The Construction Of Malay Image: A Study Of Almayer's Folly And An Outcast Of The Island

This thesis attempts to examine the construction of Malay image by analyzing Conrad's characterization of the Malay characters in his two early novels: Almayer's Folly and An Outcast of the Island. According to Rimmon-Kenan's theoretical framework of characterization, the image of character is a construct, put together or reconstructed by the readers from various indicators dispersed throughout the text. Thess textual indicators are categorized into two basic types: direct definition (including the judgment and comment from the narrator or different characters) and indirect representation (the external appearance, the action and speech of Malay characters). Based on the two types of character indicators, this thesis aims to explore the construction of Malay image which, in an important way, mirrors Conrad's cultural vision and ideological stand.This thesis is composed of four chapters, along with an introduction and a conclusion. The Introduction introduces briefly the background and motivation for the writing of this thesis. Chapter One is devoted to the study of the Malay image in different eyes. The European whites and Malay natives have competing definitions and comments about Balatchi and his Malay companions. Chapter Two focuses on the actions of Malay characters, especially those of Babalatchi. The Malay pirates' confrontation with the European men-of-war is the starting point of the Malay conspiratorial resistance against the European intruders. As a result, they manage to oust the Europeans, and thus subvert the imperial myth. Chapter Three deals with the Malay voice, which is a combination of content and form of the characters' speech. Conrad grants Malay "pirates" a voice of their own, so what they say and the way they say project the image of the speakers. Based on the character indicators discussed in the preceding chapters, Chapter Four points out the ambivalences of the Malay image, which reflects Conrad's ideological uncertainty. The Conclusion answers the questions posed in the Introduction by summarizing the main points in brief.