A study on Social and Cultural Background of female characters in Novel San Pek Eng Tay adapted by Oey Kim Tiang

ABSTRACT

Women always struggle for the equality throughout the history. The fact shows us that women always get different and unfair treatment and opportunity in any aspect of life. This cultural differences led women to the struggle of the equality in their society. It is unavoidable for literary work to respond this social condition as the consequence of many expert’s explanation that literature is the mirror of real world. The study of women in relation to their social and cultural background cannot be separated from the study of gender. That is why the writer is interested in women social and cultural background of female characters in novel San Pek Eng Tay.

The objectives of this research, in general, is to make contribution to the literary world in order to develop interpretation on literary works. Besides, this research is meant to describe women social and cultural background which is related to their rights, their culture and custom, men’s rights, culture and custom and the emancipation of Chinese women reflected in novel San Pek Eng Tay adapted by Oey Kim Tiang.

This study investigates the idea of women sociocultural background of the Chinese society. Therefore, the approach that is used is sociocultural approach. Each aspect of the novel such as plot, setting, theme, characters and point of view is investigated to identify the social and cultural background. Then the application of women sociocultural background is performed by using theories of gender analyses. Finally the relationship between female characters in the novel and the Chinese society is examined.

From this research four findings can be stated. First, women did not have rights in formal education. They were only educated at home in limited time and subjects. Women also had no rights to make any decision about education, social problems, or political participation. Second, Chinese women’s culture and custom made women uneducated, left-behind, subordinated, and powerless. Third, men’s rights, culture and custom in Chinese society were the contrary of women’s, ,They had full rights and authority in society, in education, and in politics. Last, novel San Pek Eng Tay had succeeded in portraying the real condition of Chinese society at that time where women struggled for the equality especially in getting education and choosing their prospective husband.

This research is still far from perfect. Therefore, the writer expects that there will be another research which is focussed on women’s problems in another aspect of life which is reflected in another literary works.