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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
This chapter is concerned with background of the study, reason for
choosing the topic, statement of the problem, limitation of the problem, objective
of the study, significance of the study, and definition of terms.
1.1 Background of the study
In a world or a society that has not regularly without guarantee and
protection of victims, building a legal system that is just hard. In a case that
occurred in society at that time in case of violation of the rules of society such as
acts of adultery, then they use religion as an excuse and a tool to decide on a
punishment without consideration of human rights offenders.
When the crime that happens then all the people only see the wickedness
that is done without giving offenders opportunity to provide a defense argument.
They do not consider that the crime itself is not as bad and wickedness of what
they have done.This gives the possibility for offenders to suffer psychologically
and sociologically.
According to Wellek (1995:109-110), literature is a social institution that
uses language media. Literature has a social function that does not fully describe
the personal nature of social problems such as traditions, conventions, norms,
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symbols, and myths. De Bonald in Wellek (1995:110) states that literature is an
expression that reflects the community feeling and expressing life.
Literature, especially novels have close links with the community as a
document of historical, social, and as a portrait of social reality. As a social
document, the novel is used to describe social history. Novel occurs in a social
context that relates directly and indirectly to the economic situation, political,
social and concrete.
Some novels are written based on the author’s experience or based on the
condition of the society in which the author lives. The hottest issue in his society
can be also as an inspiration for the author to produce a novel or literary works.
In this case, Hawthorne (2004:26-3) in The Scarlet Letter describes the
atmosphere of punishment in the puritan society. Adultery punishment becomes a
hot issue in the puritan society or New England in the year of 1641, especially in
several states. Many arguments come in, from the judicial system, the execution,
trials, human rights, the effect of punishment and from the side of the prisoner it
self or convicted person of capital punishment. Beside that the execution in death
penalty cannot do directly, there are many steps before the execution. The
prisoners (convicted person of capital punishment) have to wait in the jail (or
death row) until their execution. Moreover life in social punishment brings many
problems for the prisoner itself.
Social portrait of American history can be read in Nathaniel Hawthorne's
novel The Scarlet Letter as well. He took the original documents from the State
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Port of Salem, who noted the condition of Jonathan Pue puritan society and social
punishment of offenders of adultery at the time.
Nathaniel Hawthorne is considered as one of the great novelist in the
world but the difficulties are drawing up a whole sequence of events. Next is to
ensure an attractive setting for the story characters to be portrayed in this novel is
a real character. Nathaniel Hawthorne Hester Prynne should describe the character
as a people struggling for dignity in a society that is arrogant.
Hawthorne wrote about the people of Massachusetts and the patterns they
act and behave towards each other, especially against Hester, and life in general.
This novel begins when Hester walked to the scaffold in the city to be seen and
known to many people because of adultery who has done.
Historically, the puritans were protestants who wanted to purify the
Church of England from priests and rituals. They try to devote their lives and
enhance the value of a typical order of puritans. On a personal level, a puritan
would strive hard for perfection itself (self-perfection) by practicing a set of
values and beliefs. If it fails, as seen in the case of Hester or Dimmesdale, they
will impose penalties to anyone who is not able to achieve such self-perfection.
Prison then became an instrument for achieving collective self-perfection.
In societies that strive for a self-perfection, the penalty for deviation value is not
just physical but also spiritual or emotional. Prison here indicates that the puritan
society punishes people within their own ranks who have violated the laws of
society: an activation law society. Prison is also a concession to the fact that in a
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society consisting of people who dedicated themselves for the sake of self-
perfection, the prison was still needed.
In 1641 Boston Law provided for death as punishment ( the scaffold then
was used only for execution, not the pillory), and in 1644, Mary Latham and
James Britton were reported in John Winthrop’s journal to have been put to death
for adultery. But corporal punishment, or whipping was the usual punishment in
puritan Massachusetts for adultery, signaling that the ultimate possible
punishment offered by the Bible and the law was too harsh. Hawthorne’s ancestor,
Mayor John Hathorne, was magistrate in Salem in 1688, and he ordered a woman
named Hester Craford to be saverely whipped in publick after she gaves birth to
an illegitimate child. (http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com ).
Then these punishment subdided, A Plymouth law of 1694 called the
display of an A on the dress. Hawthorne recorded this case in his journal, and it
became the subject of his story , “ A letter and the Red Colour ,” in which a Salem
woman , required to wear the red letter A, added wonderful embroidery to it. The
admonitions society desire to punish what seemed to be obvious transgession
againts society. (http://www.notablebiographies.com).
Now, however, it seemed that the puritan communities had found
themselves in the difficult place of punishing adultery too lenienly, because many
found the embroidery of the ‘’A’’ letter too light a sentence, but whipping and
execution to harsh. This punishment offers a way to punish the adulterers to bear
his sins without forcing people to do violent and anarchic. It is an act to define the
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punishment more humane. The Admonition of Jesus in the case of adulteress, “
Let him who is without sin cast the first stone,’’ had not become a guiding
principle in the law refer to sexual acts. But Hawthorne was moving mind to agree
that if adultery was a crime, it was a crime of the heart that need not be punished
by the societ, since it had its own consequences in the guilt, shame, and suffering.
(http: //www.openbible.info ).
The writer is motivated to choose Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel because
firstly, Nathaniel Hawthorne is considered as one of the great novelist in the
world. His novel always reached International best seller, One of the great
American authors of the 19th century, Nathaniel Hawthorne grew up in New
England and published his first novel, Fanshawe, in 1828. Though he went on to
help lay the foundations of the American short story, Hawthorne is more widely
known for his novels The Scarlet Letter (1850) and The House of Seven Gables
(1851). (Hester Prynne, the heroine of The Scarlet Letter, is forced to wear the
letter 'A' for adultery after she has an affair with the puritan minister Arthur
Dimmesdale.) Hawthorne's other books include Twice-Told Tales (1837), The
Blithedale Romance (1852), The Dolliver Romance ( 1863) ( unfinished) and The
Marble Faun (1860), Septimius Felton or The Elixir of Live ( published in the
Atlantic Monthly, 1872), and Doctor Grimshawe’s Secret: A romance
( unfinished ), with Preface and Notes by Julian Hawthorne ( 1882). From 1853
to 1859 Hawthorne lived in England and in Italy, but returned to the United States
and died (http://www.notablebiographies.com).
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Secondly, the language of the novel is easy to understand. Hawthorne
writes in an easy gripping style, which combines a solid knowledge of the
American legal system with an ability to portray a wide range of characters that
have very unique personalities. The Scarlet Letter is famous for presenting some
of the greatest American literature. While not recognized by Hawthorne himself
as his most important work, the novel is not only as his greatest accomplishment,
but frequently as the greatest novel in American literary history. After it was
published in 1850, critics hailed it as initiating a distinctive American literary
tradition. Ironically, it is a novel in which, in terms of action, almost nothing
happens. Hawthorne's emotional, psychological drama revolves around Hester
Prynne, who is convicted of adultery in colonial Boston by the civil and Puritan
authorities.
To sum up, those explanations above are the reasons why this research and
this thesis are necessary to have. Why the writer chooses The Scarlet Letter as the
subject, and why the writer applies psychological approach for this research. At
last the writer hopes that this research will lead benefits for the students of
Pekalongan University especially for common people who like literature.
1.2 Reason for Choosing the Topic
In The Scarlet Letter the writer is interested in Hester Prynne’s
characterization because many of her actions to respect and protect the honour of
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her love when she was in judgment day. The writer also found that the change
views of the main character toward all of her crimes she had done before she got
the death penalty and met with her love.
This novel is very interesting to be analyzed about the life of Hester
Prynne is the main character in the struggle to raise their children with the burden
sign the letter "A" dark red on his chest which means sinners and condemned.
Although he was punished by the people he still had faith that what he did was
right in the eyes of God and he survived to this. We also may often encounter
cases in people's lives. How do our attitudes and behavior when there are people
who are considered guilty and punished.
By studying this novel analysis we can determine an appropriate reward
and punishment in the learning process in schools and in society. In addition,
analysis of the novel The Scarlet Letter in a thesis is a new thing in Pekalongan
University. Nevertheless this novel has been frequently discussed and explored in
other schools.
In accordance with the reasons, the researcher discusses about the main
character that is psychologically very interesting to be analyzed. Furthermore the
researcher uses psychological analysis using Sigmund Freud and Skinner’s theory.
The writer determines the title of this thesis that is The Impact of Adultery
Punishment as Reflected in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter: A
Psychological Analysis. The writer thinks that this will be suitable title for this
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thesis because the work (The Scarlet Letter) shows a unique characterization of
the main character and there are strong moral values in this novel.
1.3 Statement of the Problem
From the reason for choosing the topic above, the researcher formulates
statement the problem as follows:
1. How is the characterization of the main character, Hester Prynne in
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter?
2. What are the impacts of Adultery punishment in the life of the main
character, Hester Prynne in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter?
3. What are the moral values contained in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The
Scarlet Letter?
1.4 Objectives of the Study
The objectives of the study appear in answering three questions mentioned
above, they are:
1. To describe the characterization of the main character Hester Prynne
psychologically in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter.
2. To describe the impacts of Adultery Punishment in the life of the main
character, Hester Prynne in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter.
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3. To draw some moral values in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet
Letter.
1.5 Significances of the Study
Basically all research activities should posses’ clear purposes. In the end
of this study the researcher expects that this study will give the great benefits for
the students, the readers (in general) and other researchers.
1. Theoretically
The reader will better understanding on psychological analysis. The
presentation of the thesis is very important to help the readers to read and
understand this thesis; the writer presents the thesis as follows: The first chapter is
the introduction. Here the writer gives background of the study, identification of
the problem, limitation of the problem, formulation of the problem, objectives of
the study, significance of the study, and presentation of the study.
The second chapter is theoretical framework that contains theories
underlying the writing of the study. Here the writer presents the author’s
biography, character and characterization, the definition of adultery punishment (it
includes social punishment), the effect of punishment, psychological approach
and moral values. The third chapter is research methodology. It consists of type of
the study, data collecting method, and data analyzing technique. The fourth
chapter is research findings. It consists of synopsis of the novel, characterization
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of the main character, the impact of adultery punishment, and the moral values of
the novel. The fifth chapter is conclusion and suggestion. It is the last chapter of
this thesis. Here the writer tries to conclude the result of the analysis and gives
suggestion to the readers who read the thesis.
2. Practically
a. for the students
The students will have better understanding on psychological analysis.
b. for the readers (in general)
The readers can get the information about adultery punishment and
able to understand the problem contained in there.
c. for other researchers
Other researchers can conduct further research on the literary works as
well as in the novel The Scarlet Letter. The readers can get the information
about adultery punishment and able to understand the problem contained
in there.
3. Pedagogically
This thesis explores the educational benefits and pedagogical complication
of focusing on morality in literature courses. The writer believes teaching works
of literature that raise difficult and complicated moral questions can help students
develop critical thinking and writing skill. This thesis reviews historical
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perspectives on the link between morality and literature pedagogy, and compiled
some pedagogical perspectives on the subject, focusing on how and why to bring
up moral issues in literature classes. It considers the idea that English teachers
can, without moralizing capitalize on literature’s moral questions to cultivate
compassion, imagination, reason, and independence of thought, and thereby help
students become better reader, cleaner thinkers, and more careful writers.
1.6 Limitation of the Study
As stated in the identification of the problem above, therefore the writer
limits the problem on the Impact of Adultery Punishment in the life of the Main
Character as described by Nathaniel Hawthorne in the novel The Scarlet Letter
based on psychological approach.
This limitation is intended to make the discussion more focus however, the
writer discusses the novel intrinsically and extrinsically to find out the impact of
the adultery punishment in the life of the main character.
1.7 Definition of Terms
Based on the background of the study, The Scarlet Letter contains some
interesting themes to analyze. The interesting theme includes the adultery
punishment, love, and puritan society. In the case of the adultery punishment
consists of many problems such as judicial system, the execution, the punishment
12
row, and the most important thing is the problem of the convicted person itself
(prisoner).
In the title of this thesis is The Impact of Adultery Punishment as Reflected
in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter: A Psychological Analysis the writer
needs to define some key terms, which are as follows :
1. The impact
The impact (noun) in Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of
Current English means ( a strong ) influence; effect.
2. Adultery
Hawthorne in The Scarlet Letter states that adultery is voluntary
sexual intercourse between a married man or woman and a partner other
than the legal spouse. Adultery was a moral violation, and people who
committed it could be put to death. The memorable character of Hester
Prynne in Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter" is punished to wear
a scarlet letter "A," symbolizing the word "adulteress," for the rest of her
life. Adultery was punished publicly, with the intention of giving shame
and humiliation, because it was a clear breaking of the moral and religious
marriage contract between husband and wife. By maintaining the bonds of
marriage, the Puritans also viewed adultery as a threat to societal order.
13
According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current
English adultery means sex between a marriage person and who is not
their husband or wife.
3. Punishment
Strater in “Rewards/Punishment’ Debate and Application
(http://documentsearch.org) explains that theory that punishment’ has a
specific, accepted definition in psychology: ‘An aversive stimulus that
occurs after some specific response and is intended to suppress that
response is known as punishment’ punishment can be anything that
decreases the occurrence of a behavior: physical pain, withdrawal of
attention, loss of tangibles or activities, a reprimand, or even something
others would find rewarding but the particular individual does not like.
4. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter
According to Meltzer (2007: 10-18), Nathaniel Hawthorne is one
of the greatest writers in America. He was born on July 4, 1804, in
Salem, Massachusetts. He spent his time to produce many famous novels
and short stories. The Scarlet Letter is one of the best success that
Hawthorne’s producing to devote himself to his writing. the Scarlet Letter
was a real form of punishment in Puritan society. Adulterers might have
14
been forced to wear a scarlet "A" if they were lucky. At least two known
adulterers were executed in Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Hawthorne is an expert in the use of symbolism, and a red letter
"A" stands as a symbol of the most powerful, about the interpretation of
the novel that spins. At one pole interpretation of "A" stands for adultery
and sin, and this novel is the story of individual punishment and
reconciliation. At another pole it stands for America and the story suggests
national sin and human costs. But the reader see the "A" as a symbol of
ambiguity, a fact which is very confusing.
5. A Psychological Analysis
Adi (2011 : 185) states that psychological (adjective) is relating to
psychology or relating to the mind or mental activity. Psychological
analysis (in literature) is learning related to psychologist fundamental
theories relate to characters in their texts. Psychological analysis is used
in the analysis of narrative. It can analyze character who has a psychiatric
disorder or psychological aspects of analysing characters.
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CHAPTER II
REVIEW RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter presents the author’s biography, character and
characterization, the definition of adultery punishment, the effect of punishment,
psychological approach and moral values.
2.1 Biography of the Author
The following biography is adapted from Meltzer (2007:10-11), Nathaniel
Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, a descendant of a
long line of Puritan ancestors including John Hathorne, a presiding magistrate in
the Salem witch trials in order to distance himself from his family's shameful in-
volvement in the witch trials. Also among his ancestors was William Hathorne,
one of the first Puritan settlers who arrived in New England in 1630.
After his father, a ship captain died of yellow fever at sea when Nathaniel
was only four, his mother became overly protective and pushed him toward rela-
tively isolated pursuits. Hawthorne's childhood left him overly shy and bookish,
which molded his life as a writer.
Hawthorne decided to write after his graduation from Bowdoin College.
His first novel, Fanshawe, was unsuccessful and Hawthorne himself still an ama-
16
teurish. He wrote several successful short stories, however, including "My Kins-
man, Major Molineux," "Roger Malvin's Burial," and "Young Goodman Brown,"
arguably Hawthorne's most famous short story. Despite the critical acclaim it has
received since, Hawthorne twice rejected this work when asked to select a compi-
lation of short stories for publication.
His insufficient earnings as a writer forced Hawthorne to enter a career as
a Boston Custom House measurer in 1839. After three years Hawthorne was dis-
missed from his job with the Salem Custom House. By 1842, his writing finally
gave Hawthorne a sufficient income to marry Sophia Peabody and move to The
Manse in Concord, which was the center of the transcendental movement.
Hawthorne returned to Salem in 1845, where he was appointed surveyor of the
Boston Custom House by President James Polk, but he was dismissed from this
post when Zachary Taylor became president. Hawthorne then devoted himself to
his most famous novel, The Scarlet Letter. He zealously worked on the novel with
a determination he had not known before. His intense suffering infused the novel
with imaginative energy. (http:/ www.notablebiographies.com)
The Scarlet Letter was an immediate success that allowed Hawthorne to
devote himself to his writing. He left Salem for a temporary residence in Lenox, a
small town in the Berkshires, where he completed the romance The House of the
Seven Gables in 1851. While in Lenox, Hawthorne introduced with Herman
Melville and became a major supporter of Melville's work, although their friend-
17
ship became strained. Hawthorne's subsequent novels, The Blithedale Romance--
based on his years of communal living at Brook Farm--and the romance The Mar-
ble Faun were both considered disappointments. Hawthorne supported himself
through another political post, the consulship in Liverpool, which he was given
for writing a campaign biography for Franklin Pierce.
In 1852, after the publication of The Blithedale Romance, Hawthorne re-
turned to Concord and bought a house called Hillside, owned by Louisa May Al-
cott's family. Hawthorne renamed it The Wayside. He went on to travel and live in
France and Italy for a spell, but he returned to The Wayside just before the Civil
War began. Indeed, he would publish an article entitled "Chiefly About War Mat-
ters" for the Atlantic Monthly just before he fell ill, detailing the account of his
travels to the Virginia battlefields of Manassas and Harpers Ferry and to the
White House.
Hawthorne passed away on May 19, 1864, in Plymouth, New Hampshire,
after a long period of illness. By this time, he had completed several chapters of
what was to be a romance, and this work was published after his died as The Dol-
liver Romance.
Hawthorne was buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord, Massachu-
setts. His life was described with the words "painful solitude." Hawthorne had
18
maintained a strong friendship with Franklin Pierce, but otherwise he had had few
intimates and little engagement with any sort of social life.
A number of outstanding works of Hawthorne published after he died. His
works are well known with regard to the puritanical, guilt, and moral complexity
as well as a personal feud. Although he was not satisfied with his works, he still
praised by American society as one of the greatest writers in America.
According to Meltzer ( 2007:16-18 ) in 1852 Franklin Pierce was elected
president of the United States, and Hawthorne, who wrote his campaign
biography, was appointed to the important overseas post of American consul
(advisor) at Liverpool, England. He served in this post from 1853 to 1857. These
English years resulted in Our Old Home (1863), a volume drawn from the since-
published "English Note-Books."
In 1857 the Hawthornes left England for Italy, where they spent their time
primarily in Rome and Florence. They returned to England, where Hawthorne
finished his last and longest complete novel, The Marble Faun (1860). They
finally returned to the United States, after an absence of seven years, and took up
residence in their first permanent home, The Wayside, at Concord.
Although he had always been an active man, Hawthorne's health began to
fail him. Since he refused to submit to any thorough medical examination, the
details of his declining health remain mysterious. Hawthorne died on May 19,
19
1864. He had gone for the New Hampshire hills with Franklin Pierce, an activity
he had always enjoyed, hoping to regain his health. But he died the second night
in Plymouth, New Hampshire, presumably in his sleep.
Hawthorne once said that New England was enough to fill his heart, yet he
sought the broader experience of Europe. Modest in expectations, he had
nonetheless desired to live fully. Hawthorne's life and writings present a complex
puzzle. A born writer, he suffered the difficulties of his profession in early-
nineteenth-century America, an environment unfriendly to artists (http:/
www.notablebiographies.com).
2.2 Character and Characterization
1. Character
According to Griffit (2011: 60), characters are people presented in
dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed
with moral, dispositional, and emotional quantities that are expressed in what they
say (the dialogue) and what they do (the action). To create the convince character,
the author must complete himself with enough knowledge about the behavior of
human being and the social custom that will be used as setting.
The character can be devided into two, major character and minor
character as follows :
a. Major Character or main character
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Major character plays an important role in the novel. Therefore, the
readers will usually pay more attention to the major character or main
character. The major character can further be analyzed into three
groups:
1) Protagonist (the very central character)
The protagonist usually a hero or heroine, that plays an
important role in the story. The hero is usually a good man with
good characters.
2) The antagonist character (the enemy of the protagonist character)
The antagonist in a novel usually refers to the enemy or the
challenger of the protagonist. The antagonist character is usually
immoral or evil because the protagonist is usually good and true.
3) The companion (the supporter of the protagonist)
In a novel, the protagonist usually has a companion or a
partner in pursuing his duty, career, struggle, or aspiration. When a
protagonist is oppressed, he is usually helped by a close friend or
by a reputable person (named companion character).
b. Minor character.
Minor characters are those who support the main or major character
(http:// academic.booklyn.english/melani/lit.cuny.edu/term.html).
The other hand the characters can be divided into two: round char-
acter or developing character and flat character. ‘Round character’ is the
21
character that changes over the course of the story. For example, a character
is described to be morally good in the beginning of the story but after that he
becomes bad in the middle or in the end of the story. In other hand Flat
Character described as unchanging characters at the beginning and end of
story. (www.storyinsight.com).
2. Characterization
Characterization often comes up in the readers mind when they deal with
certain literary works; some theories of characterization help the readers to
understand what characterization means. These theories of characterization
provide the readers with valuable information to comprehend how Nathaniel
Hawthorne created and developed Hester Prynne’s characters in the story.
Characterization is author’s way in showing the character. While
Nurgiyantoro says the characterization indicates to qualify of character (1998:
165). He distinguishes between character and characterization. Character indicates
person, while characterization indicates characteristic and attitude of the character
like what is interpreted by the readers. Characterization indicates the qualities of
the character.
Murphy in Santoso (2007: 13 ) mentions that there are 9 ways in which an
author attempts to make his character to understand and come alive for his reader,
namely:
1. Personal description
22
Personal description means that the author can describe a person
appearance and clothes in the story.
2. Characters as seen by another
Instead of describing a character directly, the author can describe his
character through the eyes and opinion of another character.
3. Speech
Speech may be used to describe a character of one of the persons in the
story through what the person says. Whenever a person speaks, whenever
he is in conversation with others, whenever he put forward an opinion, he
is giving us some clues to his character.
4. Past life
By letting the readers learn something about a person’s past life, the author
can give them a clue to events that shape the person’s character. This can
be done by the direct comment of the author, through the person thought,
his conversation or through the medium of another person.
5. Conversation of others
We can take the clues of a person’s character through the conversation of
other people and what they say about him. People talk about other people
23
and the things they say often give a clue to the character of the person
spoken about.
6. Reaction
Different characters will react differently if they are faced with similar
problems. Each reaction toward the problem shows the character tendency
and this tendency gives the readers a clue about the character’s
personalities.
7. Direct comment
In the description of the character, the author directly gives his personal
comments about the character that he creates.
8. Thought
By letting the readers come into the most thought of the character in a
literary work, the author want to show personalities of the character in
perspective way. If the readers are subjectively involved in the characters
thought, they can understand the character’s personalities and position in
the story. Even the readers can feel as if they were the character
themselves.
9. Mannerism
The author use mannerism habits or idiosyncrasy in his fictional life which
can also describe the character’s personality.
24
2.3 Adultery Punishment
Gray (1995 : 4-5 ) states, puritans were a Christian religious group whose
pious values formed the foundation of American culture. Puritanical ideals
regarding sexuality and marriage can still be seen today. They keep the spirit of
morality, especially in terms of marriage and keep away from adultery is very
important to maintain order in their society.
Vaughan ( 1972 : xiii ) mentions that the puritans were a devout Christian
group who not agree with the Church of England. Being chased and hunted for
their beliefs, they came to America. They believed absolutely in the words of the
Bible and felt that the Church had become corrupt. They were called the puritans
because they wanted to purify and cleanse both the Church and their own lives,
and devoted themselves to religious, social and moral reform. Upon migrating to
America, the puritans settled into the New England area and lived strictly pious
lives, in which the family and the bonds of marriage were the basis of societal
order.
Gray (1995 : 6 ) states, during the growth of religious life in the 16th
century a group of men and women who called puritanical group trying to
overhaul the official English church from within. Basically, they demand more
comprehensive changes to the national church and advocated a more simple
25
worship. Their ideas will change the integrity of the state church that could
threaten the position of king and church leaders. Under pressure, puritanical
society to go to a new world in 1620 they founded the Plymouth colony. While
the second generation founded the colony of Massachusetts in 1630, it consisted
of people who are quite wealthy and educated.
In puritan society, adultery was considered one of the big sin, a moral vio-
lation of God's will. Adultery was a moral violation, and people who committed it
could be put to death. The memorable character of Hester Prynne in Nathaniel
Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter" is punished to wear a scarlet letter "A," symbol-
izing the word "adulteress," for the rest of her life. Adultery was punished pub-
licly, with the intention of giving shame and humiliation, because it was a clear
breaking of the moral and religious marriage contract between husband and wife.
By maintaining the bonds of marriage, the puritans also viewed adultery as a
threat to societal order.
Contrary to other views of puritan society that they do not feel pressured,
shy, and behave boring. Although they have very strict rules about the punishment
for the actor of adultery but they appreciate the relationship of husband and wife
in marriage. They do not ban alcohol, but they do not give awards for the drunks.
They appreciate art, poetry in particular, and enjoy the beautiful environment of
the universe. They are organized society and respect for education.
26
The puritan's beliefs and attitudes towards sexuality, marriage and adultery
can still be seen in America today. By being a part of the founding of the original
colonies, the puritans played an important and vital role in shaping America's
values. They directly contributed to many American beliefs about morality, work,
patriotism, and community. There are 8 million Americans who can trace their
ancestry back to the Puritans who first came to New England between 1629 and
1640. (http://www.ehow.com ).
Puritan society has many public figures. As a public figure puritan, Cotton
Mather very influential and popular in resolving cases of community life in the
1680s that brought puritan highly respected in the community.
Puritanical society expects of a better life and longer than ever before in
New England. They give birth to new generations to continue living in the
surrounding Maryland, Virginia and Massachusetts. This is where generations of
his successors witnessed the puritanical society growing up in a very large number
for a better life. Puritans wanted their children to be able to read the Bible, of
course. The law in Massachusetts decided that at every school supported by
sufficient funding for operational costs of public tax revenues.
Perceptions of the purists at the time was that the marine life and coastal or
bay of Massachusetts is more dominated by men. The women have not had ample
opportunity in every decision-making in the city council and they also have much
to contribute in decision-making in church. Rules and preaching in a church
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dominated by men. Puritanical society has very strict rules. Men and women are
given a punishment for actions that damage morale. Children can be given
punishment simply because it condemns his parents. It was believed that the who
were the resource persons pregnant women with a male child had a rosy
complexion and that women carrying a female child pale were the resource
persons. Names of women found in census reports of the Massachusetts Bay
include patience, silence, fear, prudence, comfort, hopestill, and be fruitful. This
list reflects the puritan views on women quite cleary.
The existence of the church as God's house. Those who regularly attend
church events in her contribution to the funding requested. Sermon at the church
used to solve community problems. The church was guarded by security guards to
safeguard the assets of the church, while maintaining public worship, to calm
children when they speak out noise in the church because the church is a sacred
place and away from business activities.
Puritans believed that the people who were in the church is doing God's
work. Therefore, there will be penalties for violating the rules of the church.
Severe penalties are given as they are distorted or not carry out God's command.
There are also some cases that resulted in people sentenced to hang.
Made famous by author Nathaniel Hawthorne in his book of the same
name, the Scarlet Letter was a real form of punishment in Puritan society.
Adulterers might have been forced to wear a scarlet "A" if they were lucky. At
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least two known adulterers were executed in Massachusetts Bay Colony. Public
whippings were commonplace. The stockade forced the humiliated guilty person
to sit in the public square, while onlookers spat or laughed at them.
Puritanical society actually regretted everything while giving punishment
because they believe in the methods of the Old Testament. Surely God's
punishment is more real than the disciplinary action taken against his fellow man.
Jefferson ( 1966:15 ) writes that contrary to myth, the Puritans did have
fun. There were celebrations and festivals. People sang and told stories. Children
were allowed to play games with their parents' permission. Wine and beer
drinking were common place. Puritans did not all dress in black as many believe.
The fundamental rule was to follow God's law. Those that did lived in peace in the
Bible Commonwealth.
Adultery is considered by many Christians to be immoral and a sin, based
primarily on passages like 1 Corinthians 6:9–10 . Although 1 Corinthians 6:11
does say that "and that is what some of you were. But you were washed", it still
acknowledges adultery to be immoral and a sin. The sixth commandment (seventh
in some traditions) ("Thou shalt not commit adultery") is also a basis, but see also
Biblical law in Christianity.
Jesus taught that indulgence in adulterous thoughts could be just as harmful to the soul as actual adultery, and it is clear that both carry the same weight of guilt: But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman
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lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:28).But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:28) and he also says : But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.(Matthew 5:32).
Some churches have interpreted adultery to include all sexual relationships
outside of marriage, regardless of the marital status of the participants
Historically, adultery has been considered to be a serious offense by many
cultures. Even in jurisdictions where adultery is not itself a criminal offense, it
may still have legal consequences, particularly in divorce cases. For example,
where there is fault-based family law, it almost always constitutes grounds for
divorce, it may be a factor to consider in a status of children and the custody of
children. Moreover, actors in a adultery can set aside in public life
.
2.4 The Effects of Punishment
Skinner ( 1953:182 ) explains that the commonest technique of control in
modern life is punishment. The pattern is familiar, if a man does not behave as
you wish, knock him down; if a child is misbehaved spank him; if the people of a
country misbehave, bomb them.
Strater in her journal “Rewards/Punishment Debate and Application”
states that punishment is the latest way in controlling human’s behavior. Before
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choosing a punishment, it is better to use rewards or reinforcement.
Reinforcement can increase the probability of a response and punishment decrease
the probability of a response.
Strater ( 2011:1-2 ) also states that “as with reinforcement, the
effectiveness of punishment depends greatly on timing punishment delivered
immediately after a response is most effective, the longer the delay between the
response and the punishment, the greater the chance that the punishment will
become associated with other intervening events. ( http://documentsearch.org ). It
assumed that the punishment is the effective way in controlling the human
behavior, because in the punishment the individual can understand what he as
done before.
Skinner ( 1953 : 186-187 ) adds the effect of punishment can be drawn as
follows: firstly punishment is generally supposed to have some abiding effect, it is
hope that some change in behavior will be observed in the future, even though
further punishment, with-held. In other words by giving punishment it hoped that
the behavior of an individual can change to a better behavior. Secondly, the
individual who gets punishment usually feel guilt, shame or a sense of sin . A
condition of guilt or shame is generated not only by previously punished behavior
but by any consistent external for such behavior. The individual may feel guilty in
a situation in which he has been punished.
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Strater adds that another unfortunate side effect of punishment is that the
individual being punished comes to associate negative emotional responses with
the situation and agent of punishment.
2.5 Moral Values
In writing a literary work the authors usually have a goal. The goal is the
authors want to give a message to the readers. In general, it can be called as moral
teaching or moral values. According to Nurgiyantoro (1995: 30), moral is
something which the author wants to carry on the message to the readers by the
meaning which implied in a work indirectly or by giving the suggested through
the story.
Nurgiyantoro says that the moral of a story is something that is regarded to
be conveyed by the author to the readers in literature. A moral message in
literature usually reflects the author’s view about the right thing and that is
intended to be conveyed to the readers. The moral in literature is a guidance given
by the author about anything related to problems in life such as matters of
behavior, attitude and politeness. It can be represented in characters.
Wallace (1970 : 8) states that the moral messages existing in the stories
can be in the form of cultural moral messages which refer to the cultural concepts
found in some of the people’s mind about thing considered valuable in life. ‘The
cultural values’ refer to such things as the ability to stand suffering, work hard,
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being optimistic, tolerance to other people’s belief or principles and being helpful
and so on. Besides, there may be some ‘social values’ messages which can be
about the ways of how to communicate, about how to appreciate, and respect
other people and about things which should be or should not be done in the
society. There may be messages which are related to ’religious value’ such as
belief in God. There may also be messages which are related to ‘psychological
problems’ concerning such things as self esteem, self confidence, self concept,
self existence, and emotion.
Then Wallace (1070: 10-11) adds that the moral messages which may exist
in the stories are related the relationship between God and man, man and nature,
man and himself, man and another man and society.
2.6 Psychological Analysis
To understand the meaning of psychology, the writer takes the William
James’s idea. According to William James (1962: 15), psychology is to be treated
as a natural science about individual activities. The word ‘activity’ issue here in a
very broad sense. It includes not only ‘motor activities’ such as walking and
speaking but also ‘cognitive activities’ like hearing, remembering and thinking
and ‘emotional activities’ like laughing, crying, and feeling.
In line with William James, it states that the word psychology derives
from Greek ‘psyche’ and ‘logos’. Psyche means soul and spirit or mind and
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mentality, while logos means a science or study of human soul, spirit, mental,
nature or mind and its process.
According to Wellek ( 1995:90 ), psychology of literature can be used to
help a literary critic or a literary researcher to explain, relate literature and reader,
interpret and evaluate literary works. The psychology of the author, the habits of
the author in revising and rewriting his draft, the genesis of the work of art are
examples of psychological studies towards a writer.
Endraswara ( 2008:203 ) adds that psychology comes into literary works
through discussion about the characteristic’s personality and discussion about
methods and theories of psychology. It also comes through any psychological
influence on the readers.
The author’s ideas about psychology support the coherence and
complexity of a literary work. These ideas intensify the extrinsic values of the
work and sometimes the truth of psychology makes the characters more alive.
Psychology could help improve their sensitivity about reality, sharpen their ability
to observe life and give opportunity to problem on the situation of his/her life.
Critics use psychological approaches to explore the motivations of characters and
the symbolic meanings of events, while biographers speculate about a writer’s
own motivations, conscious and unconscious in a literary work. Psychological
approaches are also used to describe and make to analyze the reader’s personal
responses to variety of the text (www.bedfordsmartin.com/literature).
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So it can be concluded that the basis of psychological approach is the idea
of existence of a human unconscious, those impulses, desires, and feeling about
which a person is unaware but which influence emotions and behaviors.
Freud in Bertens (2005: 16) believes that every individual has a conscious
and unconscious mind. Moreover, he believed that it was the unconscious mind
that plays the largest role in shaping someone’s personality. He maintained that
the vast differences between real and apparent motives are a result of this
delineation between two aspects of the soul.
Adi (2011: 185) in the context of the research literature or popular fiction,
psychoanalysis as a method consideration. Its use can be seen from various
research practices Martial Arts in narrative analysis. By this is meant to analyze
character who has a psychiatric disorder or psychological aspects of analyzing
characters.
Freud in Charles E. Bressler (1999: 149-153), the theories and practice of
Sigmund Freud provide the foundation for psychoanalytic criticism. The most
famous model of the human psyche Freud’s later version topographic model, the
tripartite model . This model divides the psyche into three parts : The id, The ego,
and the superego. The irrational, instinctual, unknown , an unconscious part of the
psyche Freud calls the id. Containing our secret desire, our darkest wishes, and
our most intense fears, the id wishes only to fulfill the urges of the pleasure
principle. In addition, it houses the libido, the source of all our psychosexual
desires and all our psychic energy. For Freud, the unresolved conflicts that give
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rise to any neurosis are the stuff of literature. A work of literature, he believes, is
the external expression of the author’s unconscious mind. Accordingly, the
literary work must be treated like a dream, applying psychoanalytic techniques to
the text to uncover hidden motivations and repressed desires.
Freud in Sosiawan (2010: 1) devides the personality is made up of three
major systems: the Id, the Ego, and Superego.
1. The Id
The Id is the original of the personality. The Id consists of everything
psychological that is inherited and that is present as birth, including the
instinct. Freud called the Id the ‘true physic reality’ because it represents the
inner world of subjective experience and has no knowledge of objective
reality. Id, which is part of the personality that drives storing human
biological instinct that moves the center based on the principle of pleasure
and tended to their needs. Are selfish, immoral, and do not want to know the
reality. Id is a character that consists of two parts:
a. Libido; reproductive instinct basic energy provider for constructive
activities. Also called life instinct (Eros)
b. Thanatos; destructive and aggressive instincts
In order to accomplish its aim of avoiding pain and obtaining
pleasure, the Id has at its command two process. These are ‘reflex action’
and ‘primary processes’. Reflex actions are in born and automatic
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reactions like sneezing and blinking. The primary process involves a
somewhat more complicated psychological reaction. It attempts to
discharge tension by forming an image of an object that will remove the
tension. For example, a hungry person who sees a picture of food, he wish
that he can eat the food, but the hungry person cannot eat mental images of
food. Consequently, a new or secondary psychological process develops,
and when this occurs the structures of the second system of the personality
the ego begin to take forms.
2. The Ego
The ego comes into existence because the needs of the organism
require appropriate transactions with the objective world of reality.
Related to the example in the Id, the hungry person has to seek’ find and
eat food before the tension hunger can be eliminated. The basic distinction
between the Id and the ego is that the former knows only the subjective
reality of the mind where as the later distinguishes between things in the
mind and things in the external world.
The ego is said to be the executive of the personality because it
controls the gateways to action, selects the features of the environment to
which it will respond, and decides what instinct will be satisfied and in
what manner. In performing this highly important executive functions, the
ego has to try to integrate the often conflicting demands of the id, the
super ego, and the external world.
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Ego, serves to mediate the demands of the id with the reality on
the ground. The ego is the mediator between the desire - the desire by the
rational and realistic. Ego causes humans to beat desire and live in a
rational and realistic.
3. The Super Ego
The super ego is the moral arm of personality. It represents the
ideal rather than the real and it strives for perfection rather than pleasure.
Its main concern is to decide whether something is right or wrong, so that
it can act in accordance with the moral standards authorized by the agents
of society. To give the vision that something is true or wrong the
individual should be enforced by means of rewards and punishment.
Super-ego is a description of social norms or rules of society and
culture. Super ego forces ego to suppress the desire subconscious.
Skinner in Sosiawan ( 2010:2 ) states that humans according to the
theory of behaviourism is homo mechanicus whose behavior is driven and
influenced by the environment. Humans do something as a result of the
learning process of change in behavior due to the influence of the
environment. Humans in this theory are considered as a white paper at
birth. In the development that causes a change is experience.
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CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Methodology is a strategy, a process or a procedure as a way of collecting
data and then analyzing it. According to Hadi (2000: 9-10) methodology is a
science discussing the ways or strategies to be employed in the effort to collect, to
find, to develop or to verify. He adds that the corrected of knowledge is by using
the research method. It is an important part of analyzing. The result of the
research is determined by the method that is used. In this chapter the researcher
would only take three items to be discussed related to the research method, type of
the study, data collecting method and data analysis technique. These three items
are explained one by one in the following parts.
3.1 Type of the study
This study is categorized into a library research, since all data sources are
taken from libraries. The research has two sources; they are primary source and
secondary source. The primary source is the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel
Hawthorne , and it also becomes the subject of the research in relation to the topic.
It consists of 209 pages and 24 chapters, while the object of the research is the
impact of capital punishment in the life of the main character as reflected in the
novel. The secondary sources are some books in the library and internet sources.
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3.2 Data collecting technique
The method to collect the data above is observation and documentation.
Here, observation is reading the books carefully and critically and finding the
feature of the main characters and characterization. The result of observation is
written and filtered to find the psychological feature of the main character, Hester
Prynne .
While, the documentation method used some books/papers that consist of
dialogues needed and some sources that can give some inputs to the research.
Those methods are used to describe the impacts of adultery punishment in the life
of the main character as reflected in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter.
3.3 Data analyzing technique
After the data collected, they are analyzed through an in depth text
analysis. Then, they are described with the descriptive qualitative method under
psychological research stated by Sigmund Freud and B.F. Skinner. The writer
analyzed the main character of the scarlet letter, the impact of adultery
punishment that influence the main character perception about what he has done
in the past year.