CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study Novel
usually concerns human beings and through the story often gives us messages.
The author works on the characters and brings them to the real life. We often
find out that characters in novels are very much resembled to human beings in real
life. Novel is one of the works of literature that is written for the sake of information,
amusement, or solace.
Here is chosen the novel written
by D. H. Lawrence entitled Sons and Lovers.
It was written in 1913 in England
in the modern era of English literary. The story was based on the writer’s
childhood.
There are three reasons for choosing
this novel. First, D. H. Lawrence is one of the controversial figures of the
century (Smith, 1957). He wrote a series of realistic novels, some of which
aroused great storms of protest both in England and in America for their frank
depiction of sexual matters, both normal and otherwise (Smith, 1957).
In the era of Lawrence, the
society in England and America was ruled by the church strongly. It included
the society rule of the relationship between a man and a woman.
It was taboo, if a man and a
woman made kissing in public area or having sex before marriage. On the other
hand, Lawrence explored about sexual matters realistically. So, of course he
got storm of protest from the society. It can be seen in his other works, such
as Rainbow(1915) and Women in Love(1921).
Second, in 1960, Jack Cardiff as
the director filmed Sons and Lovers. In the same year, this film won Best
Cinematography Award that was given by British Society of Cinematographers. It
also won NBR Award in Best Director and Best
Picture Category. In 1961, Sons and Loversfilm won Oscar in Best
Cinematography, Black-and-White Category. Besides, this film won Golden Globe
award in Best Motion Picture Director Category. This explanation proves that
Sons and Loversas one of the works that is important to give attention.
Third, Sons and Lovers is moving
and fascinating precisely because of the closeness of the conflicts, the
fluidity of the situations, the uncertainties they generate, which are the
uncertainties of real life (Barnard, 1984). The conflicts in Sons and Loverswere
so closeness, especially closeness with the people everyday life. For instance,
Paul Morel faced the conflicts. The conflicts here were about love, relationship
with other people in society, friendship that is so common for people.
Then the fluidity of the
situations, Sons and Loversconstructed the story fluidity.
Starting from the young life of
Mr. and Mrs. Morel, how they met, married, starting life, having children,
until the death of Mrs. Morel. It flew so fluidity. Sons and lovers also told
about the uncertainties of life. It can be seen, when how suddenly the death came
to the family of Morel that was the William death. Even William planed to marry
his girl. From here Lawrence tried to generate that life is so full of uncertainties.
This event so surprisingly and became the starting point of the novel.
Lawrence’s first masterpiece Sons
and Lovers(1913) is much more directly autobiographical novel. The Morel families
here are the Lawrence family only faintly disguised, and the domestic tragedy
is very similar to that of the Lawrence’s in real life (Sampson, 1970). It
tells the life of Paul Morel, as the main character who has bad relationship
with his father, Mr. Morel. His hate has been done because his father was a
heavy drinker and very rough father. On the other hand, Paul Morel has very
good relationship with his mother, Mrs. Morel. Even he has special
Psychological condition that was influenced by his relationship with his
mother. Paul Morel was still in his teens
but worked in a factory producing surgical appliances but became sick. He spent
his time with Miriam Leivers who he felt in love with. Their love is made
difficult by the fondness Paul mother has for him that was protective to the
point of dependence.
Then their relationship spelt the
end. Then the novel concerns with Paul’s next passion, Mrs. Clara Dawes. In the
end, with Mrs. Morel slow death, we find that the closest and most meaningful
bond was held between mother and son.
David Herbert Lawrence was born
on 11 September 1885 in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire, in central England. He was
the fourth child of a struggling coal miner who was a heavy drinker. His mother
was a former schoolteacher, greatly superior in education to her husband.
Lawrence’s childhood was dominated by poverty and friction between his parents.
Paul Morel as the main character
is presumed getting psychological disorder, called Oedipus complex. Oedipus
complex is instinctual desire to posses’ mother, leading to inevitable conflict
with father (www.assumption.edu., accessed April th , 2006). It expresses the boy’s sexual
attraction to the mother and fear castration by the father who is seen as a
rival. Freud used the term to describe the unconscious feelings of children of
both sexes toward their parents.
Oedipus complex is the name that
Freud borrows from the name of the play Oedipus Rex, written by Greek
playwright, Sophocles. In this play, Oedipus, the protagonist, was prophesied
to kill his father and marry his mother. His attempts to abort the prophecy
failed, and the once-foretold events occur as predicted. According to Freud,
the essence of Oedipus’ story becomes universal human experiences (Bessler C.
E.: 151-152).
Freud believed that the Oedipus
complex is a normal part of human psychological growth. The Oedipal phase of
development is commonly considered to last
from the age of 2 ½ to 6. During this period, children experience intense
feelings love and hate, yearning and jealousy, fear and anger that produce
emotional conflicts.
Most people outgrow the oedipal
phase, but some mentally ill individuals have a strong Oedipus complex as
adults. According to Freud, the principal reason for the weakening of the
complex in boys is the fear of punishment from the father.
The research that used Lawrence’s
Sons and Loversas the research objects has been done by Iwik Pratiwi (1992)
entitled A Character Study of D. H. Lawrence’s Sons and Lovers. The analysis of
the main character was done based on the Personality Theory. In this study, the
Personality Theory taken was Maslow’s theory of Motivation and Personality.
Each character was analyzed based on the fulfillment of the Basic Needs; those
are physiological needs, safety needs, belonging and love needs, esteem needs,
self-actualization needs, the needs to know and understanding and aesthetic
needs.
The Iwik Pratiwi’s analysis could
be concluded that in general, the main characters of Sons and Loverswere round
ones. They represented human being who has strength and weaknesses. Most of the
main characters of the novel were occupied by love and belonging needs which
were not fulfilled, especially love between sexes.
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