An Analysis of Characteristics of Realism Portrayed in Natsume Soseki's Novel Kokoro a Thesis by Novegi Arya Samudera Reg

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AN ANALYSIS OF CHARACTERISTICS OF REALISM PORTRAYED IN

NATSUME SOSEKI’S NOVEL KOKORO

A THESIS

NOVEGI ARYA SAMUDERA

REG. NO. 130705073

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

FACULTY OF CULTURAL SCIENCES

UNIVERSITY OF SUMATERA UTARA

MEDAN 2020

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UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA AUTHOR’S DECLARATION

I, NOVEGI ARYA SAMUDERA, DECLARE THAT I AM THE SOLE

AUTHOR OF THIS THESIS EXCEPT WHERE REFERENCE IS MADE IN

THE TEXT OF THIS THESIS. THIS THESIS CONTAINS NO MATERIAL

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FROM A THESIS BY WHICH I HAVE QUALIFIED FOR OR AWARDED

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WITHOUT DUE ACKNOWLEDGMENTS IN THE MAIN TEXT OF THIS

THESIS. THIS THESIS HAS NOT BEEN SUBMITTED FOR THE AWARD

OF ANOTHER DEGREE IN ANY TERTIARY EDUCATION.

Signed :

Date : January 4th 2020

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA COPYRIGHT DECLARATION

NAME : NOVEGI ARYA SAMUDERA

TITLE OF THESIS : AN ANALYSIS OF CHARACTERISTICS OF

REALISM PORTRAYED IN NATSUME

SOSEKI’S NOVEL KOKORO

QUALIFICATION : S-1/SARJANA SASTRA

DEPARTMENT : ENGLISH

I AM WILLING THAT MY THESIS SHOULD BE AVAILABLE FOR

REPRODUCTION AT THE DISCRETION OF THE LIBRARIAN OF

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH, FACULTY OF CULTURAL STUDIES,

UNIVERSITY OF SUMATERA UTARA ON THE UNDERSTANDING THAT

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OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA.

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Date : January 4th 2020

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Allah SWT, the

Almighty God and Most Beneficial for His Blessing, Grace, Guidance, and Mercy that have made this thesis come to it’s completion. Shalawat and Salam to the

Prophet Muhammad SAW along with his family and his companions.

My gratitude also goes to the Head and the Secretary of English Literature

Department, Prof. Dra. T. Silvana Sinar, Dipl. TEFL, M.A., Ph.D. and Rahmadsyah

Rangkuti, M.A., Ph.D. and all the lecturers and the staff of English Literature

Department for the facilities and opportunities given to me during my study in this faculty.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Martha Pardede, M.S. as my supervisor for her kindness, knowledge, patience, motivation and great advice for me to write and finish this thesis and my co-supervisor Ely Hayati Nasution, S.S.,

M.Si. for the guidance of how to write this thesis properly and also her patience, kindness, and support for always reminding me to finish this thesis as soon as possible due to my procrastinator habit. I would also like to thank to my examiners,

Rahmadsyah Rangkuti, M.A., Ph.D., Dr. Siti Norma Nasution, M.Hum. and Dr.

Muhizar Muchtar, M.S. who have given suggestions and comments during my thesis seminar. May Allah always bless them in health and prosperity.

My sincere gratefulness is devoted to both of my families who have supported me until now because they have been been fighting so hard for the sake off my college. I do really thankful for the support they gave me in every condition, the motivation every time, reminder to stop wasting all my time reading online novel and

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UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA start working on my thesis. Thank you for giving me abundant loves no matter how many mistakes I have made this whole time.

Moreover, I want to thank all of my friends in English Literature 2013 class

A. I feel sorry for not being able to mention them one by one, but I feel grateful for spending these memorable years with them, especially Anggi who has been there to help me to get this thesis done, Ummah for sharing important information and also as a friend who I can share the woes while working on this thesis, Basri who helped me sort this paper because I am not a tech savvy who understand how Microsoft Word works.

I also want to thank my friends, Poni who cheer me up, a friend to confide to and I would never forget her help in reminding me to finish this thesis as soon as possible and giving me ride here and there. Special mention for my weebs friend,

Jen, Depe, Dudin, Mawar and Sigit for always beings there when I need someone to talk to.

In writing this paper, I realized that this thesis is far from being perfect though I have done my best, so I hope suggestion for this thesis. Without any helps and support from all parties, this thesis would not be completed. Finally, may this thesis gives benefits for the readers and future researchers and I sincerely welcome any advice and suggestions. I hope this thesis be able to give some contribution for me and the readers.

Medan, 13 November 2020

Novegi Arya Samudera

Reg. No.130705073

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA ABSTRACT

This research entitled An Analysis of Characteristics of Realism Portrayed in Natume Soseki’s Novel Kokoro. This thesis focuses on the characteristics of realism portrayed in the novel. The theory used in this novel is based on Richard Chase characteristics on realism. The method used in this thesis was the descriptive qualitative method that describes the analysis according to the description of the results related to the research in this thesis. The results of the analysis is that characteristics of realism are found within the two main characters of Kokoro are in line with the social reality happened in that era.

Keywords: Novel, Realism, Social Conflict, Confucianism

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA ABSTRAK

Penelitian ini berjudul An Analysis of Characteristic of Realism Portrayed in Natume Soseki’s Novel Kokoro. Skripsi ini berfokus pada karakteristik realisme sebagaimana digambarkan di novel. Teori pada skripsi ini berfokus pada karakteristik realisme menurut Richard Chase. Metode penelitian yang digunakan dalam penulisan skripsi ini adalah deskriptif kualitatif yang menggambarkan analisis yang berkaitan dengan penelitian dalam skripsi ini. Hasil dari penelitian ini adalah bahwasanya karakteristik realisme yang di temukan dalam dua karakter utama dalam Kokoro sejalan dengan realita sosial yang terjadi pada era tersebut.

Kata Kunci: Novel, Konflik Sosial, Realisme, Konfusianisme

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

AUTHOR’S DECLARATON...... i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...... iii

ABSTRACT ...... v

ABSTRAK ...... vi

TABLE OF CONTENTS...... vii

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ...... 1

1.1 Background of the Study ...... 1

1.2 Problems of the Study...... 5

1.3 Objectives of the Study...... 6

1.4 Scope of the Study ...... 6

1.5 Significance of the Study ...... 6

CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ...... 7

2.1 Literature ...... 7

2.2 Novel ...... 8

2.2.1 Elements of Novel ...... 10

2.3 A Brief Description of Realism ...... 13

2.3.1 Definition of Realism ...... 13

2.3.2 The Characteristics of Realism ...... 15 vii

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA 2.3.3 The Feature of Realism...... 16

2.4 A Brief Description on Japanese Meiji Literature ...... 17

2.5 Previous Related Studies...... 18

CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHOD ...... 22

3.2 Data and Data Source ...... 22

3.2 Data Collecting Method...... 23

3.3 Data Analyzing Method...... 23

CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS ...... 26

4.1 Analysis ...... 26

4.2 Realism in Major Characters of Natsume Soseki’s Kokoro ...... 28

4.2.1 I/The Narrator ...... 28

4.2.2 Sensei ...... 34

4.3 Findings ...... 41

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS ...... 43

5.1 Conclusions ...... 44

5.2 Suggestions ...... 45

REFERENCES ...... 47

APPENDICS ...... 50

i. Author Biography ...... 50

ii. Summary of the Novel ...... 52

Part I – Sensei and I ...... 52 viii

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA Part II- My Parents and I ...... 53

Part III – Sensei’s Testament ...... 54

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Humans are social creatures, and they need other humans to survive. As history had proven, humans group up to survive, create a community where they can interact with each other, share their knowledge and idea with others and this condition has not change even until now. Literature, as one of the elements of history has helped us to improve our lives. It also has changed and evolved, and the story will subject to change based on the era.

The condition of society greatly effects it, that is why literature can be labeled as another shape of historical record. As french critic and historian Hippolyte

Adolphe Taine (1909:14) said, “The discovery has been made that a literary work is not a mere play of the imagination, the isolated caprice of an excited brain, but a transcript of contemporary manners and customs and the sign of a particular state of intellect. The conclusion derived from this is that, through literary monuments, we can retrace the way in which men felt and thought many centuries ago. This method has been tried and found successful.”

Industrial Revolution in England which began in the eighteenth century is a turning point towards a new world. The modernization of the cities in England brings tremendous impact not only to the social, economic, and political level but also brings a great influence to the literary works. Industrial revolution brought major changes in the literary works. M.H. Abrams (1971) in line with Aristotle’s idea of mimesis argues that works of arts is the imitation of a real life. Thus, literature as a

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA form of arts is tightly bound to the situation of the real life during the time the literary works was created. The situation of the world and the spirit of the age can serve as inspiration, setting and background of the story. Furthermore, it can act as a respond toward social and political issues during that era.

Literature relates to literary movement and one of it is literary realism. The realism movement of the eighteenth century was a dramatic shift from the exotic and poetic romanticism that dominated the art world in the decades prior. This form of literature believes in fidelity to actuality in it’s representation. Realism is about recreating life in literature. Realism arose as an opposing idea to romanticism. Whilst romanticism focused heavily on dramatizing one’s feelings, realism aimed to portray the everyday life of the people.

Realism focuses towards depictions of contemporary life and society as it was, or is. In the spirit of general “realism,” realist authors opted for depictions of everyday and dull activities and experiences, instead of a romanticized or similarly stylized presentation. Artists and writers strove for detailed realistic and factual description. They tried to represent events and social conditions as they actually are, without idealization.

Realists routed a number of strategies in order to achieve this aim like, the use of descriptive and evocative detail, avoidance of what was fantastical, imaginary and mythical, eliminating events which were awkward or improbable, annexation of characters and incidents from all social strata, emphasizing the social rather than individual, refraining from the use of grand language. By implementing the approaches mentioned above, realism was an extensive and multipronged reaction

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA against the idealization, and the imaginary worlds seen as characterizing romanticism.

Sociology of literature is the subject that specially studies about the relation between literature and society. Nevertheless, the event that occurs in one’s mind, which is often being the subject of the literature, is a reflection of one’s relationship with the society. Literary works are divided into three aspects, prose, poetry, and drama. Besides, literary work must show creative beauty and try to channel the beauty. Through literary work, the readers get entertainment, happiness and the best thought as well as knowledge and mental experience. The literary expression results in the experience of existing deposits in the author's life in depth through a process of imagination (Aminuddin, 1990:57). It can be said that literature and society cannot be separated from each other, because the authors themselves are part of the community in society which makes the works they created are strongly influenced by the society they live in.

Life has many aspects to be analyzed and those aspects are poured into literary works by writer to convey their messages. It is also because a literary work which contains critical messages appeared when the author found something wrong or unfair where he lived. It is not wrong if we say that there must be a close relationship between the background of literary works with the condition of life they are watching. Quoting what I said to Sensei, “Your ideas are important to me precisely because they are a product of your past. If the two things are separated, they become virtually worthless as far as I can see. I can’t be satisfied with being offered some lifeless doll that has no breath of soul in it.”(Kokoro, Chapter 31).

Thus, a novel is a world specially made in words by an author which often reflect or

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA is strongly influenced by the society where an author lives in. Therefore, by studying it the readers can get information based on what authors write.

Kokoro is a story written by Japanese author, Natsume Soseki (1867-1916) in his twilight years, published in serial form by Japanese newspaper Arashi Shinbun, for which he worked in 1914. As one of Japan’s most influential modern writers, he is widely considered the foremost novelist of the Meiji era (1868-1912). Natsume

Soseki’s Kokoro was published two years before his death at the age of forty-eight.

Soseki, even then is widely acknowledged as Japan’s leading novelist, was at the peak of his writing career, and Kokoro is unquestionably one of his greatest work.

Today it is considered one of Japan’s great modern novels, known to every schoolchild and read by anyone serious about the nation’s literature. The reasons for

Kokoro’s importance is not in its literary quality alone. Soseki was a superb chronicler of his time, and Kokoro cannot be fully understood without some knowledge of the world from which it sprang.

Natsume Kinnosuke (Soseki was his nom de plume) was born in 1867, the year before the Meiji era began, in what was still known as Edo (now Tokyo). The old Japan was his inheritance in more than birth. He was educated in the Chinese and

Japanese classics and in the Confucian moral code, which Western concepts of individualism and individual rights were only just beginning to undermine. Kokoro’s central character, the man referred to as Sensei, is of an age with Soseki, and his references to the importance of his old-fashioned moral education clearly reflect

Soseki’s own experience. For both, the Meiji period’s embrace of Western individualism provoked irreconcilable inner conflicts that haunted them through life.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA The shift in Meiji era signaled far more than a change of power. Japan under the Tokugawas had been rigidly feudal and isolationist, a Confucian society cut off from the changes that were rapidly overtaking much of the rest of the world. Such rapid change inevitably comes at a psychological cost, and this is what Soseki acutely documented in Kokoro. The dilemmas that he portrayed were deeply felt.

Just as Sensei said to I, “We who are born into this age of freedom and independence and the self must undergo this loneliness. It is the price we pay for these times of ours.”(Kokoro, Chapter 14).

As one of the most popular writer in that era, Natsume Soseki applies his view and experience using his novel Kokoro to depicted the condition that was happening through the major character Sensei and the narrator I. In this thesis I want to represent an analysis of how the realism of Meiji era condition is reflected in the two major characters of the novel Kokoro so that the readers can feel the change that morph Japan into today.

1.2 Problems of the Study

Based on the background of the study above, it is important to make the specification of problems which are going to be analyzed. It helps to avoid the ambiguity of the analysis and get the clear description about the object of the analysis itself. There are two problems of study which will be analyzed in this study, they are:

1. How is realism reflected in the two main characters of Natsume

Soseki’s Kokoro?

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA 2. What are the characteristics of realism reflected in Natsume Soseki’s

Kokoro?

1.3 Objectives of the Study

Based on the problems above, the objectives of the study in this research are:

1. To describe the reflection of realism in the two main characters of

Natsume Soseki’s Kokoro.

2. To describe the characteristics of realism reflected in Natsume

Soseki’s Kokoro.

1.4 Scope of the Study

Realism aside from literary can also be found in art works. In order to avoid large discussion, based on the identification of the problems, the scope of the study is limited to analyze realism in literary works, especially the character in the novel. In this thesis I would like to analyze the reflection of realism in two major characters in

Natsume Soseki’s Kokoro.

1.5 Significance of the Study

The significance of this research is expected to give useful information to the readers of literary work, both practically and theoretically. Theoretically, this study is expected to enrich literary studies through novel. Practically, the study is expected to give contribution to the people who are interested in learning realism on literature, especially for the English literature students who have interest in this kind of analysis.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

2.1 Literature

Literature is the mirror of human’s life that portrays human feeling, thought, imagination, and perception which can be viewed based on personal judgment.

Wellek (1967:1) wants to emphasize with that axiom derived from De Bonald that

"literature is an expression of society.". It summarizes man’s life history in the form of writing such as novel, drama, or poetry. Thus, the essence of literature is conveying the meaning of life in the literature.

Wellek and Werren (1942:89) stated literature presents a picture of life, and life itself is a social reality. In this sense, life includes relationships between people, between people with individuals, between people, and between the events that occur in someone’s mind. However, the events that occur in someone’s mind and often become the material of literature, are a reflection of someone's relationship with other people or with the public and foster particular social attitudes or even to trigger certain social events.

Literature in general classified into three categories (genres), which each genre has it is own characteristics, they are poetry, prose, and drama. Poetry is closely related to the term “lyric” which derived etymologically from the Greek musical instrument “lyra” (‘lyre’ or ‘harp’) and pointed to an origin in the sphere of music. The term “poetry”, however, goes back to the Greek word “poieo” which means “to make” or “to produce” while the poet is the person who makes verse.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA Drama is the form of composition designed for performance in the theater, in which actors take the roles of the characters, perform the indicated action, and utter the written dialogue. The common alternative name for a dramatic composition is a play (Abrams, 1969:69). Like fiction, drama may focus on a single character or a small number of characters, and it acts fictional events as if they were happening in the present, to be witnessed by the audience.

Prose is derived from the Latin ‘prosa oratio’, which is literally translated to

‘straightforward speech’ or without the ornaments of verse. Edgar V. Robert and

Henry E. Jacob (1995:12) classify prose into two, fiction and non fiction prose.

Fiction originally means anything made up or shaped is prose stories based on the creation and imagination, and non fiction is literary work which describes or interprets facts, present judgments, and opinion. It consists of essays, historical, and biographical work and the new form of such kind of prose was then called “novel”

(novel means ‘new’).

2.2 Novel

Novel derived from the Italian word, ‘novella’, meaning ‘new’. The word,

‘novel’ is used to describe a fictitious prose narrative of book length, typically representing character and action with some degrees of realism. A novel is a part of fiction, and it appeared in the 18th century as the further development of Medieval romances. It is kind of prose writing which is very popular in the society. It is complicated intrigue, but being easy to be read is the main reason for people to choose reading as a mean in their leisure time.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA In Dictionary of Etimology, the Origins of American English Words written by Robert K. Barnhart (1995), the word “novel” itself comes from Latin “novella” which means something new. Ian Watt in his book The Rise of the Novel (1995) describes the background of the rise of the novel. In the 18th century, some English writers tried to create literary works that did not follow the traditional ways of writing prose.

“The Shorter Oxford Dictionary tells us, ‘a fictitious prose narrative of considerable length in which characters and actions representative of real life are portrayed in a plot of more or less complexity’. In other words, a novel is a story longer, more realistic and more complicated than the Italian Novella as written by

Boccacio and other writer at his time.” (R.J. Ress, 106:1973).

The novel is often said to have emerge with the appearance of Daniel Defoe's

Robinson Crusoe (1719). It is a picaresque story, in that is a sequence of episodes held together largely because they happen to one person. However, the central character in the novel is so convincing and set in so solid and specific world that

Defoe is often credited with being the first writer of "realistic" fiction. Samuel

Richardson, also give readers a “realistic” novel, Pamela (1740-1741), an epistolary novel (or novel in which the narration is conveyed entirely by an exchange of letters). This novel, set in readers own times (the 1700s for 1700s readers) was written as though it was a series of letters written by the title character. It is a work characterized by the careful plotting of emotional states. Defoe and Richardson were the first writers in literature who did not take their plots from mythology, history, legend, or previous literature. They established the novel's claim as an authentic account of the actual experience of individuals. It soon assumed the privileged

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA position previously held by the epic or romance and became one of the most productive genres of modern literary history.

Welek and Weren (1970:4) state, “Novel represents life and life in large measure, a social reality, even though the natural world and inner or subjective world of the individual have also been objectives of literature imitation. ”Novel may include the real place, people and events. Besides, a novel is a work of art whose materials are taken from contemporary life. As a literary work, it represents a story about human life experiences. A novel is a mirror of social life.

Novel can be a reflection of our daily life living around. It could be easier because we just need to take from our daily activities and our experiences. Put the ordinary story and also tells about the ordinary person stories. It also can be lifted up from the social problems, economic also about culture. As John Peck and Martin

Coyle (1984:102) state, “A lot of novels have young people as the main characters, for it is often the young who feel themselves to be most at odds with conventional standards. You will have made considerable progress in understanding the particular novel you are reading if you can see how it sets certain individuals against society or their family.”

2.2.1 Elements of Novel

a. Theme

According to Oxford English Dictionary, a theme is a central topic of a text.

A number of different motives may move around the central theme of the story.

Some examples of literary themes can be love, war and peace, loneliness in the

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA modern world, communication problems, man and woman, nature and industry, and so on. The theme makes the story more focused, united, conical, and influential.

b. Plot

According to Abrams (1969:224), “The plot (which Aristotle termed the mythos) in a dramatic or narrative work is constituted by its events and actions, as these are rendered and ordered toward achieving particular artistic and emotional effects. This description is deceptively simple, because the actions (including verbal discourse as well as physical actions) are performed by particular characters in a work, and are the means by which they exhibit their moral qualities.” The plot draws the readers into the character’s lives and helps the reader understand the choices that the character makes. There can be a logical development of events with a careful linking of scene or there can be a series of apparently unrelated scenes, which are not shown to be connected until the end of the novel-there should be a beginning, middle, and an end.

c. Character

According to Abrams (1969:32), “Characters are the persons represented in a dramatic or narrative work who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with particular moral, intellectual, and emotional qualities by inferences from what the persons say and their distinctive ways of saying it-the dialogue-and from what they do-the action.” The character is the term for the people in fiction, the heroes and love interest in which, the character appears in a work of narrative. The term “character”

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA indicates to the person or the actor of a story. The characters can be learned through dialogue, action and the description from the writer.

There are two ways an author can convey information about a character, they are:

a. Direct or explicit characterization

The author literally tells the audience what a character is like. This may be done via the narrator, another character or by the character himself or herself.

b. Indirect or implicit characterization

The audience must deduce for themselves what the character is like through the character’s thoughts, actions, speech (choice of words, way of talking), looks and interaction with other characters, including other characters’ reactions to that particular person.

d. Setting

According to Abrams (1969: 75), “The overall setting of a narrative or dramatic work is the general locate, historical time, and a social circumstances in which its action occurs, the setting of an episode or scene within a work is the particular physical location in which it takes place. ”It can be said that the setting is one of the elements of literary work influenced by place, time and social condition.

e. Point of View

According to Abrams (1969: 231), “Point of view signifies the way a story gets told—the mode (or modes) established by an author by means of which the reader is presented with the characters, dialogue, actions, setting, and events which constitute the narration in a work of fiction.” Point of view is who is telling the story.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA This can be done several ways. In first person, one character is speaking in the “I” voice. Second person, which uses “you”, is the least common point of view. Third person, which can be handled a variety of ways, is most often used method. In third person limited, the narrator can only go inside the head of the character telling the story. This requires the character to be in every scene, which must be told trough their eyes. Third person omniscient gives the author the most freedom. Using this, the author can have different point of view characters for different scenes.

2.3 A Brief Description of Realism

2.3.1 Definition of Realism

In general, realism has the meaning as a genre in literature which wants to talk correctly and the real fact in life of human being. Realism is the term applied in literary composition that aims at an interpretation of the actualities of any aspect of life, free from being subjective, prejudice, idealism or romantic color. It is in direct opposition to concerns of the unusual, the basis of romanticism. It stresses the real over the fantastic, seeks to treat the common place truthfully, and uses characters from everyday life.

The English realistic novel has objectively concerned itself with the daily life experiences of the common man and woman coming from the lower and/or middle classes of the early modern society. In addition, the fact that the novel was in prose as the language of the practical people, made it possible for its writer to free themselves from the necessities of the elevated language of the romance. Thus, the simple flow of the prose language into the smallest nooks and corners of the human consciousness allowed the novelists to represent the minutest details of life

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA experiences of the average man. Moreover, if the representation of life in romance is more subjective, in the novel it will be more objective. This means that in doing the job, the romancer used to feel greater freedom from the social standards, whereas the novelist feels committed to represent the reality of the human experience.

Howells writes that “realism is nothing more and nothing less than the truthful treatment of material.” Since it tries so hard to be truthful, realist literature, unlike much of the “romantic” writing that preceded it, never feels overblown; the way a fairy tale or a parable or a dream might. It is rarely sentimental or emotional and tends to read like a plain, sensible, sober account of event. This concern with delivering plain and simple truth leads realists to fill their works with details and facts drawn from everyday life. They can be facts about domestic life, about families, etc. As Hugh Holman said, "Where romanticists transcend the immediate to find the ideal, and naturalists plumb the actual or superficial to find the scientific laws that control its actions, realists center their attention to a remarkable degree on the immediate, the here and now, the specific action, and the verifiable consequence"

(1936: 433).

The reading public's preference for realism parallels the changes that were occurring at the end of the 19th and into the 20th century. For example, the modern scientific revolution advocated that truth and knowledge be based on empirical data.

Reinforcing that notion, the industrial revolution proclaimed that a better civil society could be built upon machinery and factory labor. Given this atmosphere, several developments occurred around the same time, the growth of investigative journalism, the rise of muckrakers and the establishment of a new-found fascination

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA with the camera as a means of capturing the realities of a single instant, unvarnished by sentimentality.

2.3.2 The Characteristics of Realism

According to Richard Chase’s The American Novel and It’s Tradition, realism has specific social, political, and artistic characteristic that set it apart from other genres. The followings are some points that Chase makes about realism:

1. Character is more important than action and plot; complex ethical choices are

often the subject.

2. Characters appear in the real complexity of temperament and motive; they are

in explicable relation to nature, to each other, to their social class, to their

own past.

3. Humans control their destinies; characters act in their environment rather than

simply reacting to it.

4. Reality is rendered closely and in comprehensive detail. Selective

presentation of reality with an emphasis on verisimilitude, even at the

expense of a well-made plot.

5. Events will usually be plausible. Realistic novels avoid the sensational,

dramatic element of naturalistic novels and romances.

6. Class in important; the novel has traditionally served the interests and

aspirations of an insurgent middle class.

7. The morality of realism is intrinsic, integral, relativistic, relation between

people and society are explored.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA 2.3.3 The Feature of Realism

The main difference between the realistic novel and the romance is the way in which they view reality. Realism renders reality closely and in comprehensive detail.

It takes a group of people and sets them going about the business of life. As Richard

Chase said, “We come to see these people in their real complexity of temperament and motive. … Character is more important than action and plot, … The events that occur will usually be plausible, given the circumstances, … By contrast the romance, following distantly the medieval example, feels free to render reality in less volume and detail. It tends to prefer action to character, and action will be freer in a romance than in a novel, encouraging as it were, less resistance from reality”

(1957:12).

Another feature of the realistic novel is the absence from it of the great people of romance and their heroic actions. Realistic novel is not suitable for representing the manners of aristocracy like heroism and courtly love. It is also not interested in dramatizing the superhuman characters of romance and their incredible and fantastic incidents. Instead, it tends to dramatize the life experiences of average men and women as they are involved with the real ups and downs of daily life.

Realism in fiction is notable for rendering the story as close to reality.

Realism portray life as it really is without embellishing or fantastical details like the romance. This often create what happen in the realism story plausible to happen in reality and the story often use real event as the theme for the story. For an example

Charles Dicken Great Expectation which explores the differences between upper and lower classes and the impact of the industrial revolution toward society. And in this thesis, Kokoro by Natsume Soseki explore the changes that happened in Meiji era

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA while delving into the cultural value they held. In short the features of realism can be sum up as:

1. Specific details about contemporary setting.

2. Verisimilitude – great emphasis on truth and reality.

3. Events make story plausible.

4. Does not hesitate to include negative aspects of life as well, keeping with

faithful representation.

5. Focuses on average people and places rather than romantic characters.

2.4 A Brief Description on Japanese Meiji Literature

Early works of Japanese literature were heavily influenced by cultural contact with China and Chinese literature, but since Japan reopened its ports to Western trading and diplomacy in the 19th century, Western and Eastern literature have strongly affected each other and continue to do so. The rise of capitalism and industrialism had a strong influence on Japanese economy. The society changed under this influence; in addition Western thoughts of individualism and liberalism were newly adopted. These changes are mirrored by Japanese literature.

The Meiji period marks the re-opening of Japan to the West, ends over two centuries of period of national seclusion, and a period of rapid industrialization. The introduction of European literature brought free verse into the poetic repertoire. It became widely used for longer works embodying new intellectual themes. Young

Japanese prose writers and dramatists struggled with a whole new ideas and artistic schools, but novelists were the first to assimilate some of these concepts successfully. Natsume Soseki's (1867–1916) humorous novel Wagahai wa neko de

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA aru (I Am a Cat, 1905) employed a cat as the narrator, and he also wrote the famous novels Botchan (1906) and Kokoro (1914). Natsume, Mori Ogai, and Shiga

Naoya who were called "god of the novel" as the most prominent "I novel" writer, were instrumental in adopting and adapting Western literary conventions and techniques.

2.5 Previous Related Studies

Some resources are used in order to support this study, they are:

1. Realism Portrayed in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 written by Difa

Vanessa Loriz (2018). This thesis focuses on satirical and realism aspects

portrayed in the novel. The theory used in this thesis was mimetic because it

was a reflection of reality. To obtain representative data in the discussion of

this thesis, the writer used data collection technique through reading, taking

notes, selecting and analyzing quotation from the novel. The research method

used in the writing of this thesis was descriptive-qualitative method that

described the analysis according to the description of the result related to the

research in this thesis. The result of the research was that satires found in

Fahrenheit 451were in a line with realism. This thesis research on realism

greatly helps the writer in studying and researching realism in novel.

2. An Analysis of Realism Found in Daniel Dofoe’s Novel Robinson Crusoe

written by Satria Nova Agesta (2010). This thesis discusses the realism

contained in the Robinson Crusoe novel by the British writer Daniel Defoe.

In this novel, the author describes the flow of realism contained in the

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA Robinson Crusoe novel based on character, plot structure, and settings. This

thesis consists of four chapters. In the first chapter, it briefly describes

literature. In addition, the author also explains the background of the

problem, the purpose of the discussion, problem limitation, the method used

in the analysis and the books related to the discussion in this thesis. The

second chapter briefly describes realism, and the characteristics of realism,

and finally the emergence and development of realism. The third chapter is a

description of the entire contents of the thesis that examines the realism

contained in the Robinson Crusoe novel. And the fourth chapter as a

conclusion and suggestion. At the end of the thesis, the author briefly tells

about Robinson Crusoe which aims to facilitate the reader in understanding

the topic to be discussed and a little about the personal life of the author of

Robinson Crusoe's novel, Daniel Defoe. This thesis research on Realism

greatly help the writer in studying and researching Realism in novels studies.

3. Character Potrayal in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Novel the Great Gatsby written

by Ilda Angela (2010). In this thesis, she discusses the portrayal of characters

in the novel The Great Gatsby. The purpose of the discussion is to find out

the portrayal of the characters in the novel written by Fitzgerald that

describes the social conditions at the time. After describing the characters, the

writer also distinguishes them into two parts, flat characters and round

characters. To complete this study, the writer uses intrinsic approach because

character is one of the intrinsic elements that builds a novel. In addition,

interpretation is also used to analyze selected data in the form of citations.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA This method is better known as descriptive qualitative analysis. This thesis

greatly helps the writer in studying and researching realism from different

perspective, especially the characterization in novel.

4. Binary Opposition as the Manifestation of the Spirit of Meiji in Natsume

Sōseki’s Kokorowritten by Richard Ahadi Christanda & Ni Luh Putu

Rosiandani (2019). This journal attempts to reveal spirit of Meiji as the

unique identity which presents in the story of Kokoro by using binary

opposition. Binary opposition allows comparing and examining contradicting

elements. Since the spirit of Meiji is defined as having “two contradictory

elements”, therefore, binary opposition is suitable for revealing the spirit of

Meiji. The goal of this research is to show how binary opposition constitutes

as a crucial element to the unique identity of Meiji period, which is the spirit

of Meiji. In order to achieve this, two research problems are used as

guidelines. One is how story of Kokoro presents the binary oppositions and

two is how the spirit of Meiji manifests in the binary oppositions. This

journal uses the same source material as writer; therefore it greatly helps

writer and gives some insight of Natsume Soseki’s novel, especially

regarding the change and upheaval that Meiji era brings.

5. Kokoro and the Agony of the Individual written by Niculina Nae (2018). In

this journal, she examines changes in the concept of identity as a result of the

upheaval in relationships brought about by the Meiji Restoration. These

changes are seen as reflected in Sôseki’s novel Kokoro. She discusses two of

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA the most important concepts of modern Japanese, those of individual (個人 kojin) and society (社会shakai), both of which were introduced under the influence of the Meiji intelligentsia’s attempts to create a new Japan following the European model. These concepts, along with many others, reflect the tendency of Meiji intellectuals to discard the traditional Japanese value systems, where the group, and not the individual, was the minimal unit of society. The preoccupation with the individual and his own inner world is reflected in Natsume Sôseki’s Kokoro. The novel is pervaded by a feeling of confusion between loyalty to the old values of a dying era and lack of attachment towards a new and materialistic world. This journal uses the same source material as writer; therefore it greatly helps writer and gives some insights of Natsume Soseki’s novel. The difference is this article focus on individual and society as the basis of the research.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA CHAPTER III

RESEARCH METHOD

3.1 Research Design

The versatility of literature enables writers to portray the breadth of human experience. In a similar vein, it offers researchers a variety of approaches for exploring what and how participants understand and for representing those insights.

Rebecca Luce-Kapler (2008:486) quotes that “Qualitative researchers may use literature as a focus for participant response either through discussion or creation.

They may use literary genres to represent the data or the larger study, or they may refer to the literary text as a data source. Literature also offers alternatives to ethical issues in qualitative research. Readers can explore various perspectives and voices through reading literary forms that better represent the complexity of human relations.” Therefore, the researcher used qualitative method in this research as this research uses literary works as data and data source and exploring the perspective and voices of it’s character as it’s main form of analysis.

3.2 Data and Data Source

Data are the materials or objects which support the inquiry upon the truth.

Data provide certain phenomena which are found to strengthen the analysis of truth consequence. In other words, data give clue for further understanding of what is being done in the research. This thesis belongs to library research because the data are focused on the sentences and clause in the novel and some books related to realism.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA The source of data was classified into primary source of data and secondary source of data. The primary source of data in this thesis is Natsume Soseki’s novel

Kokoro and the data is coverage of written text (words, phrases, and sentences) of the novel which contained characteristics of realism to be use in the analysis. While the secondary source of data was taken from literary books, such as literary criticism and philosophical books which are relevant to the study of this thesis.

3.2 Data Collecting Method

Library research was applied by searching and collecting references containing and supporting the topic from the library. The relevant information from different references books is gathered. The followings are the steps done in order to collect the data, they are:

1. Reading Natsume Soseki’s novel Kokoro.

2. Identifying the characteristics of realism in the novel.

3. Highlighting the quotations in the novel related to the characteristics of

realism.

4. Classifying the quotations which have relation to this study.

3.3 Data Analyzing Method

Data analysis method is the most important thing to do in a research. For the technique of data analysis, the researcher adopted the framework developed by Miles and Huberman (2014) to describe the major phases of data analysis: data condensation, data display and drawing conclusion.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA 1. Data Condensation

Data condensation is the preceding step of analysis work in interactive model of data analysis. This step of analyzing included the process of selecting the words, phrases or sentences which are appropriate with the realism theory in the novel, marking the data, and quoting the data into the paper.

2. Data Display

The next step is data display. Data display refers to the process of organizing, compressing and assembling the data by showing the visual data in form of text, table, chart, graphic, diagram or matrix that allows conclusion drawing. In data display, the data are organized to answer the problems. The researcher displayed the appropriate data in quotation text.

3. Drawing Conclusion

Drawing conclusion is the end of the process of data analysis conclusion drawing was done through deciding the meaning of data after reading the data display in the research. The researcher went to explain the realism included in the data and the influence for the story.

Data Collection Data Condensation

Conclussion:

Drawing/Verifying Data Display

Figure 3.3. Data Analyzing Method (Miles and Huberman, 1994)

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA The diagram explains the process of data and the relationship among the components in interactive data analysis model. After collecting all data taken from observation, field noting, and transcription about the verbal interaction, the researcher need to condensate all the data to simplify them to enable the researcher to get the conclusion although the data has not been displayed yet. By applying this analysis, there is also possibility for the researcher to do data display as soon as data had been collected, but it is not as easy as when the data condensation step was done.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA CHAPTER IV

FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS

4.1 Analysis

When Commodore Matthew Perry of the U.S. steamed into Edo Bay (Tokyo

Bay) in 1853 and demanded that Tokugawa Japan to allow foreign powers access to trade, he unwittingly started a chain of events that led to Japan's rise as a modern imperial power. The subsequent internal upheaval resulted in a new government that opened Japan’s doors to the West and embraced the Western culture and technology.

Japan's political elites realized that the U.S. and other countries were ahead in terms of military technology, and felt threatened by western imperialism. After all, Qing China had been brought down by Britain fourteen years earlier in the First

Opium War, and would soon lose the Second Opium War as well. Rather than suffer a similar fate, some of Japan's elites sought to close the doors even tighter against foreign influence, but the more foresighted began to plan a modernization drive.

They felt that it was important to have a strong Emperor at the center of Japan's political organization to project Japanese power and fend off Western imperialism. In the next four decades Japan was utterly transformed. The Meiji period is synonymous with the fundamental transformation that set Japan on the road to becoming all that it is today.

Meiji era is characterized by extremely rapid development in technology, politics, ideas, and economy. This period would ultimately bring Japan into the modern world, though not without consequence. Kokoro a novel by the Japanese author named Natsume Soseki captured this situation through the perspective of it is character. While the title literally means "heart", the word that can perhaps best

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA describe it is "the heart of things" or "feeling". Excerpt from Charles Dicken A Tales on Two Cities, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” might be best to describe the situation at that time. The novel deals with the transition of the

Japanese society to the modern era, set in the end of Meiji era which could be marked by the dead of its emperor. Soseki captures the social upheaval and changes during that time, while the story also depicting the heart or the feelings of the people.

The changes during that era was remarked upon by a British professor at Tokyo

Imperial University, Basil Hall Chamberlain (1890), "To have lived through the transition stage of modern Japan makes a man feel preternaturally old; for here he is in modern times.... and yet he can himself distinctly remember the Middle Ages."

Kokoro focused the story on the relationship of the two characters the nameless narrator I and the mysterious older man I called Sensei. The closest word to

Sensei in English is teacher, someone who is respected and knowledgeable. It is I who gives him this title, and so it is clear that the I as student is looking for guidance from Sensei. Kokoro is written into three parts. The first one Sensei and I centres on the relationship between an older man, Sensei and a young student who narrates the story. The student, whose name is never revealed, away from his family and study at a university in Tokyo. While Sensei based on the narrative of the story is harbouring a secret, something happened to him long ago that changed his view towards people.

The second part of the story My Parents and I, focuses on the relationship of the narrator and his family, I feel that there is a distance between the modern him and his traditional parents. The last part of the story Sensei’s Testament is a long confessional letter written by Sensei to the narrator. In this letter Sensei reveals, in keeping with an earlier promise, the full story of his past.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA Though much has been discussed about these social changes at broad level on

Meiji Era, few have asked what was the experience of living through such a time must have been at the level of the individual. By delving into the culture of the period itself, this exploration seeks to answer that by using realism as the basis and

Kokoro by Natsume Soseki as the period’s literary text to examine what is happening during Meiji era and the impact it brings to people living in that period.

4.2 Realism in Major Characters of Natsume Soseki’s Kokoro

4.2.1 I/The Narrator

I/The narrator, a young man whose name is never revealed, comes from a family of modest means. He studied in the university in Tokyo and on his summer holiday he met a man he called Sensei who piqued his interest. In the the story,

Soseki portrayed I inclination to the imperial/modern Japan by various means.

Through the narrator, the readers felt the speed of which Meiji society progressed, and the social and interpersonal gulfs which such speed created. For instance, from the novel’s outset, the narrator’s perspective provides a sense that intergenerational conflict was a commonality in the world of Meiji. He tells of an ongoing struggle between a friend and the friend’s parents over the issue of marriage.

The narrator takes his friend’s side, arguing that “By present-day standards he was far too young for marriage” (Kokoro, Chapter 1).

A friend had gone there during summer vacation for sea bathing and urged

me to join him, so I set about organizing enough money to cover the trip. This

took me two or three days. Less than three days after I arrived, my friend

received a sudden telegram from home demanding that he return. His mother

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA was ill, it seemed. He did not believe it. For some time his parents had been

trying to force him into an unwanted marriage. By present-day standards he

was far too young for marriage, and besides he did not care for the girl in

question. That was why he had chosen not to return home for the vacation, as

he normally would have, but to go off to a local seaside resort to enjoy

himself. (Kokoro, Chapter 1)

This intergenerational conflict also can be shown in the relationship between

I and his parents. He feels uncomfortable around them and has difficulty interacting with them in numbers of circumstances. Each demonstrates the gulf between them in terms of their worldviews.

I considered graduation a perfectly normal achievement, and my father’s

unexpected degree of pleasure in it was gratifying.

“A fine thing you’ve graduated”—he repeated these words again and again.

In my heart, I compared my father’s joy with Sensei’s reaction at the dinner

table after the graduation ceremony. He had said “Congratulations,” but his

private disdain was evident in his face. Sensei, I thought, was more cultured

and admirable than my father, with his unashamed delight. In the final

analysis, what I felt was displeasure at the reek of country boorishness in my

father’s innocence. (Kokoro, Chapter 37)

I took the diploma from my bag and spread it out carefully for my parents to

see. Something had crushed it, and it was no longer quite the shape it had

been.

My father smoothed it tenderly. “You should have carried such a precious

thing home by hand, rolled up,” he said.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA “You’d have done better to wrap it around something solid,” my mother

chipped in from beside him. (Kokoro, Chapter 37)

Massive difference on the perception on education created a clash within I’s family. In this scene, the massive difference in their expectations becomes clear.

Soseki’s uses of words “smoothed” and “tenderly” represents preservation and precaution in the point of view of the narrator’s parents. For the narrator, a university education is mundane and expected, but for his parents, it is truly a remarkable accomplishment. Education improves greatly in Meiji era, even in just one generation. The gap between expectations is massive enough to cause moments of social friction, such was the speed of advancement during the Meiji Period. That is why I felt that his graduation perfectly normal similar with how Sensei reacts calmly toward I’s graduation.

It is also heavily implied that the narrator’s university education has put him in a position of intellectual elite-hood of which his parents are not part. As he is a university graduate just like Sensei, he looks down on his parents “innocence” while his parents lament that “Education just give means to chop logic” (Kokoro, Chapter

39). This scene also reveals the consequence of the rapid pace of changes in the

Meiji Era, children born into this period began to intellectually surpass their elders.

For these older generations, being raised in a more Confucian society which praised elders as the intellectual elites is a difficult situation which often creates conflict between generation.

The intergenerational conflict between the narrator and his parents is further worsened by the separation of urban and rural location where the characters lived. As a student living in Tokyo, the narrator is constantly exposed to the modern Meiji and

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA the Western influence. This is clearly portrayed during his first visit home, I realizes how different he is compare to his parents are.

These days, furthermore, each time I came home from the city, I brought a

new aspect of myself that was strange and incomprehensible to my parents. It

was an element that was fundamentally out of harmony with both of them—

rather as if, to make a historical analogy, I had introduced into a traditional

Confucian household the disturbing aura of forbidden Christianity. (Kokoro,

Chapter 23)

Christianity has been regard by Japanese people in that era as modern religion compare to Confucianism which has been part of Japan since sixth century which lead to Confucianism more closely related to the traditional Japanese culture. The words “disturbing” convey how traditional Japan views toward Christianity. Japan isolated their country in fear of the encroachment of the outside influence toward the country. The seed of suspicion toward Western influence has been there years ago, long before Japan close their country. At Sengoku period or their Warring States era

(1467-1615), the samurai warlord Oda Nobunaga initially welcomed Christian missionaries to weaken the military power of the Buddhist sects. His successor

Toyotomi Hideyoshi became concerned that Christianity could be a front for

European colonialism and began to persecute Christians in 1597.

In quotation above, I give an analogy of himself, a line which seperates him and his parents. Soseki chose the words “forbidden Christianity” when the narrator visited his parents, he felt he brought something strange and different from his traditional parents, which is modernity. Thus, the analogy of Forbidden Christianity

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA and Confucianism came from since Christianity is new and different in their

Confucianism household.

His view of life was firmly confined to the little world where he had spent his

life. Inquisitive locals had been asking him how much salary a graduate could

expect to earn, guessing at princely sums of around a hundred yen a month.

That made him uncomfortable, and he very much wanted to get settled into a

position that would save his face.

My own point of view, based on what was on the great cosmopolitan world of

Tokyo, made me seem to my parents as bizarre as someone who walked

upside down. Even I found myself on occasion considering myself this way.

My parents were so many light-years from my own position that I couldn’t

begin to confess what I really thought, so I held my tongue. (Kokoro, Chapter

42)

The nature of modern life are completely alien to the narrator’s parents which worsen the generational gap between them. This scene also portrayed that the benefits of Meiji progress did not apply equally to the whole populace, and an example of social distance created by the speed of modernization.

Another example of the changes that has been happening to the Japan could also be seen in the event when I and his brother talked about who should take care of their mother when their father died as both of them seem inclined to do it because they had their own plan and desire. Both I and his brother knew of the impending doom of their father and they were “longed for it all to be over” and got back to their own life. Instead of caring for their sick father, the teaching of confucianism that children should take care of one’s parents to show filial piety is completely disregard

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA here, as both of them instead concerned of the inheritance their father would leave and who shall take care their old house along with their mother. I argued his brother should be the one to take care of their mother as it is the traditional role of the eldest son as the one burdened with taking care of elderly parents until their deaths.

My brother believed, as did I, that our father was doomed, and this being so,

we longed for it all to be over. Essentially we were awaiting our father’s

death, but we were reluctant to express it that way. Yet each of us was well

aware of what the other was thinking. (Kokoro, Chapter 50)

My brother looked at me over his shoulder. “Would you like to come back

home and manage the place?”

I could make no reply.

“Mother won’t be able to cope with it on her own,” he went on. Apparently

he was perfectly happy to let me rot here in the dank and dreary countryside.

“You can do all the reading you like in the country, and you wouldn’t have to

work. It’d suit you down to the ground.”

“The elder son’s the one who ought to come back,” I said.

“How could I do that?” he said, curtly dismissing the suggestion. He was

driven by the powerful urge to work in the wider world. “If you don’t want to

do it, I suppose we could ask our uncle to help out, but someone will have to

take Mother in.”(Kokoro, Chapter 51)

Since the end of the Sengoku era, very specific laws have been implemented which dictated how, in the absence of will, an estate should be distributed.

Inheritance always went to the eldest son, the one burdened with taking care of elderly parents until their deaths. Japan at that era already followed the

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA Primogeniture, in which was the right by law or custom, of the first born legitimate child to inherit the parent’s entire main estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some children, any illegitimate child or any collateral relatives. That is why Sensei keep urging I to deal with inheritance while his father still alive so I could also get the share of inheritance, because if his father did not write a will of inheritance all of it would automatically goes to his brother as the eldest son of the family.

4.2.2 Sensei

Sensei is another main character in this story and also the narrator for the third part of the book. He is described as an older man with mysterious past whom I met and stalked to get close to for no apparent reason other than hunch despite Sensei reluctance. Throughout the story, it is hinted something bad happened to Sensei in the past that made him became skeptical in human nature, with the final letter to unveil it all before he commited suicide.

“Whenever I dined at Sensei’s, the chopsticks and bowls were placed on this

white linen that seemed to have come from some Western restaurant; the

cloth was always freshly laundered” (Soseki, Chapter 32).

Sensei is portrayed as a character who accepted Meiji era modernity. As the image of linen shown coorelated with something that come from Western restaurant, he preserved tradition through the use of chopsticks. These two images lead the readers to believe that he is neither a representation of traditional or modern Japan, but rather a hybrid of the two. It also showed trace of Western influence towards

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA people’s daily life, especially one who lived on modern city such as Tokyo at that era.

The characteristic of realism on this novel can also be traced from the

Confucianism value which has taken root in Japan for so long. The value of

Confucianism on filial piety and the ancestor worship characteristic of later

Shintoism were instrumental for centuries in maintaining the hold of the family system on Japanese society. This concept remained unchallenged until the impact of

Western individualism made itself felt. Under the family system, it is not the individual, but the family became the basic unit of society. The family was a patriarchal organization in which the head had considerable powers and where all the members had their "proper place". In this respect, it was a representation of the harmonious world order in microcosm. At a higher level of social organization, the same order prevailed the emperor holding the position of head of the nation. From this latter premise, the family system in Japan derived it is political significance.

Soseki used Sensei narrative to picture the collectivism value of Japanese society. An individual had no legal rights in Edo/Tokugawa Japan. The family was the smallest legal entity and the maintenance of family status and privileges was of great importance at all levels of society. The individual had no separate legal right, traditional society recognized the group as a unit of society, whereas the individual was forced into unconditional dependence upon and subordination to the collective.

Confucianism custom states that a woman at every stage of her life must obey her father as a daughter, her husband as a wife, and her sons in widowhood.

Confucianism name these three principles as the “three obedience.” The heads of households were expected to protect and nurture the family name and the business of

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA the house. The house was more important than any single member. In his piece entitled Gender Roles of Women in Modern Japan, Kincaid highlights that Confucian conceptions have massively fashioned Japan, as in the case of the People’s Republic of China and South Korea. Confucian society focuses on the family. Men are the leading figures of the household, whereas women are subservient to men. Confucian ideas, moreover, demand women to marry, give birth to heirs, and oversee the house errands, as well as daily chores. Arranged marriages are prevalent—which, in a sense, comprises a contract between families. (Kincaid, 2014).

In this novel, collectivism of family value could be seen when Sensei’s uncle tried to marry his daughter to Sensei. It is clear that her cousin actually did not love

Sensei, but as the member of the family it is her obligation to obey the head of the household, because the importance of an individual is beneath of the group. Sensei defiance against this value, created an irreversible conflict between him and his uncle that lead his uncle to use a heavy-handed method to sort Sensei out.

I was disconcerted to learn that a prospective wife had been selected for me.

She was my uncle’s daughter—in other words, my own cousin. Marrying her

would suit both of us, he maintained, and furthermore my father had actually

spoken of it before he died. Put this way, I supposed it was a suitable enough

arrangement, and I easily accepted that my father could have had that

conversation with my uncle. I was certainly rather surprised, since this was

the first time I had heard of it. My uncle’s request seemed perfectly

reasonable and comprehensible, however.

My uncle said that if I wanted, I could put off the marriage until after my

graduation. “But,” he went on, “we should ‘seize the day,’ as the saying goes,

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA and perform the basic exchange of marriage cups as soon as possible.” The

question of when it should happen was of no concern to me, since I felt no

interest in the bride. I reiterated my refusal. My uncle looked unsatisfied, and

my cousin wept. Hers were not tears of regret that she could not take her

place beside me; they were the tears of a humiliated woman who has sought

marriage and been rejected. I knew perfectly well that she loved me as little

as I loved her. I went back to Tokyo. (Kokoro, Chapter 60)

In the novel, Soseki made Sensei rejected the proposal from his uncle to marry his cousin. Even though in case Sensei accepted the proposal from his uncle, the situation would not change that much, just as Sensei has speculated, “The answer is clear”. Marriage often used as method to steal inheritance. For example, when they had an offspring, the child would gain automatic inheritance. Afterward, if there was dispute over inheritance, the big family could then step in as seniors arrange matters in their favor, in this case Sensei’s uncle. This was more of a method of brute force than a method of ingenuity, but victory is almost always in favor of big families. If

Sensei wanted to bring it to court, he should be ready if the matter got prolonged. In this case, Sensei really did not have any choice, only accepted his fate as he had been swindle thoroughly by his uncle.

Would I have been materially better off if I had married my cousin as my

uncle wanted? The answer is clear, I think. But the fact is, my uncle was

scheming to force his daughter on me. He wasn’t offering me this marriage

out of some kindly intended idea of how well it would suit both sides of the

family; no, what drove him was the baser motive of personal profit. I did not

love my cousin, but nor did I dislike her. Still, thinking back on it now, I can

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA see it gave me a certain degree of pleasure to refuse her. Of course my refusal

did not alter the basic fact that he was cheating me, but at least as the victim I

had the satisfaction of standing up for myself a little. I wasn’t letting him

entirely have his way. This point is so trivial, however, that it is hardly worth

bothering over. To your outsider’s point of view, it must seem like nothing

more than foolishly stubborn pride. (Kokoro, Chapter 63)

Another form of collectivism value in Edo period could be seen in the event when Sensei’s friend K lied to his adoptive family about the major he took on college. K’s adoptive family wanted him to study medicine which was not in line with his plan. K’s defiance led to discontentment of him by both his adoptive family and his original family. An individual value is beneath of the family, so when K took his own decision without consulting his adopted family first, it created a great discontentment and conflict between him and his adopted family.

His adoptive father was enraged when he read K’s letter and immediately

sent off a forceful reply to the effect that he could not finance the education

of a scoundrel who had so deceived his parents. K showed me the letter. He

then showed me the one he had received from his own family, which

condemned him in equally strong terms. No doubt an added sense of failed

obligation to the other family reinforced their decision to refuse to support

him. K was faced with the dilemma of whether to return to his own family or

consent to compromise with his adoptive parents to stay on their family

Finally, K decided to officially return to his original family’s register, which

meant that they would have to repay the school fees paid by the other party.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA His own family, however, responded by washing their hands of him. To use

an outmoded expression, they, as it were, disowned him. Perhaps it was not

quite so radical as that, but that was how he understood it. K had no mother,

and certain aspects of his character were perhaps the result of his being

brought up by a stepmother. If his mother had not died, I feel, this distance

between him and his family might never have arisen. His father, of course,

was a priest, but his sternness in matters of Confucian moral obligation

suggests that there was a lot of the samurai in him. (Kokoro, Chapter 75)

It is important to note that Soseki mentioned, “His sternness in matters of

Confucian moral obligation suggests that there was a lot of the samurai in him”.

There is a bit difference in the matter of filial piety Confucianism between the original Chinese and the Japanese value. Japanese put more importance on loyalty as they derived from Japanese ethical spirit which is part of Bushido/Warriror. Feudal

Japan was the era of samurai and code of honor for them called Bushido. Eight virtues of Bushido are Righteousness, Heroic Courage, Benevolance, Respect,

Honesty, Honour, Self Control, and Loyalty and Duty. K’s acts of defiance and deceit against his adoptive family broke the virtue of samurai his father held and dishonour his original family, breaking both ties of the adoptive and original family.

Western influence brought many changes to Japan. One of it is the openness of people compare to the previous era. Sensei described people were becoming more open with their emotions. Freedom of speech was one of the right given to Japanese citizens on Meiji era. And this openness is something Sensei engaged in before his eventual suicide.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA It strikes me now that the people I knew back then were all a bit peculiar—

no one around me ever spoke about private matters of the heart. No doubt

quite a few had nothing to confide, but even those who did kept silent. This

must seem most peculiar to you, in the relative freedom of your present age. I

will leave it to you to judge whether it was a lingering effect from the

Confucianism of an earlier time or simply a form of shyness. (Kokoro,

Chapter 83)

In Meiji era a person had gained their individual right and was no longer constrained by the family. As Sensei said, “We who are born into this age of freedom and independence and the self must undergo this loneliness. It is the price we pay for these times of ours.”(Kokoro, Chapter 14). Society began to move from collectivism to individualism as the rule and norms of the era change. This of course created certain social phenomenon that Soseki showed in his novel. An individual began to have their own opinion that was different from the opinion from the family, for example on chapter one where the narator’s friend took him on summer resort to avoid the arranged marriage. Aside from creating intergenerational conflict the other effect that can be observed is loneliness.

“I’m a lonely man,” he repeated that evening. “I’m lonely, but I’m guessing

you may be a lonely man yourself. I’m older, so I can withstand loneliness

without needing to take action, but for you it’s different—you’re young. I

sense that you have the urge to do, to act. You want to pit yourself against

something . . .” (Kokoro, Chapter 7)

Traditional Japanese society itself upholds strong values of communal relationships and several aspects of individualism like independence and self-reliance

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA clash with these values. Therefore, the loneliness that both Sensei and the narrator experienced is the alienation that resulted from the rapid development from the

Japanese communal space to a modern individualistic society.

Meiji era also felt rapid development in industrial aspect, especially in city region. It is reflected throughout the story how it changed the landscape of the country. The streetcars were a common theme throughout the novel as they represented industrialization.

That area has changed completely since the streetcar line went in; back then

the earthen wall of the Arsenal was on the left, and on the right was a large

expanse of grassy vacant land, something between a hillside and an open

field. I stood in the grass and gazed absentmindedly at the bluff before me.

The scenery there is still quite good, but in those days that western side was

far lovelier. Just to see the deep, rich green of all that foliage soothed the

heart. (Kokoro, Chapter 64)

In the novel, Soseki only mentioned streetcars when the story set in Tokyo and never mention it when the narrator was back in his hometown. Instead of streetcars or tramcars, the transportation method Soseki mentioned was a rickshaw, one of the traditional vehicle in Asian countries. This created a contrast between two areas where the story set in to show the technological gap between the city and countryside.

4.3 Findings

Based on the analysis explained in the previous chapter, characteristic of realism could be found on the story. The realism was mainly portrayed by how close

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA the author Natsume Soseki closely renders the reality of the society at that era on the event of Kokoro. Richard Chase in his point on characteristic on realism said that realism should “renders reality closely and in comprehensive detail”. Kokoro portrayed the Japanese society and especially highlighted the culture and picture the relationship and changes on Japan from Edo to Meiji period.

Soseki highlighted the intergeneration conflict that ran rampant on the society at that time because of the impact from the speed of which Meiji society progressed.

The relationship between old generation and younger generation became ridden with difference of value and point of view that created intergenerational conflict. An example can be seen from the conflict between the narrator and his parents of how the changes in Meiji era influence the interpersonal relationship in society. It can be seen by the conflict of younger generation like I and his friend the difference of view and value with their parents made them feel alienated and different. And how Japan progression toward modernity was not equal in every part of Japan as there was certain part left behind as the benefits of Meiji progress did not apply equally to the whole populace.

From Sensei’s perspective, Soseki also explored the changes on the collectivism toward individualism in society and its consequences toward the people in that era. Soseki gives the readers a picture of how Collectivism in society at Edo period an individual was forced into unconditional dependence upon and subordination to the collectivity and woman role in traditional Confucian family.

The event itself was plausible. The intrinsic value of Confucianism in Japan society has mixed with the Japan culture. Every family members are expected to fulfill their role as a collective organization. Whereas in Meiji society where an

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA individual has gain their legal right, it created loneliness that has became new problem Japan has to face because of how traditional Japanese society itself upholds strong values of communal relationships from their old collectivism culture.

Individualism value like independence and self-reliance was something new to them and it clashed with these values. Therefore, loneliness can be seen as an impact from the rapid development from the Japanese communal space to a modern individualistic society. However, Meiji era is not all gloom as Western influence also brought something new to japan like individual right for citizen, freedom of speech and technological development which made Japan the strongest country in Asia at that era.

Even though Kokoro is considered as fictional novel as it is created from the imagination of the author, we can see the resemblances with the world at that era.

The era when Japan once again opened its border to the world and received the baptism of outside world, especially the Western influence that disrupted their long stability. Therefore, it cannot be denied that despite being fictional, Kokoro considered as realistic.

CHAPTER V

CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA 5.1 Conclusions

Based on the analysis of the data about realism in Natsume Soseki’s novel

Kokoro on the discussion, the researcher concluded that:

1. Kokoro is a novel dominated by realism elements. The realism was mainly

portrayed by how close the author Natsume Soseki closely rendered the

reality of the society in that era on the event of Kokoro. Richard Chase on his

point on Characteristic on Realism said that realism should “rendes reality

closely and in comprehensive detail”. It portrayed in how Soseki used many

realistic elements in his novel, for example the culture, historical elements

and social norms at Edo and Meiji period.

2. Soseki’s Kokoro focuses on average people and places. Instead of portraying

the lives of Japan Imperial family at Meiji era, Soseki choses to picture the

life of average man like Sensei and the narrator in the story.

3. Characters appear in the real complexity of temperament. Soseki pictured the

difference of the narrator and Sensei who has been influenced by Japan rapid

progress in big city like Tokyo and the narrator’s father who was completely

in the dark about the rapid changes that had been happening for decade

because of the geographical situation where he lived had not been touched by

Japan rapid modernity, this lead to the different point of view and social

value between them and in turn created intergenerational conflict.

4. The social class being explored in this novel. In Edo period family was the

smallest legal entity and the integration of Confucianism value made Japan

family strictly patriarchy where man as the head of the house has the biggest

power in the family and woman has to obey the decision of head of the family

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA as it is their norm and cultural value of that era. While in Meiji era, an

individual has gained legal right and no longer bind to the family.

5. The event in the Kokoro is plausible. The story resembled the condition of

the society in that era when Japan tried to improve the society as a whole.

Intergenerational conflict is an example for this changes, as the expectation

and view of life changes between old and new generation, there would be

social friction in society. It can be seen from the interaction of the narrator

with his parents where there was a lot of interpersonal conflicts that stemmed

from the difference of point of view and value they hold in society as Japan

rapid progress toward modernity did not apply equally to the whole populace.

5.2 Suggestions

Based on conclusions from the previous chapter, the researcher wants to point out that realism in literature is an interesting topic to be discussed. Thus, the researcher hopes that there will be more research regarding realism in novels. The writer also suggests the reader and other students:

1. To develop this topic by analyzing other aspects that are closely related to

realism in order to get further understanding and information about it.

2. To inform other students that they can use the qualitative descriptive analysis

to help them in analyzing realism found in any kinds of literary work.

3. To be a reference for the readers to understand more about realism portrayed

in the novel.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA REFERENCES

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UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA APPENDICES

i. Author Biography

Natsume Sōseki (1867-1916), one of Japan’s most influential modern writers, is widely considered the foremost novelist of the Meiji era (1868-1912). Born

Natsume Kinnosuke in Tokyo, Sōseki began his life as an unwanted child, born to his mother late in her life, forty years old and his father then fifty-three. When he was born, he already had five siblings.

Sōseki attended the First Tokyo Middle School (Hibiya High School), where he became enamored with Chinese literature, and fancied that he might someday become a writer. His desire to become an author arose when he was about fifteen when he told his older brother about his interest in literature. When Sōseki entered the Tokyo Imperial University in September 1884, it was with the intention of becoming an architect. Although he preferred Chinese classics, he started studying

English at that time, feeling that it might prove useful to him in his future career, as

English was a necessity in Japanese college. Meiji-era Japan believed that foreign literature held the key to understanding the Western culture that it was then avidly embracing, and Sōseki was part of the earliest generation to be trained in this important field.

. In 1887, Sōseki met Masaoka Shiki, a friend who would give him encouragement on the path to becoming a writer, which would ultimately be his career. Shiki tutored him in the art of composing haiku. From this point on, he began signing his poems with the name Sōseki, which is a Chinese idiom meaning

"stubborn".

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA In 1900 the Japanese government selected him to spend two years studying in

Great Britain as "Japan's first Japanese English literary scholar". the intention was that he would increase the nation’s cultural capital by bringing back a deeper understanding of the West. He visited Cambridge and stayed a night there, but gave up the idea of studying at the university because he could not afford it on his government scholarship. He studied instead at University College London (UCL).

But Sōseki was miserable in London, isolated and alienated from everything around him, which seems to have brought him close to nervous collapse. After his return to

Japan, he took up prestigious teaching posts at the First National College and in the

English literature department at Tokyo’s Imperial University.

Sōseki's literary career began in 1903, when he began to contribute haiku, renku (haiku-style linked verse), haitaishi (linked verse on a set theme) and literary sketches to literary magazines, However it was the public success of his satirical novel I Am a Cat in 1905 that won him wide public admiration as well as critical acclaim. In 1908 he gave up teaching and became a full-time writer. Much of his work deals with the relation between Japanese culture and Western culture. He wrote fourteen novels, including Botchan, Kokoro and Kusamakura, as well as haiku, poems in the Chinese style, academic papers on literary theory, essays, and autobiographical sketches. His work enjoyed wide popularity in his lifetime and secured him a permanent place in Japanese literature.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA ii. Summary of the Novel

Part I – Sensei and I

As the novel opens, the narrator has been left on his own in Kamakura after his friend, who invited him to vacation there, is called home by his family. One day, after finishing his usual swim in the sea, he takes notice of a man in the changing house who's there with a foreign guest, preparing to head for the water. He sees the same man each day thereafter, though no longer with his foreign companion. After some days, he finds occasion to make the man's acquaintance. As they grow closer, he comes to refer to the man as “Sensei.”

On parting in Kamakura, as Sensei prepares to return home to Tokyo, the narrator asks if he can call on Sensei at his home sometime. He receives an affirmative, though less enthusiastic than hoped for, response. Several weeks after his own return to Tokyo, he makes an initial visit, only to find Sensei away. On his next visit, when he again finds Sensei away, he learns from Sensei's wife that Sensei makes monthly visits to the gravesite of a friend.

Over subsequent months and years, through periodic visits, the narrator comes to know Sensei and his wife quite well. At the same time, Sensei insists on maintaining a certain distance. He refuses to talk of his deceased friend and is reluctant to explain his own reclusion and lack of occupation. He also cautions the narrator that intimacy and admiration will only lead to future disillusionment and disdain. However, he does promise that one day, when the time is right, he will divulge in full the story of his past.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA Part II- My Parents and I

The narrator returns home to the country after graduation. His father, who had been in ill health, is up and about, enjoying a respite from his illness. They set a date for a graduation celebration, only to have their plans put on hold by news of the

Meiji Emperor falling ill. As the weeks go by, the narrator's father gradually loses his vigor and becomes bedridden. From his bed, he follows the papers as the Emperor declines and then passes away.

After the Emperor's passing, the narrator is pressured by his mother to secure employment to put his father at ease. At the same time, his father's condition holds him close to home in the country. At his mother's urging, he writes to Sensei to request assistance in finding a position in Tokyo. While not expecting any favorable response on the matter of employment, he does at least expect some reply and is disappointed when none arrives. Summer wears on, and the rest of the family is summoned home in anticipation of the father's final hour. All are moved when news comes of the suicide (junshi) of General Nogi Maresuke, who takes his own life to follow his Emperor (the Meiji Emperor) in death.

Shortly thereafter, a telegram from Sensei arrives, summoning the narrator to

Tokyo. Unable to leave his father, the narrator refuses Sensei's request, first by telegram and then by a letter detailing his situation. Some days later, a thick letter arrives by registered mail from Sensei. Stealing away from his father's bedside, the narrator opens the letter to find it's the previously-promised accounting of Sensei's past. Leafing through the pages, a line near the end catches his eye. “By the time this letter reaches you, I’ll be gone from this world. I’ll have already passed away.”

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA Part III – Sensei’s Testament

At the start of his letter, Sensei says he wants to explain some of his behaviors and attitudes to the narrator. He also wants to make good on his promise to divulge his past. Sensei describes his time as a university student, noting that his parents died of typhoid when he was only 19. In the following years, Sensei's uncle slowly stole Sensei's inheritance, leaving him with only a small portion to live on.

This experience made Sensei bitter and distrustful. He took what money he had and found a room in a house with a widow, whom he called Okusan, and her daughter, whom he called Ojosan or "miss." Over time Sensei began to fall in love with the daughter. But he was increasingly suspicious that Okusan was plotting to have him marry Ojosan, so he kept his feelings to himself and grew ever more distrustful.

Sensei also writes about his childhood friend, K. He and K attended the same university, and Sensei worried about K's tendency toward asceticism and isolation.

Sensei convinced Okusan to let K live in her house. Over time Sensei slowly became paranoid about Ojosan's attentions toward K. Eventually K confessed to Sensei that he loved Ojosan, and Sensei began to see K as a rival. When the opportunity arose,

Sensei crushed K's feelings and convinced K he was being untrue to himself. Then

Sensei asked Okusan for permission to marry Ojosan. She agreed. Sensei procrastinated about telling K because he felt guilty. Finally he realized that K knew the truth, but before he could work up the nerve to talk to K about it, K committed suicide. Sensei was racked by guilt and never told anyone about his part in K's despair and eventual death. Ojosan and Sensei married, and Sensei vowed never to visit K's grave with his wife.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA