A Study on the Influence of Society and Family Toward Francie’S Character Development in Betty Smith’S a Tree Grows in Brooklyn
A STUDY ON THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIETY AND FAMILY TOWARD FRANCIE’S CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT IN BETTY SMITH’S A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters
By
LUKY ANGGRAINI
Student Number 994214172 Student Registration Number: 990051120106120172
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2007
Without virtue, happiness cannot be (Jefferson, 1816)
For those whom I love and trust deeply, My beloved father and mother
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The deepest gratitude goes to the Creator, Allah S.W.T for His Blessing and Love. Without He, I would be nothing.
I would like to express my thanks to my advisor, Dewi Widyastuti, S.Pd.,
M.Hum. for her advice, corrections, support, and patience in helping me to finish this thesis. I would also like to thank to my co-advisor, Adventina Putranti, S.S.,
M.Hum. for reading, giving support and advice for the betterment of this thesis.
To all the lectures and staff of English Letters Department Sanata Dharma
University, thanks for their help and guidance during my long time study.
I am very grateful to these kind people, for their great contribution to support me in finishing this thesis. I would like to thank to my beloved parents.
Though one is missing now, I know that both are perfect for always giving me a never-ending love, patience, spirit, and understanding. I thank to my brother who always makes anything easier.
My thanks also go to my beloved fellows for their great support, love and pray. I thank to Upik and Nonie for their companionship and support all along the way. I also thank to Renny and her family for their sharing many things in the hardest times. I will never forget the rest of Jumz Session, Siwi, Woeland, Budi, and also Meli for being there to share with. I wish also to thank the 99ers, Fina,
Nina, Nia, Obet, Sidiq, Reygan, Desi, Citra, Joko, Seto and others that I can not mention one by one. Last, I have to give my gratitude to Wida, Vita, and the entire library staff of Sanata Dharma University.
Luky Anggraini
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE OF TITLE...... i PAGE OF APPROVAL...... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...... iii MOTTO PAGE...... iv DEDICATION PAGE...... v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...... vi TABLE OF CONTENTS...... vii ABSTRACT...... ix ABSTRAK...... x
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION...... 1 A. Background of the Study...... 1 B. Problem Formulation...... 4 C. Objectives of the Study...... 5 D. Definition of Terms...... 6
CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW...... 8 A. Review of Related Studies...... 8 B. Review of Related Theories...... 10 1. Theory of Character and Characterization...... 10 2. The Relation between Literature and Society...... 13 3. Theory of Psychology...... 14 a. The Influence of Family...... 15 b. How Family Influences One’s Personality...... 16 c. Environmental Influence...... 17 d. How Environment Influences One’s Personality...... 17 C. Theoretical Framework...... 18
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY...... 19 A. Object of the Study...... 19 B. Approach...... 20 C. Method of the Study...... 21
CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS...... 22 A. The Description of Society and Characters in the Family...... 22 1. The Condition of Society in the Novel...... 23 2. The Characters in the Family...... 27 a. Katie Nolan...... 28 b. Johnny Nolan...... 29 c. Sissy Rommely...... 30 B. Francie’s Character Development under the Influences of Her Family and Society ...... 31
1 Francie’s Character Development under the Influences of Society...... 32 2. Francie’s Character Development under the Influences of Her Family...... 37
CHAPTER V CONCLUSION...... 50
BIBLIOGRAPHY...... 53
ABSTRACT
Luky Anggraini: A Study on the Influence of Society and Family towards Francie’s Character Development in Betty Smith’s A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. English Letters Study Programme, Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is the novel of Francie Nolan’s survival among the hard life in Brooklyn. It is about her struggle both mentally and physically. She has to suffer from the bad treatment done by those in higher economic status and highly educated. Taking the lessons she gets from her family and society, Francie grows into a mature young woman. The aim of this thesis is firstly to know the characters in the family as well as the society that influence Francie. Secondly, to understand their influences and third is to give a clear explanation on how Francie Nolan grows under those influences. In writing this thesis, the writer conducts library research and uses psychological approach to analyze this novel. The writer will analyze the novel in the following steps. First, she summarizes the characters of the family and the condition in society that play a big role in influencing Francie’s character development. Second, she search for the influences of both family and society and the third, she relates their influences on Francie’s character development. From the analysis, the writer finds out that this novel is about Francie’s character development, from an innocent little child into a motivated young woman. She is proud and confident for anything that she is sure to be right. Her appreciation in beauty is also the learning that she gets from the influence of her family. Although finally she gains success, she never forgets her background and her family that give precious learning.
ABSTRAK
Luky Anggraini: A Study on the Influence of Society and Family towards Francie’s Character Development in Betty Smith’s A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn adalah novel yang berkisah tentang perjuangan fisik dan mental seorang Francie Nolan menghadapi kehidupan keras di Brooklyn. Oleh karena kerasnya kehidupan tersebut, dia dan keluarganya harus mengalami pengalaman menyakitkan karena adanya kesenjangan status dan ekonomi di masyarakat. Belajar dari pengalaman, Francie tumbuh menjadi seorang gadis muda yang bermotivasi tinggi. Tujuan penulisan ini adalah untuk mengetahui anggota-anggota keluarga dan keadaan masyarakat yang mempengaruhi perkembangan jiwa Francie. Kedua, ini bertujuan untuk memahami pengaruhnya dan yang ketiga adalah untuk mengetahui secara jelas bagaimana Francie tumbuh di bawah pengaruh tersebut. Dalam penulisan skripsi ini, penulis menggunakan studi pustaka dan menggunakan pendekatan psikologi untuk menganalisis novel ini. Penulis akan menganalisa dengan tahapan-tahapan sebagai berikut. Pertama, dengan meringkas tokoh-tokoh di keluarga dan keadaan masyarakat yang berperan membentu perkembangan jiwa Francie Nolan. Kedua, penulis mencari pengaruh- pengaruhnya dan yang ketiga menghubungkan pengaruh itu terhadap perkembangan jiwa Francie. Dari analisis tersebut bisa disimpulkan bahwa novel ini mengupas perkembangan jiwa Francie Nolan, dari seorang bocah yang biasa menjadi seorang wanita muda yang percaya diri dan bangga atas apa yang dipercayainya menjadi kebenaran. Dia juga seorang yang sangat menghargai keindahan. Walaupun pada akhirnya dia memperoleh kesuksesan, dia tidak akan pernah lupa latar belakang dan keluarga yang memberinya pelajaran berharga.
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the study
All human beings are the “product” of society and family as well, meaning that what they do and what they get are the process of their learning from both.
The values in society and family, consciously or unconsciously, help someone to develop himself. Family becomes the first non formal educator while society is the second.
As the first educator, family plays a big role in helping an infant to develop his characteristics. It is the family that teaches him to talk, to behave, and even to mingle with the society. Martin and Stendler in their book, Child Behavior and Development, write that parents behavior create a climate or atmosphere in the home which has an influence upon the child’s development (1959: 312-313).
In his book, Child Development, Craig states that there are two ways of looking at styles of parenting. The first way is to observe the particular behavior and attitudes the parents and resulting behavior of the children. The parents’ behavior affects the child behavior in at least three ways. First, the parents serve as models for the child to identify with and imitate. Second, most parents have specific expectations about the way they want the children to respond and behave.
Finally, parents control the rewards and discipline the child receives (1979: 411).
When talking about the influence of society, Jersild in his book Child
Psychology writes that it is clear that from the time of birth, even while a child is quite passive, strong ties are being established between him and other human
beings. Interwoven with the child’s earliest experiences and expectations, and intimacy connected with his survival from day to day are associations with other human beings and their activities.
Martin and Stendler wrote the learning process gained by a child as a member of society as follows.
Every society teaches its children what to say, when to say it, how to say it, and whom to talk to. Similarly, children in every society must learn what and what not to wear, when to wear it, how to put on clothing, how to take care of clothing, what parts of the body must be covered, and many other customs of dress. Learning the accepted ways of behaving for each of these categories makes the child a member of society. This learning process begins at birth and continues throughout the life-time of every individual (1959: 165).
As family and society are two elements that influence the main character’s development so the writer wants to explore their influences by using psychological theories. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is largely an autobiographical work of the author, Betty Smith. She is known as an essayist and a writer of some fiction books and plays. The writer is interested in analyzing A Tree Grows in
Brooklyn as the object of study because it is Smith’s first novel and very popular since it gained both praise and criticisms. She was interrogated about her purpose for the book. Some accused that it was overtly political, pro-union, compassionate toward the poor, and sexually libelous. Besides, the writer chooses the novel because she is interested in discussing the main character’s development, from an innocent little girl into a more mature smart woman. The development is the result of her learning as the member of society and family.
The family as the first non formal education plays a big role in developing
Francie’s characteristics. Although living in poverty, Katie Nolan, Francie’s
mother, who is a hard worker, emphasizes the idea of education for her children that helps them to be more than just ordinary Brooklyn kids. She exhibits the self- reliance, determination and fearless pride to hold her family together. As results, she is both breadwinner and caretaker for the family.
The society where Francie lives also influences her much. It is the society that indirectly “teaches” her to be herself. Her existence in the middle of society does not mean that she has to follow what most people do. When seeing the people stoning a pregnant woman, Francie on the other hand sympathize her by telling that the cruelty of the stoning action will not be tolerated. Although in some cases she cannot accept the values in the society, Francie is still able to be a little girl who mingles well.
The writer is interested to analyze the society and family as well as the characteristics because they are closely related. Society and family have important roles in influencing someone’s characteristics and sometimes the influence of the society can be represented by the presence of other people.
Wellek and Warren in their book Theory of Literature state that
Literature is an expression of society and is actually determined by or dependent on its social setting, on social change and development. Literary devices as symbolism used in the literary work represent social conventions and norms that are arisen only in society (1956: 96).
The above statement emphasizes that society is really important in literary works because one’s characteristics can be formed or influenced by his society.
Rohrberger and Woods, Jr. in their book Reading and Writing about Literature state that the setting never exists by itself and it explains the characters and the situation, and it influences the atmosphere (1971: 22). The interaction with the
environment such as nature and society’s moral value influences the character development. That is why society is closely related to someone’s character development because its culture and values become important in his learning process.
Since the novel portrays the life of Francie Nolan, the writer is interested in exploring her changes of characteristics under the influence of her family and society. Focusing on the condition of society and family’s influences, the writer would like to find out how they influence Francie’s character development from the beginning to the end of the story.
B. Problem Formulation
Related to the background of the study about the relationship between society and family toward the main character’s development, the writer formulates the problem into these following questions.
1. How are the society and family, as the influence of Francie’s character
development, described?
2. How do Francie’s characteristics develop under the influences of her
family and society?
C. Objectives of the study
By answering the problem formulation above, the writer intends to identify the society and her family that give influences on her character development, from the beginning to the end of the story. This study also aims to
to reveal Francie’s character development under the influences of her family and society that surround her life.
D. Definition of Terms
1. Society
Elizabeth Langland in her book, Society in the Novel, states that society is an animation of an outside world which have tended to obscure the formal variety of social presentation in novels (1984: 4). So, the society in real life and in literary works are almost the same because the author usually describes the society of his work based on the society in real life.
Langland explains that society in the novels or literary works does not depend on points of absolute fidelity to an outside world in details such as costume, setting, and locality because a novel’s society does not aim at a faithful mirror of any concrete, existent thing (1984: 5). In conclusion, “society portrayed in the novels might be the real description of society where an author lives”.
2. Character Development
According to Barnet in his book, Literature for Composition, the term character also means personality that is the mental and moral qualities of a figure while the term development according to Craig’s Child Development can be defined as the changes in thought and behavior of a person influenced by either biological or environment factors (1979: 9). Further, Craig conveys that there are some development such as parental growth, physical changes which are
influenced by biological factors. However, there are also developments that depend highly on the environment, for example one’s personality development
(1979: 10). Briefly, character development is the changes in thought and behavior undergone by someone under the influences of either biological or environmental factors.
4. Family
The definition of family, found in Beebe’s Interpersonal Communication
Relating Others, is a social group having specified roles and status (e.g. husband, wife, father, mother, son, and daughter) with ties of blood, marriage or adoption, which usually shares common residences and cooperate economically (1996:
376). It is also defined as a unit made up of any number persons who live in relationship with one another over time in a common living space and are usually, but not always, united by marriage and kinship (1996: 377). Further, Beebe describes four types of family. Family as the first educator for a child plays its roles as a set of examples that help him to grow what it is expected. Not all the members of the family exert equal influence on the child. How much influence a family member will have depends upon the emotional relationship between him and the child. Seen from the size, family can be categorized into four. The first is natural family which consists of a mother and a father, and their biological children. The second is blended family, which also consists of two adults and their children, but the children may be the products of other marriage or unions.
The third is single parent family, which consists of one parent and at least one
child. The last is extended family which includes relatives, such as aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. So, family is not merely tied by blood but it is also tight by marriage or adoption.
CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL REVIEW
A. Review of Related Studies
The writer finds several criticisms both about the novel and the author.
Most of them praise the novel that it is a good realistic story. Barbara H. states that this book is not only about Francie and her alcoholic father but it is more about a young girl “coming of age” in Brooklyn in the early 1900s. Although that description sounds so bland, Francie had more to deal with than an alcoholic father: extreme poverty, a mother who had hardened herself somewhat to deal with the blows of life and who loved Francie’s brother, Neely, more than she did
Francie, a love of learning yet a need to quit school to work to support the family
T.E. Phoenix, AZE in www.teenink.com gives his comment about the book that is sad and joyful.
When I read this book for the umpteenth time, I feel the same surprise, sadness and joy wash over me as I did the first time I joined the Nolan family. I feel my face burn in shame with Francie's when a girl she idolizes gibes her and spits in her face. I feel her terror when a young man attempts to rape her, then relief when her mother shoots him before he can do more harm. With her, I feel a tear forming as she learns her beloved father has passed away. I smile when she has her first story printed, a great achievement for a girl who never had anything to call her own.
Emilie Coulter states that the novel is so poignant and honest that it creates a big stir when it was published 50 years ago. Smith’s frankness is alarming to
8
some of the more gentle society, but the book’s humor and pathos ensures its place in the realm of classics and the hearts of readers, both young and old
(www.book-summary-review.com/A-Tree-Grows-in-Brooklyn). She also comments about the characteristics of Francie Nolan, the main character in the novel.
Francie Nolan, avid reader, penny-candy connoisseur, and adroit observer of human nature, has much to ponder in colorful, turn-of-the-century Brooklyn. She grows up with a sweet, tragic father, a severely realistic mother, and an aunt who gives her love too freely--to men, and to a brother who will always be the favored child. Francie learns early the meaning of hunger and the value of a penny. She is her father's child-- romantic and hungry for beauty. But she is her mother's child, too--deeply practical and in constant need of truth. Like the Tree of Heaven that grows out of cement or through cellar gratings, resourceful Francie struggles against all odds to survive and thrive.
Several newspapers also give their comments about the book. Popular
Library as one of the book’s publishers puts some of these comments in the novel.
Cleveland News state that than novel is simple and sympathetic. It has a special touch that goes far beyond the Brooklyn poor society as the main setting. The story is also full of and irresistible and ever-warm appeal (1962: 1).
Worcester Telegram also put praise their quotation as quoted below,
A lot of books come along occasionally. Such a book is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn…Humor and pathos, the two twin qualities, about here... unforgettable is a big world, not to be lightly used, but we do believe that there are many incidents and characters in the book, which are unforgettable (1962: 1).
B. Review of Related Theories
1. Theory of Character and Characterization
When talking about society in the novel, readers cannot separate from the discussion of the characters involved. Langland says that we cannot predefine society but must define it novel by novel. The flexible details of individual societies in novels help underscore the paradigms of society (1986: 6).
According to Abrams in A Glossary of Literary Terms, there were two definitions of characters, “First, the character is a literary genre: a short, and usually witty, sketch in prose of distinctive type of person”. “Second, characters are the persons, in dramatic or narrative work, endowed with moral and dispositional qualities that are expressed in what they say- the dialogue- and what they do- the action” (1971: 20-21).
Literature for Composition stated that character has two meanings: (1) A figure in literary work, and (2) Personality, that is, the mental and moral qualities of a figure, as when we say that X’s character is strong, or weak, or immoral, or whatever. Thus, in writing about a character (a figure), you write about the character’s character (personality, traits, characteristics) (Barnet, 1988: 71).
Ian Milligan in The Novel in English: An Introduction divided the characters into two categories. There are major characters and secondary characters. The major characters are those who appear more often than the other characters in the story and the secondary characters are those who appear less often in the story (1983: 155).
Koesnosubroto wrote in his book, The Anatomy of Prose Fiction, that on the basis of their importance, characters are categorized into:
1. Major Character or Main Character
A major character can be the center of the story. He or she is the most important character in the story. Usually the acts of the story are focused to this character from the beginning to the ending parts. The core of the story is highlighted to this character’s experiences.
2. Minor Character
Minor characters appear in a certain thing, just necessarily to become the background of the major characters. Their role are less important than the major character (1988: 67).
Considering the internal complexity, characters can be divided into,
1. Round Character
This character often appears on the center of the story and looks like real human beings. With his/her complex aspects in temperaments and motivations, sometimes he/she surprises the readers with unexpected behavior. The author develops round characters fully and the characters grow and change during the story.
2. Flat Character
Sometimes, flat characters are also called type. They are captured by the author’s view on the side. The author does not usually develop them as fully as the major character (1988: 67).
According to E.M. Forster in Aspect of the Novel, a flat character (type or two dimensional) is built around “a single idea or quantity” and is presented in outline and without much individualizing detail and so can be fairly and adequately described in a single phrase or sentence. A round character is complex in temperament and motivation and is respected with subtle particularity; thus he is as difficult to describe with any adequacy as a person in a real life, and like most people, he is capable of surprising us
Rohrberger and Woods, Jr. in their book, Reading and Writing about
Literature state that characters have particular personalities and physical attributes that distinguish them from other characters. The process by which an author creates a character is called characterization. There are two principle ways an author can characterize the character in the story. He can use:
1. Direct means to describe physical appearance.
2. Dramatic means and places her in situations to show what she is by the
way she behaves or speaks (1971: 20).
Characterization as stated in the book is the process by which an author creates a character, the devices by which he makes us believe a character is the particular type of person he is (1971: 180).
Stanton states that a character’s reason for behaving as he does is his motivation. His specific motivation is his immediate reason perhaps unconscious, for any particular speech or act. His basic motivation is an aspect of his general character: it is continuing desire or intention that governs him throughout the story, the direction toward which almost all his specific tend. The most important
evidence of all is the character’s own dialogue and behavior. Through our knowledge of the characters, we understand their action; through their action we understand the characters (1965: 17-18).
2. The Relation between Literature and Psychology
Literary works cannot be separated from psychological aspects since the inner side of the characters can be analyzed by psychological theory such as personality, behavior, morality, emotion, etc. As the media of expressing the writer’s imagination, literature involves psychology as the tool to reveal the characterization.
In Theory of Literature, Wellek and Warren state that there are four aspects that can be learned in literature from psychological point of view (1956:
81). The four aspects are the writer, as type and as individual, the creative process, the psychological types and laws presented within the works of literature, and the effect of literature upon its readers.
Since psychology is a body of knowledge which studies human psyche, the most related element of literature to psychology is its human or human-like characters. Referring to Barnet’s explanation about character in Literature for
Composition that a character is a figure with specific mental and moral qualities.
It is obvious that characters are observable through psychology, in terms that they consist of unique mental qualities (1988: 71).
3. Theory of Psychology
Martin and Stendler in their book, Child Behavior and Development, wrote that as a living organism, a child is sensitive to his surroundings. Since he is equipped by nature to hear, to feel, to taste, and to smell so that he becomes acquainted with the world where he lives (1959: 11).
Being an active organism too, a child does not merely let this world come to him. An infant does not wait until the object is placed directly in front of his eyes. He keeps exploring visually the people and objects around him which results in his capability of putting himself in contact with the outside world.
Hurlock also supports this theory. She states in her book Child
Development that an individual’s personality pattern is the product of learning during the course of social relationships with people both within and outside his home. Furthermore, she describes that there are three major factors which determine the development of one’s personality pattern. The first is the individual’s heredity endowment, the second is early experiences within one’s family, and the third is important events outside one’s home environment. Thus, personality pattern comes from interaction of two. In other words, behavior learned in childhood may later be changed by direct training or by altering one’s environment (1974: 19).
Analyzing an individual’s personality, it is necessary to see factors that may influence his or her personality. Hurlock states that people may have the roles in influencing one’s personality development. She classifies the people into two groups. The first group is family while the second in environment.
Pikunas in his book, Human Development states that family functions as
(1) providing affection, support, and companionship, (2) bearing and raising children, (3) teaching and transmitting culture, religion, economics, and morals to the young, (4) developing personalities, and (5) dividing and discharging labor within the family and outside (p. 61)
a. The Influence of Family
The pattern of personality is composed of traits which shows the individual’s uniqueness as shown in his behavior and thoughts. Hurlock points out that the pattern is “founded on the person’s hereditary endowment”, which is shaped by environmental experiences in the home and later, outside the home.
Thus, human personality indeed develops and changes continuously throughout the life-span. Its development is most remarkable during the childhood years and is determined largely by the parent-child relationship. This is also remarked by Kalish who states that “later in life other people also become important, but the parents are the most influential figures in the first few years and the usually remain so” (1973: 205).
It is true that parents are regarded as the most influencing factor in the personality development of a child. This is because the child’s first social environment is the home in which he lives. The home and the family will determine his first attitudes toward people and social activities. In other words, children’s early social experiences take place in home. From the early experiences children get in their homes, they acquire their attitudes, values, and patterns of social behavior. Therefore, parents from whom children mainly get their early
experiences play the dominant role in shaping the children’s personality patterns.
Hurlock stresses that “the pattern of personality development in the young child is established primarily within the framework of his relationship with the parents.
During the children earliest years the parents constitute the chief social influences which the child experiences (1974: 352).
b. How Family Influences One’s Personality
Hurlock states that there are two ways how family influences personality development of a child (1974: 352-353).
(i) Direct Influence
The direct influence can come from “the child-training methods the parents used to shape the personality pattern” or from “the communication of interests, attitudes, and values between family members” (Hurlock, 1974: 352).
Through the child-training methods, parents can direct their children to conform to the approved pattern they like or that of the social group with which they are identified. While through communication, parents may transmit values and attitudes by telling their children how they should feel and behave in different situations or by showing the qualities of other people, things, and situations that their children should value.
(ii) Indirect Influence
The indirect influence comes from the “identification with family members whom children admire, respect, and love, and whom they either consciously or unconsciously imitate (Hurlock, 1974: 353). It happens commonly during the early years of life, i.e. in children and young adolescents than in adults.
Children may develop a personality pattern similar to that of their parents. For example: children with warm and affectionate parents usually became social person and will show warmth and affection for people outside the home as well as in it.
c. Environmental Influence
Besides family’s influence, one’s personality is also shaped and influenced by the environment in which the individual lives. This means that people outside the home may have a role to shape one’s personality (1974: 234). The social attitudes and behavior of children might be influenced by the children with whom they associate.
Adults outside the home may also affect young children’s social attitudes and behavior. When the children associate with people older than them, they will strive to keep up with them, and by doing so, develop more mature patterns of behavior than their age mates (1974: 234).
d. How Environment Influences One’s Personality
Hurlock explains that the ways environment influences one’s personality pattern can be as follows:
(i) Studies of models
This is done by providing models for the individual to follow. It may occur directly or indirectly. The direct way is done by providing opportunities for learning the approved patterns of behavior and by preventing the learning of disapproved patterns.
Indirectly, the environment influence the individual by setting the models for him to imitate and by making the models become so prestigious that the individual will want to imitate them.
(ii) Studies of learning opportunities
The shaping pattern from environment can come from learning. The learning may be “inner-directed” or “outer-directed”. In inner directed learning, the learner takes ‘initiative in putting forth the effort needed to achieve an end result that he feels is valuable to him” (1974: 83). While the outer directed learning is “instructed by someone else who motivates the learner to continue his practice until he has mastered the desired pattern of behavior” (1974: 84).
C. Theoretical Framework
In solving the problems stated in the first chapter, the writer needs some theories to support them. The theory of character and characterization is used to answer the first problem, which is, the family members and the society or environment that give influences on Francie’s character development. This theory is also used to answer the third problem formulation about the character development of the main character. The theory of Relation between Literature and
Psychology will give the writer information about the close relationship between psychology and literature as issued in this study. The writer also applies theory of
Psychology, about the factors influencing someone’s personality, to answer the second and third problem formulation on the character development as the result of both society and family’s influences.
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is largely an autobiographical novel of the author, Betty Smith. Her parents were German immigrants. Like Francie Nolan in the story, Smith also went to college without a high school diploma. As her first novel, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn gained more popularity than any of other
Smith’s books. Her novels include Tomorrow Will Be Better (1947), Maggie Now
(1958), and Joy in the Morning (1963). She also wrote many plays before her death in 1972. People of all classes in society were reading the book when it first came out. Oprah Winfrey called the book as one of ten books that deeply affected her life (www.sparknotes.com/lit/brooklyn/content).
Harper and Brothers firstly published A Tree Grows in Brooklyn in 1943 and it contained of 430 pages. It takes place in Williamsburg, Brooklyn between
1900 and 1918. The writer uses the first edition novel in this thesis. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is mainly about Francie Nolan, an eleven-year girl growing up in the slum area of Brooklyn. She loves her neighborhood very much. She runs many errands for her mother, makes a daily trip to the library and spends a relaxing afternoon watching her neighbors from the fire escape. Although money is very hard to get but the Nolans filled their home with warmth and love.
In the novel, the main character, Francie Nolan, is growing up among the society and family that affect her life much. She learns to value the norms in
society without always imitating the habits. She is capable of putting herself in the middle of it. Besides, it is the family too that gives her influence on being herself.
It is her family that introduced her importance of education and values in life.
Seeing the clear explanation about the influence of society and family, the writer wants to reveal it more and relate it with the main character’s development by using psychological approach.
B. Approach
To answer the problem formulation, the writer uses psychological approach. According to Rohrberger and Woods, Jr. in their book, Reading and
Writing about Literature, psychological approach involves the effort to locate and demonstrate certain recurrent patterns. It draws on a different body of knowledge that is psychology (1971: 13). Psychological approach is applied when the attention is focused on psychological interpretation for enhancing the understanding and appreciation of literature. It analyzes the psychological side of the characters in the novel. In applying this approach, psychological theories, which explain personality, motivation, influence behavior and attitude, are generally used as the interpretation tools
This approach is employed since it covers some aspects that relate each other to answer the problem formulation stated in the first chapter, exploring the description of the society and family, their influence, and result of Francie's development under those influences. Analyzing an individual’s personality development, it is necessary to deal with psychological aspect. Thus, psychological approach is the most appropriate one.
C. Method of the Study
In analyzing this novel, the writer applied library research as the method of study. The novel, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was chosen as the primary data while the secondary data were collected from books, encyclopedias, and also internet.
Psychological approach was also used as the tool to explore the novel.
The steps taken in conducting the analysis were reading the novel more than once to get a deeper understanding and to reveal which characters considered as the representation of society and family. Second, the writer revealed the character development, connected with the influence of society and family. In this step, she also focused her reading to explore the influences of the society and family, through the representation of some characters, which gave contribution in the main character’s development.
CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
In this chapter, the writer will answer the questions from the problem formulation. Before answering them, it is better to look back the problems which are formulated in the previous chapter. The first problem is the description of society and the family members that influence Francie’s character development.
The second question is Francie’s character development under the influences from her family and society. It is growing up among the loving family and poor society that result in Francie’s character development, from an ordinary
Brooklyn kid into a motivated young woman. She has both strong mind and purpose of life. This suggests that Francie is a hard learner so that she can take lessons from her experience.
A. The Description of Society and Characters in the Family
Society and family in the novel play a big role in helping Francie’s development. The hard living in a slum area in Williamsburg, Brooklyn makes her fight harder that in the end she finds her success that make her struggle worthwhile. Under the influence of the family members, such as her mother, father, and aunt, Francie values the belief of the importance of education and how to stand up for what she thinks is right.
1. The Condition of Society in the Novel
Francie Nolan and her family live in a dark side of America, which is
Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Most area in the district is slums with crowded residents who live in a very poor condition. Living in the slum is very hard for Francie and her family. They have to work hard to survive amidst the hard living in Brooklyn.
Like any other kids in the district, Francie and her brother, Neeley are also struggling for their own life and largely for the needs of the family. They sell junk collected from the street to a junk man every Saturday night.
For Francie, Saturday started with the trip to Carney, the junk man. She and her brother, like other Brooklyn-kids collected paper, metal, rubber, and other junk and boarded it in locked cellar bins or in boxes hidden under the bed. All week, Francie walked home slowly from school with her eyes in the gutter looking for tin foil from cigarette packages or chewing gum wrappers (p. 8).
Poverty leads Francie and other kids to enter adult world which is getting money for her own needs to buy candies and saving the rest in a tin can bank to purchase more precious stuffs. A single penny is regarded as wealth amongst the poor kids to get some candies and play games.
The condition caused by poverty makes the adults suffer more than the kids. They should work harder in any case to make their life survive even though it has to trick others. This tricky case occurs in Cheap Charlie’s Shop which sells candies in the neighborhood. He gives a pick for the children’s penny, a prize or candy, but there is no winner because actually he does not put the reward on the lucky draw. Any children who purchase in his store never win any single prizes.
“Prize or candy?” Charlie asked him. “Candy. What do you think?” It was always the same. Francie had never heard of anyone winning above a penny prize. Indeed the skate wheels were rusted and the doll’s hair was dust filmed as though these things had waited there a long time like Little Buy Blue’s toy and tin soldiers (p.11)
The case of Charlie’s taking advantage of the children’s innocence shows that he is both wicked and tricky for exchanging their joy with his own needs. Children are at the mercy of adults who want their money. Because of poverty, everything is possible.
Other crimes also take place in the slum, including the crime that takes children as the victim. Child murder also commonly happens since most of the children do not get well protection from their parents because they concentrate in getting money more than taking care of the children. Most parents work overtime to get as much as wealth so that they do not know what happened with their left- home children. There is no one as their protector when their parents are outside home. This conditions cause the case of child murder which victimizes one of
Francie’s friends in the neighborhood. She was killed and her body was found few days after her death.
One day, a little girl on Francie’s block was killed and it had to come out in the open. She had been a quiet little thing to seven, well-behaved, and obedient. When she didn’t come home from school, her mother didn’t worry, she thought the child had stopped somewhere to play. The child was found at last. Her little body was lying across a busted down doll carriage in the cellar of a near-by house. Her torn dress and undergarments, her shoes, and her little red shocks were thrown on an ash heap (p. 220)
In the poor Williamsburg, there is a prowling sex fiend that haunts parents much.
He had been molesting little girls for a long time, and although the police are on a
continual look out for him, he is never caught. On the contrary, the parents always keep a secret when their little daughter is attacked. The reason is merely because they do not want anyone to know and later discriminate the girl so that she still has to live normally among her playmates. This crime overshadows most of the mothers in the section. (p. 219)
Besides the number of crime, poverty results in the bad quality of food consumption. The neighborhood like to consume the stale bread that is specially sold by the bread factory. They never think of the quality of the bread for their sanity but they think of how to supply their body with any kind of food. Losher’s, a bread factory in the neighborhood supplies stale bread for them every week. It redeems the bread from the dealers and sells it at half price to the poor. It is the bread’s low price that makes the high number of consumption.
The bakery wagons backed up to it and unloaded the bread on to the counter. They sold two loaves for a nickel, and when it is dumped out, a pushing crown for the privilege of buying it. There was never enough bread and some waited until three or four wagons had reported before they could buy bread (p. 17)
The above case shows that people in the slums are stuffed with only low-quality of food as the result of their difficulty in earning money. As far as it can supply their body, only stale bread is enough for consumption.
The big number of poverty also creates a social gap in society. The gap between the rich and the poor, the high-class and the low-class men are depicted clearly. Rich people usually underestimate the poor and noble men, such as doctors and teachers also do treat the poor in the lower position. They do maltreat the poor and the suffered people. This underestimation is merely because of
poverty. Poor people in the society does not seem to have the same right as the rich. Francie also undergoes this situation when she visits a doctor. She is sneered by the doctor and the nurse only because her arms are dirty.
“Filth, filth, filth from morning to night. I know they are poor but they could wash. Water is free and soap is cheap. Just look at the arms, nurse” The nurse looked and clucked in horror. Francie stood there with the hot flame points of shame burning her face (p. 129)
The doctor’s action in making embarrassment for Francie shows that his medical profession bears a power for him to badly treat people in the lower class status.
Francie’s teachers at school also create different treatments between the rich and the poor. Francie is very upset since she expects great things from school because she thinks it will bring enjoyment for her. On the other hand, she finds that the teacher loves the rich students and realizes that she is not the teacher’s favorite.
She had been in school but half a day when she knew that she would never be a teacher’s pet. That privilege was reserved for a small group of girls…girls with freshly-curled hair, crisp clean pinafores and new silk hair bows. They were the children of the prosperous storekeepers of the neighborhood. Miss Briggs, the teacher beamed on them and seated them in the choicest places in the front row. Her voice was gentle when she spoke to these fortune-favored few, and snarling when she spoke to the great crowd of unwashed. (p. 133)
The teacher in Francie’s school acts as though the poor have no right to be at school. Rich students have greater right to be chosen what is best for them while the poor are just treated to be put aside after the rich.
Another occasion also suggests the underestimation towards the poor that again, is undergone by Francie. When Christmas is about to come, a charity organization often gives charity to the poor. It is actually the time that bears excitement for Francie because she may bring home a Christmas present.
Nevertheless, this occasion really hurts her feeling because the lady who distributes the gift emphasizes the word ‘poor’ several times.
“Now”, said the lady, “this dill is named Mary after the kind little girl who is giving her away”. Mary wants to give the doll to some poor little girl in the audience whose name is Mary. Is there any poor little girl in the audience named Mary?”
The repetition of the adjective ‘poor’ struck several poor Mary in the audience.
No Mary will stand up, no matter how much she wants the doll as the Christmas present. The girls whose name are Mary keep sitting in their seat because they do not want to be a symbol of all the poor little girls in the audience.
2. The Characters in the Family a. Katie Nolan
Katie Nolan is one of the ‘strong women’ in the Rommely. She is a fighter for herself and for the family since her husband is weak in facing the hardship of the family. Her strong character is obvious after her second child was born. Life grows harder because the needs of the family are automatically increasing. On the other hand, her husband is not able to fulfill the needs since he only gets money when one night job is offered. He does not work steadily. He brings the wages home but he keeps his tips for liquor.
Katie had the same hardships as Johnny and she was nineteen, two years younger. It might be said that she, too, was doomed. Her life, too, was over before it began. But there was a big difference between them. Johnny knew he was doomed and accepted it. Katie wouldn’t accept it. She had a fierce desire for survival making her a fighter. She started a new life where her old one left off (p. 10)
It is clear that after Neeley’s birth that means the more burdens for the family,
Katie struggled through hard times and hard work to provide for the family. Hard times makes her fight harder, too.
Although only working as a janitress, she never forgets the importance of education. Accepting the idea inherited from his mother, Katie reads her children a page of Shakespeare’s book and bible before going to sleep.
“I will read,” promised Katie. What is a good book?” “There are two great books. Shakespeare is a great book. I have heard tell that all the wonder of life is in that book; all that man has learned of beauty, all that he may know of wisdom and living are on those pages. It is said that those stories are plays to be acted out on the stage. I have never spoken to anyone who has seen this great thing. But I heard the lord of our land back in Austria say that some of the pages sing themselves like songs” (p. 76)
As the child of an immigrant who has an inherited thought that their children must live better and happier than their parents, Katie is optimistic that her children will also live a better life. The way Katie teaches her children is different from most of the poor. She hates any kind of charity given to the family. She teaches the children to live in dignity, which means that they have to live independently. She makes herself the sample for the children for her independence in facing the hard life.
b. Johnny Nolan
Johnny is Francie’s father whom she called Papa. He is the weak character in the novel but the one that Francie adores much. He likes drinking liquor to escape such a hard life. He has no regular jobs and just moved from one night
place here and there for singing and waiting tables at Union Headquarters. The reason why he resorts if drinking is shown in the following quotation.
I drink because I don’t stand a chance and I couldn’t drive a truck like other men and I couldn’t get on the cops with my build. I got to sling beer and sing when I just want to sing. I drink because I got responsibilities that I cannot handle. I am not a happy man. I got a wife and children and I don’t happen to be a hard-working man. (p. 34)
Johnny is an opposite character from Katie. While having two children makes her stronger, Johnny responds it by giving up on life and never puts himself as the money maker for the family. He keeps drinking to comfort himself for failing to fulfill the needs for the family. He is also the character that cannot stand for failure. He becomes so much down when is fired from the Union and he has to give back the Union button. He comes home drunk with great depression and dies three days later.
They threw me out of the Winter’s Union today. They said I was a bum and a drunk. They said they’d never give me another job as long as I live. He controlled his sobs for a moment and his voice was frightened as he said, “as long as I live”. He wept bitterly “I’m no good anymore. I cannot sing anymore. Katie, they laugh at me now when I sing. The last few jobs I had, they hired me to give the people a laugh. It’s come to that, now. I’m finished”. He sobbed wildly, he sobbed as though he never could stop (p. 246)
Without the labor union, Johnny has nothing, not even singing jobs, which at least gives him some senses that he is contributing to the welfare of his family.
Johnny’s reaction to the news is the sign that something has changed and nothing can be as it was before. He sobs wildly for losing his little contribution to the family needs.
While Johnny’s impractical nature makes him worthless as money maker, it also makes him an endearing romantic. It is Johnny who brings joy and beauty for Francie and her family. He is handsome and talented in singing that once he dreams of being a real singer on the stage. He is also a loving father, which is why
Francie feels that she is closer to him than to her mother. Her passionate and loving character captures Francie’s heart although he is actually not a good father.
c. Sissy Rommely
Sissy Rommely is Francie’s aunt. She is also the one that Francie adores much. She is a loving person to everybody she knows. This characteristic is clearly shown when she helps an Italian girl named Lucia who is pregnant out of marriage and is punished by her father by being locked in a room without food.
At last Sissy made it understood that she was willing to take the child off their hands as soon as it was born. When the mother understood finally, she covered Sissy’s hands with grateful kisses. From that day, Sissy became the adored and trusted friend in the family (p. 234)
Her loving personality results in a negative judgment towards her. It is because she wants to give as much as she can, especially towards men. She always chases men even though she already has a husband. This is clear when she is accused as a thief for ‘borrowing’ a kid’s tricycle without permission. The child’s mother tells the police that she has stolen the tricycle but the police, charmed by Sissy’s appearance, defends her.
The cop let his eyes on Sissy’s well shaped bust which was not spoiled any by the tight waists that she liked to wear. He return to the harassed mother. “Why do you want to be stingy for, lady?”, he said “Let her give the kids a ride around the block”. The crowd scattered. The cop, swinging his club, gallantly escorted Sissy and her charges around the
block. Sissy looked up at him and smiled into his eyes. Where upon he, stuck his club in his belt and insisted on pulling the bike for her. Sissy trotted along beside him on her tiny-high heeled shoes and cast a spell over him with her soft flattering voice (p. 106-107)
Despite her reputation toward men, Sissy is also a caring character, especially to
Francie. Her big love for Francie is shown when Francie’s cruel teacher is not letting the students to go to the bathroom as well as not excusing the kids to go out of class. Half of the kids learn to hold their urinates but some become pants- wetter. Having been told by Francie about the incident, Sissy comes to school as the heroine for Francie and the other kids. She threatens the teachers by telling them that she is Francie’s mother, and her husband is a cop, and Francie has a kidney infection that could lead to death. She is telling lies about her husband and
Francie’s disease. Sissy reacts to save Francie and her mates. She is saying to the teacher that her husband ‘who is a cop’ will come up to the school and beat her if they do not treat the children right. Sissy’s loving and liberal characteristic toward men bears a kind of learning for Francie to face the mature world.
Sissy is the second mother for Francie. While her real mother only keeps emphasizing the terms of education, Sissy on the other hand provides Francie with education on how to live more womanly. Incapable of getting this lesson from her mother, Francie becomes closer to Sissy.
B. Francie’s Character Development under the Influences of Her Family and
Society
Child’s character development starts in the family. A child will have family as his or her first society while the people outside the family which is
considered as the second society also take an important role in contributing the development greatly. This statement is supported by Hurlock in her book,
Personality Development, which says that of all the conditions that influence personality development, relationship between the individual and the members of his family unquestionably rank first. The home is the person’s primary environment from the time he is born until the days he dies (1974: 351).
Francie is a good learner both in the family and society. It is she herself who has a strong motivation for what she is going to be. Growing up amidst the bad society does not make a little Francie to be cruel too. She values what is good for her without being a girl who is not able to mingle well. Hurlock categorized
Francie’s learning as “inner-directed” learning which means that the learner takes initiative in putting forth the effort needed to achieve an end result that he feels is valuable to him (1974: 83).
1. Francie’s Character Development under the Influence of Society
Although in poor society people live in bad condition, it does not mean that it bears nothing to learn. The condition, indeed, teaches some people who live in to work hard for surviving. Living in a poor section of Brooklyn does not mean that Francie has nothing to learn. Working hard by collecting junk for sheeny pennies and save them in a hand-made tin can bank is a precious lesson for her.
The family’s weak economically teaches her to struggle to survive. The result of her working hard also gives her a pride because she does not need to depend herself on others’ existence.
Arriving at the store, she walked up and down the aisles handling any object her fancy favored. What a wonderful feeling to pick something up, hold it for a moment, feel its contour, run her hand over its surface and the replace it carefully. Her nickel gave her this privilege. If a floor walker asked whether she intended buying anything she could say, yes, buy it and show him a thing or two (p. 13).
The poverty that forms the background of Francie’s life does not make her embarrassed but it makes her confident. She feels that it is no need to be ashamed with her poor condition, though it sometimes becomes a problem for others. It occurs in the situation when the teachers always demands her only to write about beautiful things. By writing beautiful things, the teacher demands about positive things: poverty and drunkenness are considered ugly and dull subjects.
“But poverty, starvation, and drunkenness are ugly subjects to choose. We all admit these things exist but one doesn’t write about them”. What does one write about? Unconsciously, Francie picked up the teacher’s phraseology. “One delves into imagination and finds beauty there. The writer, like the artist must strive for beauty always (p. 283).
Since Francie is one of the best pupils in writing compositions, she is demanded to write only the beautiful things. When she writes about poverty and other bad things, the teacher calls it as sordid and filthy composition. She asks Francie to burn the composition and to keep saying, “I am burning ugliness. I am burning ugliness”. (p. 290)
The teacher’s perception toward the composition and poverty generally, really makes Francie think that the poor condition she undergoes becomes a big problem for an educated person. She is trying to rebel from this perception and assuring herself that when she gets high education, she will not be ashamed for the condition. Nevertheless, it can trigger her to achieve more than it is expected.
She wondered when she got educated, whether she’d be ashamed of her background. Would she ashamed of her background. Would she be ashamed of her people: ashamed of handsome papa who is so light hearted, kind, and understanding: ashamed of brave and truthful mama who was so proud of her own mother, even though grandma couldn’t read or write: ashamed of Neeley who was such a good honest boy? No! No! If being educated would make her ashamed of what she was, then she wanted none of it (p. 287).
The social gap created by the people with high privilege is really hurtful for most of the poor, as well as the Nolans. As one victim of the diversity, Francie does not easily accept the treatment. She insists that her economic condition should not have been a big problem for her family to accept the normal treatment.
She hates every unfair treatment made by the people in higher status.
As a little child growing up among the poor society, Francie Nolan has been accustomed to the term hunger, hard work, and sufferings. This special background does not make her stop learning but it encourages her much to be someone who is different from what it is expected. Living in poor and bad society does not always bad quality of people. Francie has proven this through her efforts to be a better person than her family and society.
The cruel life that Francie undergoes is not a bad incident throughout her life. She is challenged by the condition. She pushes herself to be better than her older generation, as what her family expects. She never gets disappointed of having a father who constantly drank, for his failure to be the money maker of the family. Francie never envies of her brother whom gets greater love from her mother. Her family’s low education is not also the obstacle for getting higher education. Among the weakness of the family, Francie grows up as a rich girl, whom rich of experience as well as lesson she takes from each incident.
Francie Nolan grows up so quickly. In the beginning of the story, Francie is described as an ordinary child in who lives normally in the section of
Williamsburg, Brooklyn. She spends the days by collecting junk, playing doll with other kids, or just having fun in the candy stores. What makes her different from other kids is that she can take lesson from every experience in her life, including poverty and bad treatment that the family gets from the higher class.
From collecting junk, Francie learns how to struggle amidst the hard living.
Family is not the only influence that shapes Francie’s characteristics.
Growing up in the middle of Brooklyn resident also helps her to be someone with more talent and achievement than the place expects. When most kids in the area do not take higher education, Francie is in the opposite. She does not want to be just an ordinary Brooklyn kids but she dares to be different from others. Hurlock says that beside the influence from the family, one’s personality is also shaped and influenced by their environment in which the individual lives (Hurlock, 1974:
80). Francie is raised in an unfortunate situation of poverty. Rather than getting along with her lovers as the girls usually do, Francie prefers to spend her time by reading book and just observe them going. Her decision to be different from others can be seen as an indication of her personal development. She becomes someone who is confident and proud of herself.
The poor condition forces little Francie to enter adult world in a very young age, which consequently makes her understand the hardship of being an adult person earlier. She does not becomes the object who depends herself on
somebody else anymore but she is the subject to depend on. The case is shown when her mother is about to bear her younger sister, Anne Laurie.
“Francie, I expect the baby any day now and I’d feel better if you were never very away from me. Stay close to me. And when I’m working come looking for me from time to time to see that I’m alright. I cannot tell you how much I’m counting on you. I need you badly now and I feel so far when I know you nearby. Stay close to me for a while” “I won’t ever go away from you, Mama”, she said. “Maybe”, thought Francie, “she doesn’t love me as much as she loves Neeley. But she needs me more than she needs him and I guess being needed is almost as good as being loved. Maybe better”. (p. 294)
The result of early entering adult world is maturity in the coming of age. Though in one case Francie loses her innocence but in the other case she still enjoys her existence of being an ordinary kid in the section. Her family’s poverty cannot overshadow the joy she finds in small material pleasures, the Charlie Cheap Store,
Saturday night trip to Carney’s house, and the ‘sheeny pickles’. Maturity in early ages is the process she gets from the society outside her home. Living in poor society really challenges Francie much.
In her environment, there is an incident when a pregnant woman is being thrown by other women merely because the baby is out of marriage. From this case, Francie has her own opinion. She learns that women ought to love and protect each other against the men’s world. She notices that men always defend other men, but women only criticize other women. Her observation about women turning each other shows that she is conscious about gender issue.
Even though growing up amidst the hard side of Brooklyn, Francie has chosen that she will never forget her background. Realizing that she will not live
her whole life in the slums but when she leaves Brooklyn, Francie refuses to forget her childhood and her home.
2. Francie’s Character Development under the Influence of Family
Katie Nolan is a good mother for her children. She is a realistic mother.
She always works hard for them that she is sure for their better life. She is the person who gives a strong influence on Francie’s personality development. Katie emphasizes education as the one major thing that their children must have in order to become somebody important in the world.
Johnny and the children can’t see how pitiful it is that our neighbor have to make happiness out of this filth and dirt. My children must get out of this. They must come to more than Johnny or me or all these people around us. But how is this to come about? Reading a page from those books everyday and saving pennies in the tin-can bank isn’t enough. Money! Would that make it better for them? Yes, it would make it easy. But no, the money wouldn’t be enough. An answer come from Katie. It was so simple that a flesh of astonishment that felt like pain shot through her head. Education!. That was it! It was education that made difference! Education would pull them out of the grime and dirt (p. 181).
Even though her family is poor, money is not their key to open betterment in life.
Katie suggests that education is more important to bring their children out of the dark side of poverty so she urges the children to get higher education than their parents. As a mother, Katie is the home teacher for their children. She is the answer of the children’s questions. Inherited the importance of education from her mother, Katie simply reads the children a page of Bible and Shakespeare’s book that later differentiate her children from other kids in the section. Poor
economically does not mean that they are poor in terms of education too. Working in janitorial work does not makes he stop learning.
Piano lessons! Magic words! As soon as the Nolans were settled, Katie called on the lady whose card announced piano lessons. The history- making day of the first lesson arrived. Francie and Neeley were instructed to sit in the front room during the lesson and to keep their eyes and ears open. A chair was paced for the teacher. The children sat side by side on the other side of piano. Katie nervously adjusted and readjusted the seat and the three sat waiting (p. 123).
By having piano lessons, Katie implicitly teaches herself and her children about more luxurious thing. Piano as the symbol of learning gives an idea that to enter the larger world, one must have known everything. Being a poor family does not mean that they are merely concentrating themselves in poor things, but they have to be able to mingle with all the things, including luxurious things.
Being a hard worker makes Katie Nolan appreciate herself and the hard work she has made. She thinks that she must be respected for what she had done and for the family’s pride. Although they are poor economically, it does not mean that they are poor in pride too. Without being arrogant, she hates any kind of charity given under the name of religious or social institution. This is clear when
Francie receives a doll from a charity organization. She is telling a lie that the doll is a prize, not a charity. For Katie, working hard is much more precious rather than accepting others’ pity.
She told Mama the doll had been given to her as prize. She dare not to tell the truth. Mama hated anything that smacked of charity and if she knew, she would throw the doll away (p. 188)
Through her idea of refusing any kinds of charity, Katie gives a piece of learning for Francie to work independently to achieve betterment in life. This influences
Francie in the way that she enters adulthood as an independent adult woman.
Katie is also a truthful mother who gives a satisfying explanation to her children’s lack of understanding. Francie does not have enough education about sex and its danger. She only hears everybody talking on this topic.
Sex is something that invariably comes into everyone’s life. People write a piece against it. The priest preach against it. They even make laws against it. But it keeps going on just the same. All the girls in the school have about the one topic of conversation: sex and boys. They are very curious about it. Am I curious about sex? She studied the last sentence. The line on the inner edge of her right eyebrow deepened. She crossed out the sentence and rewrote it to read: “I am curious about sex” (p. 218).
As a teenager who is going to enter the womanhood in the next, Francie is curious to search information as much as possible. Her mother as the closest woman of her is the right person to find the answer. She asks her reliable mother about sex.
Unlike the other mothers who never answer their children curiosity about sex,
Katie simply tells her and plainly in terms of sex when she is changing into a woman. The sex education gained from her mother is very important to face the complexity of being a woman. Her understanding about sex really makes aware of her surrounding. She learns the danger of love from one occasion in her district when a pregnant woman was thrown by other women because she is pregnant out of married. Katie uses her as an example of what should not happen to her daughter. Francie also thinks that her growing up physically is risky, means that parts of her body start to change that may attract men to seduce her. She is really aware of her changing and be lucky for having Katie Nolan as her mother.
Francie was luckier than most children of the neighborhood. She found out all she needed to know at the time she had to know about it. She never needed to slink into dark hallways with other girls and changing guilty confidences. She never had to learn things in a distorted ways (p. 219).
Katie is also a democratic mother who gives privilege to her children to choose what is best for them. She frees the children to express their idea as long as they are responsible for it. This condition is clear when the children are being offered a job by McGaritty after Johnny Nolan was dead. Although she was fascinated by the salary given, which is four dollars a week that means there would be enough to eat, Katie still offers the decision to her children.
“What do you say, Mrs. Nolan?” “It’s up to the children”, she answered. “Well?” He threw his voice in their direction, “What do you say?” “Would you like to help Mrs. McGaritty around the house?” “Yes, Sir”, said Francie. “And you?”. He looked at Neeley. “Yes, Sir”, echoed the boy (p. 272)
The high salary offered by McGaritty does not make Katie take the decision by herself. She thinks that it is the children who should have decided since they are the ones to do the work. Katie’s freeing the children is also clear in a very simple thing. Both Francie and Neeley like to smell the aroma of coffee when it is hot.
They will throw it away when it is getting cold. This habit really disturbed Sissy and Evy Rommely who came to the flat very often. Every time they saw the coffee thrown away, they gave Katie a lecture about wasting things.
Mama explained: Francie is entitled to one cup each meal like the rest. If it makes her feel better to throw it way rather than to drink it, all right. I think it’s good that people like us can waste something once in a while and get the feeling of how it would be to have lots of money and not to have worry about scourging (p. 16).
Katie’s allowing the children to throw the coffee away implicitly states that she is not typically a conventional mother. She is an open-minded one who never pushes others to always follow her will. The democratic Katie influences Francie’s personality development in the way that she has a right to choose her own way and to decide what it is best for her. That quotation demonstrates Katie’s pride, and the pride she wishes to pass on to her children. Katie is always depicted as practical rather than romantic. She wishes that her children should have dignity as well as practicality.
Getting lesson from her mother about saving money, Francie keeps some in a tin can bank that has been made by her trusted mother. As a little child, she grows up how to struggle and to be independent. This reflects that she takes the mature world in early age. Nevertheless, her maturity in younger period does not make her lose her innocence as a normal child. She finds joy when spending the money in a candy store or just touching the stuff she dreams about. Arriving at the store, she walked up and down the aisles handling any object her fancy favored. What a wonderful feeling to pick something up held it for a moment, feel its contour, run her hand over its surface and then replace it carefully (p. 13).
As Hurlock states in her book that home, the child’s first environment, sets the pattern for his attitudes toward people, things, and life in general. A child identifies with the family members he loves, imitates their behavior, and learn to adjust to life as they adjust (1972: 433). From her family, Francie is introduced to values as well as life in general.
From her mother, Francie learns how to live with pride. Although she is low educated and only works as a janitress, she shows that she still has pride. She does not care the fact of her husband’s failure as the breadwinner for the family.
From mamma, Francie becomes a person with pride and confidence. She begins to
state whatever she thinks is her principle. This is shown in one evident when a doctor who is going to give vaccination makes a series of comment to the nurse about how filthy Francie is. She replies the doctor’s comments, demanding that he not say the same words in front of her brother. From this, it is clear that Francie stands for herself, implicitly saying that being poor cannot make a person low and has no pride. Growing up with this value, Francie develops as someone with dignity.
“My brother is next. His arm is just as dirty as mine so don’t be surprised. And you don’t have to tell him. You told me”. “You don’t have to tell me. Besides, he’s a boy. He doesn’t care if he’s dirty (p. 130)
Rather than giving influence on how to behave well in society, Katie Nolan emphasizes more on the importance of education as the mean of gaining success in life. Katie’s hard work and her less-spent time with her children influence
Francie to grow independently. She is accustomed to her family’s housework.
This is quite clear when she is preparing her father’s outfit for work.
“Waiting or singing?” “Both. Have I got a clean waiter’s apron, Francie?” She set up the ironing board on two chairs and put the iron to heat. She got a square of thick wrinkled duck material with linen tape ties and sprinkled it. While she waited for the iron to get hot, she heated the coffee and poured him a cup (p.31).
Katie’s working outside home influences her children, especially Francie as the eldest one, to do the things by themselves. This condition makes Francie realize that she has to be responsible for herself, too. She thinks that she has privileges to choose anything she wants to do as far as she is responsible in it. Her emotionally strength leads her to find her future as a writer. She not only learns about
education but she also realizes what she wants to be when she is growing up. She writes down most things that happen to her in journals or stories. She wants to be a writer. She does not care if the composition she wrote is considered as bad and sordid.
Her mother’s strength of mind and purpose to emphasize the importance of education in very early ages results in Francie’s fond of reading. At fourteen, she is promoted as a city reader in the Clipping Bureau where she works in.
So, one day, when the cutter told that Miss Armstrong was leaving in September and that she, Francie, was to be promoted to the city reader job. Francie assumed this to be a rumor invented to arouse jealousy among the resigned. She thought it was preposterous, that she, a girl of fourteen, with nothing but a grade school education would be considered eligible to take over the work of a thirty-year-old college graduate like Miss Armstrong. (p.333).
Her early promotion is mainly because she reads faster than any of other women in the bureau. At her fourteen, she is believed capable of doing a college’s graduate works.
Her personality also developed continually when she begins to protest her mother for she only sends her brother, Neeley, to go to high school. She knows that her family is imperfect that her mother does not always do what it is right.
“No, I can’t see. I can only see that you favor Neeley more than me. You fix everything for him and tell me that I can find a way myself. Some day, I’ll fool you Mama. I’ll do what I think is right for me and it might not be right in your way.” (p. 340)
This statement reflects that Francie start to have some changing in mind. It is because of her mother’s influence. Mama always asks her to do anything that she thinks is right. When she assumes that Mama is not right for only sending Neeley to high school, Francie argues with her. The fight results merely because both
mother and daughter are certain that they are right. Francie says to her mother that she fights for what she thinks is right. That is exactly what her mother has taught her to do (p. 341). This evident show that Francie is critical, she starts to undergo her adolescence period as well that can be seen from her searching for self identity. Pikunas writes in his book that adolescence is a time for further inquiry.
The one in this period usually raises questions such as “Who am I?”, “What do I want to be” and “What is the real purpose of my life?” (p. 237). From Francie’s incident, it is clear that she wants to show that she is now changing into a woman whom defends anything that is right for her.
Johnny Nolan is a very romantic father whom Francie loves much. He calls Francie Primadonna because he is sure that little Francie’s crying is varied and as tuneful as an opera singer’s range. Johnny loves singing to entertain himself and everybody around him. He always sings Molly Malone when he comes up the stairs so everybody knows he is home. He is a man who loved his family and the Waiter’s Union (p. 34).
Although he cannot leave his drinking habit, Johnny never loses his sense to educate his children. Johnny is such a wise person who shows the children how to treat others and some who are bad in reputation. Walking along with Francie,
He sees a friendly prostitute.
“Lonesome, Mister?” Johnny looked at her at a moment before he asked gently. “No, Sister,” “Sure?” “Sure.” He answered gently. “Was the lady bad, Papa?” “No, there are very few bad people. There just a lot of people that are unlucky. She was one who had seen better days”. He liked the phrase.
“Yes, she may have seen better days”. He fell into a thoughtful mood ( p. 149)
By calling the prostitute as sister and explaining to Francie that the woman is not bad but unlucky, Johnny gives her lesson that she should have been wise in treating others, although they are assumed as bad by most of the people. Johnny’s moral education really influences Francie in the way that she is wise too in facing the complicated problem of life. This is clear after knowing the fact that mother will only send Neeley to high schools. Francie can not accept this treatment at first. Her mother reasons if Francie really wants to go to school, she will find a way to do it, but Neeley would not without her making it. Since thinking that school will be the place where she feels the most successful, Francie argues her mother’s decision even though she knows deep down that they are right. Later,
Francie decides to educate herself on life through her job (p. 338-9).
Johnny loves Francie much although he is not a typically good father.
Francie loves him more than her mother does. That is why Johnny’s death becomes the very important event in Francie’s life. She loses some parts of her life, including the beauty that her father usually shares with. After her father’s death, Francie starts to write ‘sordid’ composition in response to the death. She starts to be aware of her self-identity; more aware of the kind of writer. Johnny inherits her to appreciate beauty in every single thing. Although Francie loves to write story, that her teacher assumes as sordid. She finds beauty beneath her writing. She can present the composition that is more ‘hers’ rather than the really beautiful one that she actually does not understand. Instead of growing up to be a liar, Francie decides to be a good writer.
Johnny Nolan, whom Francie called Papa, is also the one that influences
Francie’s character development. Francie inherits the ability to see and hear beauty in ugly world. Johnny’s presence is one thing that makes Francie’s life more beautiful but life has dropped significantly when her father died.
“Our family used to be like a strong cup,” thought Francie. “It was whole and sound and held things well. When Papa died, the first crack came. Soon there will be so many cracks that the cup will break and we’ll all be pieces instead of a whole thing together” (p. 340)
Hurlock says that even though the father has less influence than the mother, his influence is still great (1972: 434). Johnny influences Francie to always see the good things among the bad things. In other word, Johnny always teaches Francie to think positively in everything that comes on her way. The slums area in
Brooklyn that form the background of her family’s life do not always leave bad image for her. She sees that it is a magical thing to live in Brooklyn.
“There’s no other places like it,” Francie said. “Like what?” “Brooklyn. It’s magic city and it isn’t real.” “It’s just like any other place.” “It isn’t! I go to New York every day and New York’s not the same. I went to Bayonne once to see a girl from the office was home, sick. And Bayonne isn’t the same. It’s mysterious here in Brooklyn. It’s like-yes-like a dream. The houses and streets don’t seem real. Neither do the people.” “But it’s like a dream of being poor and fighting. They don’t really feel these things. It’s all like happening in a dream.” (p. 358)
Although being poor is hurtful, Francie never hates of her being poor. The dark side of Brooklyn is not always dark for her. She admired Brooklyn as a wonderful city that it seems like a dream to live there. This is the way Francie sees the good thing beneath the bad thing. Getting influence from her father, Francie becomes a person with positive thoughts instead of the negative ones.
Sissy Rommely is a liberal woman that Francie adores much. She is the one that breaks the norm. When other married women give their loyalty to their own single husband, Sissy frees her by chasing some men. People think that Sissy is bad because she has many lovers and expresses her love openly. Despite her weakness toward men, Sissy is a fun loving character and is specially connected with Francie.
Francie hoped that Sissy would stay for supper. When Sissy was around, everything was gay and glamorous. Francie felt that Sissy understands how it was with little girls. Other people treated children like lovable but necessary evils. Sissy treated them like important human beings (p. 40)
Besides, Sissy is the second mother for Francie as they are engaged maternally.
Sissy’s treatment towards children and Francie especially, helps her grow up a loving character too. She is the ideal figure who gives her love as much as possible to everyone she knows. Francie understands that what Sissy has done for her and for the people is good. She knows that love and being loved is the most beautiful thing in the world. Love needs struggle and being loved is the most beautiful thing in the world. Francie also learns that treating other as important human beings is one of the ways to express love.
Besides mama and papa, Francie still has Aunt Sissy whom also gives influence on her development. As she does not get enough education from her mother to be a woman, Francie learns much from her Aunt Sissy how a woman should behave. She is a fun loving character. Her dynamic and well-loved characters easily attract men that she herself can not define whether she gives the true love or not. She insists that she will give love as much as possible to everyone but she sometimes shows her love improperly to men. Sissy works in a
rubber factory and her husband works for a pulp magazine house. Aunt Sissy brings them for Francie to read and sell at half price. Since they both have naturally maternal relationship, Francie also assumes that Sissy is her second mother. She is also the answer of Francie’s questions. Her bringing home for magazines is the sign that Sissy helps to educate Francie. By reading magazines, she grows up into a girl whom rich of knowledge and understanding. This is clear when she become a city reader in the Clipping Bureau at fourteen.
Growing up in society and under the influences of her family members,
Francie Nolan develops wisdom and maturation in a very young age. Her ability to take lesson in every incident makes her rich of knowledge and understanding, that also make her have strong mind and purpose.
Seen from psychological point of view, Francie had developed her understanding and maturation through the process of self-initiated or inner- directed and is known as “identification” (1974: 90). Francie’s character development is categorized into this process because she takes the initiative in putting forth the effort needed to achieve an end result that she feels is valuable to her. She is thus molding her own personality pattern, though environmental influences are felt through the reactions of other people to the behavior patterns she develops (1974: 84).
As Francie grows up, she imitates the hard work and morality from her mother, Katie, and a love of life from her father, Johnny. From her aunt, Sissy
Rommely, Francie also imitates how to love others. As she is being conditioned with hardship that surrounds her childhood, she does not let the condition form
her characteristic. Nevertheless, she learns how to be different from what the condition usually creates. Her poverty teaches her to be resourceful and she manages to go to school and support her family at the same time.
CHAPTER V
CONCLUSION
Both family and society are important factors that help someone’s personality development. Family is the first while society is the second. What become one’s personality develops is merely the products of his lesson as the member of both society and family.
Analyzing this novel in the previous chapter, it is concluded that Francie
Nolan is a good character. It is clear from the way she sees life from her own point of view. She is depicted as the good one with dynamic character because she undergoes positive changes as the result of her taking lesson from her family and the experiences of society.
Francie Nolan is part of Brooklyn kids who lives in a warm and solid family but in an unfortunate society. She is lucky for her mother is a good educator and such a hard worker. She emphasizes to her children that money is not the main key to open prosperity in the future, but education is. Taking this principle, she wants her children to live happily than their parents. Johnny Nolan,
Francie’s father is also the one who completes the perfection of the family. He is such a wise, neat, and romantic person as well although he actually fails in being the money maker for the Nolan’s family. Besides, Aunt Sissy is also the one that gives lesson for Francie. She is brave, loving, and a good protector for her.
Poverty surrounds the life of Francie Nolan. It can be seen from the environmental condition which is mostly covered with slum areas. The bad
quality of food consumption is also the indication that the society is poor. Poverty results in many treatments such as social gap between the rich and the poor and also tricky action done by the adults toward children.
As Francie is a good learner, she can take every lesson from her experience. From her mother, she learns how to live in dignity and with pride. It is not an easy task for the Nolans since they are poor and surrounded by poverty.
Nevertheless, Katie Nolan suggests the children not to be ashamed with their condition. Johnny Nolan also influences Francie much. He teaches how to see beauty beneath the bad things. He asks Francie to appreciate beauty that results in her good composition about her real background, which are Brooklyn slum areas.
Francie also gets influence from her aunt, Sissy Rommely. She always brings some newspaper home for Francie. From this, she learns how to read and to see the outer world. At early ages, she has already been fond of reading.
Brooklyn’s poverty encourages Francie to learn from the condition rather than to flow with it. She pushes herself to be different from mostly Brooklyn kids.
While other girls at her age like to have date with their lovers on Saturday night,
Francie likes to spend her time by reading books. She likes this habit and as the result she becomes a motivated young woman.
Francie’s characteristics develop under the influence of her family and society. From a just ordinary kid who loves to play in a candy store, she grows into a person with pride and confidence. She begins to state whatever that becomes her principal. As having a mother who works outside home, little Francie is accustomed with house works. This condition makes her realize that she has to
be responsible for herself, seeing the fact that her mother can not be beside her all the time. Francie also grows into someone who has positive thoughts. For her, bad thing does not always bad. Bad thing might be good too. She takes the lesson of being unfortunate but never hates of being unlucky. Her being familiar with the term of hardship in early ages forces Francie to enter adult world in a very young age, which consequently makes her understand the difficulties of being adult. This suggests that Francie is growing into a mature person. Although finally gains success, Francie Nolan never forgets her background as she loves her family and
Brooklyn very much. Francie undergoes the step of identification
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