analisis dengan metode strukturalisme

Desire under the Elm
what kind of structure can we found on the play?
Structurulism approach toward Desire Under the Elms.
To come to the meaning of any literary work, we need a tool for doing analysis of the text. There some tools or approaches can be used to find the meaning of literary works. one example is expressivism which concerns on author’s biography. Then formalism, structuralism, feminism, psychology, reader’s response, sociology etc also are used to analyzing literary works. In this analysis I will use structuralism to come to the meaning o desire under the elm by Eugenne O’neill . I choose this analysis because there some good aspect in using structuralism. Structuralism approach seems more interesting since it only use the literary text as the main source to find the meaning.
Structuralisms avoid mimetic theory which places a literary works as ultimate reality. This approach also avoid the expressivism theory which see the literary works as reflection of author’s personality and feeling, and avoid that literary works is a medium of communication between author and reader. It can be said that structuralism try to do literary research otonomically.
The structure of literature is similar to the structure of language. Like language, literature is a self-enclosed system of rules that is composed of language. And also like language, literature needs no outside referent but its own rule-governed but socially constrained system (Bressler:1998). A literary text is a like a structure which contains so many sub-structure that has each function, but totally the function is related one anther that build a meaning. The analysis will consider all of sub-structure in the text and try to find the meaning in totality. The totality here has been governed by the rule or system in language.
Because of the literary works is the only and main source in finding meaning, the other aspect outside literature is not to be talked or considered. The researcher only concern with the literature itself in order to can gain objectivity in the analysis. The focus on literary text will make th researcher to analyze all structure or component of the literature. The subjectivity of researcher like the feeling of like or dislike towards the story or author must be avoided.
So it will raise a question here about what are the structures of literature itself? If we analyze poem, we ill find the structures within that must be considered are diction, connotation, imagery, figurative language, rhetoric. In prose, they are characters, setting, point of view, theme, and plot. In drama or play, we will consider the dialogue, character, plot, and theme.
In this analysis of a play Desire under the Elms, it will be discussed about the elements of the play like characters, theme, dialogue, plot, etc as a totality. It means that those elements have a function as one structure, a play.
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Synopsis
The play entitled ‘Desire under the Elms’ is about an old man, Ebraim Cabot who has a farm and three sons. He married first wife and had two sons, Simeone and Peter. His wife died because he treated her to overwork. He married again and has a son, Eben. His wife died again and he went from house. In the house lived his three sons. He comes back home with bringing his new wife, Abbie. Peter and Simeone went for their desire of gold in California. Eben wants to inherit the farm after his father’s death. When he knows his father has married again he proposed his two brother to sign away their right to the farm to him and he gives 300$ for each. Old Cabot come home with Abbie and live in the house. Abbie and Eben become attracted each other. They were making love behind Cabot. They have a child, but because of the child caused Cabot to give his farm to the child as he believes that the child is his. Eben and Abbie try to do infanticide. The irony is that Abbie murdered the child for Eben and Eben imputes altogether different motives to her and misunderstands her love. When Cabot awakes Abbie tells Cabot the child is not his but Eben’s. Ultimately Sheriff arrives and then Eben realizes her love and confesses to the Sheriff his share in the crime and both are taken away, kissing and embracing. Old Cabot is then destined to live and work loneliness on the unlucky farm.
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Analysis
In the play we see that most of the characters are greedy. We can see through the central point which becomes the stuff that all characters want to own. It is the farm. The farm becomes the central point, even the theme of the play that will turn to GREED. Before talking about any symbols, codes or signs in the play let’s pay attention to the central character EBEN. He in the family is the youngest son. In the story stated about an inharmoniously family life. Just imagine that Cabot has married twice and both of his wife dead because of his hardly treat to overwork to his wife.
He got two sons from first wife and a son from second wife. The inharmonious life become very obvious as all of his three sons are really hate him and wish his death comes soon. It is also supported by the setting of the play in ungodly looking house.
Exterior of the Farmhouse. It is sunset of a day at the beginning of summer in the year 1850. There is no wind and everything is still. The sky above the roof is suffused with deep colors, the green of the elms glows, but the house is in shadow, seeming pale and washed out by contrast.
The setting of the house really supports the appearance of inharmoniously life of the owner. In shadow seems to be in unclear condition. This condition is what they are facing, being hate each other among dad and sons. The setting has function which is to show reader about how their life in the family is really unhappy. By reading the first narration in the front of the play will turn the reader to see about sadness and loneliness because of the appearance of the house.
The theme ‘greed’ as a central theme is built by many motifs or sub themes that finally become a unity as they have relation each other and functioned to support the central theme. In the inharmoniously life in the family will make each character to look for their happiness by themselves. All characters become so individually to seek it and even they are competing each other as if they are not a family. just look at Eben, that declares the farm is his, while his brothers have no right for it.
--(jumping to his feet) Ye've no right! She wa'n't yewr Maw! It was her farm! Didn't he steal it from her? She's dead. It's my farm.
When Eben said that, the two brothers of course admit that they also have right of the farm, as stated in this dialogue:
SIMEON--(after a pause) We've a right.
PETER--Two thirds belongs t' us.
The ironic is found here since Peter and Simeone do not try as hard as Eben to own the farm as if they only place the farm only as inheritance from father to his son. So the greed for farm is only showed by Eben, Cabot and his last wife, Abbie.it becomes irony because usually the struggle to obtain the inheritance in a family happen among the child, but I this play it seem unnatural since the father also want to have the wealth till he die and not allow anyone to have it. The greed of other brothers, we can see that Simeone and Peter also show their greed as they want to go to California for searching gold. Gold, here means about wealth.
The two characters, Simeone and Peter as if have role to attract reader or viewer to conclude that they only characters which make Eben’s desire to have the farm raises. And after they go, there is no any story again related with them. It become strange since they also a part of the family, but the story only focuse on Eben that finally do revenge for his mom against his dad by making affairs to his step mom, Abbie.
Abbie, as new comer in the family seems to be avoided by all sons. But since Simeone and Peter went to California, the avoiding of her is only done by Eben. It is common as a relationship between step mother and child always difficult to be gained. The child will always avoid the step mother except the step mother is very good and treat the child as her own, but Abbie here is not. She places herself to be enemy because of her greed for having the wealth of Cabot.
The same mission of Eben to do revenge to his dad for treating bad his mom and Abbie’s mission that she marry only for wealth, not for loving Cabot raises bad action that they make affairs and having a child. What they have done seem to be a reward for Cabot as he treated his wife and sons hardly in this life. It is natural that a good thing will be rewarded by good deeds and bad things by bad deeds. Finally, Old Cabot lives lonely.
But in this story seems that the author do not want to show about good or bad thing and its reward, because all characters seem to have bad behavior. The concentration is turned into Greed again that what Eben and Abbie have done is as motif of their greed towards farm.
The old Cabot seems fit as a central character which relates one character and other since his position is as a head of the family. He is a very hard worker, but why does he not know the affairs of his wife with Eben? It shows that he is like a workaholic and do not pay attention much to his family. It is a motif again which make inharmonious life in the family.
The other element that has function in building the story is the symbols on the play. First, The Elms symbolizes the spirit of Eben’s mom that still lives in the house as if Eben always feels that his mom is really near with him and make Eben always struggles for the farm that the farm for he believes it is his mother’s.
The land (farm) is placed as the only wealth which make the farmer proud. That is why all of the characters want to have the farm. Being farmers is their livelihood and a source of pride to the farmer the land is tangible, while emotions and personal relationships may seem immaterial. Throughout history, land has been a source of greed and power in many civilizations, and it can create social status, as it is a limited commodity.
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That is the analysis using structuralism that make every element of the play relates each other and make totality meaning for the literary works.
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