Anna`s efforts towards women`s right equality in Elizabeth Hand`s Anna and the King

ABSTRACT This thesis entitled “Anna`s efforts towards women`s right equality in Elizabeth Hand`s Anna and the King” presents Anna Leonowen’s effort in Siam Thailand struggling for woman’s rights connected to social feminism and cultural feminism. Library research method was used to set the references dealing with the object of analysis. The structural and feminism approaches were used to analyze the intrinsic and extrinsic elements. The structural approach is used to analyze character, setting and conflict. Feminism approach is used to analyze social feminism and cultural feminism of Anna. The result of the analysis shows that Anna Leonowen is the main character. She was a widow who was struggling, tough, smart, helpful and wise woman. Anna belongs to round static character since she has more than one specific trait but her characteristic as a struggling person remains the same during the story, who began her new life as a teacher in Siam Palace Thailand. The setting of this thesis is divided into three parts; they are setting of place, setting of time and setting of social dealing with significant event Anna experience. Anna experiences both internal and external conflicts. The internal conflict happens when Anna could not get her own house outside the palace as King Mongkut had promised in the letter before. In the beginning of the story the external conflict happens between Anna againts the interpreter. It is when the interpreter calls her as a “sir” rather than “madam”. Then, the external conflict happens when Anna against the King Mongkut about women slavery. Another external conflict happens between Anna against Kralahome about her house. Last of all, the external conflict happens between Anna against Lady Jao Jum Manda Ung about releasing her slave La Ore. Finally, here are Anna’s efforts towards women’s rights in Siam. They are the equality of women’s position in society, to release women’s slavery, and to make the positive change in Siam culture. Keywords: women’s right, equality, women’s slavery, culture