AN ANALYSIS OF THE MORAL VALUE REFLECTED IN UNCLE TOM’S CABIN NOVEL BASED ON READER’S RESPONSE STRATEGY

TriaTriana (0922.0445)

English Education Study Program Language and Arts Department SekolahTinggiKeguruan Dan IlmuPendidikan (Stkip) Siliwangi Bandung

ABSTRACT

The objectives of this research paper entitled “An Analysis of the Moral Value Reflected in Uncle Tom’s Cabin Novel Based on Reader’s Response Strategy” are to discover the moral value that can be taken from the novel entitled Uncle Tom’s Cabin, not only their elements but also information taken from the text. In analyzing the novel, the writer focuses on moral value based on Reader’s Response Strategy. This research used descriptive qualitative method. The instrument of the study covers list of questions designed based on Reader’s Response Strategy used 7 stages such as engaging, describing, conceiving, explaining, connecting, interpreting and judging. The subject of this research was all the texts of the novel entitled Uncle Tom’s Cabin Novel Based. The theme in the novel is slaveryagainst human right because basically human is equal in front god, and what happened in the past is not relevant to the sense of human right today. The main character of the novel was Uncle Tom.The setting of this novel was America in 1980’s. In this novel the author using omniscient point of view and the plot consists of exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution (hand out Kimtafsirah, 2011). The moral value which could find in this novel was kindness, obedient, faithful, pious, honest, compassion, truthfulness, and caring to the others.

Keyword: An Analysis, Moral Value, Novel, Reader’s Response Strategy

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  1. INTRODUCTION

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“Literature is a vague term which usually denotes works which belong to the major genres: epic, drama, lyric, novel, short story, ode. If we describe something as literature as opposed to anything else, the term carries with it qualitative connotations which imply that the work in question has superior qualities: that is well above the ordinary run of written works”. (Cuddon, 1979:365-66 in Minderop, 2010:76) Based on Kimtafsirah (Handout:2011) The importance of studying literature is to improve pronunciation, vocabulary, knowledge, the four language skills, to have self-confidence, learning the culture of other nation, building our character, for appreciating the literary, and for having entertainment.

Being future teacher, studying novel has positive objectives, for example, the writer can motivate his students later on to have the habit of reading, he can advise his students to read novels as novels can improve their knowledge. The writer focuses on the novel entitled Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe.

The novel illustrates some characters as; Tom, Eliza and George who had to struggle for their life as slaves.Based on a recommendation the government in the curriculum 2013 focuses on character education of the student, the writer argues that studying the character of Uncle Tom's Cabin novel can find out positive examples of characters, which would be notified to their students in the future.

The Aim of The Study:

Based on the statement of theproblem above, the objective of this study are:

1. To have more understanding of what novels are, not only their elements but also information taken from the text, the result of the analyze novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

2. To find out the moral values that can be taken from the novel entitled Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

LITERATURE REVIEW

  1. The Importance of Studying Literary Works for Future Teachers

As we know that a future teacher should master various kinds of subjects, one of them is literature.Based on handout (Kimtafsirah, 2011)Literature is defined as the writing or study of books, etc., valued as works of art. By studying literature, we will have many advantages; some of them are; to improve knowledge of pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar structure; by studying literature we can have to improve our vocabulary for example, to get more understanding of literary works.

  1. The Importance of Studying Novel for the Future Teacher

One of the types of genre is prose, and novel is one of it. As future teacher we have to master the material of novel literature field, because there are many advantages by studying novel, such as improving vocabulary, having entertainment, building our character, improving four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing), appreciating the literary work especially prose.

  1. Definition of Novel

According to Kimtafsirah (handout:2011) Novel is long-written story, divided into chapters. According to Hawthorn (2001:4) a novel is a fictitious prose narrative or tale of considerable length (how usually one long enough to fill one or more volumes) in which characters and actions representative at the real life of past or present times are portrayed in a plot of more or less complexity.

  1. The Elements of Novels

Based on Peck and Coyle (1986) and Kimtafsirah (Handout: 2011) the elements of novels are:

  1. Theme

Theme is the large idea or concept it is dealing with.

  1. Characters & Characterization

Peck and Coyle (1989:105) said that the people in a novel are referred to as characters. The characters are part of a boarder pattern. They are members of a society, and the author’s distinctive view of how people relate to society will be reflected in the presentation of every character. Details are not included just for their own sake but relate to the overall pattern of the novel.

“Character is intimately bound up with individualism: a character is unique: not just the property of a person but somehow simultaneously both the person and the sign or token of the person.” (Hawtorn, 2001:87)

There are two kinds of characters in a novel. There are round characters or major character and flat character or minor character.

Characterization is the process by which the writer reveals the personality of the character. It’s the way the writer presents the character in her story.

  1. Setting

Setting is where the novel takes place. Setting can create atmosphere for the fiction, help the reader imagine the scenes, convey information about a character and provide plot opportunities.

  1. Plot

According to hand out plot is the series of event which contains exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution.

  1. The exposition

The exposition provides the background information needed to properly understand the story, such as protagonist, antagonist, basic conflict, and setting. The exposition ends with the inciting moment, which is the incident without which there would be no story. The inciting moment sets reminder of the story in motion beginning with the second act, the rising action.

  1. Rising action

During rising action, the basic internal conflict is complicated by the introduction of related secondary conflict, including various obstacles that frustrated the protagonist’s attempts to reach his goal. Secondary conflict can include adversaries of lesser importance that the story’s antagonist, who may work with the antagonist or separately, by and for themselves or actions unknown.

  1. Climax

Climax is the third act, or turning point, which mark a change, for the better or the worse, in the protagonist’s affairs. If the story in a comedy, things will have gone badly for the protagonist up to the point; now, the tide, so to speak, will turn, and things will begin to go well for him or her. If the story is tragedy, the opposite state of affairs will ensue, with things going from good until bad for the protagonist.

  1. Falling action

During the falling action, which is the moment of reveal after climax, the falling action might contain a moment of final suspense, during which the final outcomes of the conflict is in doubt or resolution.

  1. Resolution

The comedy ends with a denouement (a conclusion) in which the protagonist is better off that at the story’s outset. The tragedy ends with a catastrophe in which the protagonist is worse off that at the beginning of the narrative.

Climax

Rising action Falling Action

Exposition Resolution

  1. Style

Peck and Coyle (1989:121) said:

“Style means the writer’s characteristic manner of expression what in the end distinguishes one writer from another– so that the experienced reader could identity a passage as coming from, say, a Lawrence novel – is the style”.

Every novelist has his own voice. A critical approach that looks closely at style is a productive one, for the style of a novel reveals the author’s attitudes, and from a small section of the text we can infer a great deal about the works as a whole. The style is detached and educated.

  1. Point of View

Point of view or narrative perspective, characterize the way in which a text presents persons, events, and settings. The subtitles of narrative perspectives developed parallel to the emergence of the novel can be reduced to three basic positions as follows: the action of a text is either mediated through an exterior, unspecified narrator, through a person involved in the action; or presented without additional commentary.

  1. Suspense and foreshadowing

According to Tarigan (1984:126) suspense is the way of arranging the story until the reader always want to know what will happen next with the story, and foreshadowing is process giving limitation or shadowing some of events which will happen to the reader.

  1. Kinds of Novel

According to Peck and Coyle (1989) there are three kinds of novel among others:

  1. Realism

Realism is realistic the table we apply to these novels that seek to provide a convincing illusion of life as we normally think of it. The realistic novel can seem like a clear window in the world. Realism often feels most comfortable for the reader because they appear relativestraight forward. A realistic approach allows the wirer to create a very full impression of what it must be like for certain people to be caught in certaindilemmas there is a searching presentation of the full range of psychological and social factors that are involved in every experience.

  1. Naturalism

Naturalism is principally associated with the French novelist. In naturalism a more documentary like approach is in evidence, with a great stress on how environment and heredity shape people.

  1. Romance

Romance is a novel to describe where the story is more adventurous or more fanciful than in realistic novels.

  1. The Moral Value of the Novel

The novel contains some moral values for the reader. The moral can be considered as messages or advices that teach people about human behavior and attitude. Literary work or fiction always offers the moral value related to human nature. Moral has close relationship with the characters in the novel, because moral is reflected by the character, and the character is one of the elements of novel.

When we speak of person as being ethical or moral, we usually mean that they are good people, and when we speak of person as being immoral or unethical, we mean that they are bad people,“Good” or “right”should involve pleasure, happiness, and excellence, and also lead to harmony and creativity. “Bad” or “Wrong” will involve pain, unhappiness, and lack of excellence, and will lead to disharmony and lack of creativity.

  1. The Importance of Studying Novel

One of the types of genre is prose, and novel is one of it. As future teacher we have to master the material of novel literature field, because there are many advantages by studying novel, such as improving knowledge, improving moral value, improving the culture of other nation, improving vocabulary, having entertainment, building our character, improving four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing), appreciating the literary work especially prose.Literature is also important to be taught, because literature has significant role to create humanism and critical. Some reason why literature should be taught are literature is full of meanings and wises, literature reflects reality, and literature has moral value and provides a model.

  1. RESEARCH METHOD
  1. Research Method

In this research writer employs a descriptive analysis method. Since the data used in this research is a text in form of a novel. Document analysis (content analysis) is chosen to be the most appropriate methodology in this research. Content analysis is taking the essence of a problem which immersed in text and variety of approaches to analysis.

  1. Stages of Research

There are some steps conducted in this research among others: Choosing the novel as the research subject, deciding the textual evidences that give a clues about Reader’s Response Strategy, conducting the library research and formulating research questions, findings the theory that supports the topic of analysis, taking notes while reading the source novel thoroughly and repeatedly, finding theme, plot, character, setting, language, and point of view and then discussed it, giving the suggestion and conclude the research.

  1. Subject of Research

The subject of this research is a novel entitled Uncle Tom’s Cabin. This novel is written by Harriet Beecher Stowe.

  1. Research Instrument

In this research, the instrument of the research was the novel entitled Uncle Tom’s Cabin which the research findings were covered by colorful pieces of paper. The instrument of the study covers list of questions designed based on Reader’s Response Strategy. The answer or the result of analyzing the intrinsic elements/value of the novel was written in pieces of colorful paper. These guided questions were used to obtain the data needed.

  1. Subject of the Research

The subject of this research paper is all the texts of the novel

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  1. Limitation of the Topic

Limitation is needed to makethe point of research focus. This research is limited in into the analysis of elements and using Reader’s Response Strategy on “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe and find out the hidden messages on the novel.

  1. Clarification of Term

In order not to be confused by the terms used in this paper, and for avoiding the wrong interpretation to the technical term that used, the writer gives several meaning of term, as follows:

  1. Literature is pieces of writing that are valued as works of art, especially novels plays and poems (Oxford Dictionary)
  2. Character, simply means a person who acts appears or is referred to in a work.
  3. Moral value is defined as a standard on how an attitude is good or bad.
  4. Novel is long written story, divided into chapters. In this study, the writer uses the novel entitled Uncle Tom’s Cabin written by Harriet Beecher Stowe.
  5. Reader’s ResponseStrategy:

Reader’s Response Strategy is “a modern critical theory that is stressed to the role of the readers, indeed, some critics primarily interested it the way which reader receives, perceives, and understands literature. Their central assumption is that the reader actively contributes something to the text” (Peck and Coyle, 1989: 160). According to Beach and Marshal “Reader’s Response Strategy consists of: engaging, describing, conceiving, connecting, interpreting, and judging.

  1. Synopsis of the Novel

Uncle Tom's Cabin opens on the Shelby plantation in Kentucky as two enslaved people, Tom and 4-year old Harry, are sold to pay Shelby family debts. Developing two plot lines, the story focuses on Tom, a strong, religious man living with his wife and 3 young children, and Eliza, Harry's mother.When the novel begins, Eliza's husband George Harris, unaware of Harry's danger, has already escaped, planning to later purchase his family's freedom. To protect her son, Eliza runs away, making a dramatic escape over the frozen Ohio River with Harry in her arms. Eventually the Harris family is reunited and journeys north to Canada.Tom protects his family by choosing not to run away so the others may stay together. Sold south, he meets Topsy, a young, black girl whose mischievous behavior hides her pain; Eva, the angelic, young, white girl whose death moved Victorians to tears; charming, elegant but passive St. Clare; and finally, cruel, violent Simon Legree. Tom's deep faith gives him an inner strength that frustrates his enemies as he moves toward his fate in Louisiana.The novel ends when both Tom and Eliza escape slavery: Eliza and her family reach Canada; but Tom's freedom comes with death. Simon Legree, Tom's third and final master, has Tom whipped to death for refusing to deny his faith or betray the hiding place of two fugitive women.

  1. Research Finding and Discussion
  1. Presentation Data
  1. Character and Characterization

Like mostly other stories this novel also has two characters as the players in this story. The main Characters in this novel are Uncle Tom, Aunt Chloe, Arthur Shelby, Emily Shelby, George Shelby, George Harris, Eliza Harris, Harry Harris, Augustine St. Clare, Evangeline, Miss Ophelia, Marie, The Quakers, Senator and Mrs. Bird, Tom Loker, Mr. Haley, Topsy, Simon Legree, Cassy and Emmeline.

1)Uncle Tom is a good and pious man, Uncle Tom is the protagonist of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Even under the worst conditions, and Uncle Tom always prays to God and finds a way to keep his faith. As the novel progresses, the cruel treatment that Tom suffers at the hand of Simon Legree threatens he belief in God, but Tom withstands his doubt and dies the death of Christian martyr.

2) Aunt Chloeis Uncle Tom’s wife and the Shelby’s cook. Chloe often acts like a jovial simpleton around the Shelby’s to mask her more complex feelings.

3)Arthur Shelbyis the owner of Uncle Tom in Kentucky; Shelby sells Tom to the cruel Mr. Haley to pay off his debts. An educated, kind, and basically good-hearted man.

4)Emily Shelbyis Mr. Shelby’s wife. She is a loving, Christian woman who does not believe in slavery. She uses her influence with her husband to try to help the Shelby’s slaves and is one of the novel’s many morally virtuous and insight female characters.