ISSN: 2302-920X

Jurnal Humanis, Fakultas Ilmu Budaya Unud

Vol 17.2 Nopember 2016: 119 - 125

Conflicts Of The Main Character In Poe’s The Spectacles

Made Dody Aryawan1, Ida Bagus Putra Yadnya2, I Gusti Ayu Gede Sosiowati3 123English Department Faculty Of Arts, Udayana University 1[[email protected]] 2[[email protected]] 3[[email protected]]

Corresponding Author

Abstrak

Konflik merupakan salah satu bagian dari unsur intrinsic sebuah karya sastra. Unsur intrinsic adalah satu dari dua unsur yang membentuk suatu karya sastra sehingga sebuah karya sastra menjadi utuh dan mampu mempengaruhi pembaca. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui jenis konflik yang dialami oleh karakter utama dan bagaimana mencari solusi dari masalahnya. “The Spectacles” menjadi sumber dari penelitian ini yang merupakan sebuah karya sastra dari pengarang Amerika, Edgar Allan Poe. Teori yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini diambil dari buku milik Myers berjudul “A Laboratory Approach” tahun 1992 untuk jenis – jenis konflik dan dari buku milik Deetz dan Stevenson berjudul “Managing Interpersonal Communication” tahun 1986 yaitu “Conflict Management Strategies”. Hasil dari penelitian ini dapat disimpulkan bahwa karakter utama dalam cerita “The Spectacles” mengalami konflik Internal dan Eksternal namun dalam jumlah yang berbeda. Sedangkan, strategi yang digunakan untuk mencari solusi atau jalan keluar dari konflik yang dihadapi adalah dengan “Compromise”, “Pacification”, dan “Competition”.

Kata Kunci : Konflik, Internal dan Eksternal, Conflict Management Strategies

  • 1.    Background of the Study

Literature means writing valued as work of art. It also refers to composition that tells stories, dramatizes situation, and express emotions. Taylor (1981:81) states: “Literature, like other arts, is essentially an imaginative act of the writer’s imagination in selecting, ordering, and interpreting life experience”. Literature also cannot be separated in daily life. It means that literature is based on daily life. In conclusion, literature is how someone being able to communicate with society through his works.

Literary works developed by two elements, intrinsic and extrinsic elements. The function intrinsic element is to build up the literary creation itself such as theme, plot, setting, character, conflict, point of view, etc. Kenney states (1966:19), “the conflict with which fiction concern itself are of many kinds. A story may deal with a conflict

within a single man, a conflict between man, a conflict between man and society, between man and nature, and so on.”

In reference in what Kenney states about conflict above, it was found that conflict referred to person which dealt with life situation. It is only situation that offers a conflict. The focus of this study is the main character’s conflict as portrayed in The Spectacles short story.

Conflict is about how the main character faces his conflicts; his conflict with himself, his conflict with another individual, and also his conflict with society. It is conflict that makes a story full with intense. How it is started, faced, and solved for a better solution in order to get wisdom living.

  • 2.     Problems of the Study

The problems that is discussed in this study are:

  • a)    What kinds of conflict can be identified in the story The Spectacles?

  • b)    How does the main character manage the conflicts and find the solutions?

  • 3.     Aims of the Study

Aims of this study are:

  • a) To find out what kind of conflict can be identified in the story The Spectacles

  • 4.     Research Method

The data source of this study was a short story entitled The Spectacles by Edgar Allan Poe (1844). The data source was chosen because it could provide much information related to the conflict on characters which was very interesting to be analyzed. The main character was identified first before the writer identified the conflict that was faced by the main character.

Documentation method was used in collecting the data. Firstly, the data was collected through reading the short story The Spectacles (1844) intensively and

repeatedly. The important information was marked by underline from the sources which explained about the conflict in the story. Then, notes were taken from the collected data in order to make the writer easier to find the conflict from the story. Secondly, the writer used books and several other resources about conflict as references related to the subject matter being analyzed. That step helps the writer to understand more about conflict in a story.

In analyzing the data, the writer determines the main character through the classification of character, in order to understand who is the main character and what kind of conflict that will later on faced by the main character and the other characters. Secondly, the writer groups the conflict and the motif of conflict, in order to ease the writer in data analyzing procedure. After the data had been collected the all the selected data were analyzed to achieve what has been planned for the objective of this study and finally a conclusion can be drawn from analysis.

  • 5.     Result and Discussion

    • 5.1     Internal Conflict

According to Myers (1992:268), an internal conflict is one of the basic confrontations that are faced by the main character in the literature, and also later on giving any impact on the character’s decisions as the result of the conflict. The main character was forced to face two or more options and had to choose one of them inside their mind. Usually, an internal conflict dealing with what the main character want, what the main character needs, what the main character think, and what the main character really want.

Data 1

Madame Lalande, I had been told, was a Parisian --- had lately arrived from

Paris --- might she not suddenly return? --- return before Talbot came back --and might she not be thus lost to me forever? The thought was too terrible to

bear. Since my future happiness was at issue, I resolved to act with a manly decision. In a word, upon breaking up of the play, I traced the lady to her residence, noted the address, and the next morning sent her a full and elaborate letter, in which I poured out my whole heart. (Poe, 1844:471)

In the data 1 above, Simpson wanted to meet Madame Lalande. Unfortunately,

his friend Talbot was still out of the town for urgent business. Simpson was then terrified and did not know how to meet her.

  • 5.2    External Conflict

Conflict happens between man and self, man and man, and man and environment. As for Internal Conflict that usually come from the inside of the character, External Conflict mostly come from the surrounding of the character, could be man with man or man with society. In every story there is external conflict accompanying internal conflict that exist in the story. The main character’s decision will later on determining the ending or the outcome of the story.

Data 1

“I revolved in my mind a thousand schemes by which I might obtain, hereafter, an introduction to the elder lady, or, for the present, at all events, a more distinct view of her beauty. I would have removed my position to one nearer her own, but the crowded state of the theatre rendered this impossible; and the stern decrees of Fashion had, of late, imperatively prohibited the use of the operaglass in a case such as this, even had I been so fortunate as to have one with me --- but I had not --- and was thus in despair.” (Poe, 1844:467)

In data 1 above, we can conclude that Simpson had an external conflict.

Simpson happen to see a beautiful lady in the theatre and want to see her more and longer, but then was not able to do that because he was in the theatre and it was very impolite to disturb the other. Simpson was facing external conflict with the environment around him.

Data 2

“Talbot, I said, you have an opera-glass. Let me have it.”

“An opera-glass! --- no! --- what do you suppose I would be doing with an opera-glass?” Here he turned impatiently toward the stage.”

“But, Talbot, I continued, pulling him by the shoulder, “listen to me will you? Do you see the stage --- box? --- there! --- no, the next. --- did you ever behold as lovely a woman?” (Poe,1844:467)

Simpson still fighting his way to saw his beautiful woman who was manage to attract him in the theatre. When he felt despair because he could not move to a nearer chair with Madame Lalande, he then trying to borrow his friend’s opera-glass. Therefore, he could saw clearly toward his first love.

Data 3

“To-morrow, at one, I will call upon you at B---ʻs.”

“Very good; and now do hold your tongue, if you can.”

In this latter respect I was forced to take Talbotʼs advice; for he remained obstinately deaf to every further question or suggestion, and occupied himself exclusively for the rest of the evening with what was transacting upon the stage. (Poe,1844:468)

Simpson was having another conflict with Talbot. This sentence from above quotation shows the conflict between them. “Very good; and now do hold your tongue, if you can.” In this latter respect I was forced to take Talbotʼs advice; for he remained obstinately deaf to every further question or suggestion…” Those sentence shows that Simpson actually wanted to discuss further about Madame Lalande but Talbot, his friend, did not want to hear him.

Data 4

“Out!” I replied, staggering back half a dozen paces --- “let me tell you, my fine fellow, that this thing is thoroughly impossible and impracticable; Mr. Talbot is not out. What do you mean?”

“Nothing, sir; only Mr. Talbot is not in. thatʼs all. He rode over to S---, immediately after breakfast, and left word that he would not be in town again for a week.” (Poe,1844:470)

In this part, Simpson was having argument with his friend, Talbot’s footman at B---‘s. In the story, Talbot agreed to introduce Simpson to Madame Lalande and both of them made an appointment to meet each other at B---‘s. But, when the time came, Talbot was not there.

Data 5

“You wretch!” said I, catching my breath --- “you --- you --- you villainous old hag!”

“Ag? --- ole? --- me not so ver ole, after all! Me not one single day more dan de eighty-doo”

“Eighty-two!” I ejaculated, staggering to the wall --- “eighty-two hundred thousand baboons! The miniature said Twenty-seven years and seven months!”(Poe,1844:480)

After Simpson finally realizes that he was deceived by his vision, he was really angry and shouting at his fiancée. He was also very shocked that his fiancée was eighty two years old. The fact that he was also deceived by the miniature of his popular fiancée fifty years ago, made him almost faint.

  • 5.3    Conflict Management Strategies of Internal Conflict

In data 1 above of internal conflict, Simpson used Creative Integration as his strategies to overcome his conflict. Creative Integration is a way to overcome a conflict in which one participant trying to find a solution rather than examining the conflict.

  • 5.4    Conflict Management Strategies of External Conflict

In data 1, Simpson use Compromise strategy to deal with this conflict. Compromise not always means to used when person to person conflict happen. In the data 2, Simpson used pacification when he was having conflict with his friend Talbot. Pacification means that the participants or one of the participants decided not to talk

about the conflict further and choose different topic. In data 3, Simpson used compromise strategy in facing this conflict. Simpson wanted to talk about Madame Lalande more and more with Talbot as well as discussing their agreement. In data 4, Simpson was having argument with Talbot’s footman at B---‘s. Simpson came to B---‘s as they were agreed to meet and Talbot would introduce him to Madame Lalande. But, suddenly Talbot was gone out of the city. The last conflict of the story as well as the climax of the story happened in the data 10. This time they had a heavy argument as Simpson face his biggest conflict. He was very shocked as he knew his wife was an eighty-two woman. Both had to argue for their life, Simpson who did not believe to what actually happen all along and Madame Lalande who thought that it was not her fault. Compromise was the best strategy to this conflict since both of them were already married and better not to made the conflict getting bigger.

  • 6.     Conclusion

Most of his conflict was come from the outside of his mind or could be determined as external conflict for example, his conflict with his surrounding, with Talbot’s footman, even with Madame Lalande. Mostly because of differentiation in argument or ideal. It was all because Simpson was a very confident person who strongly willed that he would accomplish his goal, but again, he was betrayed by his own confidence. In conclusion, this story tells us about we had to admit to our weakness in order to avoid us to get involved in a conflict in which we actually can avoid.

  • 7.     Bibliography

Taylor, Richard. 1981. Understanding The Elements of Literature. New York: The Macmillan Press.

Kenney, William. 1966. How to Analyze Fiction. New York: Monarch Press

Myers, Gail E.and Michele F. Myers. 1992. A Laboratory Approach. Singapore: McGrowhill,inc.

Poe, Edgar, Allan. 1844. The Spectacles. Philadelphia Dollar Newspaper

125