A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner-Summary in chronological order

A Rose for Emily

by William Faulkner

Analyzed by Rudi Brata

The story in chronological order (Rudi Brata's opinion)

If I arrange the story of A rose for Emily in order. The story will be like this, First I start with miss Emily’s life when she is young, She is an aristocratic woman. Therefore, her father is so strict to her in choosing for her future husband. Her father wants her to have a high quality husband. Since the standard is so high, it is difficult for her to find the right man who suits to her father’s criteria. I can see this because her father say “ none of the young men are good enough for her”. When her father dies, miss Emily only get the house as an inheritance from her father with little or may be no money. It’s weird, because at that time she doesn’t accept the reality that her father has passed away. By the time the people (mostly ladies) visit her house to give help and say condolence, She tells them that her father is not dead. She keeps her father’s dead body in the house for three days. The ministers and the doctors persuade her to to let them dispose the body .Then she finally allows the people in its neighborhood to remove and burry her father’s body. Second, is when the town has just let the contracts for paving the sidewalks, and in the summer after her father’s death they begin the work. There is a foreman whose name Homer Barron, a yankee- a big, dark, ready man, with a big voice and eyes lighter than his face. Then, he and miss Emily get to know each other through the time, and their relationship grows to become close. And the people around them, especially ladies, start to discuss, gossip and be jealous about their relationship. They gossip about how pity Emily has become whenever she rides a small carriage around the town with Homer. But, the narrator notes that Emily is still proud with herself. Third, Emily buys a poison called an arsenic from the druggist in that town. The druggist tells Emily that she has to tell him why she buys that poison because the law orders her to do so. However, she just stares at him until the druggist moves back and takes the arsenic to be wrapped. And he writes on the box, under the skull and bones: “for rats”. Fourth, the neighborhood think that she will commit suicide by taking that poison. Because, they think that Homer has rejected her marriage proposal. They think like that, because of Homer’s reputation. He is wild and likes to hang out and get drunk in a pub or a bar with his friends. However, they still go together and are seen by the neighborhood. And the boldness of their relationship makes the ladies in town become more jealous. Then, the minister’s wife sends away for Emily’s two female cousins from Alabama in the hope that they will convince Emily either to end the affair or marry Homer. While visiting, Emily buys toilet set written Homer’s name, and also a set of men’s clothing and a night shirt. This fact, makes the town to believe that she will marry Homer. After that, Homer leaves Jefferson in order to give Emily the opportunity to get rid off her cousins away from her house. Three days after the cousins leave Homer is back to Emily house. After that, Homer is never been seen anymore. People think that he has rejected Emily and leaves her just like that. Fifth, The neighbors of Emily complain about the bad smell coming from her house. However, despite several complaints, Judge Stevens, the town’s mayor during that era, is reluctant to do anything about it. Then after midnight, four men cross miss Emily’s lawn , they break open the cellar door and sprinkle lime there in order to get rid off the bad smell. After a week or two the smell goes away. Sixth, Emily is not seen in town for almost six months. When she is finally seen on the streets of Jefferson again, She becomes fat and her hair turns gray. Her house remains closed to visitors, except for a period of six or seven years when she gives china-painting lessons. Seventh, The clash between the past and the present is evidenced by the different approaches that each generation takes concerning Miss Emily's taxes. In the past, Colonel Sartoris had remitted them for her, believing it uncivilized to remind a Southern woman to pay taxes, which Miss Emily does not do after her father dies. But the next generation, with its more modern ideas, holds her responsible for them. Miss Emily, however, returns the tax notice that the new aldermen send to her; when the young men call upon her, she tells them back by saying, "I have no taxes in Jefferson" and "See Colonel Sartoris," who has been dead for at least ten years. Finally, Miss Emily dies alone, except for black manservant, Tobe. After Tobe lets the neighborhood come into the house, he leaves them through the back door and is never seen again.  Soon after she has been buried, several of the men open the upstairs forcefully. Surprisingly, they find the room contains a man's tie, suit and shoes, and a silver toilet set which Miss Emily had purchased for Homer before his disappearance. Homer's remains lie on the bed, dressed in a nightshirt. Next to him is an impression of a head on a pillow where the townspeople find a single “long strand of iron-gray hair.” therefore, this implies that Emily has killed Homer and has lain in the bed with his corpse until her own death. And this reveals the behavior of Emily that has been hidden for a long time behind her aristocracy. 

What happens if Faulkner wrote the story in actual chronological order? (Rudi Brata's opinion)

If Faulkner wrote the story in actual chronological order, the sense or nuance will not be the same, because if we read the story in a chronological order, just like what I write above on question no. 1. It is not puzzling or easy to easy to be guessed for the ending of the story.  Especially about who kills Homer and what causes the bad smell come from her house for almost two weeks. In this case, the writer uses two literary techniques to create a smooth but puzzling  and mysterious package of the story written in jumbled chronology of events, also the narrator’s opinion emphasizing miss Emily’s main purpose, her pride as an aristocratic woman, her loneliness, and to lessen the horror of the story and the feeling of disgust about her actions.

The exposition ends in the argumentations between the past and the present is evidenced by the different approaches that each generation takes concerning Miss Emily's taxes. In the past, Colonel Sartoris had remitted them for her, believing it uncivilized to remind a Southern woman to pay taxes, which Miss Emily does not do after her father dies. But the next generation, with its more modern ideas, holds her responsible for them. Miss Emily, however, returns the tax notice that the new aldermen send to her; when the young men call upon her, she tells them back by saying, "I have no taxes in Jefferson" and "See Colonel Sartoris," who has been dead for at least ten years. And the movement toward the story’s climax begin when Emily buys a poison called an arsenic from the druggist in that town. The druggist tells Emily that she has to tell him why she buys that poison because the law orders her to do so. However, she just stares at him until the druggist moves back and takes the arsenic to be wrapped. And he writes on the box, under the skull and bones: “for rats”. The climax is Miss Emily dies alone, except for black manservant, Tobe. After Tobe lets the neighborhood come into the house, he leaves them through the back door and is never seen again. Soon after she has been buried, several of the men open the upstairs forcefully. Surprisingly, they find the room contains a man's tie, suit and shoes, and a silver toilet set which Miss Emily had purchased for Homer before his disappearance. Homer's remains lie on the bed, dressed in a nightshirt. Next to him is an impression of a head on a pillow where the townspeople find a single “long strand of iron-gray hair.” therefore, this implies that Emily has killed Homer and has lain in the bed with his corpse until her own death.

The resolution begins after Tobe lets the neighborhood come into the house, he leaves them through the back door and is never seen again.  Soon after is buried, several of the men open the upstairs forcefully. Surprisingly, they find the room contains a man's tie, suit and shoes, and a silver toilet set which Miss Emily had purchased for Homer before his disappearance. Homer's remains lie on the bed, dressed in a nightshirt. Next to him is an impression of a head on a pillow where the townspeople find a single “long strand of iron-gray hair.” therefore, this implies that Emily has killed Homer and has lain in the bed with his corpse until her own death. And this reveals the behavior of Emily that has been hidden for a long time behind her aristocratic status.

The characters (Rudi Brata's opinion)

In my opinion, the antagonist are: First, Emily's Father, he plays an important role in the development of her character. Because, He teaches her how to behave and position herself as an aristocratic woman. As a result, She becomes a aloof person and is difficult to mingle or socialize with other people. Second, Homer Barron. He is a bold and wild man. And, Emily likes  and wants him to be her boy friend and may be more than that. But, since it’s difficult to be her life  time lover then she kills him and be with his dead body for the rest of her life. Third,  The people surrounding miss Emily’s neighborhood, Because they not only always discuss, gossip, mind of miss Emily’s business but they also sometimes are helpful. For instance, help burry Emily’s and her father dead body.  

The character of Emily is that she’s an aristocratic person who is Aloof and secretive because she likes to be alone and doesn’t like anybody to know about her private life, she is also necrophilia or  A person who has an erotic or sexual attraction to corpses because she sleeps with her boy friend’s corpse for pleasure, she is evil, mean, intolerant, secular because she dares to kill a man for her pleasure and she is also keeps her father’s dead body in her house for three days.

The actual conflict that I can find in the story is between Miss Emily and reality. Reality demands that taxes be paid, she doesn’t want to burry her her father’s dead body right away. And the worst is that she keeps her Homer’s dead body in her house, Her high expectation to be respected by the society as an aristocratic women ,and I think she is not a religious person,  those are the accumulation of her bad personality and her disappointments in her life, but Miss Emily doesn’t want to fight against them in order to be a better person.

The essential point that I can find from the story is that we have to be realistic in our life. We don’t have to kill someone on order to posses him or her because it’s against the religion, the law , aesthetics, and ethics. And if we have have the mind just like Emily has, we have to fight against it. We have to seek the help through religion, family or psychologist. 

Idul Fitri 1432H

May Allah weighs our prayers in gold, count our blessing with stars and ease our every effort like a gentle summer breeze. Taqabalallahu minna wa minkum. Selamat Hari Raya Idul Fitri 1432H. Minal aidin wal faidzin, mohon ma'af lahir dan batin....Rudi Brata.

My favorite nice quotes

I am  (L)ucky

t (o)

Ha(v)e

A fri(e)nd

(Anonymous)

BE NICE

OR

LEAVE

-THANK YOU

(Anonymous)

          It’s nice to be important, but

it’s more 

important to 

be

Nice!

                (Anonymous)

         

        Everything will be okay

in the end.

if it’s not okay,

it’s not the end.

(Anonymous)

I am Negro- A poem analysis

Negro by 

Hughes Langston

I am a Negro: 

Black as the night is black,  Black like the depths of my Africa.

I’ve been a slave: 

Caesar told me to keep his door-steps clean.  I brushed the boots of Washington.

I’ve been a worker: 

Under my hand the pyramids arose.  I made mortar for the Woolworth Building.

I’ve been a singer: 

All the way from Africa to Georgia  I carried my sorrow songs.  I made ragtime.

I’ve been a victim: 

The Belgians cut off my hands in the Congo.  They lynch me now in Texas

I am a Negro: 

Black as the night is black,  Black like the depths of my Africa. 

Poetry Analysis

Analyzed by Rudi Brata

Title : Negro

          Hughes Langston

Introduction : 

This poem tells about the history of african american people from the past to the present. The speaker is an african american man who tells the activity and the treatment of the black community in the early 20th century until now. The tone of this poem is proud, sad, disappointed.

Body

Stanza 1:

The speaker begins with telling his identity. He says that he is a Negro. This reflects that the speaker wants to declare about himself and his people community. He describes that the skin color of african american people is black and their origin is from Africa. 

Stanza 2:

The speaker describes the history of african american people who have been a slave since the time of Julius Caesar. And their job was not a noble one, because many of them at that time worked as boots cleaners in Washington DC.

Stanza 3:

In this stanza, the speaker tries to explain the black people achievements through their works. Even though they were slaves, They were proud to be able to build pyramids in Egypt. And they are also proud for their skills and strength to build Woolworth Building.

Stanza 4:

The poem tells about the history of  african american music. It is originated from africa. They created ragtime music which is now becoming Jazz music. The speaker emphasizes that black people have contributed a lot in this music history while at the same time they faced hardships or difficult time in that era. Because the speaker says “All the way from Africa to Georgia I carried my sorrow songs.” 

Stanza 5:

This poem depicts that black people are sometimes unlucky. Because they often become victims in their community. They are treated unfairly. This may be caused by racism. And even this happens since the past until the present.

Stanza 6:

In the last stanza, The speaker rephrases the first stanza. This means that he emphasizes about what has happened to black people history. Even though their hardship is lighter from year to year because of modernization but sometimes they still get unfair treatment in their community until now.

Conclusion:

The speaker of the the poem speaks about the history of african american people from the past to the present. They are proud through their contribution in in a kind of their strong body and their musical ability . On the other hands, they are sometimes sad and disappointed with the treatment in their community because of racism. And this happens until now.

The poem: "What Are Years" - by Marianne Moore (an analysis)

What are years?

by Marianne Moore

What is our innocence,

what is our guilt? All are

naked, none is safe. And whence

is courage: the unanswered question,

the resolute doubt, -

dumbly calling, deafly listening-that

in misfortune, even death,

encourage others

and in it's defeat, stirs

the soul to be strong? He 

sees deep and is glad, who

accedes to mortality

and in his imprisonment rises

upon himself as 

the sea in a chasm, struggling to be

free and unable to be,

in its surrendering

finds its continuing.

So he who strongly feels,

behaves. The very bird,

grown taller as he sings, steels

his form straight up. Though he is captive,

his mighty singing

says, satisfaction is a lowly

thing, how pure a thing is joy.

This is mortality,

this is eternity.

A POEM ANALYSIS

Analyzed by Rudi Brata

Title : What are years?

By MARIANNE MOORE

The speaker in this poem is someone who confesses or admits that every human has his or her strengths and weaknesses. The speaker also tells that only the God Almighty who knows who we are and what we are. Because we as human have limitations.  

The central purpose of this poem is to tell the readers that we as human should realize that nobody is perfect. Every human is sometimes uncertain and has a limitation in the course of his or her life. However, we have to face and take gladly and thankfully for what the God has given to us even though we have some constraints. This poem gives a message to us that we are only as small as dust in the eyes of the God. We as human just do the best we can and enjoy the life. However our life, fate, luck are determined by the God. Therefore, we have to be wise, respectful, kind, humble to each other, we don’t have to be arrogant among us. For that reasons, we have to surrender ourselves to the God.  

There are four imageries in this poem. They are: auditory, visual, organic and kinesthetic. In the first stanza there are some words such as “guilt”, “innocence”, “courage”, “doubt” and the phrase “none is safe” are categorized as internal sensation or organic imagery. Because those words refer to the feeling from the heart of a person who feels that way. The words “death” and “naked” are considered as visual imagery because they give pictures of the state of someone’s condition. The phrase “dumbly calling” and the word “stirs” are a kind of movement or kinesthetic imagery because to call someone and to stir something need the movement from the parts of our body. However, the phrase “deafly listening” is categorized as sound or auditory imagery because someone can listen to something that produces sound. In the second stanza, the sentences “the soul to be strong”, “struggling to be free and unable to be” and the word “glad” are categorized as internal sensation or organic imagery. Because they reflect the feeling in someone’s heart. The sentences “He sees deep” and “the sea in a chasm” are categorized as visual imagery because the sentence “he sees deep” means that person uses his/her eyes to see something deeply. And the sentence “the sea in a chasm” depicts a kind of sea located in a long narrow opening on earth. However, the sentence “struggling to be free” is also categorized as kinesthetic imagery because it can also describe the activity that needs the movement of the person’s body. In the third stanza, the sentence “The very bird, grown taller as he sings” is a kind of visual imagery because it pictures something that is growing from small when it’s young to big when it’s old. The sentences “he who strongly feels”, “satisfaction is a lowly thing” and “how pure is joy” are categorized as internal sensation or organic imagery. Because they tell about someone’s feeling about his or her satisfaction and joy in his or her life. The phrases “grown taller as he sings”, “his mighty singing says” and “steels his form straight up” and the word “behaves”  are categorized as kinesthetic imagery. Because the activities of singing and growing need movement.

There are three symbols in this poem. They are metaphors, simile and allusions. The metaphor symbol refers to the statement, for example, “The very bird, grown taller as he sings, steels his form straight up. Though he is captive”. Because the statement implies that grown-up people face challenges when they live their own life. Then, the examples of simile symbol is from the sentence “The sea in a chasm”. This sentence implies that every human has his or her limitation because nobody’s perfect. And the last is the examples of allusion symbol are from the words such as “innocence”, “captive” and “imprisonment.” These words represents the experience of humans or people in their stages of life from childhood until adulthood. We as humans will experience and face those feelings in our life.

To The Mercy Killers - The Analysis

TO THE MERCY KILLERS  -Dudley Randall-

If ever mercy move you murder me,

I pray you, kindly killers, let me live.

Never conspire with death to set me free,

but let me know such life as pain can give.

Even though I be a clot, an aching clench,

a stub, a stump, a butt, a scap, a knob,

a screaming pain, a putrefying stench,

still let me live, so long as life shall throb.

Even though I seem not human, a mute shelf

of glucose, bottled blood, machinery

to swell the lung and pump the heart—even so,

do not put out my life. Let me still glow.

-Dudley Randall-

A POEM ANALYSIS

Analyzed By Rudi Brata

Title : To The Mercy Killers

By DUDLEY RANDALL

The speaker in this poem is someone who suffers from a disease that can not be cured for a long time but he or she still wants to be alive. However, the speaker is afraid of being a victim of euthanasia. Therefore, the speaker disagrees with the mercy killing or euthanasia to be performed on him or her. Because he or she thinks that it is against the God’s will.  

The central purpose of this poem is to tell the readers that the life and death of human are determined by the God not by someone. The speaker says that life is too precious for him or her even though he or she has a very bad disease. Therefore, the speaker rejects when the someone or the doctor wants to plea a kind of mercy killing or euthanasia to him or her in order to end his or her misery because of the disease he or she has. 

There are five imageries in this poem. They are: auditory, olfactory, visual, organic and kinesthetic. In the first stanza there are some words such as “ throb”, “pain” and the phrase “ set me free” , “to swell the lungs and pump the heart” are categorized as internal sensation or organic imagery. Because those words refer to the feeling from the heart of a person who feels that way. The phrases “a clot”, “an aching clench”, “a stub”, “a stump”, “a butt”, “a scab”, “a knob”, a mute shelf of glucose, “bottled blood” , “kindly killers”, “let me still glow” and the word “machinery” are considered as visual imagery because they give pictures of the state of someone’s condition and the situation in a room. The sentence “If ever mercy move you murder me”, “as long as life shall throb”, “ as beg to die”, “to swell the lungs and pump the heart”,  the phrase “a screaming pain”, “an aching clench”, and the word “pray” are a kind of movement or kinesthetic imagery because those activities need some movements from the parts of our body. However, the phrase “ a screaming pain”, “ as long as life shall throb”, “to swell the lungs and pump the heart” and the word “pray” are categorized as sound or auditory imagery because screaming, praying. throbbing , swelling the lung and pumping the heart can produce sound. The phrase “a putrefying stench” is categorized as sound or smell or olfactory imagery because it describe a very unpleasant smell of a rotten body.

There are two symbols in this poem. They are metaphors and irony. The metaphor symbol refers to the statement,  Then, the phrase “Never conspire with death to set me free”. This statement means that although the speaker’s life has been painful and miserable, he or she doesn’t want to get euthanasia to set him or her free from the misery. After that, the sentences “Even though I be a clot, an aching clench, a stub, a stump, a butt, a scab, a knob, a screaming pain, a putrefying stench, still let me live, so long as life shall throb. Because this portrays the conditions of that sick person that  seem incurable. Then, the examples of irony symbol is from the sentences for example, “ Let me still glow ”. Because this is the ironic statement implying that the speaker still wants to be alive despite his or her hardships and painful misery because of the bad disease he or she has. And the opening of the poem is characterized by a curious ironic choice of words such as“ If ever mercy move you murder me, I pray you, kindly killers, let me live.” These are ironic choices of words because even though the speaker is dying with the incurable disease he or she has, the speaker still hopes and prays in order to let him or her live longer.

Life is...

Life is…

Mother Theresa

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.

Life is beauty, admire it.

Life is a dream, realize it.

Life is a challenge, meet it.

Life is a duty, complete it.

Life is a game, play it.

Life is a promise, fulfill it.

Life is sorrow, overcome it.

Life is a song, sing it.

Life is a struggle, accept it.

Life is a tragedy, confront it.

Life is an adventure, dare it.

Life is luck, make it.

Life is too precious, do not destroy it.

Life is life, fight for it.

My favorite poem "Seeds"

If you plant honesty, you will reap trust.

If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.

If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.

If you plant perseverance, you will reap victory.

If you plant consideration, you will reap harmony.

If you plant hard work, you will reap success.

If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.

If you plant openness, you will reap intimacy.

If you plant patience, you will reap improvements.

If you plant faith, you will reap miracles.

But:

If you plant dishonesty, you will reap distrust.

If you plant selfishness, you will reap loneliness.

If you plant pride, you will reap destruction.

If you plant envy, you will reap trouble.

If you plant laziness, you will reap stagnation.

If you plant bitterness, you will reap isolation.

If you plant greed, you will reap loss.

If you plant gossip, you will reap enemies.

If you plant worries, you will reap wrinkles.

If you plant sin, you will reap guilt.

So be careful with what you have planted, because you will reap something good or bad for yourself in the future...

Taken from: http://www.bradgarbus.com/Favorite-Things/take-time

THE MONKEY'S PAW (1902) - The plot

THE MONKEY'S PAW (1902)

from The lady of the barge (1906, 6th ed.)
London and New York
Harper & Brothers, Publishers

by W.W. Jacobs

Retold by Rudi Brata

Theme

We have to believe that our fate in live is determined by our sacrifice through the help of the God, it is not determined by a kind of amulet such a spelled monkey’s paw. 

The Plot

The Monkey's Paw is a story about a mystical charm. The first scene of the story begins with Mr. White and his grown-up son Herbert playing a game of chess. They are playing chess cheerfully. Meanwhile,  Mrs. White is knitting by the fire and sometimes she interrupts them by giving some comments about the game. In that game, Mr. White loses it and becomes upset and irritated. Soon, there is a knock at the door and a friend of the Whites who has been part of the British force in India. His name is Sergeant-Major Morris, then he enters the room. He brings a monkey's paw. It is brought into the home of the White family by Sergeant Major Morris. Because in the past, he served in India along with Mr. White. He tells that the monkey’s paw can  fulfill their wishes because this paw has had a spell put on it by a fakir (a holy man), to the Whites. Morris goes on to say that the fakir wanted to show that "fate ruled people's lives, and that those who interfered with it did so to their sorrow. He put a spell on it so that three different men could each have three wishes from it.  The monkey's paw has the ability to grant three wishes to three people.  Sergeant-Major. Morris was the second owner. But unfortunately, the first and the third owner's wish was for death. 

When Sergeant-Major Morris comes into the room. They share a few drinks and the Sergeant-Major tells them some tales about his trips to India, where he got a monkey's paw. Sergeant M. Morris expresses deep sadness frustration over the monkey's paw and tries to destroy it. However,  Mr. White saves it and takes it off his hands for a small fee.  

After that, Mr. White gives his first wish is for 200 pounds. He and his family, wife and son Herbert, think that the monkey's paw is a hoax because  nothing happens immediately. Then, the Whites' get the money. But this is a really sad and bad news. Because it is from Herbert's factory after he is accidentally pulled into a machine and severely mutilated by the machine to death.  

And then I think this is the climax of the story. Because through the second wish which is thought of by Mrs. White unrealistically, is hoping to bring her son back from the grave.  He has been dead for 10 days, again after the wish, nothing happens immediately.  The Whites' then begin to hear the sound of someone or something arriving at their door and a loud knocking begins.  Mrs. White wants to rush to the door. Mr. White is not so sure. As Mrs. White rushes to the door to open it, it is locked by a bolt at the top, she can't reach the lock.

Finally, when she is dragging a chair to the door, Mr. White is angrily looking for the monkey's paw to make his third wish because he doesn’t want his son to be back from his death. Then Mr. White makes his third wish, to return whatever is at the door, Herbert or something else,  to be back to the grave. And when Mrs. White opens the door, She doesn’t find anything but only the dark empty night.

The Wicker Husband-The analysis of the characters

 by Ursula Wills-Jones
                                                                         retold by Rudi Brata
The analysis of the characters

I begin the analyzing from the characters of the ugly girl. In my opinion, even though she is not beautiful, she is a kind-hearted person. I can see this personality from her attitude in the story that she never complains about her life, she never spreads some unimportant gossips to other people in the neighborhood, she is never jealous and envy to other people. She also enjoys her marriage life even though her her neighbors almost always spread the bad gossip about her. 

Then I continue with the wicker husband. He is a good, romantic, devoted, helpful, faithful, honest, loving and obedient husband to his wife. I can judge those personality traits from his special treatment to his wife. For examples, I start from the first night of their marriage, The wicker husband says to his wife: ‘ This bed is broken. Bring me a chisel: I will fix it.’  Then he fixes that broken bed just like a good husband. This means that he is so handy, and helpful to his wife. After that, at the end of the day after the ugly girl comes home from work, the wicker husband looks at her nicely and say: ‘I was made to be with you.’ This reflects that he is a sweet and romantic guy.

Next, I characterize the basket-maker. I think he is a creative, artistic, punctual and nice person. Because he can create something made by wood or wicker creatively and artistically. He also can finish the order on time. And he treats his customers nicely.

After that, I describe the blacksmith’s wife. She often minds other people’s business and she is also envious. I judge this from the story that she is the boldest in the wedding party. when the music pauses she goes towards the couple. Then she listens the wicker husband say ‘you are the only reason that I live and breathe’ to his wife. Then, she tells about this to the neighborhood. So, this makes other people especially  women become envious and jealous.

Then, the butcher is so ambitious. Because he gives everything he has in order to get the wicker lady. He is also mean to his wife. I can see this because when he wants to meet the wicker woman he locks his wife in the coal cellar. I think, he does this to his wife in order to be free from his wife’s interruptions or disturbances when meeting and getting the wicker lady.

The Wicker Husband -The Plot of the Story

by Ursula Wills-Jones
                                                                            retold by Rudi Brata (summary)
The Plot of the Story

To my point of view, the plot that flows in the story is completely foreshadowing because after reading the whole story, I can see that it begins with the exposition by telling the physical features and the characteristics of the main character in that story. The author doesn’t write the name of the main character instead the author just writes about her physical features that she is ugly, short and fat. She has legs that one of them is  a little bit shorter so that she doesn’t walks smoothly, and she has eyebrows that meet in the middle. Then the author describes that she works as fish gutter or someone who takes out the intestines and other internal organs of fish before cooking it to earn some money. Because of her job, her hands smells fish and her dress is covered in scales. She doesn’t have parents, brothers and sisters. or any friends. She lives in a bad condition house which is located on the outskirts of the village. But one thing for sure, is that she is happy for what she has, therefore she never complains about her life. Then, one by one, the girls in that village get married with the local young men. At the weddings, the ugly girl always stands at the back of the church, smelling slightly of brine.  The women in that village also gossip about the ugly girl. They wonder about what she does with the money that she has earned because they rarely see that the ugly girl spends her money. Actually, she spends her money to pay the famous old basket-maker to make a wicker husband for her. And she pays for six gold coins to the old basket-maker in order to make a wicker husband for her.

The raising action in the story starts when the villagers begin to notice a change in the ugly girl’s life after getting married with the wicker husband over the weeks. For examples, if one of her legs is still shorter than the other, her hips move with a swing that doesn’t pleased them. If she still smells funny, she sings while she guts the fish. She buys a new frock and wears flowers on the hair. Her eyebrows are no longer meet in the middle because the wicker husband has pulled them cut with his strong, withy fingers. The villagers also see her house has been repainted, the window sparkle and the door is fixed.  These changes make the village become jealous. Because the women the village demand their husbands help and obey to the wives just like the wicker husband does to his wife. And the husbands are annoyed by their wives expectations. Because of it, they blame each other. But secretly, in their hearts, they blame the ugly girl and her husband. However, the ugly girl doesn’t realize all of the jealousy because she is busy enjoying her marriage life.

The climax in the story happens when one day at night, the wives and husbands of the village all agree - for once - that something drastic must be done. Then a few days later, the villagers come to the famous old basket-maker in order to ask him to make a baby made by wicker. And they pay a bag of gold to the old basket-maker for doing it. Then, on a dusky day in autumn, the ugly girl is sitting by the fire, when there is a knock on the door. The wicker husband opens it. Outside, stand the villagers. The tailor’s wife carries a bundle in her arms, and the bundle contains a baby made of wicker.  Later, they blame the wicker husband that he has done adultery with other women and the result or proof is the baby. Unfortunately, The ugly girl just believes to what the villager say. Therefore, She is angry to her husband very much. She throws a lamp and flings it straight at her husband. The wicker husband gets burned and finally he runs away to the river to save his life and put out the fire. However, After this happening, the villagers leave the ugly girl alone just like that. Because they think that their evil mission is done successfully.

The resolution is when The basket-maker gives an announcement to the villagers that he wants to retire from his job. He tells them that he wants to make his masterwork that is a woman made of wicker before he is retired. Then he tells them that if they want to have her, they must bring him a gift for his retirement. Whoever brings the best gift can have the wicker woman, said the old basket-maker. When the day comes, the old basket-maker comes to town. And the villagers bring their gifts. The tailor brings a luxurious coat, the miller brings twelve sacks of grains, the baker makes the most extravagant cake, the carpenter brings a table and chairs, the carter gives a strong horse, the blacksmith’s wife gives a big size cheese, the tailor’s wife gives a bag of gold, then the butcher brings the best and the most outstanding ones, he brings two oxen, four cows and a dozen sheep. And finally, the prize goes to the butcher. However, other gifts are non returnable. Therefore, the old basket-maker keeps all the gifts with him. But when the butcher sees the wicker lady, he was surprised and shocked. Because the wicker lady is short of stature and twisted of limb, her face is dark and rough. And the worst is that from head to foot, she is covered with thorns. As the result, the butcher and other villagers feel betrayed. Because they expect to get the good wicker lady as good as the wicker husband. So they are angry to the old basket-maker. Then they chase him into his house in the dark of night until dawn. But unfortunately, when the villagers arrive at his house, the old basket-maker, the wicker husband, the ugly girl and the baby, as well as the villagers gifts, have already gone.