AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of SarjanaSastra
on English Letters
By
RICHARD ANSELM US POEH
Student Number : 034214006
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
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He has not lef t me alone,
f or I always do what pleases Him
(J ohn 8: 29)
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of my life, for His blessings and mercies in my life up to this point, which make me value this life and therefore be willing to do my best in this life, including accomplishing this thesis writing.
Furthermore, I also express my thankfulness to Th. Enny Anggraini, my advisor, and Tatang Iskarna, my co-advisor, for their guidance in the process of writing of this thesis. Also I would like to thank to my parents, Benyamin Christian Poeh and Sari Mulia Poeh, and my brother and sister, Godlif and Rilia for their never-ending support for me. And finally I am indebted to my friends, both in campus and Joy with whom I experience God’s love. I am blessed to have a wonderful friendship with my friends in English Letters 2003, in particular Jo, Dee and Putri, who have enriched and colored my life in a marvelous way. Also, I would like to thank to the following people who have given me compassion, love and support which undoubtedly enhanced my being during my stay in Jogja, At JOY Fellowship: m’Sigit, Shinta, k’Lusy, Agus, Bun-bun, k’Lina, k’Chatrine, k’ Artha, m’ Gugun, k’ Danger, Bom-bom, k’ Dwi, Fredi, Novi, Yani, Enji, Aria, Andre, k’Cia, Vincent, Adit, Valent, Leo, as my brothers and sisters in JOY Cell Group; members of fellowship Ministry: k’Masda, k’ Yeni, k’Ibeth, m’ Dina, Ike, Riris, Itho, Erda, Irma, Venska, Yoka, Nelson, Arnold, Melki, Geby, Lily, Mechi, Monic, Leni, Lena, Dian, Thresna, and Berlin. May God bless you all with His amazing love.
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CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL REVIEW... 5
A. Review of Related Studies ... 5
A. Socio-Cultural Aspects in the Novel... 36
1. Political Condition ... 36
2. Economical Condition... 39
3. Caste System ... 41
4. Woman Marginality ... 43
B. Characters 1. Ammu... 46
2. Velutha ... 54
C. Love Needs as Ammu’s Motive for Having sexual intercourse with Velutha ... 59
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ... 68
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Human action is driven by certain motives. We can understand why someone acts in certain way by looking at his motive. And this is the topic discussed in this study, to observe the motive behind the main character, Ammu, who bravely brought herself to have sexual intercourse with Velutha. It is appealing to discuss this topic since sexual relationship between castes in fact was strictly prohibited in India at that time.
There are three problems to discuss. The first is the socio-cultural aspects presented in the novel. The second is the depiction of Ammu and Velutha’s character as influenced by their society. And the last one is the explanation of Ammu’s motive for having sexual intercourse with Velutha.
The writer used library research in collecting data. The approach applied is psychological approach. This is suitable since it is human motivation that becomes the central discussion of the thesis, and human motivation itself is a topic studied in psychology.
As the result, the writer concluded, first: the socio-cultural aspects presented in the novel were not conducive for living, for woman and low caste people in particular. There were a lot of injustices. These created conflicts in several regions of India. Second, Ammu was a strong-will woman with full awareness of this chaos and discriminations. She was a widow with two daughters, who possessed a rebellious and sarcastic character. She was the enemy of patriarchal society. Velutha, on the other hand, was a smart and talented low caste man. He was also rebellious toward discriminations in society. Third, Ammu saw that Velutha had several similarities with her, and this made Ammu attracted to Velutha. Besides his physical attractiveness, Ammu find that they both reacted similarly toward society, and most importantly they loved children. These similarities, followed by feelings of anxiety, loneliness and alienation caused by unbeneficial social-cultural conditions, constructed desire to love and be loved within Ammu’s heart, which later made her long for a union with Velutha to overcome those unpleasant feelings. This was finally expressed through having sexual intercourse with him.
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Tindakan manusia didorong oleh motif- motif tertentu. Kita dapat memahami alasan seseorang melakukan tindakan tertentu dengan melihat motif dibalik tindakannya itu. Topik inilah yang dibahas di dalam penelitian ini, untuk memahami motif dibalik tindakan seorang tokoh utama, bernama Ammu, yang dengan berani memberikan dirinya untuk melakukan hubungan seksual dengan Velutha. Hal ini sangat menarik karena hubungan seksual antar kasta sangatlah ditentang oleh masyarakat India pada saat itu.
Terdapat tiga permasalahan yang dibahas, pertama; mengenai keadaan sosial budaya yang digambarkan di dalam novel. Kedua, mengenai penggambaran tokoh Ammu dan Velutha, yang dipengaruhi oleh lingkungan sosial mereka. Ketiga adalah penjelasan mengenai motif Ammu dalam melakukan hubungan seksual dengan Velutha.
Dalam pengumpulan data, penulis menggunakan metode studi pustaka. Pendekatan yang digunakan adalah pendekatan secara psikologis. Pendekatan ini sangat sesuai diterapkan karena topik utama dari skripsi ini adalah motif dari tindakan, yang secara lebih mendalam dibahas di dunia psikologi.
Akhirnya penulis menyimpulkan, pertama; keadaan sosial budaya yang digambarakan di dalam novel berada di dalam suasana yang tidak kondusif, terutama bagi wanita dan masyarakat dari kasta rendah. Banyak ketidakadilan terjadi, yang menimbulkan konlik di beberapa wilayah di India. Kedua, Ammu merupakan wanita berkeinginan kuat yang sangat menyadari adanya kekacauan dan diskriminasi ini. Ammu adalah seorang janda beranak dua berkarakter pembangkang dan sarkastik. Sedangkan Velutha merupakan pria dari kasta rendah yang berbakat dan cerdas. Dia juga memberontak terhadap diskriminasi yang terjadi dimasyarakat. Ketiga, Ammu menyadari bahwa ada kesamaan antara dia dan Velutha yang membuat ia tertarik padanya. Selain ketertarikan secara fisik, Ammu melihat bahwa mereka berdua memiliki sikap yang sama terhadap keadaan sosial dimana mereka tinggal, dan yang terpenting adalah mereka berdua mencintai anak-anak. Persamaan-persamaan ini, dibarengi dengan munculnya perasaan khawatir, kesepian dan keterpisahan yang disebabkan oleh kondisi sosial yang tidak kondusif, memunculkan perasaan ingin mencintai dan dicintai di dalam diri Ammu yang akhirnya mendorong dirinya untuk mengalami penyatuan dengan Velutha demi menghilangkan perasaan-perasaan tersebut. Hal ini akhirnya dinyatakan melalui hubungan seksual dengan Velutha.
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A. Background of the Study
Psychology as a discipline believes that motive is the reason explaining human behavior. We can understand why some people behave in certain way through their motives. We are able to answer why a student prefer to ride a bicycle to go to campus than a motorcycle, by looking at his or her motive. Charles G. Morris stated in his book, Psychology:an Introduction, “motive is an inner directing force-a need or want- that arouses the organism and directs behavior toward a goal” (1990:408). His statement certainly implies an understanding that every human behavior has a goal, and this is actually activated by certain motive(s). Furthermore, the experts of motive of human behavior have proposed a great deal of number of theories on this subject. In his book,
If we go to be more specific, we can find a psychologist namely Abraham Maslow who also composed a theory of motivation. He proposed that human behavior is triggered by needs. He put these needs into a pyramid of hierarchy to explain the existence of levels of human needs, started from biological needs as the basic needs, and ended with self- actualization. This Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory in fact has been used widely in many management training and personal development.
The Hierarchy of Needs theory remains valid today for understanding human motivation, management training, and personal development. Indeed, Maslow's ideas surrounding the Hierarchy of Needs concerning the responsibility of employers to provide a workplace environment that encourages and enables employees to fulfill their own unique potential (self-actualization) are today more relevant than ever.
(http://www.businessballs.com/maslow.htm)
Statement above brings out the importance and value of Maslow’s needs theory in today’s world. Also, Maslow believed that human in fulfilling his needs, is influenced by environment.
Humans start with a very weak disposition that is then fashioned fully as the person grows. If the environment is right, people will grow straight and beautiful, actualizing the potentials they have inherited. If the environment is not "right" (and mostly it is not) they will not grow tall and straight and beautiful.
(http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guideb k/teachtip/maslow.htm).
This statement shows us that Maslow believes environment gives influences in human effort to satisfy their needs.
a novel set in India, a country, which was once colonized by England. Kerala, the place where the novel takes place is a small town undergoing a social complexity. The social condition is complex in a way that communism, caste system, patriarchal society and religious beliefs create, unfortunately, a very uncomfortable atmosphere. Some people feel underestimated and they tried to gain equality through violence, while some people feel threatened by those people’ action. Patriarchal system makes women always become a victim and stay in lower position than man, unable attain a better life. Potential and aware woman will lose her potentiality and awareness because of this kind of society. Ammu one of the main character is an example of woman with awareness to such injustices. She has hopes for her and her children, but they are ruined because the society does not really welcome them to achieve her dreams. Loneliness, fear, and isolation sense came appear within Ammu. Ammu finally makes a very risky action. She brings herself to Velutha, a man from the lowest caste of society, and makes a sexual intercourse with him. This is actually strictly prohibited by the society, but she has a motive to do this, and it is about her motive of being brave to have sexual intercourse with Velutha that will be discussed in this thesis.
B. Problem Formulations
1. How are socio-cultural apects of the novel described? 2. How are Ammu and Velutha presented in the novel?
C. Objectives of the study
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A. Review of Related Studies
The God of Small Things is the first novel of Arundhati Roy. Manorama Mathai, a Syrian Christian and a writer just like Roy is, states that this novel is in fact heavily an autobiography. This is an autobiographical of Roy, in particular by representing herself within the character of Rahel. And it is through Rahel, according to Mathai, Roy tries to get readers’ empathy. However, Mathai claims that its story is the weakness of the novel since “The inter-caste affair and the death of a child that lies at the heart of the book are very predictable and the love affair is not plausible”, and
There is a sense of manipulation by the author and I thought the incest scene at the end was unnecessary but probably, it was one of the things that people look for nowadays & which makes for a successful book. (http://www.godofsmallthings.de.html)
Yet, for Mathai, the portrayal of the family is said as its very strength. The complexities of the family and conflicts inside have brought the readers to see what Mathai considers as the beauty of Kerala. Therefore Mathai finally claims this work is astonishing both for those who know Kerala and those who do not. (http://www.godofsmallthings.de.html).
their never ending struggle to survive in the community that does not want to change the old and most often inappropriate ways of life. Besides, the message Sampson grasps from the novel is that Roy wants to deliver a feeling of what it means to be living in a society with caste system, creating rules that are actually created from prejudice and oppressions. However, then, Sampson points out that “She (Arundhati Roy) breaks those rules. She changes the way you think in thirty pages”. (http://www.godofsmallthings.de/book-reviews/public-reviews/.com).
Another interesting study comes from Jane Park. She wrote an essay entitled Growth, Confusion, and the Loss of Innocence: The Differing Roles of Childlike Narration in Roy's The God of Small Things and Faulkner's The Sounds and the Fury. From its title we certainly get a clue about a comparison. Park compared The God of Small Things with The sound and The Fury of William Fulkner. In this essay, Park pointed out that, as a comparison essay usually possesses, there are similarities and differences. However, Park made such a comparisson, first of all, because she found similarities between both novels. Park sensed child-point of views in both novels. Roy uses Rahel’s viewpoint while Faulkner uses Benjy’s. Much of the stories of both novels focus on the experiences undergone by kids inside the novels. Yet, Park underlined the differences by stating that
Besides, the style of language used is also becoming the concern of this essay. According to Park, Faulkner tends to use a more simple style of language whereas Roy appears with her complexity of language presented in the novel. It is said, “Roy incorporates pho netic spelling, whimsical adjectives, and interspersed lines of song into the narration to give it a childlike quality” (http://www.gradesaver.com/classicnotes/titles/small/essay1.html). The last thing, according to Park becoming the differences of both no vels is the maturity of the narrators. Faulkner ‘keeps’ his narrator a child, while Roy shows that Rahel has matured as the result of the events of the novel (http://www.gradesaver.com/classicnotes/titles/small/essay1.html).
Ammu’s social class people, the touchable. This thesis discusses the strong desire for love that breaks all the social boundaries.
B. Review of Related Theories
1. Theory of Setting
C. Hugh Holman and William Harmon in their book A Handbook to Literature describes setting as “the physical, and sometimes spiritual background against which the action of a narrative (novel, drama. Short story, poem) takes place” (1986: 465). While Robert Stanton in his book, An introduction to fiction,
describes setting as the environment of story events, the immediate world in which the occur (1965: 18). Furthermore, he explains that setting can be the visible background, the time of day or year, the climate or historical period (1965:18). Likewise, Nurgiyantoro proposes three elements that are making up a setting
a. Setting of place
Setting of place refers to location in which the story takes place. There can be several setting of places within a work of literature, depending on the development of the character and the plot (1990:227-27). As an addition, Holman and Harmon describe setting of place as the actual geographical location, its typography, scenery, and physical arrangements of certain place (1986:457). b. Setting of time
has relation with historical events, therefore, setting of time is usually about historical events1990: 230-234).
c. Social Setting
Social setting refers to things and behaviour of social life of society of certain place in the novel or short story. Manner of life in the society includes several problems that are complex enough. They could be common life, customs, and tradition, beliefs, view of life, thoughts and behaviour. Beyond those, social setting relates to the social status of the character (1990:2231-237). In Holman and Harmon’s view, social setting is related to the occupational and daily manner of living of the character, and the general environment of the characters, such as religious, mental, moral, social, and emotional conditions, through which the people in the narrative move (1986:458).
Hans P. Guth and Gabriele L. Rico, on the other hand, state four ways of how the setting may help give shape to a story as a whole.
A setting could also be mould. ”The setting of a story often shapes character” (1996:36). They put an example of someone growing up on a farm, with its chores, dependence on rain and sun, and closeness to living things, is likely to have a different outlook, a different definition of life, than someone growing up in a neighbourhood where the only open spaces are parking lots. Moreover, setting can fit the characters, in a way that characters approve the way a setting is presented, while on the other hand, setting could also be the enemy of characters, which results in rebellious characters, characters “struggling to break free “(1996:36).
There is, furthermore, a setting as an escape. Such setting will bring us to an imagery environment, “where we act out daydreams” (1996:36). Sometimes, we are brought into an encounter with our own personality denied in our ordinary world (1996:36).The last one is alien setting. This provides setting as a situation in which we a are alienated from. We will find it unwelcoming so that we have to understand what is actually going on in that setting, since we are not part of that setting, so we hardly to understand (1996:36-37).
Elizabeth Langland, additionally, states that setting in the novel is not simply a matter of place and time, but also “their customs, conventions, beliefs and values, their institutions-legal, religious, and cultural” (Langland, 1984: 6).
believes to be giving a great effect upon the personalities, actions, and a way of thinking of the characters (Murphy, 1972:141).
2. Theory of Character
Robert Stanton revealed that the term ‘character’ “refers to the mixture of interest, desires, emotions, and moral principle that makes up each of these individuals” (1965:17). Similarly, Abram defines character as “the name of a literary genre, with a short sketch in prose of a distinctive type of person” (1981: 23). His second definition is characters as
The persons presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with moral, dispositional, and emotional qualities that are expressed in what they say-the dialogue-and what they do- the actions. (1981:23).
Accordingly, from Abram’s understanding we can infer that there are individuals revealed in the novel whose moral, disposition, and emotional qualities are interpreted by the readers through the dialogues and actions presented by the author. Furthermore, to assist the reader to Interpret qualities possessed by individuals within a narrative, Abram says that the author makes a characterizing process which means “establishing the distinctive characters of the person in a narrative” (Abram, 1981: 24).
Concerning describing characters, Murphy believes that there are nine ways of understanding a character presented in the novel. They are, through a. Personal Description:
The author describes a character through views of others. The readers get as it were reflected image.
c. Speech
The author can give us an insight into the character of one of the persons in the book through what that person says, whenever a person speaks, whenever he is in conversation, whenever he puts forward an opinion, he is giving us some clue to his character.
d. Past life
By letting the reader learn something about a person’s past life, the author can give us a clue to events that have helped to shape a person’s character. This can be done by direct comment by the author, through the person’s thought, through his conversation or through the medium of another person.
e. Conversation with others
The author can also give us clue to a person’s character through the conversation of other people and the thing they say about him. People do talk about other people and the things they say often give a clue to the character of the person spoken about.
f. Reactions
The author can also give us a clue to a person’s character by letting us know how that person reacts to various situations and events.
g. Direct comment
The author can give us direct knowledge of what a person is thinking about. In this respect he is able to do what we cannot do in real life. He can tell us what different people are thinking. In the novel we accept this. The reader then is in a privileged position. He has, as it were, a secret listening device plugged in to the inmost thoughts of a person in a novel.
i. Mannerism
The author can describe a person’s mannerism, habits or idiosyncrates which may also tell us something about his character.
Moreover, concerning characters in the novel, Hans Guth and Gabriel R. Rico believes that whenever we talk about characters in the novel, we are going to talk about motives of them. We are no longer talking simply about what sort of person is someone, but going to think about what drives someone to behave, talk and act in a certain way. This means arising a question word ‘why’ (1997: 69). From their view about going further from ‘what’ to ‘why’, we can understand that after knowing a character with his personalities, we ‘have’ to start to think about reason of his behaviour. Similarly, Abram says there is always motivation which plays as the ground in their temperament, desires, and moral nature for their speech and action (1891:23).
3. Theory of Motivation and Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs
According to Herbert L. Petri in his book Motivation: Theory and
(are) motivation (s) that in fact drives human to behaves or acts certain action. Human acts because of the motive within. And Charles G. Morris stated similarly in his book, Psychology: an Introduction, he said “motive is an inner directing force-a need or want- that arouses the organism and directs behaviour toward a goal” (1990:408). And John Jung, similarly, argued that in discussing motivation we must “be able to include terms that refer to such diverse state such as, desires, wishes, plans, goals, intents, impulse and purposes.” (Jung, 1970: 4).
Furthermore, Jung believes that motivated behaviour is, firstly, assumed to be “intentional and voluntary” (Jung, 1979:5). Someone has expectancies which is formed probably through past learning experiences (Jung, 1970: 5). Motivation also includes energy that activates a behaviour, and is assumed to be selective and directional (Jung, 1970: 5).
The earlier theories of motivation such as proposed by Sigmund Freud, William McDougall, and William James argued that human being are largely motivated by inner instinct existing inside human body mechanism. This means all human behaviour is understood largely through physiological aspects. However, the later theorists propose a more human theory of human behaviour. They believe human behaviour is not simply activated by physiological aspects, but there are also motives triggered by surrounding, people and nature (Petri, 1980:4 ).
opinion that human motivation is becoming psychological motives whenever a child grows. This means he moves from biological or physiological motives to the more complex motives of human behaviour, which is also learned by interacting with other people (Atkinson, 1983: 317).
Maslow himself is in fact categorized as a humanistic psychologist along with Carl Rogers. They, as psychologists Humanist, have assumption that “the core tendency of a person is to actualise individual potential” (Weiner, 1979:409).
Humanistic psychology however, has four principles to form their theories. First, humanistic psychology analyses individuals in real- life circumstances. Human, then becomes the subject, not only an object (Weiner, 1979: 408). More over, according to humanistic psychology:
important issues of people’s lives. (Weiner, 1979: 409). Finally, Humanistic psychology believes that ultimate value is placed on the dignity of the person. This means psychology has a conviction that human are unique and noble. And above all, “individuals are believed to have a higher nature with a need for meaningful work, responsibility, and an opportunity for creative expression.” (Weiner, 1979: 409).
Besides those four principles, Albert Elis, in his book, Humanistic Psychotherapy, has given a profound definition of Humanistic psychology.
Humanistic psychology, by this rule, becomes the study of the whole individual, by logico-empirical means that are distinctly human, for the purpose of helping him live a happier, more self-actualizing, and more creative existence. It completely accepts people with their human limitations; it particularly focuses upon an employs their experiences and their values; it emphasizes their ability to create and direct their own destinies; and it views them as holistic, goal-directed individuals who are important in their own right, just because they are alive, and who (together with their fellow humans) have the right to continue to exist and to enjoy and fulfil themselves (1974: 3).
From Elis’ definition, it is emphasized that the focus of humanist psychology is human and his whole being and his happiness.
Concerning needs within human being, moreover, Maslow and Rogers assume that actualisation striving is similar to an instinct that is genetically given (Weiner, 1979: 408), and this means within human there are talents and capacities that have been inherited (Weiner, 1979: 409). These capacities, then, have to be fully expressed to produce happiness.
He (Maslow) constructed a hierarchy of needs, coming up from the basic biological needs to the more complex psychological motives that become important only after the basic needs have been satisfied (1983:317).
Maslow here adopts, still, the biological needs of human being, but he trusts human, after fulfilling his biological needs such as breathing, food, sex, sleep, water, homeostasis, and excretion, will go forward to obtain larger needs, until the highest one that is self-actualisation. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is often depicted as a pyramid consisting of five levels. The first four is called
Deficiency/ DeprivationNeeds, while the top need is called GrowthNeed.
Maslow, however did not considered the hierarchy as totally inflexible. “ One could partially satisfy lower needs, thus allowing higher needs to become partially active” (Herbert, 1981: 302). This means we may see two different needs are bong satisfied at the same moment.
Beginning from the basic one, the detail explanations of needs are as follow:
a. Physiological Needs
to feel sickness, pain, and discomfort.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motivation.). Without adequate satisfaction in physiological needs, needs for food for instance, the temper can be easily stimulated, and later create anger. That is why in many cases, in Africa for instance, a country, in which the starvation occurs everywhere, will have instability in many areas, because people fight for food, and unjust competition happens. Their mind is only to get rid of their hunger. Love, education and other ‘higher’ needs are out of their mind. People are killing and hurting each other. Therefore, there is no doubt that physiological needs are the strongest needs of human being. Someone who are lacking of food, security, love, and esteem most probably will need more food that the others (Maslow, 1984,41).
N. S. Di Caprio puts forward that condition of deficiency of physiological needs are Hunger, thrist, sexual frustration, tension, fa tigue, illness, and lack of proper shelter. While to overcome those deficiency, relaxation, release from tension, experiences of pleasure from senses, physical well-being and comfort are needed (1974: 441).
b. Safety Needs
who cries if he dropped suddenly, startled by a loud sound, or a stranger enters the room (Herbert, 1981: 303). Maslow loved to use young children attitude as the example of this second level of needs because young children totally never hide their reaction toward their insecurity. We can easily recognise this feeling inside them through their sudden reaction. Thus, although the adults feel insecure, we will not easily realize that from their expression (Maslow, 1981:44). And as additions of the list, Maslow put also needs for freedom from fear and anxiety, environment stability, law, comfortable climate, public order, authority and certainty about meaning of life (Maslow, 1981: 43).
The adult who feels insecure can be a Neurotic person. This is a psychological disease which makes the victim reacts just like a child does whenever he feels threatened. Screaming, and yelling are common reactions from this kind of person. Abrupt attitude in order to create stability and security most of the time disturbs his surrounding, which feels that there is actually nothing wrong for someone feel insecure.
Insecurity, yearning, sense of loss, fear, obsession, compulsion are symptoms when someone at the condition of deficiency of safety needs (Di Caprio, 1974: 411). And to deal with these, security, comfort, balance poise, calm and tranquillity are required (Di Caprio, 1974: 441).
c. Love Needs
the first level of hierarch of needs. This is more about emotional relationship. Therefore Love, for Maslow requires giving and receiving meaning to be loved and to love someone (Herbert, 1981: 303).
Whenever physiological needs and needs for security have been fulfilled, needs for love will emerge. These will become the next central of someone’s life. He will thirsty for friends, lover, wife or eve n children. He longs for an intimate relationship both in a family and society. Perhaps in the moment of starvation and insecurity, someone underestimates love as something unreal and unworthy, but now is different. Feeling of loneliness, alienation, rejection, and unfriendliness will cause pain for that person (Maslow, 1981:48-49).
The way someone fulfils this needs could be vary. Some people join a community or club having similar interest, someone finds a lover, kids play with other kids, lovers planning to have children, etc. The point is, every society has to put this need as the priority so as to keep itself survive and healthy (Maslow, 1981: 50).
As an addition, Wikipedia states that Human being needs to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance from small communities, such as family; and from larger groups such as office culture, and religious community. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motivation#Need_Hierarchy_Theory).
of wholeness, sense of warmth, renewed sense of life and strength, sense of growing together are required (Di Caprio, 1974: 411).
d. Esteem Needs
Esteem needs are needs for a positive, high evaluation of oneself (Petri, 1981:303). All humans need s to be respected. There are two kinds of esteem needs. The first one is a need for self-esteem, and the second one is the need for esteem from others. Self- esteem will bring someone to have concepts like confidence, competence, and achievement. Whereas esteem from others can be seen as the occurrence of fame, respect and glory (Maslow, 1981: 50) Lack of esteem needs leads the individual to feel inconsequential and to have little self-worth. Therefore, it is possible that depression occurs as it is triggered by poor satisfaction of the esteem needs (Herbert, 1981: 304).
Moreover, it is important to note that self-esteem is higher from the esteem from others since once someone successfully gets his self-esteem, he will not necessarily need esteem from others to be ‘living’ his own life, but without self-esteem, the recognition and respect from others will only bring fragility in someone’s personality.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motivation#Need_Hierarchy_Theory). e. Self Actualization
(B-Needs/motives). These B-Needs are values which provide meaning to life of the self-actualized person. This needs continually urge people to test their abilities and expand their horizon (Herbert, 1981: 304).
Self-actualisation makes someone to have a feeling to be and do something according to his interest and abilities, after all four previous needs are satisfied. This could be, and most of the time, different from one person to another. A musician has to produce music, an artist creates painting, and an athlete practices his best to get success in competition. These are all to reach inside peace, and to be a special one according to, again, his talents and passion.
Di Caprio believes, conditions of deficiency of this ultimate need will result in alienation, metapathologiesm absence of meaning of life, boredom, routine living, limited activities (1974; 411). The conditions of being fulfilled are healthy curiosity, peak experiences, realization of potentials, work which is pleasurable and embodies values and creative living (1974: 441).
4. Theory of Love
Erich Fromm through his book The Art of Loving describes the beginning of the existence of love is the existence of awareness of separation within human being. He explains more about separation:
Being separate means being cut off, without any capacity to use my human powers. Hence to be separate means to be helpless, unable to grasp the world-thing and people-actively; it means that the world can invade me without my ability to react (1956: 8).
Throughout history and culture, man has tried his best to overcome this separation. Yet his efforts ended in nothing. They are only temporary answers to the problem of existence. “The full answer lies in the achievement of interpersonal union, of fusion with another person, in love” (1956:15). In short love is the reason why human civilization still exists. An absence of love will bring destruction, both self-destruction and other-destruction. “Humanity will not exist for a day” (1956: 15).
The union meant in love is the mature union. This means there is the opposite, Immature union, of Symbiotic union. The plain differences of both are the equality of parts which are united. In immature union, a part will be higher or better or stronger that the other, while the mature one creates equality in both sides. Mature love is described as “union under the condition of preserving one’s integrity, one’s individuality” (1956: 17).
Love is an active power inside human. This is a power breaking through the walls of separateness and isolation, but allows him to be himself, to hold his integrity. This means love is a practice that can only be practiced in freedom and without force. (1956: 17) Fromm believed that love is an activity that means it can be practiced only in freedom, not compulsion, and it is not a passive one which means it is a ‘standing in’, not ‘falling for’. Active love has to do giving. Love means primarily giving, not receiving (1956: 18). To be able to love, someone have to be able to give, and to be able to give, someone must accept the concept of sacrifice in himself. Once he came to this understanding, he said that
of heightened vitality and potency fills me with joy. I experience myself as overflowing, spending, alive, hence as a joyous. Giving is more joyous than receiving in the act of giving lies the expression of my aliveness. (1956: 19).
Moreover, giving in this sense means giving what is alive for others. He can give his joy, his interest, his understanding, his knowledge, his humour, and even his sadness. Thus “in giving of his life, he enriches the other person, he enhances the other’s sense of aliveness by enhancing his own sense of aliveness.( 1956: 20). Through giving someone will invite the other to be also a giver, so that they “will share in joy what they have brought to life” (1956: 21).
Fromm brings the discussion to the relation between love and sex. Unlike Freud, Fromm sees sexual desire as “one manifestation of the need for love and union”( 1956: 30). For him, sexual attraction between two sexes is only partly motivated by the need for removal of tension; it is more a desire for union with other sexual pole (1956: 30). This means when we see sexual intercourse, we have to see also from psycho-biological point of view, not merely from biological view, as Freud used to explain sexual desire within human being. By doing this, from believes that we later will be able to see sexual intercourse is the bridge of the union between different sexes (1956: 30).
concern that the other person should grow and unfold as he is” (1956: 23). Respect puts aside exploitation. Finally, to respect someone, we have to know about him. We have to know how he reacts in certain situation (1956: 24)
Furthermore, Fromm explains types of love, depending on the object which is loved. The first one is brotherly love. This is love for all human beings. There is no exclusiveness in brotherly love. “In brotherly love there is the experience of union with all men, of human solidarity of human at-onement. Brotherly love is based on the experience that we are all one” (1956: 39). Brotherly love is categorized as love between equal people. Although human are need to help each other, but it does not means one part is helpless while the other is more powerful. (1956: 40). However, initially this kind of love is begun by love of the helpless one, love of the poor, and the stranger. (1956:40). The second type of love is motherly love. Unlike other types of love, motherly love is a love between the inequalities. The mother is the giver and the child is the receiver. It is unconditional love that is expressed by parents. (1956: 42). However, because of the unconditional aspects, the highest achievement of motherly love lies on the love to the growing child. It is easier for a woman to love an infant, since infant is passive. But when a child grows up, he will posses an instinct to be independent, to separate himself from the mother.
Only the really loving woman, the woman who is happier in giving tha in taking, is firmly rooted in her own existence, can be a loving mother when a child is in the process of separation. (1956: 44).
5. Theory of Interpersonal Attraction
Rita L. Atkinson believes that the most important attitude is our attitude toward other people (1983: 551). Therefore, some psychologists have attempted to explain how and why we are connected to other people. How and why we can have intimate relationship with other people. Our relationship with other people can be put into at least 2 stages, initiated by friendship continued to the intimate relationship well known as love. There are several reasons for answering factors that determine liking among human being.
suggested answer no relationship, it is so because the more frequent we bump into each other, the more we become familiar with another person’s behaviour or ways. This makes he or she becomes less threatening and more predictable. However, if initial bumping results in disliking, it can be worse through intense contact, disliking becomes hatred (Braun 1979: 596).
The next factor for a relationship to occur is similarities. People do tend to form a relationship with others who are like them in number of ways (Braun, 1979: 596). The first possibility is similarity in appearance. In a dating relationship, people of similar physical attractiveness tend to pair off (Braun, 1979: 596). Interestingly, someone’s judgement toward his own appearances will affect the selection of pair he wants. For example as Braun gives:
a man who consider his own physical attractiveness to be low, he considers the possibility of rejection by an attractive, selective woman to be high, so he lowers his sight to a somewhat less attractive date (Braun, 1979: 596)
status, and educational level. (Braun, 1979: 596). This happen because there are often social pressures particularly those coming from the parents for someone to marry someone with similar social background (Braun, 1979: 596). The last similarity is sameness in Attitudes (Braun, 1979: 597). People do tend to like people who think as they do. There are several reasons for this fact. The first is that having similarities in attitudes provide a basis for joint activities. The second is “shared attitudes reinforce the notion that one’s opinion is correct” (Braun, 1979: 597). This then will increase someone’s self esteem. The last reason is it will make easier to communicate. People with similar attitudes will better to predict each other’ action, which will give them sense of security. (Braun, 1979: 597).
C.TheoreticalFramework
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A. Object of the Study
The God of Small Things is a novel written by Arundhati Roy, an Indian author. This 352 pages novel was since the beginning published by Flamingo Pubs in Great Britain 1997. Arundhati Roy, a daughter of a Hindu man and a Christian Syria Woman, wrote this novel in four years. The God of Small Things
is her first novel, whose quality was firstly recognized by Pankaj Mishra. And because of the instinct of Mishra who sent it to three British publishers, Roy now becomes a celebrity of literature. This quality then was proven by the Booker Prize award given in 1997. Moreover, The God of Small Things has given Roy half-a- million pounds (Approx. $970,000 USD) in advances, and rights to the book were sold in 21 countries (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TheGodofsmallthings/)
according to him, presented a sickening sexual scene, which, again, according to him, would ruin the morality of young people in India (Melani Budianta, 2005: xvii).
How could this novel produce such a controversial situation? The most logical answer is of course due to the content of the book, the story itself.
The God of Small Things is a story of an Indian family running a factory of pickles preserves. There are three main characters who are also part of the family. They are Ammu and her two-eggs twins, Rahel and Estha. Ammu is a widow of a Hindu man. Being a Syrian-Christian, Ammu, who was already cursed following her marriage with a Hindu man, is in someway alienated from the family for getting divorced. She plays just small role in the family. Furthermore, living in a patriarchal society and political instability drives Ammu to concern only about herself and her children, until a moment come when Ammu falls in love with a man from the lowest caste namely Velutha.
Ammu. This affair is a disgraceful for Mamachaio’s family, a high-class family. Hearing this, Baby Kochama begins to make a plan to put the blame on Velutha’s shoulders. She reports to the police that Velutha has raped Ammu. As an addition, she persuades Rahel and Estha to say that Velutha is the cause of the death of Sophie Mol. It is Velutha who gives the kids a boat and a chance to go in a boat when the current is strong. Eventually, a group of policemen come after Velutha. Velutha is arrested and tortured. Being unable to bear the pain, Velutha finally dies in the police office. It is too late for Ammu to clarify what actually happens, that Velutha never raped her as reported by Baby Kochama, that it was kids mistake that Sophie Mol dies.
Ammu’s life changes to be misery after that. The death of Sohie Mol and Velutha have ruined Ammu’s and her Children’s life. Ammu dies in loneliness, withouth he children beside. Rahel went to U.S.A, worked in some places, got married but ended up in divorce. She went back to Ayemenem to meet her brother, Estha, who became reticent, a man with less word in his rest of life.
B. Approach of the Study
(Eagleton, 1996:155). Based on these four kinds of Psychoanalytical literary criticism, this thesis clearly applies the second type which is giving attention to the content of the novel. Psychoanalytical of the content, according to Eagleton, is commenting on the unconscious motivations of characters, or on the psychoanalytical significance of objects or events in the text (Eagleton, 1996:155)
This undergraduate thesis deals with the motive of Ammu’s behavior of having sexual intercourse with Velutha. For this reason, the psychological theory on human motivation, interpersonal relationship and love would be very useful to help the writer to answer problem formulation. Thus the psychological approach would be applied in this thesis.
C. Method of the Study
This thesis used library research as its method in getting the data. The primary source is the novel, The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy and secondary sources are books and websites dealing with theory and approach which were used in the analysis. Some of those books are a Handbook to Literature, an Introduction on Fiction, Discovering Literature, Theory of Literature, Motivation: Theory and Research, Motivation and personality and
Introduction to Psychology. They were the main sources providing theory and determining the approach of this thesis.
when Ammu ‘surrendered’ herself to Velutha. They made love near by the river. This stimulated the writer to question why Ammu did that, her reason for doing that, since she was from different caste with to Velutha, and sexual relationship between castes was in fact strictly forbidden in Indian society. From this finding, problem formulations were formulated. The first question dealt with the setting of the novel, the second dealt with characteristics of Ammu and Velutha, and the last one, which was the main problem, dealt with the motive of Ammu for having sexual intercourse with Velutha.
Next, in attempt to answer the question, the writer searched some theories on motivation, interpersonal attraction, and love to get a clue explaining Ammu behavior, theories on setting to describe the socio-cultural aspects in the novel, and theories on characters to describe Ammu and Velutha as characters.
The third step was answering the problem formulation. This step was done by applying theories of setting, character, motivation, love, and interpersonal attraction. Then finally, the conclusion was made based on the analysis done previously about the setting, character and motivation.
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Before we come in to the explanation on the socio-cultural aspects of the novel, it is better to introduce the place in which most of the events of the story take place and several characters appearing within the novel, so as to when we arrive to certain names in the analysis, the reader of this thesis would not be confused, especially on the relationship between characters. It is in Ayemenem, Kerala that the story happens mostly. Particularly this story tells of Paradise
Pickles and Preserves people. This is a factory run by a family. Chacko was the manager of the factory, supervised by his mother Mamachi whose husband Papachi died several years ago. Chacko had a sister named Ammu, who will later be discussed thoroughly in the second analysis, and she had two-egg twins children, Rahel and Estha. In the house there were also Mammachi’s sister Baby Kochama, an unmarried women, and a housekeeper namely Kochu Maria. About the setting of time, the novel takes place in 1960’s.
Now, we come to the discussion of the first problem formulation, about socio-cultural aspects of the story.
A. Social and Cultural Aspect of the story
1. Political Condition
Even Chacko had no really complete explanation for why the communist party was so much more successful in Kerala than it had been almost anywhere else in India, except perhaps in Bengal (Roy, 1997:66)
Kerala seems becoming the harvest area for communist part to develop and get its political position in India. It occurs that there were some talks about how communism came lucratively in to Kerala.
“There were several competing theories. One was that it had to do with the large population of Christians in the stat. Twenty per cent of Kerala;s population were Syrian Christian, who believed that they were descendant of the one hundred Brahmins whom saint Thomas the Apostle converted to Christianity when he traveled east after the Resurrection.. Structurally – this somewhat rudimentary argument went- Marxism was a simple substitute for Christianity. Replace God with Marx, Satan with the bourgeoisie, Heaven with a classless society, the church with the party, and the form and purpose of the journey remained similar. An obstacle race, with a prize at the end.” (Roy, 1997:66)
The quotation above shows the first reason on how communism came to India. It is true that Kerala is filled with Syrian Christian so that communism which stands for equality was easily coming to people’s heart in Kerala. This deals also with Caste system of Hindu society. This first assumption perhaps means that people love Communism as they hoped that by supporting communism, they will get a better and an equal life, economically in particular.
The second theory says, “It had to do with the comparatively high level of literacy in the state. Perhaps” (Roy, 1997: 66). But still this is uncertain. It is then believed that “communism crept into Kerala insidiously” (Roy, 1997; 66). following is the specific way describing the movement communism in Kerala
eastern Marxism and orthodox Hinduism, spiked with a shot of democracy.” ( Roy, 1997: 67)
Communism, with safe and smooth ways, pierced into people’s heart to transfer its view of democracy and Marxism altogether. Chacko himself is one of communist supporters. “Though Chacko was not a card-holding member of the party, he had been converted early and had remained, through all its travails, a committed supporter” (Roy, 1997: 67). Although in fact, he does not want to appear as the one who is. This is proven in the scene when a demo happens on Chacko and other family members were on the way to the theatre to watch The sound of Music. The reason of his attitude was actually because he is not wholeheartedly a Marxist supporter. He used Marxism in order to get what he wants, satisfying his man’s need. “He would call pretty women who worked in the factory to his room, and on the pretext of lecturing them on labor rights and trade union law, flirt with them outrageously” (Roy, 1997: 65).
emerged in Kerala. It was started by the existence of Naxalities spread over the Kerala
Peking switched it patronage to the newest, most militant faction of the CPI(M- the Naxalites- who had staged an armed insurrection in Naxalbari, a village in Bengal. They organized peasants into fighting cadres, seized land, expelled the owners and established people’s courts to try Class Enemies. The Naxalite movement spread across the country and struck terror in every bourgeois heart.” (Roy, 1997:68)
Naxalities started to persuade people, much of them were labor class people to fight for equality at any cost, which means violence was legal for them. This turmoil, furthermore, was causing India in an alert state for a civil war.
By the time Chacko finished his BA and left for Oxford to do another one, Kerala was one the brink of civil war. Nehru dismissed the communist Government and announced fresh elections (Roy, 1997: 68)
This was a war triggered by the anger of the Naxalities who desired for a better life. They would fight for it.
in Kerala, they breathed a plume of excitement and fear into the already frightened air. Killings had begun in the north. That May there was a blurred photograph in the papers of a landlord in Palghat who had been tied to a lamp post and beheaded.” (Roy, 1997: 68)
Comrade E. M. S Namboodiripad (Running Dog, Soviet Stooge) expelled the Anxalities from his party and went on with the business of harnessing anger for parliamentary business. (Roy, 1997: 69)
He, through Travancore –Chochin Marxist Labor Union, arranged a march performed by people demanding equality, which was going to his place. He arranged a march to come to himself with its demand. He wanted they come to ask him brutally. “Their comrades in Trivandrum would march to the Secretariat and present the chart of people’s demands to comrade E. M. S. himself”.(Roy, 1997:69).
And that exactly happened. It was happening in the same moment Chacko and other Ayemenem members were on their way to go to Theatre.
The marchers that day were party workers, students, and the laborers themselves. Touchables and untouchables. On their shoulders they carried a keg of ancient anger, lit with a recent fuse. There was an edge to this anger that was Naxalite, and new.(Roy, 1997: 69)
In short, Communism had performed itself in Kerala, but not in a good way. It had brought a discomfort within people, the estate-owner to be more specific. The Workers wanted a better live through revolution “’long live the revolution!’ they shouted. ‘Workers of the world unite!’”(Roy, 1997: 66).
2.EconomicalCondition
this, Kerala was in an alert state economically. “Kerala was reeling in the aftermath of famine and a failed monsoon. People were dying. Hunger had to be very high up on any government list of priorities.” (Roy, 1997: 68).
Nevertheless, working class people still insisted that they should have a better payment than it was now. When things was not financially well, many workers were paid under the agreement formulated by the trade union. “Since things were not going well financially, the labor was paid less than the minimum rates specified by the trade union” (Roy, 1997: 120). Therefore it was no wonder they voiced their demand through the marching
Their demands were that paddy workers who were made to work in the fields for eleven and a half hours a day-from seve n in the morning to six-thirty in the evening- be permitted to take a one-hour lunch break. That women’s wages be increase from one rupee twenty- five Paisa to three rupees, the men’s from two rupees fifty Paisa to four rupees fifty Paisa a day (Roy, 1997:69)
So was in Paradise and Pickles Preserve. The labors wanted a fair salary. Yet, Mamachi, whose job is to deal with such case in the factory, was furious. She, after receiving the complaint, said: “’tell them to read the papers. There’s a famine on. There are no jobs. People are starving to death. They should be grateful they have any work at all.’” (Roy, 1997:121-122)
3. Caste System
In Kerala caste had been part of culture and society, as stated by Chacko when he met Comrade Pillai to ask about Velutha “‘you see, comrade, from local standpoint, these caste issues are very deep-rooted” (Roy, 1997:278). There were low caste people and high caste people. They were separated through the title of the touchable for the high caste people and the untouchable for low caste people who much of them were working class people.
Certainly, caste system had created discrimination in society. This was the quotation expressing Mamachi’s experience on caste system.
in mamachi’s time, Paravans, like other untouchables, were not allowed to walk on public roads, not allowed to cover their upper bodies, not allowed to carry umbrellas. They had to put their hands over their mouths when they spoke, they divert their polluted breath away from those whom they addressed.(Roy, 1997:74)
It is clearly stated that the lower caste people were harshly discriminated in society. They had to differ their identity from the untouchables by not wearing any cover for their torso. They were also not allowed to carry umbrella which means they were forced to suffer in bad weather. And during the raining, they of course would get wet. Moreover,
What a discrimination that was for the untouchables. It was based on their title that the Untouchables were treated. The untouchables were not allowed to touch the touchables physically. It was disgusting according to the law of society.
“He would bring them for Ammu, holding them out on his palm (as he had been taught) so she wouldn’t have to touch him to take them” (Roy, 1997:74). This quotation shows one example of case in which the untouchable was not allowed to touch the touchable. ‘He’ refers to Velutha, one of the workers in Chacko’s factory; ‘them’ refers to toys made by Velutha which were given to Ammu when they were still in their childhood. Velutha had been aware since he was child that ‘his people’ were not allowed to touch ‘Ammu’s People’. This fact is strengthened through the following quotation “Papachi would not allow Paravans into the house. Nobody would. They were not allowed to touch anything that touchables touched. Caste Hindus and caste Christians.” (Roy, 1997:73)
Historically, during British era, the untouchables had attempted to escape from this burden of caste by conve rting to Christianity.
When the British came Malabar, a number of Paravans, Pelayas and Pulayas (among them Velutha’s grandfather, Kelan) converted to Christianity and joined the Anglikan Church to escape the scourge of Untouchability. (Roy, 1997: 74)
Yet, in fact, they later realized this was unbeneficial for them. This attempt was futile since “it didn’t take them long to realize that they had jumped from the frying fan into the fire. They were made to have separated churches, with separate services, and separate priests.“ (Roy, 1997:74). Discrimination occurred still, in, perhaps, more religious ways. The mere benefit was they were given a little more food and money (Roy, 1997:74). And finally this became worse when British went back and gave India Independence. The unforeseen thing happened, as they, according to the rule made after British government, were becoming ‘casteless’.
Their lives were worse than they were before converted. This condition was expressed the following quotation: “It was a little like having to sweep away your footprints without a broom. Or worse, not being allowed to leave footprints at all” (Roy, 1997:74).
4. Women Marginality
Besides discrimination based on levels in society, there was another discrimination which was as bad as caste system. In Kerala, man was the boss. This first was expressed nicely in Chacko’s words when he had an argument with Ammu: “Chacko said, ‘what is mine is mine and what is mine is also mine’” (Roy, 1997:57). As the result, Ammu was seemingly intended to be just a housewife.
Papachi insisted that a college education was an unnecessary expense for a girl, so Ammu had no choice but to leave Delhi and move with them. There was very little for young girl to do in Ayemenem other than wait for marriage proposals while she helped her mother with the housework” (Roy, 1997:38).
In terms of property, on the other aspects, women had also no claim for family properties as shown in this expression “legally, this was the case because Ammu, as a daughter, had no claim to the property.” (Roy, 1997:57). Very little did women have right to decide her own children’s family’s name as well: “Though she said that choosing between her husband’s name and her father ‘s name didn’t give a woman much of a choice”(Roy, 1997:37).
addressed his wife. The wife had to respect when she called him, but he might call her disrespectfully. “She referred to her husband as addeham which was the respectful form of ‘he’, whereas her ‘edi’ which was approximately, Hey you!’” (Roy, 1997:270). Ammu was also noticing of this discrimination, but she commented particularly on the tendency of Indian mothers’ behavior to judge their son unjustly: She said “All Indian mothers are obsessed with their son and are therefore poor judges of their abilities” (Roy, 1997:56). Yet, this was only a ‘light’ discrimination for women in Ayemmen, since the more serious cases were discrimination both physically and sexually. Physically and sexually, women were abused in that time. Ammu’s father was used to beat his wife, Mamachi. This was actually, the result of his retirement that brought him more unproductive therefore looked weaker than his wife.
Papachi, for his part, was having trouble coping with the ignominy of retirement. He was seventeen years older than Mamachi, and realized with a shock that he was an old man when his wife was still in her prime (Roy, 1997:47)
For this reason, Papachi abused Mamachi by beating her. “Every night he beat her with a brass flower vase. The beatings weren’t new. What was new was only the frequency with which they took place.” (Roy, 1997:47). On the other case Papachi broke Mammachi’s violin and sent it to the river (Roy, 1997:48). What was more was Mammachi had been accustomed to the beatings. Hence she grieved the death of Papachi. It was not because of her love but more because she was used to him, including his beatings.
slouching around the pickle factory, and was used to being beaten from time to time. (Roy, 1997:50)
Sexually, many Kerala women were also suffered. A Police in his office sexually offended Ammu, for instance.
he stared at Ammu’s breast as he spoke. Then he tapped her breast with his baton. Gently. Tap. Tap. As though he was choosing mangoes from a basket. Pointing out the ones that he wanted packed and delivered. Inspector Thomas Mathew seemed to know whom he could pick on and whom he couldn’t”(Roy, 1997:8)
This shows Ammu’s position before that police, that she was just like a female prostitute, who can be freely disrepected by men, And the police did that deliberately:
So after Sophie Mol’s funeral, when Ammu went to him with the twins to tell him that a mistake had been made and he tapped her breast with his baton, it was not a policeman’s spontaneous brutishness on his part. He knew exactly what he was doing. It was a premeditated gesture, calculated to humiliate and terrorize her.(Roy, 1997:260).
The weeping stopped. Puzzled brown eyes looked into lurid, red- veined, green ones. Over coffeem Mr. Hollick proposed that Baba (Ammu’s Husband) go away for a while. For holiday. To a clinic perhaps, for treatment. For as long as it took him to get better. And for the period of that time that he was away, Mr. Holllick suggested that Ammu be sent to his bunga low to be ‘looked after’” (Roy, 1997: 42)
Female worker in Paradise and Pickles had similar experiences. As said before, Chacko used to flirt them. Although this was against society rule, Chacko’s mother, who without doubt was also a female, appeared to be the supporter of this obscenity. She argued, “‘He can’t help having a Man’s needs’, she said primly” (Roy, 1997: 168). This was her response right after receiving the report about her son inappropriate behavior. Mammachi even gave him way to satisfy his needs,
Mammachi had a separate entrance built for Chacko’s room, which was at the eastern end of the house that the objects of his ‘Needs’ wouldn’t have to go traipsing through the house. She secretly slipped them money to keep them happy (Roy, 1997:169).
A woman helped men to exploit women.
Another cultural view was on the case of married daughters. They would have no position in her parents’ home. This was shown in this quotation: “She (Ammu) subscribe wholeheartedly to the commonly held view that a married daughter had no position in her parent’s home. “ (Roy, 1997: 45)
B. Characters
1. Ammu
Christian family, whose grandfather was a Reverend, a title for a Minister of a Christian church. This means she had a notable ancestor, a Syrian Christian leader (Roy, 1997: 22). Tragically, her mother was married to a man with no Christian characteristics.
Pappachi, for his part, was having trouble coping with the ignominy of retirement. He was seventeen years older than Mammachi, and realized with a shock that he was an old man when his wife was still in her prime time.(Roy, 1997: 47)
This was the beginning of Ammu’s misery childhood. Because of self-pride, Pappachi felt envy for the success of his own wife. Instead of helping her running the factory, especially when Mammachi was almost blind. Pappachi, moreover, had a habit of beating his wife and daughter. Ammu and Mammachi endured physical and emotional pain. The memory was very clear to Ammu about her father’s brutality.
Ammu had Endured cold winter nights in Delhi hiding in the mehndi hedge around their house (in case people from Good Families saw them) because Papppcahi had come back from work out of sorts, and beaten her and Mammachi and driven them out of their home. (Roy, 1997:181)
That was Ammu’s usual life in the past. She was used to persecution her father did. This produced hatred toward her father inside her heart and mind. On one occasion, which was deeply painful for Ammu, Pappachi shred her new lovable shoes right in front of her. (Roy, 1997:181). Such experience combined with having no opportunity to have formal education, had somehow built Ammu’s character as a sharp-tongued woman, toward men particularly. She loved to confront men with her words.
streak that develops in Someone Small who has been bullied all their lives by Someone Big. She did exactly nothing to avoid quarrels and confrontations. In fact, it could be argued the she sought them out, perhaps enjoyed them. (Roy, 1997: 182)
Having this fa mily forced Ammu to have a thought of leaving her house: “Ammu grew desperate. All day she dreamed of escaping from Ayemenem and the clutches of her ill- tempered father and bitter, long suffering mother. She hatched several little plan.” (Roy, 1997:39). This quotation shows us that Ammu was a kind of woman who did not want to submit herself to the situation she was experiencing, if the situation was not bringing her happiness. Her rebellious character came to appear. She then accepted the marriage proposal from a Hindu man in order to escape. She broke the rule not to marry a person of different religion, just to escape from her suffering as a woman and as a daughter.
He proposed to Ammu five days after they first met. Ammu didn’t pretend to be in love with him. She just weighed the odds and accepted. She thought that anything, anyone at all, would be better thatn returning to Ayemenem. She wrote to her parents informing them of her decision. They didn’t reply. (Roy, 1997: 39).
But Ammu eventually ended in divorce. It was later than she found that her husband was “not just a heavy drinker but a full-blown alcoholic” (1997: 40). After divorcing, Ammu desperately went back home, but her father didn’t believe all of her stories, that she was nearly sold by her husband and seduced by her husband’s boss. This strengthens Ammu’s characteristic as a woman who had her own will and would do everything to fulfill that will.
a married daughter had no position in her parents’ home”. (Roy, 1997: 45). However, actually it was Ammu’s characteristic that caused hatred toward her. She was a critic for men’s world. Most of the time she presented herself as a cynical to injustices undergone by women. “Thanks to our wonderful male chauvinist society,” (Roy, 1997:57). This was her hatred of being discriminated as a woman. Chacko himself was sometimes felt uneasy about Ammu’s cynicism. He once said “‘Ammu’, Chacko said, his voice steady and deliberately casual, ‘is it all possible for you to prevent your washed- up cynicism from completely coloring everything?” (Roy, 1997:70).
Ammu loved arguing and being straightforward about her feeling in certain topics. When Mamachi started to boast about Chacko’s cleverness:
Mamachi often said that Chacko was easily one of the cleverest men in India. ‘According to Whom?’ Ammu would say. ‘on what basis?’ Mammachi loved to tell the story (Chacko’s story) of how of the dons at Oxford had said that in his opinion, Chacko was brilliant and made of prime ministerial material.
To this, Ammu always said, ‘ha!ha!ha!’ like people comics “she said :
a. going to oxford didn’t necessarily make a person clever. b. Cleverness didn’t necessarily make a good prime minister
c. If a person couldn’t even run a pickle factory profitably, how was that person going to run a whole country?
And most important of all:
d. All Indian mothers are obsessed with their son and are therefore poor judges of their abilities” (Roy, 1997: 55-56).
when Chacko tried to interrupt her way of disciplining her son, Estha. Another case was when Chacko ordered Ammu to say sorry for her behavior toward Chacko’s ex-wife: “ must we behave like some damn godforsaken tribe that’s just been discovered? Ammu asked. (Roy, 1997:180)
Being sarcastic was also her character. She was sarcastic in responding to Margareth Kochama’s question about whether Indian adult smelled each other’s hands. “‘oh all the time!’ Ammu said, and it came out little louder than the sarcastic mumble that she had intended. ‘that’s how we make babies’” (Roy, 1997:179). Actually, Ammu behaved such this because she felt discomfort, annoyed perhaps, for many hypocrisies and discriminations happening surrounding her. Through the novel we can see her sharp-tongue attitude was activated every time she felt being unfairly treated, or when she saw fake kindness, just like what she underwent in the past, when her father’s double-facedness
In her growing years, Ammu had watched her father weave his hideous web. He was charming and urbane with visitors, and stopped just short of fawning on them if they happened to be white. He donated money to orphanages and leprosy clinics. He worked hard on this public profile as a sophisticated, generous, moral man. But alone with his wife and children he turned into monstrous, suspicious bully, with a streak of a vicious cunning. They were beaten, humiliated and then made to suffer the envy of friends and relations for having such a wonderful husband and father. (Roy, 1997:180)
