THE
CONFRONTATION OF MORAL VALUES IN HENRY JAMES' THE AMERICAN: A SOCIOLOGICAL APPROACH
CHAPTER
I
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of The Study
Life essentially concerns with the social aspects
which involve politic economy, social, culture and religion. Through these
aspects, it will come the problem. which faced by the society that's called as
the social phenomena. By observing the phenomena of certain society,
the author can create the literary works. To express the experience of the man
of the society the author also involves the emotion and feeling in writing the
story of the works. This feeling could be love, anger, revenge, and fred. Every
author has his own experience in the social life and this causes the author has
characteristic in creating the literary works.
Based on the description above, we know that
literature has close relation with the society. In creating the works, the
author needs the sociological and cultural knowledge which gotten from the
society. They are part of social aspects, as the reality of the social life.
Literature is not the imaginative work. It means that the author will not be
able to create the work by ignoring the reality in the social life. What the
story is talking about is gotten from the experience in the social life.
Although, it exactly does not describe the reality in the social life. It is
just one side as the representation of life from a certain society.
Henry James is an individual who used a literature as
a medium for expressing his experiences. As a man of a society, he observes the
social phenomena in the reality of social life. He, therefore is categorized
into the realism writer. Most his works are talking about the society which
related to culture and moral standards. According to Josep Concrad, James is
both a moralist and cultural diagnotician. He expresses these things through
the novel. The form whose possibilities and resistance to manipulate like the
evaluated and enjoyed. [ Coy1e,1991:590 ] As an American who lived in Europe,
James finds these social phenomena which come in his society where he lives. By
his observing, he sees the confrontation between two continents, America and
Europe. It is focused on the confrontation of the moral values of both these
two continents. On his novel The American which written in Paris, 1877,
he shows this confrontation by creating the major characters of Christopher
Newman who represents of the innocence of American in the best sense of the
word, and Bellegarde with the evil of European in the worst sense of the word.
Moral is an important part of the social life. It will
determine a man in the society, how the man acts in adapting to the society.
Based on the behavior of the man, it will post the society on the best or the
worst sense of the word. Newman as an American from the democratic country is
able to consist to the American values. He shows this when he doesn't take a
chance to reach his aim in the weakness of Bellegarde. He does not take the
revenge to Bellegarde who hurt him. He keeps consisting to the values of his
country. On the contrary, Bellegarde who comes from the aristocrate family
whose high culture and moral are not able to consist to the European values.
They act of the evil in the death of the old Marquis de Bellegarde.
On the basis of analysis, there is a close relation
between the major characters "Christopher Newman" and
"Bellegarde" in the social phenomena. These moral values are the
important parts of social life. In this study, the writer will analyze this
phenomenon as the confrontation by sociological approach. The writer also would
apply the structuralism to seek the relationship among the elements of the
novel The American.
B. Problem Statement
The problem of the study is how far the confrontation
of (moral)values between two continents, America and Europe are presented in
the novel The American.
C.
Research
Limitation
There are many elements of the social aspects in the
society which is taken as the theme of literary works. In this study, the
writer will limit the study to the evil value of European which is represented
by Bellegarde and the innocence of the American which is represented by
Christopher Newman. The writer also uses the structural analysis to seek how
the structure of the novel is relevant to the central matter, which is based on
the sociology of literature.
D.
Objective
of The Study
The study has two major aims, namely:
1.
To
analyze the novel in term of its structure (structural analysis, and)
2.
To
analyze the confrontation of the (moral) values between two continents: America
and Europe by sociological approach.
E.
Benefits
of The Study
The benefits expected from the study include the following:
1.
The
research may give the information to the readers about the literary works of
Henry James, especially The American, which viewed from a sociological
perspective.
2.
The
result of this study could hopefully give a clear description about the
relationship between literature and sociology.
F.
Literature
Review
The writer finds the books which talk about comment or
critic to the novel The American by Henry James, such as The American
notes which contains the summary of that novel by completing comments. The
writer also finds the study, which is conducted by Nunik Isnaini, the student
of Sebelas Maret University of Surakarta. She analyzes the novel The
American by semiotic approach which describes the study of sign as a symbol
in The American whose a significant meaning. In analyzing the structure
of this novel, she uses the structural analysis, which is based on the
communication theory of Roman Jacobson that is the function language. In her conclusion,
she concludes that in searching for the true values of life can not be found on
the cultural people because what is good looking from outside is not good from inside.
The people from the civilized places do not always act as uncivilized people forever.
The moral value of someone is in the depth of the heart that can not be read
physically.
From this study, the writer analyzes that there is
still another aspect of the novel that could be developed into the study. The
writer therefore takes the sociological perspective to reveal the confrontation
of the (moral) values between European and American.
G. Research Methodology
Research methodology is the way to analyze the problem
viewed from a certain approach to obtain the objective result and scientific
one. Research methodology includes data resources, data collecting, and data
analysis.
1.
Data
Resources In this study, the writer takes account two kinds of data.
a. Primary data source
Primary data is the main data
obtained from the dialogue among the character and the statement in the text
which support the subject. Those data would be taken from the novel The
American.
b. Secondary Data Source
Secondary data is data beyond the
primary data. It may have the shape of criticism about the novel from other
author. It is taken from literary books, which support the study.
2.
Data
Collecting
In analyzing the novel, the writer would apply library
research, meanwhile the data collecting is called content analysis. By this
method the data are obtained by:
a. Reading the novel many times then
continued with reading the relevant theories with the subject.
b. Taking note of word, phrase, and
sentences, which considered important with the subject.
3.
Data
Analysis
In analyzing the data, the writer would like to use
descriptive and analyzing stages. The analysis is divided into two stages. The
first stage is focused on the structure of the novel The American such
as character and characterization, theme, setting, plot, point of view and
style. The second stage is the relation of the sociology related to the novel.
4.
Technique
of Data Analysis
Technique of data analysis in the study is descriptive that
is the interpretation of the text which is based on the structural analysis.
Then the writer would like to complete the analysis with the description of the
sociological approach in which emphasizes the message of the novel.
H.
Thesis
Organization
This thesis consists of six chapters. In Chapter One
consists of some parts as the introduction. They are background of the study,
the problem statement, the objective of the study, the benefit of the study,
the research limitation, literature review, the research method and thesis
organization. Underling Theory will be presented in Chapter Two. In Chapter
Three, it will talk about the social background of American society in the
nineteenth century. The analysis of the structural elements of The American,
which consist of character, theme, setting, plot, point of view and style
will be described in Chapter Four. The important part of this study is the
sociological analysis of the novel in which will be presented in Chapter Five.
The last one is Chapter Six in which the writer will make a conclusion and the
statement which can be a suggestion.
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