
I sighed
„Yes. Which brings us back to my original point.‟ „Which was what?‟
„That I‟m difficult sometimes.‟
Lawrence laughed, but I think he was forcing himself.
From the dialogue between O‟Rourke and Lawrence above, it can be seen that
O‟Rourke had defended Little Bee even when Lawrence knew that Little Bee would
only bring trouble. O‟Rourke did not care whether she had already lost a finger for Little Bee, she was brave and strong enough to think positive about what good Little Bee can bring to her. O‟Rourke knew that the pain in her life was nothing compared
to what Little Bee had faced in her life.
O‟Rourke did not care what Lawrence had thought and how much hate was in
him when he saw Little Bee. All she wanted to do was to make people in her life happy because she the effort that she made in the past was not enough. She did not want to be hung up about one particular incident that happened in her life and she had to move on.
2. Helpful
O‟Rourke is helpful when the incident in Nigeria happened. As Andrew had a
machete in one hand and his finger ready to be cut on the sand, O‟Rourke had helped Andrew to embolden himself to cut his finger fro the sake of everybody.
„Oh, Andrew. I think you have to do it.‟ „I can‟t.‟
„It‟s just a finger.‟
„We didn‟t do anything wrong. We were just walking down the beach.‟ „Just a finger, Andrew, and then we‟ll walk back again.‟
…He said, „How do we know he won‟t kill the girls anyway, Sarah, after I‟ve done it?‟
„I could get Aids from this blade. I could die.‟ „I‟ll be with you. I‟m so proud of you.‟
O‟Rourke reacted encouragingly to Andrew to do what was told by the men because he was a man and O‟Rourke expected him to do so. Even O‟Rourke knew
that he would be in pain, O‟Rourke tried to strengthen him that if he failed to do so,
he would regret it because the girls would all be dead.
Murphy states that “The author can give us insight into the character of one of
the persons in the book through what the person says. The character can be seen whenever he/she speaks, having conversation with others, and stated in his/her opinions” (1971: 164). O‟Rourke had always wanted to fix things up and make them
better after she had regretted something or when something bad had happened to her. She had the keen to help Little Bee escape her sufferings even if Little Bee thought that O‟Rourke had helped her enough.
„I‟m not sure it‟s easier out here, Bee.‟ „But I will help you.‟
Sarah smile.
„You‟re sixteen years old. You‟re a refugee. You‟re an orphan, for God‟s sake. I‟m the one who ought to be helping you.‟
„Look, Sarah. You have helped me enough already. You cut off your own finger for me. You saved my life.‟
„I should have done more. I should have saved your sister too.‟ „How?‟
„I should have thought of something.‟ I shook my head.
„You did everything you could, Sarah.‟
„But we should never have been in that situation, Bee. Don‟t you see? We went on holiday to a place we had no right to be.‟
„And what if you had not been there, Sarah? If you and Andrew had not been here, then Nrikula and me, we would both be dead.
„Your mummy saved my life, did you know that? She saved me from the baddies.‟ (pg. 210)
Little Bee had thought that the help she had received from O‟Rourke was more
than enough but O‟Rourke thought it was nothing for Little Bee just because she had cut her finger off for her. O‟Rourke thought that Little Bee came to her doorstep for a
reason and that was to help her. O‟Rourke was very confident that she would help
Little Bee in anyway possible so her life could be in peace. O‟Rourke continued to
help Little Bee to find her legal papers so she could stay in England with her by the help of Lawrence‟s profession. But that had failed and Little Bee was caught by the
authorities before the papers were ready. O‟Rourke did not want to give up because she still wanted to help Little Bee no matter what. O‟Rourke went on the same plane
that Little Bee was on to go back to her country. She wanted to start a fresh start in Nigeria and continue the paper that Andrew was making before he died. It was about the oil conflict that was hidden from everyone around the world and she wanted to expose it. They started to collect stories from local people. O‟Rourke had only
believed that if Little Bee was around near her, then she will always be safe.“I was
very frightened but Sarah gripped my hand. I will not leave you, she said. So long as Charlie and I are here, you are safe.” (p.353) From the dialogue above, O‟Rourke
was unconcerned that Little Bee would be in any kind of trouble unless both Charlie and herself were there with her. O‟Rourke had followed Little Bee wherever she went and that was even if she was deported back to Nigeria. In anyway possible, O‟Rourke
O‟Rourke was not quite sure with her life when she had to face a dead
husband, a relationship with her lover that she was feeling guilty with, a job that was not making sense anymore and a child to take care of all at once. She felt very naïve to have face it all by herself because it was the first time in her life something really hard happened. O‟Rourke was unstable and she was confused in sorting out what she
really needed and what had to be omitted in her life, like her job in the magazine business. However, as O‟Rourke faced a life she would not think she could go
through on her own, Little Bee came all of a sudden to support her and inspired her to move on. A person who she thought would cause trouble because of her past in Nigeria in her mind turned out to be someone that accompanied her to face her new life as a widowed mother. Little Bee had helped her open O‟Rourke‟s heart to be a
better person that thought of other people other than herself. O‟Rourke would not be
satisfied unless she took care of Little Bee herself and make research about her people in Nigeria.
Our problem is that you only have your own story. One story makes you weak. But as soon as we have one hundred stories, you will be strong. If we can show that what happened to your village happened to a hundred villages, then the power is on our side. We need to collect the stories of people who‟ve been through the same things as you. We need to make it undeniable. Then we can send the stories to a lawyer and we‟ll let the authorities know, if anything happens to you, those stories will go straight to the media. Do you see? I think that was what Andrew hoped to do with his book. it was his was of saving girls like you (pg. 355).
O‟Rourke was trying to give an understanding to Little Bee to help her find
of the idea because she knew that it would be dangerous to do so. But O‟Rourke had
to do it for the sake of her husband and to help him finish the research that he was doing before he died. O‟Rourke knew that this was the right thing to do. The whole world had the rights to know what was being secreted by the Nigerian government. With the conflicts that had happened, this was the least that she could do for her husband and help Little Bee so people like her would not be harmed again. O‟Rourke had intentions to make things better for people because that had made her happy. O‟Rourke would do anything to collect stories from local people in Nigeria and let
then tell her what had really happened to their villages and families so she could make stories for the world to know. O‟Rourke changed herself from being a fairly
naive and sheltered woman to being someone helping and loving for the sake of others after all the conflicts that had happened in her life.
Until the end, O‟Rourke still wanted Little Bee to have a better life and had
dreams of what might or can happen.
„Sarah,‟ I said. „How long do you think you will stay?‟
„I don‟t know. Do you want to try coming with me to England? We could try to get you papers this time.‟
I shrugged.
„They do not want people like me.‟ Sarah smiled.
„I‟m English and I want people like you. Surely I‟m no the only one.‟ „People will say you are naive.‟
Sarah smiled.
„Let them,‟ she said. „Let them says whatever gives them comfort.
O‟Rourke did not give up and she still offered Little Bee to try and go to
settled and help Andrew to get his papers done so that everyone can know about the oil conflicts that had happened.
B. The Symbols Related in The Other Hand.
In this section, the writer identifies and explains the symbols used by the author in the novel using the theory of symbols and how to identify them. This novel depicts multiple ideas that embody the reader with symbols that could be identified by multiple aspects.
1. Sarah’s Middle finger
According to Kennedy and Gioia, a symbol is identified by the number of repeats by the author throughout the story (1999: 219). The first symbol that is mentioned quite a few times in the novel is Sarah‟s middle finger.
As Chevalie and Gheerbrant explains in their book Dictionary of Symbols, a the middle finger symbolizes death. The long finger or the middle finger, is the only visible portion of the dead person‟s body. The Dogon‟s say that „by the help of this
finger that the dead speak with the living‟ (1994: 376). When O‟Rourke was at the
beach with her husband in Nigeria, the incident where she had to cut her finger off happened. Firstly her husband was intimidated by the hunters to order save Little Bee and Nrikula‟s life; he would have to cut his middle finger off. “White man been
giving me this finger all my life. Today you can give it me to keep. Now cut off your
middle finger mister and give it me.”(pg.294) The hunters only wanted the middle
finger to keep because they had always faced white men throwing their middle
