CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE ANALYSIS

Drama is one genre of literature. Although drama shares many similar characteristics with fiction and poetry, the difference is that plays are written to be presented by actors on a stage before audiences. Roberts and Jacob in An Introduction to Reading and Writing (1995: 1015) says that the actors perform the various actions and also mimic or imitate the emotions of the major characters in order to create a maximum impact on the audience. Drama necessarily embodies issues and ideas. Even story written for entertainment alone is based on idea or position. The idea will bring the readers into a message. Then that message will make the readers easier to understand the story. The idea or what we call theme sometimes talks about social life. In fact, the literary work reflects society, real life or social condition. In this case, the idea that I would like to analyze is Marxs theory. This idea provides a theoretical basis for the struggle of the working class to achieve a higher form of human society. This concept is really contradictory with the capitalism which places the capital owner or the money owner as the policy regulator. Karl Marx in Damono: Sosiologi Sastra Sebuah Pengantar Ringkas (1279:27) says that fungsi uang adalah untuk membuat manusia menjadi materialistik, sehingga manusia itu akan terasing baik dari dirinya sendiri ataupun masyarakat. The function of money is making human

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become materialistic so he will be alienated from himself and society (my own translation). The idea of Materialism becomes the topic of the analysis. Then as the objects of my analysis, I choose one play which indicates this idea. It is Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman. I am interested in choosing this play because first, the unique combination of words death and salesman. Etymology, death is a state of being death and also the ending or destruction of something. And the word Salesman is a man whose job is to sell goods. A salesman needs to be very enthusiastic, full of desire and charismatic in plays his role. A Salesman takes the front position in the success of a company. So these combination raises my curiosity to study about the destruction which happens to that enthusiastic man. Another reason is, because it is about self-delusion and about families .It lets us know how it feels to be a father and how it feels to be a son if there is no understanding between one another. I have read Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman and learned about Marxism in literary sociology. And I can see in this play, Arthur Miller put the ideas of Marxism, it is all about material or money. The main character named Willy Loman, is such a good model to indicate Materialism. Willy Loman is a salesman, who struggles to live the American dream. He places great importance on looks and materialistic world where success and wealth are the most important. But finally, Willy Loman is unsuccessful and going to be the victim of bad luck from his adored world. Finally, all those explanations that I mentioned become my reasons to have this analysis which entitled The Marxism as Reflected in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman.

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1.2. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

I have read Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman on the whole and learned about Marxism, I can see in Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller puts the ideas of Marxism about material, so the problem of the analysis may be recognized as : How are the materialism as one of Karl Marxs theory reflected in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman?

1.3.OBJECTIVE OF THE ANALYSIS

The objective of a study is a statement about the activities and objects that are going to be analyzed based on the problem of the analysis. In this research, the objective is based on the statement of the problem, to prove that materialism as the Karl Marx theory is reflected in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman.

1.4 THE SCOPE OF ANALYSIS

To avoid the vagueness, it is necessary to make a clear limitation into a narrow scope, so the analysis can be clearly interpreted and understood. Moreover, the analysis of this thesis should be more specific. The focus of the analysis will be limited only to discuss the materialism as Karl Marx puts in theory, is reflected in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman.

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1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ANALYSIS

This thesis is entitled The Marxism as Reflected in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman. In accomplishing this analysis, I hope my analysis will enrich the knowledge about literature especially drama. This analysis is expected to make the readers are more interested in understanding drama. Hopefully, the readers can get better understanding about Marxism. In accomplishing this analysis I wish it can help readers in getting better knowledge about how Marxism deals with their life. And it inspires the readers in discussing Marxism in further analysis.

1.6 THEORITICAL APPROACH There are two approaches in analyzing the literary works. They are intrinsic and extrinsic approach. Intrinsic approach analyzes literary works based on the text and structural points of literary works; characters, plot, theme, setting, style, and point of view. Wellek and Warren in Theory of Literature (1956:75-135) state that extrinsic approach is a kind of approach which analyzes the relationship between the content and the other disciplines of knowledge such as economics, politics, psychology, biography, sociology, etc.

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In this analysis, I use extrinsic approach because I think it is suitable to analize the play by using sociology as point of view. I use Marxs idea about the impact of materialism on people to analyze Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman.

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