DAVE S IDENTITY ESTABLISHMENT SEEN AS PURSUING FREEDOM AS SEEN IN CHESNUTT S DAVE S NECKLISS

Transcription

1 DAVE S IDENTITY ESTABLISHMENT SEEN AS PURSUING FREEDOM AS SEEN IN CHESNUTT S DAVE S NECKLISS AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters By CHRISTIANA MEGASTRA CENDRAWASIH Student Number: ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2017

2 DAVE S IDENTITY ESTABLISHMENT SEEN AS PURSUING FREEDOM AS SEEN IN CHESNUTT S DAVE S NECKLISS AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters By CHRISTIANA MEGASTRA CENDRAWASIH Student Number: ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2017 ii

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4 A Sarjana Sastra Undergraduate Thesis DAVE'S IDENTITY ESTABLISHMENT SEEN AS PURSUING FREEDOM AS SEEN IN CHESNUTT'S "DAVE'S NECKLISS" By CHRISTIANA MEGASTRA CENDRAWASm Student Number: Defended before the Board ofexaminers On July 17 th, 2017 And Declared Acceptable BOARD OF EXAMINERS Name Chairperson Secretary Member 1 Member 2 Member 3 : Dr. Gabriel Fajar Sasmita Aji, M.Hum. : Drs. Hirmawan Wijanarka, M.Hum. : E. Arti Wulandari, Ph.D. : Dr. Gabriel Fajar Sasmita Aji, M.Hum. : Drs. Hirmawan Wijanarka, M.Hum. I./. P. Ari Subagyo, M. Hum. IV

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7 Humanism is the only I would go so far as saying the final resistance we have against the inhuman practices and injustices that disfigure human history - Edward Said vii

8 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This undergraduate thesis exists through participations of many people. I would like to show my gratitude to my parents, Ir. Abel Sulung Widjaja Tanusuwito and Dra. Lucia Rosmiaty, for their supports and patience during the process of making this undergraduate thesis. Gratitude also goes to Naoyuki Komi as a person who raised me up from the worst condition in my life until this day, through his support, love, patience and understanding. To my sister and brothers, Stella Minerva Chendrawasih, Gerald Aditya Tanusuwito, and Yohanes Yogiswara Tanusuwito, who provide the happiness to console me, thank you. My gratitude also goes to my thesis advisor and co-advisor, Dr. Gabriel Fajar Sasmita Aji, M.Hum., and Drs. Hirmawan Wijarnaka, M.Hum., who provide constructive notes and knowledge on theories, elaboration, and grammatical errors. The next thanks are for Georgius Benardi Darumukti and Irma Febriyanti, who willingly help me by providing choices of theories through discussion, and time which cannot be taken back. For the companionship and supports through my college life, thank you, Vania Anindita and Skolastika Nindya Rosari. Also, Thanks to friends who accompany me during my life in Yogyakarta: Riyo, Oo, Thesa, Dessen, Mbak Pita, Harrys, Rizki, Juhee, Ayu, Matias, Kim Gyu Min, Andre, Indra, Cathy, Sally and Eileen. viii

9 Last but not least, Jesus Christ, thank You for every companionship throughout my life, every answer for my prayer, and for giving me precious life filled with loving family and friends. Christiana Megastra Cendrawasih ix

10 TABLE OF CONTENTS TITLE PAGE. ii APPROVAL PAGE.. iii ACCEPTANCE PAGE. iv STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY v LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH. vi MOTTO PAGE. vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS... x ABSTRACT.., xi ABSTRAK xii CHAPTER I : INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study.. 1 B. Problem Formulation 4 C. Objectives of the Study. 5 D. Definition of Terms.. 6 CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE A. Review of Related Studies 7 B. Review of Related Theories 10 C. Theoretical Framework CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY A. Object of the Study. 17 B. Approach of the Study 18 C. Method of the Study CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS A. Dave s Postcolonial Depiction B. Dave s Identity Establishment Seen as Pursuing Freedom 31 CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION BIBLIOGRAPHY 51 x

11 ABSTRACT CHRISTIANA MEGASTRA CENDRAWASIH. Dave s Identity Establishment seen as Pursuing Freedom as seen in Chesnutt s Dave s Neckliss. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, This undergraduate thesis discusses a postcolonial text by Charles Waddell Chesnutt, Dave s Neckliss in his book, Tales of The Conjure and The Color Line. This book reveals a lot of slavery stories during American slavery era and the effect of it. Dave s Neckliss is chosen for his identity establishment to pursue freedom. The theories used are Characteristic and Characterization, Theory on Identity, and Postcolonialism. To reveal his identity establishment and how it is seen as pursuing freedom, two questions are used to guide the analysis. The first question, how does Dave postcolonially depicted in the story, allows the writer to understand Dave s depiction in postcolonial text. The second question, how is Dave s identity establishment seen as pursuing freedom, is used to reveal the process of Dave upon realizing the oppression, self-meaning, and identities. The method of the study used in this analysis was library research. The writer employed books, journals, articles, and internet as the sources. The theories from the sources in this research are character and characterization, postcolonialism, and theory on identity. The result of the analysis in this undergraduate thesis shows that Dave s six depictions in the postcolonial text reveals his multiple identities. Those are racial identity, religious identity, and master identity. The unchangeable identity, racial identity, has an important role on revealing oppression, self-meaning, and establishment of Dave s identity. How he establishes his last identity, master identity, reveals his pursuit of freedom. He realizes that to get out from this slavery condition, he needs to kill himself surrounded by ham, a symbol of freedom, to reach his master identity which has a characteristic of owning freedom. Thus, his master identity establishment is seen as pursuing freedom. xi

12 ABSTRAK CHRISTIANA MEGASTRA CENDRAWASIH. Dave s Identity Establishment seen as Pursuing Freedom as seen in Chesnutt s Dave s Neckliss. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2017 Skripsi ini mendiskusikan teks postcolonial Charles Waddell Chesnutt, Dave s Necnkliss dalam bukunya yang berjudul Tales of The Conjure and The Color Line. Buku ini menunjukkan kisak-kisah perbudakan pada masa perbudakan di Amerika dan efeknya. Dave s Neckliss dipilih karena pembentukan identitasnya yang bias dilihat sebagai pengejaran kebebasan. Teori-teori yang digunakan adalah tokoh dan penokohan, teori identitas, dan postkolonial. Untuk mengungkap pembentukan identitas dan bagaimana hal tersebut dilihat sebagai pengejaran kebebasan, penulis akan menggunakan dua pertanyaan. Pertanyaan pertama adalah bagaimana Dave digambarkan secara postcolonial di dalam cerita ini digunakan untuk menganalisa penggambaran Dave di dalam cerita agar penulis mengerti penggambaran Dave dalam teks postkolonial. Pertanyaan kedua adallah bagaimana pembentukan identitas Dave yang dapat dilihat juga sebagai bentuk pengejaran identitas ini digunakan untuk mengungkap proses Dave dalam menyadari penindasan, penilaian, dan indentitas dalam dirinya. Metode yang digunakan di karya ilmiah ini adalah penelitian pustaka. Penulis memakai buku-buku, jurnal-jurnal, artikel-artikel, dan internet sebagai sumbernya. Teori-teori dalam karya ilmiah ini adalah tokoh dan penokohan, postkolonial, dan teori identitas. Hasil penelitian karya ilmiah ini menunjukkan bahwa penggambaran Dave dalam teks postkolonial ini mengungkap beberapa identitas-identitas dalam dirinya. Identitas-identitas yang ditemukan adalah identitas rasial, identitas religius, dan identitas tuannya. Identitas rasial yang tidak dapat diubah ini mempunyai peran penting dalam mengungkap penindasan, penilaian terhadap dirinya, dan pembentukan identitasnya. Bagaimana pembentukan identitas terakhirnya, identitas tuan, mengungkapkan pengejarannya terhadap kebebasan. Dia menyadari bahwa untuk keluar dari kondisi perbudakan ini, dia harus membunuh dirinya sendiri dikelilingi oleh ham yang dipandangnya memiliki simbol kebebasan untuk mengukuhkan identitas tuan yang memiliki karakteristik sebagai pemilik kebebasan. Karena itu, pembentukan identitas tuan dalam dirinya dapat dilihat sebagai pengejaran kebebasan xii

13 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study Hundreds years ago, people started to spot the oppression happened among races in the world. This oppression often makes the oppressed people do resistance act to get out from the oppression, however, the oppression can also make the oppressed become powerless. The example of the powerless oppressed is slaves during slavery era from oppression they got, slavery. Slavery, especially in America, according to Lerone Bennet, Jr in his book, Before the Mayflower: A History of the Negro in America , is defined as a condition where four million human beings were systematically deprived of every right of personality. (1962:70) In slavery case in America, African were the slaves of the American who were dominating them. Thus, it created distinction status of human based on their distinguished race. Those are the white as master, as the owner, and the African as slave, as the owned. Because of the system of slavery, the masters (whites) can do anything they want to the slaves (blacks) that they own. The history of slavery in America can be reviewed from Before The Mayflower: A History of Negro in America by Lerone Bennett, Jr. the misery in America started in 1

14 2 the fifteenth century, where in the world, the practice started since the Middle Age as Bennett mentioned in his book: This dark chapter started in the fifteenth century but, in truth, it goes back to the dawn of history. Slavery, in one form or another, has been practiced in every country known to man. It was old when Moses was young. In Plato s Athens and Caesar s Rome, men-white, black and brown men-were brought and sold. Slavery existed in the Middle Ages in Christian Europe and in Pagan Africa (Bennett, 1962:32). The slaves in America were brought to help them in the plantation. They were brought to help the white men to grow cotton, grapes, and other plants depending on the plantation. It started from the southern parts America which later went up and spread across America. Also according in Bennet s book, America got the slaves from a mechanism of slave trading called the Atlantic Triangular Trade. The mechanism was divided into three trading process: Sugar from America to England, Rum and Goods from England to Africa and Slaves from Africa to America. And this trading process becomes a big part of slaves existence in America. (1962:68) In some bad cases of slavery, the masters treated the slaves badly to the point where they treated the slaves whatever they please. Some masters exploited the slaves for their own benefits. They exploited them to fulfil their greediness. The master forced the slaves to work more and not giving fair appreciation, even in some cases, the masters treated the slaves worse than treating horse that they have. However, history also told the efforts of the slaves to fight back their condition. For example, the struggle of Robert Smalls, one of many black heroes during the Civil

15 3 War. He persuaded President Lincoln to allow the African-American in America to join the Union Army to fight slavery with him. Theory on Identity that is used in this undergraduate thesis is based on the explanations on society and identity in a book by Peter Burke, Identity Theory. This book exposes what things can influence a person, what society is and how it affects a person s behavior to fit in its role to survive, self-meaning of identity, and how to achieve identity-verification by using the identity feedback loop. This theory on identity will help the writer s analysis on the topic that is chosen, identity establishment. This identity establishment is seen as identity-verified the character s identity. This book will also help to explain the correlation between society, others, and the character s identity-verification according to the feedback loop system: input, identity standard, comparison, and outcome behavior of the character in the text that is analyzed in this undergraduate thesis. Postcolonialism is going to be the eyes of the writer to see the text in this undergraduate thesis analysis. Postcolonialism Ambivalence will be used to see the effect on each act of Dave and how he keeps being trapped in his status in the society in the colonized group despite his struggle, actions, and self-meaning of being a master. The character s realization of this ambivalence affects his way of thinking to find the way to reach freedom. Charles Waddell Chesnutt, the writer of the text used in this analysis, had only one sixteenth of Negro blood, despite that, he chose to identify himself inside the black race. He could have chosen to be identified as a part of white race as he looked

16 4 so much like them. However, he was really concerned about race problems. That he identified it as the ultimate problem of civilization at that time, His book of short stories compilation, Tales of Conjure and The Color Line, is considered as postcolonial text upon the theme of the book about slavery and civil war. One of the story titled Dave s Neckliss is chosen to analyze how Dave s identity establishment seen as pursuing freedom during his slavery experience in the story. The main narrator of these stories is Mr. John, a white man who moved to North Carolina to cure his wife, Anna. There he met an old black man who were a slave in the area that he lived in, Uncle Julius, who worked as their coachman in their new house. Uncle Julius is the narrator of most of the stories from the slavery era in this book, who also narrated Dave s Neckliss. Thus, Dave s Neckliss reveals Dave s identity shaping as the effect of oppression by his master in slavery situation he experienced which is going to be the main focus in this undergraduate thesis analysis. B. Problem Formulation 1. How is Dave postcolonially depicted in the story? 2. How is Dave s identity establishment seen as pursuing freedom?

17 5 C. Objective of the Study This study has two objectives. The first objective is intended to analyze the depiction through characteristic and characterization of Dave to know how others sees Dave in the story. The second objective is intended to know the process of Dave s identity establishment and how it can be seen as pursuing freedom. D. Definition of Terms To synchronize the understanding and to focus the analysis of this undergraduate thesis, terms that are used in this research are going to be explained below by using the definition found in other books to lead the reader about the meaning of each terms. 1. Identity In Identity Theory by Peter Burke, an identity is the set of meanings that define who one is when one is an occupant of a particular role in society, a member of a particular group, or claims particular characteristics that identify him or her as a unique person. (Burke, 2009:3) so identity is a label to name one s role in society, position in the group, and characteristics. So, identity can have various names. 2. Establishment According to Merriam Webster Online Dictionary ( establishment is the act of making firm or stable. So, the establishment in this research will be understood as making firm or stable an identity.

18 6 3. Pursuit Merriam Webster Online Dictionary ( defines pursuit as an activity that one engages in as a vocation, profession, or avocation. But in this undergraduate thesis, this word is understood as an activity that one engages in as a vocation. 4. Freedom According to Homi Bhabha in Satoshi Mizutani s article, Hybridity and History: A Critical Reflection on Homi K. Bhabha's 'Post-Historical' Thought, freedom is defined as being not about the oppressed people making history by becoming its agent, but about them serving to deconstruct historical causality itself by their unrepresentable otherness. (2009:1) So, his concept of freedom is that the oppressed is not trying to make history but to make themselves present.

19 CHAPTER II REVIEW OF LITERATURE This chapter is divided into three parts. The first part is review of related studies which covers short summaries on the studies related to the topic in this analysis done by previous researcher. The second part is review of related theories which presents the theories used to answer the problem formulations of this analysis. The last part is theoretical framework to explain the way of using the reviews to analyze. A. Review of Related Studies Charles Waddell Chesnutt s works are described as the fictions that are produced to give voice to the African-American experiences at the back cover of Tales of Conjure and The Color Line. There are ten stories within the book that tell stories on African-American experiences. However, Dave s Neckliss is the story that is chosen for the analysis in this undergraduate thesis. The first review of related studies is an analysis by Bill Christophersen in his article titled Conjurin the White Folks: Charles Chesnutt s Other Julius Tales. He discusses Dave s Neckliss in his analysis, which is the same text discusses in this undergraduate thesis. His discussion is around how the white sees the black as a child who hasn t had a full human quality. As he stated in the writing: Perhaps most outraging to Chesnutt is the liberal assumption that the freed black was something of a child who had yet to attain a full complement of 7

20 8 human understanding and sensibilities. Here again contemporary science, impressed into the service of sociology, lent false credibility to white bias: Haeckel's Biogenetic Law, which suggested that the individual's development recapitulates the development of the race, led some to infer that "primitives must be considered as being in the arrested stages of childhood or adolescence...."6 In "Dave's Neckliss," John expatiates on Julius's "curiously undeveloped nature" (Christophersen, 1985:212). He also inspects that the white character is to lend false credibility to white bias that they think that black is not completely developed adult human. They are trapped in the adolescence and doesn t continue on growing to full adult. He also discusses symbols in his writing on ham and smokehouse. In his perspective, the ham is the most ironic symbol, while the smokehouse is a connotation of the hell of slavery and the purgatory of manumission. He also sees that the act of Dave s death in the story is an attempt to smoke away his blackness. In contrary to Christophersen s analysis, this undergraduate thesis sees Chensutt s work in a different way, where the white characters in the story are not going to be discussed further. The similar point is that the writer and Christophersen has the same thinking that ham is a symbol. However, in this undergraduate thesis, ham is going to be the symbol of being a master, a symbol of being free man. The second review of related studies is an analysis of The Goophered Grapevine, a story from Chesnutt by Gabriel Fajar Sasmita Aji (2016) focusing on The Layers of Making Strange Language and Postcoloniality of the Nigger s English. He points out how the story is having 2 languages, common English and nigger s English according to what race the character in the story is. In his analysis, this differentiation exposes the different community and characteristic as stated below:

21 9 The common English should be split from nigger s English since there is also the different system in understanding the second language, i.e. the nigger s English. The different system shows at least each language has its own community, and consequently the way of each system works is characteristic as well (Aji, 2016:160). The discussion of layers of different language in the story in his analysis reveals that the common English is used to communicate with the reader and the nigger s English or making strange language is to deliver the imaginative fact to reveal the significant essence of the text s literariness. Then his analysis continues that the languages used in the text are used together and interchangeable despite the different spelling and difficulties to understand the language. Then the postcoloniality of the text is analyzed through the Nigger s English that is used in more than fifty percent of the full text, which may suggest the reader that what is needed to be understood from the text is not about the nigger s English content but the ideology behind it. He later mentioned that the nigger has at least two perspective: the language he used and the freedom of delivering ideas. Thus, the inferior stigma because of the nigger s race is not happening in this text. Although, having the same characteristic of having two languages within the text, in Chesnutt s work, The Goophered Grapevine, Aji s analysis and the writer s analysis differs in the focus of the text. While his analysis on Chesnutt work is on the language s role in the texts which can be seen in so many perspectives, this undergraduate thesis discusses that identity establishment can be seen as pursuing freedom.

22 10 B. Review on Related Theories In this undergraduate thesis, two theories are needed to understand the identity awakening that occurs in Chesnutt s stories: Dave Neckliss. The first theory is Character and Characterization to understand the masters and the slaves more in the stories. The second theory is Identity Theory based on Peter Burke s book, Identity Theory, to analyze what kind of identity pursuit seen as pursuing freedom that Dave experienced in the story. 1. Theory of Character and Characterization One of the main elements in every story is character. Having a character in a story is essential because it plays a fundamental role on how the story will develop. To understand more about the story, the researcher has to know who the characters are and how to determine which character has the significant role to the analysis that will be made. According to Abrams characters are the persons that exists in the story which have moral, dispositional, and emotion by their action and dialogue. Characters are the person presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with moral, dispositional, and emotional qualities that are expressed in what they say-the dialogue- and by what they do the action- (Abrams, 1993:23). Thus, we can understand more about each character by understanding and examining each character s dialogue and action to describe themselves or other characters. And to describe the characters, we need to reveal the qualities of the character which are also called characterization. According to Murphy s book,

23 11 Understanding Unseens: An Introduction to English Poetry and English Novels for Overseas Students, there are nine types of characterization that are used in the story to understand the characters and make it come alive (1972: ). Those are: personal description, character as seen by another, speech, past life, conversation of others, reactions, direct comment, thoughts, and mannerism. 2. Postcolonialism In postcolonialism paradigm, as Aschroft, Griffiths, and Tiffin pointed out in their book, Post-Colonial Studies, colonial discourse is a system of statements of opinions about colonies and colonial peoples, which are about colonizing powers and about the relationship of those. It is the system of knowledge and beliefs in colonization place. (2007:37) Later they continue that: Rules of inclusion and exclusion operate on the assumption of the superiority of the colonizer s culture, history, language, art. Political structures, social convention, and the assertion of the need for the colonized to be raised up through colonial contact. In particular, colonial discourse hinges on notions of race that begin to emerge at the very advent of Eruropean imperialism (Aschroft, et. al, 2007:37). Based on statement above, the masters can be categorized as colonizer because of their overpowering behavior towards the slaves. Following that, the slave, also using this statement, seen as the colonized because of the behavior they made to the masters. This system to see the two behaviors of the colonized and colonizer is based on the colonizer s needs. To point out about that, their status in the postcolonial approach becomes clear because the master was the person who was in charge on all decisions on the plantation. Thus, it indicates that the master is superior. These are the core of

24 12 the postcolonialism hierarchy where in this story, the white is being the one who has power over the colored. To be recognized as a master, the privilege on this distinction should be based on the master s knowledge. The knowledge, which the master brings, needs to be recognized and desired by the slave to make the distinction exist. The slave s desire of having this knowledge make the slave s position inferior. Despite the master s expose of the knowledge, the master doesn t want the slave to reach the knowledge. For that reason, it can blur the distinction between the master and the slave. On the other hand, the slave s desire on having the privilege of the knowledge can never be achieved without the master s approval which will never happen. Thus, this situation makes the slave trapped in between the distinction. Ambivalence is a term first developed in psychoanalysis to describe a continual fluctuation between wanting one thing and wanting its opposite. It also refers to a simultaneous attraction toward and repulsion from an object, person, or action. (Young 1995:61) Seeing it through colonial discourse by Homi Babha, the definition of the ambivalence on the quote above is explained as a postcolonial term to describe a condition where a person or a character is trapped in between desire and fear. The condition where those are the characteristics of the relation of colonizer and colonized is because both positions need each other to exist in the system of colonialism. Below is the quotation of how ambivalence works in postcolonialism: Rather than assuming that some colonized subjects are complicit and some resistant, ambivalence suggests that complicity and resistance exist in a fluctuating relation within the colonial discourse relates to the colonized

25 13 subject, for it may be both exploitative and nurturing, or represent itself as nurturing, at the same time. (Ashcroft, et. al, 2007:10) 3. Identity Theory The Identity theory in this undergraduate thesis is going to be based on Peter J. Burke and Jan E. Stets, Identity Theory (2009). In the book, Burke states that an identity is the set of meanings that define who one is when one is an occupant of particular role in society, a member of a particular group, or claims particular characteristics that identify him or her as a unique person. (2009:3) Thus, one can have multiple identities based on where one lives in a society, what role one has in the society, and what characteristics one has. Those are important aspects which helps one or others understand one s identity according to Burke. In this book, society, according to Stryker, is made up of an endured pattern of interaction and relationship that are differentiated yet organized. These interactions and relationships exist within groups, organization, communities, and institution. Persons live their lives in small networks of social relationships by playing out roles that support their membership in these networks. (2009:45) So, if one chooses to be a part of the role in a society, the possible way for one to enter this specific organized society is by having shared common identity to fit into the role that exists in the society. Otherwise, one will not be able to fulfill the corresponding roles and expectations to behave in the role within the society. This role playing or identity within the society can be the salient identity of many identities within oneself. To measure salience level of one s identity is by

26 14 considering how deep is one s commitment to the identity. To measure how high is the cost of commitment in one s identity is by seeing the relation on the chances for giving up the identity. The higher the chance is, the higher the commitment level is. Because it is needed to keep one s identity. Below is provided how to measure the costs: Stryker maintains that one important factor that influences the salience of an identity is the degree of commitment one has to the identity. Broadly speaking, commitment is equated with the costs the person incurs for not playing out a role based on an identity. If the costs for giving up the identity is high, then commitment to the identity is high. Costs are examined along two dimensions: the number of ties and the strength of the ties to others in one s social networks based on identity. (Burke, 2009:47) To add on this, how one understands the identity of oneself is by understanding the system of meaning seen through one s behavior. Burke states in this book that in his early work, he argued that identity and behavior are linked through a common system of meaning. When one try to understand a person s behavior, the meaning that the behavior evokes should correspond to the meaning that is held in one s identity. (2009:49). The ties that mentioned in the previous quotation above can also be identified as a set of meanings that oneself associate with one s identity. Burke explains that the meanings associated with the identity come to be known to the person through interaction with others in the situation which others respond to the individual as if the person had these set of meanings. (2009:49) Thus, other s response on one s behavior also gives oneself the meaning to the identity one has over time oneself will have the same response towards one s identity.

27 15 In corresponding with the understanding above, one s standard or reference will be based on the set of meanings affiliated with one s identity. So, when the identity is activated in a certain situation, a loop of feedback is established. This loop consists of four steps: the identity standard, perceptual input of selfrelevant meanings from the situation (other s and oneself meaningful feedback), a comparison process of identity standard and perceptual input, and output to the environment (meaningful behavior of oneself) as a response to the input. This system will go over and over by changing one s outputs in social situation as attempts to match the input and one s identity standard so that when it finally matched, identityverification exists. If the input and identity standard failed to match, distress is felt and behavior is altered to counteract the situational meanings in attempt to accomplish identity-verification. (Burke, 2009:50-51) So, oneself will increase the behavior to make others understand one s identity standard. So, in conclusion, oneself can have more than one identity depending on those aspects, how one achieves the society to understands the identities standard that oneself have can be seen through the behavior of oneself. The importance of applying this theory to an analysis is to seek explanation of specific meanings that individuals have for the multiple identities they claim; how these identities relate to one another for any one person; how their identities influence their behavior, thoughts, and feelings or emotions; and how their identities tie them in to society at large. (Burke, 2009:52) So that the relation between the subject of the analysis, the society, and the events that

28 16 happened can be understood. It is important to understand that when something changes in the society, one s identity may also be influenced. C. Theoretical Framework In this undergraduate thesis, the writer needs the opinion that is stated by other people to solve the problems. Review of related studies is included to measure how far other people have discussed the topic chosen, so that the writer will not have a misjudging or unwanted plagiarism problem in the future. The writer must know what others have done with this topic before the writer moves on to the next move. It also functioned to support the opinion that the writer has. Review of related theory is needed because theory of Characteristic and Characterization and Identity Theory will be used to examine what behavior and act that the character undergone to pursue his identity will be used to help the writer to answer problem formulation number one and problem formulation number two.

29 CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY A. Object of the Study Dave s Neckliss is one of the stories in Charles Waddell Chesnutt s book, Tales of Conjure and The Color Line. This book consists of ten stories about African American life in slavery era and after the civil war in America, specifically North Carolina. The main narrator in the stories in this book is a white man named John who moved there to cure his wife, Anna, who is ill. In his life in North Carolina, he met a colored coachman named Julius, or Uncle Julius as he and his wife called him. In most of the stories in the book, Uncle Julius tells them stories before, during, and after civil war in the neighborhood. Dave s Neckliss, a story told by Uncle Julius, is a story about Dave, a slave belonged to Uncle Julius former master, Mars Dugal. Dave was born and raised in the plantation, and he was known as a loyal, and solemn kind of slave. Unlike the slaves in the platation, Dave was asked to help his master to preach the slaves every Sunday about God in the bible which he taught himself to read with a help of young free nigger boy from. One day, Dave got falsely accused of stealing ham in the plantation by another slave named Wiley which made the master mad that he made necklace made of chain and ham for Dave to wear. This necklace which was hung in Dave s neck 17

30 18 made him felt like he became a ham day by day. Before Dave s six months punishment with the necklace, the master ended Dave s punishment. It was because he found out that Dave was acting strange because of the necklace. Even though his punishment had finished, Dave was already fond of the necklace that he made himself a replica of the necklace using lightered knot and string. Dave then ended his life in the smokehouse by hanging himself among hams. B. Approach of the Study Chesnutt s Dave s Neckliss reveals an identity establishment of the main character of the story which reflects the pursue of freedom during the slavery era. The character pursues behavior and characteristic of the master to reach the same position of the master in the plantation. Postcolonial approach is chosen because the hierarchy of the society in the slavery era and the cause of Dave s identity establishment becomes clear to see. Postcolonial study according to Leela Gandhi in her book, Postcolonial Study: A Critical Introduction, derives from the anti-humanism of poststructuralism and the new humanities a view from Western power as a symptom of Western epistemology and pedagogy. (1998:54) Which means that postcolonialism sees that Western s knowledge base is their own epistemology and pedagogy. They try to apply what they know and see that what they have as their knowledge is the base of every knowledge. Then, she also mentioned in her book that according to Spivak, the term third worldism of postcolonial studies is emphasizing the real social and political oppressions on rigid distinction in marginality. (1998:55). Where when the

31 19 postcolonial theorists are using that term, later they agreed that the term of third world is degrading the outside-western country. Talking about slavery and the system of freedom Gandhi mentioned in her book that Fanon argues that the racialization of the master slave relationship breeds a new and disabling discontent. For whenever the black slaves face the white master, s/he now experiences the disruptive charge of envy and desire. (1998:20) So, that it can be understood that people tends to see that the slaves are looking up at the master for what the master have, and longing for it. Those explanation above in postcolonial study are chosen because how the society system is believed to work in colonialism is similar with the system of slavery in the story. Also, how the character to be analyzed sees the master is the same as what can be seen in what Gandhi mentioned in his book above, looking up and desiring what the master have, in this undergraduate thesis, freedom. Thus, postcolonial approach will be able to help the writer to examine how the character pursue his identity pursue as pursuing freedom from slavery system. C. Method of the Study Library research is the procedure taken to analyze Chessnutt s Dave s Neckliss, a story in his book, Tales of Conjure and The Color Line, to be the main source of the study. Several books and articles which are used as the secondary sources of the study. Those are M.H. Abrams and Geoffrey Galt Harpham s The Glossary of Literary Terms, Ninth Edition to analyze how the character of the story is depicted in the story, Peter Burke s Identity Theory to make the writer understand the concept of

32 20 identity, society and the steps to reach identity-verification, Bill Ashcroft, Gareth Griffiths, and Hellen Tiffin s Postcolonial Study, The Key Concept, Second Edition to understand what postcolonial approach, colonial discourse, and ambivalence, Iris Young s article Five Faces of Oppression in Sandra Lee Bartky s book, On Psychological Oppression to understand powerlessness as one of the five faces oppression. The steps taken to examine the short stories were: first, close reading in which the text was given to focus attentively and carefully to understand the characters more and to point out important facts in the stories. After finding points, problem formulation could be made while looking for relevant references. Then finding out how the character was depicted in the story to fulfill the needed information in the study. The findings were related to the theories chosen. Next step was observing the story using identity theory and making a conclusion as the last step of the analysis.

33 CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS This part of undergraduate thesis provides the analysis based on two problem formulation in Chapter I. There are two subchapters in this chapter. Dave s depiction in the story is explained in the first subchapter. While Dave s identity establishment seen as pursuing freedom is explained in the second subchapter. The focus of this analysis is on the main character, Dave, because the main problem that the writer wants to reveal is on how Dave s identity establishment seen as freedom pursue. Dave s multiple identities within the society reveals the ambivalence on how he sees freedom. The society revealed in this story is America during slavery era which has important role in the shaping each identity of Dave. To help the reader with the understanding of the excerpt in Black English used in most parts of the story, the writer s understanding of each word in Black English is provided after the excerpt. However, the structure of words in each sentence in the excerpt remains the same to respect the beautiful structure of Black English in the story. 21

34 22 A. The Depiction of Dave s Characteristics Dave is a slave that works in the plantation owned by Mars Dugal, he was born, lived, and unfortunately died in the plantation. As Uncle Julius, the narrator, stated in the book: he wuz raise on dis yer plantation, end I kin member all erbout ím, fer I wuz ole nuff ter chop cotton wén it all happen. (Chesnutt, 1998:22). ( he was raised on this here plantation, and I kind of remember all about him, for I was old enough to chop cotton when it all happen. ) Dey wuz a pile er bark burnin in de middle er de flo. En right ober de fier, hangin fum one er de rafters, wuz Dave, dey wuz a rope roun his neck, en I didn haf ter look at his face mo d n once fer ter see he wuz dead. (Chesnutt, 1998:30). ( There was a pile of bark burning in the middle of de floor. And right over de fire hanging from one of the rafters, was Dave, there was a rope around his neck, and I didn t have to look at his face more than once for to see he was dead.) Dave was having false accusation because of Wiley and he was punished for that. He got identity-verification issue during his life as a slave during and after the punishment that his master gave to him. He went through identity addition process. The discussion about Dave s depictions in the story are in order of his identities discussion on the next subchapter. The discussion below are going to explain the depictions of Dave, one by one, using theory of characteristics and characterization explained in chapter II.

35 23 1. A Black Slave in the Plantation In Uncle Julius introduction of Dave s story, he mentioned that he knew Dave a long time ago during his early life in the plantation as a slave where he and Dave belonged to Mars Dugal, the master of the plantation. His explanation of how Dave is in his eyes is explained in the quotation below: Dave use ter b long to my ole marster, said Julius, he wuz raise on dis yer plantation, end I kin member all erbout ím, fer I wuz ole nuff ter chop cotton wén it all happen. Dave wuz a tall man, en mosnt us strong: he could do mo wuk in a day dan any yuther two niggers on de plantation. (Chesnutt, 1998:22) ( Dave used to belong to my old master, said Julius, he was raised on this here plantation, and I kind of remember all about him, for I was old enough to chop cotton when it all happen. Dave was a tall man, and monstrous strong: he could do more work in a day than any other two niggers on the plantation.) From the excerpt above we can also know Dave s skin color or race when Uncle Julius mentioned Dave as one of the niggers on the plantation. In addition, he also had a big posture of a man, which, based on Julius statement, he could work more than other slaves in the plantation. This means that he had a good quality of a slave for his master to have. 2. A Very Religious Person. Mars Dugal s plantation had a religious habit where every Sunday, the master would preach according to Bible like what people do in church. From this habit that his master adapted in the plantation, Dave s religious characteristics grew. The first characteristic of Dave being a religious person mentioned in the story is that Dave was a solemn man who believed in a religion. It is mentioned through

36 24 Uncle Julius statement in the story that instead of fooling around in his free time Dave chose to pray in the woods. He wuz one er dese yer solemn kine er men, en nebber run on wid much foolishness, like de yuther darkies. He use ter go out in de woods en pray; (Chesnutt, 1998:23) ( He was one of these your solemn kind of men, and never run on with much foolishness, like the other darkies. He used to go out in the woods and pray; ) Solemn is defined by Oxford Dictionary as serious looking. It means that he had a serious attitude in him which means that his going to the woods to pray was a routine that he chose to do. He was not a kind of person whose passion was in having fun with fooling around. Further prove of Dave being a very religious person is that not only he went to the woods to pray, but he also reminded others about sins. He reminded others not to do foolishness and say idle words because it is considered as a sin in The Bible. en w en he hear de han s on de plantation cussin en gwine on wid dere dancin' en foolishness, he use' ter tell 'em 'bout religion en jedgmen'-day, w'en dey would haf ter gin account fer eve'y idle word en all dey yuther sinful kyarin'son. (Chesnutt, 1998:23) ( and when he hears the ones on the plantation cursing and going on with their dancing and foolishness, he used to tell them about religion and judgement day, when they would have to give an account for every idle word and all the other sinful carry and so on. ) By characteristics provided above, not only he had a serious looking feature, he also had serious manner in doing. He reminded others what was right to do and not right to do according to the Bible.

37 25 Dave s behavior of being a religious person didn t stop there, he took a step further by taking a risk of violating the law at that time that slave was not allowed to read or write. He learned how to read for the Bible by sneaking a free black boy in the settlement. This free black boy knew how to read, and write, so he teach Dave how to read as what is provided below: Dave had l arn how ter read de Bible. Dey wuz a nigger boy in de settlement w at wuz monstrous smart, en could write en cipher, en wuz alluz readin books er papers. En Dave had hi ed dis free boy fer to l arn im how ter read. Hit wuz g in de law, but co se none er de niggers didn say nuffin ter de w ite folks bout it. (Chesnutt, 1998:23) ( Dave had learned how to read the Bible. There was a nigger boy in the settlement what was monstrous smart, and could write and cipher, and was always reading books or papers. And Dave had hired this free boy for to learn him how to read. It was against the law, but of course none of the niggers didn t say nothing to the white folks about it.) His determination to learn the Bible, even though he had to violate the law, strengthen the idea that he was really determined to learn more about the Bible. Thus, the depiction of him being a very religious person becomes clear. 3. A Preacher for the Slaves in the Plantation The risk he took to learn how to read the Bible even though he had to violate the law was revealed to his master in the end. The master then came to him to ask if the talk was true about him being able to read the Bible. He could not tell lie when his master asked him about that. He told him the truth that he could read the Bible. Dave didn t hardly knowed w at ter do; but he couldn t tell no lie, so he fessed he could read de Bible a little by spellin out de words. Mars Dugal look mighty solemn.

38 26 Dis yer is a se ious matter, sezee; it s g in de law ter l arn niggers how ter read, er low em ter hab books. But w at yer l arn out m dat Bible, Dave? (Chesnutt, 1998:23) ( Dave didn t hardly knew what to do; but he couldn t tell no lie, so he confessed he could read the Bible a little by spelling out the words. Mars Dugal looked mighty solemn. This is here is a serious matter, says he; it s against the law to learn niggers how to read, or allow them to have books. But what you learn out of that Bible, Dave? ) Being asked like that, Dave pointed out to his master about what he learned in the bible and linked it with what his master might like to hear to allow him to continue reading bible, he said: Marster, I l arns dat it s a sin fer ter steal, er ter lie, er fer ter want w at doan b long ter yer; en I l arns fer ter love de Lawd en ter bey my marster. ( Master, I learn that it is a sin for to steal, or to lie, or for to want what don t belong to you, and I learn for to love the Lord and to obey my master ) Dave s statement above made his master happy. So that he gave the privilege of preaching the slave in the plantation and reading the Bible to Dave instead of punishment. He does that so that the slaves will do good things that Dave learned from the bible as what we can see below: Doan pear ter me lack readin de Bible done yer much harm, Dave. Dat s w at I wants all my niggers fer ter know. Yer keep right on readin, en tell the yuther han s w at yer be n tellin me. How would yer lack fer ter preach ter de niggers on Sunday? Dave say he d be glad fer ter do w at he could. (Chesnutt, 1998:23) ( Don t appear to me like reading the Bible done you much harm, Dave. That s what I want all my niggers for to know. You keep right on reading. And tell the other hands what you been telling me. How would you like for to preach to the niggers on Sunday?

39 27 Dave say he d be glad for to do what he could.) Given the offer to preach and to read the Bible, Dave accepted it gladly and started preaching the slaves in the plantation on every Sunday. That is how Dave fulfill his love to his religion and also at the same time started being a preacher to the slaves in the plantation. 4. A Ham Thief Dave was acknowledged as a ham thief when the overseer, Mars Walker found the ham inside Dave s cabin, under the floor. All of the slaves were shaken to know the fact that during the heated atmosphere of losing too much hams in the plantation, the overseer found it in the most unexpected place, Dave s cabin. W en Mars Walker hearn dis fum Wiley, he went en sarch Dave s cabin, en foun de ham hid under de flo. Eve ybody wuz stonish ; but dere wuz de ham. Co se Dave nied it ter de las, but dere wuz de ham. (Chesnutt, 1998:25) ( When Mars Walker heard this frum Wiley, he went and search Dave s cabin, and found the ham hid under the floor. Everybody was astonished; but there was the ham. Of course Dave denied it to the last, but there was the ham.) After finding the ham, the overseer told the master of the plantation that Dave was the one stealing the ham all this time. The master felt deceived and disappointed in Dave. Then the overseer made a necklace made of chain and ham to show that Dave just stole a ham. Den he tuk Dave down ter de blacksmif shop, en had Unker Silas, de plantation blacksmif, fasten a chain ter de ham, en den fasten de youther een er de chain roun Dave s neck. En den he says ter Dave, sezee:

40 28 Now, suh, yer ll wear dat neckless fer de nex six mont s; en I spec s yer ner none er de yuther niggers on dis plantation won steal no mo bacon dyoin; er dat time. (Chesnutt, 1998:25) ( Then he took Dave down to the blacksmith shop, and had Uncle Silas, the plantation blacksmith, fasten a chain to the ham, and then fasten the other end of the chain around Dave s neck. And then he says to Dave, says he: Now, sir, you ll wear that necklace for the next six months: and I expect you nor none of the other niggers on this plantation won t steal no more bacon during of that time. ) The ham necklace around Dave s neck made other niggers in the plantation lost respect to him since he stole a ham. His act of stealing ham made Mars Dugal hand over the job to take care of the slaves to Mars Walker, the overseer who was so strict on the slaves. De niggers all turnt ag in im, caze he be n de casion er Mars Dugal turnin em all ober ter Mars Walker. Mars Dugal wa n t a bad marster hisse f, but Mars Walker wuz hard ez a rock. (Chesnutt, 1998:25) (The niggers all turned against him, because he been the occasion to Mars Dugal turning them all over to Mars Walker. Mars Dugal wasn t a bad master himself, but Mars Walker was hard as a rock.) The niggers in the plantation acknowledged him as the ham thief as what Dilsey, his supposedly wife-to-be said to Dave, when he tried to convince her that he didn t steal the ham, below: I doan wanter talk ter no nigger, says she, w at be n whip fer stealin, en w at gwine roun wid such a lookin thing ez dat hung roun his neck. I s a spectable gal, I is. W at yer call dat, Dave? Is dat a cha m fer ter keep off witches, er is it a noo kine er neckless yer got? (Chesnutt, 1998:26) ( I don t want to talk to no nigger, says she, what been whipped for stealing, en w at going around with such a looking thing as that hung around his neck. I m an expectable girl, I is. What you call that, Dave? Is that a chain for to keep off witches, or is it a new kind of necklace you got? )