CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
I.I Background of the Study Literature that is expressed by authors almost
all are inspired by their life phenomena
that happens at every moment. Wilbur (1962: 123) states that literature can be seen as a true picture or as
the replication of humans’ life. It describes
what and how human life is, and usually it reflects the events that happen in the society. Because literature cannot
be created in vacuum, it means the work
is fixed in author’s time and space, answering to community of what the important thing in the author’s life is.
Novel is a kind of literary work
beside poem and drama. It is different from
the others; poem or drama, novel is applied to the reader’s understanding more detail and complete in textual. John Peck
and Martin (1986: 103) state that novel
is long works with a great amount of detail on every page. They, thus, present all the complicated facts that need to
be taken into account before we can reach
any sort of judgment. The effect of this detail is that we recognize the complex reality of a character or event in the
story.
After understanding the literary
work, the reader becomes curious to criticize
what the important thing in a novel that we have recognized -- the complex reality of the characters or events in
the story. It can be called as the study
of literature, or literary criticism. It is supposed to analyze the result of literary work after it has already been read
by the researcher, and then makes a deal
approach to answer the related problems of analysis in literary work, or to answer how it works. The advantage of knowing
about these divisions (novel, drama, and
poem) is that they tell us about what sort of text we are dealing with.
John Peck and Martin (1986: 01)
state that, literary criticism is primarily concerned with the discussion of individual
works of literature. The most important
thing is to read and reread the books you are reading, trying to decide what they are about and how they work. It is
also useful to get some broader ideas and
information about literature. In particular, an awareness of the large context into which any work fits can help us
understand the individual text we are studying.
There are, in fact, two contexts in which any work can be seen: a generic or genre context, and a historical
context.
Making criticism depends on how
the readers can response the literary work;
it would be possible if the reader produces impressionistic criticism. The impressions are included in what the messages
got by the reader from literary work, or
the main conflict and problem that roused in the story. Impressions; the result after understanding literary work, is
compared with our idea to make a match
approach which will be used. This method will carry us to the theory of literary criticism to make our research become
easy and aimed. So, the study of literary
criticism is a study that is focused on how we can process it to be a thesis related to the approach used. Endraswara
(2003: 13) writes that the text of work is a creative work and it contains of ideology
and human’s mind. So, in researching we
have to follow the contents of the work. To analyze the work, of course we need to use the theory which is relevant with
the subject. Literary criticisms nowadays are developed
into modern criticism. There is no
purpose, as satisfaction on the literature which makes many speculations that everything is connected to the phenomena of
life such as; violence, safety, keeping
or realization of harmonization in this world. These phenomena are always felt, needed, and avoided by human
being. But these phenomena usually can
be caused by economic production the tendency of material force to human society. These problems can bring positive and
negative impacts to the society.
For example in the positive part;
working, it is a part of human’s dominant activities by which they have a chance to
increase their income for surviving their life. But in this modern society, capitalism
which develops with its concept that to get
as much as benefits always makes the workers being whom don’t get their rights as worker; as their wage is not exact
with their work, so they become suffered,
as the negative impact.
Material is a thing that can be
called as a basic of human’s nature needs that can bring human getting problems, or
happiness. And, materialism in the literary
work also can be something that cause the conflict arouses, as Marx’s theory which is used to explore about social
class or alienation. Materialism and social
economy here serve as basis of the problems. It can be called as a literary criticism theory dealing with Marxism; a
theory that is pioneered by Karl Marx through
his Historical Materialism and Dialectical Materialism.
Many authors write their works
are inspired as materialism and economic problem in the society as the source of
conflict in social life; social class, and alienations happen caused by their own working
or their ownership for their wealth.
Capitalism or feudalism systems that are based on materialism or economic production are the economic system
which can move their nature of life.
While, the authors are aware that these phenomena have been forcing, so they create literary works to inform what are
senses or experiences they feel. These are the social phenomenon that can happen every
where or every time, as inspiring to authors
to create literary work appropriately the phenomena happening at their period or place.
Discussing about the topic, the
researcher takes materialism in this study is caused that it is a term that can represent
the discussion of this study. Taken from the term of “material”, it can be defined as a
need by human being. It means material
that can be processed well and be useful. And then the term “materialism” its self can be referred as a
doctrine that material success and progress
are the highest values in life. This doctrine appears to be prevalent in western society today. So, materialism is a
tendency of human being forced by material
need, then its effect causes the economic problem roused in them. They have been pressed by the condition of material
need, because the economic systems they
use are capitalism and feudalism that can move their nature of life.
They become of the economic
system’s slaver to get material although it can break their nature as human being.
One of the literary works
containing the problems caused by materialism is George Eliot’sSilas Marner. Silas Marneris
artistically the most perfect of George
Eliot's novels. The characters are the common people of the Midlands, the main character is a linen weaver, a lonely
outcast who hoards and gloats over his hard-earned
money, and then he is robbed. Because of material indication with the economic production acts as their way to get
material, so this novel contains of many
social problems such as social class and alienation. It is pictured in the novel that Godfrey (the upper class man) ever
leaves his dishonest wife (the low class
women) and his baby; moreover he doesn’t admit them as his family. And in this novel, Silas Marner was told as the
alienated man; because he wanted to live only with his money and gold that he had ever
got from weaving. Besides, it also shows
the action and reaction of the universal moral forces in each individual character. In this novel, Silas Marneris
depressed.
Silas Marneris a popular novel
that has certain uniqueness. It has many difficult sentences and words. It is also
allegorical nature in which we can have a look the plot, the characters and the symbols.
The difficult sentences and words are
used by the author to show his ambition to describe the allegorical nature in the story. It is aimed at encouraging the
reader’s impressionistic of experience.
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