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The Portrayal of Women in Michael Cunningham's the Hours By Citra Dewi Saraswati Being Cunningham’s Women: The Portrayal of Women in Michael Cunningham’s The Hours Being Cunningham’s Women: The Portrayal of Women in Michael Cunningham’s The Hours by: Citra Dewi Saraswati English Language and Literature Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia [email protected] ABSTRACT This present study entitled Being Cunningham’s Women: The Portrayal of Women in Michael Cunningham’s The Hours is aimed to unearth the way in which Michael Cunningham, as a male author, portrays women in the novel The Hours. This study employs qualitative descriptive method coupled with textual analysis approach. It can be seen from the portrayal of women as the ones who are unconfident and exhausted in domestic sphere yet powerful enough to make their own decision to liberate themselves from the exhaustion caused by their life. In other words, Cunningham subverts Gubar’s (1980, cited in Lange, 2008) notion that male authors perceive women as “blank page.” With the benefit of stream of consciousness method, Cunningham has successfully portrayed women’s experience and their situation accurately while, at the same time, diffusing liberal feminism value in his work. Keywords: Feminism, Liberal Feminism, Portrayal, Stream of Consciousness 69 Passage2014,2(2), 69-81 INTRODUCTION conducted by Roger (1996), Miner Most portrayal of life from female (1997), and Ruunaniemi (2001). point of view in literature is written Roger (1996) conducted an analysis by women authors (Lange, 2008, p. of how women are portrayed in Ian 1). However, male authors too have McEwan’s fictions. From her study, written fictions about women and it is concluded that, in some of some of them ‘have attempted to see McEwan’s fictions, women are life from a woman’s perspective’ portrayed in a way that ‘encapsulates (ibid.). Feminism has been the idea of Simone de Beauvoir, that suspicious towards fictions written the construction of woman as by male authors as they provide incidental to man and only reference feminine idealization that, ‘through to man can be accepted by woman’ the centuries, have served as (Roger, 1996, p. 11). It is due to the propaganda to keep women in their fact that during his adolescence, he place’ (Williamson, 2001, p. 2). In had a little knowledge of girls since her extended essay, Virginia Woolf he was sent to all-boys boarding argues that female characters school. This research is similar to featured in early literary works such that of Ruunaniemi (2001) which is as Sophocles’, Shakespeare’s, concerned with the portrayal of Tolstoy’s, Flaubert’s ‘have burnt like women in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s beacons…lacking in personality and fictions throughout his literary character’ (Woolf, 1929), giving an career. The study shows that the impression that male authors have portrayal of women in F. Scott never been portraying female Fitzgerald fictions changes accurately and attempt to either make throughout time. In his early fictions, themselves feeling superior or make Fitzgerald portrays women as the women ‘completely insignificant’ ones who aspire to acquire personal (ibid.). liberation and want to be free, while Some research regarding the in his later works Fitzgerald portrays way male authors portray women in ‘women who actively work to reach their work of fiction have been that goal’ (Ruunaniemi, 2001, p. 186 Citra Dewi Saraswati Being Cunningham’s Women: The Portrayal of Women in Michael Cunningham’s The Hours 116). However, his later works whose stories are intertwined in the shows some sensitiveness in the end of the novel. Written by a male condition of women while portraying American novelist, Michael the yearning for independent in some Cunningham, each of the stories tells aspects such as financial, education, ‘the experience of a particular and occupation field. woman during the course of one day’ Miner (1997) has also (Nogueira, 2009, p. 32). The Hours is conducted an analysis of how Andre opened with a prologue which later is Dubus wrote about women in his followed by three narrative threads. short stories. Miner discussed about They are Mrs. Woolf’s section where women’s voice and women’s (‘fictional but entirely plausible’ experience represented in the three (Wood, 1998)) Virginia Woolf writes works of Dubus – Anna, Leslie in her Mrs. Dalloway while longing for California, and Rose – that focus London lifein the end of World War intently on female characters. The I Richmond; Mrs. Brown section study shows that in Dubus’ stories where a housewife Laura Brown the female characters are in an prepares a party for her husband’s attempt to establish ‘herself as birthday in 1950s America; and Mrs. herself’ (ibid., p. 20), meaning that Dalloway section where Clarissa each of these women is portrayed as Vaughan, nicknamed Mrs. Dalloway, autonomous individual who seeks an editor living in the end of 20th her identity through the events she century New York is preparing a experiences. party for her AIDS-striken friend. One of works written by These women have a similarity: they contemporary male author that are experiencing an existential focuses on the life of women and anguish that makes them rethink and women’s experience is The Hours. reconsider the choices they had made Published in 1998, The Hours is a in their life. In the end of the novel, Pulitzer Prize winning novel that the readers are made known that tells about three different women those women are connected in a way from different historical periods 187 Passage2014,2(2), 69-81 they are writer, reader, and character The reason why liberal of the novel Mrs. Dalloway. feminism is chosen as the guidance Cunningham uses stream of of this study is because it mainly consciousness narrative method in focuses on gender equality in society. The Hours. Stream of consciousness Its root can be traced back to a method refers to the presentation of publication written by Mary characters thoughts as they continue Wollstonecraft in 1792. In her work, to act in the fiction. This method she noted that biological differences gives the reader insight of what is between women and men should not going on in characters’ mind and be used as ‘the basis for differential what emotional process they feel rights and roles’ (Sample, 2006, p. (Humphrey, 1954; Barnes, n.d.; 334). She also asserted that access to Lethbridge & Mildorf, 2004). The education is necessary for women in method is commonly used by order to enhance their rationality so modernist novelist such as James that they can be more productive as Joyce, Virginia Woolf, William fully responsible moral agents (ibid.). Faulkner, and Dorothy Richardson. Echoing Wollstonecraft, John To a great extent, The Hours is Stuart Mill and his later wife, Harriet actually based on Virginia Woolf’s Taylor (Mill), also gave Mrs. Dalloway, and said as contributions in the study of liberal Cunningham’s act of homage to the feminism. Even though their later novel (Schiff, 2004, p. 365). approach to liberal feminism is Unlike the previous studies slightly different, they basically that have been mentioned above, this focus on equality between husband study takes one work written by a and wife in domestic sphere. male author as the object of the study In terms of women’s while using the framework theory of condition in domestic sphere, Betty liberal Feminism as a guidance to Friedan also plays an important role achieve the goal of this study. in the study of liberal feminism. Her contribution in feminist literature has made her elected as the first 188 Citra Dewi Saraswati Being Cunningham’s Women: The Portrayal of Women in Michael Cunningham’s The Hours president of the National ‘assumed to be the final judge of Organization of Women (NOW) in their own interest’ (Sample, 2006, p. the United States. She believed that 333) and promotes the liberty for even though sexual equality and both sexes to decide their sexual women’s rights have been orientation and partners (ibid. p. acknowledged, women still suffered 334). from ‘the problem that has no name’ which refers to the sense of METHODOLOGY dissatisfaction experienced by most This study tries to reveal the suburban housewives in 20th century depiction of women in America (Freidan, 1963; Tong, 2006, Cunningham’s The Hours. To meet p. 28). In her later book, The Second the aim of the study, the data in the Stage, she urged both sexes to ‘work form of text are collected. Therefore, toward anandrogynous future in it makes this study qualitative in which all human beings manifest nature. Then, the technique of textual both traditionally masculineand analysis is adopted to complement traditionally feminine traits’ (Tong, the methodology. It includes textual 2006, p. 32). This notion is supported evidences that are gathered through by psychologist point of view multiple close-readings. Secondary assuming that androgynous person sources such as previous research who possesses both good masculine regarding women’s portrayal in and feminine traits are believed to be fictions, journals, and books related more effective and functioning as a to the subject being investigated are human being (Bem, 1989). also taken into account. Moreover, Based on these figures’ theoretical framework of liberal thoughts, in short, liberal feminism feminism is used as guidance to seeks to emphasize equal right and achieve the goal of the study. They liberation for both women and men are all analyzed in order to answer regardless their sexual differences. the research question. This form of feminism also underlines that educated women are 189 Passage2014,2(2), 69-81 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION the kitchen, she stops only to feel WOMEN’S PORTRAYAL IN that she has no idea how to act in THE HOURS front of her husband and son (The Based on the finding of textual Hours, p.
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