Abstract
This
essay analyzes how the cultural identity is constructed to the new identity for
the characters in ‘A Backward Place’. The culture has a massive role in
constructing the identity toward people, society, and the other social
institutions. As it has the big influence, the culture can deconstruct and construct
the identity from the old to the new, the local to the global, and the minority
to the majority. To analyze this novel I used the orientalism perspective. I think there is a deconstruction of
identity to the characters in the novel through the culture, tradition, and
language.
Introduction
The
novel ‘A Backward Place’ by Jabvala presents many cultural studies that I can
see in the story, especially the contrasting characters created by the author.
This essay will responds about the creating identity influenced by two cultures
which appose each other, mainly in constructing new identity to the characters.
Its process is presented in Etta, Judy, Bal, Shudir, Bhuaji, Clarisa, Mr.
Hochstadt, and Mrs. Hochstadt. The main problem that I want to analyze focuses
on the constructing identity in Judy, Etta, and Bal.
For
the characters, I find the contrast culture between Etta and Judy. It affects
the personality, language, how they dress up, and how they purely live in
United States which has the gorgeous culture around their household and
friends. Unconsciously they have to live and face the cultural challenge as the
new tradition. The way they live is very funny for me. Etta as a Hungarian
woman, she speaks English with French accent but her style is very modern. And
also Judy as an Indian woman, she is faithful in her nationality, tradition,
and culture even she lives in a modern country, United States. They are the
cultural problems that will be talked in this essay.
The
identifications of this essay are, how is the process of the ‘constructing’
identity toward the characters in the novel, and how is the relation of
globalization with ‘constructing’ in the character’s identity. They will
explain the problems in the novel that I want to talk about. The globalization
appearance, the colonial influence, and the modernism make the massive changes
and cultural shifting in the characterization. The novel presents the
post-colonial problems in each country of ‘third world’. people are
contaminated by modernism thought.
According
to Loomba, “The ‘othering’ of vast
numbers of people by European colonialist thought, and their construction as
backward and inferior, depended upon what Abdul JanMohamed calls the ‘Manichean
allegory’, in which a binary and implacable discursive opposition between races
is produced.” (1985: 60). In this essay, I will identify the characters with
‘constructing racial and cultural difference. As refers to the theory, it will
indicate the post-colonialism which is in the novel.
Constructing
Cultural Identity to Etta, Judy, and Bal
Eta
and Judy clearly have the different character in themselves. Etta was Hungarian
girl with French accent in English, and her style purely modern girl in the way
she dress and act. On the contrary Etta is too far different with Judy, she is
totally Indian girl from her culture, tradition, style in the way she dress. I
assume this is the factor of the modernism and globalization happening to them.
Unconsciously they have to do challenge this cultural problem. Etta seems
really enjoy and take the modern tradition though from style, language, and
culture. The modernism constructs the cultural identity to her. It grows up in
her faith, manner, and personality. ‘Western’ dominantly contributes the
cultures in creating the new identity. Personally, it changes her nationality
to the modern enthusiasm. It reflects while she is speaking arrogantly to Judy.
She totally dislike Judy from her traditional thought as not like the others
around her people having a modern thought, style, life, and household. Judy
really realizes that she is different with her friends especially in her office.
But she never worries about her problems. She enjoys with her thoughts,
culture, and tradition even she lives in a modern country.
The
problem happens to them as post-colonialism effects that make the cultural
change. It is like European thoughts
create non-European cultural identity becoming the opposition. The binary
opposition between European people and non-European people in the cultural race
creates the colonialism and non-colonialism. As many critiques done by people against
the cultural race itself, the humanity had not questioned for human being,
whereas all human beings are same no difference in their nature. But, the
colonialism makes a fascinating contrast that counters each others. The counter
makes people divided to various sect/ideology. As the characters in the novel,
Judy as an Indian girl who works in cultural Dais, she really realizes the
counter culture in her country where she is living and working. Her resistance
is seen from the way she is presented in the novel when Etta asked Judy to make
up and bring the dress for her. She really dislikes Judy’s type from the way
she dresses and makes up. Etta’s emotion has been totally created the colonial
movement. She thinks Judy is not modern girl and very ancient.
Meanwhile,
Judy can control herself with her cultural power. She really noticed, being a
modern girl is not must change her style and thought to approve a popular
culture. Judy’s resistance to American nationalism is clearly seen in facing
the globalization. She was very faithful to her culture and tradition, until
she is asked by Mrs. Hochstadt to show Indian tradition fur American public.
Actually she is very proud if she is able to show and practice Indian art and
tradition as her national identity. Her image in the character shows that she
actually notices the colonial history that has happened in her native country.
That happened in many nations which had been colonized by European people. That
European colonizing produce the imperialism, globalization, and modernism as
explained in post-colonialism.
Now,
I will talk about the last character ‘Bal’ in the novel. From the colonial
problems that I talked before, Bal is represented as the man who is talented in
theatre. He is an actor. He is too interested in art and playing theatre.
Beside his talents in theatre, he also likes a local and traditional art. His
desire in loving art makes him the strong character toward the cultural
studies. It’s like the way he loves his wife, Judy, who love too much her
household with Bal. That fact happens because she serves nicely her husband and
family, such as, preparing the dinner for her family herself. Even Bal never
always with his family, Judy still love him so much. She knows that he sometime
must work to outside the city, and he plays Theater or becomes an actor for his
family. Such Bal’s character in the novel, it explained that Bal has a big
cultural power in his faith. His work in entertaining doesn’t construct the
European identity in his self. Naturally, he also can resist the modern culture
and globalization in his country. But, sometime he must approve the modernism
and the western culture in his work, because he must to do the popular art in
the entertain industry. The industry is part of the imperialism. And he must
face the cultural race as the big challenge in modern country.
The
Relation of ‘Constructing’ with Globalization for the Characters in the novel
Concept
of globalization appears as a weapon to construct the European identity, seen
from the massive fact happened in ‘third word’, which includes many countries
in Europe continent and Asian continent. Parts of countries which are colonized
in eighteenth century, the fact give big influences to cultures in each
country. The globalization changes the human mind in any pattern of living. The
goal is to transform the cultural representation. The concepts is applied in
the novel through the characters; Etta, Shudir, Shanti, and Clarissa.
They
are represented as the urban people in the novel. It seems clearly from their
manner like when Etta and Shanti have dinner and coffee break in the coffee
shop and bar. Their lifestyle distinguishes them from Etta and Bal. Etta and
Shanti have been already accustomed by elegancy of the city, sitting on a nice
sofa and living in elegant house. Etta loves too much the wealth. Her character
applied to the concept of globalization. The globalization has the big power
and authority in constructing human identity.
The
globalization relates the human identity from dominant culture that appears in
this modern era. The globalization totally affect the cultures and traditions
for every people in the word. It creates the new identity for non-European
people. Certainly, it makes people addicted in new cultural studies for non-
Europeans, and set their mindset. It’s applied in Etta, Shudir, and Shanti. The
culture makes them having the original identity, whereas it’s their imitation
to the rises of globalization and cultural race against human. The cultural
races force them to be the majority in the country, city, office, and
household.
In
globalization, social institution also has the big role and power to each
country ‘third world’, because it’s massive effects for cultural deconstruction
to Etta, Shuhdir, Shanti, and Clarissa in the novel. Their character has been
created and constructed by the European tradition through globalization. The
globalization is a mediator to triggers the modernism, imperialism, and
nationalism changed in human mindset. The humanity is not the cultural
discourse known by people. Now, the people are created as the individual
machine which never cares among people problems. The people just think how the
way to make their self rich and elegant for living is. People never want to
worry what happened to their neighbors. The importance is they can enjoy their
life and work, and people now are spoiled by the modern invention, property,
nice facility, and new popular tradition.
Etta
is clearly presented to such this social condition in this cultural discourse
and cultural race. She does approve it and does not resist the modernism as she
really enjoys it. Her heart and mindset is poor of the natural sense as human. She
never cares, worries, and wants to know what is going on to the social
condition. Such Eta who is explained in the novel, unconsciously there is a
resistant power in her sense of feeling. She thinks how a poor she is in her
character. She realizes that she is contaminated by a modern thought, because
she ever has a bad background in her past household. Her husband never has been
beside her when she need. She also never has been contented of her husband’s
gaining. Her husband is Bal, he ever marries her before meets Judy. Bal and
Etta are her old friend when she was in college, but they are very different.
The
character in Etta showed what a big globalization is, and has massive power and
relation to create the new identity in human. The relation influenced the
characters in the novel as a fact in the reality. It also contributes the
imperialism power in constructing an ideology. It mainly changes the social
condition in people daily life. The way to resist these problems is that people
have to take in faith of their own humanity and traditions. The power that can
purely resist is just our own selves in how people face and challenge the
cultural races in this modern era.
Conclusion
The
characters in the novel are represented as the reflection of the reality in
human problems with their culture, tradition, thought, ideology, and social
condition which constructs the identity. The binary opposition between
‘western’ and ‘north’ influenced the characters in the novel. It’s like how
Etta, Judy, and Bal are presented in the concept of colonialism applied in
themselves. Some of problems are such their household, family, lifestyle, and
work. They refer to the cultural race and cultural discourse in people life.
The cultural deconstruction also can change the nationality, mindset, humanity,
and tradition. People will notice own themselves, if they aware in the cultural
shifting that happens to each country. And then, the stereotype and the image of
characters in the novel clearly created by postcolonial appearances.
References
Anderson, B.
(1991) Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of
Nationalism, London and New York: Verso.
Bhabha, H.K. (1983)
(1994). ‘Remembering Fanon: Self, Psyche and the Colonial Condition’, in P.
Williams and L. Chrisman (eds), Colonial Discourse and Postcolonial Theory, New
York: Columbia University.
Chatterjee, P.
1993a, Nationalist Thought and the Colonial World: A Derivative Discourse,
2nd edn, Zed Books, London.
Fanon, F.1990, The
Wretched of the Earth, 3rd edn, trans. Constance Farrington, Penguin,
Harmondsworth.
Hall, Stuart. “Cultural Identity and Diaspora” dalam Postcolonial Discourse and Postcolonial
Theory, New York: Harvester/Wheatsheaf, 1993,392-403.
