Chapter 2
Theoretical Framework
In chapter two, the discussion is about what types of theories the writer will
use in this study. In order to find out the factors that affected the characters to develop
the different responses in this movie. This study is using character analysis approach and
psychoanalysis approach. And in major the theory will be taken from Richard Gill and
Freud. In order to analyze tlie character the theory will be the element of literature, as for
to understand the psychological situation the theory consists of the basic three psychic
zones, depression, the mourning and melancholia phase, and the defense mechanism.
2.1 Elements of Literature
In literature there are many type of elements and genre, the elements are
used to support the literature, it consists of the character, plot, setting, theme, etc
(Literary terms, 2011, p.l 05)
2.1.1 Plot
Based on Gill (1995) the plot in literature explained as the string
of event that is arranged by the author of the story in one certain order. (p.
165) The same explanation is provided from the Oxford Dictionary of
7
Literary Terms (2011) mentioned the plot is "The pattern of events and
situation in a narr.ative or dramatic works, as selected and arranged both to
emphasize relationship" (p. 195). In short plot is the order of how the story
is made.
From the explanation, how the author form the story to the readers,
which come first and what happened next after that is called the plot.
2.1.2 Character Analysis
Character has been known as one of the element in a literature, as
how it is in the movie. Characters created in one movie are all different, in
action, face, emotion, and their character or personality. In order to be able
to understand and doing analysis of each character, it is necessary to use
characterization to define the character. Characterization known as "the
representation of person" (Literary Terms, 2001, p. 37), which mean when
the
author
would
like
to
create
the
character they
would
use
characterization. By knowing how the author characterize or create a
character, the possibility to know what kind of character is the character
can be found.
There are some ways to do the characterization, the character can be
understood
by
having
the
direct
characterization or
the
indirect
characterization given by the author (McCarthy, 1997, p. 15). A direct
characterization is when the author directly describes the character while
the indirect one is based on the character's speech, feeling or thinking,
8
actions, and the respond from other people. (McCarthy, 1997, p. 15) Based
on the "Mastering English Literature", one character can be defined by
"You can only learn about a character from the words of the play" it is
explained that by examining the words spoken in the play, the reader can
understand about the character, some of the words or speech can be
examine from how the character speak, what is the character comment
about themselves, what is each character comment on other character, or
how the character were differentiate from each other. This is how Gill
explained about the way to understand the character (Gill, 1995, p. 235).
On other book, character's want, knowledge, roles can be used to define a
character. (Logan, 2011, p. 173) which mean by knowing the wish,
knowledge and the role of each character we can then determine what kind
of character is created in the literature.
In short, according to the writer to understand one character it can
be done by analyzing the word spoken,
wish, role, knowledge by the
character or other characters.
2.2
Psychoanalysis
According to Barry psychoanalysis is "A form of therapy which aims to
cure
mental
disorder
'by
investigating the
interaction of
conscious and
unconscious elements in the mind' (as the Concise Oxford dictionary puts it)." In
other words, the psychoanalysis is used to help people with mentally disordered
problem to find a way in order to be free from the mind problem. In the same book
9
written that one of the way is to let the patient or the mentally disordered people to
talk as much as they can or "talk freely", the intention is to let the feeling of fear
inside the person can be expressed. (Barry, 2009, p. 92)
In psychoanalysis there are some part which happens in the move, the three
psychic zone, the depression, the mourning and melancholia phase, and the last on
is the defense mechanism.
2.2.1 The Three Psychic Zones
The id, ego and superego are the three psychic zones, which were
introduced by Freud (Guerin et a!, 2005, p. 156).
These three psychic
zones are basically the specific division of the conscious and unconscious
part in human mind.
The id is mostly considered as tl1e 'pleasure principle' (Guerin eta!,
2005). The Id majored in the unconscious mind of a person and that they
contained all of the pleasure that one person would like to have. The id
zone is known to have no rules, and immoral. (Guerin et al, 2005, p. 156157).
Ego is the second psychic zone that lies between the conscious and
the unconscious mind of one person, as we can see from the iceberg
illustration. Ego is one of fue zones that we can say as the 'regulating
agencies' (Guerin eta!, 2005, p. 157).
Superego is the last zone that
was introduced by Freud, the
superego taken the place mostly in our unconscious mind but it appears in a
10
small amount
at the conscious part.
Superego is like the 'morality
principle' (Guerin eta!, 2005, p. 157-158) that is controlling our action, but
the rule inside is coming from inside the person, the norm and the teaching
given by one parents or something that one person learn by her/himself.
2.2.2 Depression
Normally, when characters are facing problem, they will be sad and
causing the unstable mood condition, this condition psychologically called
depression. Stated in oxford dictionary to classified the character or person
is in the state of depression is when they appear in a gloomy mood and
unable to enjoy their activity, "Depressed: a mood state of sadness, gloom,
and pessimistic ideation, with loss of interest or pleasure in nonnally
enjoyable activities, ..." (Colman, 2006, p.202) Depressed know to be the
phase which will always occur when human lose some one we love or the
one
we
really
care
for
as
retrieved
from
http://www.symptomsdepression.net/causes-of-depression.hhnl.
Depression stated
in
www.ensyclopedia.com
(2011) has
the
symptoms of weight change, sleepless, helpless, unable to concentrate, and
the thought of doing suicide. Stated that, in around the world, women
suffer . from depression is twice more than man. According to Colman
(2006, p. 449) if the depression has worsen it lead to the melancholia phase
and hallucination for one person. Which mean if they keep on facing the
depression and unable to recover from the depression the character or
11
person will then enter the melancholia phase, if it is connected to the death
of beloved one, or hallucination. Hallucination was the situation where a
human can
see or hear
something which is not really there taken from
http://priory.com/halluc.htm.
Which mean, the condition faced by character while struggling with
sadness is first character will face the depression, the second step in case
worsen is the melancholia phase, which then able to cause hallucination if
it is severe.
2.2.3 The Mourning and Melancholia Phase
The mourning is the phase that was introduced by Sigmund Freud
on the condition when one person is in grieving mood until the condition
where that person able to let go. (Clawel, n,d) From the Oxford Dictionary
of Psychology this phase is told
(Colman, 2006, p.
to be the 'severe' phase of depression.
449). This phase mentioned by
Sigmund Freud
contained one defense mechanism that is introduced by Anne Freud,
Freud's daughter, and the other disciples, which is the denial (Clawel, n,d).
The denial,
A defense mechanism involving a disavowal or failure consciously to
acknowledge thoughts, feelings, desires, or aspects of reality that
would be painful or unacceptable, as when a person with a terminal
illness refuses to acknowledge the inuninence of death. (Colman,
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. Not accepting the fact or the real situation is called as denial as
written by Cramer (2007). From both of the theory, concluded that, denial
is projected or used by the ego to help the id to deny the sadness happen
around the person.
2.2.4 Obsession
Obsession also occurred in this study, this mood is not one of the
defense mechanism mood but it is one of the unconscious mood. Oxford
Dictionary of Psychology explained that this condition "causes significant
distress, is experienced as intrusive or inappropriate" (Colman, 2006, p.
519). Obsession act is explained to be happening due to the brain that is
unable to work well. This condition can cause a person to do one thing
several
times without stopping. (Mentalhealth, 2002) This condition fits
really well with the condition of Grace, Bennett's mother, and the writer
decided to use this theory to explained the unconscious situation that Grace
is having.
2.2.5 The Defense mechanism
The Defense mechanisms are the tactics, which the human Ego will
make to help to deal with the id feeling of sadness and the superego as
stated in changingminds (2011). Because id is the place to feel 'pleasure'
(Guerin et a!, 2005 p. 53) the ego zones forced to create a condition which
13
to prevent the sadness felt by id. In order to prevent the sadness defense
mechanism is created. This defense mechanism, which is created by the
Ego, has fifteen terms. They are unconsciously will happened, all of the
mechanism was developed by Sigmund Freud and his daughter Anna Freud
along with some of the Freud disciples based on one of the website
psychcentral.com. The defense mechanism stated in this chapter is only the
one that is use to analyze.
One of the defense mechanism tactics has already introduced before
was the denial tactics.
2.2.5.1 Repression
The second defense mechanism is repression, this tactics can
either forgetting all the inconvenience memories in the id, or
ignoring the inconvenience memories and the memories will be
"forced out of conscious awareness and into the realm of the
unconscious" (Barry, 2009, p. 93). Freud explained that it is the
tactics
that placing something - the painful
distancing the thought taken
memories away,
from the Oxford
Dictionary of
Psychology (Colman, 2006, p. 650). In the movie this condition
suitable for the situation experienced by Mr. Brewer, which will be·
explained in the next chapter. Some people
who have their
repression they tend to do what Freud called as 'Freudian slip', the
14
phenomena will be slips of the tongue, slips of the pen, or
unintended actions' (Barry, 2009, p. 94).
2.2.5.2 Projection
The third defense mechanism is projection, the ego that
developed this defense mechanism will put the person to do things .
to other people based on how he felt. (psychcentral, 2011) In
changingminds.org written projection as "attributing uncomf01iable
felling to others." (2011) On Cramer journal stated that using
projection means to throw the annoying thought by showing them to
'something or someone else' (2007). Which mean, when the A is
angry to B, A will project the anger to C despite to B.
2.2.5.3 Regression
The fifth defense mechanism used · in the study is the
regression, this tactics will form the act where a person will be
doing the first stage when they are being sad and that they will have
the behavior of a child in order to reduce the sadness or the anxiety
of oneself (Colman, 2006, p. 644).
Basically defense mechanism can be used to help person to conquer
the sadness and to "protect" the person from the "anxiety". (Cramer, 2000,
Vaillant, 1993) However if the person used to many defense mechanism
15
will be considered as immature, as quoted by Cramer (Perry et a!., 1998;
Vaillant, 1994).
Based on the journal indicate that, defense mechanism is a good
term to be use however it is important to consider the amount of the
defense mechanism used by one person.