THE IDEA OF POSTMODERNISM AS SEEN THROUGH THE CHARACTERS ATTITUDES IN SHIRLEY JACKSON S THE LOTTERY AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

Transcription

1 THE IDEA OF POSTMODERNISM AS SEEN THROUGH THE CHARACTERS ATTITUDES IN SHIRLEY JACKSON S THE LOTTERY AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters By JELITO RAHADIAN DE DEUS SORIANO Student number: ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2017 i

2 THE IDEA OF POSTMODERNISM AS SEEN THROUGH THE CHARACTERS ATTITUDES TOWARD THE LOTTERY IN SHIRLEY JACKSON S THE LOTTERY AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters By JELITO RAHADIAN DE DEUS SORIANO Student number: ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2017 ii

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5 STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY I certify that this undergraduate thesis contains no material which has been previously submitted for the award of any other degree at any university, and that, to the best of my knowledge, this undergraduate thesis contains no material previously written by any other person except where due reference is made in the text of the undergraduate thesis. Yogyakarta, January 18, 2017 Jelito Rahadian De Deus Soriano v

6 LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS Yand bertanda tangan dibawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma Nama : Jelito Rahadian De Deus Soriano Nomor Mahasiswa : Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul: THE IDEA OF POSTMODERNISM AS SEEN THROUGH THE CHARACTERS ATTITUDES TOWARD THE LOTTERY IN SHIRLEY JACKSON S THE LOTTERY Beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin kepada saya maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis. Demikian pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenarnya. Dibuat di Yogyakarta Pada tanggal 18 Januari 2017 Yang menyatakan, Jelito Rahadian De Deus Soriano vi

7 I have not come this far to give up now vii

8 For My Beloved Family viii

9 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This page is dedicated to those who helped me and supported me in the process of writing this thesis. First of all, I would like to thank God for His blessing and guidance. This Undergraduate Thesis would have never been done without His help. Second, I thank my thesis Advisor, Elisa Dwi Wardani S.S., M.Hum., for her patience in guiding me writing this thesis and for suggestions that were really valuable. I would also like to thank Elisabeth Arti Wulandari S.S., M.A., the coadvisor, for her advice to help me finish my thesis. I would like to express my gratitude to all the lecturers of English Letters and the staffs for their support and guidance they give since the first time I entered English Letters Department. In this opportunity, my sincere gratitude goes to my family, Bapa, Mama, Arsa, Belinda, and the big families of Soriano, for their endless pray and support. A special thank goes to my grandma and my uncle for telling me a lot of valuable lessons. I also thank all my friends who had been supporting me to finish my undergraduate thesis. JelitoRahadian De Deus Soriano ix

10 TABLE OF CONTENTS TITLE PAGE... ii APPROVAL PAGE... iii ACCEPTANCE PAGE... iv LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI... v STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY... vi MOTTO PAGE... vii DEDICATION PAGE... viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS... ix TABLE OF CONTENTS... x ABSTRACT... xi ABSTRAK... xii CHAPTER I : INTRODUCTION... 1 A. Background of the Study... 1 B. Problem Formulation... 3 C. Objectives of the Study... 4 D. Definition of Terms... 4 CHAPTER II : REVIEW OF LITERATURE... 7 A. Review of Related Studies... 7 B. Review of Related Theories... 8 C. Theoretical Framework CHAPTER III : METHODOLOGY A. Object of the Study B. Approach of the Study C. Method of the Study CHAPTER IV : ANALYSIS A. The Plot of the Lottery B. The Attitudes of the Characters toward the Lottery reflected... from the Plot C. The Idea of Postmodernism as seen through the Characters Attitudes CHAPTER V : CONCLUSION BIBLIOGRAPHY x

11 ABSTRACT JELITO RAHADIAN DE DEUS SORIANO. The Idea of Postmodernism as seen through the Characters Attitudes toward the Lottery in Shirley Jackson s The Lottery. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, Shirley Jackson s short story The Lottery describes a small community whose old-time tradition prescribes them to choose one among them for the sake of sacrificial offering to guarantee big harvest. This tradition makes them do violence and brutality toward the winner of the lottery ritual because they still believe that it will bring happiness. There are three problems formulated as the basis of the research. The first problem is about how the plot is revealed in the story. The second problem is about how the characters attitude toward the lottery drawing is reflected from the plot. The third problem is about the idea of postmodernism as seen through the characters attitude. The writing of this undergraduate thesis uses library research to compile data and analyze them. The data were collected through books, magazines, and web-based articles. The approach which was used in the research is moral philosophical approach. This approach was used to reveal the characters attitude toward the tradition along with the idea of postmodernism which can be seen from the characters attitude. The analyses are as follows: the plot of The Lottery reveals the initial situation or the exposition, conflict, climax, suspension, and conclusion. Plot reveals the actions of the characters through what the characters think and feel; therefore, the characters attitude can be drawn based on the plot. Faithful is shown in the characters attitude. People in the village really enjoy doing the lottery as the tradition even if they should kill the one who gets the lot. They believe that the lottery will bring a big harvest. Old Man Warner shows his anger because some people talk about giving up the lottery. Old Man Warner believes that tradition is the only way to gain happiness. Mrs. Hutchinson is also one of the characters who show the excitement toward the perpetuation of the tradition. Ironically, she ends up as a winner in the lottery. As a winner she should be stoned by everyone in that village including her family. The characters attitude toward the lottery believes that the lottery is the only way to gain happiness. Therefore, it can be concluded that the characters attitudes which manifest in their practice, reflects the ideas of postmodernism. xi

12 ABSTRAK JELITO RAHADIAN DE DEUS SORIANO. The Idea of Postmodernism as seen through the Characters Attitudes toward the Lottery in Shirley Jackson s The Lottery. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, Cerita pendek karangan Shirley Jackson berjudul The Lottery mendeskripsikan komunitas kecil di mana sebuah tradisi lama menentukan mereka untuk memilih salah satu dari masyarakat demi tumbal pengorbanan untuk memastikan panen melimpah. Tradisi ini membuat mereka melakukan kekerasan dan tindakan kejam terhadap pemenang ritual karena mereka percaya bahwa tradisi tersebut dapat memberikan kebahagiaan. Ada tiga rumusan masalah yang disusun sebagai landasan penelitian. Pertama tentang bagaimana jalan cerita diungkap dalam cerita. Kedua tentang bagaimana sikap tokoh-tokoh terhadap penarikan undian yang terungkap di jalan cerita. Ketiga tentang gagasan postmodernisme dilihat melalui sikap tokoh-tokoh. Penulisan skripsi ini menggunakan studi pustaka untuk mengumpulkan data dan menganalisanya. Sumber data tersebut adalah buku-buku, majalah, dan artikel-artikel internet. Pendekatan yang digunakan dalam penelitian adalah moral-filosofi. Pendekatan ini digunakan untuk mengungkapkan sikap tokohtokoh terhadap tradisi bersamaan dengan gagasan postmodernisme yang mana dapat dilihat dari sikap tokoh-tokoh cerita. Temuan pembahasannya adalah: jalan cerita dari The Lottery adalah eksposisi, konflik, puncak permasalahan, suspansi, dan kesimpulan. Terungkap aksi dari tokoh-tokoh melalui cara berpikir dan berperasaan, oleh karena itu, sikap dari tokoh-tokoh dapat direalisasikan berdasarkan jalan cerita. Keramah-tamahan dan kegirangan ditunjukan oleh sikap dari tokoh-tokoh. Orang-orang di desa itu sangat menikmati undian sebagai tradisi walaupun mereka harus membunuh sesama. Mereka percaya bahwa undian ini dapat menghasilkan panen besar. Old Man Warner menunjukan kemarahanya karena beberapa orang mengatakan untuk berhenti melakukan undian. Old Man Warner percaya hanya tradisilah cara untuk memperoleh kebahagiaan. Mrs. Hutchinson juga adalah satu dari tokoh-tokoh yang juga menunjukan rasa kegirangan terhadap terselenggaranya tradisi. Ironisnya, dia menjadi pemenang dalam undian. Sebagai pemenang ia harus dilempari batu oleh semua orang di desa termasuk keluarganya. Tokoh-tokoh terhadap masih mempercayai bahwa undian adalah salah-satunya cara untuk memperoleh kebahagiaan. Maka, dapat disimpulkan bahwa sikap tokoh-tokoh, yang terwujud dalam praktiknya, merefleksikan gagasan-gagasan posmodernisme. xii

13 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study As a human being, we believe in certain values in this world. Modern people might not believe in that kind of superstition anymore. They only believe in progress or reason to prove their judgment. This idea comes from modernist people who introduced us to their Enlightenment. It is believed that Enlightenment has opened the prospect of progress toward a life in this world of universal peace and happiness (Abrams, 1985:52). Modernists try to gain their happiness through reason to solve the crucial problems and to establish the essential norms in life. It makes the tradition and superstitions fall apart. In 1960s a new concept questioning modernism emerged, as pointed out by Sarup that it has probably emerged as a specific reaction against the established forms of high modernism (Sarup, 1993:131). This situation led philosophers like Lyotard, Lacan, and Foucault to propose what they called postmodernism. The era of postmodernity comes after modernity, and it refers to the incipient or actual dissolution of those social forms associated with modernity (Sarup, 1993:30). It means that postmodernism comes after modernism. The idea of postmodernism spread out through the world. It is now adapted into a lot of fields and studies, like literature. 1

14 2 The Lottery by Shirley Jackson becomes a famous short story after it is published in The lottery tells about the tradition which is being held by the people on that village to gain happiness. The people of the story still believe that human sacrifice will bring a big harvest at that time. Sacrificing a human s life becomes the ritual tradition which is held every summer. Summer is supposed to be a beautiful season when flowers are blossoming and the green grass is totally colorful. However, in the lottery, summer becomes a time for death and killing neighbors. The lottery talks about how tradition becomes the main concern of the most people in that village. The lottery as a tradition is so cruel because every summer someone s life should be sacrificed and the murderers are his/her own neighbors. The writer wants to show that some tradition like the lottery is a kind of ritual which is still believed by human beings. This belief is based on people s belief that is made by the society. The villagers in the story only can think that big harvest may happen if they could sacrifice someone in the lottery. They create the lottery because people in that village want to bring a big harvest to the village. They also find that they cannot use their knowledge to achieve their goal, so that they perpetuate the tradition. Considering the nature of postmodernism and characters attitudes in the story, it is assumed that the idea of postmodernism fit on the way the character s attitudes from the characters as the object of the study. The plot of the story will show how the people react to the lottery. The tradition which is held by people in

15 3 that village sees that the lottery is the only way to solve the problems. That is why the term of postmodernism is used by the writer of the thesis. Jackson s The Lottery is chosen because the characters attitudes from the story show the idea of postmodernism itself which is really interesting to analyze. The way people think about the lottery is extremely far from being humane. The characters attitudes in the lottery are the main concern of the writer. Besides of thesis, the writer also focused on the idea of postmodernism as seen through the characters attitudes toward the lottery. B. Problem Formulation In relation with the explanations above there are three problems to discuss. 1. How is the plot revealed in the story? 2. How are the characters attitudes toward the lottery drawing reflected from the plot? 3. What are the ideas of postmodernism as seen through the characters attitudes? C. Objectives of the Study Based on the problem formulations that have been mentioned, the objectives of study are represented as follows. The undergraduate thesis has a purpose to show that the characters attitudes can reflect the idea of posmodernism. That is why it is important to make problem formulation for answering the questions.

16 4 The plot from the story is the first point to know. The plot must be understood to know the basic concept in order to find out each attitude from the characters that might be the concept of postmodernism. The point of view from all the characters in the story has different ideas that make the idea of postmodernism comes up. The attitudes from the characters can be seen from before, during, and after the lottery drawing after analyzing the plots from the story. Based on those, the characters show their attitudes toward the tradition. It becomes the concept that creates the idea of Postmodernism. After mapping all those things, the writer has some ideas from the characters attitudes that become the concept of Postmodernism s idea. This is where the idea of Postmodernism rises. That is how the writer of this thesis answers the questions. D. Definition of Terms As stated in the tittle and explored in the above explanation, the writer wants to clarify some terms used in this undergraduate thesis. The term that is used by the writer is postmodernism. 1. Postmodernism The term of postmodernism is defined by Kevin Hart in his book where he explains what Lyotard said about posmodernism So let us return to Lyotard. The postmodern, he argued, was an attitude of suspicion towards the modern. Why? Because the modern always appeals to a meta-narrative of some kind, something that overarches all human activities and serves to guide them: the natural primacy of human consciousness, the fair distribution of wealth in society, and the steady march of moral progress. To be postmodern is to distrust the claim that we

17 5 can attain enlightenment or peace by judicious use of reason, that we can become happy or prosperous, that any of our higher goals can be achieved if only we wait and work, work and wait. He clears his throat. If the modern designates the era of emancipation and knowledge, consensus and totalities, then postmodern marks an attitude of disbelief towards the modern (Hart, 2004: 2). It is clearly stated that Postmodernism is different from Modernism. Derrida also says that postmodernism attacked, the ideals of reason, clarity, truth, and progress (Barry, 2002:86) that was provided by modernism. As a basic concept, it means that they share different idea in it. To understand this idea, the term modernism should be understood. According to Powell Modernism is a blanket term for an explosion of new styles and trends in the arts in the half of 20 th century (Powell, 1998:20). Modernism is term that is related to the Age of Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason. Probably the main value of the age, besides reason was the idea of progress (Powell, 1998:20). The writer wants to say that modernism is a new idea for humanity based on reason and logic. At the 18 th century people are optimistic that by using the universal values of science, reason, and logic, they could get rid of all the myths and holy ideas that kept humanity from progressing. They felt this would be eventually free humanity from misery, religion, superstition, all irrational behavior, and unfounded belief. Humanity would use thus progress to state freedom, happiness, and progress (Powell, 1998:20-21) Postmodernism, as Lyotard puts it, believes that the nature of knowledge cannot survive unchanged within this context of general transformation. The status of knowledge is altered as societies enter what is known as the postmodern age (Sarup, 1993:118).

18 6 2. Attitude An Attitude is generally defined as the way a person responds to his or her environment, either positively or negatively. ( management/text/books/boundless-management-textbook/organizationalbehavior-5/drivers-of-behavior-44/defining-attitude /.html, Ocktober 16, 2016). The attitude also means a behavior a person adopts toward other people, things, incidents or happenings ( October 16, 2016).

19 CHAPTER II REVIEW OF LITERATURE A. Review of Related Studies Since this study is going to find out the idea of postmodernism through the characters attitudes from The Lottery, the writer wants to see another study from undergraduate researcher. Linda Valentina Budiman in her study about The Lottery states The result of this study showed that characters attitudes before and during the lottery drawing are very anxious although there are some characters who do not show their worried such as Tessie Hutchinson and Old Man Warner. The Lottery that has been done so many years also brings some effects toward the characters life. There are two kinds of effect: general and specific effect. Generally, the lottery makes people accept it blindly without questioning what it is actually for, and it makes them become narrow-minded in such a way that they are willing to kill one of them every year for sake of a good harvest (Budiman, 2000:6). What can be inferred from the statement above is that the lottery can bring a great impact to the characters in the story. It also makes people in that village just accept the lottery that has been carried out for so many years without any questions in their mind. The questions here are about human values and right, as mentioned above, are severely neglected by killing anybody who wins the lottery. Another study reviewed for the research is taken from Gisela Swara Gita Andika s study. She clarified that Pi as a main character in Life of Pi shows the ideas of postmodernism from his attitudes. She states that His postmodernism is also shown in the way he practices three religions in the same time that can be considered religious pluralism. Religious pluralism, a part of postmodernism that concerns with religiosity, allows 7

20 8 people to go beyond and admit that all religions are true. Pi believes in this notion, and he practices three religions to find comfort and peace in his life (Andika, 2012:86). This statement means that the aspect of postmodernism can be seen in the way how the character learns the three religions which are Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. Religious pluralism can be a guidance to get the understanding that all religions are true. Pluralism in that statement shows that it belongs to the idea of postmodernism. Based on two studies above, the writer here wants to show that one of the ways to find out ideas from the story or novel is from the characters. All characters have their own point of view in the way to see something that might happen in their life. The writer of the thesis develops something different from the previous studies. The characters attitudes from the plot as the main focus here can also show the idea of postmodernism. It shows that plot can be an important aspect to reveal either the general or specific idea of the story. The main analysis is about the characters attitudes which are revealed from the plot and how it reflects the idea of postmodernism. B. Review of Related Theories 1. Theory of Plot According to Abrams, plot in a dramatic or narrative work is constituted by its events and actions, as these are rendered and ordered toward achieving particular emotional and artistic effects (1993:159). In other words, plot is a concept which is related to events and actions in the story. Abrams also mentions that plot and character has strong relation because the actions (including verbal

21 9 discourse as well as physical actions) are performed by particular characters in a work, and are the means by which they exhibit moral and dispositional qualities (1993: 159). It also means that the actions and attitudes of the characters can be seen through plot. Gustav Freytag as guided by Guerin mentions that plot is divided into five sections; exposition, rising action, climax (or turning point), falling action, and denouement (comedy) or catastrophe (tragedy) (Guerin, 1979:8). The exposition is the background information needed to properly understand a story (Guerin, 1979:8). It means that to find the exposition, the reader has to know about the basic information of the story, such as the basic conflict or the setting. After that, the writer can find the rising action from the story. The rising action is the inciting moment sets the remainder of the story in motion (Guerin, 1979:8). But before finding out the rising action, the writer has to know the basic conflict which is complicated by the introduction of other conflicts, such as setbacks (Guerin, 1979:8). Then the writer can decide the climax from the story. The climax marks a major change for the protagonist (Guerin, 1979:8). It means that the character will face his ultimate test that happens in the story. The falling action comes after the climax. It contains a moment of final suspense, during which the final outcome of the conflict is in doubt (Guerin, 1979:8). Conclusion is the final part of the plot. Freytag mentions that in some genres of the story, they can reveal different conclusion. Comedy ends with denouement (conclusion, or wrapping up) in which protagonist is better off than at the story s outset. Tragedy ends with

22 10 a catastrophe in which the protagonist is destroyed in some way (Guerin, 1979:8). 2. Theory of the Relation between Plot and Character According to Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs in Fiction: An Introduction to Reading and Writing, a character can be disclosed by considering these factors: what the character say (and think), what the character do, what other characters say about him/her, and what the author says about him/her (1989: ). Therefore, what the character do can show the characters attitude and some ideas beyond it. Another study is taken from Abrams. He states that characters are persons presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with moral, dispositional, emotional qualities that expressed in what they say-the dialogue-and by what they do-the action (1993:23). There is a strong relation between the plot and the character. Abrams also states it clearly in his book that as a plot progresses it arouses expectations in the audience or reader about the future course of events and actions and how the characters will respond to them (1993:160). So, it is possible to find out the attitude from the characters that is revealed from the plot. In presenting the characters, the technique adopted can be either showing or telling. In his book, Abrams gives two methods of characterization. He explains that In showing (sometimes called the dramatic method), the author presents the characters talking and acting, and leave the reader to infer what

23 11 motives and dispositions lie behind what they say and do. Here a reader has to be accurate in reading the characters dialogue and action in order to guess is the reason behind all they say and do. Therefore a reader has to be critical in seeing and judging the characters dialogue and action (Abrams, 1993:24) Another way that can be used to clarify the characters is by indirect presentation. Scott in his book explains that the author shows us the character in action; we infer what he is like from what he thinks or says or does (1968:5). Those two methods will be very useful to analyze the characters in the story because Abrams clearly states all theory of character in there. In the lottery the characters attitude can be revealed from the plot. Plot has connection to the progress from the characters. It contains the actions of the characters which can be seen through what the characters think and feel. It means that the actions from the characters also conclude to their attitude. 3. Theories on Postmodernism According to Abrams the term postmodernism is sometimes applied to the literature after World War II ( ), when the effects on Western morale of the first war were greatly exacerbated by the experience of Nazi totalitarianism and mass extermination, the threat of total destruction by atomic bomb, the progressive devastation of the natural environment, and ominous fact of overpopulation (1993:120). Lyotard also states that since World War II, people no longer believe in the grand narratives. After all, applying science and reason to the construction of gas chambers and efficient railroad schedules, the Nazis exterminated millions of human beings (Powell, 1998:40).

24 12 Abrams also states that an undertaking in some postmodernist writings is to subvert the foundations of our accepted modes of thought and experience so as to reveal the meaningless, of existence and the underlying abyss, or void, or nothingness on which any supposed security is conceived to be precariously suspended (Abrams, 1993:120). In other words, many of postmodernism terms are applied to some work of literature after World War II. Besides, the effect of World War II has great impact to the literature work. It is also said that the foundations of postmodernism thought accepted the meaningless, abyss, void, and nothingness for the study. According to Waugh and Rite in their book, they clarified the meaning of postmodernism as a mood expressed theoretically across a diverse range of theoretical discourses and involving: a focus on the collapse of grand narratives into local incommensurable language games or little narratives; a Foucauldian emphasis on discontinuity an plurality of history as discursively produced and formulated, and a tendency to view the discourses of Enlightenment reason as complicit with the instrumental rationalization of modern life (1996:289). From the quotation above, it is clear that postmodernism tries to focus on the rejection of the grand narratives. Postmodernism believes that the grand narratives should be changed into little narratives. Another concept of Postmodernism is also being described by Jim Powell on his book. He described that Postmodernism was a term which was after the Modernism. He writes Postmodernism as the post preface implies, is something that follows modernism. However, people who think about such things as Postmodernism don t agree whether Postmodernism is a break from modernism or a continuation of modernism-or both. In fact, they don t

25 13 even agree as to what modernism is, much less Postmodernism (Powell, 1998:19). It means that the project of enlightenment as a value had lost its credibility. The project is about fostering of this belief that a break with tradition, blind habit, and slavish obedience to religious precepts and prohibitions, coupled with the application of reason and logic by disinterested individual, can bring about a solution to the problems of society (Barry, 2002:85). Some of the philosopher such us Derrida believe that the enlightenment is uncompleted project. They try to get rid the value of the enlightenment. In his view the ideals of reason, clarity, truth, and progress, and as they were thereby detached from the quest for justice, he identified them as young conservatives (Barry, 2002:86). For Lyotard, the project of enlightenment tries to totalize explanations of things like Christianity or the myth of scientific progress. As explained in Peter Barry s book, for Lyotard postmodernism is simply Incredulity towards metanarratives (2002:86). He believes that metanarratives of progress and human perfectability, then, are no longer tenable, and the best we can hope for is a series of mininarratives, which are provisional, contingent, temporary, and relative and which provide a basis for actions of specific group in particular local circumstances (Barry, 2002:87). A series of mini narratives such as myths, legends and tales legitimize themselves-make themselves believable-just in telling. And at the same time they legitimize the society in which they are told (Powell, 1998:34). It means that the myth, the chanter, the audience, all form a kind of social bond-asocial group that legitimizes itself through the chanting of the myth. The myth requires no authorization or legitimization other than itself. The myth defines what has the right to be said and done in the culture (Powel, 1998:35).

26 14 That is why postmodernism reject the grand narratives and change it into mininarratives. To understand this idea, the term modernism should be understood. According to Powell Modernism is a blanket term for an explosion of new styles and trends in the arts in the half of 20 th century (Powell, 1998:20). Modernism is term that is related to the Age of Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason. Probably the main value of the age, besides reason was the idea of progress (Powell, 1998:20). It means that modernism is a new idea for humanity based on reason and logic. At the 18 th century, people become optimistic that by using the universal values of science, reason, and logic, they could get rid of all the myths and holy ideas that kept humanity from progressing. They felt this would be eventually free humanity from misery, religion, superstition, all irrational behavior, and unfounded belief. Humanity would use thus progress to state freedom, happiness, and progress (Powell, 1998:20-21) Postmodernism as a new term after modernism has another idea, proposing that the nature of knowledge cannot survive unchanged within this context of general transformation. The status of knowledge is altered as societies enter what is known as the postmodern age (Sarup, 1993:118). Fredric Jameson in his essay states that postmodernism emerged as the reaction against the established forms of high modernism. The key point to the spirit of postmodernism is the reaction against anything modernly organized (Jameson in Kaplan 1988:18). According to Lyotard in Jim Powell s book, he states that postmodernism has to do with skepticism about Grand narratives; and it is about heterogeneity (Powell, 1998:149). That is one of the most characteristic of postmodernism. In

27 15 Glenn Ward s book, he mentions that postmodernism is about Knowingness. Knowingness in postmodernism insists on self-conscious, self-contradictory, self-undermining statement. Since few people trust their convictions or believe the world can change for better, irony is the only option (Ward, 2010: 9). It means that the only way to find out better change is only from the irony. Irony in the postmodernism is therefore not just cynical, not just a way of making fun of the world. It demonstrates a knowingness about how reality is ideologically constructed (Nicol, 2002:13). C. Theoretical Framework The theories stated above in this chapter will be used to analyze the lottery. The three theories, the theory of plot will describe the plot in the lottery to find out the way of how the story goes on. Theory on character will provide some information to identify the act of the characters in the short story. The theory on characters is also used to find out how the characters attitude the lottery based on the plot. The theory on plot from Guerin and Abrams are applied in studying the plot in the Lottery. Those two theories will help the writer to reveal the plot of the story. The theory on plot also has relation to the characters action. It means that theory on characters will be used to analyze the characters for further information. That is through the characters themselves say, what the characters do, and what the characters respond, this theory helps in studying the attitudes of the characters in the story.

28 16 This thesis uses the idea of postmodernism from many sources as the basic. The analysis will be mainly based on concept of postmodernism. Making an intensive review on the theory and studying it from many points of view such as historically and its development as one of the philosophical school the writer would try to find the idea of postmodernism as seen through the characters attitudes in Jackson s the Lottery.

29 CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY A. Object of the Study Shirley Jackson s The Lottery was a short story which is published in June 1948, an issue of The New Yorker magazine. The Lottery was successful for the first time when it was published and has become one of the most famous short stories in the history of American literature. The world of Shirley Jackson is horrified and unforgettable. She is the writer who writes something which is not predictable because especially in The Lottery she makes a beautiful summerday with nothing seems going to happen into something that is really horrible. The story is taken from The Lottery and Other Stories by Macmillan in his book on The story is in page 149 until 154. The lottery is a short story that takes place in small a village somewhere in America. A small village where all the residents must participate in the tradition which is held every summer and then becomes a nightmare for some folks there. It goes with a normal condition when people gather around to the square for the lottery. However, at the end of the story the winner is executed to by the people in that village. As the result, the winner of the lottery should be dead. B. Approach of the Study This thesis deals with the idea of postmodernism as seen through the characters attitudes in Shirley Jackson s The Lottery. As a literary work The 17

30 18 Lottery can be said to have a value that is from the tragedy that has been done in such traditions which is supposed to kill somebody to get happiness. The great World War II can be the one of the effects that make such tradition like that exists. Therefore the Moral-philosophical approach is applied in the analysis since there is an indication of the presence of a philosophical value in the lottery. According to Guerin, Moral-philosophical is an approach of which is basic to examine the literary work that teach morality and to probe philosophical issue (Guerin, 1979:29). Since this undergraduate thesis assumes that the lottery teaches a unique way on doing the tradition, it is possible to do a research using this approach. With this approach, the analysis to find the idea of postmodernism through the characters attitudes in the lottery will be possible to be done. C. Method of the Study In order to support this research, several resources and data are used. They are books and some references related to the lottery and idea of postmodernism. The library research method was used as the main method in order to find out the short story and supportive readings to the study topic. The writer also used internet to collect some useful data related to the research. From the relevant website, the writer got some information about the author, the short story, and related articles. Several steps in the following were done to gain result of the study. Firstly, the writer read the story in order to understand what the story is about. Close reading were used to get the information. A list of worth-studying elements were made, such us plot and characters attitude. A deeper reading led the writer

31 19 to specify the relation between plot and the characters attitude. Afterwards, the other sources about the idea of postmodernism were read. Then, the writer made a list shortening in order to narrowing the study could be done. It was decided that this undergraduate thesis would find more about the characters attitude and relate it with postmodernism. The second step was analyzing the data and starting to make research in more systematically form. The writer tried to make the problem formulation as the guidance for the analysis and began to analyze the problem. The first problem formulation is related to the plots that can be found in the story. The second problem formulation is how was the characters attitudes based on the plots toward the lottery drawing was possible to answer after having and understanding of the concept from postmodernism. Then, relate the attitudes from the characters to the idea of postmodernism. Finally, the third step was drawing a conclusion. In this step the writer made summary of all the process of analyzing and the result of the research.

32 CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS Shirley Jackson s The Lottery is a short story that tells about a small group of people who that still believe in the tradition which is called lottery. This tradition is an event in the story which makes people in that village killing their neighbor in exchange to get a big harvest. The story goes by showing a contact, and a communication within all the characters toward the lottery. Most of the activity that the characters do in the short story is the routine of the lottery event. In this chapter the writer is going to analyze three items. First, the writer is going to analyze the plot of the story which is mentioned in the problem formulations. The second part is about the characters attitudes toward the lottery drawing that is reflected from the plot of the story. This part will be divided into three sections; before, during, and after the lottery drawing. On the final part, the writer will answer the last question from problem formulations which are about the ideas of postmodernism as seen through the characters attitudes. A. The Plot of the Lottery In this chapter the writer will analyze the plot from the story by using theories on the previous chapter. Theory from M.H. Abrams and Guerin are used by the writer as a source of data. By reading and understanding the theory, the plot of the story can be drawn. The lottery begins with initial situation. Initial situation here means that the story begins with something that lead the reader to guess what is going to happen in the lottery and it is the sense of liberation as seen in this quotation 20

33 21 THE MORNING of June 27 th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green. The people of the village began to gather in the square, between the post office and the bank, around ten o clock (Jackson, 1988:149). The quotation above tells that the lottery is a ritual that happens in such a beautiful season. It is unclear to see the price of the lottery. The people also seem really want to be a winner. The mystery of the lottery begins when the children also gather around to join the lottery. The children assembled first, of course. School was recently over for the summer, and the feeling of liberty sat uneasily on most of them; they tended to gather together quietly for a while before they broke into boisterous play, and their talk was still of the classroom and the teacher, of books and reprimands. Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example, selecting the smoothest and roundest stones; Bobby and Harry Jones and Dickie Delacroix-the villagers pronounced this name Dellacroy -eventually made a great pile of stones in one corner of the square and guarded it against the raids of the other boys. The girls stood aside, talking among themselves, looking over their shoulders at the boys, and the very small children rolled in the dust or clung to the hands of older brothers or sisters. (Jackson, 1988:149) As stated in the quotation above it is clear that the lottery is the ritual which makes the children interested in it. They are doing their activity without understanding or questioning about the concept of the ritual. They really enjoy their holiday because at that time the school is recently over for the summer. The writer of the thesis also might say that the children are really excited about it. The initial situation can be seen in the conversation between Mrs. Hutchinson and Mrs. Delacroix. The conversation between them shows that there is nothing to worry about the lottery.

34 22 Just as Mr. Summers finally left off talking and turned to the assembled villagers, Mrs. Hutchinson came hurriedly along the path to the square, her sweater thrown over her shoulders, and slid into the place in the back of the crowd. Clean forgot what day it was, she said to Mrs. Delacroix who stood next to her, and they both laughed softly. Thought my old man was out back stacking wood, Mrs. Hutchinson went on, and then I looked out the window and the kids was gone, and then I remembered it was the twenty-seventh and came a-running. She dried her hands on her apron and Mrs. Delacroix said, You re in time, though. They re still talking away up there. (Jackson, 1988:150). They are really happy to join the lottery although Mrs. Hutchinson comes late to the square because she forgets the day of the lottery. Mrs. Hutchinson still can joke around with Mrs. Delacroix and talk about many things. As the lottery begins, the conflict in the story rises. There are some people who say that the other village already quit the lottery. It makes the oldest man in the village angry when he hears that. It is Old Man Warner who gets angry on that. Old Man Warner snorted. Pack of crazy fools, he said. Listening to the young folks, nothing s good enough for them. Next thing you know, they ll be wanting to go back to living in caves, nobody work anymore, live that way for a while. Used to be a saying about Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon. First thing you know, we d all be eating stewed chickweed an acorns. There s always been lottery, he added petulantly. Bad enough to see young Joe Summers up there joking with everybody (Jackson, 1988:152) It is clear that the conflict between the characters in the story starts to come up. There is a conflict between those who disagree with the lottery and the one who agree with the lottery. Based on the Old Man Warner s statement, the writer sees nothing wrong in the lottery. But, the fact about the lottery as a ritual also reveals something different because some of the people there talk about giving up the lottery.

35 23 Another conflict from the story also happens when Mr. Hutchinson is the one who wins the lot but his wife, Mrs. Hutchinson disagrees with the decision People began to look around to see the Hutchinsons. Bill Hutchinson was standing quiet, staring down at the paper in his hand. Suddenly, Tessie Hutchinson shouted to Mr. Summers, You didn t give him time enough to take any paper he wanted. I saw you. It wasn t fair! (Jackson, 1988:152). It is really weird to see Mrs. Hutchinson protests the decision of the lottery. She knows that her husband is the winner and she does not like it. The writer of the thesis sees that there is something wrong with the lottery. It means that the winner in the lottery will not get something good. There is also something weird when Mrs. Delacroix and Mrs. Graves think that the lottery is fair for everyone. Be a good sport, Tessie, Mrs. Delacroix called, and Mrs. Graves said, All of us took the same chance (Jackson, 1988: ). That statement means that they do not like to win the lottery. They also refuse to give another chance to Hutchinson family. As the story goes, the writer finds that there is something strange to see why Mrs. Hutchinson really wants to restart the lottery by involving her children to make everything fair for her family. There s Don and Eva, Mrs. Hutchinson yelled. Make them take their chance! Daughters draw with their husbands families, Tessie, Mr. Summers said genly. You know that as well as anyone else. It wasn t fair, Tessie said. I guess not, Joe, Bill Hutchinson said regretfully. There s Bill, Jr., and Nancy, and little Dave. And Tessie and me. All right, then, Mr. Summers said. Harry, you got their tickets back?

36 24 Mr. Graves nodded and held up the slips of paper. Put them in the box, then, Mr. Summers directed. Take Bill s and put it in. I think we ought to start over, Mrs. Hutchinson said, as quietly as she could. I tell you it wasn t fair. You didn t give him time enough to choose. Everybody saw that (Jackson, 1988:153). Those conversations lead the writer to another confusion of the lottery as the ritual in that village. Mrs. Hutchinson is supposed to be happy when she knows that her husband is the winner. But in the story, she refuses the decision and wants to start all over again. After the lottery starts over again for Hutchinson family, the climax from the story rises. It happens when Mrs. Hutchinson becomes a winner of the lottery. But the writer does not see what the price is from the lottery. It feels strange also to see the happiness of Nancy and Bill as you can see in this quotation. Nancy and Bill, Jr., opened theirs at the same time, and both beamed and laughed, turning around to the crowd and holding their slips of paper above their heads (Jackson, 1988:154). This also approves that everyone on that village do not want to be a winner in the lottery. Mrs. Hutchinson also keeps saying that it is not fair. She protests the second result of the drawing. This suspension makes the writer wants to know what is going to happen next. At the first time, the writer sees that Mrs. Hutchinson is really excited about the lottery. She tries to give her husband support when she knows that her husband will get the draw. Get up there, Bill, Mrs. Hutchinson said, and the people near laughed (Jackson, 1988:152). But after she wins the lottery, she does not like it.

37 25 The people in that village do not care anymore to what Mrs. Hutchinson says as mentioned in quotation below All right, folks, Mr. Summers said. Let s finish quickly. Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to use stones. The pile of stones the boys had made earlier was ready; there were stones on the ground with the blowing scraps of paper that had come out the box. Mrs. Delacroix selected a stone so large she had to pick it up with both hands and turned to Mrs. Dunbar. Come on, she said. Hurry up (Jackson, 1988:154). They begin to pick up the stones for the ritual. As mentioned in the quotation, the writer also knows the prize of the lottery. It makes a clear explanation why the children stuff up full of stones in their pocket. The conclusion of the story tells us upon the death of Mrs. Hutchinson. Mrs. Hutchinson also keeps saying it isn t fair, it isn t right (Jackson, 1988:154). But no one listens to her and stoned her to fulfill the ritual. B. The Attitudes of the Characters toward the Lottery reflected from the Plot The second part of this chapter will analyze the attitudes of the Characters toward the lottery as reflected in the plot of the story. The writer will use theory from Abrams, V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs. The theory on characters from those experts will help the writer finds the attitudes from the characters. The lottery is the story about a tradition which is being held by the people in that village. People are gathering around with their family in the square to participate the lottery without any anxiety in their minds. This is shown through their faithful which still believe in such tradition will bring a big harvest to that

38 26 village. The lottery happens in the beautiful summer day of June 27 th. It is also stated in the story that the lottery has been done for so many years in that village. In that beautiful day, there is a tragic thing that leads to the human attitudes in that village. There is a black box in the square with slips of paper in there which has been prepared before. Each member of the family must take this paper randomly. After all the people in there get one slip of paper in their hands, they are allowed to open it. The paper that has a sign in there will be the chosen one. Then people begin to throw the stone at the person that get the sign on his or her paper until die. They don t care about killing their neighbor as the fulfillment of the tradition itself. They only believe that after doing that thing, the big harvest will come into their village. They never think clearly of what might happen after killing their own neighbor. They only care about the big harvest whether they should sacrifice the people in there including their own family. But there are some people in the story who also think that the lottery is useless. The other village already quit doing the lottery. These sorts of attitudes lead the following analysis into several sections; the attitudes in the initial situation, the attitudes in the conflict, and the attitudes in the climax, and attitudes in the conclusion. 1. The Attitudes of the Characters in the Exposition In the morning of the lottery day which is held in summer, the children begin to gather around. They also seem really happy and excited. They gather around to collect some smoothest and rounded stones. The girls stand aside