PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
WOMEN INVOLVEMENT IN SOCIALIST MOVEMENT AS THE REFLECTION OF WOMEN LIBERATION AS DEPICTED IN MOTHER BY MAXIM GORKY
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters
By Tyas Putri Pamungkas Student Number: 054214023
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2012
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“Sometimes you have to go against yourself if you want to keep going forward”
(Maxim Gorky)
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For those who always let me learn
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My greatest gratitude goes to my family for the entire things that they
always give. I would also like to thank to Elisa Dwi Wardhani, S.S.,M.Hum. as
my advisor and Niluh Putu Rosiandani, S.S,M.Hum. as the co-advisor, for the
guidance and correction during the long process of writing this undergraduate
thesis. I also like to give thank to Dra. A.B. Sri Mulyani, M.A., Ph.D. for the
correction and advises.
I would like to thank my friends Wahmuji, Widiana, Rosa Dahlia, Anna
Elfira and Armando for their help and supports. Without them, I will miss the
opportunity to finish this undergraduate thesis on time. To my dearest partner
Hario, thank you for everything.
For others whose name I cannot mention one by one, thanks for the
inspiration and support.
Tyas Putri Pamungkas.
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PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE …………………………………………………...... i APPROVAL PAGE ………………………………………………….. ii ACCEPTANCE PAGE ………………………………………………. iii MOTTO PAGE………………………………………………………… iv DEDICATION PAGE ……………………………………………….. v LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS ………..... …. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS …………………………………………. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ……………………………………………. viii ABSTRACT …………………………………………………………. x ABSTRAK …………………………………………………………... xi
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION …………………………………. 1 A. Background of the Study ………………………………… 1 B. Problem Formulation …………………………………….. 5 C. Objectives of the Study …………………………………... 6 D. Definition of Terms ……………………………………… 6 1. Socialist Movement ………………………………….. 6 2. Women Liberation …………………………………… 7
CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL REVIEW ………………………. 9 A. Review of Related Studies ……………………………….. 9 B. Review of Related Theories ……………………………… 13 1. Theory of Plot ………………………………………… 13 2. Theory of Socialism …………………………………… 15 3. Theory of Socialist Feminism ………………………... 16 4. Theory of Alienation …………………………………. 18 5. Theory of Capitalism ………………………………….. 19 C. Theoretical Framework ……………………………………. 22
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ………………………………... 24 A. Object of the Study ……………………………………….. 24 B. Approach of the Study ……………………………………. 25 C. Method of the Study ………………………………………. 26
CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS …………………………………………. 28 A. Women Involvement in Socialist Movement along the Plot of the Story …………………………………………………. 28
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PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
1. The Beginning of the Plot ………………………………. 30 2. The Middle of the Plot …………………………………. 33 3. The End of the Plot …………………………………….. 40 B. Women Involvement in Socialist Movement As the Reflection of Women Liberation …………………………… 45 1. The Qualities of Women Liberation ……………………. 45 2. The Way Women are Oppresed ………………………… 46 3. The Way Women are Liberated ………………………… 52 a. The Process of Women Building Unalienated Society 52 b. The Reflection of Women Liberation in Unalienated Society ……………………………………………… 55
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ………………………………………. 65
BIBLIOGRAPHY …………………………………………………….. 67
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PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
ABSTRACT
Tyas Putri Pamungkas. Women Involvement in Socialist Movement as the Reflection of Women Liberation as Depicted in Mother by Maxim Gorky. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2012.
Woman characters in Mother are represented as courageous characters. They have important role in socialist movement and it is more than just a collaboration with the man characters to fight against capitalism. Fighting against capitalist system is not only giving them opportunity to create classless society but also to overcome alienation. The quality of women liberation is revealed when women are not alienated and this condition is created when women join in socialist movement. This research analyzed Mother through two problems formulated. The first one is how the women involvement in socialist movement is described along the plot of the story. The involvement can be seen throughout the plot. The second is how women involvement in socialist movement reflects women liberation. The aim from this study to reveal women involvement and condition when women are not alienated through the plot is to prove that their involvement reflect women liberation. Library research is the method to analyze Gorky’s novel Mother. The steps applied in this study are reading the novel, collecting data, and finding appropriate approach and theories in order to reveal the quality of unalieanted condition as the means to define women liberation. The approach that is used in the analysis is socialist feminist. It believes that women liberation can be achieved when women are freed from their oppressive sources. The conclusion of this study is that women involvement in socialist movement creates unalienated society that can be seen along the plot of the story, as foremost element of the novel. The unalienated society reflects the condition when women are liberated because they are freed from the system that oppresses them, not only capitalist system but also patriarchy. It can be concluded that women involvement in socialist movement is the reflection of their liberation because they are freed from the oppression.
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ABSTRAK
Tyas Putri Pamungkas. Women Involvement in Socialist Movement as the Reflection of Women Liberation as Depicted in Mother by Maxim Gorky. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2012.
Tokoh perempuan di dalam novel Mother digambarkan sebagai sosok pemberani. Mereka memiliki peranan penting dalam pergerakan sosialis and peranan ini lebih dari sekedar suatu hubungan kerjasama dengan tokoh laki-laki untuk melawan kapitalisme. Memerangi sistem kapitalis bukan hanya memberikan kesempatan untuk menciptakan masyarakat tanpa kelas tetapi juga mengatasi alienasi yang merupakan ciptaan dari kapitalisme. Kondisi pembebasan perempuan terungkap ketika perempuan tidak teralienasi dan kondisi ini tercipta saat perempuan ikut serta dalam pergerakan sosialis. Penelitian ini mengkaji Mother melalui dua masalah yang diformulasikan. Yang pertama adalah bagaimana keterlibatan perempuan dalam pergerakan sosialis dijelaskan sepanjang alur cerita. Keterlibatannya dapat dilihat di sepanjang alur. Yang kedua adalah bagaimana keterlibatan perempuan dalam pergerakan sosialis mencerminkan pembebasan perempuan. Tujuan dari penelitian ini untuk mengungkap keterlibatan perempuan dan mengungkap kondisi ketika perempuan tidak teralienasi adalah untuk membuktikan bahwa keikutsertaan mereka sesuai dengan ciri dari pembebasan perempuan. Studi pustaka adalah metode yang digunakan untuk menganalisa novel milik Gorky Mother. Langkah yang digunakan dalam analisa ini adalah membaca novel, pengumpulan data, dan menemukan pendekatan dan teori yang sesuai untuk mengungkap ciri kondisi tidak teralienasi sebagai cara untuk menentukan pembebasan perempuan. Pendekatan yang digunakan adalah sosialis feminist. Mereka percaya bahwa pembebasan perempuan dapat dicapai ketika perempuan terbebas dari sumber penindasan. Kesimpulan dari penelitian ini adalah bahwa keterlibatan perempuan dalam pergerakan sosialis menciptakan kondisi masyarakat yang tidak teralienasi yang dapat dilihat disepanjang alur cerita. Masyarakat yang tidak teralienasi mencerminkan kondisi ketika perempuan terbebaskan karena mereka terbebas dari sistem yang menindas bukan hanya sistem kapitalis tetapi juga patriarki. Dapat disimpulkan bahwa keterlibatan perempuan dalam pergerakan sosialis sebagai cerminan dari pembebasan mereka karena terbebas dari penindasan.
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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
Usually, people are interested in certain literary works, especially novel or
short story because of their story. Through its interesting point, plot challenges the
readers and also encourages them to finish reading the whole story.
Unpredictably, plot can entice people and this will determine whether the readers
will finish reading the book or not. However, sometimes predictable conflict or
even “flat’ story without significant conflict can still be great literary works
although some people may consider it boring. As Roger stated in Reading the
Novel (1977:25), actually reading a novel is also a private experience regardless
of the fact that a novel, either with dynamic or monotone plot, can be interesting
for certain individuals. It is a matter of personal experience and individual
preference. Therefore, there is no absolute criteria in determining the readers’
interest.
In a certain literary work, such as a novel or short story, the readers can
get not only the structure of the novel or other intrinsic aspects such as plot, which
covers conflict, climax and release, but also the meaning or the idea of the story.
Forster (1927:19) said through his book Aspects of the Novel and Related Writings
that what the story does— if it is a good novel- is to include the values of life as
well. There is a belief that novel can be one of the ways for the author to deliver
great values of life and at the same time giving opportunity the for readers to gain
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PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 2
some meanings and new experiences or knowledge about life. In other words,
through the process of reading and analyzing the development of the plot, the
readers will have the opportunity to experience the process of gaining the
meanings and knowledge about great values of life as delivered by the author in
the literary work.
Those values of life and meanings delivered in literary works may vary
one from another. They depend on what kind of experience an author may get
through his life, the intention of the author himself, and the purpose expected
from delivering them in literary works. This undergraduate thesis takes a novel
entitled Mother written by Maxim Gorky. It is Gorky's most famous work which
delivers many ideas or values on socialist movement. As a socialist concerned on
class struggle and labor right, Maxim Gorky delivered socialism vividly through
the plot and the characters in the story. The novel Mother tells the story of Pavel
and Pellagea as the main characters of the novel. In the story, he conducted
various actions with other characters as his comrades including Pellagea, his
mother, that perceived as socialist movement, such as managing a revolutionary
movement based on his consideration about the importance of fighting against
capitalism, and struggling for the equality of working class in his society. The
goals of his actions were making the workers obtained better payment and class
equality in society.
The story itself is narrated from the point of view of Pavel's mother, that is
Pelagea Nilovna. As the narrator of the story, she played a very important role and
also had significant part in determining the plot of the novel because of her PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 3
character development. Kazim Aizas Alam also agreed about the importance of
the mother in Gorky's Mother. He stated that the view and emotions of the
mother, who was barely literate and immensely oppressed, yet had a better appeal
to the collective working class of the world, had been generally kept out of the
bourgeois educational system
(http://reddiarypk.wordpress.com/2008/11/25/maxim-gorky-mother/). Nilovna's
experiences towards oppression as well as her sensitiveness towards others
become a great power during her character’s development, especially when she
finally decided to join socialist movement. Up to this point, it becomes interesting
because in the beginning of the story she was completely afraid and disagreed
about the involvement in any forbidden, law-breaking activities, conducted by the
so-called socialist group, but then she herself joined in the movement.
Moreover, there are also some other woman characters in the novel who
also had their own important roles in the movement, which is different one from
another. Kazim Aizas realized that Gorky presented those courageous and brave
female characters in the novel, such as Natasha, Sasha, Ludmilla, and Sophia, into
account in the way that their character development during the plot and their
involvement in socialist movement led to other valuably-analytical points. In the
story, those women collaborated with other labors, whom mostly of them were
men, to create classless society through socialist movement.
The goal of socialist feminist movement is more than just achieving
equality, since equality would only put women on a par with men without
transforming the condition of oppression that produces gender as well as class and PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 4
race relation as it is mentioned in book entitled Thinking about Women
Sociological and Feminist Perspective by Margaret L. Anderson (1983: 264). The
more appropriate and suitable goal of socialist feminist in order to understand and
change the condition that oppresses women in society both patriarchal and class
system is to achieve women liberation. Social consciousness and struggle against
oppression are required to reach women liberation and full human potential.
Besides, overcoming alienation is also another quality and way women should
have in order to achieve women liberation. From that finding, the writer is
interested in examining women involvement as the reflection of women
liberation.
As Rosemarie Tong stated in Feminist Thought that the fundamental goal
of these feminists need to remain constant: to encourage women everywhere to
unite in whatever ways they can to oppose structures of oppression, inequality,
and injustice, so it is clear that equality between men and women is not the only
purpose that feminists would like to achieve (2009:127). For some feminist
groups, such as socialist and radical feminist, equality is not enough to define
oppression and provide solution to it since the source of oppression is complex. It
is caused not only by patriarchal system but also capitalism, which creates class in
society. Class in capitalist system is one of the forms of injustice, which in certain
condition leads women into collaborating with men to create better social
structure. Women involvement in political world, including joining the
revolutionary movements, is also treated as one of the efforts of showing
women’s existence. Through the movement, they can speak about justice, women PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 5
liberation, and social class to public. As it is mentioned in Thinking about Women
Sociological and Feminist Perspective (1983: 276) that although economic class
relation are important in determining women’s status, gender relations may be
equally important. It is clear that in socialist movement, both gender and class
relation are related to each other in forming women oppression. By studying
feminist movement, people will have not only wider and deeper understanding
about the purpose of feminism but also the ability to assist people to be more
aware on any injustices in everyday life and enables them to have better
perception about women and their values.
This undergraduate thesis analyzes women involvement in socialist
movement as the reflection of women liberation as depicted in Mother by Maxim
Gorky. The writer employs socialist feminist criticism to observe deeply in what
way the woman characters’ involvement in socialist movement is revealed
through the plot of the story. Moreover, since the preliminary studies found that
the female characters in the story conducted many efforts to fight those who
brought up women oppression, especially in capitalist system, the study of women
liberation in socialist feminist is also applied in this analysis.
B. Problem Formulation
1. How is the women involvement in socialist movement described along the
course of the plot of the story?
2. How does women involvement in the socialist movement reflect women
liberation?
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 6
C. Objectives of the Study
The writer tries to reveal the analysis by answering the entire problem
formulation. The first objective is finding out how women involvements are
described through the plot of the story. By analyzing the plot, the writer will get
insight to analyze women involvement in socialist movement since the
involvement can be seen throughout the plot. The second objective is revealing
how women involvement, which was conducted by the woman characters in the
story, reflects women liberation.
D. Definition of Terms
To avoid misconception, below are the definitions of terms used in this
analysis. The definitions provided here are from many sources such as websites
and books.
1. Socialist Movement
The socialist movement is mainly based on a political force so-called
socialism. According to A. M. Simon through his book entitled The Philosophy of
Socialism, socialism is described as the philosophy of social development that
treats great economic laws according to the working of which each of these stages
of society must naturally be a development from its predecessor. In Historical
Dictionary of Socialism by Peter Lamb and James C. Docherty, it is stated that the
emergence of socialism as a mass movement attempts to present it as rational,
orderly progression, and to ignore its schisms and mistakes and romanticism. In
The Philosophy of Socialism, it is stated that:
The history of these class struggles forms a series of revolutions, in which now-a-days, a stage has been reached where the exploited and oppressed PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 7
class-the proletariat-cannot attain its emancipation from the sway of the exploiting and ruling class-the bourgeoisie-without at the same time, and once for all, emancipating society at large from all exploitation, oppression, class distinctions and class struggles (1930: 4).
From the quotations, it can be concluded that socialist movement is a mass
movement series in class struggle by labor as short supply in socialist system of
revolution to achieve emancipation in society through economic struggle,
including revolution in any injustice such as exploitation, oppression, and class
disinctions which aims to achieve better condition.
2. Women Liberation
Term of women liberation can be found in Feminist Thought by
Rosemarie Tong. She wrote that to reach women liberation, women should
overturn the patriarchal system and political structure in social and cultural
institution as quoted bellow:
It is not just patriarchy’s legal and political structures that must be overturned on the way to women’s liberation. Its social and cultural institutions (especially the family and organized religion) must also be uprooted (2009: 2).
Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines liberation as the condition
when somebody is freed from something that restricts their enjoyment in life.
Something from the definition above refers to the oppression of women as it is
revealed in Feminist Thought (2009: 102), which stated that Marxist and socialist
feminists insights to help liberate women from forces that oppress them. Socialist
feminist believe that the root of women oppression is not only patriarchal system
but also capitalism. These two systems are mutually dependent. Patriarchy
provides the sexual hierarchical ordering in society for political control, while PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 8
capitalism— as an economic class system driven by pursuit of profit feeds off—
the patriarchal ordering stated in Capitalism Patriarchy and the Case for Socialist
Feminist (1979: 28).
To liberate women from oppression, women should deal with alienation as
the product of capitalist system in order to achieve species beings condition.
Based on Capitalism Patriarchy and the Case for Socialist Feminist (1979: 7),
species beings are those who have ultimately reached their human potential for
creative labor, social consciousness, and social living through the struggle against
capitalist society, and who have fully internalized these capacities in communist
society. The quality of species being leads to women liberation, which means that
they have been aware of the source of their oppression and are able to fight
against it. Women can fight against capitalism through their class-consciousness
while their social consciousness will help them to deal with the patriarchal
system.
From the quotation above, we can see that women liberation is the
condition where women are freed from capitalist and patriarchal system that
oppress them by becoming species being who can reach their human potential
through overcoming alienation.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL REVIEW
A. Review Related Studies
Study on Mother by Gorky has variations in its purpose as the object
within the novel for the analysis. Many analyses are done that resulted in belief
that Mother was written to deliver propagandistic goals. The goal is to raise the
consciousness the worker on labor right and class equality. Katerina Clark
analyzed some Russian writers in her book entitled The Soviet Novel: History as
the Ritual, which was published in 2000, including Gorky through his work
Mother as the reflection of the history in Russia. In one part of the analysis, Clark
stated that Gorky had great skill in organizing various elements coherently which
resulted in good Socialist Realist novel. Traditional motif such the essence of
family and mentor are combined with other kinds of motives such as political
interest and propaganda, and are patterned well into one sequence of story.
From the previous study, it can be concluded that the novel Mother is
more than just propagandistic novel since it is a great work in the capability of the
writer to arrange various motives and purposes without ignoring the interest of the
reader to create attracting novel. As the result, public are offered with good story
and at the same time a capability to gain revolutionary socialist values. This study
gives proof for the writer that the plot in Mother is worthy and is a fundamental
element to be studied.
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PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 10
Gorky is a famous writer who has contributed in socialist movement to
give awareness for labors. Socialist realist model is believed being introduced
through Mother. This is a realistic art style having purpose on furtherance of the
goals of socialism and communism. This literature genre becomes the bridge from
earlier form of literature genre in Soviet period to the modern one. Revealing
socialism values in Gorky’s novel becomes a common thing in different kinds of
studies since it can be seen clearly through the story and the intrinsic element of
the novel.
Sexual Revolution in Bolshevik Russia written by Gregory Carleton in
2005 is a book discussing Mother as one of the object in his study. It is stated that
Pavel Vlasov as the main character delivered the quality of socialist who defended
worker’s right and justice. However, in this study Pavel is the criticism because he
perceived that family might reduce revolutionary energy, it is in the contrast with
Gorky’s suggestion that a politically mature character should not do that.
Each analysis has a different focus. The previous study used character as
the object of the analysis. It was also done by Kevin Daniel for his thesis about
literary models for alternative social development in Russia. It was published in
http://werbach.com/stuff/thesis.html. In a part of his study, it was mentioned that
Gorky’s focus on the character actually lied on Nilovna instead of Pavel. In brief,
Pavel was surely the central of the story but it was not as it seemed. His immature
political view and his own principle led him to end up in jail. It meant that he
could not join his comrades in the revolutionary movement. The focus on Nilovna
(Pavel’s mother) instead of Pavel could be seen through her presence in some PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 11
movements she joined in. Although she had no political knowledge, her care and
love towards people around her became the underlying reason to struggle in
socialist movement. That passion also became her revolutionary energy. The
importance of Pellagea Nilovna is the trigger for the writer to show how the
female characters have their own roles, particularly in achieving women liberation
as the goal of socialist feminist movement.
The topic about women as the object in certain analysis is something
common since it may reveal many things. When studying women, the most
suitable approach is feminism. The analysis will deal with oppression,
emancipation, equality, liberation and other relevant issues. Isam M. Shihada
analyzed the cause of women’s oppression in God Dies by the Nile written by
Nawal El Saadawi. The study concluded that the real cause behind the suffering of
the woman character in the novel is the manifestation of the bound between
political, economical, social, cultural and psychological with underlying class
difference. It was also stated that as the reaction against patriarchal class structure
that enslaved the woman characters, collective action was taken by the woman
characters. In short, it was stated that women can be an effective political power
which will force society to change and abolish the patriarchal class structures that
put women as victims (2007:176).
Patriarchal system in society is not the only explanation to reveal the real
cause of women oppression and women subordination but also class power.
Women characters, both in previous study that is done by Shihada and the PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 12
analysis done by the writer, have similarity in reacting against the oppression and
injustice in society.
The relation between women and men always becomes an interesting
subject in many studies in different literary works. It is also done by Maga Amira.
Amira’s dissertation entitled Celie’s Emancipation Process in Alice Walker’s The
Color Purple revealed sisterhood as the determiner of the emancipation which
triggers on gaining self economy and self spiritual. Celie as the main character in
the novel experienced sexism and racism oppression. Alice as the writer had the
same intention to deliver awareness to the readers through her literary works
where she did not only give voice to black women but also provide them with a
path to follow in order to get their liberation.
The difference between the two studies lays on the social background, The
Color Purple is about sexism and racism while Mother it is dealing with class
oppression. The woman characters in the two novels had the same development to
be women liberated. Socialist feminism is also applied in The Color Purple
analysis to identify the reason behind a female character’s behavior and
development as mentioned before, that economical condition has an important
role in revealing women oppression.
From the previous studies, the first aspect that interest the writer to go
further in analyzing Maxim Gorky's Mother is the finding of depictions on social
condition through the intrinsic elements in his work. Although clear result of the
analysis might be easily attained through the characters, the writer comes to the PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 13
decision that the plot is the important intrinsic element to be analyzed in this study
in order to find significant ideas and efforts of the socialist movements.
The second prominent aspect of the previous studies that also interests the
writer is that any socialist actions or movements found in the Maxim Gorky's
Mother are the effects from the existing social conditions. When a person or a
group of people in particular society put certain class or group of people in unfair,
unequal conditions, automatically certain movements will emerge and occur as the
reaction as well as the means to fix the social condition to get the better social
condition. This study will focus on the socialist movements as the reactions
toward the unfair conditions the characters experienced in order to reach their
liberation in society. The analysis will concern on the plot of the story in order to
be different with other studies. It is also done to develop the analysis on class
difference as one of the source of women’s oppression.
B. Review of Related Theories
1. Theory of Plot
Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs through their book entitled Fiction:
an Introduction to Reading and Writing wrote about plot and structure, that a plot
is a plan or groundwork for a story, based in conflicting human motivation, with
the actions resulting from believable and realistic human response (1986: 87).
Revealing the plot from certain literary work means finding the groundwork from
the story through the actions or events as the reaction or response of the characters
against particular thing or condition, causation and opposition. To differ plot from
story can be done by asking different questions. In story, people ask “and then?” PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 14
while in plot people ask “why?”; that is why compiling plot requires the causality
in order to answer “why” question from the reader.
Suzanne Keen described plot as a set of events related by causation as
quoted in her book Narrative Form (2003:73). Plot, as called sjuzet by Russian
formalists, is described as the events as they are told, which may not always been
told according to the order of the chronology. Plot exists whenever events are
presented in an order that implies relatedness.
There are some elements plot should have. Based on Aristotle in Poetics
(McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2008) plot has a beginning, a middle, and an
end. The beginning of the plot line do not need to exactly match the beginning of
the story or the narration. That is why being selective is necessary when
emphasizing plot.
A beginning is that which does not itself follow anything by causal necessity, but after which something naturally is or comes to be. An end, on the contrary, is that which itself naturally follows some other thing, either by necessity, or as a rule, but has nothing following it. A middle is that which follows something as some other thing follows it. (2008:9)
Plot also requires conflict and inevitably has endings. The arrangement of
the plot line is based on the occurrences of the event in literary works not based
on the chronological order of the happening of the events. In Narrative Form, it is
mentioned that most general accounts of plot suggests that plot moves from static
to disruption to a restored static or stability. To reveal the plot, it is significant to
finish reading the whole story in order to understand the causal link between
events. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 15
The determination of the beginning, middle and the end of the plot based
on Suzanne Keen is that the beginning alludes to a state of affairs that is about to
change. The middle plot is described as the disruption and its ensuing
complications and conflicts, while the end of the plot provides a set of answers
and conclusion as it is written in Narrative Form page 76-77.
Not all novels have formal structure in plot as it is mentioned by Edgar
and Henry in book entitled Fiction: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. The
conventional structure will put exposition in the beginning of the story followed
by complication, crisis climax and ended with resolution or denouncement. That
is why defining plot does not always need to be done through the structure of the
plot because not all novels have conventional plot. It depends on the purpose and
preference of the writer to determine the form or the plot of the novel or story.
2. Theory of Socialism
According to G. D. H. Cole in his book entitled History of Socialist
Thought, the means of socialism is not a regime under which the state interferes in
the conduct of economic affairs but a classless society in which economic
activities are directly conducted under public auspices, on a basis of public
ownership of the means of production, and democratic control of the uses to
which capital and labor are to be applied (1938: 198). Socialism is created as the
reaction against unjust system from capitalism or ruling class which segregates
proletariat and bourgeois. Socialism is conducted through various social
movements. The essence of socialism is about humanity, justice and integrity
mentioned in book entitled New Realism, New Barbarian Socialist Theory in the PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 16
Era of Globalization by Boris Kagarlitsky (English translation by Renfrey Clarke)
that:
socialism is a vector of the development of diverse social movements gravitating toward the value of social justice. Elsewhere we read that the essence of socialism is expressed in the concepts of humanity, justice and integrity (1999: 29).
On Cole’s book, he showed the two types of socialists. The first is the idea
in socialists that men may go on to shape their socialist creed in many different
ways, according to the varieties of each man’s experience and turn in mind. The
second one is a socialist who, sharing the fundamental faith in human fellowship,
is led to socialism primarily as a creed of protest against human misery
(1938:244-245). It can be concluded that socialism covers the activity and belief
where society should not be presented as class segregation but public ownership.
3. Theory of Socialist Feminism
Based on Margaret L. Andersen in her book entitled Thinking about
Women Sociological and Feminist Perspective (1983: 263), socialist feminism is
described as a political thought that sees women’s oppression as primarily based
in capitalism and its interrelationship with patriarchy. Both capitalism that form
class power in society and patriarchal system contribute the same role in
determining woman’s status. That is why it is not enough to explain the root of
women oppression by ignoring one of the elements, as mentioned in the same
that:
The socialist feminist perspective begins with the point that, although economic class relations are important in determining women’s status, gender relations may be equally important (19983: 276). PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 17
Socialist feminism is also recently referred as Marxism feminism because it
departs from Marxism. Both Marxism and socialist feminist believe that in order
to understand the unique character of women’s oppression, the analysis between
women’s work and the self image is required, stated in Feminist Thought by
Rosemarie Tong:
Marxist and socialist feminist believe we need to analyze the links between women’s work and women’s self-image in order to understand the unique character of women’s oppression (2009: 98).
The Marxist theories that is used by socialist feminist both to understand
the women oppression and offering the solution from women subordination
include the importance of class consciousness. Still in Feminist Thought, it is
mentioned that:
Because Marxist and socialist feminists wish to view women as collectively, Marxist teachings on class and class consciousness play a large role in Marxist and socialist feminist thought (2009: 100).
There are some points that can be understood from previous statement.
The first thing is that women should be aware and conscious about their class
position in society, while the second thing is that women might work collectively
with men as proletariat to struggle against bourgeois power to defend their right
and class equality. Marxist theory is applied in all sectors starting from society,
politics and family relations. It is used to liberate women from the forces that
oppress them, as it is stated in Feminist Thought (2009: 102) that the Marxist
theory of politics offers Marxist and socialist feminists insight to help liberate
women from the forces that oppress them.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 18
4. Theory of Alienation
According to Bertell Ollman in Alienation: Marx’s Concept of Man in
Capitalist Society, alienation is described as the destructive effects of capitalism
on individuals, encompassing the physical, mental and social process of human
existence (1976:131). It can be said that alienation is the creation of capitalist
system. Alienation is made to create false need in order to let people find fake
need. As the result of this condition, people can not reach their full human
potential, which then benefits capitalism. Rosemarie Tong in Feminist Thought
provided idea that people are alienated if people experience meaningless and
worthless in their live.
we are alienated if we either experience our lives as meaningless or ourselves as worthless, or else are capable of sustaining a sense of meaning and self-worth only with the help of illusions about ourselves or our condition (2009: 101).
In socialist feminism, alienation is closely correlated with sexism where
both systems divide people based on physical character, sex, to different forms of
responsibility and power. Alienation, sexism and capitalism are the source of
oppression and subordination. It is written in Capitalist Patriarchy and the Case
for Socialist Feminism edited by Zillah R. Eisenstein, as follows:
our struggle against sexism necessarily involves us in the struggle against capitalism, racism and all other forms of oppression. We stand united against the capitalist system, which is based on a division of labor that separates and alienates people (1979: 357).
The benefit from capitalist system in creating class division by sex and the
presence of alienation is that it brings up the opportunity to exploit labor for the
capitalist profit. In socialist feminist, to deal with the two kinds of oppressive PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 19
system class and sexism, the way out is seeking liberation in conjunction with
others who are oppressed, including men from proletariat class as stated in
Capitalist Patriarchy and the Case for Socialist Feminism edited by Zillah R.
Eisenstein (1979: 356).
5. Theory of Capitalism
To support the analysis, in this part, the writer provides some proofs that
the novel is telling about movement that against capitalism. In the novel, Gorky
did not mention the exact year of the setting but there are some clues that can be
used to reveal the setting of the story. The first is that the novel mentions that it
was after the assassination of the tsar.
The mother understood that the socialists had killed the Tsar. It had happened in the days of her youth (1949: 39).
In the history of Russia, it is mentioned that the tsar who was being assassinated
was Tsar Alexander ll. It was on 1881 based on The Cambridge history of Russia
edited by Dominic Lieven.
The wave of anti-Jewish violence triggered by the assassination of Alexander II on 1 March 1881 (2006: 197)
In the year of 1881 is the year when mother was still in her youth then the
assumption of the setting of the novel was taking place is on the early 1990s. To
prove more, the combination between factual history in Russia, history of
capitalism in Russia and the story of the novel is used to create enough data and
proof to say that capitalism is the main enemy of the socialist movement in the
novel Mother. In the late of 1890s, Russia brought about a renascence of PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 20
populism, which is one of the three main currents of political thinking of the
Russian socialist. As it is described in The Cambridge History of Russia:
Among Russian socialists there were three main currents of political thinking: populism, built on hostility toward capitalism, anarchism, focused on the abolition of state power; and social democracy, oriented toward the destruction of market relations and the eventual elimination of bourgeois democracy (2006: 136).
It is one of the proof that the main enemy of Russian socialist is capitalism. The
socialist struggle against the power and domination of the capital which is
represented by the factory. They fight in the name of labor.
Since tsar protects the capitalist, the movement automatically opposes
government’s authority that guard the existence of the capitalist. It is mentioned in
Socialist Europe and Revolutionary by Bruno Nardeen:
More over tsarism showed itself to be the guardian angel of the rising class of capitalists, who thankfully accepted this protection (1992: 103).
That is why in the novel the socialist movement also should fight against
the government to eliminate capitalism. It can be found in the novel that every
propaganda and demonstration the enemy is not only the authority or the power of
the factory but also the police or gendarmes as the representation of the
government.
It is hard to say the exact year the emergence of capitalism in Russia
because it is almost impossible to say that when feudalism or corvee economy
system disappeared then this is the emergence of capitalism. The most possible is
through transitional economy system as it is mentioned in V.I. Lenin Collected
Works Volume 3 The Development of Capitalism in Russia by the Institute of
Marxism-Leninism: PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 21
capitalist economy could not emerge at once, and corvée economy could not disappear at once. The only possible system of economy was, accordingly, a transitional one, a system combining the features of both the corvée and the capitalist systems. (1977: 194).
This statement is also supported by quotation from book entitled Anti-capitalism a
Marxist Introduction which is edited by Alfredo Saad Filho that mentioned no
society has ever been thoroughly capitalistic. This is the reason why in the novel
the presence of rural administration and another thing about land are also
mentioned. As the novel largely point out, the novel is about a socialist movement
whose the main enemy is the domination and unfair decision by the factory, and
not the feudalism.
The meaning of capitalism based on book entitled Anti-capitalism a
Marxist Introduction edited by Alfredo Saad Filho will be suitable to describe
capitalism based on the condition of the society which is described in the novel.
Capitalism is defined as
The meaning of capitalism; In reality, the defining characteristic of a capitalist society is the dominant form of social relations. The fundamental capitalist social relation is the relation between wage labour and capital. Within this arrangement, capital, represented by an individual employer or a firm, hires people with the intention of profiting from their work (2003:122).
It can be said that capitalism creates distinctive class between worker or labor and
the owner of the capital. This condition forces labor to work hard but the one who
enjoy the profit is the owner of the capital which is represented by a firm or
factory.
The day was swallowed up by the factory; the machine sucked out of men's muscles as much vigor as it needed (1949: 3).
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 22
It is the illustration of labor condition in the story. Workers are forced to give their
strength but they got nothing, and the one who received the profit is the factory.
Another proof from the story about the condition of the society is the growth of
the factory in the settlement.
He worked for thirty years; he began to work when the whole factory occupied but two buildings; now there are seven of them. The mills grow, and people die, working for them (1949: 13).
In the novel, one of the important events taking place is the demonstration
for May Day celebration. Before the marching, people forced the labors to go
home as it is mentioned in the novel in page 163. Lots of workers turned back
home. Then on the next page, it is also mentioned that Feodor said that after the
dinner the whole factory would turn out. This is one of the movements to fight
against the capitalism through the factory by doing a boycott. Another
characteristic the presence of capitalism in society is the occurrence of alienation.
As it is described further in the analysis.
C. Theoretical Framework
This section will show the contribution from each theory above for the
research in helping the writer to answer the entire questions and guiding to find
the solution for the problem formulation.
Theory of plot helps to define the causality relation of the story that will
lead the writer to understand the flow of the story. Plot will reveal the characters,
actions, and the issues that are presented in the story. It is important for the writer
to find and understand the women involvement in socialist movement because it is
used to analyze the event chronologically. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 23
Socialism as the main issue which is excavated by Gorky, as the writer of
the novel, has important role to determine the direction of the analysis. Theory on
socialism helps the writer to identify the action of the characters. This assists the
writer to reveal the purpose and the form of the movement including helping to
figure out that the enemy is the capitalist system.
Capitalism is also used to help the writer to analyze the political and
economy issue which is presence in the novel. It provides the writer some clues to
prove that capitalism is developing in the society of the story.
Alienation has significant contribution because it helps to reveal the
condition when women are freed from capitalism. Through this theory, the writer
is capable to find the qualities of women liberation. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
The study compiled here uses literary works written by Maxim Gorky, a
Russian writer, entitled Mother. This becomes a great novel which has strong
socialist atmosphere revealed through its character, plot, and every detail of the
story. The appreciation from the reader towards the novel Mother is completely
awesome that it has been already translated into many different languages. During
the analysis, the novel that is used is the one which is translated into English by
Margaret Wettlin the fourth edition published in 1949 while the first publication
was in 1916. The novel is told in detail narration. It has 384 pages where the story
is divided into two big parts.
The first part described Pavel’s and his comrade’s effort to spread socialist
ideology through the distribution of leaflets as the means to achieve their equality
right. At first, Pellagea (Pavel’s mother) was worried about what her son had done
because it was forbidden since it against Tsar. As she followed their discussion
and movement, she started to realize about the idea and ideology of socialism that
actually it was done for better society. This led her into further involvement in
socialist movement.
In the second part of the novel, she had to leave their house because Pavel
had been in jail due to his involvement in First May demonstration but this made
her involvement was more intense. The highest conflict in the story, other was
24
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 25
beaten by the police to keep leaflets about her son’s defense in the court that tell
in clear, brief and sharp about the importance and the essence of socialism.
From the division of the story, it can be seen that the first part of the novel
showed the less women involvement especially mother. It is different from the
second part of the novel where most of the socialist movements were done by the
woman characters including mother. It gives emphasize to the reader that woman
characters plays important role to the plot development of the story.
The characters are varied both male and female also labor and people from
middle class. They are Pavel or also called as Pasha, Pellagea Nilovna or recently
called mother along the story, also Natasha, Andrei Onisimovich, Nikolai
Vesovshcikov, Sophia, Sasha, Ludmila Vesilyevha, Rybin, and the rest. To
emphasize more the character of mother, the story uses omniscient as the narrator
based on mother’s point of view.
B. Approach of the Study
The approach that the writer uses to finish the analysis is feminist
approach particularly socialist feminist approach. In A Handbook of Critical
Approaches to Literature by Wilfred L Guering, Earle Labor (1991: 202), it
mentioned that Marxist feminism is the combination of study between class and
gender. Since it is difficult for people to differentiate between socialist feminist
and Marxist feminist, most of the feminist choose not to distinguish between the
two. From the previous discussion about the object of the study, it can be seen
obvoiusly that the whole story reveals the idea of socialism and tells about
socialist movement. Meanwhile, the subject of the analysis is the woman PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 26
characters that deliver liberation value through their involvement in socialist
movement that is why socialist feminist is the most appropriate approach to see
the phenomena in novel Mother by Maxim Gorky.
C. Method of the Study
In the study, most of the resources came from library, starting from the
main data which including the novel and other theories, data, study and the rest to
support the writing. Additional information was required to get better
understanding and clearer mapping that was collected from websites in internet.
One early step that the writer did was reading the novel. The finding of the
topic and the arrangement on the hypothesis was done after finished reading the
novel and understood the whole story. The writer believed that Gorky as the
writer of the story had certain intention when using female characters as the main
character. Moreover when in certain action, women characters have important role
in socialist movement. The writer assumed that the women characters in the novel
have certain value. Finally, the topic of women involvement as the reflection of
women liberation was chosen.
After the creating of the topic, references were needed and it was collected
from some book as sources including the website and thesis which are done
before. The references covered some theories, review from the novel, and also
criticism or discussion about Gorky as the writer of the novel.
Afterwards, problem formulations were made to lead into the analysis of
the topic. There were two problems formulation. The first one was how women
involvement in socialist movement was described in the story along the plot then PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 27
the second was how women involvement reflected women liberation. To start the
analysis, the writer began to search the data, books and other sources which
provide theories about plot, theories about feminism especially socialist feminism,
socialism, concept in women liberation and alienation.
The sources were used to answer the problem formulation which was
revealed in previous chapter. The first point was focused on the plot of the novel.
The writer was pointed on women’s involvement in socialist movement without
ignoring the sequence or the importance role of other characters. The emphasizing
was on women involvement that lifted feminist issue that actually their
involvement was the reflection of women liberation. After finishing the analysis,
conclusion was formulated. The writer summed up the whole chapters and added
some additional explanation as required. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
The analysis part will answer the problem formulation that have been
stated in the first chapter. This chapter is divided into two major parts based on
the two problem formulation. The first part will reveal the plot of the story to
figure out women’s involvement in socialist movement. The second part will
analyze the second problem that is proving women involvement in socialist
movement which reflects women liberation.
A. Women’s Involvement in Socialist Movement along the Plot of the Story
This novel has unconventional plot because it did not follow the structure
which is mentioned by Edgar and Henry in their book entitled Fiction: An
Introduction to reading and writing 1989 that is starting with exposition followed
by complication, crisis, climax, and ended with resolution. Novel Mother by
Gorky has a lot of conflicts which are told by the narrator. Everything that the
mother felt and saw will be revealed in the story. That is why the reader seems to
follow the life of the mother.
As it is mentioned in the previous review of related studies, plot based on
Aristotle is divided into three parts that are beginning, middle and end. The writer
will analyze novel Mother by Gorky in charts in order to see clearly and briefly
the flow of the story and at the same time the involvement in socialist movement
from the woman characters.
28
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 29
The beginning part of the plot
The starting of socialist movement by Pavel, Sasha, Natasha, and his plot will move from statis to disruption. The statis condition as the beginning comrades of The spreading of forbidden leaflet in the factory
The printing of newspaper of injustice decision taken by the factory that
involving Pellagea, the women character as the main character
The middle part of the plot
The continuance of the spreading leaflet in the factory after the arrest some
people the member of socialist movement by mother as the executor
The May Day celebration
The distribution of leaflet after the May Day’s arrest that involves mother
furthermore
The end part of the plot
The trial of socialist member
The printing of Pavel’s speech in the trial by Pellagea
The deliverance of Pavel’s speech by Pellagea
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 30
1. The beginning of the plot
The beginning of the story mentioned the life of Pellagea Nilovna as a
widow who lived with her son Pavel Mikhailovich after the death of Mikhail
Vlassov, her husband. They had a better condition compared to their past life and
neighbors since there was no violence inside their house.
The life of Vlassovs’ little house flowed on more calmly and quietly than before, and somewhat differently than in the other houses (Gorky, 1949:17).
Pavel was different from other people in the settlement who spent the day
off from the factory to go fishing or hunting but he chose something else. When
the youngsters in the settlement went to the party and got drunk, he found
something which interested him that was reading books.
He did not buy himself a gun or go fishing, but soon it became clear that he was diverging from the path everyone else trod. His mother was glad her son was not like the rest of the young people at the factory (Gorky, 1949: 18).
Pellagea or in the novel recently called as mother disagreed with the thing
that her son did because Pavel read what he introduced to her as forbidden book
about the truth of workingmen. This disagreement rose because she knew that it
was against the government or the Tsar. As the consequence, if the government or
police knew about it, he would be put in jail. This thing scared her. Even though
she was scared, she did not stand in her son’s way and actually she was proud of
him.
Pavel spoke without looking her, in a low voice which for some reasons was very stern. “I am reading forbidden books. They are forbidden because they tell the truth about us workingmen. They are printed in the sly, in secret, and if they find me with them they’ll put me in jail-in jail PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 31
because I want to know about the truth, do you understand?” Suddenly she found it hard to breathe (Gorky, 1949: 20-21).
Pavel continued his study about workingmen with other people that came
to their house. Mother automatically got involved with the movement because she
should stay at home and met the stranger who looks for Pavel. Since mother saw
that they were kind, nice, and treated her well, she gave sympathetic love of a
mother for them especially Natasha.
She felt as if she had known this girl for a long time, and she loved her with the fine. “Shall I go and buy some vodka?” she asked, wondering how to express her gratitude for something she could not define (Gorky, 1949: 29-30).
Mother paid attention to the movement not only because of the people but
also the way they argued about how people ought to live and what people wanted
in life. Mother made closer relation with them by offering kindness and attention
especially to Andrei Onisimovich (or Khokol as she called him,) and Natasha. It
included asking Andrei to lodge with them. In each gathering, mother knew more
people who involved in the discussion. Another woman that presence in the
gathering was Sasha and she is the first who announced that they were socialist.
This made mother worried about the gathering since she heard that socialists has
killed the tsar.
What Sasha and Natasha did by joining the gathering and discussion is
their early involvement in socialist movement. Reading the book and the
discussion is the part of socialist movement because this is the early step for them
to go further in developing the movement, including spreading the leaflet as done
in the factory. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 32
People in the settlement began to talk about the Socialists who were distributing leaflets written in blue ink. These leaflets harshly criticized the management of the factory, told about strikes Petersburg and in the south of Russia, and called on the workers to unite in defence of their own interest. Middle-aged people who were making good money at the factory were furious. “troublemakers!” they said. “Ought to have their mugs smashed for such things!” And they took the leaflets to their bosses. The young people read them with enthusiasm. “It’s all true!” they said (Gorky, 1949: 48)
Mother knew that the excitement was a result of her son’s activity and the
settlement was suspicious about everyone’s business. One day Maria Korsunova
came to Pellage’s house to warn her about the search that was going to make to
her house by the police. They started to hide some books outdoor but the search
happened a month later. In the searching, Pavel was not arrested but Andrei and
Nikolai were. They were arrested without any explanation or reason.
Since most of the people knew that Pavel was educated and aware about
justice, Sizov decided to come to Pavel’s house. He told about the order that the
factory made to deduct one kopek from the wages of the worker to drain swamp
which spread fever in the settlement. Pavel wrote note about this issue and asked
mother to deliver it to town where they print newspaper. She willingly accepted
the request from Pavel even she knew it would dangerous for her. This was the
first direct involvement that mother did for the movement that initially she
disagreed with.
“I have a request to make of you, mother. Please go to town and deliver this note.” “Is it dangerous?” she asked. “Yes, I’m sending you to the place where they print our newspaper. We’ve got to get the story about the swamp kopek into the next issue at any cost.” “Very well,” she said, “I’ll go.” This was the first task her son had ever entrusted her with. She was happy because he was so frank with her (Gorky, 1949: 67-68).
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 33
The delivery of the note that mother did is her first involvement in the
movement because the printing of newspaper and the spreading of the leaflet were
the main activities of the movement.
Based on the theory of plot that it is a set of events related by causation,
the beginning of the plot becomes the groundwork of the characters to fight
against capitalism. This is the part when workers especially woman experienced
injustice and alienation.
2. The middle of the plot
This part is started with the emptiness that mother felt not only because
Pavel was in in jail but also because she had nothing to do. Pavel was arrested
when he spoke in the factory as delegation to refuse the decision that the factory
made. The following day, Sanilov and Yegor Invanovich came to her house to ask
her help. The spreading of the leaflet in the factory should have been continued to
create alibi for the member who were already arrested including Pavel. The
distribution was getting harder to do because every worker was being searched at
the entrance gate. That was why they no longer could apply the same strategy and
they asked mother to talk with Maria to bring the leaflet to the factory. Mother
disagreed with it because Maria could not be trusted and she decided to bring by
herself. Mother planned to sell dinner in the factory to earn bread as the excuse.
“Give them to me! I’ll do it. I’ll find a way. I’ll ask Maria to take me on as a helper. I have to earn my bread somehow. I’ll take dinner to sell at the factory. I’ll manage”……The mother smiled. It was clear to her that if the leaflets kept appearing in the factory, the management could not blame her son for them (Gorky, 1949: 81).
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 34
The next morning, mother came to see Maria and asked to be her helper. Maria
agreed because previously mother had also helped her to hide her from her man
and she found that Pavel had also did something good for everyone.
She had a job that made her happy and proud. She started coming at the
factory and spent the rest of the day helping Maria with her work and the evening
she came home. In one evening, Sasha came there and brought the leaflets. Sasha
told she was also in jail and did 8 days of hunger to make the jail keeper apologize
to her because he had insulted her. This is her way to defend her right. Sasha did
not want anybodyto take advantage from her and mother also added that all men
did take advantage from women all of their lives. After the small talk, she needed
to back to the town to avoid suspicion.
“It couldn’t be helped,” said the girl softly, “But he apologized. You can’t let people take advantage of you.” “Hm-m-m!” Said the mother slowly. “That’s all men do-take advantage of us women all our lives” (Gorky, 1949: 87).
The next day at noon, mother brought the leaflets to the factory. This was
her further involvement to the movement. She helped the movement to spread the
leaflet at the same time helping Pavel and the rest of the socialist member who are
arrested. Sasha also had the same role to the delivery of the leaflet by supplying
mother with the leaflet to be distributed. With the appearance of the leaflet, the
government could not prove that people who are arrested are the one who spread
the leaflet. Mother had already been able to deal with her fear in joining the
socialist movement not only because it would ease Pavel’s charge but also she
understood that what she did is for good. What mother did has helped not only the
movement but she was already being needed by the movement. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 35
“Maybe it it’s easier for those who understand. But little by little I too am beginning to understand what good people are trying to do.” “If you understand that, everybody needs you, mother-everybody!” he said earnestly. She glanced at him and smiled. At noon she got ready to go to the factory, padding herself with the leaflets (Gorky, 1049: 92).
Mother then continually brought the leaflets to the factory to spread information
that people in the factory needed to know with the helping of Sasha. The leaflet
became the main media for the movement to spread propaganda and truth about
working people. Of course, this brought suspicious and mother was also being
searched in the gate when she about to enter the factory but they found nothing
since the leaflets had been brought the day before the searching.
When Pavel was released, they became more enthusiasts with the
movement and excitedly plan and prepared the May Day celebration. They did
many things due to the celebration of the May Day. Pavel and Andrei almost did
not sleep because they went to work made the preparation. Mother did the same
thing while they went to work. She made paste and purple ink for poster and
received messages by more unknown people. Approaching the May Day, the
settlement were excited with the presence of more poster and leaflets on fences,
doors, police station and factory while the government could not do anything with
it.
Joining with the May Day celebration is the part of women involvement in
socialist movement because this is the event for labor to speak out about their
right and justice. The celebration is one of the ways for them to fight against
capitalism that exploits them. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 36
The May Day is a perfect event to speak their demand on justice for the
working people. In the story, all the socialist members started the day with certain
excitement. People started to make speech in front of the factory gate and made
the workers came home then joining with the other people for the marching.
Many people cursed them because they made trouble but some of the people who
were aware about the injustice joined in the mass. Pavel, Andrei and mother also
joined in the mass to the factory. Pavel raised people’s awareness about the
socialism, about the thing that they had already done before through his loud
speech.
“Comrades. We decided that today we would make an open declaration of who we are and raise our banner, the banner of reason, justice, and freedom!” (Gorky, 1949: 168)
The conflict arose when Pavel and his comrades rouse the banner of the working
class and lifted it. They started to sing and marched down to the street but they
were stooped with wall of soldier with bayonet. Pavel and the rest leader burned
the spirit by keeping on singing and asking the march to move on but the soldier
were pointing the gun, ready to stop the crowd.
An end will come to violence…..sang Feodor prophetically. The people will arise…was the sure warning sung in response by a chorus of strong voices. But awed whispers mingled with the singing: “They’re about to give the command!” And sure enough, from up ahead came a sharp cry: “Lower guns!” In a wavy line the bayonets were lowered until they greeted the advancing banner with a cunning steel grin. “Forward march!” (Goky, 1949: 175).
During the marching, mother followed them and figured out what happen
with them. She figured out that they were arrested since she saw glimpse of them.
Andrei smiled at her and bowed to her. She involuntary moved on, picked up the PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 37
banner and came to the group of people who talked about previous marching. She
made common people understood about the thing that her son and others were
doing by convincing them that what their children had already done was
something dedicated to achieve justice and truth for everyone. With her simple
words, she made people willingly gave support to them by having faith in them.
They were no longer afraid with the movement because it was something honest
and good for the people.
“Listen-in the name of the Lord! All you good people, all you dear people, do not be afraid to look at what has happened. Our children, blood of our blood, have gone forth into the world in the name of justice for all!” (Gorky, 1949: 180).
This is another mother involvement in socialist movement. Mother’s
words for the people who see the marching and the arrest is another propaganda
because she told the people that what they did is something honest, true and good
for everyone. This let them know about socialism even in simple kind of words.
The second chapter of the novel starts with the agreement that Pavel and
Nikolai make for mother. They already made agreement that mother would come
to stay with Nikolai when Pavel was arrested. This will continue mother’s
involvement in socialist movement. It is started when mother willingly asks work
to Nikolai, not job to earn money but job for the movement.
“I’ll find them and do anything you ask me to! No one will every suspect me of spreading what’s forbidden. Bless your heart, didn’t I take the leaflets into the factory?” (Gorky, 1949: 190).
After the fourth day of Nikolai’s visit, mother went to town and stayed with
Nikolai. At noon, mother met Sophia, Nikolai’s sister. They easily became close. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 38
Their involvement in the movement is by bringing newspaper and leaflets
that previously being promised to Rybin. During the trip to deliver leaflets and
newspaper to Rybin and his friends, Sophia told what she had already done for the
movement. She also experienced being jailed and being exiled.
“There’s another task waiting for you, Sophia,” said Nikolai after dinner. “I told you we had agreed to publish a paper for the peasants, but with all these arrests we’ve lost contact with the man who is to distribute it. Pelagea Niovna is the only one who can help us find him. You must take a trip to the country with her and do it as soon as possible” (Gorky, 1949: 199).
Mother supplied Natasha, who taught in school, with illegal pamphlets,
proclamation and newspaper. That was what mother did for several months
besides taking care of Nikolai’s house and meeting new people to share story with
and learn something from. The movement focuses on the deliverance of the
leaflet, newspaper and pamphlets to raise awareness of the people about the real
condition of the working people. That is why women’s involvement in
deliverance of those papers is the part of involvement in socialist movement.
After the funeral of Yegor, one of their comrades, they talked about the
condition of the movement. They discussed about what had already happened and
concluded that they needed to raise the scale of the propaganda. The problem was
that there was the less literature and not enough people to help the spreading and
printing the leaflets and newspaper. Mother proposed herself to help them even
Nikolai said that this job was too hard for her but the rest agreed since they lacked
of people, besides she had already decided for it.
“Won’t I do?” asked the mother quietly. All three of them glanced at her for a few seconds without speaking. “That’s good idea!” exclaimed Sophia. “The work’s too hard for you, Nilovna,” said Nikolai dryly, PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 39
“You’d have to live out of town, which would mean you couldn’t see Pavel. And in general…” (Gorky, 1949: 266).
As usual, Sasha came after mother visits Pavel to ask about his condition.
Sasha asked mother to persuade Pavel for their escape but it seemed useless
because Pavel would listen to nobody except himself. In the dining room, Sasha
talked with Sophia about the dispatch of 300 leaflets that will be brought by
mother to the country.
“She has already prepared three hundreds copies. She’ll kill herself at the rate she’s going. It’s simply heroic. What a privilege to live among such people, Sasha, to be their comrades and work with them.” Indeed it is,” answered the girl softly. While they were having tea that evening, Sophia turned to the mother and said, “you’ll be having to pay another visit to the country, Nilovna.” (Gorky. 1949: 272).
Mother started her trip to Nikolskoye at dawn to deliver another leaflet.
When she arrived, she went to the station to take a rest but there was a chaos
because police sergeant came there to catch a thief based on the girl’s story who
works there. He is Rybin who announced to the crowd that he was the one who
spread the leaflets to the public. He continued his speech even the police tortured
him. Public defended Rybin and asked to stop beating him. They already realized
that it might be better if someone did crimes to bring them to court.
“If he’s guilty, take him to court..” “Take pity on him, Your Honour…” “It’s the truth, there’s no law allows such treatment.” The people broke up into two groups: one crowded round the chief of police, shouting at and pleading with him; the other one, which was smaller, stood about the prostrate man and muttered menacingly” (Gorlly, 1949: 283).
At one moment, Rybin rouse his head which full of blood and mother
noded to him. She started to worry because one of the muzhik who stood beside
Rybin also saw mother noded to Rybin and talked something to him that was PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 40
replied with a shake of head. Even she thought that she would be brought too, she
did not move but stayed to wait. The man who talked with Rybin came to mother
and asked her what she did there. She mentioned about business and askde him to
brought her to stay including to bring her suitcase. She did it for certain kind of
intuition even she did not know in which side the man stood on. Fortunately, she
trusted the right people.
“You know that man?” he whispered, bending low. “Yes,” answered mother in a firm voice, though the question had taken her by surprise. This brief word seemed suddenly to light up everything from within, making things clear. She sighed relief and settled herself on the bench. The muzhik gave a broad grin. “I guessed it when you gave him a sign out there and he returned it. I whispered to him: was he acquainted with the one standing there on veranda?” “And what did he say?” asked the mother quickly. “He said-there’s lot of us. There’s lots, he said” (Gorky, 1949: 290).
Mother told them that the suitcase was full of leaflets and newspaper that
would be left for them. It is another success that mother has due to the delivering
of the leaflet. This means another success for the movement either. Mother is glad
with her success by her own effort and pride with it.
As she recalled the success with which her own efforts had been crowned, she felt a little thrill of joy which she modestly suppressed (Gorky, 1949: 305).
3. The end of the plot
This part starts with the trial of the socialist member including Pavel. The
trial moved slowly and took long time but then Pavel rouse and spoke. The judge
sat uneasily with the words that Pavel gave in the courtroom. One of the old man
said to Pavel to stick to the point of the speech but this did not stop Pavel. He
continued to tell the people in the courtroom about socialism and their movement.
The purpose was to make everything clear for the people. The trial was over and PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 41
the sentence was declared as it is decided before. It was on exile for all of them. It
was already night when the trial finished. In the outside of the courtroom, there
were many people gather to find out the result from the trial.
“Exile!” said Sizov with a sigh of relief. “I knew this is what it would be” she said in a tired voice (Gorky, 1949: 359).
Mother felt happy when she saw the view where people were interested with the
trial of her son and the comrades. The police whistled even though they could not
make them disperse. Sasha came to join her and asked about the trial then she
planned to join them to get exile sentence as theirs.
“You see I’m expecting a sentence too. And I suppose it will be exile to Siberia too. It is, I’ll ask them to send me wherever he is” (Gorky, 1949: 360).
In the final part of the novel, the tense got higher. After mother and Sasha
arrived at Nikolai’s house, they were suggested to go from there immediately
because there were two spies following Nikolai since morning. Something had
already happened and it would end up in the arrest, that was why Sasha was asked
to go out from the house as soon as possible and he gave mother Pavel’s speech to
be printed at Ludmilla’s place. Nikolai searched his bag while Sasha burnt some
papers. They leaved Nikolai and went in the same time to different directions so it
is would be hard for the spy to follow them.
“Time to leave Sasha,” said Nikolai. “Good-bye, dear comrades. Be careful.” “Hadn’t you better go along with her, Nilovna? It’s harder to follow to people at once.” “All right,” answered mother (Gorky, 1949: 364).
A few minutes later, mother arrived at Ludmilla’s place. Mother fell
asleep when Ludmilla set the type to print Pavel’s speech and got up in the next PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 42
morning. It was true that Nikolai was arrested. Ludmilla sent a boy to go to
Nikolai’s home to figure out what is happening. He was arrested because he had
been teaching the workers in town lately.
Ludmilla is another woman character who joined in the movement. Her
job was to print leaflet that they needed for propaganda. After they finished their
breakfast, the little doctor came to tell them about Nikolai’s arrest and he was
looking for mother. He suggested to spread Pavel’s speech in printed form and to
spread it in town then saved some of the leaflets for some other places. Mother
insisted in bringing it to Natasha even both of them had been warned already
because the police had already suspected her as the leaflets appeared when she
was in the factory. She also left the home just before Nikolai’s arrest was
happened. Finally, they agreed to let mother bring the leaflet to Natasha
reluctantly because mother kept on doing so.
“All right, take them,” said the doctor reluctantly. Ludmilla said nothing, she just walked back and forth lost in thought (Gorky, 1949: 373).
Mother left Ludmilla’s place to the train station to deliver the leaflet,
Pavel’s speech. After she got there, she sat in third class waiting room which was
full of people. A young man came and went straight to mother and sat near her.
She moved to another seat near the exit then different a young man ran into her
and she recognized something familiar with him. She recalled that she had once
saw him and found that she saw him when Rybin made speech and at the trial.
She thought that she would be caught and thought to leave the suitcase and went
away but it was too precious to leave her son’s speech. In one moment, she was
afraid but then she got her bravery to deal with the situation. She felt that some PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 43
hostile force was pressing down on her shoulders and breast, choking her with this
deadly fear.
Suddenly, in one supreme effort, she threw off her thoughts, stamped out all these mean, feeble little sparks and said to herself imperiously, “shame on you!” She felt better at once-became, in fact, filled with courage and added (Gorky, 1949: 379).
The final part of the novel was the climax of the story. The spy called
station guard and the guard arrested her for the charge of stealing. She defended
with loud cry that she did not steal anything. She jumped and waved her hand that
was full of leaflets. Mother told everyone there that those papers were her son’s
speech in the trial to be delivered to people in order to make people know about
socialism, the truth about working people. One of the people took the leaflet, and
then mother tossed them to the crowd. People snatched the leaflet and hid it to
their pocket and coats. This made mother gained new strength. She talked calmly
while she continued to give the leaflet to the crowd.
The mother saw them snatch up the leaflets and stuff them inside their coats and into their pockets. This gave her new strength. She began to speak more calmly and forcibly, conscious of the pride and joy surging within her (Gorky, 1949: 380).
This is very important moment especially for mother because she was heard by
many people. She spoke about socialism and the leaflet. Mother could use her
condition which was harmful because she was caught by the police, but she turned
it into good opportunity. Mother delivered the leaflet to the people there and at the
same time convinced them about the goodness from socialism.
The gendarmes with the spy came to stop mother and some people warned
her. This did not frighten her. People’s enthusiasm made her hurry to tell all that PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 44
she knew. As the consequence for that, mother received strike from someone that
made her fall down. The strike did not stop mother, instead, she kept on giving
people words to unite. The gendarmes stopped mother by giving shock to head as
she was bumped against the wall. For seconds she felt fear in her heart but she
found the courage and again told the crowd that they should not fear anything. She
was pushed and the other gendarme took her arm and led her away. Mother did
not stop telling the truth even though she was beaten over and over again. Finally,
the gendarmes seized her by the throat and choked her. She answered the
treatment by telling that they were miserable creature. Someone answered her
with a loud sob.
“They can’t kill my spirit-my living spirit!” she shouted, bracing her feet against the slippery floor. They spy struck her in the face. For a moment the mother was blinded by something black and red, and salty taste of blood filled her mouth. “They can’t bloody up our minds!” “Not even an ocean of blood can drown the truth!” They struck her across the hand. “You can only make us hate you more, fools that you are! And it will all fall on your own heads!” A gendarme seized her by the throat and began to choke her. “Miserable creatures…” she gasped. Someone answered her with a loud sob (Gorky, 1949: 383).
This situation could not be said as a success mission because mother could not
deliver the leaflet to Natasha as it is planned before. In other way, this also could
not be said as a failed mission because mother still could use her difficult situation
to spread the leaflet to the people who were in the train station. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 45
B. Women Involvement in Socialist Movement as the Reflection of Women
Liberation
In this part, the writer will describe the concept of women liberation in
socialist feminism dealing with the concept of alienation. The concept of
alienation is used to define the condition when women are no longer alienated.
The condition is found along the plot. Although the concept alienation is
experienced by individual, it could not be separated from the condition outside the
character. In this context is capitalism as the system that creates alienation that is
revealed along the plot of the story. It is done to prove that the involvement of
women characters in socialist movement along the plot of the story reflects
women liberation.
1. The Qualities of Women Liberation
The concept of women liberation from socialist feminist’s point of view is
the condition when women are freed from the two main sources of their
oppression. They believe that the source from women oppression is not only
patriarchy but also capitalist system. These two systems are not separated but
equal. Patriarchal system creates a sexual hierarchal ordering that placed men over
women. Women are subordinated not only in family but also in public sphere.
This condition makes men have political control over women. In other condition,
capitalist system contributes the same role to oppress women by creating
economic class system that brings profit to the bourgeois. It makes women have
less property. This condition forces them to be subjugated by men. It is stated in PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 46
Capitalism Patriarchy and the Case for Socialist Feminist by Zillah Eisenstein
(1979: 28).
To reach women liberation, they should be able to deal with those two
systems that oppress them. The writer chooses the concept of alienation to
understand the source of the oppression at the same time to reveal the quality of
women liberation. Overcoming alienation is the indication that capitalist system is
already terminated which means the source of women oppression is erased since
alienation is the product of capitalist system. Margaret L. Anderson stated through
her book entitled Thinking About Women that to create women liberation, the
society needs to change the system from capitalism to socialism (1983: 278). It
means that women liberation can be achieved when people capable to build
unalienated society.
Overcoming alienation also indicates the women’s capability to be species
being who can reach their human potential for social consciousness, creative
labor, fully internalize the capacities in society also capable to fulfill their real
need. As it is mentioned in Capitalism Patriarchy and the Case for Socialist
Feminist page 7, 1979. This concept strengthens the quality of women when they
are liberated in unalienated society.
2. The Way Women are Oppressed
First women oppression that can be found in the story is patriarchal
oppression. It is represented through the condition that mother experienced during
she stayed with her husband. Mother experienced domestic abuse and she could PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 47
not gain her freedom. Domestic activity did not make her happy but she chose
joining the socialist movement as her political and personal freedom.
Another oppression occurs in the form of alienation as the effect of
capitalist system presence in society. Alienation is defined as fragmenting
experience by Robert Heilbroner in Feminist Thought (2009: 101) while Allen
Wood suggested that alienation is the condition when people experience
meaningless, worthless kind of life. The concept of alienation is derived from
Marxist theory. People under capitalist system are experiencing fragmenting
experience. They are alienated from the product of their labor. The second one is
that they are alienated from themselves. Workers are also alienated from other
human beings and the fourth is that workers are alienated from nature. This
concept is written in Feminist Thought (2009:101-102).
People are alienated from the product of their labor. This kind of
alienation makes workers do not recognize the product that they make. They do
not know and the purpose from the commodity that will be sold by the factory but
they just denied on it. In the story, this kind of alienation can be seen through the
character of the workers in general including Mikhael Vlassov. The condition of
the workers is described as the situation when they are exhausted with their
working and have no time to think and do anything else.
The day had been devoured by the factory, whose machines sucked up as much of the workers’ strength as they needed….On Sundays they slept till ten went to mass. After the mass they came home, ate pirogi and slept again until evening (Gorky, 1949: 10).
Their exhaust makes them silent about new idea and this is what the capitalists
want about the condition of their labor. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 48
The working people silently avoided anyone who voiced new ideas. So the newcomers usually went away. In the rare cases when they stayed, they either grew to be like their fellows or tool to living apart (Gorky, 1949: 12).
The workers are suffering because the factory exploits and oppress them but they
do not know about it. That is why they search certain kind of release for
something that pressing down which they do not know what it is. The release is
drinking in bar and beating their wives. Pavel recognizes the problem that the
workers have including his father, Mikhael Vlassov and shares it to mother.
Father beat you-now I know that he took his troubles out on you, all the bitterness of his life. Something kept pressing down on him, but he didn’t know what. For forty years he slaved here (Gorky, 1949: 21)
As the effect from their exhaust, it also dulled their appetite then choose to drink
vodka or quarrel with the other people to release their frustration. It is written in
the story page 10 that the weariness accumulated through the years dulled their
appetites, so they whetted them with drink, stimulating their stomachs with the
sharp sting of vodka. In the same page, it is also mentioned that the workers
especially the young men relieve their fellings by flying at one another with
bestial ferocity. Bloody fights were the result.
The second kinds of alienation is the condition when women are separated
from themselves. The condition of mother reflects this kind of condition as other
women in the settlement when she underwent psychological crisis. She could not
enjoy her life because she was oppressed by the presence of her husband that
always beat her. This condition is reflected through her appearance that was
lighted by dark eyes filled with fear and grief for so long. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 49
Her body, broken by hard work and the beatings of her husband, moved noiseslly and a bit sidewise, as though she were afraid of knocking into something. Her wide oval face, puffy and wrinkled, was lighted by dark eyes filled with fear and grief, like the eyes of most of the women in the settlement (Gorky, 1949: 16-17).
Workers are alienated from each other in the sense that they are
disidentified with each other, losing an opportunity to add joy and meaning to
their lives. Mother is separated from her husband because of her fear of him while
mother is separated from her own son because Pavel is never stayed at home to
avoid his father.
Pavel realized he had scarcely been aware of his mother’s existence during his father’s lifetime, so silent had she been, so fearful of being beaten. He himself had stayed away from home as much as possible to avoid meeting his father, and so he had grown apart from his mother (Gorky, 1949: 16).
Women are alienated from nature in the sense that they see nature as the
obstacle of the survival. They never see nature as something that is blessed or
wonderful but something that prevent them to reach their survival. It is very
different with those who are not alienated when they see nature as something
great and the part of their live. Sophia admires trees, the clear sky and a lot of
more because she sees nature as the part of their life. The beauty of the nature can
be one of the sources from her happiness but mother sees it as something which is
ordinary. There is nothing special with it.
“What a lovely pine!” cried Sophia, pointing to one of the trees. The mother stopped and looked-the pine was just like all the others…Sometime Sophia would sing some new song about the sky or about love (Gorky, 1949: 207-208).
In addition, women are alienated when they find that their live is meaningless
or worthless. This kind of concept is described in the book entitled Feminist PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 50
Thought by Rosemarie Tong. Meaning and self-worth that they have is an illusion
as it is written in her book that
we are alienated “if we either experience our lives as meaningless or ourselves as worthless, or else are capable of sustaining a sense of meaning and self-worth only with the help of illusion about ourselves or our condition.” Things or persons who are or should be connected in some significant way are instead viewed as separate (2009: 101).
Mother experienced such a condition when she was alienated. During her past life
before joining the revolutionary movement, she had no meaningful kind of life.
She only knew her husband and never thought about anything else than fear
because her husband had always beaten her. When she raised Pavel, her son, she
also never noticed how he grew up. There was no meaningful moment on her life.
There was no pleasure in her marriage because all she knew was preparing the
food and his pleasure without making him waiting. All the things that she did, was
just as the part of her survival to avoid beating from her husband.
When I think of my own life! What did I ever live for? Drudgery, beatings; never saw anyone but my husband, never knew anything but fear! I never even noticed how Pavel grew up, and I don’t know whether I loved him or not while my husband alive. All my thoughts and all my worries were about one thing- to stuff that brite of mine with food, to do his pleasure without keeping him waiting, so’s he shouldn’t get angry and beat me (Gorky, 1949: 96).
From the dialogue mother said, it could be seen that she was separated from her
own son when her husband was alive. She knows that her life is worthless.
In Feminist Thought, it is also discussed about another condition when
women are alienated. Rosemarie Tong through her book described that women are
alienated when they are separated from their intellectual capacities. As the
consequence from this condition, women could not see world outside at the same PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 51
time could not find their real need and truth. Women also could not express their
idea in public because they have no self-confidence. This condition forced them to
remain silent which let them further oppressed as it is revealed in Feminist
Though by Rosemarie Tong
they may also be alienated from their own intellectual capacities. Many women fell so unsure of themselves that they hesitate to express their ideas in public, for fear their thoughts are not worth expressing; they remain silent when they should loudly voice their opinion (2009: 115).
Mother never spoke about her life or what she felt but accept it as her faith
without wondering the reason from her unhappiness. She could not earn her
intellectual capacities because she and most of women in settlement are forced to
be separated from it. The system made them only knew about religion from
church and prevented them knew anything else. This condition was getting worse
when mother could not read, which prevented her from found her intellectual
capacities. In the early gathering, mother had no courage to speak when she was
asked by Pavel about her opinion about why people had such a hard life.
“Go ahead and look, my dears, go right ahead,” said the mother as she brewed the tea. Everyone stopped talking. “What’s the idea, mother?” asked Pavel with a frown. “The idea?” She glanced up and saw that everyone was looking at her. “Oh I was just talking to myself,” she murmured in embarrassment (Gorky, 1949: 31).
In the beginning part of the plot, it is described the condition when
women are alienated that is represented through the character of mother. It can be
seen clearly through the previous description about the alienation that mother
experienced during her life. This condition triggers the following action that is
described in the middle part of the plot. Mother started to join with the movement
as the part of her awareness about condition that she experienced. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 52
3. The Way Women are Liberated
In this part, the writer will describe the actions that the women characters
do to strive against the source of their oppression. The actions, which mother and
the woman characters did, are triggered through the experiences and condition
that they had that is described in previous part of the plot. As the result from their
action, the quality from the condition when women are not alienated is revealed.
This process can be followed along the middle part until the end part of the plot.
The condition when women are no longer alienated is the indication when
patriarchal and capitalist systems are terminated. There are some qualities from
the unalienated condition that reflect the condition when women are liberated
from patriarchal oppression. In order to prove that the women characters in the
novel are liberated through their involvement in socialist movement, the writer
will show the evidences that the women characters are no longer alienated as the
reflection of the termination of capitalist and patriarchal system.
a. The Process of Women Building Unalienated Society
In order to overcome alienation, what women need to do is terminating the
capitalist system. When capitalist system is erased, unalienated society is
automatically created since it is the product of the capitalist system. The way to
fight against capitalism is through the revolutionary movement. As it is explained
in Capitalist Patriarchy and the Case for Socialist Feminist edited by Zillah R.
Eisenstein, women should stand against the capitalist system, which is based on a
division of labor that separates and alienates people. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 53
There are some women characters that join the revolutionary movement
with other labors in order to stand against capitalist system. Each of them has their
own contribution to support the movement. Natasha is the first woman character
that appears in the story who joins with the movement. Her early involvement was
by joining the discussion to define what the movement should have and what it
should find to create better condition in the settlement.
‘Those of you are right who say we must know everything. We must kindle in ourselves the light of reason, so as to be seen by those who are struggling in darkness. We must have a true and honest answer for everything. We must know the whole truth and the whole falsehood” (Gorky, 1949: 33).
Natasha also did another revolutionary movement that was not revealed clearly in
the novel. The story only mentioned that she was arrested just like another
member of the socialist movement because what she did was a threat for the
government, as the representation of the creator of the capitalist system. It is
mentioned in the novel page 131 that Natasha put in her appearance. She too had
been in jail, though in another town.
Sasha is another woman character in the novel involved in the movement
since the beginning of the story. She is the first woman who declared that they are
socialist in a loud and sharp voice (Gorky, 1949: 39). Her involvement in the
socialist movement to combat the capitalist system is continued when she brought
leaflets and papers to be delivered by mother to the factory.
“I brought the papers and leaflets..” “Let’s have them, let’s have them! cried the mother eagerly. The girl unfastened her coat and shook herself, and papers fluttered down as if they were leaves falling off a tree (Gorky, 1949: 85).
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 54
The movement will deal with the papers and leaflets because this is the means of
propaganda. It was used by the socialist member to spread the truth about class-
consciousness.
Mother who was in the early of the story objected about her son’s
involvement in forbidden movement became the main motor for the spreading of
the leaflet especially when most of the members are arrested. She realizes that the
thing that they do is for everyone’s goodness. She fights against capitalism by
helping the movement to distribute the leaflets and newspaper for the worker in
the factory and everyone else. Another form of the revolutionary movement to
fight against capitalism is demonstration. In the story, there are two events that
involved mother on the demonstration. Mother joined in the demonstration at the
factory and the May Day celebration.
Sophia and Ludmilla are other important women characters that has
significant role to the movement. Sophia was not only helping the movement by
the delivery of the leaflet, but she has also certain specification to help the
socialist member to hide from the government after they escaped from jail or
during the exile. It is stated in the novel page 243, when Ludmilla said that it was
too bad Sophia was away because it was her specialty, to hide people. Ludimilla
was described in the story as the one who printed the leaflets for the movement.
“Here. They would like you to print it as quickly as possible.” Ludmilla silently slipped the paper into her belt and sat down…”I’ll set the type in no time. I won’t go to bed and may even wake you up in the middle of the night to help me” (Gorky, 1949: 366-367).
What the women characters do in the novel is the part of their struggle to
fight against capitalism. It is described any further in the middle part of the plot PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 55
and some actions are revealed in the end part of the plot. This is their way to
change the system in order to dealing with the alienation that makes them
separated and oppressed. Joining with the movement to fight against capitalism is
their way to overcome their alienation as the source of the oppression.
b. The Reflection of Women Liberation in Unalienated Society
During their involvement in socialist movement, the women characters
break the system that oppresses and alienates them. In this part, the writer will
provide the evidences that the unalienated condition that they have by joining the
socialist movement is the condition when they are liberated.
In unalienated society let women free from capitalist system that oppress
them. As the direct effect from this condition, women experience no sexual
hierarchical and class system. This can be seen through the family condition in
mother’s house as the sample of unalienated family. When conducting the
socialist movement, their position in the family is equal. Pavel, mother and Andrei
who stayed in the same house as a family did not segregate their position in the
family based on the sex. Pavel and Andrei treated mother as comrades who had
the same responsible and right in the family. The public sphere was done
altogether.
One evening after supper Pavel drew the curtain over the window, and after hanging the tin lamp on the nail over his chair, sat down in the corner and began to read (Gorky, 1949: 20).
Pavel was the breadwinner of the family but he never let mother do private
sphere by herself. When he was capable of doing something that they could do, he PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 56
would do it by himself without waiting for mother to handle the whole things.
From the quotation from the story above, it can be seen that Pavel also helped
mother to take care of the house by drawing the curtain and hanging the lamp.
Another proof that mother is liberated from patriarchal system in the family when
they were joining in the socialist movement is when Andrei also helped mother to
prepare the tea for them and the guest.
She was glad to see him and smiled affectionately as she talked to him. “How thin you are! Andryusha, let’s give him a glass of tea.” “I’m already light the samovar,” called the khokhol from the kitchen (Gorky, 1949: 115).
Mother who recently called Andrei khokhol asked him to prepare the tea for
Nikolai. He did not mind at all even though he had already lighted the samovar.
This is a proof that inside their family, there is no sexual hierarchical as the
indication of the elimination of the patriarchal oppression which becomes mother
liberation. Along the women involvement in socialist movement, the distribution
of the job was no longer based on the sexual division. Women have the same job
and duty in running the socialist movement whether to distribute the leaflet or
other kinds of revolutionary movement that they plan.
Women are alienated from their intellectual capacities. From the story, it
can be found that her involvement in socialist movement is the part of gaining
their intellectual capacities. Sasha who declared that they were socialist is the
proof that women in the story are developing their intellectual capacities. She
expressed her idea because she had already understood the concept of socialist
that is against capitalism. Women involvement in socialist movement shows the
quality from the process of developing women’s intellectual capacities. Since PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 57
women can gain their intellectual capacities, they are liberated from intellectual
alienation.
What Sasha did in the beginning part of the plot, which is mentioned
before, triggers mother to gain her intellectual capacity. Her capability to gain the
intellectual capacity can be seen through her self-confidence in expressing her
idea in public as the result of gaining her intellectual capacities.
The mother held out her arms. “Listen-in the name of Lord! All you good people, all you dear people, do not be afraid to look at what has happened. Our own children, blood of our blood, have gone forth into the world in the name of justice for all! They have taken up this cross in search of a brighter day for all of you, and for your unborn children. It’s another life they want-a life of truth and justice. It’s goodness they want, for all people!” (Gorky, 1949: 180)
What mother could gain is the result from the action that was done in previously
that is by joining the movement. By joining with the movement, mother knew that
socialist movement has good purpose for everyone.
During Sasha’s involvement in socialist movement, she had once did
hunger for eight days in jail. This was done as her protest again the authorities
because she did not want anybody to take advantage of her. She did not let the
authorities oppressed her with their power, and that she did it to make him
apologize.
“Did you really not eat for eight days?” asked mother in amazement. “I had to do something to make him apologize,” answered Sasha, still shivering in cold. “What if you had died?” “It couldn’t have been helped,” said the girl softly, “But he apologized. You can’t let people take advantage of you” “That’s all men do-take advantage of us women all our lives” (Gorky, 1949: 87).
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 58
Mother knew that men would take advantage of women. This kind of awareness,
and followed by certain action or attitude, is a kind of women liberation because it
breaks men’s authority.
In unalienated society, women will experience themselves as a whole
person who is capable to reach their human potential. The first condition when
women become a whole person is when they have meaningful activity and self
worth as the opposition from fragmented from their own self. Mother is liberated
when she capable to find something that makes her gain meaning in life and her
self-worth.
I think back over the past, think of my young strength crushed under a boot, my young heart pounder under a fist, and I feel sorry for myself and feel bitter. But it’s easier for me to live now. Little by little I can see myself as I am” (Gorky, 1949: 98).
Through her involvement in socialist movement, mother can find the truth about
her life and this makes her can see and understand herself as a whole person.
Mother also gains her self-worth when she helps the movement. She recognizes
that she is important and needed by other. In this part, it can be seen the process of
mother’s liberation that she started to gain meaning in her life that she could not
find in her past life.
Little by little there grew within her a calm consciousness that she herself was important to this new life. Formerly she had never felt that anyone needed her, but now she clearly saw that many people needed her, and this was a new and pleasant realization, one that made her hold her head high (Gorky, 1949: 122).
Becoming a happy person is another condition for women to be liberated.
To be a whole person is the condition when woman are capable to feel happiness
in life. This statement is written in Feminist Thought by Rosemarie Tong that PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 59
Thus, Marxist and socialist feminists aim to create a world in which women can experience themselves as whole persons, as integrated rather than fragmented beings, as people who can be happy even they are enable to make their families and friends happy (2009: 102).
Happiness in this context is the feeling of joy caused by many reasons sometime
something simple but really touches them. It is not only because other’s happiness
but something personal. Mother could feel her happiness when she joined with the
movement. It was not only when she could help her son but also when she could
gain her pride and her quality. Mother was happy when the member of the
movement called her comrade. This made her happy because she felt meaningful.
That kind of feeling that let women become whole person without being
integrated from herself and others.
“Comrade!” murmured the mother when the girl was out of sight. There was something childlike in these people from town that made her smile to herself condescendingly. But she was touched and happily surprised by their faith, whose sincerity became more and more evident to her (Gorky, 1949: 121-122).
Mother experienced other happiness in her life when she could gain precious
experience from others. When she delivered books and newspaper with Sophia,
mother was happy because Sophia understood other by her heart. This touched her
since that kind of relation was hard to be found especially in her past life. Joyful
moment for mother when struggling together with great people who cared other
and who would change the settlement to achieve better life.
I keep looking at you and listening and thinking my thoughts. It makes me happy to see you’ve found the way to the human heart. And when I think about all you people, I’m certain you’ll overcome the evil in life (Gorky, 1949: 207-208).
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 60
To find the source of happiness, it is completely important to experience
becoming a whole person. By joining in socialist movement, mother could find
her happiness even if it came from simple thing but she could find her real joy.
Those feeling could be experienced when they are in unalienated society.
To be liberated, women need to deal with their alienation towards nature.
In capitalist system, women are separated from nature and see it as something that
obstacle their living. The proof when women are liberated from the alienation
towards nature is when women place nature as the part of the world and the part
of their world. This allows them to see nature as something beautiful and great in
life. This condition can be seen through the characters of Sophia and mother.
Sophia admired the beauty of the nature during her journey to do the movement’s
mission. When she delivered the leaflet to another city with mother, she enjoyed
the nature even though it was only pine tree.
“What a lovely pine!” cried Sophia, pointing to one of the trees. The mother stopped and looked-the pine was just like all the others. “Yes, it’s a nice tree,” she laughed, watching the wind blow wisps of grey hair about the other woman’s ear (Gorky, 1949: 207).
The elimination from this alienation lets women return to a humane kind of work
environment as it is stated in Feminist Thought page 102. Sophia could create nice
working environment though when she would have to run the movement by
herself. That was why sometime she would sing some new song about the sky or
about love as stated in the novel page 208.
Mother also experienced this kind of integration. It can be seen when she
looked at the zoo logical atlas, she found many great things about the nature, the
world outside that she had never knew before. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 61
She was particularly fond of poring over the zoo logical atlas, which, while printed in a foreign language, nevertheless gave her a vivid conception of the wealth and beauty and vastness of the earth. “How large the world is!” she remarked to Nikolai one day. She was most delighted with the insects, especially the butterflies. Wonderingly she studies the drawings. “Aren’t they lovely Nikolai?” she said. “How much of this loveliness there is everywhere….People rush about, knowing nothing seeing nothing-no time for it, and no desire. How much joy we would have if we knew about the riches of the earth and how many wonderful things live on it” (Gorky, 1949: 230-231).
Mother knew that people who were oppressed by the system have no time to
enjoy the great of nature because the system made people to work for the
oppressors’ own profit and thought about anything else. By breaking the system,
people would be able to see the whole world that is awesome. This condition
helps people to add joy in their life including mother. By experiencing this kind of
condition, mother is able to free herself from nature alienation. Mother could
reach her liberation when she joined in the movement that allowed her to know
many things including her awareness on the system that had oppressesed people.
According to Rosemarie Tong in her book entitled Feminist Thought,
becoming a whole person is the condition where women free to choose what they
want to do and what women want to be. When they can choose what they want to
do and what they want to be, it means that they are no longer directed by the
system but have been liberated because women are capable to see clearly their
condition and capable to change the system that shapes them.
In contrast to the person who living under capitalism, persons are free not only to do but also to be what they want, because they have the power to see clearly and change the system that shapes them (2009: 103).
Mother’s and the rest of women characters’ involvement in socialist
movement is the reflection of their freedom in choosing what they want to do and PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 62
what they want to be. First mother’s involvement in the movement is when she
was asked by Pavel to bring his note about unfair factory’s decision to their
workers to be printed. Mother could refused her son’s request but she did not do
that but willfully brought it with her even though she knew that it would be
dangerous. Her freedom to choose what she liked to do and what she wanted to be
can be seen when Pavel was arrested and she was asked to stay with Nikolai. She
asked a work from him but she refused to take housework because housework was
not the thing that she wanted to do. She preferred to join the rest comrades in
continuing the socialist movement.
“We can find work for you if you want us to.” said Nikolai. For her, idea of work was inextricably bound up with the work of her son and Andrei and their comrades. “Can you really?” she asked. “There isn’t much to do in my house, since I’m bachelor” “I wasn’t thinking of that-not of housework,” she answered softly. But he smiled in his nearsighted way and said thoughtfully, “If you could find out from Pavel the address of those peasants who asked us to print a paper for them” “I know them! She cried happily (Gorky, 1949: 189-190).
Another proof that mother joined in the socialist movement as her free choice to
be a whole person is her decision to stay in the train station with the leaflets. It
was very possible for mother to run or hide from the gendarmes who had already
suspected her of bringing forbidden things and recognized her as Pavel’s mother
but she did not do that. Her decision was to stay there with the leaflets though the
consequence was that she was caught by the police. She also had an option to
remain silent to avoid strike from the officer but she did not do that. She chose to
speak loud her belief in socialism that it is for everyone’s goodness though she
received strokes from the police repeatedly. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 63
“The words of my son are the honest words of a workingman who has not sold his soul. A gendarme caught her by the collar with a large, beefy hand and shook her. “Shut your mouth!” Her head struck against the wall; for a second the acrid smoke of fear rose in her heart, but courage flared up again, driving away the smoke. “…than the bitterness that eats at your heart and gnaws at your soul everyday!” The spy ran ahead of her, shaking his fist in her face. “They can’t kill my spirit-my living spirit!” she shouted “Not even an ocean of blood can drown the truth!” A gendarmes seized her by the throat and began to choke her. “Miserable creatures..” she gasped. Someone answered her with a loud sob (Gorky, 1949: 382-383)
Just like mother, the other women characters had also always have an
option to keep safe but they chose to join socialist movement to fulfill their
willing to be free person, free to choose what they want to do and to be what they
want to be even the consequence from it is in danger and to be arrested. Sasha is
one of the socialist members who was really concerned on the movement. She
regularly attended the gathering that the movement holds in Pavel’s house even
she had to walk alone from the town in the middle of the night. She could choose
to stay in nice and comfortable house but she preferred to follow her intuition to
unite with working people against capitalism. Her father was the Rural
Administration. It means that actually, she could have nice kind of life with the
property that her father owned but she chose to be free person by becoming and
doing what she believed as justice.
“I have no father,” she said. “Dead?” “No, not dead.” Something stubborn and insistent crept into the girl’s voice and was reflected in her face. “He’s a landlord and now the Rural Administration-he robs the peasant. “If your son was no good, if he harmed the people and you despised him, wouldn’t you denounce him?” cried Sasha impassionedly. “well-maybe I would,” answered the old man after a moment. “You would if justice was dearer to you than your son, and it’s dearer to me than my father” (Gorky, 1949: 361).
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 64
Ludmilla is another women character who decided to leave her comfort and safe
condition in order to fulfill her desire to be a whole person by standing against
capitalism. To follow her belief by joining the movement, she had to leave her
son. She had an option to stay at home with her son just like the other mother but
she chose to leave him. The harder thing that she had to face is the possibility to
stand against her own son since he lives with his father who was an assistant
prosecutor that supported capitalist system. Although, she continued her
involvement in socialist movement even she had to stay with ache in her heart.
“I too have a son but he lives with his father. My husband is an assistant prosecutor. What will become of him? I often think about that…he is being brought up by a conscious enemy of the people I love and consider the finest people on earth. My son may grow up to be my own enemy” (Gorky, 1949: 373-374).
Their involvement in socialist movement is not an easy decision but they
choose to be what they want to be and do what they want to do in order to be
whole person when they choose to fight against capitalism through class struggle
than live under capitalist system. This is their way to fight against class difference
and capitalism.
Their full liberation can be seen along the final part of the plot that is
already described above. It is emphasized through mother’s decision to keep
spreading the leaflet but sacrificed herself to be beaten by the police. This is her
free will and her choice to be liberated by continuing fighting with the movement
than giving up to the system that oppresses her. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 65
CHAPTER V
CONCLUSION
The first analysis in this writing is on the plot of the story. The analysis of
the plot uses Aristotle’s theory on plot that it has a beginning, middle and an end.
The plot of the story is progressive or based on the chronological of the event.
From the first analysis, it can be found that the beginning of the plot is the
introduction of the socialist movement by Pavel and his comrades. In this part,
mother or Pellagea as the main woman character had not yet joined with the
movement. The beginning part of the plot reflects the condition when mother is
alienated. This is the condition that is about to change. The middle of the plot is
set of events when mother and the rest of the women characters were further
involved to the movement as the reflection of the complication and conflict of the
plot. This part reflects their effort to create unalineated condition as the reaction
against the system that oppresses them. The end of the plot is a sequence of events
when the woman characters especially mother took the socialist movement as
their life. This is the conclusion from the story that women characters were aware
then joined in the movement to create condition when they were free from the
oppressor. The woman involvement in socialist movement is revealed along the
plot of the story. Their involvement included discussion, distribution of the
leaflets, printing of the leaflet and newspaper, and joining in demonstration as the
propaganda. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 66
By analyzing women involvement in socialist movement, the writer finds
that it reflects women liberation. Women liberation can be achieved when they are
freed from the source of their oppression. The source of the oppression is not only
patriarchy but also capitalist system that creates alienation and sexual hierarchy in
family and public sphere.
During their involvement in socialist movement, it can be found that their
condition reflects unalienated society. It means that they are capable to terminate
capitalist system since alienation is the product of capitalist system. From the
condition when women are not alienated, it is found that they are capable of
reaching their human potency by gaining their intellectual capacity as well as
being capable of being whole person. Those conditions reflect their capability to
terminate patriarchy as well, since the woman characters no longer experienced
sexual division or sexual segregation.
It can be concluded that women involvement in socialist movement
reflects women liberation since they are capable to erase patriarchy and capitalist
system as the source of their oppression. The proof when women characters have
been liberated from capitalist and patriarchal system can be seen through the
condition in which women are no longer alienated. The women characters are
capable of building unalienated society through their involvement in socialist
movement. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
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