4.3 Miss Peregrine
4.3.1 The Man of Meaning
As mentioned by Jung that “the man of meaning” shows the animus of woman is fully conscious and examined, means that a woman is able to criticize and evaluates her own opinion and to stand firm in her decision after they have been made. In other word, a woman in this animus characteristic is able to evaluate and make a judgement of her own actions.
We walked through the house, past more curious eyes peeping through door cracks and from behind sofas, and into a sunny sitting room, where on an elaborate Persian rug, in a high- backed chair, a distinguished-looking lady sat knitting. She was dressed head to toe in black, her hair pinned in a perfectly round knot atop her head, with lace gloves and a high-collared blouse fastened tightly at her throat—as fastidiously neat as the house itself. I could’ve guessed who she was even if I hadn’t remembered her picture from those I’d found in the smashed trunk. This was Miss Peregrine.
…
Miss Peregrine dangled a gloved hand in my direction and, when I failed to take it, noticed the rope that bound my wrists.
“Miss Bloom!” she cried. “What is the meaning of this? Is that any way to treat a guest? Free him at once!”
“But Headmistress! He’s a snoop and a liar and I don’t know what else!” Casting a mistrustful glance at me, Emma whispered something in Miss Peregrine’s ear.
“Why, Miss Bloom,” said Miss Peregrine, letting out a booming laugh. “What undiluted balderdash! If this boy were a wight you’d already be stewing in his soup kettle.
Of course he’s Abraham Portman’s grandson. Just look at him!”
(Riggs, 2016: 144)
The scene above is the first time when Jacob meets Miss Peregrine. As it seen from the appearance that is described by Jacob where Miss Peregrine is wearing a high- collared blouse and lace gloves, but she just wears one color that is black which in
this case, it can be indicated that femininity is not tightly attached to her. Since in choosing the cloth, commonly, female will choose brighter color to show more of her femininity. However, regardless from the description of Jacob about her physical appearance, in this quotation the writer found some points where the animus of Miss Peregrine can be noticed.
Based on the second paragraph, when Miss Peregrine realized that Jacob’s hands are tied up because of Emma, she directly tells Emma to release Jacob. Yet, in her defense, Emma tells Miss Peregrine that she does not know who Jacob is and Emma even suspects him as one of the wight (a hollow in a form of human) because wight can turn their face and body into anyone. Nevertheless, Miss Peregrine directly tells Emma that if Jacob is a wight, then he can just simply kill her without making a conversation which can be noticed when Miss Peregrine says, “If this boy were a wight you’d already be stewing in his soup kettle.” Thus, regarding to the quotation above, the characteristic of animus in this case refers to “the man of meaning”.
As mentioned by Jung that “the man of meaning” shows the animus of woman is fully conscious and examined, means that a woman is able to criticize and evaluates her own opinion and to stand firm in her decision after they have been made. In other word, a woman in this animus characteristic is able to evaluate and make a judgement of her own actions. Here, the action that is done by Miss Peregrine can be seen when she realized that even before Emma warns her about Jacob, she already knew that Jacob is not a wight based on her prediction and deduction.
However, the writer also noticed that the wisdom of Miss Peregrine comes not only because of her experience, but also because of her age. Since she is a headmistress,
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it means that she is the oldest peculiar in that time loop so that it is highly possible that she is the wisest. Furthermore, the writer also found the animus characteristic of Miss Peregrine from this quotation:
“So why didn’t you just—I don’t know—make your own country somewhere? Go and live by yourselves?”
“If only it had been that simple,” she said. “Peculiar traits often skip a generation, or ten. Peculiar children are not always, or even usually, born to peculiar parents, and peculiar parents do not always, or even usually, bear peculiar children. Can you imagine, in a world so afraid of otherness, why this would be a danger to all peculiar kind?”
“Because normal parents would be freaked out if their kids started to, like, throw fire?”
“Exactly, Mr. Portman. The peculiar off spring of common parents are often abused and neglected in the most horrific ways. It wasn’t so many centuries ago that the parents of peculiar children simply assumed that their ‘real’ sons or daughters had been made off with and replaced with changelings—that is, enchanted and malevolent, not to mention entirely fictitious, lookalikes—which in darker times was considered a license to abandon the poor children, if not kill them outright.”
(Riggs, 2016: 150)
The scene above happens when Jacob is visiting the time loop and meeting Miss Peregrine in her mansion for the second time and asking few questions about the peculiars. As it seen, since Jacob seems having as much concerns as Miss Peregrine about the peculiars among society which are ordinary humans, Jacob is trying to ask if Miss Peregrine just find another place permanently so that other human beings will not interrupt them for good. However, it looks like Miss Peregrine also already think about the idea of Jacob long ago, but there is only a problem which
Miss Peregrine noticed that peculiar children are not always born from peculiar parents and also normal parents do not always born a normal child.
In other word, Miss Peregrine realized that even though she is successfully finding a place where there are only peculiars, there is still a chance where among peculiars, they will give birth of normal children. In that case, Miss Peregrine must separate them again and possibly make sure that the peculiars did not get killed by other normal human children. Hence, the writer noticed that regarding to the action and consideration of Miss Peregrine, the writer considered that the characteristic of animus that possessed by Miss Peregrine in this situation is also known as “the man of meaning”.
As it mentioned by Jung, “the man of meaning” means that a woman who possessed the animus personality is able to criticize her own act and evaluates her judgement.
Thus, the action that is done by Miss Peregrine is knowing the outcomes before she decided to find and relocate the peculiars. In other word, the idea of Jacob already thought by Miss Peregrine for a long ago. Unfortunately, the idea of relocating the peculiars does not mean that they will save forever since peculiars parent also has possibility in give birth normal children. Thus, in this case, Miss Peregrine once again shows her intelligent, wisdom and deduction in every act that she is going to do. Further, another animus personality can be noticed from the quotation as follow:
“As an ymbryne, it is my sworn duty to keep those children safe and above all that means keeping them here—in the loop—on this island.”
“Okay.”
“Yours is a world they can never be part of, Mr. Portman.
So what’s the use in filling their heads with grand talk
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about the exotic wonders of the future? Now you’ve got half the children begging for a jet-airplane trip to America and the other half dreaming of the day when they can own a telephone-computer like yours.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”
“This is their home. I have tried to make it as fine a place as I could. But the plain fact is they cannot leave, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t make them want to.”
“But why can’t they?”
…
When the pan was clean she clapped it back on the stove and said, “They cannot linger in your world, Mr. Portman, because in a short time they would grow old and die.”
“What do you mean, die?”
“I’m not certain how I can be more direct. They’ll die, Jacob.” She spoke tersely, as if wishing to put the topic behind us as quickly as possible. “It may appear to you that we’ve found a way to cheat death, but it’s an illusion. If the children loiter too long on your side of the loop, all the many years from which they have abstained will descend upon them at once, in a matter of hours.”
(Riggs, 2016: 206)
On the quotation above, it is a scene where Jacob is asking Miss Peregrine about why the peculiars are better not to know about Jacob’s time loop (the future) and everything that is related to it. In that case, Miss Peregrine explains to Jacob that it is better that the peculiars do not know anything further about what is in the future so that they do not have any desire to fulfill their curiosity. Since when the peculiars feel curious, they will begin to hope and have desire to leave the time loop and go to the Jacob’s time zone. However, Jacob seems still confused about what is wrong about leaving the time loop and live in the future. In that case, Miss Peregrine explains that they will grow old and die, as it can see in the sentence, “They cannot linger in your world, Mr. Portman, because in a short time they would grow old and die.”
Thus, regarding to the situation above, it can be noticed that the characteristic of animus personality shown by Miss Peregrine also known as “the man of meaning”.
As it supported by Jung that the characteristic of this personality means that a woman is able to criticize their own act and evaluate their judgement. Since Miss Peregrine must keep the peculiars in the time loop as long as she can in order to maintain their existence and separate them from the outside world. As it seen from the sentence, “It may appear to you that we’ve found a way to cheat death, but it’s an illusion.”, Miss Peregrine assumed that Jacob thought that the peculiars will be fine if they step outside from their time loop and stay to his timeline.
However, Miss Peregrine then continue explaining to Jacob that all the years that they have spent in their time loop will rush to them in the matter of hours and the peculiars are becoming old when they are spending too much time in his timeline which can be seen from the sentence, “If the children loiter too long on your side of the loop, all the many years from which they have abstained will descend upon them at once, in a matter of hours.”
In other word, Miss Peregrine as the headmistress and Ymbryne who can manipulate time is already knew the consequence that will be faced by the peculiars when they are trying to leave the time loop. Therefore, the only thing that Miss Peregrine can do is stay in that loop as long as possible. Therefore, regarding to how Miss Peregrine responded to Jacob, it can be said that Miss Peregrine is might not showing her physical power, but more like her critical thinking in handling the peculiars.
CHAPTER FIVE CONCLUSION
In this chapter, the writer draws conclusion based on the analysis from the previous chapter. Based on the analysis, the writer finds out that Ransom Riggs as the author put more female characters than the male one. In that case, the writer noticed that there are certain female characters who act like male characteristics or in other word, these female characters are having animus personality. Here, the writer found three female characters who possessed animus personality in the novel of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, they are Bronwyn Bruntley, Emma Bloom and Miss Peregrine.
As it seen from the previous chapter, each of the characters is showing different characteristics of animus personality. The character of Bronwyn Bruntley is not only showing her animus personality as “the man of power”, but she is also showing
“the man of deed” and “the man of word”, which means that she is not only has physical strength and the strength of will, but she also know well how to use her strength to achieve her goal that is to protect her friends from hollow. However, the animus personality of Bronwyn becomes so dangerous because it could shift her feminine side.
Meanwhile, on the case of Emma Bloom, her most dominant characteristic of animus personality is quite similar to Bronwyn where Emma shows “the man of power”. However, unlike Bronwyn who assists her physical strength, Emma is more showing her inner strength of will where she suspects Jacob on the first time
and surely indicated that he is a hollow. Then, after Emma knows Jacob for several days, Emma shows more compassionate to Jacob so that it makes her animus personality developed into “the man of meaning” which means that she is able to criticize her own act and evaluate her judgement.
Finally, the character of Miss Peregrine is shown as the wisest female character in the story of the novel. In that case, the writer also noticed that the characteristic of animus personality that is shown by Miss Peregrine is categorized as “the man of meaning” which in this case, it indicated that Miss Peregrine also able to evaluate her own opinions and judgement. Here, the writer realized that the wisdom of Miss Peregrine could be because of her ages since she is the headmistress of the house.
In other word, she is the oldest person in the house and it makes her always thinking forward before finally make a judgement or decision.
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