Love, Lust and Life: An Analysis of Paulo Coelho’s Adultery (Published)
There is absolutely no worse death curse than the humdrum daily existence of the living dead,” says Anthon St. Maarten, which is the predicament of the heroine of Paulo Coelho’s Adultery, Linda. The introduction itself unfolds that she is a journalist, married with two children and has an affluent lifestyle. Despite having no reasons to worry, she is bored because she feels a kind of lack of desire to live because of her secured and predefined routine existence with no adventure. To escape from her mundane routine, Linda resolves to do away with her “missing joy with something more concrete – a man.” She gets along with a high school boyfriend turned politician who uses her simply for his sexual appetite. On the contrary, Linda pines for him and ponders that she is in love with him. She excitedly admits that, “It’s thrilling to fight for a love that’s entirely unrequited.” This new experience of having no predefined notions, unpredictable behaviour of Jacob drive her crazy to that extent where she suffers emotional imbalance and opts life-changing decisions. At the end, when she paraglides in Switzerland, she has a revelation that the “world is perfect,” and to “love abundantly is to live abundantly.
Keywords: Adultery, Linda, Love, Lust, Marriage, Paulo Coelho, sex
The Marriage of Karo People, Indonesia (Published)
This research paper entitled The Marriage of Karo People, was a research result conducted in North Sumatra, Indonesia by using Field Research Method. Sources of data amounted to thirty-six people, selected two people from each village of Karo society. The villages in the regencies of Karo were Mardinding, Cingkes, and Basam; Deli Serdang were Sibirik, Penen, and Bukum; Langkat were Bahorok, Marike, and Telagah; Pakpak were Tigalingga, Lau Meciho, and Naga; Simalungun were Rakut Besi, Seribu Dolok, and Sari Padang; Aceh Tenggara were Lau Deski, Lau Pakam, and Lau Perbunga. Aditional data was also provided by the author for the author is also often participated as a facilitator for marriage ceremonies. There are different types of marriage systems in Karo society, seven are real marriages and one is pretended marriage. The real marriages are as follows: Kawin Lari, Jumpa Impal, arranged, religious marriage in both Islam and Christianity, Gancih Abu, and Lako Man; and Mukul is a Pretended Marriage, Cabur bulung is the marriage of minors which means that the groom and the bride are children
Keywords: Karo People, Marriage, and Dowry
Sense Versus Sensibility in Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility (Published)
Jane Austen (1775-1817) stresses that an individual has a right to self-respect and self-expression within the conventional social norms which is effectively explored in Sense and Sensibility (1811) a story about two Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne. Marianne’s way is subjective, intuitive, implying confidence in the natural goodness of human nature when untrammelled by convention. Her view is corrected by the more cautious orthodoxy of Elinor, who mistrusts her own desires, and requires even her reason to seek the support of objective evidence. At the end, we are forced to ask ourselves which mode Austen chooses. Does sense solve every problem, does sense deal adequately with life? Elinor, the apotheosis of sense, shows us that it does not: she is not saved from the miseries of despair, though outwardly she is able to bear them with greater composure than her sister; she does not make a marriage of convenience, but a marriage of love to a far from wealthy clergyman. Marianne, on the other hand, over-compensates for her early want of sense by making, perhaps a sensible marriage. So, it can be concluded that neither mode is adequate. But the mode of sense enables an individual to take a practical view of life as the critic, Ian Watt (1917-1999) has praised the apotheosis of sense, Elinor who “took a more realistic view of what the individual can concede without losing his integrity.”
Keywords: Convention, Integrity, Jane Austen, Marriage, Sense and Sensibility
Self-Awareness or the Solemnity of the Vows in the Portrait of a Lady (Published)
Many critics have long questioned as to whether Henry James had adequately justified the paradoxical contradiction of freedom in his novel, The Portrait of a Lady. In their views, the last scene of the novel in which James’s heroine, Isabel, goes back to her husband emphasises the solemnity of the vows of marriage in the nineteenth century. This study’s interpretation of James’s character is that, besides the idea of solemnity of the vows or publicity, she herself fears making another wrong choice if she should choose divorce. To provide a richer cognition of the heroine’s personal fear, this paper draws the readers’ attention to Arthur Schopenhauer’s concept of punishment and possession.
Keywords: Devoice, Lady, Marriage, Self Awarness, Solemnity, Vows