SOCIALIST FEMINIST IDEOLOGY

IN MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (2015) MOVIE

A THESIS

Submitted to Letters and Humanities Faculty in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for Strata One (S1) Degree in English Letters Department

ZAJRAN

1112026000071

ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE DEPARTMENT

FACULTY OF LETTERS AND HUMANITIES

SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY

JAKARTA

2017

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ABSTRACT

ZAJRAN, Socialist Feminist Ideology in Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) Movie.

Thesis. Jakarta: English Language and Literature Department, Letters and

Humanities Faculty, State Islamic University (UIN) Syarif Hidayatullah, July 2017.

This research aims to observe and analyse the socialist feminist issue in Mad

Max: Fury Road (2015) movie. By using qualitative method and descriptive

analysis technique, this research explains how the movie shows the socialist

feminist ideology through the description of the women around Immortan Joe and

the oppression and exploitation toward them. Immortan Joe, the male character,

oppresses and exploits the women around him. They are the five wives of Immortan

Joe, Imperator Furiosa, and the Milking Mothers. The name of the five wives gives

the characterization to them, such as intilegent, briliant, brave, will to escape from

male oppression, and weak. The analysis of Furiosa shows that she is brave,

independet, and masculine person. Furthermore, the analysis of the Milking

Mothers shows that they are used by Immortan Joe to produce milk. The data of

this research shows that Immortan Joe becomes a symbol for the capitalist

patriarchy. By the end of the film, Immortan Joe is killed by Furiosa and that event

shows that the capitalist patriarchy system is vanished in Citadel, the place where

Immortan Joe rules and at the same time the oppression and the exploitation to the

women around him is also vanished. Finally this movie reflects socialist feminist

ideology by creating the equality between men and women.

Keywords: socialist feminism, oppression, exploitation, capitalist patriarchy

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DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and that, to the best

of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or

written by another person nor material which to a substantial extent has been

accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma of the university or other

institute of higher learning, except where due acknowledgement has been made in

the text.

Jakarta, July 15th, 2017

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

All praises be to Allah, The Almighty and The Merciful, on whom we

depend for all guidances including in finishing this thesis as the requirement to

obtain the strata one degree. Peace and salutations be always upon prophet

Muhammad SAW and all of his family and companions.

I would like to thank to the people who unconsciously have helped me

finishing this thesis, especially to my parents, my brother and my sister, and also

my big family. I would like to thank to my advisor too, Mr. Akhmad Zakky, M.Hum

for his patience, motivations, and supports. I also would like to thank certain people

below:

1. Prof. Dr. H. Sukron Kamil, M.Ag as the Dean of Letters and Humanities

Faculty.

2. Drs. H. Saefudin, M.Pd as the Head of English Language and Letters

Department

3. Elve Oktafiyani, M.Hum as the Secretary of English Language and Letters

Department.

4. All lecturers from English Letters Department who have given knowledge

and taught many things during my study.

5. All my friends from Rusabesi. Thank you for the discussion that we have

been shared through these couple of years. It helps me a lot.

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6. All my friends from Genggong, Abrar, Adit, Aliffaiz, Zaki, Luthfi, Reza,

Fajar, Padel, Fachrial, Nanda, and Fauzier. Thanks for the laugh that we

have shared, and the discussion everything about music, literature, and

literally about anything. Thank you for the friendship.

7. All my bandmates, Muhdiyan, Supriyono, Thayran, Fariz, Endu, Icul,

Hakim, and the others. We still have a lot of works to do in the future.

8. My special person in the whole world, Reyuna Larasatika. You always

accompany me in every situation. We share a lot of laughs and tears

together, and of course you really help me in grammar. I love you! Also to

her mother and all her family members who always kind to me.

9. All my friends from KKN OASE. Thank you for being part of my life.

10. All my friends from English Letters Department of 2012 students who have

left many unforgettable memories since the day one I have become a college

student.

Jakarta, July 15th, 2017

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................ i

APPROVEMENT ................................................................................................. ii

LEGALIZATION ................................................................................................ iii

DECLARATION .................................................................................................. iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ..................................................................................... v

TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................... vii

CHAPTER I – INTRODUCTION ........................................................................ 1

A. Background of the Research ........................................................................ 1

B. Focus of the Research .................................................................................. 7

C. Research Questions ...................................................................................... 8

D. Significance of the Research ........................................................................ 8

E. Research Methodology................................................................................. 8

1. Objective of the Research ...................................................................... 8

2. Method of the Research ......................................................................... 9

3. Technique of Data Analysis ................................................................... 9

4. Instrument of the Research..................................................................... 9

5. Unit of the Analysis ............................................................................... 9

CHAPTER II – THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ......................................... 11

A. Previous Research ...................................................................................... 11

1. An Analysis of Feminism Perspectives Depicted in Mad Max: Fury

Road Movie ......................................................................................... 12

2. The Class Construction of “Mad Max: Fury Road” under The

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Capitalist Immortan Joe ...................................................................... 13

B. Characterization ......................................................................................... 14

1. Characterization Through Dialogue ..................................................... 14

2. Characterization Through Internal Action ........................................... 15

3. Characterization Through External Action .......................................... 15

4. Characterization Through Appearance ................................................ 16

5. Characterization Through Contrast: Dramatic Foils ............................ 16

6. Characterization Through Choice of Name ......................................... 16

C. Socialist Feminism ..................................................................................... 17

CHAPTER III – RESEARCH FINDINGS ........................................................ 21

A. The Description of the Female Characters around Immortan Joe.............. 21

1. The Five Wives of Immortan Joe ......................................................... 23

2. Imperator Furiosa ................................................................................. 32

3. The Milking Mothers ........................................................................... 35

B. The Manifestation of the Socialist Feminist Idea in Mad Max: Fury

Road ........................................................................................................... 36

CHAPTER IV – CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS .............................. 52

A. Conclusions ................................................................................................ 52

B. Suggestions ................................................................................................ 54

WORKS CITED ................................................................................................... 55

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Research

According to Brewer, women’s oppression is social, not biologically given,

and has evolved over time (Engels 9). This understanding will give effects to the

treatments which women will have in the public sphere. They are located as inferior

and men are located as superior. It is socially constructed and it develops mostly in

any societies or any cultures. This situation makes them defined as the “other”.

Society makes women as a target for male domination—genderism, sexism, or even

racism.

In a patriarchal society, women will be oppressed by men in any aspects.

Patriarchy is the male hierarchical ordering of society. The patriarchal system is

preserved, via marriage and the family, through the sexual division of labor and

society (Eisenstein 17). Women will be forced to work only in the house (domestic

work), for example, and they are only used by men as a sexual object. This system

only gives a space for men to be the “first sex”, and at the same time it makes

women have to rely on and exist to serve men to be defined as the “second sex”.

This hierarchical sexual ordering maintains the oppression of the women by men

both in the family and society.

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However, in the era of capitalism like nowadays, women have more

opportunities than they had before. Capitalism has grown and it gives women

opportunities to go to work. Although capitalism gives the opportunities for the

women because it makes the job field becomes greater, at the sime time capitalism

is a explotative system. The workers will be used by the employers because they

have less power.

When capitalism is viewed as a system of exchange relations, it is described

as a commodity or market society in which everything, including one’s own

labor power, has a price and all transactions are fundamentally exchange

transactions. But when capitalism is viewed instead as a system of power

relations, it is described as a society in which every kind of transactional

relation is fundamentally exploitative (Tong 98).

Capitalism is one of the problems which become the source of oppression

in the society. The major issue which appears in capitalist society is classism.

Society will be divided into bourgeoisie and proletariat, where the bourgeoisie will

oppress the proletariat. It is not only an oppression, but also a kind of exploitation

because proletariat will be used by bourgeoisie as their labor. This condition is

worse if the labors which used by the bourgeoisie are women. If patriarchy is still

running out in capitalist society, so women who become labor will get the

oppression and exploitation twofold than men. The exploitation which expereinced

by the women labor is the kind of oppression. Oppression reflects the hierarchical

relations of the sexual and racial division of labor and society (Eisenstein 23). They

are “women” and also proletariat at the same time.

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As capitalism is developing in the modern era, many Marxists or socialists

think that to end the oppression, they have to eliminate the oppression from its base-

structure, which is economy. Marxist or socialist feminists believe that capitalism

is also defined as the core of the problem for the oppression of women and it has

relation to the male supremacy—patriarchy. However, both capitalism and

patriarchy have each focus on their analysis, but they have the same problem which

is to be analysed, which is oppression and exploitation. This two systems have

become the enemy for socialist feminists. Socialist feminists agree with Marxist

feminists that capitalism is the source of women’s oppression, and with radical

feminists that patriarchy is the source of women’s oppression (Tong 4). Although

socialist feminism and Marxist feminism have the same substance, which is to make

equality between men and women, they still have the different.

Over the years, I have become convinced that the differences between these

two schools of thought are more a matter of emphasis than of substance.

Classical Marxist feminists work within the conceptual terrain laid out by

Marx, Engels, Lenin, and other nineteenth-century thinkers. They regard

classism rather than sexism as the fundamental cause of women’s

oppression. In contrast, socialist feminists are not certain that classism is

women’s worst or only enemy. They write in view of Russia’s twentieth-

century failure to achieve socialism’s ultimate goal—namely, the

replacement of class oppression and antagonism with “an association, in

which the free development of each is the condition for the free

development of all” (Tong 3).

Some of the issues which the writer has described above can occur not only

in society, but also in literary works. The feminist critics toward literary works

attempt to reveal the image of women within the literary works. A major interest of

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feminist critics in English-speaking countries has been to reconstitute the ways we

deal with literature in order to do justice to female points of view, concerns, and

values (Abrams 90).

Film is regarded as the most contemporary literary works because it has the

elements that close to play. If film is dealt with from a formalists-tructuralist point

of view, however, its affinity to the novel often overshadows its links to the play.

Typical elements of the novel—varied narrative techniques, experimental

structuring of the plot, foreshadowing and flashback, the change of setting and time

structure—are commonly used in film (Klarer 57). Boggs and Petrie also assert that

film has the same elements as other literary works.

The complex rhythms of film resemble those of music and poetry, and like

poetry in particular, film communicates through imagery, metaphor, and

symbol. Like the drama, film communicates visually and verbally: visually,

through action and gesture; verbally, through dialogue. Finally, like the

novel, film expands or compresses time and space, traveling back and forth

freely within their wide borders (Boggs dan Petrie 3).

Literature, as the work of imagination, consists a wide range of some issue

that can happen in real life. It can be explained by literary works from any

perspectives and some of the issues within the literary works can relate to the issue

that the writer has described before, that is oppression and exploitation to the

women.

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One of the examples is Mad Max: Fury Road1 movie. This movie contains

a story about oppression and exploitation to the women, but the oppression and

exploitation to the women at the end of the movie are vanished successfully through

a rebellion. The rebellion is performed by the group which contains two males and

several women.

Mad Max: Fury Road is directed by George Miller, and starring by Tom

Hardy, Charlize Theron, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Zoë Kravitz, Rosie Huntington-

Whiteley, Riley Keough, Abbey Lee, Courtney Eaton, and Nicholas Hoult. This

movie takes post-apocalyptic world as the background of the world in its story.

From the story of the movie, it exposes the oppression and exploitation to the

women by a tyrannical ruler, a male for this case. He is Immortan Joe who oppresses

and exploits his five wives, Imperator Furiosa, and the Milking Mothers. The five

wives are Toast the Knowing, The Splendid Angharad, Capable, The Dag, and

Cheedo the Fragile. They are used by Immortan Joe to get son and placed in a

bunker. Meanwhile, Imperator Furiosa, the protagonist of the movie, struggles to

escape from him because she is a imprisoned when she was a child by the tyrannical

ruler. Immortan Joe makes Furiosa as a soldier and she is entrusted to ride the “war

rig”, a vehicle which has great power and capable to carrying fuel in a big scale. On

the other hand, The Milking Mothers are used as human livestock to produce milk.

1 Mad Max: Fury Road wins so many awards, and at least win 160 awards from

336 nomination. This movie also wins the most 2016 Oscar with win the 6 awards at that

event.

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In the beginning of the movie, Immortan Joe delivers a speech. He also gives

his people water from his aqua cola, a kind of water storage that distributed to the

people through the big pipe. However, he holds the major commodities which

people need at that time; water and oil/gasoline. Based from this fact, he doctrines

his people that he is a savior and the true leader for them. At the middle of his

speech, Furiosa is introduced to the people and she is being charged to a task by

Immortan Joe to ferrying oil from Gas Town to Citadel, a place where Immortan

Joe rules. This journey is used as a tactic by Furiosa to set all of Immortan Joe’s

wives free because they are placed in a bunker and before they escape they leave

messages which written that they are not Immortan Joe’s property. When Immortan

Joe realizes that his five wives are missing, he sends the army to chase Furiosa and

his five wives. Nux, one of War Boys and the soldier of Immortan Joe, joins this

chasing and brings Max Rockatansky, a former policeman who survived after being

prisoned by Immortan Joe’s army, with him as a blood bag for him. However, the

army fails to chase Furiosa. Later, Nux and Max join the Furiosa’s group to find a

new palce to live. The team continues their journey to search Furiosa’s homeland,

called Green Place. When they arrive, Green Place is inhospitable because of

nuclear climate.

After the team finds that Green Place is no longer a safe place to live, they

agree to comeback to Citadel. When they are on the road to Citadel, they are

attacked by Immortan Joe and his army, but they succeed killing some of the

Immortan Joe’s armies, although they also lost some members who die on the road

to Citadel. Later, Immortan Joe is also killed by Furiosa which causes the aqua cola

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is no longer privately owned by him. The Milking Mothers open the big pipe and

the water can be used by all the people of Citadel.

According to brief synopsis of Mad Max: Fury Road movie above, the

writer decides to analyse the female characters in the movie through the feminism

lens. The writer believes that the female characters around Immortan are

experiencing the form of oppression and exploitation. The female characters also

rebel and fight for their freedom to escape from oppression and exploitation which

Immortan Joe does. To analyse this problem, the writer believes that the proper

theory to use is socialist feminist theory because the system that runs in the Citadel

is capitalist patriarchy. As Eisenstein says in her book that to define capitalist

patriarchy as the source of the problem is at the same time to suggest that socialist

feminism is the answer (Eisenstein 5). There is something interesting from this

movie. The writer is interested to analyse the socialist feminist ideology in Mad

Max: Fury Road movie because the writer argues that Furiosa is the answer of

capitalist patriarchy problem which is Immortan Joe. Furiosa is making redemption

not only for the five wives and the Milking Mothers but also for the people of

Citadel.

B. Focus of the Research

In this research, the writer focuses on analysing the female characters

around Immortan Joe on Mad Max: Fury Road movie through socialist feminist

theory. The female characters are Imperator Furiosa, The Five Wives of Immortan

Joe, and The Milking Mothers.

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C. Research Questions

Based on both background of the study and focus of the study above, the

writer would like to propose the research questions as follow:

1. How are the female characters around Immortan Joe described?

2. How are the descriptions of the female characters around Immortan Joe

reflect the socialist feminist idea?

D. Significance of the Research

The writer hopes that this literary research can give some information and

can contribute to all readers to understand the socialist feminist theory. Later, the

writer also hopes that this research gives an understanding about Mad Max: Fury

Road movie through social feminist lens. Finally, the results of this reserach can be

expected to be the example of other researchs, particularly in the social feminist

theory that used to examine a film.

E. Research Methodology

The methodologies of this research are contained some aspect of the

research, such as:

1. Objective of the Research

The purpose of this research is to analyse some of female charachters

around Immortan Joe in Mad Max: Fury Road movie. This study attempts

to describe those female charachters, including the oppression, exploitation,

rebellion, and their characterization. After that, the writer tries to find

socialist feminist idea based on the description of those female characters.

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2. Method of the Research

The writer uses descriptive analysis method in this research.

Descriptive analysis analysis method is done with describing facts which

followed by analysis. Etimologically description and analysis mean

elaborating (Ratna 53). In this research, the writer describes the female

characters around Immortan Joe in Mad Max: Fury Road movie. After the

writer gets the description of those female characters, the writer analyses

the problem from the description and elaborates this problem to the socialist

feminist idea.

3. Technique of Data Analysis

The writer will be analysed all the data in the Mad Max: Fury Road

movie that relate to oppression, exploitation, rebellion, and the

characterization of the female characters around Immortan Joe, to get the

description of those female characters. Then, all the description data will be

used to analyse the socialist feminist idea.

4. Instrument of the Research

The instrument of this research is the writer himself by watching

Mad Max: Fury Road movie repeatedly, identify, and collect the data that

can give information about the women’s oppression and exploitation.

5. Unit of the Analysis

The unit of the analysis in this research is Mad Max: Fury Road

movie. This movie is directed and produced by George Miller, and written

by Miller, Brendan McCarthy and Nico Lathouris. The movie was released

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in 2015 and starred by Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Hugh Keays-Byrne,

Nicholas Hoult.

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CHAPTER II

THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK

The main focus of this research is about the oppression and exploitation

toward female characters around Immortan Joe in Mad Max: Fury Road movie. The

writer believes that the place where Immortan Joe rules, Citadel, has capitalist

patriarchal system. The women around Immortan Joe are experiencing the form of

oppression and exploitation which is caused by the capitalist system because

Immortan Joe has the commodities which is needed at that time; water and gasoline.

The form of oppression and exploitation that women around Immortan Joe

experienced is also caused by the patriarchal system.

Before the writer explains the theoritical framework, the writer will explain

the previous research that has relation about the theory that will use in this research,

that is socialist feminism. The writer divides this chapter into three parts; first, the

writer explains the previous research; second, characterization; and third, socialist

feminism.

A. Previous Research

The writer had tried to search the previous research which has relation

to this research, whether it is about the movie, Mad Max: Fury Road, or the

theory itself, socialist feminism. Eventually the writer finds three researches

which has relation to this research. The writer finds two analysis which

analysed the same movie as this research. Therefore, the writer will use these

two researches as the previous reseacrh.

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The first previous is “An Analysis of Feminism Perspectives Depicted

in Mad Max: Fury Road Movie”2, conducted by Rina Oktavia in 2015 at

University of Pamulang. The last title of the previous research is “The Class

Construction of “Mad Max: Fury Road” under The Capitalist Immortan Joe”3,

conducted by Septian Prasetyo in 2016 at University of Malang.

1. An Analysis of Feminism Perspectives Depicted in Mad Max: Fury Road

Movie

The second research is An Analysis of Feminism Perspectives

Depicted in Mad Max: Fury Road Movie” which is conducted by Rina

Oktavia in 2015 at University of Pamulang. This research tries to give an

understanding about the changing of women’s roles performed by the

female character which is depicted in the movie. The research also reveals

the evidences of gender equality depicted in the movie. From the data

analysis, Oktavia finds that Furiosa, the female character on the movie,

performs the unusual female character than the traditional female characters

on a film. She is depicted as a powerful, skillful, and capable of doing than

usually men do. Oktavia also gives a statement that this movie is depicted

the equality gender. Both men and women are struggling a lot to gain the

freedom from Immortan Joe. These changing roles of Furiosa can be

considered as proofs that women and men are equal to each other. In

conclusion, this research gives an information about how the female

2 This research is submitted as requirement for the S1 degree in University of Pamulang

on 2015. 3 This research is submitted as requirement for the S1 degree in University of Malang on

2016.

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character in the movie, especially Furiosa, performs the concept of

feminism. The difference between this research and the writer’s research is

the focus of the research. On the other hand, the writer’s research tries to

reveal the ideology of the movie through the description of the female

characters around Immortan Joe, whether it is the characterization, the

oppression and exploitation, and the rebellion and the revolution which is

performed by the female characters who become the focus of the writer’s

research.

2. The Class Construction of “Mad Max: Fury Road” under The Capitalist

Immortan Joe

The third research is “The Class Construction of “Mad Max: Fury

Road” under The Capitalist Immortan Joe” which is conducted by Septian

Prasetyo in 2016. Prasetyo aims to to demonstrate that the film states the

class structure and to reveal the hidden ideas related to the issues. He uses

Marx’s and Marxists’ theory of class and capitalist as the basic references

of the analysis and Sikov’s concept of mise-en-scene to obsere every frame

in the film. He finds that the society of the “Citadel” has the class structure

of a capitalist society and the capitalist Immortan Joe dominates the class.

The privatization of water, a capitalist mode of production that increases his

profit, and the capitalist ideology that creates a false consciousness among

people to distinguish his privatization of resources is the capitalist

characteristics which Immortan Joe has. Prasetyo’s research has basic idea

as he explains the capitalist characteristics which are carried by Immortan

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Joe. However, this basic idea is used by the writer to continue the writer’s

research and explain the patriarchy which Immortan Joe does to oppress the

women around him. The writer will also elaborate the description of the

women—which based on the capitalism and patriarchy—to the socialist

feminist idea.

B. Characterization

There are several approaches to identify characterization to the characters

in the movie. The writer uses characterization from The Art of Watching Film

Eighth Edition (2012) by Joseph Boggs and Dennis W. Petrie. The writer use six of

eight methods from the book which compatible to this research, those are;

characterization through dialogue, characterization through internal action,

characterization through appearance, characterization through contrast: dramatic

foils, and characterization through choice of name.

1. Characterization Through Dialogue

Characters in the movie reveal their characterization by what they

say in a movie. To find the characterization through the dialogue, there are

several elements to identify. Their true thoughts, attitudes, and emotions can

be revealed in subtle ways through word choice and through the stress,

pitch, and pause patterns of their speech. Actors' use of grammar, sentence

structure, vocabulary, and particular dialects (if any) reveals a great deal

about their characters' social and economic level, educational background,

and mental processes (Boggs dan Petrie 61).

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2. Characterization Through Internal Action

Characters in the movie is same as the human in this life, they have

their own inner feeling or inner action within them. Inner action occurs

within characters' minds and emotions and it consists of secrets, unspoken

thoughts, daydreams, aspirations, memories, fears, and fantasies. People's

hopes, dreams, and aspirations can be as important to an understanding of

their character as any real achievement, and their fears and insecurities can

be more terrible to them than any real catastrophic failure (Boggs dan Petrie

62). The filmmaker will reveal the character’s thoughts or imagination

visually or aurally. The technique of the shot the characters will determine

the inner action, the filmmaker can perform tight close-ups on an unusually

sensitive and expressive face (reaction shots) or may utilize the musical

score for essentially the same purpose.

3. Characterization Through External Action

There must be a clear relationship between character and his or her

action. The motivation to get something or to do something creates the

personality of the characters and it reflects through their action. If the

motivation for a character's action is clearly established, the character and

the plot become so closely interwoven that they are impossible to separate,

and every action that the character takes in some way reflects the quality of

his or her particular personality (Boggs dan Petrie 62).

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4. Characterization Through Appearance

A major aspect of film characterization is revealed visually and

instantaneously (Boggs dan Petrie 60). To determine the characterization

through appearance, it can be defined that the assumption that we put on the

characters is because of their facial features, dress, physical build, and

mannerisms and the way they move. The first visual impression to the

characters may be proven wrong as the story goes, but it is certainly an

important meaning to create the character.

5. Characterization Through Contrast: Dramatic Foils

This method presents one of the most effective techniques of

characterization. It is using foils, or in the other words by contrasting a

character to the other characters. The elements that can be identify are

behavior, attitudes, opinions, lifestyle, physical appearance, and so on. The

effect is similar to that achieved by putting black and white together-the

black appears blacker and the white appears whiter (Boggs dan Petrie 64).

6. Characterization Through Choice of Name

One important method of characterization is the use of names

possessing appropriate qualities of sound, meaning, or connotation (Boggs

dan Petrie 66). The method of selection of the name is also known as name

typing. A screenwriter usually examines the name of chatacters very

carefully, because it reflects the character’s personality and idea in the film.

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C. Socialist Feminism

The term of “socialist feminism” first is derived from publication of

“Socialist Feminism: A Strategy for the Women's Movement” that was published

by Chicago Women's Liberation Union in 1972. The developing of this new and

important way as the women’s movement is marked by the conference that held in

Yellow Springs, Ohio, 4-6 July 1975. This conference of 1600 women marked the

first organized attempt at gathering together a group of women as socialist feminists

(Eisenstein 349).

Socialist feminists agree that women have been oppressed in virtually all

known societies, but the nature of this oppression has differed because of the

different economic realities. In capitalist society, it can be known that women are

being oppressed by men through their social class, economical reason, and political

justice. Socialist Feminism, as a feminist theory and a women’s movement, attempts

to make women and men equal. The women's movement is the space where sexual

difference becomes operational, through the strategy of fighting for equality of the

sexes in a cultural and economic order dominated by the masculine homosocial bond

(Braidotti 75). On the other hand, patriarchal system that mantains in the society—

consciously or unconsciously—makes women oppressed by men because of gender,

race, sexuality, and biological reason.

Socialist feminism, as the one of the branch of feminist theories, arises and

completes what Marxist feminism and radical feminism do not notice. In contrast

to radical feminism, socialist feminism, while centered around the question of

gender constitution and oppression, sees history in the materialist tradition.

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Socialist feminist analysis thus focuses on the institutions and social practices of

capitalism (or other modes of production) as these affect women, and attempts to

understand the relations of gender and class in the course of social change

(MacKenzie 186). The trouble with radical feminism, from a socialist feminist point

of view, is that it does not go any further because it is only focused on gender issue.

It remains transfixed with the universality of male supremacy—things have never

really changed; all social systems are patriarchies; imperialism, militarism, and

capitalism are all simply expressions of innate male aggressiveness (Ehrenreich).

On the other hand, socialist feminism also rejects Marxist feminism.

Marxist feminism argues that the source of women’s oppression is capitalist system

and classism. In contrast, socialist feminists are not certain that classism is women’s

worst or only enemy. They write in view of Russia’s twentieth-century failure to

achieve socialism’s ultimate goal. Post-1917 Communism in the Soviet Union and

later in the so-called Eastern Bloc was not true socialism but simply a new form of

human exploitation and oppression (Tong 96). Socialist feminism is succeed to

answer what is the main reason that causes women’s oppression, that is the capitalist

patriarchal system.

Socialist feminism rejects radical feminism's central claim that patriarchy

is the sole and universal source of the oppression of women, just as it

rejects Marxism's claim that class and class struggle are the only

determining factors in understanding the present situation. Socialist

feminism argues that class and gender are mutually reinforcing systems

of oppression (Oxford Corporation).

19

Capitalist pariarchy becomes the important thing and should not be missed

on the socialist feminist analysis. Socialist feminists are committed to

understanding the system of power deriving from capitalist patriarchy (Eisenstein

5). The phrase capitalist patriarchy is used by Zillah Einsentein because of the

reason “....to emphasize the mutually reinforcing dialectical relationship between

capitalist class structure and hierarchical sexual structuring” (Eisenstein 5). To

define capitalist patriarchy as the source of the problem is at the same time to

suggest that socialist feminism is the answer (Eisenstein 6).

Power also becomes a important issue that is discussed by this theory.

Socialist feminists believe power, that is male supremacy, has been denied and

oppressed women because of their class position. They see capitalism as an

institutionalized form of oppression and through its profit that capitalism will get is

making it more powerful. Socialist feminism represents not only female oppression

but also the entire oppressive patriarchal power structure by exposing (as unnatural)

relationships of male domination, especially in their relation to capitalist modes of

production (Madsen 186). The critique of power rooted in the male/female

distinction focuses most often on patriarchy. The critique of power rooted in the

bourgeoisie/proletariat distinction focuses on capitalism (Eisenstein 6). It sets into

motion hostile social relations in classes. Those classes too have their relations

mediated through the culture and institutions (Chicago's Women Liberation Union

3).

In conclusion, socialist feminism aims to create socialist society and fight

for what the main purpose of the feminist idea, that is make an equality between

20

women and men. This theory also attempts to make a social change—socialist

society—because socialist feminism faces the common root of determination of

oppression and exploitation in life; sexism, classism, genderism. All these shapes

of oppressions and exploitations must happen on a capitalist patriarchal system, and

it is inevitable. Warhol and Herndl says feminist critics generally agree that the

oppression of women is a fact of life, that gender leaves its traces in literary texts

and on literary history, and that feminist criticism plays a worthwhile part in the

struggle to end oppression in the world outside of texts (Green and LeBihan 229).

Furthermore, the writer uses this theory to analyse Mad Max: Fury Road movie and

reveal that the film’s ideology tries to make a social change, and also ends the

oppression and the exploitation toward women which portrayed within the film.

21

CHAPTER III

RESEARCH FINDINGS

In this chapter, the writer focuses on the analysis of the female characters

around Immortan Joe and the socialist feminist idea. Firstly, the writer will try to

explain the description of the female characters around Immortan Joe in Mad Max:

Fury Road movie. The description of these female characters around Immortan Joe

is included how are the female characters around Immortan Joe described, and the

oppression and exploitation which they have from capitalist patriarchal system. By

using the theory of characterization, the writer will utilize the data from the movie

to get this description and also to explain the capitalist patriarchal system within the

movie. After the writer get the data of the description these female characters, the

writer will try to elaborate the data to the socialist feminist ideology. The writer

also will explain the manifestation of the socialist feminist ideology which is

reflected by the description of the female characters around Immortan Joe. In

addition, the patriarchal will be also explained as the continuation of the previous

research which only discuss about the description of capitalism in the movie.

A. The Description of the Female Characters around Immortan Joe

In a film, characters may often attribute a human elements in their

appearances. To be interesting, characters must seem real, understandable, and

worth caring about (Boggs dan Petrie 60). Like a human being, characters have

their own mind, emotion, and action to be performed in the film. However, in

22

analysing the characters in a movie, the tool or the theory is named as

characterization. To understand character’s ideology or something bigger than

character’s ideology, that is film ideology—which is the focus of this

research—the characters should be utilized by characterization theory.

There are several approaches to identify characterization to the

characters in the movie. The writer uses characterization from The Art of

Watching Film Eighth Edition (2012) by Joseph Boggs and Dennis W. Petrie.

The writer use six of eight methods from the book which is compatible to

understand the description of the female characters around Immortan Joe, those

are; characterization through dialogue, characterization through internal action,

characterization through appearance, characterization through contrast:

dramatic foils, and characterization through choice of name.

The female characters around Immortan Joe are the focus of this

analysis to be the target of women’s oppression and exploitation. They are the

five wives of Immortan Joe, Imperator Furiosa, and The Milking Mothers.

However, there is something significant which is really easy to notice; the name

of the five wives. The five wives of Immortan Joe have adjective word in their

name; Toast the Knowing, The Splendid Angharad, Capable, The Dag, and

Cheedo the Fragile. According to Boggs and Petrie, name of the character is

important to know the characteristics of the characters. One important method

of characterization is the use of names possessing appropriate qualities of

sound, meaning, or connotation. On the other hand, the writer believes that the

name of Furiosa also symbolizes something. Name of the character in the

23

movie can stand his/her identity, ideology, nature, etc. Because a great deal of

thought goes into the choice of names, they should not be taken for granted but

should be carefully examined for the connotations they communicate (Boggs

dan Petrie 66).

1. The Five Wives of Immortan Joe

In Mad Max: Fury Road, the antagonist Immortan Joe is

presented to be a cruel leader. He rules Citadel and controls the

commodity which is really needed at that time of the movie; oil and

water. However, as a ruler Immortan Joe has his own wife, but there is

something which can be categorized as a patriarchy. He has five wives at

the same time.

The five wives of Immortan Joe are Toast the Knowing, The

Splendid Angharad, Capable, The Dag, and Cheedo the Fragile.

Furthermore, the writer believes that Immortan Joe oppresses his own

five wives. He puts them in a bunker and before Immortan Joe finds the

departure of his five wives with Furiosa he finds messages which is left

by his five wives in the bunker. The five wives left the messages that

written as “who kill the world”, ”our baby will not be your warlord”, and

“we are not things.” The five wives try to escape from Immortan Joe in

order to find hope for a better life. Eventhough they fail to find Green

Place to continue their life, they succeed to go back to Citadel and escape

from Immortan Joe.

24

According to Boggs and Petrie, the name of the character is

important because it can represent something. Moreover, the writer

thinks that the name of the five wives of Immortan Joe has an unique

name possessing. Each of them has the adjective word on their names.

As a result, then writer will analyse the cracterization of the five wives

through the choice of name, through the dialogue, and through the

internal action.

The first wife of the five wives is Toast the Knowing. According

to Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, “Toast” means sliced

bread made warm, crisp (= hard enough to break), and brown by being

put near a high heat. The writer believes that the word toast realated to

something from kitchen which is associated with women. In addition, the

writer thinks that “the Knowing” on Toast the Knowing’s name means

knowledge, cleverness, or something that is intelligent. It represents the

characterization of Toast.

Max : No. I suggest we go back the same way we came.

Through the canyon.

Toast : [after a pause] It's open - we know that, right?

He brought all his war parties through.

Max : So we take the War Rig and charge it right

through the middle of them. We can decouple the

tanker at the pass, shut it off behind us.

Seeds : [she and the Dag make the same gesture]

Kaboom! [laughter]

Furiosa : And how exactly do we take the Citadel, assuming

we're still alive by then?

Toast : If we can block the pass, it'll be easy. All that's

left are his War Pups, and War Boys too sick to

fight.

(01:27:28 - 01:28:03)

25

From the the dialogue above, the writer concludes that Toast the

Knowing has a clever idea, as it represents through her idea as in her

name. She gives a clever argument as Max suggests to the group of the

people who want to revolt from Immortan Joe to go back to Citadel. Toast

the Knowing convinces all of them that what Max said is true.

(Picture 1. Toast the Knowing counts the bullets)

In the picture 1 above, Toast the Knowing is depicted that she

counts the bullets in order to collect it for preparation. She has the

“knowledge” of survival how to use guns and how to reload the bullet to

the guns which is something that the other wives cannot do. From the two

evidences—the dialogue and the picture 1—it can be concluded that

Toast the Knowing has intelligent idea. Moreover, she also gives the idea

how to fight with the Immortan Joe’s group as she said to block the pass.

Finally, the writer’s conclusion is Toast the Knowing is a clever woman.

The second wife of the five wives is The Splendid Angharad. She

is one of the five wives of Immortan Joe who was pregnant during the

escape. Based on her name, the writer argues that she is a great woman

because she can be a savior to the others. According to Cambridge

26

Advanced Learner’s Dictionary the word of “Splendid” means excellent,

or beautiful and impressive. In addition, “Angharad” means one of the

most amazing girls you will ever meet. She is intelligent, and stunningly

beautiful. She also is the most incredible friend you could possibly ask

for (Urban Dictionary®). Furthermore, she is brave to escape from

Immortan Joe despite she is on her late pregnant time. She also says “who

kill the world” and “we are not things” for Immortan Joe as an

affirmation that she really wants to escape from him.

(Picture 2. The Splendid Angharad tries to protect Furiosa from

Immortan Joe’s shoot)

(Picture 3. The Splendid Angharad cuts the chain)

In the picture 2 and 3, The Splendid Angharad does something

briliant. She tries to protect Furiosa from Immortan Joe’s shoot because

she knows that Immortan Joe will not shoot her because she has his child.

27

She also cuts the chain that blocks out the War Rig by Immortan Joe’s

army. The writer thinks that this action of Angharad represents the

bravery. However, because of this action she is dead as she cannot go

back to enter the War Rig again and fall into the ground before she is

being hit by Immortan Joe’s car accidentally. Moreover, the writer

believes that The Splendid Angharad is the important wife rather than the

other wives for Immortan Joe. The pregnancy of Angharad makes her

eminent than the other wives and it makes Immortan Joe does not want

to lose Angharad. On the other hand, it looks that Immortan Joe does not

really need Angharad but the baby. Indeed, Immortan Joe mourns of

Angharad death but he tries to survive the baby and he wants a son, not

a daughter.

The third wife of the five wives is Capable. The name of capable

is significant. The writer argues that her name is represented the

“capability” of herself in doing anything whenever it is needed. She also

takes Angharad’s position as the brave one after Angharad is dead. She

is brave to sit at the back when it is needed to keep the War Rig balance

after it is a little bit broken because it hits the rock at the event of

Angharad death.

Furiosa : We need inventory. Match every gun with its

bullets. I'm gonna go and do some repairs.

Max : We need someone down the back.

Capable : I'll go.

Furiosa : No. I want you to stay together.

Capable : I can do it.

(01:01:34 – 01:02:05)

28

From the dialogue above, the writer concludes that Capable is a

brave woman and capable to do anything when it is needed. However

later after Nux join the group and realizes that he is also oppressed by

Immortan Joe, Capable has relationship with him eventhough that

relationship does not last long because Nux finds his death in order to

revolt from Immortan Joe.

(Picture 4. Capable convinces everyone that Nux is very helping)

Capable : He wants to help!

Toast : Who?

Capable : The War Boy!

Toast : Where did he come from? I thought we threw him

off the Rig!

Nux : There's high ground......just beyond that thing.

Capable : He means the tree.

(01:08:04 – 01:08:56)

In the picture 4 and the dialogue above shows that Capable is

trusting and willing to empathize with Nux. She believes that Nux no

longer obeys to Immortan Joe and he wants to help the group to escape

from Immortan Joe. In conclusion, Capable is a brave woman as she can

replace Angharad position as the the barve one and has her own

29

capability to do anything whenever it is needed. Capable is also a trusted

as she convinces everyone that Nux wants to help them.

The fourth wife of the five wives is The Dag. The name of the

Dag is also significant. The word “Dag” is an Australian slang. It refers

to people who do not have a neat, tidy or cultured appearance (Urban

Dictionary®). The writer argues that it is clearly same as the description

of The Dag in the movie. She is little bit weird and has untidy appearance.

Also, the dialogue in the movie shows that she believes that she and the

other wives are oppressed and exploited by Immortan Joe.

(Picture 5. The Dag acts weird)

In the picture 5, when everyone is focused by the situation that

makes them to be prepared for a fight, The Dag acts weird as she strokes

to the roof of War Rig to feel the motive. Her stare to the roof is also

peculiar. When she says something, her expression is also strange.

Cheedo : We were protected! He gave us the high life!

What's wrong with that?

The Dag : We are not things.

Cheedo : No! [GASP]

The Dag : We are not things.

Capable : We are not things.

Cheedo : I don't want to hear that again!

Capable : They were her words!!

30

Cheedo : And now she's dead!

The Dag : Wring your hands and tear your hair... ...but

you're not going back. You're not going back to

him.

Cheedo : Angharad!

(01:00:39 – 01:01:05)

From the dialogue above, it can be concluded that The Dag wants

to escape from Immortan Joe like the other wives. When Cheedo the

Fragile feels hopeless and wants to go back to Immortan Joe, The Dag

convinces her that she does not need to. The Dag says “we are not things”

to her to stop her hopelessness. Finally, it can be concluded that despite

the oddity that The Dag has, she still wants to escape from the oppression

by the Immortan Joe.

The last wife of the five wives is is Cheedo the Fragile. The word

“Fragile” is very symbolic. The writer believes that the word “Fragile”

stands for her nature. As her name, she is very weak woman. She feels

hopeless after the event of the Angharad’s death and she tries to go back

to Immortan Joe but Capable and The Dag hold her back. It is clearly

representing her name as “the fragile” one.

(Picture 6. Cheedo the Fragile tries to go back to Immortan Joe)

31

In the picture 6, it is depicted that Cheedo the Fragile wants to go

back to Immortan Joe. She believes that Immortan Joe protects her and

gives her a good life, instead of oppresses and exploits her. When Cheedo

tries to run to go back to Immortan Joe, Capable and The Dag try to stop

her.

Capable : Cheedo!

The Dag : Cheedo, don't be stupid.

Capable : Stop!

Cheedo : He'll forgive us. I know he will.

Capable : There is no going back!

Cheedo : We were his treasures!

Capable : Cheedo!

Cheedo : We were protected! He gave us the high life!

What's wrong with that?

The Dag : We are not things.

Cheedo : No! [GASP]

The Dag : We are not things.

Capable : We are not things.

Cheedo : I don't want to hear that again!

Capable : They were her words!!

Cheedo : And now she's dead!

The Dag : Wring your hands and tear your hair... ...but

you're not going back. You're not going back to

him.

Cheedo : Angharad!

(01:00:28 – 01:01:05)

From the quotation of the dialogue above, it is clearly depicted

that Cheedo feels hopeless as she tries to run back to Immortan Joe and

start to believe that she is not being oppressed by Immortan Joe. She

believes that Immortan Joe gives her a good life but Capable and The

Dag tries to explain that Immortan Joe only uses them as a thing or

commodity. Finally, the writer thinks that Cheedo the fragile is the weak

woman. Once she feels hopeless, but the other wives give an

32

understanding to her until she realizes that she is being oppressed by

Immortan Joe eventhough she is still sad after the death of The Splendid

Angharad.

From the analysis, it can be concluded that the name of the five

wives of Immortan Joe and their dialogues give significant description

their characteristics in the film. Furthermore, each wife of Immortan Joe

has the adjective word which stand to their nature and the description of

them. The first wife is Toast the Knowing. She has intelligent idea as she

gives the idea how to fight with the Immortan Joe’s group. The second

wife is Splendid Angharad. She gives something briliant in the whole

film to escape from Immortan Joe. The third wife is Capable. She is a

brave woman and she capables of doing the things whenever it is needed.

The fourth wife is The Dag. Although her name reflects her oddity as in

the film, her will to escape from Immortan Joe is undeniable. The last

wife is Cheedo the Fragile. The word fragile means that Cheedo is a weak

woman, who feels hopeless after she lost Angharad.

2. Imperator Furiosa

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) exposes the rebellion against a

tyrannical ruler, that is Immortan Joe, in search of better life, place to

live, and justice. The writer believes that Immortan Joe represents the

patriarchal and capitalist system as he oppresses the women around him.

However, the analysis of the five wives of Immortan Joe is clearly

depicted that the five wives of Immortan Joe try to escape from him.

33

They want to rebel against him and search for hope to live better than

before.

The rebellion of the five wives is helped by a woman imperator

who becomes a warlord of Immortan Joe himself, before the six of them

meet Max Rockatansky in the middle of the journey. She is Furiosa.

Based on the whole story of the film, it shows that Imperator Furiosa is

also oppressed, or even exploited, by Immortan Joe.

Imperator Furiosa has an important role in this film. The writer

believes that she is the real protagonist. The writer also believes that the

name of Furiosa is rooted from “furious.” According to Cambridge

Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, furious means using a lot of effort or

strength. As her name, Furiosa is brave, strong, and has the masculinity

side rather than the five wives of Joe. She is expert in fighting so she is

the the only one who becomes the woman warlord for Immortan Joe.

(Picture 7. Furiosa has short hair and physically defect)

Within the film, Furiosa is described as the only woman warlord

for Immortan Joe. In the picture 7, it can be seen that Furiosa is short

haired and she is defected physically as her left hand is teared off.

34

However, the condition which Furiosa had does not make her can not do

anything, even to be a warlord. She is still capable to fight, which is

usually attributed to men. Furthermore, it means that Furiosa is strong

eventhough she is physically limited.

(Picture 8 and 9. Max misses to shoot the enemy twice, but Furiosa

takes one time to hit them)

Picture 7 and 8 show that Furiosa is more capable in using the

gun rather than Max, which is a man. It can be concluded that Furiosa is

masculine person because she is capable to use a gun and it only takes

her one bullet to hit the enemy.

In conclusion, the analysis of Furiosa shows that she is brave,

independent, and masculine person eventhough she is a female. Her

appearances, which is physically defect, does not limit her capability to

do anything. Furthermore, she is the only woman warlord within the

35

film. She is capable to drive the War Rig, a big vehicle, and also she

has the capability to fight like other men can do in the film.

3. The Milking Mothers

The women who are oppressed and exploited in Mad Max: Fury

Road are not only the five wives of Immortan Joe and Furiosa. The

Milking Mothers is also oppressed and exploited by capitalist patriarchy

which is reflected by the character of Immortan Joe. The Milking

Mothers are the women who are kept by Immortan Joe to produce milk.

They are depicted as fat women, with big breasts and belly. Their breasts

is pumped up by a pipe to produce the milk.

(Picture 10. The Milking Mothers are producing milk)

In the picture 10, The Milking Mothers are producing milk. They

are kept by Immortan Joe for only one reason, producing milk. The

Milking Mothers are producing milk in order to subtitute the function of

water, because water is something rare and the most commodity that

needed at that time in Citadel. It becomes the property because its rarity.

Property is thus a normative concept: a concept designed to make a

36

conflict-free interaction possible by stipulating mutually binding rules

of conduct (norms) regarding scarce resources (Hoppe 18).

(Picture 11. The Milking Mothers is treated like animals)

In the picture 11, The Milking Mothers are treated like animals,

for this case is dairy cattle. The place where they are placed is also not

proper for a human being. It can be seen from the floor which have so

many shatered straw.

In conclusion, the analysis of The Milking Mothers shows that

they are used by Immortan Joe to get the profit of them to produce the

milk. However, within the film The Milking Mothers are decribed as big

fat women. Furthermore, they are also treated like animals as they are

exploited by Immortan Joe to produce the milk.

B. The Manifestation of the Socialist Feminist Idea in Mad Max: Fury

Road

This subchapter will discuss the patriarchal system which is

conveyed by Immortan Joe. The writer believes that he is not only using the

capitalist system, but also the patriarchal system which is described by

oppression to the women around him. As what is mentioned before, this

37

research is a continuation of the previous reaserch which only discuss about

the capitalist system. This subchapter will also discuss about the

manifestation about the socialist feminist idea which portrayed as the enemy

for Immortan Joe as the capitalist patriarchy one.

Mad Max: Fury Road exposes the rebellion which perfoms by

Furiosa and the five wives of Immortan Joe. They desperately want to

escape from him as the analysis of them above presents the will to try the

rebellion and searching for the Green Place, the place where they head to.

Despite the Green Place condition which no longer can not be lived in, the

five wives and Furiosa do not surrender as they try to take the Citadel.

The analysis of the characters describe the characteristics of the

women around Immortan Joe which leads to the fact that they have enough

power to escape from Immortan Joe. It can be seen from the characteristic

from Toast the Knowing, The Splendid Angharad, Capable, The Dag, and

Imperator Furiosa who are brave, intelligent, strong and have the willing to

escape from Immortan Joe. Although Cheedo the Fragile feels hopeless as

she tries to go back to Immortan Joe, the other wives convince her that they

do not have to go back to Immortan Joe because they are oppressed and

exploited. The power which the five wives women have is gained by the

moment of Furiosa having the chance to drive the War Rig. Because of

Furiosa having the chance, the five wives are brave enough to escape from

Immortan Joe.

38

In Mad Max: Fury Road movie, the capitalist patriarchy is clearly

depicted through the Immortan Joe character. For all feminist theories,

patriarchy is the main source for the women’s oppression. As Sylvia Walby

said, patriarchy is located in six somewhat independent structures: unpaid

domestic work, waged labor, culture, sexuality, male violence, and the state

(Tong 188). Immortan Joe plays an important role in this film to oppreess

and exploit his people—either men or women. Although he oppreesses and

exploits all his people, the writer only tries to focus to analyse only the

oppression and the exploitation the women around him.

It is clear that Immortan Joe only uses his wives to get a child from

them. He wants to make the baby as his own property and makes them as

his warlords. When Immortan Joe realizes that Furiosa tries to escape from

him by bringing the five wives also, he goes to the bunker where the five

wives are placed. There, Immortan Joe finds “the left messages” from the

fives which declare their hatred to Immortan Joe.

(Picture 12. The left messages at the bunker)

39

(Picture 13. The left messages at the bunker)

(Picture 14. The left messages at the bunker)

Joe : Splendid! Angharad! Where are they?

Miss Giddy : They are not your property.

Joe : Miss Giddy.

Miss Giddy : You cannot own a human being. Sooner or later

someone pushes back!

Joe : Where is she taking them?

Miss Giddy : She didn't take them. They begged her to go!

Joe : Where is she taking them?

Miss Giddy : A long way from you.

(00:13:52 – 00:14:37)

In the picture 12, 13 and 14, it can be seen that the five wives left

the messages before they escape from Immortan Joe with Furiosa. All of the

messages are very significant. The first message is “Our Babies will not be

Warlords.” It is clearly stated for the declaration that the five wives do not

want Immortan Joe take their babies. They know that if Immortan Joe takes

40

their babies, he will make them as the warlords. Within the movie, it can be

known that among the five wives there are two of them whose in their

pregnancy. They are The Splendid Angharad and The Dag.

The second message is “Who Killed the World.” The writer believes

that this message as a statement from the five wives that Immortan Joe had

killed their world by using them only to get child. They are a human being.

They must be treated as proper as that, not putting them in the bunker. This

evidence is not only proving that the five wives are exploited, but they are

also oppressed.

The last message is “We are not Things.” This message is a

confirmation that the five wives do not accept if they are treated as the

“things.” They are not things, so they want to escape from Immortan Joe.

As Miss Giddy explains to Immortan Joe it is not Furiosa who wants to

make the five wives free. It is the five wives themselves who want to escape

from Immortan Joe. They are searching for hope, for a better life.

In analysing the five wives from the feminist perspective, the writer

believes that all of the the five is not only exploited, but they are also

oppressed. It can be seen from the form of exploitation itself where the five

wives are used by Immortan Joe to get a child. Immortan Joe does not really

need the five wives but the child. What makes it worst is Immortan Joe only

wants a son, not a daughter. It proves that patriarchal system becomes the

value which prevails for Immortan Joe.

41

(Picture 15. Immortan Joe asks about the child and does not care about the

wife who found her death)

In the picture 15 is a scene where The Splendid Angharad finds her

death after she fails to go back to War Rig and fall into the ground before

she is being hit by Immortan Joe’s car accidentally. Immortan Joe does not

really care about Angharad’s situation. What he really cares is only about

the child.

Organic : Hey, Joe! Boss! Your girly's breathing her last!

Joe : What about the child?

Shooter : Are you coming, brother?

Joe : Wait!

Organic : It's gone awful quiet in there.

Joe : Get it out. Get it out!

Shooter : Come on! I've been called to the torture!

Joe : Patience!

Shooter : Oh, you stay here with your grief, Daddy. I'll

fetch them for you.

Big Foot : Be careful! Protect the assets!

Shooter : Just one angry shot......for Furiosa. Hut!

Organic : Crying shame. Heh. Come. Another

month......could have been your viable human!

Joe : Was it a male?

Organic : Your A-1 Alpha prime. Hey, Rictus! You lost a

baby brother! Perfect in every way.

Rictus : I had a baby brother! I had a little baby brother!

And he was perfect! Perfect in every way!

(01:06:13 – 01:07:45)

42

From the quoatation of dialogue above, it can be read that Immortan

Joe does not care about The Splendid Angharad’s death. He asks Organic,

a man who get the baby out from Angharad’s belly, about his child whether

it is a male baby or not. It clarifies that Immortan Joe wants a son, not

daughter. Eventhough Immortan Joe knows that he has lost his baby because

the baby is also dead, he still asks is it a male or not. This evidence also

confirms that patriarchy becomes the value which prevails for Immortan

Joe. He only uses his wives to get a son.

Capitalism deals with property, and the property which is privately

own is used to get the profit of it. Indeed, Furiosa is used by Immortan Joe

as his warlord and he uses her to get the gasoline from the Gas Town and

bullets from the Bullet Farm as described in the beginning of the film.

However, the patriarchal system is shown by how Immortan Joe oppresses

Furiosa as he uses Furiosa to be his warlord. The oppression of Immortan

Joe, as a man, to Furiosa, as a woman, is the form of patriarchy while

Furiosa is also exploited by him.

(Picture 16. Furiosa is preparing to drive the War Rig to Gas Town

and Bullet Farmer)

43

In the picture 16 it can be seen that in the back Furiosa’s neck, there

is a symbol of Immortan Joe’s property. Eventhough it is not only Furiosa

who has this symbol, it can be concluded that Furiosa, and the other people

of Citadel who have the same symbol as her, are owned by Immortan Joe.

Thus, this evidence shows that capitalist system is used by Immortan Joe to

rule his people in Citadel, including Furiosa.

(Picture 17. Furiosa is ordered by Immortan Joe to heading to Gas Town

and Bullet Farm)

Joe : Once again, we send off my War Rig to bring

back......guzzoline from Gas Town......and bullets

from the Bullet Farm! Once again, I salute my

Imperator......Furiosa! And I salute......my half-

life War Boys......who will ride with me

eternal......on the highways of Valhalla.

War Boys : V8! V8! V8! V8!

Joe : I am your redeemer. It is by my hand......you will

rise from the ashes......of this world!

(00:08:00 – 00:08:44)

In the beginning of the film, Immortan Joe orders Furiosa to Gas

Town and Bullet Farm in order to bring back gasoline and bullet. Furiosa,

as one of his warlords, is saluted by him as she begins to drive War Rig.

However, this chance is used by Furiosa to bring the five wives of Immortan

Joe to escape from him. It shows that Furiosa really wants to escape from

44

Immortan Joe also, like the othe five wives. However, this capitalist system,

which is representated by Immortan Joe, exploits Furiosa as she is used by

Immortan as one of the warlords. Furthermore, this form of exploitation,

from men to women, is also the form of oppression. It concludes that the

form of exploitation is also the form of patriarchy.

Immortan Joe, as the reflection of the capitalist patrirachy within the

film, also exploits and oppresses the Milking Mother. They are big fat

women who are kept by Immortan Joe in “the top”, where Immortan Joe

and other Bourgeoisie live, of Citadel to produce milk. However, the milk

which produced by them is not shared to the people of Citadel but only the

people who live at “the top.” It makes the milk as the exclusive commodity.

(Picture 18. The Milking Mothers are producing milk)

(Picture 19. The Milking Mothers are producing milk)

45

The picture 18 and 19 show The Milking Mothers are kept at “the

top” in order to produce milk. Immortan Joe use them to get the profit or the

commodity, which is the milk itself. Thus, this is completely the form of

capitalism as The Milking Mothers is employed by Immortan Joe and they

are used as the his labour to get the milk.

(Picture 20. Immortan Joe holds the milk which is produced by The

Milking Mothers)

(Picture 21. Immortan Joe’s son, Rictus Erectus, drinks the milk)

In the picture 20 and 21 show that Immortan Joe holds the milk

which is produced by The Milking Mothers and he gives it to his son Rictus

Erectus. It shows that the milk is only shared to the people who live at “the

top.” It also shows that this event is decribed how capitalism work at

46

Citadel. Furthermore, The Milking Mother is exploited by Immortan Joe as

the only work to produce milk.

(Picture 22. The Milking Mothers is treated like animals)

The picture 22 shows that The Milking Mothers is treated like dairy

cattle. It can be seen from the shattered straw on the floor. However, The

Milking Mothers are also a human being, like Immortan Joe and the othe

people who live at “the top,” but they are not treated properly eventhough

they are the labour of Immotan himself. It shows that Immortan Joe exploits

them and he only uses the to get the profit, the milk. Furthermore, this form

of exploitation is also the form of oppression. Furthermore, Immortan Joe,

as a man, exploits The Milking Mothers, as the women, shows that the

system of patriarchy is shown within the movie.

(Picture 23. Furiosa and the five wives in middle of the road to Green

Place)

47

Picture 23 shows Furiosa and the five wives try to escape from

Immortan Joe with using the War Rig to go to Green Place. Furiosa had tried

to escape from Immortan Joe, even many times, but after she gets to drive

the War Rig, it is the best chance to escape from him. It is also the time the

five wives finally have power to escape from Immortan Joe. So it can be

concluded that the source of the five wives’ power comes from Furiosa’s

only chance to drive War Rig and escape. After the time the five wives gain

the power, their characteristics reflect the socialist feminist idea as seen

from the characterizaiton analysis.

Furiosa and the five wives really know how cruel Immortan Joe is.

He is not only being cruel to them, but to the other people of Citadel. The

Splendid Angharad, one of the the five wives, tells that they are only

exploited and oppressed by Immortan. Immortan Joe owns the commodity

and makes the people have to obey and they become his property.

Furiosa : The Citadel.

Vuvalini : What's there to find at the Citadel?

Max : Green.

Toast : And water. There's a ridiculous amount of clear

water. And a lot of crops.

The Dag : Got everything you need. Long as you're not

afraid of heights.

Seeds : Where does the water come from?

Toast : He pumps it up from deep in the earth. Calls it

Aqua Cola and claims it for himself.

The Dag : And because he owns it, he owns all of us.

Seeds : I don't like him already.

(01:27:00 – 01:27:23)

Nux : Filth! You traitored him!

Furiosa : Ah!

48

Splendid : No unnecessary killing!

Furiosa : This War Boy wants me dead!

Splendid : We agreed! He's kamakrazee! He's just a kid

at the end of his half-life!

Nux : No! I live. I die. I live again!

Furiosa : Hold him! Tie him up! Throw him out! Chuck him

out!

Max : You got more friends.

Furiosa : Bullet Farmer. They're coming from the Bullet

Farm.

Max : Yeah?

Nux : It's over. You can't defy him.

The Dag : Just watch us, mate!

Nux : He is the one......who grabbed the sun.

Splendid : Look how slick he's fooled you.

Capable : He's a lying old man.

Nux : By his hand......we'll be lifted up!

Splendid : That's why we have......his logo seared on our

backs! "Breeding Stock!" "Battle Fodder!"

Nux : No, I am awaited!

Capable : You're an old man's "Battle Fodder"!

Splendid : Killing everyone......and everything.

Nux : We're not to blame!

Splendid : Then who killed the world?

(00:45:39 – 00:46:35)

The two dialogues above show how Immortan Joe uses his wives

only for “breeding stock.” He uses the five only to gets a child from them.

What makes it worse is Immortan Joe only wants a son, not a daughter.

From the description, it shows that how the capitalism and patriarchy work

for Immortan Joe to exploit and opress the his five wives. Immortan Joe also

uses Furiosa to be his warlord and he also uses The Milking Mother to

produce milk. It concludes that Immortan Joe exploits and oppresses the

women around him to get the profit from them.

Furiosa : It's okay. Sleep. Get some rest.

Max : How do you know this place even exists?

Furiosa : I was born there.

49

Max : So why'd you leave?

Furiosa : I didn't. I was taken as a child. Stolen.

Max : You done this before?

Furiosa : Many times. Now that I drive a War Rig......this

is the best shot I'll ever have.

Max : And them?

Furiosa : They're looking for hope.

Max : What about you?

Furiosa : Redemption

(01:15:08 – 01:16:22)

The purpose of Furiosa to rebel from Immortan Joe is redemption.

The writer believes that the word redemption is the main idea of socialist

feminism in the movie. According to Cambridge Advanced Learner’s

Dictionary, redemption means to be too bad to be improved or saved by

anyone. “Redemption” Furiosa refers to is to improve people’s life. She

knows that the source of the suffering which people have comes from

Immortan Joe which reflects capitalist patriarchy. With the skills that

Furiosa has, she is being able to do the rebellion and also brings the five

wives to escape from Immortan Joe. She also kills Immortan Joe, as a

symbol to vanish the capitalist patriarchy.

(Picture 24. Furiosa kills Immortan Joe)

50

Picture 24 shows that Furiosa kills Immortan Joe as the act of

redemption. From that event, the capitalist patriarchy symbol, that is

Immortan Joe, is vanished and it reflects what socialist feminist idea wants

to. By the death of Immortan Joe, people of Citadel will not be oppressed

and exploited by him, including the women around Immortan Joe.

(Picture 25. People of Citadel try to go to “the top”)

(Picture 26. The Milking Mother are free from the oppression and

exploitation and they share the water from Aqua Cola)

(Picture 26. Aqua Cola is no longer privately owned by Immortan Joe)

51

In the picture 25, it can be seen that people are no longer oppressed

by Immortan Joe. They can go to “the top” without any intervention. The

picture 26 and 27 show that the Milking Mothers are free from Immortan

Joe and they share the water from Aqua Cola as it is no longer privately

owned by Immortan Joe. It concludes that the socialist society succeeds to

create the equality among others, between the women around Immortan Joe

and the other people of Citadel, and to be clear between male and female.

In conclusion, Mad Max: Fury Road exposes the story that reflects

what socialist feminism could wish for—socialist society. The capitalist

patriarchy is vanished as Immortan Joe finds his death after getting killed

by Furiosa. The socialist feminist idea is clearly depicted at the end of the

movie. Moreover, the equality among others—between male and female—

becomes real because of the rebellion by Furiosa and the five wives. The

Milking Mothers, who were oppressed and exploited before, are also no

longer being oppressed and exploited. The socialist feminist idea finally is

successfully occurred in the end. It is clear that Mad Max: Fury Road

exposes what socialist feminism could dream of.

52

CHAPTER IV

CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

A. Conclusions

This research presents the study of a film through feminist

perspective. The film is Mad Max: Fury Road which is directed and

produced by George Miller, and written by Miller, Brendan McCarthy and

Nico Lathouris. The movie was released in 2015 and starred by Tom Hardy,

Charlize Theron, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Nicholas Hoult. This film exposes the

story about rebellion by the women around the tyrannical ruler to escape

from oppression and exploitation and its story reflects what socialist

feminist idea hopes for.

The analysis of this study proves that Mad Max: Fury Road reflects

the socialist feminist idea. The writer analyses the characteristic of the

women around Immortan Joe, the man ruler in the film. They are the five

wives of Immortan Joe, Imperator Furiosa, and the Milking Mothers.

Firstly, the writer finds that the name of the five wives of Immortan Joe

gives a significant impact to describe their characteristics in the film.

Furthermore, each wife of Immortan Joe has the adjective word which stand

to their nature and the description of them. The first wife is Toast the

Knowing. She has intelligent idea as she gives the idea how to fight with the

Immortan Joe’s group. The second wife is Splendid Angharad. She gives

something briliant in the whole story in the film to escape from Immortan

53

Joe. The third wife is Capable. She is a brave woman and she is capable to

do anything when it is needed. The fourth wife is The Dag. Although her

name reflects her oddity as in the film, her will to escape from Immortan

Joe is undeniable. The last wife is Cheedo the Fragile. The word fragile

means that Cheedo is a weak woman, who feels hopeless after she lost

Angharad. On the other hand, the analysis of Furiosa shows that she is brave,

independet, and masculine person eventhough she is a female. Her

appearances, which is physically defect, does not limit her capability to do

anything. Furthermore, she is the only woman warlord in the film. Moreover

the analysis of The Milking Mothers shows that they are the big fat woman

who are used by Immortan Joe to get the profit which is to produce the milk.

After that, the writer finds that the women around Immortan Joe are

oppressed and exploitated by him. Immortan Joe really becomes the symbol

for capitalist patriarchy in the movie. However, his wives are only used as

the breeders stock for Immortan Joe to get a son. Furthermore, Imperator

Furiosa is used by Immortan Joe to be his warlord, and this evidence also

proves that Immortan Joe oppresses Furiosa, as the man oppresses the

woman. Moreover, the Milking Mothers are exploited by Immortan Joe as

they are used to produce milk. It also shows the exploitation which The

Milking Mothers get is also the form of oppression. The women around him

try to escape from him, as they also want to escape from the capitalist

patriarchy system itself. The end of the movie shows that Immortan Joe is

killed by Furiosa and apart of that the capitalist patriarchy system is also

54

vanished in the city of Citadel. The equality between male and female is

succeeded to create.

B. Suggestions

This research only tries to focus its analysis to the women around

Immortan Joe to convey the socalist feminist idea in the film. The writer

realises that this movie has more parts which can be analysed through other

theories or concepts. The writer suggests Mad Max: Fury Road can be

analysed through another view as the next research. For example study of

the body as the fat Milking Mothers are stereotyped. It can be viewed from

different point of view as the five wives are described as the ideal women

and the Milking Mothers are not ideal.

Finally, the writer hopes that this research can enrich the

understanding about how to analyse the film through feminist perspective,

especially socialist feminism. The writer also hopes that this reserach can

be useful for the students of English Language and Literature and also can

be utilised as a reference.

55

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