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THE CONCEPT OF BEAUTY AND DISCRIMINATION UPON PECOLA IN TONI MORRISON’S THE BLUEST EYE A THESIS
By Andi Yustina Student Number : 02.80.0048
FACULTY OF LETTERS SOEGIJAPRANATA CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY SEMARANG 2006
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THE CONCEPT OF BEAUTY AND DISCRIMINATION UPON PECOLA
IN TONI MORRISON’S THE BLUEST EYE
A Thesis Presented as a Partial Fulfillment of the Recruitment to Obtain The Sarjana Degree in the English Letters Study Programme
by: Andi Yustina Student Number : 02.80.0048
FACULTY OF LETTERS SOEGIJAPRANATA CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY SEMARANG 2006 i
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A THESIS ON The Concept of Beauty and Discrimination Upon Pecola in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye
By: Name : Andi Yustina Student Number : 02.80.0048
Approved by:
G.M. Adhyanggono, SS.,MA Major Sponsor
September 29, 2006
Heny Hartono, SS., M.PD Co- Sponsor
September 29, 2006
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A thesis defended in front of the Board of Examiners on October 12, 2006 And Declared Acceptable BOARD OF EXAMINERS
Chairperson
: G.M. Adhyanggono, SS.,MA
Secretary
: Heny Hartono, SS., M.PD
Member
: B. Retang Wohangara, SS.,M.Hum
Semarang, Faculty of Letters Soegijapranata CatholicUniversity Dean,
Heny Hartono, SS.,M.PD 058.1.1998.221
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ACKNOWLEGEMENT Primarily, the writer would like to express her gratitude to ALLAH S.W.T, who has always been her source of power. The writer really thanks to God for the guidance in her whole life because without God, nothing is possible. The writer also would like to express her sincerest gratitude to everyone who has helped me in finishing this thesis : 1. G.M. Adhyanggono, SS., MA the major sponsor and Heny Hartono, SS., M.PD the co-sponsor who have guided, and given me suggestion, valuable advice, attention and also encouragement that become invaluable contribution for her thesis. 2. B. Retang Wohangara, SS.,M.Hum who lends her several books that are very helpful for this thesis. Thank you so much. 3. All of the Lecturers in the Faculty of Letters of Soegijapranata Catholic University, for all of their patience, love, support, encouragement, hospitality, friendship and affection during the writer study in Faculty of letters. The writer is truly proud of being their student. 4. My beloved husband, Welly Andrianto and my little baby who will be born by the end of November who becomes my spirit to finish my study as soon as possible. Thanks for your love and affection, I love you forever honey…
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5. Her big family: her parents, her father and her mother in law who always support her in everything. Her brother and sister, Heru and Manis. I love you all. 6. My special friends (2002 Fans Club): Rosita, Ria, Santi, Happy, Nina, Ana, Rieny Lorenk, Devi, Marina, Riska, Nia, Jeany, Icha, Donny, Erna, Prima, Tintin, Patma, Sepsy, Hilda, Fanny, Indah, Vivi, Cindy, Iren, Linggayani, Martha, Rendra, Lina, Yoppy, Jimmy, Dimas Cuplis, Angga, Lingga Kusuma, Arwin, Tanjung, Tera, Ditha, Andre, Pebri, Atrind, Novita, Putri, Tita, Pali, Rio, etc. Thanks for your pure friendship, Thanks you as well to the entire members of the Faculty of Letters for sharing beautiful moments that will last forever in my heart and mind. 7. The staffs of Faculty of Letters, Mr. Khasno, Mr.Albert and Mr. Untoeng who are always patient to every student. 8. All of students in the Faculty of Letters, Thanks for sharing valuable experiences and ideas. We know no fear, We have no regret, Carpe diem, Long Live Sastra… 9. Soegijapranata Catholic University’s Library which become my source inspiration in processing this thesis, and also all of the librarians who always help me when the writer gets difficulties in searching books.
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Last but not least, the writer expresses her sincere gratitude to herself for stepping one step closer to the new part of her life. Hopefully, may all of the writer wishes and dreams come true…
Semarang, September 29, 2006
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE OF PAGE……………………………………………………………………i PAGES APPROVAL……………………………………………………………….ii THESIS DEFENDENCE...........................................................................................iii ACKNOWLEGEMENT…………………………………………………………...iv TABLE OF CONTENT…………………………………………………………….v ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………..vi ABSTRAK………………………………………………………………………...vii
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the Study………………………………………………1 1.2 Scope of the Study…………………………………………………….4 1.3 Problem Formulation………………………………………………….5 1.4 Objectives of the Study………………………………………………..5 1.5 Significant of the Study……………………………………………….5 1.6 Definition of Terms…………………………………………………...6
CHAPTER II. LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 The Social Condition of America in 1941s…………………………...8 2.2 Racial Discrimination of Black and White in America……………...10
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2.3 The Concept of Beauty in the Western Culture………………………14 2.4 The Definition of Sociological Approach by Meyer, Jabrohim and Scott Wilbun’s.......................................................................................16 CHAPTER III. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY………………………………...19
CHAPTER IV. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION 4.1 The Concept of Beauty upon Pecola………………………………..22 4.2 The Discrimination upon Pecola…………………………………….27 4.3 The Effect of The Concept of Beauty and Discrimination upon Pecola………………………………………….35
CHAPTER V. CONCLUSION…………………………………………………40
BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………42
APPENDIX……………………………………………………………………..45
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ABSTRACT Toni Morrison is an American writer who often writes about the life of black people in American society. She is black woman, and a famous writer who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in1993. One of her novels which contains about the racial discrimination of black by white is The Bluest Eye. She was born in Chloe Anthony Wofford in the small town of Lorain, Ohio. Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye tells about a black girl, Pecola Breedlove. She really wants to have the blue eyes as a symbol of beauty and pride in American society. She is 12 years old who experiened being raped by her father and who always got discrimination from her family, classmates and the society because she is black and ugly. She really admires white people because she knows that blue eyes, blond hair, and fair skin are symbol of beauty in the Western culture. The story of this novel is relevant to the social condition of America around 1941s, because the place of Morrison birth and her memories when she was in elementary school have inspired her to write this novel. It is the reason why the writer uses sociological approach in analyzing this novel. Pecola Breedlove, the main character of this novel has the concept of beauty in which physical beauty such as blond hair, fair skin, and blue eyes become the standard of measurement of beauty. Her concept of beauty and the discrimination endlessly put on her makes her hate being a black person (Negro). Therefore, she has self-rejection toward herself as a black. The self-rejection induces her obsession to have a pair of the blue eyes. But her dream to have a pair of the blue eyes does not comes true, because it is only illusion that bring her into madness.
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ABSTRAK Toni Morrison adalah seorang penulis dari Amerika yang sering menulis tentang kehidupan orang kulit hitam dalam masyarakat Amerika. Beliau adalah seorang wanita kulit hitam dan seorang penulis terkenal yang pernah mendapatkan penghargaan Nobel Prize dalam kesusasteraan pada tahun 1993. Salah satu novelnya yang berisi tentang diskriminasi ras terhadap orang kulit hitam oleh orang kulit putih adalah The Bluest Eye. Toni Morrison lahir di Chloe Anthony Wofford, sebuah kota kecil di Lorain, Ohio. Novel Toni Morrison yang berjudul The Bluest Eye adalah novel yang bercerita tentang seorang gadis kulit hitam yang bernama Pecola Breedlove. Dia sangat menginginkan memiliki sepasang mata biru sebagai symbol kecantikan dan kebanggaan dalam masyarakat Amerika. Gadis itu berusia 12 tahun dan pernah diperkosa oleh bapak kandungnya sendiri dan juga sering mendapatkan diskriminasi dri keluarga, teman sekolah dan lingkungan masyarakat sekitarnya kerena dia berkulit hitam dan jelek. Dia sangat mengagumi orang kulit putih, karena dia tahu bahwa mata biru, rambut pirang, dan kulit bersih adalah symbol kecantikan dalam kebudayaan Barat. Kisah dalam novel ini sesuai dengan keadaan sosial masyarakat Amerika sekitar tahun 1941, karena tempat kelahiran Morrison dan kenanganya ketika beliau berada di sekolah dasar menginspirasinya dalam kisah novel ini. Ini adalah suatu alasan mengapa penulis menggunakan pendekatan sosiologi dalam penyusunan tesis ini. Pecola Breedlove, tokoh utama dalam novel ini memiliki konsep kecantikan bahwa kecantikan fisik yang meliputi rambut pirang, kulit bersih, dan mata biru adalah standar pengukuran kecantikan. Konsep kecantikanya dan diskriminasi terhadapnya yang tidak pernah berkesudahan membuat dirinya tidak suka menjadi orang kulit hitam (Negro) dan dia memiliki sikap penolakan diri terhadap dirinya sendiri sebagai orang kulit hitam. Hal ini membuat dirinya berambisi memiliki sepasang mata biru. Tetapi impian untuk memiliki sepasang mata biru tidak terkabul, karena itu hanya sebuah khayalan saja yang membawanya menjadi gila.
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