LINGUA LITERA Journal of English Linguistics and Literature BREAKING THE SISYPHEAN TORTURE IN LAWRENCE KONNER & MARK ROSENTHAL’S SCRIPT OF MONA LISA SMILE

This research analyzes the Sisyphean torture and the way to break it that reflects in Lawrence Konner & Mark Rosenthal’s Script of Mona Lisa Smile . It describes how the character breaks the torture as seen in Betty’s life. There are two questions discussed in this research i.e. actions that reflect the Sisyphean torture in Betty’s life and the ways Betty break the torture. This research uses feminist existentialism by Simone De Beauvoir. There are two concepts of theory i.e. immanence and transcendence that help the researcher to analyze the data. The research shows the passive attitude and Mystical type of women are the torture reflected in Betty’s life. Then, Betty's life changes after she feels her married life is not as happy as she hoped and dreamed of. After that, Betty also shows the active and powerful side of women in breaking the torture in her life. She takes action to divorce her husband and then she continues her life by moving and getting higher education.


I. INTRODUCTION
Sisyphus was a king in Greek mythology that irritated the gods with his deception. He defied the gods and incarcerated Death in chains so that no human needed to die. Furthermore, the gods decided to curse and punish him.  Women are considered passive in the way they think, make a decision, and give an opinion. Women do not fight back against the treatment they receive, they just let it be. This is just like torture for women because it always happens, then they did not take an action against that.

Proud to obey the social rules and tradition
Many women believe that their position in life differs from males. Women have thoughts where they feel free when they follow social provisions for their status as women. It gives them the impression that their presence is valued by society and their status as a wife elevates them.
According to Beauvoir (1949) the mystic will torture her flesh to have the right to claim it; reducing it to abjection, she exalts it as the instrument of salvation. Women with this perspective are unaware that having their freedom constrained or controlled by society is torturous for them.

The ways Betty breaks the Sisyphean torture in life.
Therefore, Betty has a desire to stay out of the torture. Some changes are made to show the process of her transcendence; by being active in getting an education, and by stepping out of the tradition and social rules.

Being Active in getting Education
Women began to be concerned about their lives and began to look to public spaces, such as education, to show their existence. According to Beauvoir (1949)

Social Rules
The debate over women's roles in society has raged on until now. Women have long been regarded as weak and linked with the private area. Even women are still fighting for equality.
According to Beauvoir (1949) today the combat takes a different shape; instead of wishing to put a man in prison, woman endeavors to escape from one; she no longer seeks to drag him into the realms of immanence but to emerge, herself, into the light of transcendence. It means women are no longer trying to find ways to make men feel how unfair it is to be a woman.
However, the woman is now more concerned with herself and how she can free herself from the tormentor shackles she has been enduring. This can be seen through the power that Betty shows in the way she behaves toward her mother. It shows in the quotation below: "Betty: She's smiling. Is she happy? (She shows the Mona Lisa picture to her mother) Betty's mother: The important thing is not to tell anyone. Betty: She looks happy. So, what does it matter? Betty's mother: Don't wash your dirty laundry in public. Betty: Let me tell you something. Not everything is as it seems." (p.42) The quotation above shows Betty's power in the way she thinks. It shows that Betty urges her mother that her life is unhappy and that she wishes to be free of the relationship. In this sentence, the important thing is not to tell anyone to indicate how Betty's mother really cares about how society views her family. This shows how society regulations to women's roles.
From society's perspective getting a divorce is bad for women. That is why Betty's mother wants Betty not to show her problem to others. In this sentence Let me tell you something.
Not everything is as it shows Betty's power in her critical perspectives on her life. The knowledge that women have is a power for women to break the torture. The knowledge that women have can reflect in the way they behave and think. Society's view of the role of women has an impact on women's thoughts and attitudes.

V. CONCLUSION
The discussion about women's roles will never be complete. The role of women in public has always been a source of argument. Society has established guidelines for how women should dress, behave, and present themselves. Women are always associated with domestic roles in society: taking care of the household, and taking care of the children. Even women seem to be prepared to be wives and households. The education they receive only supports them to become ideal wives for men. These things are should be broken by women.
It is like torture for women where their activities are limited by their gender.
They are not fully able to enter public spaces like men. Women should be active to take action, to step out of the torture.