ABSTRACT
Taju, Maria Stephani (2012). The Motivation behind Child Abuses in
Brisco’s Ugly. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program,
Department of Language and Arts Education, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, Sanata Dharma University.
This thesis studies child abuses theme from Constance Briscoe’s Ugly. This theme can be relevant to some recurring cases that happen in real life and therefore is expected to reflect and explain the reasons behind this very act. The writer opts to have the kinds of abuses and motivations of the perpetrators of child abuse as the central attention and intends to reveal what can possibly generate their abusive actions toward Clare, the main character in Briscoe’s Ugly.
The problems formulated in this thesis are (1) how Carmen, Eastman and Georgie are described in Briscoe’s Ugly, (2) what kinds of abuses Carmen, Eastman and Georgie have done to Clare and (3) what motivates Carmen, Eastman and Georgie to abuse Clare.
This study applied psychological approach to solve all three problems formulated. The first was solved by the theory of character and characterization in order to reveal Carmen, Eastman and Georgie’s characters in the novel. Meanwhile, the second was solved by the theory of child abuse in which it provides the types of abusive action performed by Carmen, Eastman and Georgie. The last problem was solved by the theory of motivation that, when discussed with the first and second questions, uncover Carmen, Eastman and Georgie’s motivations in performing the abuses.
The result of the study on Carmen, Eastman and Georgie’s characters yields findings that (1) Carmen’s characters are beautiful and stylish, bad-tempered and cruel, unfair, stingy and greedy, and self-centered; (2) Eastman’s characters are fatuous, cruel, stingy, and improper; (3) Georgie’s characters are funny, easy-going, and improper. Those characters are revealed through Murphy’s nine ways of characterization. The second findings explain in detail kinds of abuses performed by Carmen, Eastman and Georgie toward Clare by means of child abuse theory. There are four kinds of abuses performed by the perpetrators, namely physical abuse, psychological abuse, sexual abuse and neglect. The third findings, to answer the third problem, discuss what motivates the perpetrator to act out those abuses. The discussion on the third findings applies the theory of motivation, which divides motivation into intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. The first and the second findings are taken into account to answer the third problem since the intrinsic motivation is closely related to personal behavior and character.
The first suggestion derived from this study is an offer to study Clare’s relationship with her other siblings, or the influence of Miss K’s appearance in Clare’s life development, or the grammatical mistake patterns in Eastman’s direct speech. The second suggestion is an offer of teaching material for Basic Reading II developed from Briscoe’s Ugly’ excerpts.
ABSTRAK
Taju, Maria Stephani (2012). The Motivation behind Child Abuses in
Brisco’s Ugly. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Bahasa Inggris, Jurusan Pendidikan
Bahasa dan Seni, Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Skripsi ini mempelajari tema pelecehan terhadap anak yang diangkat dari novel Ugly karya Constance Briscoe. Tema ini dapat ditemukan dalam kasus yang sering terjadi di kehidupan nyata sehingga diharapkan dapat menjadi cerminan dan menjelaskan alasan dibalik kasus-kasus pelecehan anak. Penulis memilih jenis-jenis pelecehan terhadap anak dan motivasi para pelakunya sebagai pusat pembahasan dalam studi ini, dengan tujuan untuk mengungkapkan hal-hal yang memunculkan tindakan pelecehan terhadap Clare, karakter utama dalam novel Ugly karangan Briscoe.
Rumusan permasalahan dalam skripsi ini adalah (1) bagaimana Carmen, Eastman dan Georgie dideskripsikan dalam novel Ugly karya Briscoe, (2) jenis pelecehan apa saja yang dilakukan Carmen, Eastman dan Georgie terhadap Clare dan (3) apa yang memotivasi Carmen, Eastman dan Georgie untuk melecehkan Clare.
Studi ini mengaplikasikan pendekatan psikologis untuk menjawab ketiga permasalahan yang dirumuskan diatas. Permasalahan pertama dipecahkan dengan teori karakter dan penokohan yang bertujuan untuk menyingkap karakter Carmen, Eastman dan Georgie. Sementara itu, permasalahan kedua dijawab dengan menggunakan teori pelecehan terhadap anak, yang mengupas jenis-jenis pelecehan yang dilakukan oleh Carmen, Eastman dan Georgie. Permasalahan terakhir dipecahkan dengan teori motivasi yang ketika dibahas bersama dengan permasalahan pertama dan kedua dapat mengungkapkan motivasi Carmen, Eastman dan Georgie untuk melakukan pelecehan.
Saran pertama yang dapat dikembangkan dari studi ini adalah tawaran untuk meneliti tentang hubungan Clare dengan saudara-saudaranya, atau pengaruh kemunculan Miss K dalam perkembangan hidup Clare, atau pola kesalahan tata bahasa dalam kalimat langsung yang diucapkan Eastman. Saran kedua adalah materi yang ditawarkan untuk mengajar Basic Reading II yang dikembangkan dari penggalan cerita dalam novel Ugly.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My highest praise and deepest gratitude go to the Almighty God, Jesus
Christ who shows me His miracle over miracle along my life. I am really
thankful for the life He has granted me and for every event that shapes me throughout my life. I also thank Him for my splendid family and friends that He sends me as the best gifts in my days. It is His love that nurtures me to this step when I have chance to finish my undergraduate thesis.
I would like to express the big thank you to my beloved parents, Stefanus
Hendri Taju and Caroline Justine for their unconditional and endless love,
prayer and support, both emotionally and financially in my 23 years of life on earth and up to my future. I thank them for their patience in nurturing me, for their trust in me that I may grow as I am now and for the lessons of life that they implant in me. I owe them so much that I could never have enough to return.
I would like to thank my lovely sisters and brother, Monica Sonia Taju,
Fransisca Sherly Taju and Marcelo Fernando Taju for their company and love
throughout my life, and for the unforgetable memories we create together day by day that crave smile in my heart. Thank you for reminding, supporting and motivating me in finishing my thesis.
and experiences during my study in Sanata Dharma University. They open my gate to the next step of my life. I am so grateful to meet them in my life.
I would like to express my appreciation to all PBI students of the
academic year 2005 for the good time we spent together, especially for Andre,
Ruma, Molen, Panda, Verdi, Bocong, Indro, Mayang, Vita, Bubu, Ari, Antris & Mui. I also express my gratitude to the Spring members: Nancy, Frida, Dian,
Lia, Nita, Andre, Ezra, Fandi, Thomas, Yason & Koko for their sincere
friendship. I would also grant my special thanks to Yason, who has kindly proofread my thesis, Nancy and Marlin for becoming my besties and for Andre, Ruma & Fandi for always reminding me to finish my thesis.
My gratitude also goes to my colleagues in Primagama English for their cooperation and care for me. I thank them for giving me a break from my work to finish my thesis and motivating me while I feel so desperate during its process. I also thanks my SWA 3d friends, Tanti, Hana, kak Oni, Mb Bekti, Redi, Reta,
Nanda, Ida, Menjenk, and Indri (kos Beo) for sharing me part in their days.
Last but not least, my deepest love and gratitude goes to Candra Cahya
Putra, the beautiful curse in my life, who has patiently and faithfully become my
partner in ups and downs. I thank him for his gift of love and care in my life every day and for being there when I needed the most. I also thank him for granting his holidays to accompany me in finishing my thesis.
There are many people whom I cannot mention one by one here, but I am surely indebted to them, lots of thanks, may God bless them all.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
TITLE PAGE ... i
APPROVAL PAGES ... ii
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY ... iv
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS ... . v
PAGE OF DEDICATION ... vi
ABSTRACT ... vii
ABSTRAK ... . viii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ... x
TABLE OF CONTENTS ... xii
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study ... 1
B. Problems Formulation ... 6
C. Objectives of the Study ... 6
D. Benefits of the Study ... 6
E. Definition of Terms ... 8
1. Motivation ... 8
2. Child Abuse ... 8
3. Perpetrator ... 9
CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
A. Review of Related Studies ... 10
B. Review of Related Theories ... 11
1. Critical Approach ... 12
2. Character and Characterization ... 14
a. Character ... 14
1) Definition of Character ... 14
2) Types of Character ... 15
b. Characterization ... 16
3. Child Abuse ... 19
a. Definition of Child Abuse ... 19
b. Kinds of Abuses ... 19
1) Physical Abuse ... 20
2) Psychological Abuse ... 20
3) Sexual Abuse ... 22
4) Neglect ... 23
4. Motivation ... 23
C. Theoretical Framework ... 27
CHAPTER III. METHODOLOGY A. Object of the Study ... 30
C. Method of the Study ... 32
CHAPTER IV. ANALYSIS A. The Figure of Carmen, Eastman and Georgie in Briscoe’s Ugly ... 35
1. Carmen ... 35
a. Beautiful and Stylish ... 36
b. Bad-Tempered and Cruel ... 37
c. Unfair ... 40
d. Stingy and Greedy ... 43
e. Self-centered ... 48
2. Eastman ... 49
a. Fatuous ... 50
b. Cruel ... 51
c. Stingy ... 52
d. Improper ... 53
3. Georgie ... 54
a. Funny ... 55
b. Easy Going ... 55
c. Improper ... 56
B. Kinds of Abuses Performed by Carmen, Eastman, and Georgie toward Clare in Briscoe’s Ugly ... 57
1. Physical Abuse ... 58
3. Sexual Abuse ... 67
4. Neglect ... 69
C. Carmen, Eastman, and Georgie’s Motivations to Perform Abusive Behavior toward Clare ... 71
1. Carmen’s Motivation to Abuse Clare ... 72
a. Extrinsic Motivation or Social Motives ... 72
1) To Teach and Punish Clare ... 73
2) To Express Anger and Dislike ... 75
3) To Show Her Power in the House ... 77
b. Instrinsic Motivation or Primary Motives ... 80
2. Eastman’s Motivation to Abuse Clare ... 81
a. Extrinsic Motivation or Social Motives ... 81
1) To Get Carmen’s Attention ... 81
2) To Express Hate and Anger ... 83
b. Instrinsic Motivation or Primary Motives ... 83
3. Georgie’s Motivation to Abuse Clare ... 85
b. Instrinsic Motivation or Primary Motives ... 85
1) To Have Fun ... 86
CHAPTER V. CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS, AND SUGGESTIONS A. Conclusions... ... 88
B. Implications... ... 91
REFERENCES...94 APPENDICES
Appendix A: The Summary ofBriscoe’s Ugly ... 99 Appendix B: Biography of Constance Briscoe ... 102 Appendix C: Lesson Plan ... 104 Appendix D: The Implementation of the Excerpts
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Chapter 1 provides orientation to the selected topic of this study, the motivations behind child abuses in Ugly. This chapter comprises of background of the study, problem formulation, objectives of the study, benefits of the study, and definition of terms. The background of the study provides a general background regarding the topic and the basic reasoning behind the writing of this thesis. The problem formulation states the main problems of this study. The objectives of the study aim to answer the questions stated in Problem Formulation. The section ‘benefits of the study’ explains the advantages and importance of this study. Finally, the Definition of Terms provides explanation about some of the important terms used in the study.
A. Background of the Study
This is indeed true for most people because as children, their parents would tackle all life challenges for them, including all their needs and problems. Whenever they, as children, want something, a toy, for example, they could just ask their parents to buy it for them. If their parents refused, they would only need to cry and sulk a little bit, and then, voila! There comes the toy. Truly, having doting parents is a great blessing for any child.
Yet, not everyone is this lucky, and not all children have doting parents. In fact, there are also those who are suffering from parental torture and abuse on a daily basis. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration on Children Youth & Families (1959-2012) conducted research on child abuse, resulting in the shocking statistics: In 2007, approximately 5.8 million children were involved in an estimated 3.2 million child abuse reports and allegations (http://www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_policies/statutes/define.cfm). In the same report, it is also mentioned that a report of child abuse is in fact made every 10 seconds. For many of the children in the report, not even their basic needs are fulfilled by their parents, they will never be able to ask for anything they like. If they dared to ask, they would probably just get a beating or scolding.
Many things can cause these parental abuses. It can be because of poor family economy, the lack in education on the parents’ side, the emotional stresses the parents are in, or due to a cruel cultural trait inherited from their own parents, et cetera.
parents feel disturbed or annoyed by their own child, or when they were not satisfied by the achievements of their children or when they feel depressed by the burden they have as parents. One common example of child abuse in a family setting is beating done by parents whenever their children are naughty or annoying. It could happen when children want something that their parents cannot/willnot fulfill, for whatever reasons (sometimes for good reasons), and these children keep on pestering, the children could sometimes be beaten as a result.
At a school setting, the abuse is generally done by teachers. From my experiences of being student, some teachers believe that threatening their students is a good way to gain respect and to get their students to focus. It is true that it sometimes works, but on a long-term basis, it could only bring harm to the child’s later life. In some schools, certain abusive techniques are considered normal teaching methods. In these schools, teachers who are emotional could very easily lose patience and freely abuse their students. For example, in one junior high school in Indonesia, their strict rules come with physical punishment. Teachers there are charged to keep the rules and give punishments. Whenever they find the students breaking rules, they will be the police to execute physical punishments. The children would usually obey the rules out of fear of the physical punishment because if they are careless, they will receive abuse nicknamed “physical punishment”.
is good, just like the example of the abusive punishments given out in the school setting described above. Teachers perform abusive punishments because they want students to be disciplined. In the family setting, parents beat their children in order to teach them not to be naughty. It is interesting how people could abuse their children for good reasons and how they will then be considered as bad and abusive by the children who receive the abuse. Since the motivation in this sort of case is positive, the writer considered it as being a positive-motivated abuse. On the other hand, there are also abuses driven by negative motivations, for example, for perverted sexual reasons. This negative kind of abuse is often highly egocentric on the parents’ side. The abuses done on negative motivations could be done as an emotional expression to hurt someone or to take advantages from them.
Thus, the writer would like to analyze the motivations behind abuses in Ugly in order that it would enrich the writer’s knowledge regarding both positive-motivated and negative-positive-motivated abuses and to further understand the paradigm of people performing abuses.
into a living word; in some respects resembling in the world we live in, but with an individuality of its own” (p.163).
The novel, Ugly, is an autobiography written by Constance Briscoe, revealing her own childhood experience with child abuses. It is given the title Ugly as a reflection of the great suffering in author’s childhood, and especially due to her mother calling her ‘ugly’, despite of having a nicer nick name ‘Clare/Clarie’. The unfairness and abuse indeed began with this epithet naming. What was her mother’s motive in calling Clare ‘ugly’, while Clare’s siblings were given better epithet? Clare’s mother seemed to really hate her and felt sorry to have ever delivered her to earth. The motives of this abuse prompted the writer to further analyze and write a thesis on the novel.
Clare – nickname of Constance Briscoe, the main character as well as the writer of the novel – experienced an extremely hard childhood. She is a victim of several types of child abuses. It is given to her not only by one person, but also by several other people who are close to her. She is abused and abandoned by her only mother, and sexually and physically abused by her stepfather and a close friend of her family – and the many kinds of abuses strangles her childhood. Among her siblings, she is the only one who experienced the abuses. The question is why is she the only child who is abused by these three people?
Clare in her childhood. This is a very sad and harrowing novel, but it would tell the sour truth of life.
B. Problem Formulation
In order to study the novel thoroughly – and based on the preceding orientation - three problems are formulated as follows:
1. How are Carmen, Eastman, and Georgie Porgie described in Briscoe’s Ugly? 2. What kinds of abuses have Carmen, Eastman, and Georgie Porgie done to
Clare?
3. What motivates Carmen, Eastman, and Georgie Porgie to abuse Clare?
C. Objectives of the Study
The goal of this study is to understand the motivations behind child abuse in the novel Ugly. This can be done by answering the three problems formulated above. The first will describe the characters of the perpetrators. The second will uncover the kinds of abuses done by the described perpetrators. The first and second problems will lead to the answers to the third problem, the reasons behind the abusive acts done by the perpetrators.
D. Benefits of the Study
Personally, by analyzing and discussing this topic, the writer hopes to understand better the motivations of people doing abusive acts towards children. In the future, when the writer becomes a parent and a teacher, the writer can then be more careful in taking any actions towards her pupils and children, and the writer can also better reflect and evaluate her own actions as to avoid unaware and/or unintentional child abuse.
For English Education teacher trainees specifically, and all teachers generally, the writer hopes this study will help them to be more sensitive and wise to differentiate a teaching method from an abusive method. By understanding the motivations behind the abuse, a teacher could give appropriate positive help to students if any abusive actions happened to them. If possible, the teacher can act as a bridge between abusive parents and their children, as showed in this novel.
Since many child abuses take place every day, the writer do hope more people who are working on projects to help child abuse can benefit from this study. By further understanding the motivations behind an abuse, they can better understand the perpetrators and find better approaches convince perpetrators to minimize the child abuse.
E. Definition of Terms
1. Motivation
According to Murray (1964), motivation is a desire (p.7). Motivation in
Huffman, Vernoy and Vernoy’s Psychology in Action (1997) refers to “factors within an individual (such as needs, desires, and interests) that activate, maintain, and direct behavior toward a goal” (p.364).
In this study, the term “motivation” means reasons or causes that drive Carmen, Eastman, and Georgie Porgie to abuse Clare.
2. Child Abuse
Wilson et al (1996) mention child abuse as physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and/or neglect directed against a child (p.551). The term is explained further by The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), (1959-2012), describing abuse to mean any recent acts or failures to act on the part of a parent or caretaker, which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, or exploitation, or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm (http://www.childhelp.org/pages/statistics).
In this study the concept of child abuse is the combination of all those explanations given above. Child abuse means any abusive treatments, both physically and mentally, for whatever any reasons, done towards Clare during her childhood.
3. Perpetrator
Based on West's Encyclopedia of American Law (2008), perpetrator is a term commonly used by law enforcement officers to designate a person who actually commits a crime. So, in this study, which is focused on child abuse, the word perpetrator is used specifically to refer to a person who performs any abusive acts toward Clare as described in the novel.
4. Character
Abrams (1981) described character as an imagined person who inhabits a story and it shows a distinctive type of person (p.20). In addition, Rohberger and Woods Jr. (1971) define character as a person who involves and acts out in a story in a particular time and place (p.20 – p.21).
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
The foundations for answering the research questions, amassed from books and journals, researches and theories, are reviewed in this chapter. This chapter is divided into three sections: review of related theories, review of related studies, and theoretical framework. Review of related theories consists of four parts: critical approach, character and characterization, child abuse and theory of motivation. Review of related studies describes some researchers conducted on the same topic or on the same novel. Meanwhile, the theoretical framework explains the contributions that the reviewed theories make in solving the problems of this study.
A. Review of Related Studies
Another research on Ugly was conducted by Fibrianingsih (2010) in her thesis entitled Clare’s Struggle for a Better Life as Seen in Constance Briscoe’s Ugly. This thesis mainly discusses the struggles of the main character in her hard life. The researcher discusses Clare’s motivation more than the abuse itself. She discusses Clare’s description and her struggle for a better life (p.28 – p.71). There is a short discussion about the child abuse when she reviews ‘The Causes of Clare’s Struggle’, especially in ‘Her Family Life’ section.
Quite in opposition to the two previous studies, this study will discuss and analyze the perpetrators more. There will be greater concern on the perpetrators instead of on the victim, as it is essential to first understand the perpetrators in order to understand the abuse and the reasons behind the abuse.
B. Review of Related Theories
1. Critical Approach
In analyzing a literary work, a novel for instance, we could use certain approaches as basis in understanding the literary work, and furthermore help to make the analysis clear and understandable.
Rohrberger and Woods Jr., in Reading and Writing about Literature (1971) said that in order to understand and apprehend the aesthetic values of literary work, the critical approach should be applied (p.3). The critical approach is divided into five approaches to analyze a work of literature. Those are “formalist approach, biographical approach, sociocultural-historical approach, mythopoeic approach, psychological approach” (p.6).
The first one is the formalist approach, “this approach concerns with demonstrating the harmonious involvement of all the parts to the whole and with pointing out how meaning is derived from structure and how matters of technique determine structure” (p.6). The formalist approach focuses on examining the object to the literary study itself and the beauty of art in it.
The third one is the sociocultural-historical approach, “it investigates the social milieu in which a work was created and which it necessarily reflects” (p.9). It emphasizes the use of historical and socio-cultural knowledge in examining literary works. It insists that the only way to understand a work is to refer to the civilization in which the attitudes and actions of a specific group of people is the subject matter. Literary works can therefore be a portrait of events at a certain moment in time.
The fourth one is the mythopoeic approach, “it seeks to discover certain universally recurrent pattern of human thought, which they believe find expression in significant works of art” (p.11). The universally recurrent patterns are those that found first expression in ancient myths and folk rites. Those are very basic to human thought that they have meaning to all men. They are often related to death and rebirth, guilt and sacrifices, primitive rites, and theological aspect of Christian doctrine, which are found in the ancient myth and folk rites. Through this approach, the mystical relationship in a story can be explained.
The last one is psychological approach. It involves the effort to locate and to demonstrate certain recurrent patterns. It draws on a different body of knowledge, “one of the most powerful of the conflicts arising from the interplay of parts of the personality occurs early in childhood” (p.13). This approach uses psychological theories to explain human motivation, personality, and behavior patterns written in literary objects.
underlying the characters’ action. Those three elements are subordinate to the psychology field.
2. Character and Characterization
a. Character
1) Definition of Character
Character is the most important part of a story, besides its plot and setting. Without character, there will be no story because stories are made to tell a tale of the character. Character is a reflection of a human individual in real life. In some novels which are autobiographies, the characters in the story actually exist in real life because the story is based on an actual person’s past experience.
Abrams in his book entitled A Glossary of Literary Term (1993) clarifies that characters are the people in a dramatic or narrative work, interpreted by the readers as being endowed with moral and dispositional qualities that are expressed in what they say and by what they do (p.20). By reading the descriptions, reader will be able to imagine and interpret the character(s) written by the author.
In addition, Rohberger and Woods Jr. (1971) define character as a person who involves and acts out in a story in a particular time and place (p.20 – p.21). It restricts the values of a character by means of certain time and place.
2) Types of Character
There are several theories that can be taken into consideration to understand types of characters. Henkle (1977) mentions that according to the role the characters serve in the story, they could be divided into major and minor or secondary character (p.87 – p.89). Major characters play most of the role in the story. They absorb the fullest attention due to the dramatizations of the human issues within the story that are laid on them. Meanwhile, the minor or secondary characters have limited function in the story. They only appear to populate the story world to make it more real.
Abrams (1993) shares the same idea with Henkle, stating that the major or main characters become the focus of the events from the beginning to the ending parts. While secondary or minor characters appear in a certain setting and become the background for the major characters. Their roles in a story are just to support the development of the main character (p.50 – p.56).
Besides major and minor characters, characters can also be categorized as “protagonist” and “antagonist”. According to Altenbernd and Lewis (1966) in A Handbook of the Study of Fiction, the “protagonist character” is the ideal manifestation of norms and values that the readers admire. While, the “antagonist character” is defined as character that creates or causes conflict. In some stories, the antagonist is opposed to the protagonist directly or indirectly, mentally or physically (p.59).
development, characters in a story are relatively flat or round (p.69). This idea is supported by Foster (1974) adding that flat character is also called static character and round character is also called dynamic character (p.53 – p.54). He explains the difference between those two based on whether or not those characters are being developed in the story.
A flat or static character is the same sort of person at the end of the story as him or she is at the beginning. This type of character tends to stay the same throughout the story because only some traits of character are exaggerated. The other aspects or traits are barely paid attention to. It represents a simpler character and hardly ever has the element of surprise.
Using round or dynamic characters is perfect for the authors to present a character in its wholeness and in its different aspects. This kind of character often changes because it tends to react differently towards different situations and/or people encountered.
In this study, character and its type: major or minor character, protagonist or antagonist character, flat or round character, are employed to analyze how Carmen, Eastman, and Georgie Porgie serves as characters in Brisco’s Ugly.
b. Characterization
M.J. Murphy in Understanding Unseens (1972) describes nine ways to reveal the characterization of the characters which was made in attempts to be understandable and alive for the reader (p.161 – p.173). Those nine ways are as follows:
1) Personal Description
The author can describe the character from his appearance and clothes (p.161). The easiest way to judge a person is through his/her appearance. The way they look can tell a lot about their identity. For example: when the author says that the character wears a uniform and brings a backpack, we can easily conclude that the character is a student.
2) Characters as Seen by Another Character
The author can describe a character by using the other characters’ opinion. Instead of describing a character directly, the author can describe him through the eyes and opinions of another (p.162). The encounters between one character and other characters will open a chance for the other character to explain and judge the characteristics of a character.
3) Speech
4) Past life
The author can give the readers clue to events that have helped to shape a person’s character by telling something from the person’s past life. This can be done by direct comment by the author through the person’s thought in his conversation or through the medium of another person (p.166).
5) Conversation of Other Characters
People talk about other people and the things they say often give readers clue to the character of the person talked about (p.167). Conversation of other characters usually takes place in a condition when the character discussed is unaware of the conversation. In this condition, the conversation of others can be a trustworthy source of information regarding the personality of the character.
6) Reaction
The way a person responds to something helps the reader to see his/her real character. The author gives clues by letting the readers know how the character in the story reacts to various situations and events.
7) Direct Comment
It is possible for the author to describe or comment on a person’s character in the story directly (p.170). From this comment or description, the readers can understand the character better.
8) Thoughts
privileged position; he has, as it were, a secret listening device plugged into the inmost thoughts of a person in a novel (p.171).
9) Mannerism
The author can describe a person’s manners or habits to tell the reader something about his/her character (p.173). In this case, the author can reveal the both positive and negative habits of a character. This is to describe the character’s customs and his/her social behavior.
3. Child Abuse
a. Definition of Child Abuse
As had been mentioned in the definition of terms, abuse means any recent acts or failures to act on the part of a parent or caretaker, which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, or exploitation, or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm (http://www.childhelp.org/pages/statistics). In cases of child abuse, three main factors are taken into account: the kinds of abuse, the perpetrators, and the perpetrators’ motives. Theory of abuse is needed to describe the kinds of abuses, the perpetrators and the possible motives of abuse. In this study, this theory is needed to identify and categorize the kinds of abuse which happened to Clare.
b. Kinds of Abuses
Wilson, Terence, Nathan, O’Leary, and Clark (1996) add ‘neglect’ as one type of child abuse (p.551). The following are explanations of each kind of abuse.
1) Physical Abuse
Wolfe states that physical abuse refers to non-accidental injuries that result from the violent behavior of caretakers, which 60% of them are women (as cited in Wilson et al, 1996, p.551). Physical abuses often leave scars. Therefore it is the most obvious abuse, which can be detected and observed. According to Pritchard Colin (2004) there are many forms of physical abuse, such as “frequent or severe hitting, slapping, beating, shaking, punching, kicking” (p.12).
In some cases of abuse, discipline is often used as the reason to give punishment. The punishment which are physical in nature or which limits the space for one to move or develop one’s body can be categorized as physical abuse. Abusive punishments can be categorized as physical abuse because they are not aimed at disciplining children, but more to creating trauma. The traumatic experience the victim experiences will leave an indelible memory. Therefore, physical abuse is usually closely related to psychological abuse.
2) Psychological Abuse
process of a child; these include intelligence, memory, recognition, perception, attention and moral development (as cited in Pritchard, 2004, p.15).
Psychological abuse is difficult to observe because it is related to the emotions inside. It cannot be seen physically, but sometimes it is closely related to physical abuse, especially when the physical abuse creates a lasting trauma on the victim. Since one’s emotion is very personal, the effect of emotional abuse is hard to detect. It can, however, be detected if the victim shares or demonstrates behavioral problems such as anger, depression or maladjustment.
Crosson & Tower (2008) mention some treatments which can be categorized as psychological abuse: “Threats to injure or kill; constant sneering/sarcasm or belittling; throwing away or destroying toys; forbidden to speak or play; scapegoating; favoritism to siblings; locked in room or confined space” (p.12).
world is hostile and unsafe. It can make the children afraid and even traumatize them. Ignoring is a physical behavior which can make the child feel desperate because of parents’ lack of love. It can happen when the adult blocks the child from having prompt, stifling emotional growth and intellectual development. Corrupting is when the adult encourages the child to connect in destructive and antisocial behavior, reinforces defiance and makes the child insusceptible for normal social experience.
Psychologically, this abuse implies rejection or in some manners impedes the development of a child’s positive self-concept. There are some factors which can be the roots of psychological maltreatment. Psychological abuse is difficult to prove or document and thus may go unnoticed because there are many factors, which can influence this abuse.
3) Sexual Abuse
Wolfe defines sexual abuse as sexual activity imposed or forced on a child, and in some cases, also involves emotional abuse (as cited in Wilson et al, 1996, p.554). Crosson and Tower (2008) state “sexual abuse refers to the use of a child for the sexual gratification of an adult” (p.124).
Furthermore, Pritchard Colin (2004) explains that there are two types of sexual abuse. They are familial abuse and extra-familial abuse. First is intra-familial abuse, “it is sexual abuse by a blood relative” (p.124). Here, the perpetrators are part of the child’s nuclear family. It may also encompass members of a child’s extended family such as uncles, aunts, grandfathers, and cousins. The second type is extra-familial abuse. Extra-familial abuse is done by someone outside the child’s family.
4) Neglect
Wilson et al (1996) say that neglect is an inadequate supervision and lack of attention to the physical and emotional needs of the child (p.556). In other words, it is a failure of the caregiver or the parents to provide minimal care and support for the child. Unfortunately, neglect is the most frequent form of child abuse in most child abuse cases.
4. Motivation
person to do something to achieve a certain goal. It is seen as an internal factor that “moves” human beings and animals toward the goal to be achieved. Motivation makes a human being behave in a specific behavior, drives them to maintain their efforts and prevents them from losing their way in the process of achieving their goal.
According to Worchel and Shebilske (1989), “Psychologists have used the term motive to describe the condition that energizes and directs the behavior of organism” (p.373). Research in motivation attemps to answer the ‘why’ and ‘what causes’ questions about human and animal behavior. According to Murray (1964), “motivation is desire” (p.7). Motivation is intrinsic in all kinds of behavior: learning, performing, perceiving, attending, remembering, forgetting, thinking, creating, and feeling. Motivation affects someone’s behavior because motivation may function as an incentive for someone to behave in a certain manner. That is why motivation always influences someone’s behavior.
Human behavior is driven by many different motives. Worchel and Shebilske (1989) place motives into two groups: first, primary motives, “which concern our biological needs, such as hunger, thirst, sexual desire, etc; these motives are usually unlearned, common to all animals, and vital for the survival of the organism or the species” (p.374). Second, social motives, “the motives that come from learning and social interaction, includes the needs for affiliation, aggression, and achievement” (p.374).
theories (including incentive theory and cognitive theory). Worchel and Shebilske (1989) defined incentive as “an external stimulus that has the capacity to motivate behavior” (p.376). Incentive theory states that behaviors are not only motivated and determined by internal needs, but also external events such as reinforcement.
In relation to Worchel and Shebilske’s theory, Huffman, et al (1997) states that there are two kinds of motivation, namely intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation is “the desire to perform an act for its own sake. Motivation is derived from the satisfaction arising out the behavior itself” (p.377). Whereas extrinsic motivation is “the desire to perform an act because of external rewards or avoidance of punishment. Motivation is not inherent in the behavior itself” (p.377).
The word “behavior” is repeatedly mentioned when discussing motivations. A person’s specific behavior is a revelation of his/her motivation. This is why we need to discuss behavior when discussing motivation. Carlson (1994) states that there are eight types of behavior (p.256 – p.258). They are sleep behavior, reproductive behavior, ingestive behavior, learning behavior, verbal behavior, mental disorder behavior, emotional behavior, and aggressive behavior. In this study, we only need to discuss verbal behavior, emotional behavior and aggressive behavior.
increases stimulus on him/her. Then we expect him/her to behave in a particular way and engage with the communication that we create. Verbal behaviors consist of talking, understanding speech, reading, and writing.
Emotional behavior is behavior that is caused by emotional feelings. Carlson (1994) says that emotion is related to behavior, because emotion influences someone’s behavior (p.257). The behavior that is influenced by emotion functions as a response to someone’s emotion. Most people have argued that emotion is simply another term for motivation. According to Buck, although motivation and emotion may be related, but they are not the same thing. He defines motivation as arousal or energy that directs behavior (as cited in Worchel and Shebilske, 1989, p.417).
Berkowitz (1995) says that “aggressive behavior usually has some purposes that want to be obtained. The purpose is useful for the present and the future situation for the aggressor” (p.412).
Abusive behaviors can be considered as aggressive behavior in that they are similar aim to cause harm to the victim. Crosson and Tower (2008) states, “the cause of physical abuse can be categorized in three. They are the psychodynamic or character-trait models, the interactional models, and the environmental/ sociological/ culturally based models” (p.97). The first is the psychodynamic or character-trait models; this model of abuse attributes the abuse to characteristics of the abusive parents. The second is the interactional models. It considers how the interactions between the victim and the perpetrator or the dynamics within the family may give rise to an abusive situation. The third is the environmental/ sociological/ culturally based models, which focuses on the part that the milieu, and stressors within the milieu, plays in the abuse.
Theory of motivation is needed in this study to analyze the reasons why Carmen, Eastman, and Georgie Porgie perform the abusive acts toward Clare.
C. Theoretical Framework
preceding chapter. Due to the complexity and breadth of the psychological approach, it may overlap other fields of study.
The theory of character and characterization are aimed to help the writer to assess the characters in the novel in accordance to the way we analyze the people in our real life. This will assist the writer to dig deeper into the analysis of each character based on every theory reviewed, and not simply only from shallow stereotyping. One thing to bear in mind is that because every character, as it is with every individual in real life, is a complex entity, the theories could not guarantee a perfect analysis on each character. Nevertheless, these theories present the most reliable way to create the closest analysis on each character, thus enabling the writer to answer the first problem.
The main topics of this study – abuse and its underlying motivations – will be analyzed as a compound. Starting from the abuse, which is divided into physical abuse, psychological abuse, sexual abuse and neglect, and then on to the study of motivations which has a deeper relationship with kinds of behaviors, including aggressive behavior, which is closely related to abuse. The abuse is studied from its motivation point of view and vice versa. Hence, theories from Crosson and Tower, Wilson, and Colin that explain the definition and kinds of abuse will be taken into consideration in answering the second problem.
theory of behavior as part of motivation will compose the rationale of the motivation of the abusive behavior. In addition to that, Spear et al’s theory of aggressive behavior as part of motivation and Crosson and Tower’s theory of physical abuse causes will clearly develop the analysis of the novel.
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
This chapter serves as the basis for the protocol taken by the writer in conducting her study, which can be divided into three parts. The first part is object of the study. It describes the novel Ugly and provides the synopsis of the novel in correlation with the focus of the study. The second part is the approach of the study. It describes the approach that is used to address the study. The third part is the method of the study. It explains the steps used in conducting an analysis on the novel.
A. Object of the Study
Ugly, a novel written by Constance Briscoe, is the object of this thesis. Written as the autobiography of Briscoe’s early life, Briscoe dedicated the novel to her childhood teacher, Miss K. This novel consists of 433 pages, which is divided into 25 chapters. It was first published in Great Britain in 2006 by Hodder and Stoughton.
Clare’s family is quite rich because George wins the pools and invests the money into rented houses. Carmen and the children moves from house to house. Some of the houses are really nice, with three stories and a large garden. After the separation of Carmen and George, George allows Carmen to collect rent money from some of the houses. This money is supposed to be enough to fulfill the daily needs of Carmen’s family.
Although living in that sort of proper life, the family itself is not fine at all. Carmen treats Clare badly, unlike the way she treated Clare’s siblings, especially after George left the family. Clare never gets any new things; everything she received is handed-downs from her sisters. Her mother often treats her as a housemaid. She is always beaten and scolded. Clare receives both emotional and physical abuse from Carmen. Things go worse for Clare after Eastman moves into their house. Clare would then be abused not only by her mother, but also by Eastman. In her narration, Briscoe tells of her gloomy childhood and reveals the maltreatment she gets from her mother and stepfather.
B. Approach of the Study
The purpose of the study is to find out the motivations behind the child abuse by Carmen, Eastman, and Georgie towards Clare. To achieve this purpose, some approaches to child abuse and its motivation are provided. Since this study deals with literary work, critical approach is required. Rohrberger and Woods, Jr. (1971) propose five kinds of critical approach; they are the formalist approach, the biographical approach, the socio cultural–historical approach, the mythopeic approach, and the psychological approach (p.6 – p.15). In this study, Psychological approach is chosen to answer the problems, because it focuses on personal matter, personal reasons and motivations.
Furthermore, this psychological approach would dig out Carmen’s, Eastman’s, and Georgie’s personalities by means of looking into their thoughts, actions and behaviors. The answer to the first research question would help in answering the second and the third research questions. Psychology is expected to uncover the hidden motives of the abusive acts performed by a one of the three perpetrators.
C. Method of the Study
secondary sources were any related reading materials which were used to analyze the novel.
The initial procedure was done by a careful reading of the novel, surfing through information and taking important notes which can be used as reliable references to analyze the novel. Because the topic of the study is the motives of child abuse, the writer searched for sources which are related to child abuse and motivation to help the writer get a better understanding of the topic and the novel.
The writer worked step by step in finishing the thesis. The steps were as follows. First, the writer read summaries of several novels before deciding which novel to analyze. The writer then read the selected novel several times to gain better and deeper understanding of the novel. After that, the writer decided on a suitable research topic, which was inspired from her main points of interest in the novel. Having decided the topic, the writer consulted with the thesis supervisor in order to discuss the validity of the topic. Once it was approved, the writer started working on the first chapter to formulate the problem formulations. These problem formulations would guide the analysis of the novel.
her exposing her experiences being abused as a child on Mail Online and Times Online.
After gaining more understanding regarding the topic and the novel, the writer then applied the reviewed literature and discussed the novel using the formulated problems.
CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
This fourth chapter presents the analysis that is necessary to answer the problem formulations mentioned in the first chapter. This chapter will elaborate on the descriptions of Carmen, Eastman, and Georgie in Ugly novel. This chapter will also review the kinds of abusive acts that were performed by Carmen, Eastman, and Georgie as written in the novel. The elaboration on both the perpetrators and the abuse will be the basis for further analysis on the motivations behind the abuse done by those three characters toward Clare.
A.The Figure of Carmen, Eastman, and Georgie in Briscoe’s Ugly
1. Carmen
Carmen is one of the major characters in the novel. Henkle (1977) explains that a major character is the character that plays most of the role in the story (p.87). Carmen plays big role in influencing the personality development of the main character, Clare. As Clare’s mother, she has control toward Clare’s childhood. Her abusive acts make up the most important element that builds the novel, Ugly.
simply hate Carmen and define her as a bad person in the novel. Carmen plays a static character from the beginning to the end of the novel. Foster (1974) defines flat or static character as the same sort of person at the end of the story as he or she at the beginning (p.53). Carmen constantly creates conflicts with Clare from the beginning to the end of the story.
To get better understanding of Carmen’s characters, the characterization theory should be applied in analyzing Carmen in the novel. Murphy (1972) describes nine ways to reveal the characterization of the characters which were made in attempts to be understandable and alive for the reader (p.161). The following are Carmen’s characterization reviewed through Murphy’s nine ways of characterization:
a. Beautiful and Stylish
In Murphy’s ways of characterization (1972), studying other characters’ opinion is one way to analyze a character (p.162). When describing her family, Clare describes Carmen as a beautiful Jamaican woman, “Carmen, my mother. George called her Carmel. She has a very slim figure and was stunningly beautiful. She looked more like a film star than a mother. Her skin was coffee-coloured.” (Briscoe, p.8; ch.1).
own appearance. It can be concluded that she enjoys looking at herself and admiring her own beauty.
She considers her style and fashion as the most important points to enhance her beauty. One of Murphy’s ways of characterization is personal description (1972), judging the character from his/her appearance (p.161). It can be seen from Clare’s explanation about Carmen. She mentions how stylish Carmen is, “My mother had a lot of pretty dresses for herself – they had bright patterns on them, particularly roses. She had exquisite dresses for every occasion.” (Briscoe, p.12; ch.1)
b. Bad-Tempered and Cruel
Carmen has a very bad-tempered. She can easily get angry because of the smallest mistake. When she is not in good mood, she can get mad at the simplest things. Take, for example, her treatment towards Bem. Bem is a lodger in Carmen’s house. He is an old man whom George and Carmen have known in Jamaica and he knows everything that is going on in Briscoe’s family. It is said that, “He witnessed Carmen’s treatment to Clare and her fights with George” (Briscoe, p.10; ch.1). He is often in the middle of Carmen’s and George’s fight but he does not take side.
Bem had to suffer Carmen’s temper, even though he did nothing bad against Carmen. Carmen’s reaction towards Bem’s not taking sides reveals her character as analyzed through one of Murphy’s way of characterization (1972), reaction (p.168).
After Bem leaves the house, Carmen’s treatment to Clare becomes worse and worse. Briscoe writes, “Once we were not living with them and Bem, my mother was on her worst behaviour. She would shout at me all the time and punch and beat me for any no-good reason. Her temper got shorter and shorter.” (Briscoe, p.45; ch.3)
Carmen has a problem in controlling her emotion. She has to express it out in a bad and cruel way towards whoever is close to her. In Murphy’s ways of characterization (1972), mannerism can be applied to describe a character (p.173). Carmen’s bad-tempered is shown when she is frustrated with taking care of her children, and she usually expresses her emotional outbursts to Clare and to her husband.
My mother now had twins and she directed her anger and frustration toward us. Whereas before she would shout and argue with my father, she now shouted at us, punching me in the back more often than usual, each time I went past. (Briscoe, p.31; ch.2)
his children and Carmen in a nice way. He does not do anything wrong, but Carmen does not like him bringing only two chickens, so she gets angry and throws the chickens back at George, “You come here and the best you can do is bring two dead chickens. What do you expect me to do with two dead chickens?” (Briscoe, p.18; ch.2)
Carmen gets very angry because she expects something better from George and she cannot appreciate what is given. George tells her to behave, ignores her and starts to sing. This infuriates Carmen and drives her to be even crueler.
‘La de bloody da,’ she said, and lunged at him. He fell backwards on top of me, and when I tried to help him up, his stomach was covered in blood and there was blood all over my pretty dress.
‘You want dead? You want dead this day?’ She said, and raised the pair of scissors above her head again. (Briscoe, p.18 – p.19; ch.2)
Her attitude is twice cruel with Clare. One of her idea to help Clare to not wet herself at night is by not letting her have dinner.
When I asked my mother where my dinner was, she said that if I were to eat it, it would go through too quickly and I would wet the bed. She then picked up my orange juice and drank it in one go. Then she put the empty glass back down on the table in front of me. ‘You’ll have a dry night tonight,’ she said. (Briscoe, p.49; ch.3)
has tried to obey her commands. One time, she also goes to Clare’s room and asks her to remove her clothes.
I thought I was safe, but then my mother burst in, and said that I was not allowed to sleep with clothes on because I would only make them wet. She grabbed hold on me and removed my clothes. Then she shouted, ‘Pauline, Patsy, Carl – come quick! Come, see your sister. See how she’s naked – have a look.’
...
My mother then doubled her fist and punched me in the stomach and on my upper thigh. (Briscoe, p.49 – p.50; ch.3)
It is clear to George and the children that Carmen has a bad-tempered; that is why they do not want to be around her when she is not in a good mood. After the big fight, it is explained that George does not start visiting the house again until September. He is careful to keep his distance from Carmen and stays outside (Briscoe, p.19 – p.20; ch.2).
c. Unfair
her treatment of me. They did not get the unkind words I got, or have their nipples pinched, and they were not beaten or punched.” (Briscoe, p.12; ch.1).
Carmen’s unfair treatment towards Clare can be seen in one Christmas event when there are gifts to share from parents to children. George, Clare’s father, brings new shoes and pencil cases to all his children. All accepted the same gift, which expresses his fairness towards his children. On the other hand, As Carmen gives Pauline and Patsy, Clare’s older sisters, identical new sewing machines for each of them; she only gives Clare her old black doll and her old spinning top which are wrapped in a paper.
I opened the other present, which was my spinning top. I think I was five when I first got it as a present. ‘Thanks, Mummy,’ Everyone opened their presents. At least I’d got Dollie back. I was not too bothered about my spinning top, but Dollie had a nice dress – yellow gingham with wavy lace around the neck and white knickers. Her knickers were a bit grubby after all these years, but a good wash would sort her out. (Briscoe, p.60 – p.61; ch.4)
For clothing, Clare always gets the cast-off clothes from her sisters. Carmen has never used any of her money for Clare’s clothing.
They were bought new dresses, but I had only hand-me-downs, third-hand from Pauline and Patsy. My mother had piles and piles of hand-me-downs, in plastic bags, ready to pass on to me. I was never the first to open the bag and try on a dress. (Briscoe, p.12; ch.1)
cannot remember a single other occasion when she goes shopping with her mother for new clothes (p.92).
As my sisters tried on their new uniform my mother never invited me to try on my new cloth. When I asked her if I too was entitled to a new blazer, she said that I could wear Pauline’s or Patsy’s because both of them were a year or two old and had a few more good year’s use. (Briscoe, p.92; ch.6)
When Clare has to buy her school shoes, his father gives some money to Carmen to be allocated for Pauline, Patsy and Clare’s shoes. However, only Pauline and Patsy get the new shoes. Carmen forced Clare to wear the shoes that are too small for her feet.
And so it was that my sisters were given 26 Pounds to buy two pairs of shoes to go back to school. I went with them to the market and they bought some patent-leather shoes and a very nice black pair of lace-ups with silver shoelaces. There was no point in me asking my mother for the share of the money. (Briscoe, p.98; ch.6)
On another occasion, when Clare has her First Communion, Carmen does not permit her to wear Pauline and Patsy’s First Communion dress because she thinks that the dress is too good for Clare. She buys a stained dress in a second-hand shop for Clare. Briscoe writes, “this one has got a stain down the back as if someone has wet themselves in it. It has gone all yellow.” (p.126 – p.127; ch.8)
d. Stingy and Greedy
Carmen has a stingy trait. She is also very strict with money. To describe this trait, Briscoe uses ‘character as seen by another’ way of characterization, as explained by Murphy (1972), ‘instead of describing a character directly, the author can describe him/her through the eyes and opinions of another (p.162). Clare explains Carmen’s money-oriented behavior on George as following:
My mother was always after his money. She tried to convince him to buy a house in her name. He refused, but he did let her collect the rent from some of the houses as his contribution to the upkeep of the family. It was never enough for her. In early days after he left, my mother would persuade him to go to bed with her when he came to see us and, if he fell asleep afterwards, she would remove large wads of notes from his pockets. (Briscoe, p.11; ch.1)
Carmen believes that George does not give her enough money to look after the children when, in fact, George has given her a house and let her collect rent from some of the houses he owns. Her paradigm regarding the money she should spend for her children makes her stingier. This is explained through ‘mannerism’ way of characterization (p.173), described by Murphy (1972).
My mother’s view must have been that our father did not give her enough money. One way of her saving money was by not giving us enough food. She used to keep the food cupboard locked, with the key in her bra. One day my sister and I were hungry I asked her if we could have some biscuits. She said I had a father and I should go and find him and ask him for a biscuit. (Briscoe, p.20; ch.2)
She will also keep any tasty food for herself only. Only in some occasions will she share some of her food to her favorite children.
sweets were kept in my mother’s bedroom under lock and key. The key was tied to her bra strap. (Briscoe, p.47; ch.3)
She counts every penny to make sure that it would benefit her. When Clare and her sisters are going to start their next level in High School, they ask their father, George, to buy them new shoes for school. George gives 60 Pounds to them, but Carmen decides that she should keep the money until the shopping day. Carmen reactions when receiving the money shows her money-oriented trait.
The money was handed over and my mother quickly opened her blouse and pulled out her left bra strap. Attached to it was a bulging white handkerchief that had been secured in place by two double knots. She undid the knots, detached the handkerchief from the bra and opened it. Inside it were rolls of 20 Pounds notes, 10 Pounds notes, some jewelers and a key. She put the money we had given her into the handkerchief, tied it up and strapped it back in place against her bra. (Briscoe, p.93; ch.6)
The author reveals Carmen’s money oriented trait through her reaction, Murphy (1972) explains the way a person responds to something help the reader to see his/her real character (p.168). The way she keeps the money expresses how careful she takes care of her belongings.
On the last day before the school day, Clare asks Carmen about her money to buy new shoes. Instead of handing out the money, Carmen takes her to the ante-room and picks three pairs of old shoes for her to try. None of them fit Clare’s feet. They are too small for her, but she forces her to wear one of them around the house to break them in slowly. Clare does not realize that the shoes she wears are the replacement of the money, so she keeps asking for her money.
‘I need shoes because I don’t have any for school,’ I said.
‘Yes, you have,’ said my mother. ‘I’ve just given you a pair – what’s wrong with them?’ she said.
...
‘I hadn’t realized they were my new pair of shoes,’ I said. ‘And besides, it doesn’t matter because we’ve got 60 Pounds from our dad and it belongs to us and we would like to buy ourselves some new shoes for school.’ My mother looked at me. ‘Get out of my sight,’ she said.
(Briscoe, p.96 – p.97; ch.6)
Her stingy character is also shown when she forces Clare to pay for her nursing. Parents are supposed to nurture and take care of their children. They have responsibility to care for their children’s life. Carmen is supposed to take responsibility over her children, but in this case, Carmen forces Clare to take care of her own self in the early age. She makes use of her daughter to collect money for her. Clare is instructed to get a job, and pay her mother for her meals and other needs. On one spring term when Clare is still a 12-year-old teenager, Carmen sends Clare to work with Eastman in a cafeteria near the building site, where Eastman works. Clare has to work from 7.30 in the morning until 3.30 in the afternoon (Briscoe, p.153; ch.10). She gets 5 Pounds for working there. Carmen requires her to hand over the money she gets.
‘You will have to pay your way now,’ she said. ‘No one gets anything for free and this is not a free house.’
....
‘If you want to eat in this house you better hand over the money, I’m not going to tell you again. You want to eat my food, sleep in my bed, use my hot water and electricity and you don’t want to pay for it?’ (Briscoe, p.164; ch.10)
the five pounds note. Carmen, however, decides to take the note and keep the change. When Clare asks for her change, Carmen cruelly shoos her away, “‘I said clear off out of my sight. You know how much it cost to feed you and you want change.’” (Briscoe, p.164; ch.10). Clare finally spends all her salary to pay for her own life.
A year after working with Eastman, when she is 13 years old, Clare decides to get a Saturday job for herself, something that could keep her away from home on Saturday. She gets an interesting job in the fashion store and gets paid 8 pounds. When she goes home, she asks Carmen for permission to work on the Saturday.
‘I’ve got a job, Mummy.’
‘What is the point in having a job if you don’t know how much you’re going to get paid? You will have to pay your keep. You cannot expect me to support you.’
....
‘Don’t play silly games with me, you black bitch. If you work, you’ll pay your way and if you don’t want to pay your way, don’t work.’ (Briscoe, p.220; ch.13)
After that argument, Clare still goes to work and after she finishes the first day, her mother demands that Clare gives her all her payment she gets from working in the fashion shop.
‘Forget only a Saturday job. You use more electricity than anyone else in this house. For a start your alarm is on all night every night, week in month out. You don’t expect me to pay for that, do you? I mean, I did not tell you to piss the bed. Hand it over.’
‘Well, how much do you want?’
Carmen’s money-oriented trait is expressed also in her decision to take care of her 6 children from his first husband with intention to collect their family allowance. Once Clare is physically hurt by Carmen and she is taken by her father to stay with her father’s friend, Miss Lindsey, Clare is glad to stay away from her house, but in a week time, her mother insists her to go home because Miss Lindsey has asked Carmen to hand over the child benefit that is due to Clare’s share of family allowance (Briscoe, p.87; ch.6). Carmen’s decision to get Clare home just to maintain the amount of family allowance also reveals her greedy trait. Murphy (1972) explains that one of the ways of characterization is ‘thoughts’ (p.171).
When George wants to process the custody on his children, Carmen refuses although the children preferred living with their father. It is stated in Clare’s thought when she is forced to return home by her mother, “I refuse to go (back to her mother). My father thought that it was really all to do with the child benefit my mother was getting. With six Briscoes she was raking in a fair sum every week. She would lose all that if George had custody of us.” (Briscoe, p.287; ch.18)
Allowance Benefit book to which my mother was now entitled.” (Briscoe, p.32; ch.2).
Her greedy trait is also mentioned by her neighbor, Angela – a Spanish woman. When talking to Clare, she expresses her opinion about Carmen, “‘What that woman up to now, Clare? Tell me. Very bad woman. Not like a mother. You know the problem with your mother? She greedy. She is gimme gimme gimme. Very bad.’” (Briscoe, p.326; ch.21). This last analysis on Carmen greedy trait is seen through Murphy’s ‘characters as seen by another’ way of characterization (p.162).
e. Self-centered
Carmen leaves an impression in other characters as caring only about herself. She always wants to look good in public. When Clare is ill after she drinks Domestos, Eastman says that they should call the doctor, but Carmen’s first action is to tell Pauline to clean Clare from the stain of urine. Briscoe writes, “Once all that was done, my mother said I should be moved to another bedroom. Any doctor entering this one might get the impression that I was neglected.” (Briscoe, p.3; ch.1). In Murphy’s nine ways of characterization (1972), Carmen’s characteristic here is studied through her thought, which explains that author can give knowledge of what a person is thinking about (171).
