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PSYCHOLOGICAL STUDY TOWARD DECISION OF FIVE LISBON’S DAUGHTERS TO COMMIT SUICIDE IN JEFFREY EUGENIDES’ THE VIRGIN SUICIDES
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters
By:
ANTONIUS RUDHIKA WISNU DEWANTO
Student Number:114214062
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2015
PLAGIATPLAGIAT MERUPAKAN MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TIDAK TERPUJI TERPUJI
PSYCHOLOGICAL STUDY TOWARD DECISION OF FIVE LISBON’S DAUGHTERS TO COMMIT SUICIDE IN JEFFREY EUGENIDES’ THE VIRGIN SUICIDES
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters
By:
ANTONIUS RUDHIKA WISNU DEWANTO
Student Number:114214062
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2015
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A Sarjana Sastra Undergraduate Thesis
PSYCHOLOGICAL STUDY TOWARD DECISION OF FIVE LISBON’S DAUGHTERS TO COMMIT SUICIDE IN JEFFREY EUGENIDES’ THE VIRGIN SUICIDES
By ANTONIUS RUDHIKA WISNU DEWANTO Student Number: 114214062
Approved by
Paulus Sarwoto, S.S., M.A., Ph. D. August 5, 2015 Advisor
Dr. Gabriel Fajar Sasmita Aji, S.S., M.Hum. August 5, 2015 Co- Advisor
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A Sarjana Sastra Undergraduate Thesis
PSYCHOLOGICAL STUDY TOWARD DECISION OF FIVE LISBON’S DAUGHTERS TO COMMIT SUICIDE IN JEFFREY EUGENIDES’ THE VIRGIN SUICIDES
By
ANTONIUS RUDHIKA WISNU DEWANTO Student Number: 114214062
Defended before the Board of Examiners On August 31, 2015 And Declared Acceptable
BOARD OF EXAMINERS
Name Signature Chairperson : Dr. F. X. Siswadi, M. A. Secretary : Dra. A.B. Sri Mulyani, M.A., Ph.D. Member 1 : Dra. A.B. Sri Mulyani, M.A., Ph.D. Member 2 : Paulus Sarwoto, S.S., M.A., Ph. D.
Member 3 : Dr. Gabriel Fajar Sasmita Aji, S.S., M.Hum.
Yogyakarta, August 31, 2015 Faculty of Letters Sanata Dharma University Dean
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LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINAN AKADEMIS
Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma
Nama :Antonius Rudhika Wisnu Dewanto Nomor Mahasiswa :114214062
Demia pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul
PSYCHOLOGICAL STUDY TOWARD DECISION OF FIVE LISBON’S DAUGHTERS TO COMMIT SUICIDE IN JEFFREY EUGENIDES’ THE VIRGIN SUICIDES 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 mempubikasikannya 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 15 Agustus 2015
Yang menyatakan,
Antonius Rudhika Wisnu Dewanto
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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, August 31, 2015
Antonius Rudhika Wisnu Dewanto
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“If you’re born poor, it is not your mistake. But if you die poor, it is your mistakes ”
-Bill Gates
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This thesis is dedicated for My Beloved Parent, My Sister, My Lovely Girlfriend, My grandma, and My Nephews
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, thanks to Lord Jesus Christ for His blessings upon me and His evergreen love to whatever I am. He gives me everything so that I can finish my thesis. I know that without God, I can do nothing. I praise Him in every breath I take.
Thanks to Paulus Sarwoto, S.S., M.A., Ph. D. as my thesis advisor and Dr.
Gabriel Fajar Sasmita Aji, S.S., M.Hum. as my thesis co-advisor for their endless patience while guiding me from the beginning until I completed my thesis. Their support always makes me want to do the best for my thesis.
Big thanks to my beloved Dad and Mom, Agustinus Supriyono and
Theresia Kitri Suwantini. You are the greatest parents for me and I’m so proud for having you in my life. Everytime I need you, you are already there. To my dearest sister, Monica Damayanti, thank you for being a very wonderful sister. I love you all. Special thanks to my girl, Chindy Christine. You are apple in my eyes and always brighten my day. You brighten my day and my heart. You always support me to finish this thesis as soon as possible and I know, without your motivation I cannot finish this thesis. I do love you. To my friends, Wiliam, Teles, and Driya, thanks for the crazy things that we have done in the boarding house.
Last but not least, thank to everybody who also plays an important part in my life that I could not mention here one by one. I could not make this happen without you.
RUDHIKA WISNU
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITTLE PAGE ………………………………………………………………… ii APPROVAL PAGE …………………………………………………………… iii ACCEPTANCE PAGE ……………………………………………………….. iv LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH.. v STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY ………………………………………….. vi MOTTO PAGE ………………………………………………………………… vii DEDICATION PAGE ………………………………………………………… viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS …………………………………………………... ix TABLE OF CONTENT ………………………………………………………. x ABSTRACT ……………………………………………………………………... xi ABSTRAK …………………………………………………………………...... xii
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION …………………………………………….. 1 A. Background of the Study ………………………………………………... 1 B. Problem Formulation ……………………………………………….…… 3 C. Objectives of the Study …………………………………………………. 3 D. Definition of Terms ………………………………………………….….. 4
CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ……………………………….. 5 A. Review of Related Studies ……………………………………………… 5 B. Review of Related Theories …………………………………………….. 8 C. Theoretical Framework …………………………………………………. 16
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ………………………………………….. 18 A. Object of the Study …………………………………………………...... 18 B. Approach of the Study ………………………………………………….. 19 C. Method of the Study …………………………………………………….. 20
CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS …………………………………………………... 21 A. The characteristics of Lisbon’s daughters and their parents …………... 21 B. Psychological condition which drives five Lisbon’s daughters to commit suicide …………………………………………………………………... 34
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ……………………………………………….. 46 BIBLIOGRAPHY ……………………………………………………………... 49 APPENDICES …………………………………………………………………. 51 Appendix 1:Summary of Jeffrey Eugenides’s The Virgin Suicides …………….. 51 Appendix 2:Biography of Jeffrey Eugenides …………………………………… 54
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ABSTRACT
ANTONIUS RUDHIKA WISNU DEWANTO (2015). Psychological Study toward Decision of Five Lisbon’s Daughters to Commit Suicide in Jeffrey Eugenides’ The Virgin Suicides. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Leters, Sanata Dharma University. This thesis discusses Jeffrey Eugenides’ novel entitled The Virgin Suicides through the perspective of psychoanalysis. In the story the five Lisbon’s daughters has unstable emotion because of overprotective treatment. To observe about emotion and mind, psychoanalysis is the best approach to this study. There are two problems that have been formulated. They are: 1) what kind of person Lisbon’s daughter and their parents are in this novel. 2) How the psychological condition of five Lisbon’s daughters drives them to their decision in committing suicide. The explanation of these two problems is the main purpose of this thesis. This research can be categorized as a library research. Therefore, the data for this thesis are collected from many sources and information. The main source is the novel The Virgin Suicides itself. It becomes the primary data because it is the object of this thesis. The secondary data are taken from some books and also website that contains things related to Jeffrey Eugenides and his works. Some theories are also added to complete this thesis This thesis concludes that overprotective parents weaken their mental growth. Five Lisbon’s daughters cannot handle the conflict in their id. Their self- defense mechanism is also failed. Disability to handle conflict, feeling of loss caused by Cecilia’s death and overprotective treatment drive them into condition which Freud calls as mourning and melancholia. Morning and melancholia cause depression and depression is the cause why five Lisbon’s daughters finally commit suicide.
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ABSTRAK
ANTONIUS RUDHIKA WISNU DEWANTO (2015). Psychological Study toward Decision of Five Lisbon’s Daughters to Commit Suicide in Jeffrey Eugenides’ The Virgin Suicides. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma. Tesis ini membahas sebuah novel karya Jeffrey Eugenides berjudul The Virgin Suicides melalui sudut pandang psikologi. Diceritakan bahwa kelima anak Lisbon memiliki sebuah emosi yang tidak stabil yang disebabkan sifat overprotektif orang tua mereka. Untuk meneliti tentang emosi dan pikiran, psikoanalisis merupakan pendekatan yang paling baik untuk penelitian ini. Ada dua formulasi pertanyaan yang telah dibuat. Pertanyaan itu adalah: 1). Bagaimana karakter kelima putri Lisbon dan kedua orang tua mereka; dan 2). Bagaimana kondisi psikologis kelima anak Lisbon hingga akhirnya mereka memutuskan untuk bunuh diri. Penjelasan dari dua formulasi pertanyaan tersebut merupakan tujuan utama dari tesis ini. Penelitian ini dapat dikategorikan sebagai penelitian pustaka. Karena itu, data-data untuk tesis ini dikumpulan dari banyak sumber dan keterangan. Sumber data utama adalah novel The Virgin Suicides. Novel tersebut menjadi data utama karena novel tersebut merupakan tujuan dari tesis ini. Data pendukung tesis ini diambil dari beberapa buku dan situs yang berisi keterangan tentang Jeffrey Eugenides dan karya-karyanya. Beberapa teori juga ditambahkan untuk melengkapi tesis ini. Tesis ini menyimpulkan bahwa sifat overprotektif orang tua mereka menhambat pertumbuhan mental. Kelima anak Lisbon tidak bisa mengatasi konflik di id mereka ditambah dengan mekanisme pertahanan diri yang gagal, kematian Cecilia, dan perlauan overprotektif. Hal itu menimbulkan apa yang Freud sebut ratapan dan rasa kehilangan. Ratapan dan kehilangan akan menyebabkan depresi dand depresi inilah yang akhirnya menyebabkan kelima Anak Lisbon memutuskan bunuh diri.
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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
Literary work is a representation of the daily social life. In An Introduction to the Study of Literature by Hudson, he says that literature is a vital record of what men seeing and experiencing in life (Hudson, 1958: 10). It can be seen through the intrinsic and extrinsic element through the story. Place, time, and situation of the literary works are taken from the real condition, for example when there is a civil war in America, there are some works of literature which based on the situation, such as Red Badge of Courage (1895), Across Five Aprils (1964), and
The Crisis (1901).
As one of the literary works, novel is the media to deliver information through its intrinsic element and extrinsic element. According to Rene Wellek and Austin in Theory of Literature, they say that literature is a vital record of what men see and experience in life such as about problems, human situation, and relationship
(Wellek and Austin, 1956: 94). Novel as one of literary works also reveals those problems which make us have an imagination and also give us information. For example, when reading American civil war novel, the reader will know what happened during American civil war, the cause and the impact of American civil war. Rene Wellek adds that literature has a function that is function for education.
Function for education means that literary work’s goal is not about giving the reader pleasure but also giving the reader information and moral values.
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Based on Rene Wellek’s perception about the function of literary work, this thesis wants to get the information by revealing the problems. The novel that is analyzed in this thesis is The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides that was written in 1993. Five caged daughters with unstable emotion in this story attract this thesis to analyze what actually happened to them. Jeffrey Eugenides also wants to picture the psychological element by showing the dreadful psychological effect of overprotective treatment that exists in early of 20th century that is commit suicide.
Committing suicide is the issue that is very popular in 20th century. This thesis refers to Hudson statement about literature as a vital record (Hudson, 1958:
10). Every literary work is based on reality. Jeffrey Eugenides gets the inspiration from what happened in early of 20th century where there are so many overprotective parents. There is a forum in drrobynsilverman.com that discusses about overprotective cases in America. Most of them experience it in 1960-1980s.
Ronald. C. Kessler also made a research and found that in early 20th century the number of people who commit suicide is high. He found that the number of people who commit suicide is 2,8% - 3,3% from the population. Kasschau develops the research about suicide and finds that the cause of committing suicide is not only depression.
Not all people who commit suicide are depressed, and not all depressed people attempt suicide. But many depressive do think about suicide, and some of them translate these thought into action (Kasschau, 1995: 376)
The facts about the situation where there are so many overprotective treatments, in the same time with the high rate of person who commits suicide, and depression is
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not the only one factor why person decides to commit suicide, bring this thesis in one purpose that is to reveal the mystery why five Lisbon’s daughters finally commit suicide. This thesis has an indication that overprotective treatment influenced the mental condition that drives five Lisbon’s daughters to the terrible decision but there are still some possibilities that have to be explored. That is why this thesis wants to explore the Lisbon’s daughters’ characteristics and also about their psychological condition.
B. Problem Formulation
Based on the background of the study above, this study will be based on these following questions.
1. What are the characteristics of Lisbon’s daughters and their parents in the
story The Virgin Suicides?
2. How does the psychological condition of five Lisbon’s daughters drive
them to their decision in committing suicide?
C. Objectives of the Study
The purpose of this study is to answer the formulated problem in the previous part. There are two objectives of this study. First, this thesis finds out the characteristics of the Lisbon’s daughters and their parents. Second, by analyzing the psychological condition of five Lisbon’s daughters, this thesis finds out what makes Lisbon’s daughters finally take a decision to commit suicide.
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D. Definition of terms
To give more understanding about this thesis, some important terms need to be understood in the analysis.
1. Suicide means the act of intentionally destroying oneself or a violent self-
inflicted destructive action resulting death (Smith 1983: 129). The purpose
for individual who does suicide is to escape from life when they feel that
“Life is meaningless”.
2. Psychological means something related to the mind, and the way in which
it works or mental action (Fisher, 1996: 80). Further, the analysis about
mind and the way it works and its action called as psychoanalysis.
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CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
A. Review of Related Studies
Some criticisms about this novel help the writer in understanding this novel.
The writer life style influenced The Virgin Suicides’ style writing and content. As what is stated by Jay Mcinerney in his review about The Virgin Suicide.
From the review that has been done by Lisa A. Kirby, Ph. D, the assistant professor of English at North Carolina Wesleyan College, she states that the five teenage Lisbon sisters are the objects of desire and interest of the neighborhood boys (Kirby, 1994:3). Lewis Mumford in the Social Critics also states that the main cause of the Lisbon’s to commit suicide is external factor. In his review, he states that the family is also a subject of all manner of gossip as the neighbors speculate who is to blame and what will happen. Among the neighbors, there is an illusion of concern and sympathy for the Lisbon family; however, there is a darker, more voyeuristic element at works as well (Lewis, 1993: 1). Based on
Kirby’s and Lewis’s statement about the cause why Lisbon’s daughters commit suicide, Kirby and Lewis say that the cause why Lisbon’s daughters commit suicide is merely just because of friends, neighbor, and gossip. This thesis tries to reveal that the factor is not only gossip, friends, and neighbor but the factor also comes from their mother, Mrs. Lisbon, who never lets them out to have an interaction to the outside world.
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Kakutani in her review states that there is a traumatic effect that causes
Lisbon’s daughters to commit suicide. Kakutani says that the cause is Lisbon’s daughters are feeling haunted by their’s sister death. (Kakutani, 199:54). This thesis thinks that what Kakutani says is true but what makes them commit suicide is not only because of feeling scared, but there are also other factors. There is also a research that is done by Adam Green entitled The Virgin Suicides Critical
Analysis. Adam Green states that the cause of the Lisbon’s daughters to commit suicide is because of supernatural factor. He states in his analysis that a suicide is an extraordinary event. When someone takes their own life, especially in a tight- knit community, the support for that person’s family from the community takes almost a supernatural form, as people with differences, and sometimes even feuds, who would never band together under normal circumstances, band together in support. The weakness of Adam’s research, Adam still cannot answer some question. Such as “Why?”, “Why would someone feel the need to take their own life?” “Why were their demons great enough to overpower all of the great opportunities they would have had in life?” This thesis also thinks that Adam only focuses in the spiritual side. This thesis thinks that supernatural side is something that is so extensive; it is why, this thesis wants to observe the basic cause of the decision to commit suicide which is more realistic.
This thesis also points out two reviews that observe character’s decision to commit suicide. Nunung Marganingsih’s research entitled “The Contribution of
Conflict toward Eustacia’s Decision to Commit Suicide in Thomas Hardy’s The
Return of the Native, Marganingsih says that decision to commit suicide as the
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contribution of the inner conflict and external conflict with other character in the novel (Marganingsih: 1999: 52). In the novel, Eustacia is an all of person who does not have parents and many friends. She is also an ambitious, arrogant, and unfaithful woman. These characteristics influenced her how to face the problem and lead her to the conflict. Because of the conflict that she has and cannot be handled, she is depressed and drives her to commit suicide. In the novel The
Virgin Suicides, this thesis does not focus on the conflict that the characters experience, but this thesis focuses in psychological aspect. The position of conflict is the trigger, not as the main focus.
The other research by Lewi Yudianto entitled Willy Loman’s Decision To
Commit Suicide in Arthur Miller’s Death of A Salesman, he states there that Willy
Longman feels that he cannot be a good husband and father for his children
(Yudianto: 1998: 48). It becomes a big problem and burdens him and affects his behavior and attitude in his daily life. He acts many stupid things and be a temperament father. Because of his felling of failure with it all he commits suicide in the end of the story. In her research also, Yudianto states that depression is the main cause of person to commit suicide because of self-destructive behavior, emotional, physical disturbance and withdrawal from socialization. This thesis thinks that the difference between Yudianto’s theory and this thesis’ research is in the cause of depression.
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B. Review of Related Theories
This part consists of the theories which are applied in this thesis. They are theory of character and characterization, theory of psychoanalysis, the personality disorder type, and theory of suicide.
1. Theory of Character and Characterization
The presence of characters in a literary work is very important. The author
writes his/her novel based on real life. It means that he/she has to describe all
of the characters of his/her novel as realistic as possible. The creation of
imaginary persons so that the reader can feel that they exist as lifelike is
called as characterization (Holman and Harmon, 1986: 81).
According to Baldick, character is a person in a narrative or dramatic work. It
is different from characterization. Characterization is the way in which a
character is presented. Therefore, a character is the result, while
characterization is the process (1991: 81). Baldick also defines that there are
three methods of characterization in fiction. The first method is the explicit
presentation. In this method, the author tells the readers about the character
through direct exposition or analysis, which informs how the character is. The
second method is the presentation of the character in action. In this
representation, the author only uses a little or no explicit comment, so that the
readers are able to conclude the attribute of the actor form action. The last
method is the representation within a character without any comments on the
character by the author. In this method, the author suggests that the reader
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will come to a clear understanding of the attribute of the character clearly
through the impact of actions and emotions on the character’s inner self
(Baldick, 1991: 81)
2. Psychoanalysis Theory
Psychoanalysis theory by Sigmund Freud has deep exploration in the
unconscious world. Freud believes that human are motivated by things that
they never realize. According to Freud, mental life divided into two that are
unconscious and conscious. Freud still divides unconscious into two which
are, unconscious and preconscious. Freud also states that the location of the
mental life is just a hypothesis and unreal. (Freud, 1933:28) a. Unconscious. The unconscious becomes a place for all the encouragement,
insistence, and instincts that we do not realize but apparently encouraging
words, feelings, and actions. Although we are aware of our behavior, but we
sometimes do not realize how mental processes occurred. Freud believes in
the existence of the unconscious is only indirectly proven. For him, the
unconscious is an explanation of the meaning behind dreams, said error, and
various kinds of forget, which is known as repression (Feist, 2009: 27). Freud
mentions that part of the unconscious comes from experience ancestors
passed down from generation to generation. Freud sees this as a last resort,
that is, when all explanations built on personal experience felt inadequate,
Freud turned to the inherited experience collectively. Freud used the concept
of phylogenetic relic in explaining some important concepts such as the
Oedipus complex and castration anxiety (Feist, 2009: 28).
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b. Preconscious. The contents of the unconscious comes from two sources, the
first is the conscious perception (Feist, 2009: 28). Consciously perceived
people in a short time will soon enter into the subconscious while the focus of
attention turned to other thoughts and that is why person who is out of mind
will not feel anxious. The second source of subliminal images is unconscious.
Freud believes that the mind can slip from strict censorship and into the
subconscious in the form of hidden. We are not aware of the picture, and
makes us more anxious (Feist, 2009: 29) c. Conscious. Consciousness does not play a role in the theory of
psychoanalysis. Defined as element of mental that every moment is exists in
consciousness. This is the only level that can direct mental life we achieve.
The door to realize the nature of perceptual consciousness, which is open to
the outside world and act as a liaison with our perception of external stimuli
(Freud, 1933:29).
Freud's structural model is divided into three parts and the division of the
mind into three parts like this area not meant to replace the topographic capital
(Id, ego, and superego), but this search explains the mental picture based on
function and purpose. Three areas according to Freud are id that means the
core of personality is entirely unconscious area and it has no contact with the
real world, but always seek to defuse tension by way of satisfying the basic
desires because the only function is to obtain satisfaction id so we refer to it as
the pleasure principle. Ego is the only region that is thought to have contact
with reality and ego is controlled by the principle of the fact that is trying to
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replace the pleasure principle belongs to id, it also has the executive role of
personality (Freud, 1993: 30). In Freudian psychology, the superego
represents the moral and ideal aspects of personality and is controlled by the
principles of moralistic and different idealistic with the pleasure principle and
it is different from the ego, superego is in one important respect, it does not
have contact with the outside world so that the demands of the superego
would not be a realistic perfection (Freud, 1993: 31). According to Freud,
there is some encouragement that can be classified into two categories, namely
sex and aggression that comes from the id and the ego under control. Freud
gives the term libido to sex, while for aggression, Freud does not give a name.
Each impulse has insistence (Impetus), source, destination, and objects that
comes from the body under stress and stimulation, aim to obtain satisfaction,
and encouragement objects are objects that are used to obtain the goal (Freud,
1957). Freud also mentions there are some self-defense mechanism but this
thesis only focuses on displacement that is the way person transference what
he or she wants to other object, projection that is when a person has an anxiety
about something will happen in the future, repression that is the act of
controlling strong emotion so that it cannot be expressed, and screen memory
that is the way person has a control to segregate which is the memory that can
be remembered or have to be forgotten. Freud also mentions about the
development that starts from childhood. There are seven periods of
development.
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i. Infantile
Infantile stage becomes the most critical stage in the developmental period
because at this stage the baby has experienced sexual life and pre-genital
sexual development.
ii. Oral Stage (Birth to 18 months). During the oral stage, the child focuses
on oral pleasures (sucking). Too much or too little gratification can result
in an Oral Fixation or Oral Personality which is evidenced by a
preoccupation with oral activities. This type of personality may have a
stronger tendency to smoke, drink alcohol, overeat, or bite his or her nails.
Personality wise, these individuals may become overly dependent upon
others, gullible, and perpetual followers. On the other hand, they may also
fight these urges and develop pessimism and aggression toward others. iii. Anal Stage (18 months to three years). The child’s focus of pleasure in this
stage is on eliminating and retaining feces. Through society’s pressure,
mainly via parents, the child has to learn to control anal stimulation. In
terms of personality, after effects of an anal fixation during this stage can
result in an obsession with cleanliness, perfection, and control (anal
retentive). On the opposite end of the spectrum, they may become messy
and disorganized (anal expulsive). iv. Phallic Stage (ages three to six). The pleasure zone switches to the
genitals. Freud believed that during this stage, boys develop unconscious
sexual desires for their mother. Because of this, he becomes rivals with his
father and sees him as a competitor for the mother’s affection. During this
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time, boys also develop a fear that their father will punish them for these
feelings, such as by castrating them. This group of feelings is known as
Oedipus complex (after the Greek Mythology figure that accidentally
killed his father and married his mother). According to Freud, out of fear
of castration and due to the strong competition of his father, boys
eventually decide to identify with him rather than fight him. By identifying
his father, the boy develops masculine characteristics and identifies
himself as a male, and represses his sexual feelings toward his mother. A
fixation at this stage could result in sexual deviancies (both overindulging
and avoidance) and weak or confused sexual identity according to
psychoanalysts.
v. Latency Stage (age six to puberty). It is during this stage that sexual urges
remain repressed and children interact and play mostly with same sex
peers. vi. Genital Stage (puberty on). The final stage of psychosexual development
begins at the start of puberty when sexual urges are once again awakened.
In the previous stages, adolescents direct their sexual urges onto opposite
sex peers with the primary focus of pleasure is the genitals. vii. Maturity. In this period, a person reaches physical maturity. Although Freud never enhances the concept of psychological maturity, we can describe the mature individual psychoanalysis as individuals who have a balanced structure in which the ego to control the id and the superego.
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3. Theory of mental disorder
Davison in Abnormal Psychology says that over-controlled will impede
children’s mental development (Davison, 1986: 372). As the result, children
will find many problems usually extending throughout their lives or called as
specific development disorders (Davison, 1986: 372). Gary Chapman in
Psychology and the principles, substance related disorder, it is a problem
caused by dependence on alcohol and tobacco. Second, mood disorder, it is a
problem associated with sever disturbance of mood such as depression,
mania, or alternation episodes of both. Third, somatoform disorder, it is a
kind of problem, which related to unusual preoccupation with physical health
or from physical health or form of physical symptom with no physical cause.
Fourth, dissociative disorder, it is a kind of disorder in which the normal
integration of consciousness, memory or identity, is suddenly and temporarily
altered such as amnesia, dissociative identity disorders. Fifth, sleeping
disorder, this is a serious disturbance of sleeping such as insomnia,
hypersomnia. Sixth, eating disorder and nearly similar with sleeping disorder.
IT is a serious problem related to food such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia
nervosa. Seventh, personality disorder, it is kind of problem related with
lifelong behavior patterns such as self-centeredness, over dependency, and
also antisocial behavior.
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4. Theory of Suicide
Suicide means the act of intentionally destroying oneself or a violent
self-inflicted destructive action resulting death (Smith 1983: 129). In the
modern observation that is done by Baumiester, he says that suicide is the
result or effort by individuals to escape from the fault (Baron 1995: 558).
According to Freud, suicide is a form of built up aggression or tension
that causes inward animosity or in the other word; it represents a psychological
conflict, which cannot be worked out due to the great force of melancholy and
depression (Freud, 1927: 21).
Wilson states that most people commit suicide because they see it as
the only solution to an unbearable situation; they experience intense
psychological pain that completely frustrated in their attempts to meet their
psychological needs, and have fallen into a state of hopelessness form which
they see no other means of escape (Wilson, 1996: 206).
James C. Coleman, Professor of University of California at Los
Angles in Abnormal Psychology and Modern Life states that there are four
causes of suicide and Coleman calls it as stress factors in suicide. Stress
factors in suicide according to Colman are interpersonal crises which mean
interpersonal conflict and disruption that often found within the marital
conflict, separation, divorce or the loss of love through death may result in
severe stress and suicidal behavior, failure and self-devaluation, inner
conflict, and lose the meaning and hope. The second stress factor according to
Colman is failure and self-devaluation which means the feeling of having
failed in some enterprises which often involving occupational aspirations and
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accomplishment. Then the fourth stress factor is inner conflict. It happened
when a person situated on a debate with his own mind and usually a person
feels anxious and confused, struggle with the meaning of life and death, and
decides that he should not continue the struggle any longer and the last stress
factor is loss of meaning and hope which means when a person has no desire
to live (Coleman, 1976: 607-608).
Davidson and Neale, in Abnormal Psychology mention that there are
numerous motivations for suicide. Davidson and Neale state that those
motivations are desire or need to escape from stress, deformity, and pain or
emotional vacuum (Davidson and Neale, 1996: 251). In Abnormal
Psychology also states that death is not the only purposes of suicide and the
common purposes of suicide are to seek solution and a cry for help (Davidson
and Neale, 1996: 252).
C. Theoretical Framework
Theories of character and characterization are taken to explore what kind of person Lisbon’s daughters and their parents. Lisbon’s daughters’ behavior in the beginning of the play and also in the end of the play before committing suicide is a good reason why some theories of character are important in this thesis. Theory of psychoanalysis is applied to know the psychology condition of the Lisbon’s daughters after experiencing many things in their life. The theory of psychoanalysis is also used to know the change of attitude and way of thinking.
Theory of mental disorder is used to analyze the causes of Lisbon’s daughters
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strange action such as breaking the rule which appear in the story. Theory of mental disorder is also used to analyze what type of mental disorder which makes
Lisbon’s daughters decide to commit suicide. In the end of the analysis, the theory of suicide is applied to find out what actually the cause of the virgin to commit suicide is.
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CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
A. Object of The Study
The literary work that the writer analyzed in this study is a novel entitled The
Virgin Suicide that is written by Jeffrey Eugenides. The Virgin Suicides is the first novel of Jeffrey Eugenides and published in 1993.
The Virgin Suicides tells about Lisbon’s family, a middle class in Detroit that has five daughters that are, Cecilia (Thirteen), Lux (Fourteen), Bonnie (Fifteen),
Mary (Sixteen), and Therese (Seventeen). These five daughters undergo an overprotective treatment by their parents. They are not allowed to hang out and they are “caged” inside the house. Commotion happened when Cecilia tries to commit suicide by slitting her wrist but that act is failed because, soon, Mrs.
Lisbon finds Cecilia and call the paramedic. After that incident, Mr. and Mrs.
Lisbon are given suggestion from doctor who is nursed Cecelia. He recommends them to let their daughters have interaction with male and environment. Mr. and
Mrs. Lisbon then invited boys to have dinner together. Cecilia in that dinner does not speak to the boy and she secludes from the other. During the dinner Cecilia cannot enjoy the dinner and she asks Mrs. Lisbon to go to the bedroom. Actually she does not go to bed room, but she jumps from the second floor and she is gone.
The reason why Cecilia commits suicide is unknown. The story is continued with the various problems in life after Cecilia die. Lux falls in love with Trip Fountain and Trip asks Mr. Lisbon to let them to join Homecoming party. Mr. Lisbon tries
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to entice his wife and then he agrees to let them out but all of her daughters has to go together and she and Mr. Lisbon have to go to the party Also. In the D-day, the girl is picked up at their house by car and they go together. In the party Bonnie have a first kiss with Joe. Mr. and Mrs. Lisbon go home early. At 9.30 PM they do not go home because still waiting for Lux. Mrs. Lisbon asks them to be at home at
10 PM. They are waiting until 9.55 PM but Lux never comes. Finally they go home without lux. When Lux comes home, they all are punished. They are not allowed go to outside of the home. Finally they all commit suicide. The cause of the suicides is still in mystery. The story is tragic because five young women end their life, whereas they still have so many dreams.
B. Approach of the Study
The approach that is applied in this study is psychoanalytic approach.
According to Rohrberger and Woods’ Reading and Writing about Literature, psychoanalytic approach is approach that is used to explain human motivation, personality, and behavior pattern written in literary object (1971: 2).
Analyzing character of Lisbon’s daughters who commit suicide, the writer uses psychological approach through the interpretation of their behavior, attitude, thought, and feeling. This approach is appropriate because in analyzing this topic, the writer focuses on the character psychological aspect.
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C. Method of the Study
In order to reach the objective of the study, the study used library research to collect the needed theories. The primary data was Jeffrey Eugenides’s novel entitled The Virgin Suicides. The theories were taken from the other source, which were closely related to the study, such as internet and other books; The books that the writer used in this study were: Beginning Theory: An Introduction To Literary
And Cultural Theory by Peter Barry, An approach to English Literature by E.Van
De Laar and N. Schoonderwoerd, Abnormal Psychology by Davison and Neale,
Psychology By Robert A. Baron, Social Psychology: Understanding Human
Interaction by Robert A. Baron and Donn Byrne and Theory of Personality by
Feist.
In analyzing this novel, there were four steps that were applied. The first step was reading several times and making notes of points, quotation, and also summary of the story, which were used to find the important element of the story.
The second step was referring to some references that are related to the studies and some theorist, that were, theory of characterization, theory of psychoanalysis, theory of mental disorder, and theory of suicide. The references supported the study in gathering more data to link all of the findings. The third step was applying the theories such as theory of character and characterization, theory of psychoanalysis, theory of mental disorder, and theory of suicide in order to answer the problem formulation and the fourth step was making conclusion based on the analyzing that had been done.
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CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
This chapter is divided into two parts. The first part analyzes the Lisbon’s daughter and their parents’ characteristics because this thesis believes that Mr.
Lisbon and Mrs. Lisbon have an impact related to their daughters’ decision committing suicide. Then, the second part analyzes the cause why Lisbon’s daughters commit suicide by analyzing their psychological condition.
A. The characteristics of Lisbon’s daughters and their parents
To answer the problem formulation in this part, this thesis applies
Baldick’s theory of characterization to explore the five Lisbon’s daughters
and their parents’ characterization. The five Lisbon’s daughters in this story
are Cecilia, Lux, Mary, Bonnie and Therese. Cecilia is the youngest. He is 13
years old, Lux (14), Bonnie (15), Marry (16), and Therese (17).
Baldick says that there are three ways to characterized characterization in a
fiction. They are the explicit presentation, in which the author tells the readers
about the character through direct exposition or analysis, which informs how
the character is; the presentation of the character in action, in which the
author only uses a little comment, so that the readers are able to conclude the
attribute of the actor from action; and the representation from within a
character without comments on the character by the author, in which the
author suggests that the reader will come to a clear understanding of the
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attribute of the character clearly through the impact of actions and emotions
on the character’s inner self.
1. Cecilia
By applied Baldick’s first method to characterize by conclude from the
character in action (1991: 81), Cecilia is described as a simple person. It can
be seen in the way she dresses. She never changes the way she dresses. She
always wears the antique wedding dress. It is an explicit presentation because
when Cecilia’s dressing style is simple; the simplicity itself is the
representation of her personality. Baldick’s second method by looking from
the character in action is applied when Cecilia is founded in the bathroom
after trying to suicide, Cecilia holds the laminated Virgin Mary against her
budding chest (Eugenides, 1993: 2). It shows that Cecilia is a religious
person because Virgin Mary is the symbol of religiousness. In some
conversations and expressions, Cecilia shows her religious side. One of the
conversations is done between her and Mrs. Scheer. It happened the day
before Cecilia commits suicide when she looks at fishflies. This part shows
how religious she is and how she cares about little things around her or it is
called as sympathy. It can be see through this quotation.
You better get a broom, honey, Mrs. Scheer advised. But Cecilia fixed her with her spiritualist’s gaze. They’re dead, she said. They only live twenty-four hours. They hatch, they reproduce, and they croac. They don’t even get to eat (Eugenides, 1993: 2).
The presentation character in action to conclude Cecilia’s characteristic is
also applied when looking at Cecilia as a person who lives in the “cage”. The
“cage” itself means that she is not allowed to have any interactions to the
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outside world, so she feels inferior with the other people especially with
males. Cecilia is a person who does not have enough interaction with males
and people in her age. It can be seen through the direct exposition of the other
character. It is stated by Dr. Hornicker who thinks that Cecilia will have some
benefits by having a social outlet, outside the codification of school, where
she can interact with males in her age. He also advises that at thirteen, Cecilia
should be allowed to wear sort of makeup popular among girls in her age, in
order to bond with them (Eugenides, 1993: 13). According to Dr. Hornicker’s
statement, it also can be described that Cecilia is a person who never
undergoes what she should experience at thirteen such as make up and has
interaction with the males. Dr. Hornicker also states that the overprotective
treatment makes Cecilia cannot enjoy the outside world. It causes Cecilia
transform into an individualist person. This thesis agrees with Dr. Hornicker’s
statement that Cecilia has an individualist personality. In this story, there is
no any proves, neither action nor conversation, which describes Cecilia as a
person who has many friends. Although Cecilia has no any interaction with
the males, she has an experience when she falls in love. Cecilia falls in love in
one week with Dominic Palazzolo. Her feeling toward Dominic Palazzolo is
very deep, but unfortunately, Dominic does not like her. Then, she feels
broken-hearted and frustrated. In the next day, she is found dying by slitting
her wrists.
The presentation character of the character in action to characterize
Cecilia is also showed when she is still alive and nursed by Dr. Armonson.
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During her recovery, Cecilia tells that becoming a thirteen years old girl is
difficult. Asked by Dr. Armonson about the reason why she commits suicide,
Cecilia answers that Dr. Armonson has never experienced what she has. From
this statement, this thesis concludes that Cecilia looks her own life at thirteen
years old as something which is difficult and she thinks that other people
cannot feel what she experiences.
After her first attempt to commit suicide, Cecilia’s personality begins to
change. It can be seen through the action of the character. Cecilia becomes a
person who does not talk too much and this condition makes her sisters and
parents never have any conversations with her. This condition makes Cecilia
become a reclusive person. This characteristic is also shown in the night,
when the family holds a party and invites the boys. Cecilia sits on a barstool,
staring into her punch glass and she does not talk to anyone. Her attitude gets
weirder when she colors her lips with a red crayon (Eugenides, 1993: 24).
Cecilia is a person who has an emotional instability. It can be seen in
Cecilia’s diary that is found in the bathroom in the night after she commits
suicide. Tim Winner, a doctor in the story who observes the diary concludes
that Cecilia has an emotional instability because he analyzes her handwriting
(Eugenides, 1993: 38). Tim Winner also says that Cecilia is a dreamer who
never knows about what reality is. Tim Winner also uses an analogy: When
Cecilia jumped, she probably thinks she will fly. It means that Cecilia never
knows about the reality and she is caged in her imagination.
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2. Lux
By using Baldick’s method through explicit presentation of the character, Lux
is described as the most attractive woman among her siblings. It is also seen
in the way the writer describes Lux. The writer always shows the body
description or the body movement by metaphor.
It was only then that Lux knocked on the door, asking if he had died in there, and he sprang to open it. Her hair, held up by a barrete at dinner, fell over her shoulders now (Eugenides, 1993: 8).
In the most explicit description, Lux is the woman as the symbol of perfection
and the adoration of each boy. Looking at Lux makes boys want to date with
her because she is so sexy. It is why the writer describes Lux as a girl who is
radiated with health and mischief. It means that she is a girl who is influenced
by her friends and makes her become a naughty girl.
Lux Lisbon was the only one who accorded with our image of the Lisbon girls. She radiated health and mischief. Her dress fit tightly, and when she came forward to shake our hands, she secretly moved one finger to tickle our palms, giving off at the same time a strange gruff laugh (Eugenides, 1993: 8).
When seeing the character’s presentation in action, Lux is a girl who needs
privacy in her life. Lux does not like anyone who tries to reveal her secret. If
Lux finds that kind of person, Lux will be get mad. It happens when Peter
Sissen unintentionally enters her bedroom and Lux discovers him.
You done hogging the bathroom? I need something. She walked to the cupboard, then stopped and folded her hands behind her. It is private (Eugenides, 1993: 8).
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Beside her characteristic which is short-tempered, she is a naughty girl. It can
be seen through her action. She becomes a smoker from the age of twelve.
From the age of twelve, Lux spent hours in the John smoking cigarettes, exhaling either out the window or into a wet towel she then hung outside (Eugenides, 1993: 48).
Because of her attractiveness, Lux is always desired by the other boys.
Lux does not limit herself for being close to any boys. Anyone can hang out
with her. Paul Willlard, Paul Wanamaker, Kurt Siles, Peter McGuire, Tom
Sellers, and Jim Czeslawski are the boys who did go with Lux (Eugenides,
1993: 64).
Baldick’s second method to characterize character by looking at the
character’s presentation in action is applied to observe Lux’ easy to be affected
by fellowship. Lux has a friend named father Moody, and Lux learns how to
smoke from father Moody (Eugenides, 1993:48). Having special relationship
with Trip Fountain, Lux is affected by Trip Fountain behavior which is
smoking marijuana (Eugenides, 1993: 71).
Lux is a girl with high sexual desire. High sexual desire that Lux has is
shown when having special relationship with Trip Fountain. Lux often makes
love with him although her parents forbid her to have special relationship with
any boys (Eugenides, 1993: 82). This thesis believes that the sexual desire that
Lux has is the tendency of adolescents to seek love.
In this story, Lux is also described as the girl who has a psychological
problem after her sister commits suicide. Every Friday, he has counseling with
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Miss Lynn Kilsem, a psychiatrist. The purpose of the counseling is to
encourage her (Eugenides, 1993: 103).
Baldick’s method by looking at the representation of the character from
within concludes that Lux wants freedom. It can be seen from her reaction after
her parents give chance for her to hang out with boys.
When Mr. Lisbon gave them permission, Lux ran and hugged him, kissing him with the unself-conscious affection of little girl (Eugenides, 1993: 111) Lux’s reaction describes that she is glad with the permission. She has wanted
her parents to let them out and enjoy the outside world from very long time and
in this moment, she feels relief that finally her parents grant it.
Euphoria, feeling free and pleased makes Lux lost control. It is shown
when she is in the party and forgets the rule to go home at ten o’clock. She
makes love with Trip Fountain and oversleeps until the next morning
(Eugenides, 1993:130). Lux feels depressed after the incident when she goes
home late and her parents never let her out (Eugenides, 1993: 47).
Lux is a girl who cannot control her sexual needs. When her parents
never let her out, Lux invites boys to her house to make love with her. She
always makes love with different boys; sometimes she makes love with a dark
body boy, boy with fast food restaurant uniform, and with boy who wears an
assortment of gold chains (Eugenides 1993: 140). In the end of the story, Lux
shows her love to Cecilia by protecting elm tree in her house. Lux believes that
the tree is the representative of Cecilia, her sister (Eugenides, 1993: 176). This
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statement is strengthened by Mrs. Scheer’. She says that Mary, Lux, Bonnie,
and Therese remember Cecilia when they look at the elm tree (Eugenides,
1993: 176).
3. Bonnie
This story does not tell much about Bonnie. By using Baldick’s method by
character’s presentation in action, Bonnie is a girl who is not interested in
boy. It is shown when Peter Sissen comes to her house.
Bonnie was the only one who didn’t give Peter Sissen a secret look or kick. She only said grace and ate her food silently, lost in the piety of a fifteen-years-old (Eugenides, 1993: 7).
From the clothes style, Bonnie is a simple person. She does not like wearing
varied clothes. Bonnie had picked a simple bouquet of late-season dandelions
from the school green (Eugenides, 1993: 61).
Character’s presentation in action is also shown that Bonnie is also a girl
who never gives up. She always tries to learn something although she knows
that thing is difficult to be learned. She tries to learn piano but because her
hands were too small, she tries to learn the other instruments, such as violin,
guitar, and flute (Eugenides, 1993: 4).
In school life, Bonnie does not have many friends because she is a quiet
person. When discussing the book Portrait of a Lady, Bonnie does not say
much, and even leaves the class (Eugenides, 1993: 99). Bonnie who is pasif
and not talk too much can also be seen when she and her sisters protect the
elm tree. She does not talk and be the one who does not comment anything
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but she prefers to show the act by protecting the elm tree (Eugenides, 1993:
176)
Bonnie is the one of the Lisbon daughters who is called by Miss Lynn
Kilsem to have counseling. By looking at this action, it means that Bonnie’s
mentality is also unstable after Cecilia’s dead. Bonnie also loves her sister so
much. In the party, she shows it. When the others are ready to go home, she
realizes that Lux is not with them. Then, she runs back into the gymnasium to
check, but she cannot find her (Eugenides, 1993: 128) Bonnie is a religious
girl. She always brings the rosary. She usually fingers the rosary deep in the
pocket of her corduroy skirt (Eugenides, 1993: 63). The religious Bonnie is
also shown when she asks to Joe hill about the God existence (Eugenides,
1993: 128).
4. Mary
After applying Baldick’s the representation from within a character, it shows
that Mary is a girl who does not have feeling of confidence and she using
make up to make her-self beautiful. She is the only one daughter who knows
about cosmetics. She has so many cosmetics in her bedroom. Peter Sissen is
the boy who finds it.
Peter Sissen found Mary Lisbon’s secret cache of cosmetics tied up in a sock kunder the sink: tubes of red lipstick and the second skin of blush and base, and the depilatory wax that informed us she had a mustache we had never seen (Eugenides, 1993: 7)
The representation of character in action shows that Mary is a calm person is
in the way she never makes useless movements. She is always quiet and tries
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to keep her behavior. It can be seen when Mary try to not wrinkle her dress by
not make many movements.
After portrait was taken, the girls waited for the boys in individual ways. Bonnie and Therese sat down to play a game of cards, while Mary stood very still in the middle of the living room, trying to not wrinkle her dress. (Eugenides , 1993: 114)
Mary is a girl who is afraid of her mother. When Parkie Denton asks to
walk her to the door, she does not want because if her mother knows, her
mother will get mad (Eugenides, 1993: 129).
Mary in this story is described as the attractive girl although as not
attractive as Lux. It is seen in the way she uses make up.
She swallowed a chunk. Her high forehead glowed in the light from the street and her cupid’s lips were redder, smaller and more shapely that he remembered, especially in contrast to their cheeks and chin, which had gained weight (Eugenides, 1993: 56).
Cecilia’s death also influences Mary’s mentality condition. It is shown in the
Mary’s friendship with Julie Freeman. Julie Freeman has been Mary Lisbon’s
best friend, but after Cecilia’s death, they stop talking. It means that there is
something that is not normal with Mary. There is a change in Mary’s attitudes
which make Freeman as her best friend worry about her (Eugenides, 1993:
62). The silent Mary also has to do counseling like her siblings. Every Friday,
Mary has to see Mrs. Lynn Kilsem, a psychiatrist (Eugenides, 1993: 103).
The explicit information in this story shows that Mary is also portrayed as
a girl who does not care with special relationship with boys. Boys in her
school try to talk to her, but she often ignores them. It happened when Mike
Orriyo try to talk to her.
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Mike Orriyo was firs. His locker was next to Mary’s, and one day he peeked over its rim and said, “How’s it going?”, her head was bent for ward, throwing her hair over her face, and he wasn’t sure she’d heard him until she mumbled, “Not bad” (Eugenides, 1993:63)
Overprotective which is applied by her parents make Mary become an
obedient girl. She is afraid to try something if it is not from her parent or she
feels that it will make her parents angry. She does not have a braveness to try
what other people ask to her. It can be seen in how Mary refuses Parkie
Denton’s offer to walk her to the door.
We’ll walk you to the door, Parkie Denton said No, don’t, said Mary Why not? Just don’t. She got out without so much as a hand-shake (Eugenides, 1993: 129).
As an adult girl, Mary has a side of rebellion. She has a braveness to rebel
the other opinion or action. He has braveness to oppose, no matter who the
person is. This attitude is shown when Mary opposes people from the Park
Department that wants to cut down the elm tree (Eugenides, 1993: 175). Mary
is the first person who says “Don’t”.
5. Therese
In this story, there is not much description about Therese. Therese, in the
beginning of the story, is mentioned that she is still in the Science convention
when Cecilia is found dying in the bathroom (Eugeniedes, 1993: 4). By
looking from the author’s explicit presentation, Therese is actually a well-
educated person. She knows about science and joins the convention. When
the Park Department argues that the elm tree in front of her gets beetles and
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will spread to the other trees, Therese answers that there is no scientific
evidence that removes limits infestation (Eugenides, 1993: 176)
Therese’s mentality is also influenced by the Cecilia’s dead. The other
explicit information shows that every Friday, she has to see Dr. Kilsem as the
psychologist to encourage her (Eugenides, 1993: 103). Therese has less
enthusiasm when talking about boy and dating. It is shown when Mrs. Lisbon
gives permission to them to go to the party with the boys. Therese does not
express happiness. She prefers to play Chinese checkers (Eugenides 1993:
111).
6. Mrs. Lisbon
By applying Baldick’s method through the explicit information, Mrs. Lisbon
is described as a conservative mother. She never lets her daughters go
outside, other than school or church (Eugenides, 1993: 85). It shows that Mrs.
Lisbon is an overprotective mother. She thinks girls should be inside the
house and should not interact a lot with the outside environment especially
related to special relationship between girls and boys. Her daughters for Mrs.
Lisbon have to follow her rule. Mrs. Lisbon is over dictating her daughters
from the simplest thing for example in how to dress. The other explicit
information is shown when on Sunday, before they go to church, Mrs Lisbon
always clutches her good purse and she checked each daughter for signs of
makeup before allowing her to get in the car (Eugenides, 1993: 6).
By looking at the character’s presentation in action is known that Mrs.
Lisbon also forbids their children to have special relationship. When Trip
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Fountaine comes to their house, she never lets Trip to be together with Lux.
Mrs. Lisbon sits between Trip and Lux, so they cannot sit side by side. She
always accompanies them, until 10 o’clock, Mrs. Lisbon asks Trip to go
home (Eugenides, 1993: 81).
Although Mrs. Lisbon gives a chance for her daughter to go outside,
Mrs. Lisbon still shows her overprotective side. She interrogates the boy to
make sure her daughter safety. It can be seen through this quotation.
Which one of you is driving? Mrs. Lisbon asked I am, Said Parkie Denton How long have you had your license? Two months. But I had my permit for a year before that. We don’t usually like the girls to go out in cars. So many Accidents nowadays. It’s raining and the roads will be slick. So, I hope you’ll be very careful (Eugenides, 1993: 116).
The other overprotective treatment that is applied by Mrs. Lisbon is
after the incident where her daughter comes home late. It is explicit
information that Mrs. Lisbon shuts the house in maximum security isolation
(Eugenides, 1993: 137). Since the party’s incident, Mrs. Lisbon becomes
more temperamentality often snaps at her daughter (Eugenides, 1993: 138).
7. Mr. Lisbon
Mr. Lisbon actually disagrees with her wife’s strict treatment to his daughters.
Explicit information shows that Mr. Lisbon has long harbored doubts about
his wife’s strictness. For Mr. Lisbon, his daughters should be allowed to get
little freedom (Eugenides, 1993: 20). Mr. Lisbon also allows the boys to enter
his house. Peter Sissen can have dinner together with Lisbon family because
of Mr. Lisbon’s invitation (Eugenides, 1993: 6). Mr. Lisbon does not have
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power to oppose her wife. Once, Mr. Lisbon makes a decision to divorce her
wife, but finally he cannot because it will let her daughters down (Eugenides,
1993: 20).
By looking at the presentation of action, Mr. Lisbon is a person who does
not responsive and lack of initiative. What he does is based what other people
ask him. In this story, again and again, he makes an action after the other
character ask him to do it. One example is in the case of Trip Fountain’s
request to bring his daughters to the party. Then he entices her wife and aware
that his children need to have a outside interaction (Eugenides, 1993: 109).
B. Psychological condition which drives five Lisbon’s daughters to commit
suicide
The cause why Lisbon’s daughters decide to commit suicide in this story
is still in mystery although there are some psychologists such as Dr.
Hornicker, Mrs. Eugene, and Dr. Judith. They deliver their statement about
the cause why the Lisbon daughters commit suicide. This thesis reveals the
cause why finally the Lisbon’s daughters decide to commit suicide by analyze
the psychological condition of five Lisbon’s daughters.
1. Cecilia
In the beginning of the story, Cecilia is narrated as a character who directly
tries to commit suicide. The first attempt of suicide failed, but the second one
is successful by jumping from the second floor.
Dr. Hornicker as the doctor who analyzes Cecilia’s mentality makes a
diagnosis after Cecilia’s first attempt to commit suicide.
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After talking with Cecilia, Dr. Hornicker made the diagnosis that her suicide was an act of aggression inspired by the repression of adolescent libidinal urges (Eugenides, 1993: 19).
This thesis uses Dr. Hornicker’s statement as the main clue to reveal
the cause why Cecilia commits suicide. Cecilia is thirteen years old and
according to the Freud’s theory in the childhood development, Cecilia is in
the Genital Stage. Genital Stage is when the puberty is on. In this stage, the
sexual urges into the opposite sex peers are focus on the genital. Sexual urges
to other peers will produce sexual desire or called as libido. Freud believes
that everyone has a libido. The sexual desire which Cecilia has comes from
her love and the adoration to Dominic, the boy next door (Eugenides, 1993:
17).
Dominic’s refusal to Cecilia makes her feel loss. The feeling of loss
automatically will cause her unconscious mind turn on turn into self-defense
mechanism. Self-defense mechanism happens when a distort reality happens
and unconscious mind tries to manipulate it. In this case, distort reality is the
moment when Cecilia hopes that she can be with Dominic, but actually she
cannot. Moreover, Dominic leaves the city and moves to Europe. It makes
Cecilia feel frustrated. This thesis concludes that the self-defense mechanism
that is done by Cecilia is called as repression.
Repression which is done by Cecilia is an attempt to eliminate her
frustration and inner conflict because of her anxiety about what happens then.
There is a fact about repression which this thesis thinks so relevant related to
Cecilia’s case. People who do repression is the person tries to not to look at
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the picture that can make her or him feel hurt. Repression is an act to press
the anxiety by forgetting bad memories. To do so, Cecilia with her religious
side tries to surrender to the figure she adores that is Virgin Mary. Looking at
Virgin Mary picture will make her peaceful and forget the anxiety.
Cecilia’s first attempt of suicide is unsuccessful and Cecilia still
mourns her fate about the Dominic’s refusal. It is shown in the conversation
between Cecilia and Dr. Hornicker. Cecilia says that Dr. Hornicker is never
become a thirteen years old girl. It means that Dr. Hornicker does not feel
what she feels now. Cecilia’s mourning is worsened by the condition where
her parents and sisters do not talk to her.
This condition produces an inner conflict that is a conflict between conscious
and unconscious part of Cecilia’s mind. Cecilia begins to keep quiet and
seclude one-self (Eugenides, 1993: 21). According to Freud, when conscious
and unconscious come into conflict with one another, it will produce
repression. A person has to be able to resolve these conflicts to achieve
mentality health, but on the other and, the failure to resolve these conflicts
will lead to mentality illness. Cecilia cannot resolve the conflicts in her mind,
and she suffers from mentality illness. Mentality illness that Cecilia has is
seen in her weird attitude.
Cecilia chafed knees. She sat on a barstool, staring into her punch glass, and the shapeless bag of a dress fell over her. She had colored her lips with red crayon, which gave her face a deranged harlot look, but she acted as though no one were there (Eugenides, 1993: 24).
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This thesis also looks the influence of the overprotective treatment.
Davison in the book Abnormal Psychology said that overprotected children
and then Davison called it as over-controlled children will influence
development of children’s mentality or later it will lead to specific
development disorder. The weak mentality which is caused by overprotective
treatment will influence the way she faces the reality, first about Dominic’s
refusal and second about her sisters’ ignorance toward her. Cecilia cannot
resolve the conflict that drives her to mentality illness. In Freud’ The
Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud,
Freud writes about Mourning and Melancholia (Freud, 1917: 243). Mourning
and mentality illness according to Freud will drive Cecilia to the condition
what he calls as melancholy, which will automatically drive to the depression.
Wilson’s theory of suicide says that the cause of committing suicide is by
psychological pains and depression (Wilson, 2013: 111). Cecilia’s
psychological pains happen because of her inability to resolve the conflicts in
her mind that drives her to mentality illness.
2. Lux
Lux is fourteen years old, and according to Freud’s theory of childhood
development, she is on the genital stage. In the genital stage, a person has
sexual urges, interaction, and tendency to play the opposite sex. Lux has
sexual urges which is shown when she has so many male friends. She wants
to have a boyfriend but she has not found any. Lux also has many interactions
because she has many friends. Having many friends and attractive body
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appearance makes her wanted by every boy in her school (Eugenides, 1993:
61).
Lux is a person who is easily influenced. Friends are the main agent
who changes Lux’s behavior and way of thinking.
From the age of twelve, Lux spent hours in the john smoking cigarettes, exhaling either out the window or into a wet towel she then hung outside (Eugenides, 1993: 48).
In the genital stage, libido is reemerged. Libido urges Lux so he has a
way of thinking to be attractive. She thinks that is the way to get a boyfriend.
Different to Cecilia, there is no refusal from the boy that is adored, even, Lux
can date with Trip.
Lux’s desire can be released to Trip. In this story, many times Lux
kisses and makes love with Trip. This thesis thinks that Lux can reach the
pleasure principle. According to Freud’s theory, pleasure principle comes
from id, and id is maximized for only one goal, that is for searching a
pleasure. The problem is, id cannot control it. It happens to Lux when she
only follows her desire to seek pleasure. Lux cannot control it, so Lux is sank
in her euphoria. This thesis thinks that Lux is easy to be affected and when in
euphoria and little bit freedom, she forgets everything, included her parents’
rule. In this story, after Lux disobeys her parents’s rule, Lux is isolated in
maximum security (Eugenides, 1993: 137). Genital stage is the stage when
libido is reemerged and sexual urges become so strong because sexual drives
do not only come from penis or vagina, but the other components such as:
mouth, anus, and other area which can produce pleasure (Feist, 2006: 42).
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Strong sexual urges condition is difficult to be limited and to be controlled.
One of the evidence is lux cannot press her sexual desire, even, her sexual
desire becomes wild and it is why after isolated, she makes love to the various
men every night.
Isolated condition makes Lux’s mind try to manipulate her sadness
and try to entertain her-self. It means that Lux’s mind does self-defense
mechanism. Lux’s ego is menaced by the unwanted situation (being isolated),
and the ego will automatically protect itself by repressing it into the
unconscious part. The kind of self-defense mechanism that is done by Lux is
displacement.
According to Freud, displacement is one of kinds of self-defense
mechanism this is done by taking out the frustration and impulses on people
or objects that are less threatening. It is the reason why every night until the
night before Lux and her sisters commit suicide, they boys next door see the
light sign and receive the telephone where the boys hear the Lisbon’s
daughters sing. This thesis concludes that Lux and her sisters use light sign
and sing to the boy as the object to abolish their feeling of frustration. The
isolated condition which is experienced by Lux and her sisters is not only for
few days but several months. Davison in the book Abnormal Psychology said
that overprotected children and then Davison called it as over-controlled
children will influence development of children’s mentality or later it will
lead to specific development disorder. Lux’s mentality is weak because of
being isolated and her mentality is down because of Cecilia’s death. Those
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conditions drive Lux to the mourning condition. Mourning according to
Freud will drive to the condition what he calls as melancholia which will
automatically drive to the depression (Freud, 1917: 423). Wilson’s theory of
suicide says that the cause of committing suicide is by psychological pains
and depression (Wilson, 2013: 111). Lux’s psychological pain happens
because of her inability to resolve the conflict and depression is caused by the
condition that is called as melancholia.
3. Bonnie
In this story, the description about Bonnie is not a lot. Bonnie is described as
a religious girl who always brings a rosary in her pocket. Bonnie is the only
daughter who shows her religious characteristic. Bonnie is fifteen years old
and according to Freud’s childhood development (Feist, 2008: 42), Bonnie is
on genital stage. Genital stage is the final stage of psychosexual development.
It is the beginning of puberty when sexual urges are once again awakened.
So, in this stage, the sexual urges awakened
The sexual urges that Bonnie has belatedly awakened. Bonnie is the only
one daughter who does not give a secret kick to Peter Sissen. It shows that
Bonnie is not interested in man. Freud says that there are some psychological
factors which can reduce desire for the sex. Those factors are lack of privacy,
stress and depression. Overprotective treatment is the main factor which
makes Bonnie does not have sexual desire.
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Overprotective treatment will make someone have lack of privacy because
what he or she does is watched by her or his parents. Overprotective
treatment can also make someone suffer from mentality depression.
When Mrs. Lisbon allows her to come to the homecoming party with the
boys, Bonnie in the beginning is still quiet. After she can adapt with the
situation, Bonnie feels that it is pleasurable. Bonnie is also kissed by Joe Hill
Conley. In this point, Bonnie’s libido is awakened.
The tragedy when Lux’s coming home late after the party also has an
impact to Bonnie. Isolated condition is the condition which Bonnie does not
want. She just enjoys the pleasure of having special relationship, but in short
time, it is ended. Her libido is awakened, but now there is no object to release
it. This distort situation will automatically makes Bonnie’s mind do self-
defense mechanism to reduce the feeling of anxiety. Her ego will protect
itself by repressing it to the unconscious part. The kind of self-defense
mechanism that is done by Bonnie is displacement. Every night until the
night before committing suicide, Bonnie and her siblings make a light sign
and call the boys next door. Bonnie and her siblings use light sign and sing to
the boy via telephone as the object to abolish their feeling of frustration.
Very long time in the isolated condition has worsened Bonnie’s mentality
condition. This thesis refers to Davison’ Abnormal Psychology said that
overprotected children and then Davison called it as over-controlled children
will influence development of children’s mentality or later it will lead to
specific development disorder. Davison says that overprotective will make
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children’s mentality grow weak. Bonnie’s mentality is also down because of
Cecilia’s death. It is why she did counseling every Friday. Because of those
conditions, Bonnie is in mourning condition. Refers to the Freud’s theory
Mourning and Melancholia where he says that mourning condition will drive
to the condition what he calls as melancholia which will automatically cause
depression (Freud, 1917: 243). This statement is strengthened by Wilson’s
theory of suicide. Wilson’s theory of suicide says that the cause of
committing suicide is caused by depression (Wilson, 2013: 111).
4. Mary
The author does not describe Mary characters as much as others. She is
sixteen years old. According to Freud’ childhood development, she is on the
genital stage. Genital stage is the psychosexual stage which is indicated by
the awakening of the sexual urges. The awakening of the sexual urges is
marked by Peter Sissen’s discovering in her bedroom. Peter Siessen finds so
many cosmetics in Mary Lisbon’s bedroom but it is unused (Eugenides, 1993:
7).
In the homecoming party, where every Lisbon’s daughters go with the
boys and enjoy the pleasure, there is no significant reaction from Mary. In the
story, figure of Mary seems disappear, covered by the other Lisbon’s
daughters’ euphoria. There is no conversation or narration about Mary. There
is no something significant related to Mary. Homecoming party is the
important point where the psychological aspects of Lisbon’s daughters
experience transformation, but Mary does not.
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The moment when Mary is isolated in the maximum security does not
influence her mentality. It is her sorrow because of losing her sister that
influences her mentality. Seeing from the characteristics, Mary is a girl who
loves her sisters so much (Eugenides, 1993: 28). Cecilia’s death makes Mary
have an excessive feeling of loss. If the other sisters can forget Cecilia’s death
in homecoming party, Mary cannot do it. Mary is a quiet person all time.
Feeling of loss will produce mourning condition. This thesis refers to the
Freud’s theory about mourning and melancholia. Melancholia will produce
depression. Depression is a strong reason why someone commits suicide.
This theory is strengthened by Colman’s theory of suicide.
This thesis does not apply Wilson’s theory but applies Coleman’s theory.
Wilson’s theory focuses on psychological pain which is caused by many acts.
Mary in this story is not described as many as Lux or Cecilia so this thesis
feels that Coleman’s theory is more relevant because Coleman directly
focuses in mentality condition. He says that the main reason why someone
commits suicide is interpersonal crisis because of some factors and one of
them is because of loos someone (Coleman, 1976: 607).
5. Therese
Therese is the oldest daughter. The description about Therese in this story is
not many. Therese is on genital stage. It is the stage when someone’s sexual
urges cannot be limited. Genital stage is also the final stage of psychosexual
development begins at the start of puberty when sexual urges are once again
reemerged. So, in this stage, the sexual urges awakened.
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The awakened sexual urge is shown when Therese gives a secret kick and
look to Peter Sissen. Because Therese is well-educated person, she has a good
relation with her friends. In the homecoming party, there is no significance
act related to Therese, but there are some conversation between Therese and
the boys. She says that the party is amazing (Eugenides, 1993: 130).
Therese’s expression is related to the sexual urges that are awakened. Therese
feels pleased by finally hanging out with the boy but it is for a short time. The
tragedy when Lux’s coming home late after the party also has an impact to
Therese. Isolated condition is the condition which Therese does not want. She
just enjoys the pleasure of having special relationship.
This distort situation will automatically makes Therese’s mind do self-
defense mechanism to reduce the feeling of anxiety about when can get the
freedom and enjoy the special relationship again. Her ego will protect itself
by repressing it to the unconscious part. The kind of self-defense mechanism
that is done by Therese is displacement. Displacement is the way of defense
mechanism by using an object to abolish the feeling of frustration. Therese
does displacement by make a sign and calls the boy until the night before
committing suicide. Light sign and sing to the boy via telephone as the object
to press their feeling of frustration. Frustration worsens when no one aware
about their signs and the boys never come to the house to ask their out.
Davison says that overprotective will impede children’s mentality
development and make their mentality grows weak (Davison, 1964: 372).
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Being isolated and feeling loss of her sisters makes Therese have to have
counseling with her siblings every Friday.
. This thesis believes that those conditions make Theresa in mourning
condition. In her paper entitled Mourning and Melancholia, Freud said that
mourning condition will drives to the condition what he called as melancholia
and melancholia will automatically cause depression. Wilson’s theory of
suicide says that the cause of committing suicide is caused by depression
(Wilson, 2013: 111).
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CHAPTER V
CONCLUSION
Unstable emotion towards overprotective treatment has influenced
Cecilia’s mentality. Cecilia is on genital stage, when the libido is so strong, but unfortunately she cannot actualize it. She just adores Dominic without being able to express it. Dominic’s refusal makes Cecilia on the distort reality. The feeling of loss automatically will cause her unconscious mind turn into self-defense mechanism that is repression. Cecilia does repression to eliminate her feeling of hurt and inner conflict. Repression is the moment when conscious and unconscious come into conflict with one another. The inability to resolve the conflict will make someone suffer from mental disorder. Cecilia suffers from mental disorder by starting doing something strange. Dominic’s refusal and the condition when her sisters do not care of him anymore also worsen her mental condition. This condition drives her to the condition which Freud calls mourning.
Then because Cecilia cannot get out from the mourning Condition, then it continues to melancholia. Melancholia will automatically cause depression.
Lux is the second daughter in the story who is so naughty. Lux’s priority is pleasure. Pleasure comes from id. Lux’s inability to control her id makes her forget the rule that is given by her mother. As the result, she has to be caged inside of the house. In the isolated condition, Lux tries to remove her anxiety by calling the boys next door and sending the light signs to them. This action is called as displacement. Unfortunately, the boy next door never responses it. Lux begins to
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feel hopeless. Her sister’s death also influences her mental. This condition drives her to the mourning condition. It is caused by feeling of loss and hopelessness and that condition continues to Melancholia which causes depression.
Bonnie, Mary, and Therese are the characters which have similarity. They are not mentioned as many as Lux and Cecilia. There are no much actions in this story related to them. Mary is the only one daughter which is not affected by the isolated condition after homecoming party. She is the only one daughter who loves Cecilia so much. Mourning condition is not started from the isolated condition after they have the party, but it has been started from Cecilia’s death.
Cecilia’s death has driven her to the mourning condition which continues to melancholia. Bonnie and Therese feel that isolated condition is the condition which they do not want. They just enjoy the pleasure of having special relationship, but in short time, it is ended. Their libido is awakened, but now there is no object to release it. This distort situation will automatically make Bonnie and
Therese do self-defense mechanism to reduce the feeling of anxiety. Their ego will protect itself by repressing it to the unconscious part. The kind of self-defense mechanism they have done is displacement. A very long time period in the isolated condition has worsened their mental condition. Overprotective treatment has made their mental grows weak. Isolated condition, Cecilia’s death, and overprotective treatment have driven them to the distort condition. It makes them mourn and it causes melancholia which makes them feel depressed.
The cause why Lisbon’s daughters commit suicide is depression as the result of mourning and melancholia but there is a difference in the moment where
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mourning and melancholia are begun. The three Lisbon’s daughter, Lux, Bonnie, and Therese mourn after the homecoming party where they are isolated inside the house, Cecilia mourns after Dominic’s refusal and her first attempt in committing suicide, and Mary mourns because of Cecilia’s death. The cause why the Lisbon’s daughters commit suicide is similar, but the process to achieve it is different.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Abrams, M. H. A Glosarry Of Literary Terms. Sixth Edition. New York: Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1981 Atkinson, Rita. L Richard Atkinso Introduction To Psychology. New York: Hartcourt Brace Jovanovich Inc, 1983 Baron, Robert A. Psychology. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 1995 Barry, Peter. Beginning Theory: An Introduction To Literary And Cultural Theory. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2002 Chapman, Gary, Psychology and the Principles. Chicago. Northfield Publishing. 1997 Coleman, James C. Abnormal Psychology and Modern Life. 4th ed, Illinois: Scoot, Forese man and Company, 1964 Eugenides, Jefrey. The Virgin Suicides, London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2002 Forster, E.M. Aspect of the Novel and Related writings. London: Edward Arnold. 1974 Guerin, W. L., A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature. New York: Harper and Row Publisher, 1979 Holman, Hugh & William Harmon. A Handbook to Literature 5th edition. New York: Macmillan.1986.
Hudson. An Introduction to the Study of Literature, New York: Hartcourt Brace Jovanovich Inc, 1983
Joiner Thomas. Science Briefs. The Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicidal Behavior: Current Empirical Status. n.p. n.d. February 15, 2015
Kalish, Richard A. The Psycology Of Human Behaviour. Berkeley: Woodsworth Publishing Co. Inc, 1973 Kakutani, Michiko. “Book of the Times”. Of The Death in Adolescence and Innocent Lost. The New York Times. March 19, 1993. http://www.nytimes.com/1993/03/19/books/books-of-the-times-of-death- in-adolescence-and-innocence-lost.html. February 24, 1993. Kasschau, Richard A. Understanding Psychology. Ohio:Glenco Division, 1995.
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Kimberly. A. Theory of Suicide. Interpersonal Theory of Suicide. n.p. n.d. February 15, 2015 Murphy, M. J. Understanding Unseen. An Introduction to English Poetry and The English Novel for Overseas Student. London: George Allen and Unwind, Ltd. 1992 Smith, Jim. Abnormal Behaviours: Outlined Reference. Washington, D.C: Universtiy Press of America, 1983 Tidemalm. Previous Suicide Attempt. American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. (https://www.afsp.org/understanding-suicide/key-research- findings ). February 24, 2015. Wellek, Rene, Theory of Literature, Manchester University Press, 2002 Worchel, Stephen & Wayne Shebilske. Psychology Principles and Application, 3rd edition. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc. 1989
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APPENDICES
Appendices 1: Summary of the Jeffrey Eugenides’ s The Virgin Suicides
It is summer holiday where the school is out. The youngest Lisbon’s daughter slits her wrists while taking a bath. Cecilia’s life can be saved. Cecilia is nursed by Dr. Hornicker. Dr. Hornicker recommends that Cecilia should be given a social outlet outside of school. The recommendation is accepted by Mr. Lisbon and Mrs. Lisbon. Then, Mr. Lisbon and Mrs. Lisbon hold chaperoned party by inviting the boys. In the party, Cecilia segregates from her sisters and the guests.
Cecilia asks to Mrs. Lisbon to go to the restroom but actually she ascends to her bedroom and jumps out from the windows to the fence below, instantly she dies.
Because of the tragedy, community begins to gossip about Cecilia’s death.
The boys found Cecilia’s diary and read it aloud. They fantasize themselves into the Lisbon’s daughters’ life. The summer ends, and the remaining Lisbon daughter, Lux, Mary, Bonnie, and Therese, return to school. Their father, Mr.
Lisbon, goes to school early to do his job. Lux the prettiest sisters has had some special relationship although her parents forbid it.
A dream boy, Trip Fountain, incidentally goes to wrong call and sees Lux.
He falls in love with her. Lux also gives her smile. Lux asks Mr. Lisbon to let Trip coming to his house. Mr. Lisbon entices her wife and she agrees. In the Lisbon’s house, Mrs. Lisbon never lets Trip sits side by side with Lux. At 10 o’clock, Trip goes home. As trip sits in his car and feels that everything is failed, Lux goes after him, open the car’s door, and kiss him voraciously.
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Lisbon’s daughter’s mentality is getting down. The school holds a belated day of grieving. It is the day to give an honor to Cecilia. After Cecilia death,
Lisbon daughters do not feel enthusiastic to the school life. The school also hires psychiatrist to encourage Lisbon’s daughters. Trip Fontaine, via Mr. Lisbon, asks him to take Lux and her sisters go to Homecoming party. Mrs. Lisbon agrees but
Lisbon’s girls have to go in a group and have to be at home by eleven o’clock.
In the homecoming party, Mary, Bonnie, and Therese feel pleased. The sisters seem enjoying the party. Lux and Trip are voted as the Homecoming King and Queen. After the dance, Bonnie, Therese, and Mary ready to go home but they realize that Lux and Trip are not with them. Bonnie, Therese, and Mary go home without Lux. Lux does not go home until well after midnight. Lux is persuaded by Trip to go to football field and they make love there. After making love, Trip abandons lux and she walk home alone.
In responding of Lux’s disobedience, Mrs. Lisbon isolated her daughters in maximum security. After several weeks, the boys begin to see Lux making love with unknown men. A week later, Lux pretends that she is sick, and then her parents take her to the hospital. Actually, Lux lies to her parents. In the hospital she secretly asks a pregnant test. The result is negative and Lux entices the doctor to tell to her parents that he can be taken home.
Several months being isolated makes Lisbon daughters are bored. Just as the boys begin to feel they have lost the girls, notes begin appearing in the boys' bicycles. The boys call the girl with the phone number that is written in the note.
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In the phone, the girls ask help in midnight of June 15th. The girls want to hang out across the country.
Arriving at the girls’ house, the boys find Lux smoking alone in living room. Lux said that she is waiting her sisters to finish packing. Lux instructs that the boys wait in the living room and Lux says that she will wait in the car. The boys wait too long but no one appears. They begin to explore the room. They find
Bonnie hanging herself, Therese dies by eating sleeping pills, Lux dies by asphyxiation, and Mary stuck her torso in the oven.
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Appendices 2: Biography of Jefrey Eugenides.
Jeffrey Kent Eugenides was born in 1960. His father is a Greek and his mother is English and Irish ancestry. He studied at Grosse Pointe’s private
University Liggett School. He took his undergraduate degree at Brown University.
Jefrey Eugenides admired John Hawkes’s work. He entered the honors program in English. He earned an M. A. in creative writing from Stanford
University. Eugenides said that her writing inspiration comes from the condition in Michigan and his high school experiences.
Eugenides received the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Nicholl Fellowship in 1986. Its award is granted for his story "Here Comes
Winston, Full of the Holy Spirit." He moved to Brooklyn, New York and worked as secretary for the Academy of American Poets. He has many friends who are also writers in New York. One of his friends is Jonathan Franzen, an American novelist and essayist.
From 1999 to 2004, Eugenides lived in Berlin, Germany, where he moved after being awarded a grant from the German Academic Exchange Service to write in Berlin for a year. Eugenides has lived in Princeton, New Jersey, since the fall of 2007, when Eugenides joined the faculty of Princeton University's Program in Creative Writing.
Now, Eugenides lives with her wife and children in Princeton, New Jersey.
He is a professor of Creative Writing in the Peter B. Lewis Center for the Arts.
There was an interesting answer when he an interview in The Paris Review, "I tell
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my students that when you write, you should pretend you're writing the best letter you ever wrote to the smartest friend you have. That way, you'll never dumb things down. You won't have to explain things that don't need explaining. You'll assume an intimacy and a natural shorthand, which is good because readers are smart and don't wish to be condescended to. I think about the reader. I care about the reader. Not “audience.” Not “readership.” Just the reader."
The first work of Eugenides was The Virgin Suicides. It has been translated into 34 languages. Sofia Coppola is interested to take the story to the film. In 1999, film The Virgin Suicides was released. The film was set in Grosse
Pointe, Michigan. Every act in the film was made similar to the novel.
His second is Middlesex which was released in 2002. Middlesex won the
2003 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in addition to being a finalist for the National Book
Critics Circle Award, the International Dublin Literary Award, and France's Prix
Médicis. Middlesex is about a man named Calliope Stephanides who is an intersex person. He raised a girl, but hormonally a boy. Middlesex also broadly deals with the Greek-American immigrant experience in the United States, the rise and fall of
Detroit, and explores the experience of an intersex person in the USA.
In October 2011, Eugenides released a novel entitled The Marriage Plot. The story of The Marriage Plot is about young adults enmeshed in a love triangle. The novel was a finalist of the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction in 2011; a New York Times notable book for 2011. It is also one of the top books of the year according to lists made by Publisher's Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, and The
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Telegraph. These are the awards and honors that have been gotten by Jeffrey
Eugenides.
1986 Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting (Academy of Motion Picture Arts
and Sciences)
1991 Aga Khan Prize for Fiction for "The Virgin Suicides" [short story] (The
Paris Review)
1993 Whiting Writers Award
1994 Guggenheim Fellowship
1995 Harold D. Vursell Memorial Award (American Academy of Arts and
Letters)
2000–2001 Berlin Prize Fellow (American Academy in Berlin)
2002 National Book Critics Circle Award finalist (for Middlesex)
2003 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (for Middlesex)
2003 Welt-Literaturpreis
2004 International Dublin Literary Award shortlist (for Middlesex)
2011 Salon Book Award (for The Marriage Plot)
2011 New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011 list (for The Marriage Plot)
2012 National Book Critics Circle Award finalist (for The Marriage Plot)
2013 International Dublin Literary Award longlist (for The Marriage Plot)
2013 Named a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
2014 Awarded honorary Doctorate of Letters from Brown University.
References