THE VENDETTA ANALYSIS

SHORT STORY ANALYSIS

THE VEDETTA

By: Guy de Maupassant

This paper is as assignment of the subject English Prose

The Lecturer: Muhammad EdyThoyib,M.A

                             Present By:

SHIVA RAHMAYANTI FAUZIAH (10320095)

ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LETTERS DEPARTMENT

FACULTY OF HUMANITIES AND CULTURE

MAULANA MALIK IBRAHIM STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY OF MALANG

2012

 

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Preface

            Mercies and blessing just for Allah swt since my assignment of this paper has finished and I hope this paper can be one important and necessity things for us in English Prose content course

            Next, I am as the writers say thanks for my beloved lecturer who gave me the responsible assignment to make a paper and indeed, hopefully it can be useful in our study especially in English Prose Course.

            Finally, if there are some mistakes and errors from this paper, I do apologize for you all because I am as the learners have a mistake.

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TABLE OF CONTENT

TITLE PAGE................................................................................................ i

Preference ...................................................................................................ii

TABLE OF CONTENT.............................................................................iii

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study...................................................................... 1

1.2 Objective of the Study......................................................................... 1

1.3 Theoretical framework......................................................................... 1

1.4 Presentation......................................................................................... 3

           

CHAPTER II

DISCUSSION

2.1  Summary of the Vendetta story............................................................ 4

2.2  Analysis............................................................................................... 4

CHAPTER III

CONCLUSSION....................................................................……………7

REFFERENCE

APPENDIX

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

1.1    Background of Study.

The short story 'A Vendetta' is one of famous short story that written by very well-known author, Guy de Maupassant in the 1800s. Guy de Maupassant was born in France in 1850.  He was a popular 19th-century French writer, considered one of the fathers of the modern short story and one of the form's finest exponents. He was developed to be one of the most famous short story writers of all time.

Maupassant's stories are characterized by their economy of style and efficient. Many of his stories are set during the Franco-Prussian War of the 1870s and several describe the futility of war and the innocent civilians who caught in the conflict, emerge changed. He has written 300 short stories, six novels, three travel books, and one volume of verse.

The short story of The Vendettais one of his short storyabout an old mother who avenging her son's death. It raises some important points for consideration about the idea of revenge.The Vendetta short story will contain only a few characters. Only looked from the tittle it will affects the reader by posing the question of how she is going to get revenge. At this point in the story, the reader will start to think up their own ideas of how the story is going to end.

1.2    Objective of Study.

     The following character analysis is carried out on a script entitled The Vendetta By: Guy de Maupassant. The analysis will identify three basic question of the theoretical framework:

(1) Who are the major and the minor characters?

(2) How are the character traits of the characters?

(3) How is the complexity of their qualities (flat or round)?

1.3    Theoretical Framework

     Character is the combination of qualities or features that distinguishes one person, group, or thing from another. But character in fiction is representation of a person or who take roles in story or dramatic work of art (such as a novel, play, or film).

A character is a person depicted in a narrative or drama. Character is revealed by how a character responds to conflict, by his or her dialogue, and through descriptions.  In literature, characters guide readers through their stories, helping them to understand plots and themes. The character is based on three elements:

1.    roles

It’s consisting of major and minor character. The major character takes the main roles in the story. It’s influence the development of the story. Main characters as described by the course of their development in a work of literature. The minor characters help to develop the story more complex. Minor Characters is someone who fill out the story but who do not figure prominently in it and often provides support and illuminates the protagonist.

2.    The complexity of characterization.

It’s consistingof round and flat characters. There are two basic types of characters that importance for the development of the novel: flat characters and round characters.Flat character are uncomplicated and do not change along the story and it is defined by a single quality without much individualizing detail. Flat characters have few but easily recognizable traits that make them stereotypical characters.

           By contrast, A round character has many complex traits-and those traits develop and change in a story. A round character will seem more real than a flat character, because people are complex. A round character is a major character in a fiction who meet the conflict and is changed by it. A round character is more to be developed and described than flat characters.

3.    values

           The main character in a story is generally known as the protagonist; the character who is in conflict with antagonist. The protagonist is supposed to be the hero of the story. The protagonist of a story is often called the main or major character at the center of the story.There may be more than one main character.

           The opposite of the protagonist is a character known as the antagonist, who represents or creates obstacles to the protagonist character. As with protagonists, there may be more than one antagonist in a story. The antagonist may be society, nature, or a person. It could be a situation that is creating an obstacle in the path of the protagonist towards her/his final goal.

Characterization or character traits

Characterization is the representation of persons in narrative and dramatic works. This may include direct methods like the attribution of qualities in description or commentary, and indirect (or ‘dramatic’) methods inviting readers to infer qualities from characters' actions, speech, or appearance. Based on the explanation in www.Literary Terms.com Character refers to the qualities assigned to the individual figures in the plot. Consider why the author assigns certain qualities to a character or characters and how any such qualities might relate to the topic.

1.4    Presentation

     This paper will be presented in three chapters. The first chapter contains of introductions, which consists of the background of study, objective of study,    theoretical framework. The second chapter contains of discussion of the analysis from “The Vendetta” short story. And for the last chapter is conclusion from the analysis.

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CHAPTER II

DISCUSSION

1.1  Summary of the Vendetta Story

      Paolo Saverini is a widow who lives with her son, Antoine Saverini and her bitch, Semillante. She lived in the poor little house on the rampart of Bonifacio. Her house is in the very edge of the cliff.

      One evening, Antoine was treacherously with knife-thrust by Nicolas Revolati because they were fight. When Paolo receive his body, she did not cry at all. She was motionless for long time. Then she swore in front of her son’s body that she will avenge to Nicolas. Nicolas was fled and hides to longosardo after kill Antonie. He looked for refuge in that village. But Paolo knew that Nicholas was hiding there.

      Next day Anthonie was buried. He left her old mother alone. Paolo have no one stay with her since her son was dying. All day long, Paolo think the way how to avenge to Nicolas. She could not do avenge by herself without another help because she was too old and weak. On the other hand, she could not break her promise too that she would avenge to Nicolas. She though hardly until she could not sleep, no peacefulness in her life.

      One night, she got an idea how to avenge to Nicolas. She meditates, prayed in the church and asking help and strength from the God. Then she returns homeand she stained up Semillante in the kennel. She no longger gave her dog some food. All day long the dog mad with hunger.

In the morning, Paolo went to her neighbor to ask two trusses of straw. And make the stuffed from the trawl into human figure. Then she took her husband’s old dress and worn into it. She train her dog how to rend and devour person by using the straw man. With great bites her dog rent away the straw man’s face and tore the whole neck to shreds.

      Paolo watched with a gleam in her eyes. And she chain up again her dog and made her dog go without food for two more days. For three month she trains her dog well. She no longerchains her dog up but she givesSemillante a sign. She would reward the dog with the gift of the black pudding.

      The time for avenge was come, Paolo went with an ecstatic fervor come to longosardo. She brought a large piece of black pudding for her dog. Her dog had nothing to eat for two days. Every minute she made her dog smell the delicious food to stimulate the dog’s hunger.

In longosardo she asks to everyone about Nicolas’ house. When she found Nicolas, she ordered her dog to bite him till die. That was her cruelavenge for Nicolas.

1.2  Character Analysis

A.  Major Character :

Ø        Paolo Saverinior widow saverini

     Paolo Saverini is an old widow who has many wrinkle and lived with her only son who killed by Nicholas. She is a character with mental problems or moral failings. She is the one who plotting the revenge and train her dog for become one of her avenges attribute.

     From this story the author using mixing method for the characterization of Paolo Saverini. In each part the author tell the characteristic of Paolo but in other part the author make the reader guess the characteristic of Paolo by looking from Paolo’s behavior, and then we can guess that Paolo is an avenger, cruel, etc.

     Paolo has round character. She has two side in her personality. At the first she lived peacefully and happily with her son without vengeance feeling but her lived change since her son was killed by Nicholas. Because of it she become an avenger who rancorous, cruel and unloved.

     In this poin Paolo take the role as the protagonis character although she is the one who avenge to Nicolas. Because she would not avenge to Nicholas if he did not kill her lovely son.

Ø        Semillante

     Semillante is a large, thin bitch with shaggy hair that usually was used by Paolo Saverini for hunting an animal. In this story thedog is very important character because the dog is the attribute for Paolo’s avenge to Nicholas.

     To characterize Semillante, the author give mixing method. The witer tell the just the part of Semillante’s characteristic and sometimes we can guess the characteristif of her from Semillante’s action and behavior.

     This dog has round character too. At the firs the dog was obedient and good dog. It was proved from the dogs action when mourn day. Usually Paolo Saverni used her dog for hunting but this dog’s utility was change become a killer human hunting. It began after Paolo train her dog to be savage and fierce dog.

     The dog also take role of protagonis character because at the first he is an unimal which use only for hunting not for kill person.

Ø      Nicholas Ravolati

     Nicholas Ravolati is the killer of AnthonieSaverini. He washide and escape after kill Anthonie to Sardinian village. He is the one who make Paolo Saverini swore to avenge on him. This character is the one who begin the conflict therefore, he take role as the antagonis character although he is appear only in some part of the story. This character has a flat character.

B.   Minor Character

Ø      AnthoineSaverini

     AnthoineSaverini is Paolo Saverini’s die son who was killed by Nicholas. He was the only son of Paolo.

     In this story the author did not tell to the reader the reason why Anthoine was killed by Nicholas. We also cannot guess the characteristic of him because no spesific action and characteristic which is given by the author for him.

Ø      The neighbor.

He is the neighbor who gives Paolo Saverini two trusses of straw in order to make straw man for her revenge.

Ø      Sardinian Fisherman.

He is the one who took Paolo to the Nicolas’ hiding place.

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CHAPTER III

CONCLUSSION

1.    In this story, there are many the major and minor characters. The major or mayor characters are including the main character which influence the story from the first until the end of the story. They are Paolo Saverini, Semillante, Nicholas Ravolati. They have the main role to make the improvement of the story. Beside that, there are also many minor characters which help and make the different situation. They are. AnthoineSaverini, Paolo’s neighbor, Sardinian Fisherman.

2.    The character traits (characteristic) of each character is quiet different. Paolo SaveriniPaolo Saverini is an old widow who has one son. She is a character with mental problems or moral failings. She is the one who plotting the revenge. Semillanteis a large, thin bitch with shaggy hair that usually used by Paolo Saverini for hunting an animal. Nicholas Ravolati he is the killer who take role as the antagonis character. The neighborhe is the neighbor who gives Paolo Saverini two trusses of straw in order to make straw man for her revenge.Sardinian Fisherman he is the one who took Paolo to the Nicolas’ hiding place.

The author did not tell the reader the characteristic for each character. He only told the characteristic only in Paolo and Semillante’s character. For the other character he did not explain and no delination character for them. Therefore, the reader can not guess the characteristic of them.

3.    The complexity of their qualities are based on their character in the story. There are two part of  character, flat and round. The round characters includes Paolo Saverini and Semillante. At the first they are good person and dog whom life happily but they life change since Anthoine was death. The flat character includes Nicholas Ravolati.

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REFFERENCE

ü      http://www.markedbyteachers.com/gcse/english/the-vendetta-short-story-analysis.html

ü      http://darkpartyreview.blogspot.com/2006/10/literary-sketch-guy-de-maupassants.html

ü      http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/1681/

ü      http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=100877

THE VENDETTA

Paolo Saverini's widow lived alone with her son in a poor little house on the ramparts of Bonifacio. The town, built on a spur of the mountains, in places actually overhanging the sea, looks across a channel bristling with reefs, to the lower shores of Sardinia. At its foot, on the other side and almost completely surrounding it, is the channel that serves as its harbour, cut in the cliff like a gigantic corridor. Through a long circuit between steep walls, the channel brings to the very foot of the first houses the little Italian or Sardinian fishing-boats, and, every fortnight, the old steamboat that runs to and from Ajaccio. 

Upon the white mountain the group of houses form a whiter patch still. They look like the nests of wild birds, perched so upon the rock, dominating that terrible channel through which hardly ever a ship risks a passage. The unresting wind harasses the sea and eats away the bare shore, clad with a sparse covering of grass; it rushes into the ravine and ravages its two sides. The trailing wisps of white foam round the black points of countless rocks that everywhere pierce the waves, look like rags of canvas floating and heaving on the surface of the water.

The widow Saverini's house held for dear life to the very edge of the cliff; its three windows looked out over this wild and desolate scene.

She lived there alone with her son Antoine and their bitch Semillante, a large, thin animal with long, shaggy hair, of the sheep-dog breed. The young man used her for hunting.

One evening, after a quarrel, Antoine Saverini was treacherously slain by a knife-thrust from Nicolas Ravolati, who got away to Sardinia the same night. 

When his old mother received his body, carried home by bystanders, she did not weep, but for a long time stayed motionless, looking at it; then, stretching out her wrinkled hand over the body, she swore vendetta against him. She would have no one stay with her, and shut herself up with the body, together with the howling dog. The animal howled continuously, standing at the foot of the bed, her head thrust towards her master, her tail held tightly between her legs. She did not stir, nor did the mother, who crouched over the body with her eyes fixed steadily upon it, and wept great silent tears.

The young man, lying on his back, clad in his thick serge coat with a hole torn across the front, looked as though he slept; but everywhere there was blood; on the shirt, torn off for the first hasty dressing; on his waistcoat, on his breeches, on his face, on his hands. Clots of blood had congealed in his beard and in his hair. 

The old mother began to speak to him. At the sound of her voice the dog was silent.
"There, there, you shall be avenged, my little one, my boy, my poor child. Sleep, sleep, you shall be avenged, do you hear! Your mother swears it! And your mother always keeps her word; you know she does."
Slowly she bent over him, pressing her cold lips on the dead lips. 

Then Semillante began to howl once more. She uttered long cries, monotonous, heart-rending, horrible cries.
They remained there, the pair of them, the woman and the dog, till morning. 

Antoine Saverini was buried next day, and before long there was no more talk of him in Bonifacio.
He had left neither brothers nor close cousins. No man was there to carry on the vendetta. Only his mother, an old woman, brooded over it. 

On the other side of the channel she watched from morning till night a white speck on the coast. It was a little Sardinian village, Longosardo, where Corsican bandits fled for refuge when too hard pressed. They formed almost the entire population of this hamlet, facing the shores of their own country, and there they awaited a suitable moment to come home, to return to the maquis of Corsica. She knew that Nicolas Ravolati had taken refuge in this very village.

All alone, all day long, sitting by the window, she looked over there and pondered revenge. How could she do it without another's help, so feeble as she was, so near to death? But she had promised, she had sworn upon the body. She could not forget, she could not wait. What was she to do? She could no longer sleep at night, she had no more sleep nor peace; obstinately she searched for a way. The dog slumbered at her feet and sometimes, raising her head, howled into the empty spaces. Since her master had gone, she often howled thus, as though she were calling him, as though her animal soul, inconsolable, had retained an ineffaceable memory of him. 

One night, as Semillante was beginning to moan again, the mother had a sudden idea, an idea quite natural to a vindictive and ferocious savage. She meditated on it till morning, then, rising at the approach of day, she went to church. She prayed, kneeling on the stones, prostrate before God, begging Him to aid her, to sustain her, to grant her poor worn-out body the strength necessary to avenge her son. 

Then she returned home. There stood in the yard an old barrel with its sides stove in, which held the rain-water; she overturned it, emptied it, and fixed it to the ground with stakes and stones; then she chained up Semillante in this kennel, and went into the house. 

Next she began to walk up and down her room, taking no rest, her eyes still turned to the coast of Sardinia. He was there, the murderer. 

All day long and all night long the dog howled. In the morning the old woman took her some water in a bowl, but nothing else; no soup, no bread. 

Another day went by. Semillante, exhausted, was asleep. Next day her eyes were shining, her hair on end, and she tugged desperately at the chain. Again the old woman gave her nothing to eat. The animal, mad with hunger, barked hoarsely. Another night went by.

When day broke, Mother Saverini went to her neighbour to ask him to give her two trusses of straw. She took the old clothes her husband had worn and stuffed them with the straw into the likeness of a human figure. Having planted a post in the ground opposite Semillante's kennel, she tied the dummy figure to it, which looked now as though it were standing. Then she fashioned a head with a roll of old linen.The dog, surprised, looked at this straw man, and was silent, although devoured with hunger. Then the woman went to the pork-butcher and bought a long piece of black pudding.

She returned home, lit a wood fire in her yard, close to the kennel, and grilled the black pudding. Semillante, maddened, leapt about and foamed at the mouth, her eyes fixed on the food, the flavour of which penetrated to her very stomach. Then with the smoking sausage the mother made a collar for the straw man. She spent a long time lashing it round his neck, as though to stuff it right in. When it was done, she unchained the dog. With a tremendous bound the animal leapt upon the dummy's throat and with her paws on his shoulders began to rend it. She fell back with a piece of the prey in her mouth, then dashed at it again, sank her teeth into the cords, tore away a few fragments of food, fell back again, and leapt once more, ravenous.

With great bites she rent away the face, and tore the whole neck to shreds.
The old woman watched, motionless and silent, a gleam in her eyes. Then she chained up her dog again, made her go without food for two more days, and repeated the strange performance.
For three months she trained the dog to this struggle, the conquest of a meal by fangs. She no longer chained her up, but launched her upon the dummy with a sign.

She had taught the dog to rend and devour it without hiding food in its throat. Afterwards she would reward the dog with the gift of the black pudding she had cooked for her.
As soon as she saw the man, Semillante would tremble, then turn her eyes towards her mistress, who would cry "Off!" in a whistling tone, raising her finger.

When she judged that the time was come, Mother Saverini went to confession and took communion one Sunday morning with an ecstatic fervour; then, putting on a man's clothes, like an old ragged beggar, she bargained with a Sardinian fisherman, who took her, accompanied by the dog, to the other side of the straits.
In a canvas bag she had a large piece of black pudding. Semillante had had nothing to eat for two days. 

Every minute the old woman made her smell the savoury food, stimulating her hunger with it.
They came to Longosardo. The Corsican woman was limping slightly. She went to the baker's and inquired for Nicolas Ravolati's house. He had resumed his old occupation, that of a joiner. He was working alone at the back of his shop. 

The old woman pushed open the door and called him: 

"Hey! Nicolas!" He turned round; then, letting go of her dog, she cried: 

"Off, off, bite him, bite him!" 

The maddened beast dashed forward and seized his throat.
The man put out his arms, clasped the dog, and rolled upon the ground. For a few minutes he writhed, beating the ground with his feet; then he remained motionless while Semillante nuzzled at his throat and tore it out in ribbons. 

Two neighbours, sitting at their doors, plainly recollected having seen a poor old man come out with a lean black dog which ate, as it walked, something brown that its master was giving to it.
In the evening the old woman returned home. That night she slept well.