The
Concept of ‘Enlightenment’ in Bildungsroman across Cultures: An Analysis on
Anglo and Native American Culture
Bildungsroman can be defined as a genre
of novel in which the protagonist undergoes transformation from childhood /
naiveté into maturity/ sophistication. The journey of that transformation
usually peaks with an epiphany or realization before the protagonist in bildungsroman
reaches or achieves ‘the enlightenment’ as a result of their journey. Although
the definition of the term ‘the enlightenment’ is quite clear—i.e. when the
protagonist in the bildungsroman finally realizes the meaning of something—the characteristics
are unclear in one culture to another; for that reason, the concept of ‘enlightenment’
in bildungsroman across cultures worth analyzing. In this essay, I am going to
identify the concept of ‘the enlightenment’ in two cultures that are reflected
in the two literary works: James Joyce’s A
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (Anglo culture) and Louise Erdrich’s The Porcupine
Year (Native American culture). Both Joyce and Erdrich seem to say that the
process of reaching the enlightenment is often initiated by hardships and ended
by gaining higher self. However, Joyce seems to invest the value of
individualism while Erdrich emphasizes on collectivism accompanying the process
of ‘the enlightenment’.
Both Joyce and Erdrich seem to say that
the process of reaching ‘enlightenment’ is often initiated by hardships, for
instance, both the protagonists in their novel have to face the troubles and
conflicts, either it is internal or external. In the case of Stephen, he faces
many external conflicts with the prefects and friends in his school as well as with
his family in his home. He, moreover, experiences internal conflict when he was
overwhelmed by the feeling of guilt and sin after he went to the brothel.
Similarly, Omakayas experiences external conflicts when she lost her beloved
and when LaPautre robbed her family. Besides, she faces her internal conflict
when she was struck with confusion when she met Two Strike whom she hates and
pities at the same time. The journey of development in both novels, however,
peaked when the protagonists achieve—or start to achieve—an epiphany that they
finally step to the stage of enlightenment or their higher self. Stephen
achieves his enlightenment at the end of the novel when he finally finds his
passion in life i.e. to express himself in some mode of life or art as freely
as and as wholly as possible (Joyce, 1916, p. 212). Likewise, Omakayas gets her
enlightenment also at the end of the novel when she get her menarche, which
means that she is a woman who is ready to learn about what life would be like
for the adults. From this point, the enlightenment is portrayed as a moment when
the protagonists finally find the meaning of life (or something) and achieve
their higher self.
James Joyce’s protagonist, Stephen
Dedalus, clearly depicts the value of individualism in many ways. One of which,
is by the fact that he is a loner and introvert who withdraws himself from his
surroundings. For instance in relation with family Stephen seems to feel alienated
and forsaken. It can be seen in the novel when: “[h]e felt that he was hardly
of one blood with them [his family] but stood to them rather in the mystical
kinship of fosterage…” (Joyce, 1916, p.83). Moreover, in relation with
friendship, he thinks that “he was different from others. He did not want to
play.” (Joyce, 1916, p.53). Even when he was in a kind of party, he “withdrawn
into a snug corner of the room he began to taste the joy of his loneliness”
(Joyce, 1916, p.57). This attribute that Stephen holds is one of the attributes
that finally bring him into the enlightenment. It is in line with a famous
modern Anglo psychologist, Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. He described
the concept of self-actualization as the hierarchically the highest of human’s
need that is a state when human realize their potential, fulfill themselves, and
do the best they are capable of doing (Maslow, 1954, p.150). The concept of
self-actualization, by that definition, is juxtaposed with the concept of ‘the enlightenment’
in bildungsroman. Interestingly, Stephen’s characteristic are corroborated by
Maslow’s (1954) description of the characteristics of self-actualized person,
which are to be detached from societal influences, autonomous, and independent;
an individual who acts upon his own will. For these reasons, the concept of the
enlightenment in A Portrait centers on
being individualist.
Conversely, in Erdrich’s The Porcupine Year, it is obvious that
the protagonist privileges the value of collectivistic culture. On the contrary
with Stephen’s life, the mood of togetherness in Omakayas and her family is
apparent as it is shown in the novel when ”they would all be together, just the
way they had been back in the golden days on the golden island, when she was small.” (Erdrich,
2008, p. 48). Besides, they are a harmonious family like when they are on the
way to Muskrat, “[t]he way was long, but they would find their family in the
end. The family sang together, back and forth between the canoes.” (Erdrich,
2008, p. 60). The collectivistic culture can also be seen when “[a]t night, as
they sat together around the fire, they were closer than ever in their
determination” (Erdrich, 2008, p. 108). This value is supported by Smith’s and
Schwartz’ concept of self-transcendence that reflects the value promoting
universalism, which is “understanding, tolerance and protection for the welfare
of all people and nature.” (1997, p. 86). For these reasons, the concept of the
enlightenment in The Porcupine Year
centers on being a collectivist.
The interesting part is the fact that the
concept of self-transcendence is a kind of critic to Maslow’s concept of
self-actualization (Koltko-Rivera, 2006) because it does not appear to
be a cross-culturally valid
concept, in that
the characteristics measured in
Maslow’s concept are not applicable to collectivistic cultures in the same way
that they are to individualistic cultures (Ivtzan, n.d., p.132). This critic
coincides with the one toward the centeredness of Anglo culture regarding
bildungsroman. As stated by Boes Tobias (2006, p. 239), in these years, there
is a shift of studies and attention toward post-colonial and minority groups’
writing. Based on this argument, it is clear that The Porcupine Year is a symbol of critic toward the hegemony of the
western culture—more specifically Anglo culture—that has established meaning
according to their own perspective. It is corroborated by Bubíková et. al.
(2008, cited in Adámková, 2011: 26) who
says that the writings from minority groups also aim to clarify the stereotype,
prejudice, judgments, and meanings made to them in attempt to establish their
own identity to preserve their ethnic or racial roots.
The centeredness of this issue can be seen when Adámková mentions that
one of the characteristics of bildungsroman is that “it does not need adults to
play the most important role”. Parents should be in the background to mark the
distance between them and the authority (2011, p. 24); besides, Hamilton Buckley (1974, cited in
Brändström Camilla, 2009) also mentions a typical feature of the Bildungsroman i.e.
seeking a substitute parent due to a symbolic or actual loss of his real
father. These characteristics fit perfectly to A Portrait. However, Chang Li Ping, et
al defy that characteristic by saying that The
Porcupine Year and other marginal groups have created a new Bildungsroman based on their own
perspective in attempt to “evinces a revaluation, a transvaluation, of
tradition Bildung by new standards and perspectives” In The Porcupine Year,
Omakayas is educated by her elders, and the self she is taught to present is
partly formed with their values in mind. (2011, p. 2).
Even though the concept of ‘the
enlightenment’ in bildungsromans in Anglo and Native American culture is
similar i.e. the realization and awareness of the meanings in life; the
characteristic accompanying the process is, however, different in both cultures
that are represented in the two novels. While the Anglo culture centers on the
individualistic attributes that lead the protagonist to do a deep thinking to
the self-actualization, a concept postulated by a famous Anglo psychologist,
Maslow; in the Native American culture, however, the concept of ‘the
enlightenment’ is different to the one in Anglo for it emphasizes on the value
of collectivism that characterizes the protagonist’s self-transcendence—a
concept of higher self that is a critic toward Anglo’s concept of higher self
that is said to be compatible only in individualistic culture. The interesting
fact is that the inclusion of collectivist attributes in the concept is geared
by the shift of studies and attention toward post-colonial and minority groups
so that they can make meaning to their own culture.
References
Adámková, Hana.
(2011). Young Adults in the Writing of
Sherman Alexie. Diploma Thesis. Masaryk University.
Boes, Tobias. (2006). Modernist Studies
and the Bildungsroman: A Historical Survey of Critical Trends. Literature Compass. Vol. 3, no. 2, 230-243. doi: 10.1111/j.1741-4113.2006.00303.
Brändström, Camilla. (2009). "Gender
and Genre": A Feminist Exploration of the Bildungsroman in A Portrait of
the Artist As a Young Man and Martha Quest. Thesis. Gävle University.
Chang, Li, Pang et al. (2011). A Native
American Girl’s Coming of Age in Louise Erdrich’s The Porcupine Year. World Journal of English Language. Vol. 1,
No. 2. 1-9. doi:10.5430/wjel.v1n2p43
Erdrich, Louise. (2008). The Porcupine Year. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
Ivtzan, Itai. (n.d.). Self
Actualisation: For Individualistic Cultures Only?. Thesis. University College
London.
Joyce,
James. (1916). A Portrait
of the Artist as a Young Man. Pennsylvania: A Penn State Electronic
Classic Series Publication.
Koltko-Rivera,
Mark, E. (2006). Rediscovering the Later Version of Maslow’s Hierarchy of
Needs: Self-Transcendence and Opportunities for Theory, Research, and
Unification. Review of General
Psychology. Vol. 10, No. 4, 302–317.
doi: 10.1037/1089-2680.10.4.302
Maslow, A. H. (1954). Motivation and Personality. New York:
Harper.
Smith, P. B., & Schwartz, S. H.
(1997). Values. In J. W. Berry, M. H.
Segall, & C. Kagitcibasi (Eds.), Handbook of cross-cultural psychology:
Vol. 3. Social Behavior and Applications (2nd ed., pp. 77–118). Boston: Allyn
& Bacon
0 comments :
Post a Comment