POWER RELATIONS BETWEEN PARENTS AND CHILDREN IN THE NOVEL MY LIFE AS A STUNTBOY

Novel berjudul My Life as a Stuntboy adalah salah satu novel remaja yang memiliki bebapa isu yang dapat diteliti. Isu mengenai relasi kuasa merupakan fokus utama penelitian ini, bertujuan untuk menjawab pertanyaan tentang makna yang dapat diambil dari gambaran relasi kuasa antara orang tua dan anak. Relasi kuasa yang ada di dalam novel dapat dilihat melalui konflik-konflik yang secara spesifik muncul antara orang tua dan anak sebagai tokoh utama dalam novel ini. Data-data dalam penelitian ini dianalisis menggunakan teori penyelesaian konflik: negosiasi dan dominasi milik Dekovic, Gracia-Ruiz, Hernandez-Cabrera, Maiquez, and Rodrigo (2012), dan teori kuasa (power) milik Foucault (2003/2006) yang menyatakan bahwa kuasa yang muncul dalam hubungan keluarga yaitu kuasa sovereignty dan disciplinary. Temuan dari penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa konflik-konflik dalam hubungan orang tua dan anak dipicu oleh harapan-harapan orang tua terhadap anak mereka. Konflik-konflik dalam novel ini adalah isu-isu mengenai belajar, Frank si monyet, dan keinginan sang anak. Secara keseluruhan, konflik-konflik ini disebabkan oleh tuntutan-tuntutan orang tua agar anak mereka menjadi anak yang lebih bertanggungjawab. Peran masyarakat juga ditemukan mempengaruhi harapan orang tua terhadap tingkah laku dan masa depan sang anak. Oleh karena itu, berdasarkan dari temuan-temuannya, dapat disimpulkan bahwa makna yang dapat diambil dari gambaran hubungan antara orang tua dan anak adalah orang tua menggunakan kuasa (power) mereka untuk mengajarkan anak mereka agar menjadi warga negara yang bertanggungjawab. ---------- The novel entitled My Life as a Stuntboy is one of adolescent novels that has several issues to explore. The issue of power relation becomes the main focus of the present research, which is aimed to answer the question of what meanings can be made from the portrayal of parent–child power relation. Power relation in the novel is seen through the conflicts that occur specifically between parents and their child as the main characters of this novel. The data were analyzed by using Dekovic, Gracia-Ruiz, Hernandez-Cabrera, Maiquez, and Rodrigo (2012) conflict resolutions: negotiation and dominance, and Foucault’s (2003/2006) theory of power that states the power which occurs in familial relations includes sovereignty and disciplinary power. The findings of the research revealed that the conflicts in the parent-child relationship are triggered by parents’ expectations toward their child. The conflicts involved the issues related to studying, Frank the monkey, and the child’s wish. Overall, these conflicts were caused by the parents’ demands for the child to be more responsible. The role of society is also found to have affected the parents’ expectations toward their child’s behavior and future. Therefore, based on the findings, it can be concluded that the meaning that can be made from the portrayal of parent–child relationship is that parents use their power to teach their child to be responsible citizen

Power Relations between Parents and Children in The Novel My Life As A Stuntboy

The novel entitled My Life as a Stuntboy is one of adolescent novels that has several issues to explore. The issue of power relation becomes the main focus of the present research, which is aimed to answer the question of what meanings can be made from the portrayal of parent–child power relation. Power relation in the novel is seen through the conflicts that occur specifically between parents and their child as the main characters of this novel. The data were analyzed by using Dekovic, Gracia-Ruiz, Hernandez-Cabrera, Maiquez, and Rodrigo (2012) conflict resolutions: negotiation and dominance, and Foucault’s (2003/2006) theory of power that states the power which occurs in familial relations includes sovereignty and disciplinary power. The findings of the research revealed that the conflicts in the parent-child relationship are triggered by parents’ expectations toward their child. The conflicts involved the issues related to studying, Frank the monkey, and the child’s wish. Overall, these conflicts were caused by the parents’ demands for the child to be more responsible. The role of society is also found to have affected the parents’ expectations toward their child’s behavior and future. Therefore, based on the findings, it can be concluded that the meaning that can be made from the portrayal of parent–child relationship is that parents use their power to teach their child to be responsible citizen.Keywords: adolescent literature, conflicts, power relations, parent-child relatio