FEMALE BONDING IN CECELIA AHERN’S LOVE, ROSIE Fahriana Arviyanti/1611403131 Program Studi Sastra Inggris FS Universitas 17 Agustus 1945 Jln. Semolowaru No.45, Menur Pumpungan, Sukolilo, Kota Surabaya, Jawa Timur 60118 Email: [email protected] ABSTRACT: This study is about bonding that happens among the female characters: Rosie, Stephanie, Mom, Ruby and Katie. This bonding is called female bonding. Female bonding is commonly exposed when they usually share activities and emotions each other. To prove the existence of bonding among female characters, the writer decides to do a study on the novel entitled Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahern. Applying feminist literary criticism and qualitative research method, the writer analyzed three characteristics of female bonding: 1)Friendship 2)Attachment 3)Cooperation. From the analysis, the writer concludes that female bonding happening among the females characters on novel that shows understanding, sharing activities, worries, trust and appreciation. The female bonding can make people more positive and give good impact for each other. Keywords: bonding, female bonding, friendship, attachment, cooperation INTRODUCTION According to Hazar and Campa normative developmental transition (2013:2) early bonding experiences from parental to peer to partner from infancy through adolescence. attachment. Abel (1981:3) female The chapters in this part address the bonding exemplifies a mode of basics of ethological attachment relational self-definition whose theory, the coevolution of infant– increasing prominence is evident in caregiver behavior systems, and the the revival of psychoanalytic interest in object-relations theory and in the eventhough she is new to Rosie’s life. dynamics of transference and And her daughter, Katie who always countertransference, as well as in the supports and undertands her. From rowth of literary emphasis on theories their relationship, the female of influence and intertextuality. Based characters establish female bonding. on the explanation above, the writer is This thesis focuses on female so interested in the bonding between bonding that are shown on Cecelia female that are usually called Ahern’s Love, Rosie. The study will sisterhood. The writer chooses focus on bonding Ruby, Stephani, literary work from Cecelia Ahern’s Mom, Katie and Rosie from their Love, Rosie to be discussed in this interaction. The writer uses extrinsic thesis. The novel is about two friends approach, an element of literature was called Rosie and Alex, they actually about the things that cannot really be love each other but for one and found inside the story itself. It is not another reasons, Alex has to move the material but the fact and from Dublin to Boston with his information that supports surround family. Rosie is down because of her the story. very best-buddy leave her from Dublin to Boston. Moreover, This work points out about something big comes, and it can be liberal feminism. According to Lorber changed Rosie’s life forever. She gets (1997) liberal feminism claims that pregnant with thier friend. She gets gender differences are not based in through ups and downs in her life. biology, and therefore that women Fortunately, she has a very supportive and men are not all that different -- big sister, Stephani, who always their common humanity supersedes listens and supports her in every their procreative differentiation. If moment that happens to her life. A women and men are not different, mother, who is always there for her then they should not be treated and a friend that comes into her life differently under the law. Women and makes big change for her, Ruby. should have the same rights as men She understands Rosie really well and the same educational and work represent lack of solidarity among the opportunities. characters. Solidarity is nevertheless According to Horst (2012), present among the women characters, female bonding is the formation of a from the same or different races and close personal relationship between ethnicities, and that the ruptures of women. Female bonding is a term that their bonding and controversial is used in ethology, social science, actions are a result of the alteration of and in general usage to describe ethics of care. patterns of friendship, attachment, On Abel (1981:2) writes while and cooperation in women; or in the feminist social scientists have culled case of ethology, associations from letters and journals evidence of between females of various species. the intensity and power of female The exact meaning of the term differs friendships, especially in nineteenth- across contexts. In ethology, a species century America, feminist literary is said to have female bonding if the critics have focused more exclusively female regularly form coalitions in on the mother-daughter bond. which they mutually support each While Levine’s article (2011) other, especially if such coalitions are writes the intimate nature of the used to attack other groups or relationship between a mother and individuals. daughter is sometimes confusing. If Olieviera (2011:16) writes close, the relationship can simulate sisterhood can have many positive friendship through the familiar aspects in the lives of the characters, characteristics of empathy, listening, most of these bonds do not outlast the loyalty, and caring. However, the contradictions that women experience mother/daughter relationship has during and after slavery. To endure unique characteristics that distinguish the hardships, the women characters it from a best friendship. These are forced to make unconventional characteristics include a mother’s role compromises and to resort to different as primary emotional caretaker, a lack actions. Even though the change in of reciprocity, and a hierarchy of the ethics of care does not necessarily responsibility. This hierarchy, combined with unconditional love, It is evident that this particular cohort precludes mothers and daughters of women sees each other as lifelong from being best friends. This confidants due to the absence of a generation of mothers and adult lifelong commitment to a spouse. daughters has a lot in common which Along with this, the lack of increases the likelihood of shared commitment allows women to companionship. Mothers and develop and maintain the strong ties daughters have always shared the between other single female friends. common experience of being From the passage above, it can homemakers, responsible for conclude that female bonding can be maintaining and passing on family divined into 3 characteristics : values, traditions, and rituals. Today friendship, attachment and contemporary mothers and daughters coorporation. also share the experience of the On their journal Parker and workforce, technology and lack of a Vries (1993) writes ninety-five generation gap, which may bring women and 95 men undergraduates them even closer together. rated each of their closest friends, and According to Greiner (1993) rated themselves with each of those female bonding is the formation of a friends on a Relationship Grid close personal relationship and the evaluating both `structural' patterns of friendship, attachment, dimensions (i.e., age, sex, duration of and cooperation in females. Within friendship and frequency of contact) the context of human relationships the and `affective' dimensions (i.e. self- definition and display of female disclosure, appreciation, assistance, bonding can be dependent on multiple empathic, understanding, deepening factors such as age, sexual others' self-awareness, shared orientation, culture, race and marital activity, authenticity, trust, control, status. For example, some studies responsibility, connectedness, have shown that there is relatively empowerment of others and strong female bonding evidence satisfaction). Results indicated which is shared among single women. similarity in the rankings of the importance of those dimensions in the successfully use the caregiver as a friendships of men and women, and secure base when distressed). People that same-sex friendships were more who possess a secure attachment style common and of longer duration than tend to develop mental models of cross-sex friendships. themselves as being friendly, good- MacLeod (2009) in his article natured, and likable and of significant entitled Attachment Theory, others as being generally well attachment is a deep and enduring intentioned, reliable, and trustworthy. emotional bond that connects one In Vugt, Cremer and Jassen person to another across time and (2007), they write evolutionary space (Ainsworth, 1973; Bowlby, scientists argue that human 1969). Attachment does not have to cooperation is the product of a long be reciprocal. Bearry, Seager, Brown history of competition among rival (2015:64) an attachment is an groups. There are various reasons to emotional bond which forms in believe that this logic applies humans and other mammalian species particularly to men. In three from birth, usually between infants experiments, using a step-level and adults, and develops through public-goods task, we found that men interaction with a primary caregiver. contributed more to their group if Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, & Wall their group was competing with other (1978) have identified three primary groups than if there was no intergroup attachment styles: competition. Female cooperation was anxious/ambivalent, (characteristic of relatively unaffected by intergroup infants who intermix attachment competition. behaviors with overt expressions of According