THE NEO-CONFUCIANISM MORAL VALUES REVEALED ...

THE NEO-CONFUCIANISM MORAL VALUES

REVEALED THROUGH THE CHARACTER OF HEUNGBU

IN KOREAN FOLKTALE HEUNGBU AND NOLBU

AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra

in English Letters

By

MARIA VENA SETIAWATI

Student Number: 154214019

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS

FACULTY OF LETTERS

UNIVERSITAS SANATA DHARMA

YOGYAKARTA

2021

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

ii




AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra

in English Letters

By



DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS

FACULTY OF LETTERS

UNIVERSITAS SANATA DHARMA

YOGYAKARTA

2021


iii

A Sarjana Sastra Undergraduate Thesis

THE NEO-CONFUCIANISM MORAL VALUES REVEALED

THROUGH THE CHARACTER OF HEUNGBU IN KOREAN

FOLKTALE HEUNGBU AND NOLBU

By



Approved by

Drs. Hirmawan Wijanarka, M.Hum. December 14, 2021

Advisor

Ni Luh Putu Rosiana, M.Hum. December 14, 2021

Co-Advisor


iv

A Sarjana Sastra Undergraduate Thesis

THE NEO-CONFUCIANISM MORAL VALUES REVEALED

THROUGH THE CHARACTER OF HEUNGBU IN KOREAN

FOLKTALE HEUNGBU AND NOLBU

By



Defended before the Board of Examiners

On December 20, 2021

and Declared Acceptable

BOARD OF EXAMINERS

NAME SIGNATURE

Chairperson : Drs. Hirmawan Wijanarka, M.Hum. ____________

Secretary : Ni Luh Putu Rosiana, M.Hum. ____________

Member 1 : Dr. Tatang Iskarna ____________

Member 2 : Drs. Hirmawan Wijanarka, M.Hum. ____________

Member 3 : Ni Luh Putu Rosiana, M.Hum. ____________

Yogyakarta, December 20, 2021

Faculty of Letters

Universitas Sanata Dharma

Dean

Dr. Tatang Iskarna


v

STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY

I certify that this undergraduate thesis contains no material which has been

previously submitted for the award of any other degree at my university, and that,

to the best of my knowledge, this undergraduate thesis contains no material which

has been previously written by any other person except where due the reference is

made in the text of the undergraduate thesis.

October 4, 2021

Maria Vena Setiawati


vi

LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH

UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS

Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma

Nama : Maria Vena Setiawati

Nomor Mahasiswa : 154214019

Demi pertimbangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan

Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul




beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan

kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan,

mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengolahnya dalam bentuk pangkalan

data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di internet atau

media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin kepada saya

maupun memberikan royalty kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya

sebagai penulis.

Demikian pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenarnya.

Dibuat di Wonosobo

Pada tanggal 4 Oktober 2021

Yang menyatakan,



vii

인생은 한번이다

한번이라서 MAGIC 하다

내꺼는 반의 다 망가졌지만 나머지는 RESPECT 있게 MY WAY 다!!


viii

일단 나한테! 네 인생의 걸렸다.

네가 재일 마아않이 고생했어! 수고했다.

For Mama, Papa, and Rani,

Thanks for all of the supports and love

And for Yohanes Aldi, thank you very much

Not blood and sweat but indeed my biggest tears

And took away half of me

You always light up my days


ix

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my greatest gratitude to Jesus Christ for the blessing,

strength, and guidance through the process of writing this thesis. I thank Mama,

Papa, and my sister, Rani for the love, prayers, and amazing supports that makes

me stronger, never give up and support me until the end of this thesis is done.

I give thanks to my thesis advisor, Drs. Hirmawan Wijanarka, M.Hum., for

his patience, guidance, suggestion and support to finish my thesis. I also would

like to express thanks to my co-advisor, Nih Luh Putu Rosiandani, M.Hum., for

her time, advice, and patience to give me support, and suggestion for my thesis.

I also give thanks to my partner in crime, my seatmate, Yohanes Aldi

Sundoro, who always supports and motivates me both as a friend, a senior, a mate,

and a brother. Thank you for being my only one special place for me to let out all

of my tears, anger, and randomness, and also thanks for the jokes, the foods, the

snacks, the love, the happiness you always give for me to light up my days.

Special thanks to my EHUE Squad, Ardhia Denura, Indah Asia, Christien

Tirtayasa, Emma Ingracita, Christophorus Katon, Alvonsa Lintang, Rizky Rivai,

and Widyasanti who always support me through my thesis days. Thank you for

the love, the times we spent together, the jokes, the laughs that we shared, the help,

and supports.



x

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE ..................................................................................................... ii

APPROVAL PAGE .......................................................................................... iii

ACCEPTANCE PAGE ..................................................................................... iv

STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY .................................................................. v

LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH .. vi

MOTTO PAGE ................................................................................................ vii

DEDICATION PAGE ..................................................................................... viii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................ ix

TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................. x

ABSTRACT ................................................................................................... xii

ABSTRAK ...................................................................................................... xiii

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION .................................................................... 1

A. Background of the Study ............................................................................ 1

B. Problem Formulation .................................................................................. 4

C. Objective of the Study ................................................................................ 5

D. Definition of Terms .................................................................................... 5

CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ................................................. 7

A. Review of Related Studies ........................................................................ 7

B. Review of Related Theories .................................................................... 12

1. Theory of Character and Characterization ............................................. 12

2. Theory of Neo-Confucianism ................................................................ 16

C. Theoretical Framework ............................................................................. 26

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ................................................................ 27

A. Object of the Study ................................................................................... 27

B. Approach of the Study .............................................................................. 28

C. Method of the Study ................................................................................. 29

CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS............................................................................. 31

A. The Description of the characters of Heungbu and Nolbu ......................... 31

1. The characterization of Heungbu ........................................................... 31

2. The characterization of Nolbu ............................................................... 35

B. Heungbu’s responses to Nolbu’s negative treatment .................................. 39

1. Being respectful .................................................................................... 39

2. Being grateful ....................................................................................... 40

C. The Neo-Confucianism moral values revealed through Heungbu’s response

towards Nolbu’s negative treatment .......................................................... 42

1. Sincerity ............................................................................................... 42

2. Justice ................................................................................................... 44

3. Honesty ................................................................................................ 48


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4. Hospitality ............................................................................................ 49

5. Harmony ............................................................................................... 50

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ....................................................................... 52

REFERENCES ................................................................................................ 54

APPENDIX ...................................................................................................... 56


xii

ABSTRACT

SETIAWATI, MARIA VENA, (2021). The Neo-Confucianism Moral Values

Revealed through the Character of Heungbu in Korean Folktale Heungbu

and Nolbu. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters,

Universitas Sanata Dharma.

One of the famous folktales Heungbu and Nolbu have been passed down by

the Koreans through generations to entertain and teach children the values of life.

The object in this thesis, Heungbu and Nolbu, is a folktale that has become

famous since the Korean War in 1950s. The researcher chooses Heungbu and

Nolbu because it tells about moral values suitable for Korean society. The

researcher focuses on Heungbu, one of the major characters. The researcher

chooses Heungbu since he is the first character who appears to be followed by the

Koreans, as an example of how to treat others the way you want to be treated and

that you should appreciate what you have.

There are three research questions to analyze Neo-Confucianism moral

values in Heungbu and Nolbu. First, this study analyzes how the characters of

Heungbu and Nolbu are described in Heungbu and Nolbu. Second, this study

analyzes how Heungbu responds to Nobu's negative treatment of him. The third is

what Neo-Confucian moral values are revealed through Heungbu's response to

Nobu's negative treatment.

The method of study used by the researcher in this thesis is library research.

The primary resource is the story of Korean folktales, Heungbu and Nolbu. The

researcher uses the Moral Philosophical approach by Yi Hwang and Yi Yi. The

researcher applied the theory of characterization and the theory of

Neo-Confucianism in the study. The theory is used to support the evidence needed

to conduct research.

After analyzing the characters, the researcher finds that Heungbu’s

characteristics are respectful, strong, independent, sincere, and honest, while

Nolbu’s characteristics are cynical, bitter, bad tempered, and greedy. Furthermore,

the researcher also found that Heungbu's response to Nolbu's negative treatment

of him was to be respectful and grateful. Related to the Neo-Confucianism

philosophy, the researcher finds the Neo-Confucianism moral values from the

story are sincerity, justice, honesty, hospitality, and harmony.

Keywords: characters, moral values, Neo-Confucianism


xiii

ABSTRAK

SETIAWATI, MARIA VENA, (2020). The Neo-Confucianism Moral Values

Revealed Through the Character of Heungbu in Korean Folktale Heungbu

and Nolbu. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra,

Universitas Sanata Dharma.

Salah satu cerita rakyat terkenal Heungbu and Nolbu, telah diwariskan turun

temurun oleh orang-orang Korea untuk menghibur dan memberi pengetahuan

tentang kehidupan. Objek dalam skripsi ini, Heungbu and Nolbu, merupakan

salah satu cerita rakyat terkenal pada masa perang Korea pada tahun 1950an.

Peneliti memilih Heungbu and Nolbu karena menceritakan tentang nilai-nilai

moral yang sesuai dengan sosial Korea. Peneliti berfokus pada Heungbu karena ia

merupakan karakter utama yang muncul sebagai panutan oleh orang-orang Korea,

sebagai contoh bagaimana memperlakukan orang lain seperti orang lain

memperlakukanmu dengan baik dan bagaimana kamu bersyukur atas apa yang

kamu punya.

Ada tiga rumusan masalah untuk menganalisis nilai – nilai moral

Neo-Konfusianisme. Pertama, penelitian ini menganalisis bagaimana karakter

Heungbu dan Nolbu didiskripsikan dalam Heungbu and Nolbu. Kedua, penelitian

ini menganalisis bagaimana karakter Heungbu menanggapi perlakuan negatif oleh

Nolbu kepada dirinya. Ketiga, apa nilai – nilai moral yang terungkap melalui

tanggapan Heungbu atas perlakuan negatif oleh Nolbu.

Metode penelitian yang digunakan oleh peneliti pada skripsi ini adalah sudi

pustaka. Sumber utama adalah cerita dari cerita rakyat Korea, Heungbu and Nolbu.

Peneliti menggunakan pendekatan filsafat moral oleh Yi Hwang dan Yi Yi.

Peneliti menerapkan teori karakterisasi dan teori Neo-Konfusianisme pada

penelitian ini. Teori tersebut digunakan untuk mendukung bukti-bukti yang

diperlukan untuk melakukan penelitian.

Setelah menganalisis karakter, peneliti menemukan bahwa karakteristik

Heungbu adalah respek, tangguh, mandiri, ikhlas dan jujur, sedangkan

karakteristik Nolbu adalah sinis, dingin, mudah marah dan serakah. Lalu, peneliti

juga menemukan bahwa tanggapan Heungbu terhadap perlakuan negatif oleh

Nolbu adalah dengan menghargai dan bersyukur. Terkait dengan filosofi

Neo-Konfusianisme, peneliti menemukan nilai-nilai moral Neo-Konfusianisme

dari cerita tersebut adalah ketulusan, keadilan, kejujuran, keramahan, dan

kerukunan.

Kata kunci: characters, moral values, Neo-Confucianism


1

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the study

Folktale, according to Abrams and Harph am, is a short narrative in prose of

unknown authorship which has been transmitted orally; many of these tales

eventually achieve written form (2012, p. 136). Since a long time ago, the

storytellers have passed down stories to be shared by members of the family or

community, some of them for entertaining the children, and others used to pass

down society’s customs, attitudes, values, and even philosophies of life to the next

generation. Folktales also allow the children to experience one of the ways a

society develops a sense of moral behavior in its children.

Different cultures have different folktales and a lot of the time there are

varying versions of the same story. In East Asia, even though Japanese, Chinese,

and Korean cultures are similar, the way the people tell the story has some

differences by seeing the social and lifestyles but most of the folktales have the

same content, message, and values, but some ended up with a bit different

versions. Western folktales are related to a flair for invention, a sense of humor,

horror genre, enthusiastic and generous spirit. Different from Western folktales,

through various Asian folktales, children mostly teach to learn from the other

examples of wealth other than money and problems that happen when people are

greedy and jealous. Most of the Korean folktales are related to historical dynasties

and are described in certain eras of dynasties (The Academy of Korean Studies,


2

2012). Heungbu and Nolbu is a folktale that describes the era of the Joseon

dynasty but became famous since the end of the Korean War in 1950s. Heungbu

and Nolbu is a famous Korean folktale that many parents in Korea tell their

children. The story told a lesson of treating others the way you want to be treated

and that you should appreciate what you have. Heungbu, the younger brother has

the opposite personality from his older brother, Nolbu which is very greedy and

bad tempered.

Olden Korea was a country that was influenced by China in many sectors,

such as education, religion, economics, etc. Confucianism as most people in

China believed also influenced olden Korea. Confucianism culture entered in the

late Goryeo era, an era before the Joseon era that we know as Korea now. The

Goryeo dynasty was the earliest dynasty in Korea that was known to Europeans

and gave the West the name that is still used for Korea today. This dynasty lasted

for nearly 500 years, from 918 to 1392, enjoying years of peace, but also enduring

years of chaotic wars. However, Goryeo is known more for its cultural

achievements than for its wars or politics (Peterson & Margulies, 2010, p. 32).

The Goryeo dynasty was an ally of the Mongolian kingdom so that the dynasty

fell following the collapse of the Mongol empire, to be replaced by the Joseon

dynasty until 1897 (Peterson & Margulies, 2010, p. 71).

Confucianism entered Korea with Buddhism between the third and fifth

centuries; both came from China. Before the introduction of Buddhism and

Confucianism Koreans practiced shamanism in forms that probably included the

king as a priest. Later, Christianity entered Korea. The Catholics came first in the


3

late 18th century, and then the Protestants came in the late 19th century (Peterson

& Margulies, 2010, p. xiii). Confucianism culture developed in Korea because

many Korean scholars who visited China at that time. The culture of Chinese

Confucianism influenced the people in Korea especially the scholars, with the

fundamental of the Korean society, culture, and the legal system as Korean

Confucianism. The old Korea believed in Shamanism as their beliefs, but along

the modernity and arising of the new era, the people believed not only in

Shamanism but also Buddhism. (Levi, 2013, p. 9).

Neo-Confucianism is the smaller one of many parts of Korean

Confucianism which is found by Ahn Hyang and promulgated by Jo Gwang Jo,

the scholar from Sungkyunkwan School during the Joseon era and followed by the

other two scholars, Yi Hwang and Yi Yi who are referred to as their pen names Toe

Gye and Yul Gok. During the Joseon era, many people in Korea believed in

Neo-Confucianism as their belief, as their ideology, because of the impact of the

three famous Sungkyungkwan scholars (Chung, 2018, p. 1).

Neo-Confucianism, named by the Jesuits in the seventeenth century, is

commonly understood to cover a period of several hundred years, beginning with

the eleventh century and continuing to the influx of Western ideology in the

middle of the nineteenth century. Neo-Confucianism is considered to be the true

intellectual heir of Confucianism on the basis that they agree with the latter on

some basic philosophical assumptions. But Neo Confucianism not merely

accepted the Confucianism traditional moral and spiritual value but reinterpreted

it. They incorporate elements of Buddhism into it. (Huang, 1999, p. 5).


4

After reading the story of Heungbu and Nolbu, the writer is interested in

examining Heungbu, as the main character of this story. Heungbu characters are

kind and always help others, therefore he is always rewarded for his good

behavior and actions. This story teaches the children the importance and moral

values to do the right things.

As one of the famous characters in Korean folktale, Heungbu is an

important character that is also a good example of having “a good way of living”.

Mostly, in Asian cultures, helping family or others when they are in trouble is

particularly a must and stressed. The researcher is interested in how the

Heungbu’s characteristics are described, as the role of younger siblings that

always have to obey whatever the older one says and obtains the moral values that

are carried through the characters of Heungbu.

B. Problem Formulation

As the guide to this study, the research questions are formulated as follows:

1. How are the characters of Heungbu and Nolbu described on Heungbu and

Nolbu?

2. How is Heungbu’s response to Nolbu’s negative treatment toward him?

What Neo-Confucianism moral values are revealed through Heungbu’s response

towards Nolbu’s negative treatment?


5

C. Objectives of the Study

The objective of the study is stated as the problem formulation above. First,

the writer describes the main characters of Heungbu and Nolbu. Second, the writer

tries to see how the response of Heungbu towards Nolbu’s negative treatments is.

Three, the analysis tries to see what Neo-Confucianism moral values revealed

through Heungbu’s response to Nolbu’s negative treatments are.

D. Definition of Terms

To understand this study better, some key terms are necessary to be

explained. The first term is Folktale, and according to Abrams and Geoffrey Galt

Harpham, is a short narrative in prose of unknown authorship which has been

transmitted orally; many of these tales eventually achieve written form (2012, p.

136).

The second term is characters. In the book A Glossary of Literary Terms by

Abrams and Geoffrey, characters are persons represented in a dramatic or

narrative work, who is interpreted by the reader as possessing particular moral,

intellectual, and emotional qualities by inferences from what the persons say and

their distinctive ways of saying the it-the dialogue- and from what they do- the

action. A character may undergo a radical change, either through a gradual

process of development or as the result of a crisis (2012, p. 48).

The third term is Neo-Confucianism. Neo-Confucianism, according to

Young Chan Ro, is a reinterpretation of classical Confucianism based on the work

of Chinese philosopher Chu Hsi, and the Ch’eng brothers, Ch’eng I and Ch’eng


6

Hao. By the sixteenth century, Korea had internalized Neo-Confucianism so well

that it underwent a Neo-Confucian renaissance, producing tinkers of original

insight, who were not only of local interest but who had a genuine impact on the

Neo-Confucianism tradition as a whole (1989, pp. 1-2).


7

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

A. Review of Related Studies

Similar to this study, there are two studies entitled The Moral Values

Reflected in Doc’s Characteristics in John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row and Moral

Values of Edward’s Tall Tales Revealed Through the Characterization of Edward

Bloom in John August’s Big Fish Movie Script examined the moral values

reflected through the main characters. These two undergraduate theses analyze

different works but have the same topic.

The first undergraduate thesis is entitled The Moral Values Reflected in

Doc’s Characteristics in John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row by Naomi Elizabeth.

Naomi focused on how Doc as the main character in the novel Cannery Row

described and what are the moral values reflected through Doc’s characteristics.

The approach applied by the researcher is a moral-philosophical approach.

The researcher states that this approach helps them to expand the analysis of the

story because they also use the theory of character and characterization and the

theory of moral values that lead them to answer the problem formulations.

The theories used by the researcher are the theory of character and

characterization to analyze the characterization of Doc and theory of moral values

to analyze the moral values that reflected through Doc’s characterization. The


8

researcher applies the theory of character and characterization by Murphy. The

researcher analyzes Doc as a person who is smart, communicative, and friendly,

also as a patient, caring, helpful, and hard-worker person. The researcher

concludes that at first, John Steinbeck, the author of Cannery Row, described Doc

as a lonely man, but then he was influenced by his friends and became an

extrovert person.

The moral values stated by the researcher are divided into two parts,

friendship, and love. In the first part, the researcher states, “friendship is one kind

of relationship among human beings. Friendship is a very useful activity to make

life interesting, full of fun and meaningful” (Elizabeth, 2010, p. 51). The

researcher states that there are four values in Doc’s friendship that are caring,

loyalty, sharing, and patience. What can be learned from these values are about

are giving the best to society without expecting something in return, loyal friends,

sharing, and maintaining relationships well.

The second part is Love. The researcher states that there are three values,

respect, forgiving, and responsibility. What can be learned from these values is

about never respecting a person just because of his or her social status and

material, and forgiving is so beautiful in maintaining a relationship.

The second undergraduate thesis is entitled Moral Values of Edward’s Tall

Tales Revealed Through the Characterization of Edward Bloom in John August’s

Big Fish Movie Script by Maria Anindita Pranoto. That theses focus on what the

characteristics of Edward Bloom are, how it is characterized, and what are the


9

moral values of the tall tales revealed from the characterization of Edward Bloom.

In the story, Edward Bloom makes himself as a fictional protagonist character in

his tall tales, as the hero of his epics. Edward’s character in the story is young,

attractive, handsome, and smart in general, and as if he is a flawless hero of a

cruel world. Pranoto states, “Fiction protagonists tend to be young, attractive,

smart and brave. He made his self-appeared to be that way to make him a model

protagonist, and people tend to do what a protagonist does. Indeed, this act of him

can be considered as lying and it is a wrong act” (2014, p. 78). Through his fairy

tales, Edward tries to set himself as a good example to everyone, especially

Edward's son, Will.

Pranoto presents Edward as a virtuous person and states; there are no exact

measures for a trait to be considered a virtue; virtues are different according to the

person. The researcher makes virtues list that is emerged from the characterization

of the major character in the tall tales, Edward Bloom (Pranoto, 2010, p. 80). The

list of virtue is courage, sincerity, social, loyalty, wisdom, endurance, and love.

Even though this study has the same topic as the two related studies stated

above, this study tries to see how the main character, Heungbu, responds toward

the negative treatment to him, how the Neo-Confucianism moral values of the

main character from Korean folktale, from the point of view of Korean culture,

can be revealed.


10

The researcher also searched for two articles from a journal that discusses

the same topic but different works. The first article is written by Fahriany Iwan

Setiawan entitled “Moral Values in Narrative Texts of English Textbooks For

Senior High School Students Published by The Ministry of Education and

Culture” (2017), from the Indonesian Journal of English Education (IJEE).

Fahriany focused on moral values revealed through narrative texts for Senior High

School students published by The Ministry of Education and Culture. Fahriany’s

research uses the content analysis method and the data sources are the narrative

texts in the English textbooks. There are four types of narrative texts contained in

English textbooks published by the government, namely folklore or folklore,

legends, narratives in the form of dramas, and short stories. The procedure on this

research consisted of perusing, eliciting, coding, tabulating, interpreting, drawing

conclusions, and validating.

Fahriany finds five main moral values are analyzed are kindness, respect,

responsibility, honesty and fairness. In the research, Fahriany states that “In this

analysis, five main moral values were analyzed to categorize all moral values

which came up in the narrative texts, i.e., kindness, respect, responsibility,

honesty, and fairness, and attempt to be uncovered from the stories in the English

textbook series.” (Fahriany, 2017, p. 137). The research also finds that the English

textbook lacked fables and Indonesian local stories. The narrative texts are

dominated by moral values, kindness. Meanwhile, fairness is not dominated the

narrative texts.


11

What makes this research different from the research by Fahriany is the

focus of the research. Fahriany focuses on moral values from narrative text from

English textbooks while this research focuses on Neo-Confucianism moral values

from the folktale.

The second article is from “An Analysis of Moral Values In Burnett’s Little

Lord Fauntleroy Novel” (2017) from the Journal of English Language and

Education written by Desfika Beti Utami and Restu Arini. Desfika and Restu were

focused on how the personality of the character Cedric is depicted in the novel

and what are the moral values that can be taken from Cedric’s personality in the

novel.

The object of this research is a novel entitled Litte Lord Fauntleroy written

by Frances Hodgson Burnett. There are two kinds of data taken for this research.

The primary data are Cedric’s words, phrases, sentences, and images in the novel.

The secondary data is taken from supporting documents. Desfika and Restu were

using a descriptive qualitative method. The approach used by Desfika and Restu is

an objective approach that focuses on the intrinsic elements of literary work

combined with theory conscientiousness.

Desfika and Restu define Cedric’s personality as an honest boy. Cedric

always tells the truth whenever he speaks to people. Cedric is a kind-hearted boy.

Cedric always puts kindness above everything, and he always makes good when

socializing with others, and he even helps an old lady to make her feel

comfortable. Cedric is a friendly boy. Whenever Cedric talks, he could attract


12

people and easily makes a lot of friends even with the grocery man. Cedric is a

humble boy and humbly speaks with a nobleman. Cedric is a wise boy. Cedric

knows to read the atmosphere around him and make a decision wisely. Cedric is a

sympathetic boy. He often shows sympathy towards other people. Cedric is a

responsible boy. He understands his responsibility. Cedric who has these kinds of

personalities makes him easily has a lot of friends and socializes with others.

It is stated by the researcher, “Cedric is characterized as a boy who has a

good personality. His personalities are such as an honest boy, kind-hearted,

friendly, humble, wise, sympathize, and responsible. These personalities make

Cedric have a lot of friends.” (Utami and Arini, 2017, p. 38. The moral values

taken from the novel are Cedric teaches about honesty, kindness, hospitality,

modesty, wisdom, empathy, and responsibility.

The difference between this research with the article above is that this

research focuses on Neo-Confucianism moral values and the literary work that

used by the study in the article is novel, while this research uses folktale.

B. Review of Related Theories

1. Theory of Character and Characterization

Theories are needed to analyze this research as the basic thought of analysis.

Two theories are used to answer the problem statement. The theory used in this

research is the theory of character and characterization. In the book A Glossary of

Literature Terms by M.H. Abrams, a character is a person presented in a work and


13

the person is interpreted by the reader through his speech and action. There are

two parts of character based on the role;

a. Major Character

A major character is the most important or central person in the story. Usually, the

story is always focused on this character from the beginning to the end (Abrams,

1981, p. 20).

b. Minor Character

Minor character appears in a certain setting to support and become the

background of the major character because they are not fully developed and just

help the major character to reveal his characterization to the readers (Abrams,

1981, p. 20).

Meanwhile, according to Murphy in his book, Understanding Unseens: An

Introduction to English Poetry and the English Novel for Overseas Students, there

is a classification of how an author conveys the character and personalities of the

characters. There are nine ways that the author attempts to present the characters

for his or her reader:

a. Personal Description

The author can describe a person’s appearance and clothes (Murphy, 1972,

p.161). Through this characterization, it shows how the author deals with the

character’s physical appearance, such as the build, skin color, hands, scars, eyes,

outer coat or clothing. The details are given to show the reader a specific


14

appearance of a character so they can portray the character in their mind. It is also

important to give a specific appearance in novels and plays.

b. Character as seen by another

In this characterization, the author describes the character from the other

character. The author gives the impressions of shape, cleanliness, firmness,

smoothness, and color from how the other character’s opinions. Instead of

describing a character directly, the author can describe him through the eyes and

opinions of another. The reader gets, as it were, a reflected image (Murphy, 1972,

p. 162).

c. Speech

The author can give us an insight into the character o one of the persons in

the book through what the person says (Murphy, 1972, p.164). A character is

known from when he speaks, having a conversation with the others and his

opinion. Therefore, from these clues, the reader can analyze the character.

d. Past life

Through past life, the author is trying to tell the reader about events that

influence how the character’s shaped. It can be seen through the direct comment

by the author, through the character’s thoughts, conversation, or medium of

another person.


15

e. Conversation of others

People do talk about other people and the things they say often give us a

clue to the character of the person spoken about (Murphy, 1972, p. 162). Through

the conversation of others, the author is trying to give the reader clues and things

they say about the character.

f. Reactions

The author can also give us a clue to a person’s character by letting us know

how that person reacts to various situations and events (Murphy, 1972, p. 162).

Through this characterization, the author is trying to give the reader some point of

view to understand the character closely. The author lets the readers see how the

characters are reacting to various situations or events described.

g. Direct comment

The author can describe or comment on a person’s character directly (Murphy,

1972, p. 162). In this characterization, the author is giving the reader a direct

explanation about the character briefly.

h. Thoughts

The author can give us direct knowledge of what a person is thinking about

(Murphy, 1972, p. 162). Through this characterization, the author is trying to let

the reader know about what different people are thinking and feel which is can be

accepted in literally works.


16

i. Mannerisms

The author can describe a person’s mannerisms or habits which may also

tell us something about the character (Murphy, 1972, p. 162).

In this story, there are two major characters, Heungbu and Nolbu. As the

center of the story, both Heungbu and Nolbu are the main characters of the story.

The story tells about the life of both Heungbu and Nolbu. This theory was applied

to see how the character of Heungbu and Nolbu are described.

2. Theory of Neo-Confucianism

The term “Confucianism” was initially coined by 16th century Jesuits

evangelists to China as a neologism for the respected, all-encompassing

convention established in Chinese culture and philosophical-religious thought that

is differently alluded to within the Chinese dialect as rujia (School of the Literati),

rujiao (Conventions of the Literati), ruxue (Lessons of the Literati) or basically as

ru (literati). The term ‘‘Neo-Confucianism’’ is regularly utilized to refer to the

improvements in Confucian thought from the Melody tradition to the collapse of

the Qing tradition (1644–1911). (New Catholic Encyclopedia,

http://www.jonathantan.org/essays/Chinese-NCE-Confucianism.pdf)

Michael C. Kalton, a professor at the University of Washington, in his blog,

https://faculty.washington.edu/mkalton/NeoConfucianism.htm, defines

neo-Confucianism as follows:

“The synthesis of Taoist cosmology and Buddhist spirituality around the core

of Confucian concern with society and government, a synthesis which


http://www.jonathantan.org/essays/Chinese-NCE-Confucianism.pdf

https://faculty.washington.edu/mkalton/NeoConfucianism.htm

17

predominated in the intellectual and spiritual life of China, Korea, and Japan

prior to the modern period.”

Angle and Tiwald (2017) explained that Neo-Confucianism may be a

philosophically advanced convention weaving classical Confucianism beside

topics from Buddhism and Daoism. It started in China around the eleventh

century CE, played a driving part in East Asian societies over the final thousand

years, and has had a significant impact on advanced Chinese society.

Neo-Confucianism picked up ubiquity in China amid the Tune Line within the

11th century. As Buddhism and the reemergence of Taoism started to require hold

inside China, researchers reevaluated and reinterpreted Confucian reasoning into a

modern framework of conviction that tended to not as it were social and mental

concerns but too otherworldly ones. Neo-Confucian lessons took hold in China

and before long spread to Korea and Japan.

In Korea, Neo-Confucianism appeared in the dynasty of Joseon.

Neo-Confucianism which is practiced as the Korean ideology during the Joseon

dynasty brought to Korea from China by Yi Yi and Yi Hwang. It still exists

among the people in the rural area with the people who also still believed in

shamanism. Neo-Confucianism is a revolt of shamanism that was the biggest

belief in Korea. Shamanism itself taught the moral-spiritual. For the example,

farmers believe that if they want a good harvest, they will hold a ceremony, so the

Gods of the field and forest would hear them pray to want for the best harvest of

the season. Another example is when a singer heard the voice of the ghost during

the recording in the record room; they believe that it is the sign that the song will


18

become a hit. Neo-Confucianism is revolting about that kind of unrealistic thing.

Yi Hwang used the word mushil or to be realistic, while Yi Yi used the word

sincerity, thus becoming the origin of reverence, and it is this factor that

constitutes man’s essence (A Handbook of Korea, 1990, pp. 126-127).

Joseon Neo-Confucianism was based on the logic of mystical, ostensible,

and down-to-earth hypotheses. The hypothetical establishment of Joseon

Neo-Confucianism, which began with the “theory of Guideline and Fabric Force”

(Seongriseol 性理說, Chin. Xinglishuo), looks for the basic values of all things

within the universe by implies of the hypotheses of Cosmology (Ujuron 宇宙論,

Chin. Yuzhou- lun) and Intellect and Nature (Simseongron 心性論 , Chin.

Xinxinglun). Hence, it gave birth to the hypothesis of Self-Cultivation (Suyangron

修養論, Chin. Xiuyanglun), which seeks after perfect character preparing to reach

the extreme Respectable Gentleman’s status; at that point set up the hypothesis of

Constancy (Yiriron 義理論 , Chin. Yililun), which emphasizes ethical hone

against treachery. Besides, these speculations worked naturally with the

hypothesis of Custom Conventions (Yeseol 禮說, Chin. Lishuo), which builds

legitimate human connections and social orders, and the hypothesis of Statecraft

Thoughts (Gyeongseron 經世論, Chin. Jingshilun), profoundly established in

Demo-Centrism (Minbonjuyi 民本主義 , Chin. Minbenzhuyi) in arrange to

realize Confucian thoughts as methodological markers. (Lee, 2016, p.167)

Two essential concepts of neo-Confucianism are nature and principle.

Nature, particularly human nature, since Confucianism was still essentially


19

concerned with man, and rule since the neo-Confucianists rejected the Buddhist

void and Daoist Nonbeing as negative and enchanted, substituting their claim

mystical guideline, li (“pattern”), the positive, concrete, and levelheaded laws that

frame the continuously great umiverse. Agreeing to neo-Confucianism’s most

prominent advocate, Zhu Xi (1130–1200), li is the principle or design that

produces things what they are. Human nature is the li that's widespread among all

individuals. Coupled with this universal essence is qi (“vital breath,” “pneuma”),

the specific fabric constraints that create each individual special. Qi darkens

human nature and its inalienable goodness; subsequently, supernatural theory, or

request into the laws of human nature and the universe, is for the neo-Confucian

the way of moral conduct. (britannica.com, https://www.britannica.com/topic/

Chinese-philosophy - ref171475).

Although Neo-Confucianism is influenced by Buddhism, Taoism, and

various socio-cultural views, many of the moral values they hold are rooted in

classical Confucianism (Huang, 1999, p. 9). Neo-Confucianism accepted four

basic traditional virtues of humanity (ren), righteousness (yi), propriety (li), and

wisdom (zhi), and most Daoxue Confucians also add a fifth virtue, trustworthiness

(xin) (Angle and Tiwald, 2017).

a. Humanity (ren)

Ren is an attitude in which a person acts out of love or care to promote

the interests of others, as when helping someone in need of food or

looking after a child or sibling (Angle and Tiwald, 2017). Yao (2000, p

213) explained that ren is fundamentally concerned with how individuals


https://www.britannica.com/topic/%20Chinese-philosophy#ref171475

https://www.britannica.com/topic/%20Chinese-philosophy#ref171475

20

relate to one another, and among the virtues, ren is the foremost

important that's respected as the string running through all other virtues.

In daily life, it has been translated as humaneness, humanity, love,

goodness, benevolence, man-to-man-ness, human-heartedness, kindness,

etc. Application: Add values to other people’s lives. Show love and

respect for yourself and others.

b. Righteousness (yi)

Yi is a virtue when someone refuses to violate moral prohibitions in ways

that would rightly be regarded as degrading or shameful, even when

doing so is difficult and appears to come at great personal cost (Angle

and Tiwald, 2017). Yi is knowing what is proper, what is right, what is

moral. This is based on one’s duty in a situation and that is based on

one’s status (Rainey, 2010, p. 31). In some situations, it refers to justice

(Angel & Slote, 2013, p. 149). Application: Understand the full context

of a situation before giving judgment or an opinion in a morally and

helpfully way.

c. Propriety (li)

Propriety is when a person performs a ritual correctly (e.g., does all the

right steps) with respect (Angle and Tiwald, 2017). Li or 'rite' or 'ritual'

signifies an entire set of consistent, and hence commonly fulfilling,

signals built on passionate insight, expressed in clothing, confront, pose,

or verbal expression and planned to fortify communal bonds (between

the living, the living and the dead or with the divine beings) (Yao, 2003,


21

p. 356). Application: Help family readily. Be respectful and loyal to any

relationship.

d. Wisdom (zhi)

Wisdom is when a person astutely discerns the characters of others,

realizing what is truly human or right, as when considering whether a

candidate should be appointed to a demanding and consequential

administrative position (Angle and Tiwald, 2017). Zhi is differently

interpreted as ‘wisdom’, ‘understanding’, ‘knowledge’, ‘knowing’ or

‘realization. It consisted of understanding other people. Wisdom was

intimately connected to humaneness, and in part consisted of serving the

people according to the principle of rightness (yi) (Yao, 2003, p.818).

Application: Make a good judgment in any given situation.

e. Trustworthiness (xin)

Xin means committed to being guided by reality consistently and reliably

way (Angle and Tiwald, 2017). Dalam “Stanford Encyclopedia of

Philosophy” it is stated that Xin qualifies a gentleman to advise a ruler,

and a ruler or official to manage others. Confucius explains it succinctly:

“if one is trustworthy, others will give one responsibility”. While

trustworthiness may be rooted in the proper expression of friendship

between those of the same status, it is also valuable in interactions with

those of different status. (Csikszentmihalyi, 2020). Application: Habit of

trust in yourself and other people. Always act with honesty and integrity.


22

In “Neo-Confucianism Philosophy,” by John H Berthrong, The Internet

Encyclopedia of Philosophy, ISSN 2161-0002, http://www.iep.utm.edu/, August

12, 2020, the concept of Neo-Confucianism by master Song translated into 20

concepts which are:

a. Ren as the paramount virtue and marker for all the other virtues such as

justice or yi, ritual action/li, wisdom, and faithfulness.

b. Li as ritual action, the social glue that holds society together and in help

constitute the human person.

c. Tian or heaven, Tianming or the Mandate of Heaven; earth; whether we

should use a capital H for the tian is an important question for the

Neo-Confucian philosophy or religion; Tian; di ren or heaven, earth,

human beings form an important cosmological triad for the

Neo-Confucians.

d. Li as a principle, pattern, or order to the whole of cosmos; a key Song

philosophic term as a little-used early Confucian concept.

e. Xin or the mind-heart; the living center of the human person; needs to be

cultivated by proper ritual to realize true virtue.

f. Xing or human tendencies, disposition, or nature; this is the principle/li

given to each emerging person by tian as the mandate for what the person

ought to be.

g. Qi or vital force or material force that functions as the dynamic force or

matrix out of which all objects or events emerge and into which they all

return when their career is completed.


23

h. Qing as emotion, desire, and passion; intimately related to vital force as

the dynamic side of the cosmos

i. Dao wenxue and zun dexing or serious study and reflex ion or honoring

the moral tendencies or dispositions as designations of two different

ways of cultivating the mind-heart and as concentrating modes of moral

epistemology.

j. Investigation of things was a key (and highly contested) epistemological

methodology for the examination of concrete objects and events of the

world.

k. Sincerity or Cheng, genuineness and the self-actualization of the moral

virtues such that one achieves a morally harmonious life via various

forms of self-cultivation through of such praxis as jing mindfulness or

attentiveness; this praxis is the “how” of the moral self-cultivation of the

five contestant virtues.

l. Nei/wai as the inner and outer dimensions of any process; often also used

for the “king without, sage within”; often also discussed in terms of the

opposition of si/selfishness and pian/partially or one-sidedness and gong

of public spirit.

m. Tiyong or substance and function and ganying or stimulus and response

as typical analytic dyads are used to describe the reactive movement,

generations, productions, and emergence of the objects and events of the

cosmos.


24

n. Liyi fenshu or the teaching that principle is one or unified while its

manifestations are many or diverse; often seen as the characteristics

holistic organic sensibility and yet realistic pluralism of Neo-Confucian

thought.

o. Daotong or transmission of the way or succession, genealogy of the way,

Zhu Xi’s masterful account of the revival of the way Confucian Way set

by a Northern Song Philosophical masters.

p. Siwen or “this culture of ours” as the expression of refined

self-cultivation and the manifestation of principle from the family to the

cosmos.

q. He or harmony and zhong or centrality as designations of the goals or

outcomes of the successful cultivation of all the virtues necessary for

human flourishing.

r. Zhishan or the highest good as the realization of harmony and centrality;

the ideal would be to become a sheng or a sage (theoretically possible but

in practice extremely difficult) or a junzi, a worthy or noble person.

s. Taiji or the Supreme Polarity or Supreme Ultimate as the highest formal

trait of the principle of the whole cosmos and for each particular thing,

often discussed in terms of benti or the origin-subtance or substance and

source of all the objects and events.

t. Dao or the perfect good of all that is, will, or can be; the totality of the

cosmos as the shengsheng buxi or generation without cessation; also

usually implies a moral “more” the myriad things of the cosmos.


25

Korean Neo-Confucian philosopher and scholar Yi Yulgok (Yi I) had

formulated his Neo-Confucian thought system in relation to the basic

philosophical assumptions of the Confucian and Neo-Confucian traditions. There

are two distinctive interpretive motifs or themes found in Yulgok understanding

of Neo-Confucianism, 'non-dualistic vision' and 'anthropocosmic awareness'.

Non-dualistic vision means a way of thinking or seeing reality from neither a

dualistic nor a monistic point of view. While 'anthropocosmic awareness' is his

view of the fundamental unity between man's cultivation and the cosmic force of

destiny. In short, non-dual means the negation or the absence of “two”, but at the

same time it does not mean simply to confirm “one” either. It is neither two nor

one. Put differently, it is one yet two, and two yet one. (Ro, 1989, p 2).

Another Korean Neo-Confucian philosopher and scholar is Yi Hwang

(Toegye). T’oegye often discussed the Neo-Confucian idea of principle by

articulating Zhu Xi’s philosophy of i (li) and ki (qi). In short, i means the “ground

of being” present in each thing in its fullness; it is the ultimate and omnipresent

principle of all things in full goodness and truth. In relation to human nature and

feelings, i also represent the original human nature that is purely good. By contrast,

ki/qi refers to the “material force” or vital energy that actually brings each

phenomenon into concrete existence and also determines its transformation, which

may lead to either good or evil. In relation to human nature and feelings, qi

represents physical dispositions and psychological matters as well. (Chung, 2016,

p 22).


26

C. Theoretical Framework

The theory of characterization is used for guidance to answer the first and

second problem formulations. The theory is used to answer how the main

characters, Heungbu and Nolbu are described. The second theory is the theory of

moral philosophy, which is used for guidance to answer the third problem

formulation. The theory is used to answer the moral values of the behavior of the

two characters.


27

CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

A. Object of the Study

The object of this research is a Korean folk tale entitled "Heungbu and

Nolbu". This folktale is created by an unknown author which is passed down by

the people in olden Korea to the next generations. The story’s setting is at the end

of the era of the Goryeo dynasty and early Joseon dynasty. The story is famous

during the end of the Korean War in 1950s and passed down through the

generation to entertain the children who’s left by their family which is fought

during the war, also as a reminder for the children to live peacefully with their

relatives.

The story also shows that during the changing era from the Goryeo dynasty

to the Joseon dynasty, there was a big change in society. The society which is

most of the people believed in Shamanism began to believe Confucianism. These

changes have a big effect on society because almost all of the people in Korea

slowly change their beliefs. Nowadays, people who still believe in shamanism can

be barely found, but there are two or three people from families that still believe

in shamanism.


28

B. Approach o the Study

By the sixteenth century, Korea had internaized Neo-Confucianism so wel

that it underwent a Neo-Confucian renaissance, producing tinkers of original

insight, who were not only of local interest but who had a genuine impact on the

Neo-Confucianism tradition as a whole (1989, pp. 1-2). According to Wilfred L.

Guerin, the moral-philosophical approach insists on ascertaining and stating what

is taught. The basic of this approach is to teach morality and to probe

philosophical issues (Guerin et al, 2005, pp. 77-78). According to the Korean

philosophers, Yi Yi (Yulgok) and Yi Hwang (Toegye), Neo-Confucianism moral

philosophy is teaching morality based on sincerity and realistic (A Handbook of

Korea, 1990, pp. 126-127). Korean Neo-Confucianism is a belief that is

influenced by China which is originally the believer of Confucianism.

Confucianism entered Korea because many Korean scholars went to China in the

late Goryeo dynasty before the Joseon dynasty.

Neo-Confucianism is the smaller parts of Korean Confucianism which is

founded by Ahn Hyang and promulgated by Jo Gwang Jo, the scholar from

Sungkyungkwan School during the Joseon dynasty and followed by the other two

scholars, Yi Hwang and Yi Yi which are famous as their pen names, Toe Gye and

Yul Gok. Yi Hwang and Yi Yi are the scholars who spread Korean

Neo-Confucianism throughout the entire nation. The Neo-Confucianism by Yi

Hwang and Yi Yi is believed to the ideology and justice and reality against the old

belief, which many people in olden Korea believed, shamanism. The researcher

will use this belief in analyzing the main topic of this research, which is to


29

understand the moral values in the story and how the characters are depicted. The

results of the analysis are intended to answer the third problem formulation.

C. Method of the Study

In this study, data were collected through a literature study. The data that

was used in the analysis were collected from books, especially the books of

history of Korea, articles, films, documentaries, moral philosophy, and the

internet.

There are several steps that researchers take to collect data. First, the

researcher was searching for the written version posted in Asian Story Translation

(http://lostintranslationland.blogspot.co.id) which the text is originally from the

Parrot Fairy Tale Series by SaSaem publishing company (지혜와 슬기 주머니

14 새샘 명작).

The second step was finding some resources to answer the problem

formulations. The researcher tried to search for the books of the history of Korea,

from the university’s library and some libraries outside the university. The

researcher tried to gather information about the history of olden Korea and the

journey of Korean shamanism and Confucianism. The sources are taken from A

Handbook of Korea (1990), A Glossary of Literary Terms (1981), and an online

source, New Dimension of Confucianism and Neo-Confucianism Philosophy

(1991).


http://lostintranslationland.blogspot.co.id/

30

The third step was using the chosen theories to answer the problem

formulations. The researcher used the theory of characterization to analyze the

character of Heungbu and Nolbu and how Heungbu’s response to Nolbu’s

negative treatments. The researcher used the chosen theory of Neo-Confucianism

to answer the moral values revealed through Heungbu’s response towards Nolbu’s

negative treatment. The last step was writing the conclusion based on the analyze

done before by the researcher.


31

CHAPTER IV

ANALYSIS

The following chapter discusses at length the characters of Heungbu and

Nolbu which can be used to trace and eventually reveal the Korean values in the

story. The revelation of Korean values through the characters has become the

main concern of this thesis.

A. The Description of the Characters of Heungbu and Nolbu

The following sub-chapter discusses the characters’ descriptions, especially

Heungbu and Nolbu. The description is particularly focused on their

characteristics.

1. The Characterization of Heungbu

Heungbu, which is the main character and the main concern of the story, is a

character described as a younger sibling of two. Through the characterization of

personal description, speech, past life, a conversation of others, reactions, direct

comment, and mannerisms, it is found that Heungbu possesses the following

qualities:

a. Respectful

The Koreans are famous for being respectful to others especially in the way

they treat other people. They are taught to be respectful to others especially

someone older or a senior at work, school, and the army. In the work and school,


32

most of the Koreans define the lines in seniority among themselves, while

the family, most of the youngest siblings must be respectful to their older siblings.

There is a clear line between the Koreans in defining the positions.

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary on merriam-webster.com

(2020), the word ‘Respectful’ is defined as showing respect or deference. In the

story can be seen that the character of Heungbu is a character which is showing

the way the Korean culture shows the lines of positions. Heungbu was treated by

his brother as a lowly person but still shows a respect to his older brother. Nolbu,

the older brother, chased out Heungbu of the house and he still treats the older

brother respectfully. The story stated:

“Brother! Have you been well? Your foolish little brother has come to

get food.” “Brother? I don’t have a brother like you. Leave right now!” “Oh

dear, brother I will pay you back next time.” As Heungbu kept begging,

Nolbu took a bat and hit Heungbu.

While the helpless Heungbu turned around, he came out and stopped

by the kitchen. “Sister-in-law please give me one container of rice.” “What

the heck is the beggar from this morning doing here? Here you are, rice!”

Nolbu’s wife hit Heungbu’s cheek with the rice spatula. “Sister-in-law, I

need more rice so please put some more rice on the spatula and hit me on

the cheek.” “What the hell?” She wiped the rice off the spatula and hit him

on the other side of the cheek (Par. 1-2).

b. Strong

In merriam-webster.com (2020), strong is defined as having moral or

intellectual power. As a person who used to be live a prosperous life and lives in

poverty all of sudden because his brother chased him out of the house, Heungbu

described as a person who lives his new life morally strong. As described in the

story, he initially went to his brother's house to ask for food for his children but

was eventually chased out of the house and slapped by his sister-in-law. However,


33

he then decided to keep facing his life with gusto and try his best to live the life of

himself and his family members, which leads to luck that makes his life better.

This can be seen in the following snippet:

Heungbu, with no strength, returned home. Looking at his expression

the children cried. “Waha, Father returned empty-handed!” They spent a

hard time like that and then a new spring came (par. 9).

However, after that, an incident comes over to his family, which brings him

luck until the next spring again. Despite his brother's negative treatment of his

family, Heungbu can withstand the pressure and continues to live his life strong

and full of kindness.

c. Independent

Independent is defined by Merriam Webster on merriam-webster.com (2020)

as not requiring or relying on others. It refers to freedom from the influence or

control of another individual or group (dictionary.apa.org, 2021). Independence is

related to persistence, as people with high persistence may be able to

independently solve problems without much help from others and may be more

inclined to work on tasks alone (Rymanowicz, 2018). Heungbu used to ask for

help in the beginning, but as his brother kicked him out of the house, free from the

control of his brother which is used to hating and treating him negatively, he then

begin to not rely on his brother and live his life. Written in the text, “They spent a

hard time like that and then a new spring came” (Par 9). As a person who grows

up doing good things, Heungbu lives for his family diligently by helping others

until luck, or actually, it can be seen as a “reward” to him.


34

d. Sincere

Sincere, in Merriam Webster dictionary on merriam-webster.com (2020),

defined as marked by genuineness. Everything that happens to Heungbu never

makes him revenge his brother who always treated him negatively and violently.

Heungbu was chased out and hit by his brother never fought back and kept trying

his best to get some help from his brother. Meanwhile, at the end, when Nolbu

being too greedy, ended up being hit by the goblins and lost the property that their

parents left, he goes to Heungbu to get some help from him. Instead of rejecting

his brother, Heungbu sincerely helps his brother with all of his heart and soul,

takes him and his brother and his family to live with him. Heungbu even forgave

his brother and made him live as a better person.

With a shabby appearance, Nolbu’s family went to find Heungbu.

“Heungbu!” “Brother! What happened?” While crying Nolbu told Heungbu

the whole story. “Don’t worry. Brother, come live together in our

house.” “Heungbu! I was wrong all this time. Please forgive me” (par. 22).

e. Honest

Heungbu is never greedy and tries to act honestly like his good nature.

According to Merriam Webster on merriam-webster.com (2020), honest is defined

as with all sincerity. Heungbu, who has naturally liked to help others since he was

a kid, always helps others and gets a good reward as a result., everything he does

always make others praise him and those good feed backs are the results of his act

of giving good deeds that bring him luck.

At that time, one of the swallows fell from the nest. “Oh, the

swallow’s leg is broken!” Heungbu’s family sincerely gave treatment to the

swallow. Some days later the swallow could fly in the sky again (par. 11).


35

From the statement above, it can be seen from the actions of Heungbu who

naturally tried to help by giving treatment to the swallow that fell from its nest,

which in the end brought him luck.

2. The Characterization of Nolbu

As mentioned before, there is also Nolbu, another main character of the

story. Nolbu is described as the older siblings of two. Here are the qualities of

Nolbu that can be observed in the story:

a. Cynical

According to Merriam Webster dictionary on merriam-webster.com (2020),

cynical is having or showing the attitude or temper of a cynic; such as

contemptuously distrustful of human nature and motives or reflecting belief that

human conduct is motivated primarily by self-interest; a concern for one’s

advantage and well-being. Someone who is cynical believes that people care only

about themselves and are not sincere or honest, and let other people be harmed so

that they can get an advantage (macmillandictionary.com, 2021). Cynical is

different from money selfish as selfish is having or showing concern only for

yourself and not for the needs or feelings of other people (merriam-webster.com,

2021).

The younger Nolbu was portrayed as a mischievous character who was

always planning to bother others and always making his parents worried. Nolbu

does not like his brother, Heungbu, which is always doing good things and love to

help others. As time passed by, Nolbu even hated his brother more, until one day


36

their parents died and Nolbu started being cynical to his brother. Nolbu was taking

advantage due to his parents’ death and trying to kick his brother out of the house.

As stated in the text:

Every time while they were eating, Nolbu assaulted Heungbu.

“Heungbu, Because of your kids all of our food will run out, this man.” One

day, Heungbu and Nolbu’s parents passed away. “Heungbu! From now on

all of our house’s property is mine. So take your family and get out right

now!” (Par 4).

Nolbu is taking the chance as an excuse to be concern about his advantage

and well-being, claiming all of his parents’ properties and making an excuse by

saying that the house and the daily needs are not enough for both Nolbu and

Heungbu’s family. The fact that Heungbu has more children than him also

becomes a reason why Nolbu wants Heungbu to get out of the house. Nolbu wants

the house that his parents left for his family and does not care about Heungbu’s

family.

b. Bitter

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary on merriam-webster.com

(2020), bitter is defined as marked by cynicism and rancor. Someone who is bitter

is angry and unhappy because they cannot forget bad things that happened in the

past (cambridge.org, 2021). Bitterness is similar to jealousy but different as

jealousy is based upon a feeling of invaded proprietorship while bitterness is felt

as a result of prolonged frustration without surcease. Jealousy is a feeling of

unhappiness and anger because someone has something or someone that you want

(cambridge.org, 2021). As explained above, it can be seen that Nolbu is a cynical


37

person and shows resentment to his brother for all of the things that his brother

gets. Written on text:

But, Heungbu’s kind work received a lot of praises. So Nolbu hated

Heungbu more. Time passed and they grew up into adults, and they married.

Nolbu had one child, but Heungbu had many (par. 3).


“Heungbu, Because of your kids all of our food will run out, this man” (par.

4).

Heungbu would always do good things, receive a lot of praises, get many

children while Nolbu always made his parents worried and only had one child.

These things are taken by Nolbu as an excuse of him for being a bitter person

because it can be seen that everything good always goes to his brother Heungbu,

and he always gets bad. Nolbu also used the fact that Heungbu has more children

as an excuse to assault him. It was proof that he was a bitter person to his brother,

he assaulted Heungbu and blamed him for running out of food.

c. Bad Tempered

The fact that only Heungbu always gets good makes Nolbu angry and turns

him into a grumpy person. It can be seen in the text:

But, Heungbu’s kind work received a lot of praise. So Nolbu hated

Heungbo more. Time passed and they grew up into adults, and they married.

Nolbu had one child, but Heungbu had many (Par.3).


“Heungbu, Because of your kids all of our food will run out, this man”

(Par.4). Heungbu’s family was expelled from the house without any food

(Par.5).




Nolbu took a bat and hit Heungbu (Par.7).


38

People praised Heungbu. It made Nolbu hate him. Nolbu gets angry and

assaults Heungbu because his children make them run out of food faster. Nolbu

gets angry and hits Heungbu when he tries to find help for his family. When

Heungbu gets a better life, Nolbu also wants it, but he gets angry because of the

different results. Nolbu accuses Heungbu that every item he gets from the

pumpkin is something Heungbu stole from the others. Written in the text:

Nolbu heard this news and came to find Heungbu. “Heungbu! Come

and see me!” “Brother. Have you been well during this time?” “Well, and

where did you steal this stuff from?” “Brother, how could I steal? The truth

is....” (Par.17).

d. Greedy

According to Merriam Webster on merriam-webster.com (2020), greedy is

marked by greed: having or showing a selfish desire for wealth and possessions. It

can be seen clearly that Nolbu is a greedy person from how he is trying to be rich

like Heungbu instantly. The act he did by claiming that the house was his home

after his parents died was also proof that Nolbu was greedy.


“Heungbu, Because of your kids all of our food will run out, this man.” One

day, Heungbu and Nolbu’s parents passed away. “Heungbu! From now on

all of our house’s property is mine. So take your family and get out right

now!” (Par.4).

Nolbu heard the news about his brother getting some stuff miraculously and

trying to be like him in the same way his brother did. Nolbu who is trying to get

more wealth instantly goes to Heungbu’s house and asks how he suddenly became


39

a rich person, but in the end, he does not get the same stuff as what Heungbu got

but he got beaten by goblins.


and see me!” “Brother. Have you been well during this time?” “Well, and

where did you steal this stuff from?” (Par. 17).

While the vines grew rapidly the gourds became ripe and desirable.

Nolbu picked three gourds and started sawing. “Saw, saw, saw, lots of

treasure come out!” (Par.20).

(Thump! Bang!) “Ack! What is this? S-Someone help!” “Yes, you! I

know what you’ve done wrong!” “Oh no! What is this that you’re talking

about?” Goblins that came out of Nolbu’s gourd violently beat him and with

a magic club destroyed Nolbu’s house and property altogether (Par.21).

B. Heungbu’s Responses to Nolbu’s Negative Treatment

Heungbu’s responses to Nolbu’s negative treatment was of two kinds as

follows:

1. Being Respectful

As seen earlier, Heungbu's character is portrayed as the main character who

is a role model for his siblings, and an important character that many Koreans

believe is an example of a good way of life. Heungbu has a kind heart, helps

others, and works hard; therefore, he is always praised a lot. However, because his

kindness earned him a lot of praise, his older brother, Nolbu, hated him. As the

younger siblings, Heungbu has to obey whatever his older brother says. In the

story written:

One day, Heungbu and Nolbu’s parents passed away, “Heungbu!

From now on all of our house’s property is mine. So take your family and

get out right now!”.”If you say such things so suddenly, how can I manage

with my little children….” Heungbu’s family was expelled from the house

without any food (Par. 4).


40

Nolbu assaulted Heungbu, who had many children, saying that they would

run out of rice because of Heungbu and his family members and were eventually

chased out of the house by Nolbu after their parents died. Heungbu cannot do

anything and get out of the house with his wife and his children. He was unable to

refuse his brother’s order and he has to get out of the house. In this situation, his

never ending kindness keeps working. Heungbu does not say anything to his

brother. He then left the house, living in a shabby house; working hard for the

family members, live in poverty.

Heungbu's attitude shows that he is respectful towards his older brother.

Otherwise, he must have put up a fight. Because he respects his brother, he

chooses to give in and is chased out of the house. Heungbu's respect for Nolbu

expresses a value that someone younger should always respect someone older. In

the context of this story, the younger brother respects his older brother.

2. Being Grateful

Heungbu who is now living in poverty work hard for his family until one

day, he felt bad for his children, so he went back to Nolbu’s house looking for

some helps to get some rice.




Nolbu took a bat and hit Heungbu (Par. 7).

Heungbu goes to Nolbu’s house to get some help but he was hit by Nolbu.

Heungbu even begs and makes himself such a lowly person than his brother who


41

is life in a decent life. However, after getting hit by his brother, he still looks for

the sister-in law to get some rice but was treated like a lower person than a beggar.

While the helpless Heungbu turned around, he came out and stopped

by the kitchen. “Sister-in-law please give me one container of rice.” “What

the heck is the beggar from this morning doing here? Here you are, rice!”

Nolbu’s wife hit Heungbu’s cheek with the rice spatula. “Sister-in-law, I

need more rice so please put some more rice on the spatula and hit me on

the cheek.” “What the hell?” She wiped the rice off the spatula and hit him

on the other side of the cheek. Heungbu, with no strength, returned home.”

(Par. 8).

In the end, Heungbu came home empty handed and unable to do anything,

all he got was rice that sticks on his cheek. He just kept silent watching his

children cry from hunger and then until the new spring came and a miracle came

to his family.

In the story, after Heungbu chased out of the house, he helps a swallow in

which the legs are broken and got a seed in return. The seed sprouted and rice,

treasure, and silk came out of it. Nolbu heard the story and tried to do the same

things as his brother did, but the result is different. It is stated in the story as

follows:

“...Goblins that came out of Nolbu’s gourd violently beat him and with

a magic bat destroyed Nolbu’s house and property altogether.” With a

shabby appearance, Nolbu’s family went to find Heungbu, “Heungbu!”

“Brother! What happened?” While crying, Nolbu told Heungbu the whole

story. “Don’t worry. Brother, come live together in our house.” “Heungbu! I

was wrong all this time. Please forgive me.” Since then Nolbu became a

kind person and lived with Heungbu’s family happily ever after (Par.

21-23).

Heungbu which is not only good to people but also good to the animal,

treated the swallow that fell from the nest, and in the end, he got some things that

helped him arise from poverty. Even when Heungbu does not live in poverty


42

again, he still accepts his brother which is a bad tempered and greedy person, back

to live with him again. Heungbu's hard work, his perfect and never ending

kindness, and his sincerity are examples of a good life.

C. The Neo-Confucianism Moral Values Revealed through Heungbu’s

Response Towards Nolbu’s Negative Treatments

The researcher analyzes the moral values of the behavior of the main

character, Heungbu, by using Neo-Confucianism moral philosophical approach. In

the story, some of the moral values that are revealed from the main character,

Heungbu, when responding to Nolbu's negative actions towards him are sincerity,

justice, honesty, hospitality, and harmony.

1. Sincerity

As stated in the story, “Don’t worry. Brother, come live together in our

house.” “Heungbu! I was wrong all this time. Please forgive me.” (par. 22). The

sentence in bold is Heungbu’s line. However, it can be seen from the line, that

Heungbu is being sincerely taking back his brother and his family to live with him

again. What he said, what he did, there is no distance between it. What he did to

his brother, as he took his brother with him again, is reflected in what he said.

Heungbu must be thinking about the matter of bringing back his brother and the

decision of it becomes what he said. So, what he did and what he said are a

reflection of what he thought before. Heungbu did not take any advantage of his

brother, but on the other hand, thanks to Heungbu, Nolbu became a better person.


43

“Since then Nolbu became a kind person and he lived with Heungbu’s family

happily ever after.” (par. 23).

From his behavior towards Nolbu, it appears that Heungbu is a sincere

person. He lives with his family in poverty as his brother kicked him out of the

house, but he accepts it and tries to survive with every effort he can do for life.

Heungbu still loves his brother despite being mistreated by him. Furthermore, he

is not angry or resentful towards his brother but instead wants his brother to turn

into a good person. This can be seen when Heungbu finally forgives Nolbu and

invites him to live with him.

Heungbu behavior of sincerity is an application of Neo-Confucianism virtue

of ren or humanity. Heungbu has carried out a behavior full of love and

forgiveness which is carried out sincerely. He also adds value to Nolbu's life by

turning him into a kind person. In the end, by behaving according to the virtues of

Neo-Confucianism, Heungbu brought his life and family relationship with Nolbu

back to harmony, as stated by master Song, that sincerity is necessary to achieve a

morally harmonious life.

In Neo-Confucianism, sincerity is mentioned as cheng, genuineness, and the

self-actualization of the moral virtues such that one achieves a morally

harmonious life via various forms of self-cultivation through such praxis as jing

mindfulness or attentiveness. Heungbu's attitude is genuine because it comes from

within himself, not an attitude made up because there are other interests.

Heungbu's attitude is also self-actualization of moral virtue to create a harmonious


44

life because he is kind to Nolbu even though he has been abused by him. What he

does by eliminating revenge is an act to create a harmonious life.

2. Justice

Justice teaches about a proper virtue in a certain situation. What happened

between Heungbu’s family and Nolbu’s family is proof of justice. Nolbu is

characterized as a greedy person, especially about wealth. The justice itself is

shown in the scene when Nolbu heard the news about Heungbu getting a seed

from a swallow. Nolbu gets greedier when he knew that his brother gets things

that can help his life arise from poverty. Nolbu also wants to get himself a

“wealth” instantly like what happened to his brother, but misfortune came instead.

At that moment, a strange thing happened. “Oh, dear! Inside the gourd

is rice?” “Aha!” It’s rice!” In the second gourd, treasure appeared from the

inside of it.

In the third gourd, silk poured out from inside (par. 15-16).

Heungbu, which is a hard worker and always kind to others, got himself good

stuffs as a sign of his kindness in return. However, Nolbu went to his brother and

tried to experience the same thing.


and see me!” “Brother, have you been well during this time?” “Well, and

where did you steal this stuff from?” (par. 17).

Nolbu who is greedy for wealth went to his brother to check if what

happened to his brother really happens. Justice, in this matter, prove that a proper

virtue in this situation. Goblins that came out of Nolbu’s gourd violently beat him

and with a magic bat destroyed Nolbu’s house and property altogether (par. 21).


45

Instead of wealth, a Goblin (a legendary creature from Korean mythology

and folklore) came out of the seed and beat Nolbu with the magic bat, and

destroyed his house. Justice itself works through this story. The Kind one gets his

rewards so does the greedy one. This is one of those many examples that people

can learn through the story.

What happened to Nolbu who was greedy and then beaten by Goblins and

burned his house, instead of getting rich, is a representation of justice. Justice

which is representing of the element Yi, involves a balanced understanding of a

situation and the ability to apply virtues. Furthermore, this balanced understanding

of the situation is proof of being realistic that is used by Yi Hwang. The justice

moral value that the story is trying to tell is the part of to be a realistic one, the

balancing between the good and the bad. As Rainey (2010, p. 31) said, Yi is

knowing what is proper, what is right, what is moral. This is based on one’s duty

in a situation and that is based on one’s status. Yi is what is appropriate. By

understanding the context, justice in the story applies when good people get good

results, while bad or greedy people get bad results.

Every person who does good things will get either good or bad things in

return, it depends on how the individuality of the person itself. As a person, it is

not a wrong choice to be careful with others, especially with the person that we do

not know well, so nothing bad happens to us.

The story stated,

Before they knew it, the seed sprouted, and each day as it was growing

bigger and bigger. The vine covered the roof and the round gourd opened.


46

“Honey! Look at that gourd. It's very ripe.” “I see. Today let’s get look at

the gourds.” Heungbu picked three gourds and started to saw them (par. 14).

“Saw, saw, let’s saw.” At that moment, a strange thing happened. “Oh,

dear! Inside the gourd is rice?” “Aha! It’s rice.” In the second gourd,

treasures appeared from inside of it (par. 15).

In the following year, it became spring and the swallows also flew to

Nolbu’s house and made a nest. Nolbu only was watching the swallow’s

nest. “That guy’s swallow, that swallow should fall and break its leg....”

Nolbu who couldn't wait, broke the swallow’s leg on purpose. “Chirp!

Chirp!” “Honey! Quickly bring the medicine and bandages.” “Hahaha, we

will also become rich.” “Swallow. Bring us back one seed from Gangnam”

(par. 19).

Nolbu planted the seed and it grew. While the vines grew rapidly the

gourds became ripe and desirable. Nolbu picked three gourds and started

sawing. “Saw, saw, saw, lots of treasure come out!” (par. 20).

(Thump! Bang!) “Ack! What is this? S-Someone help!” “Yes, you! I

know what you’ve done wrong!” “Oh no! What is this that you’re talking

about?” Goblins that came out of Nolbu’s gourd violently beat him and with

a magic club destroyed Nolbu’s house and property altogether (par. 21).

The two statements from paragraphs 14-15 and paragraphs 19-21 are

consequences from each action of Heungbu and Nolbu. Heungbu who is

kindhearted and loves to help others gets a good result. Heungbu and Nolbu are

two completely different characters, Heungbu who used to be living in poverty

after being chased out by his brother, becomes rich in a night because of his

kindness for helping the swallow that fell from the nest. The swallow that was

helped by Heungbu comes to him the next spring and gives him a seed to repay

his kindness and magically produced rice, treasures, and silk. Heungbu gets paid

for his good behavior. Meanwhile, Nolbu which breaks the swallow’s leg

purposely gets the opposite result of Heungbu. Nolbu who thinks that he will be

going to be rich like his brother in a night, gets a bad result. Nolbu is happy when


47

the swallow gives him a seed and thinks that he will become rich too. Instead of

treasures, Nolbu gets punishment from goblins, he is hit by the goblins, his house,

and property are all destroyed by the goblins.

In Neo-Confucianism, Yi (righteousness) is one of four virtues, which is

based on sympathy, shame, humility, and moral wisdom of the human mind and

heart. Thus, justice is also based on these values. Heungbu behavior who likes to

help others is an attitude based on sympathy. Meanwhile, Nolbu, who committed

bad behavior by breaking a swallow's leg on purpose, had disgraceful results. All

the good behavior that Heungbu has done is based on his humility. And the good

results obtained by Heungbu because of his kindness and also the bad results

obtained by Nolbu because of his bad attitude became an example of moral

wisdom for anyone in any case.

Folktales have been passed down and shared by members of the family or

community, some of them for entertaining the children, and others used to pass

down society customs, attitudes, values, and even philosophies of life to the next

generation. Folktales also allow the children to experience one of the ways a

society develops a sense of moral behavior in its children. Heungbu and Nolbu

which is being famous since the Korean war in 1950s, have passed down from

generation to generation and naturally become media for children to learn

kindness. As the media to learn, folktales mostly become a story that are

interesting for children and are naturally used by the parents often to form their

children’s character and morals according to the society that they follow, in this

case, the Neo-Confucianism society. Good deeds will bring you wealth and luck


48

which is also referring to justice, as mentioned by the concept of

Neo-Confucianism by master Song, Ren, as the paramount virtue and marker for

justice.

3. Honesty

The story of Heungbu and Nolbu illustrates that being honest will bring a

fulfilling life instead of being greedy and dishonesty will destroy life.

At that time, one of the swallows fell from the nest. “Oh, the

swallow’s leg is broken!” Heungbu’s family sincerely gave treatment to the

swallow. Some days later the swallow could fly in the sky again (par. 11).

In the following year, it became spring and the swallows also flew to

Nolbu’s house and made a nest. Nolbu only was watching the swallow’s

nest. “That guy’s swallow, that swallow should fall and break its leg....”

Nolbu who couldn't wait, broke the swallow’s leg on purpose. “Chirp!

Chirp!” “Honey! Quickly bring the medicine and bandages.” “Hahaha, we

will also become rich.” “Swallow. Bring us back one seed from Gangnam”

(par. 19).

From both statements, it can be seen that Heungbu, the younger, is being honest

and trying to help the swallow that fell from the nest by giving the swallow a

treatment. This action revealed a positive mutual result which is bringing

Heungbu’s family joy. Heungbu gets many treasures that he can use to help him

rise from poverty and become rich. Meanwhile, it can be seen from the second

paragraph that Nolbu is being greedy and being dishonest. Nolbu is purposely

breaks the swallow’s leg and gives it treatment so he can get seed too from the

swallow. The time when the seed ripens, he thinks that he can get the same result

as his brother gets but instead of treasure, the goblins come out and smacks Nolbu

and his family also destroyed his property. When Heungbu helps the swallow, he


49

is rewarded with treasures, and dishonest Nolbu who pursues the same goods, gets

his life ruined. In the end, this incident does not make Heungbu become a greedy

person and not change his kind nature despite his brother’s negative treatment. He

is sharing the treasure with his brother, Nolbu, in the end, to help him after his

property is destroyed by the goblins.

In Neo-Confucianism, honesty is the representation of yi (righteousness/

rightness). Being honest means having the courageous to tell the truth. Being

honest also refuses to violate moral prohibitions in ways that would rightly be

regarded as degrading or shameful, even when doing so is difficult and appears to

come at great personal cost (Angle and Tiwald, 2017). Being honest begins with

knowing what is right and acting properly by with the truth (Rainey, 2010, p. 31).

4. Hospitality

Another moral value that can be taken from the story is hospitality. It is

represented by the activity of Heungbu who provides his brother, Nolbu, with a

house and food to share. Despite what his brother did to him, Heungbu gives all

he has and can be shared with his brother after he saw what happened to his

brother. Heungbu is being friendly to his brother who has been treated him badly,

which also can be seen as building a new family bonding after what happened to

live in a new life together in a better way. In this paragraph below:

With a shabby appearance, Nolbu’s family went to find Heungbu.

“Heungbu!” “Brother! What happened?” While crying Nolbu told Heungbu

the whole story. “Don’t worry. Brother, come live together in our house.”

“Heungbu! I was wrong all this time. Please forgive me” (par. 22).


50

Since then Nolbu became a kind person and he lived with Heungbu’s

family happily ever after (par. 23).

It can be seen that Heungbu asked Nolbu to live with him. Hospitality is an

implementation of Neo-Confucianism virtue ren (humanity). Someone who does

hospitality means loving others. That is in accordance with ren virtue as said by

Angle and Tiwald (2017) as acts out of love or care to promote the interests of

others, as when helping someone in need of food or looking after a child or sibling.

What Heungbu did to Nolbu by giving him food and asking him to live with him

was a form of love. It could be said that Heungbu had behaved in hospitality.

5. Harmony

Heungbu and Nolbu are two people with different characteristics. At the

beginning of the story can be seen that Nolbu has a very different character from

his brother, Heungbu. Nolbu can be seen as a bit unfriendly character toward

Heungbu and seems like an uncaring individual, cannot be more open minded, has

different opinions and conflicts with his brother and the family. Heungbu never

yelled at Nolbu, counter his brother’s anger with empathy and compassion, and

always accept the fact that his brother may not agree with him. All objects or

events are emerged and return to them back when they have done with their works.

Nolbu is trying to do instant work and being unfair to his brother to get rich, while

Heungbu is always being kind to people and animals. All events are emerged and

return to each of them. Nolbu remains poor and Heungbu remains in peaceful life.

However, at the end of the story, Heungbu and Nolbu makeup and live together

with Heungbu’s helps in Heungbu’s house. The harmony was created in the


51

family thanks to Heungbu who overcomes the differences and disagreements

between him and his brother.

In “Song-Ming Confucianism”, by Justin Tiwald, Stanford Encyclopedia of

Philosophy, (June 21, 2020), the researcher conclude that harmony is a

combination of qi and li. The nature of both qi and li (pattern) generate what it is

and how it works, and when both are in balance, things are in order and there is

harmony. In “Neo-Confucianism Philosophy” by John Berthrong, The Internet

Encyclopedia of Philosophy, He or harmony and zhong or centrality as

designations of the goals or outcomes of the successful cultivation of all the

virtues necessary for human flourishing.

Every person wants to live in harmony with the people. By living in

harmony, people can live peacefully and the most important thing is respecting

others. A world where we live is filled with conflicts, peoples who have different

opinions, disasters. A person may feel struggle to sync in with the other people

around or larger societies. Participating with other people like in community

events, hanging out with friends or spending quality time with family members,

caring to partner, being open minded and accepting differences and disagreements,

helping others, can be your family, friends or neighbors, doing a hobby, taking a

self-care and being positive may help us to live in harmony.


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CHAPTER V

CONCLUSION

In this study, the researcher analyzes the Neo-Confucianism moral values

revealed through the Korean folktale, Heungbu and Nolbu. To analyze moral

values, the researcher finds the characteristics of each character of the main

characters, Heungbu and Nolbu. The researcher finds that the characteristics of

Heungbu are respectful, strong, independent, sincere, and honest. Meanwhile, the

characteristics of Nolbu are cynical, bitter, bad tempered, and greedy.

In order to answer the second problem formulation, the researcher analyzes

how the main character, Heungbu, responds to his brother, Nolbu’s negative

treatments of himself. In the story, it tells that Heungbu and Nolbu are siblings.

Nolbu is the older and Heungbu is the younger. Nolbu and Heungbu are a really

different characters. Heungbu always does good things and often gets praised by

others while Nolbu is greedy and bad tempered but also likes to make trouble.

After their parents died, Nolbu claimed the property and chased out Heungbu and

his family from the house.

Heungbu is living in poverty trying to get help from his brother because he

also needs to get his family to eat, but instead of getting some helps from his

brother, Heungbu keeps getting hit and chased out of the house. One day,

Heungbu helps to cure a swallow that fell from its nest and break its leg and then

the swallow back to him the next spring to give him a seed which is rice, silk and


53

treasures are come out when it is ripened. Heungbu becomes rich in a night.

Nolbu heard about this news and tried to do the same way as Heungbu but

purposely break the swallow’s leg. Good deeds will bring luck, but Nolbu is

dishonesty and greedy. Instead of treasure like what his brother gets, but goblins

come out, hit Nolbu and his family then destroy his properties. Nolbu then goes to

Heungbu’s house asking for some help. Instead of revenge on his brother,

Heungbu forgives Nolbu and takes him and his family to live with him.

In order to answer the third problem formulation, the researcher analyzes

what the neo-Confucianism moral values are revealed through Heungbu’s

response toward Nolbu’s negative treatments. The moral values revealed from this

research are sincerity, justice, honesty, hospitality, and harmony.


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REFERENCES

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APPENDIX

Appendix 1: Summary of folktale Heungbu and Nolbu

Heungbu and Nolbu is a folktale based on the description of the Joseon era

but became famous since the end of the Korean war in 1950s. This story has

passed down to be shared by the family members to pass down the social customs,

attitudes, values and as entertaining purpose for the children to next generation.

The written version posted in Asian Story Translation

(http://lostintranslationland.blogspot.co.id) which the text is originally from the

Parrot Fairy Tale Series by SaSaem publishing company (지혜와 슬기 주머니

14 새샘 명작).

Heungbu and Nolbu is a story about two brothers named Heungbu and

Nolbu. Heungbu, the younger brother is a gently and nice person and Nolbu is

very greedy and bad tempered. Nolbu seized his father’s entire fortune and kick

Heungbu’s family from the house, living in poverty. Soon, Heungbu helped a

swallow fell from the nest and return his kindness with a gourd seed, later found

out that the seed was actually filled with treasures and silk. Heungbu becomes rich

in a night. Hearing about the news, Nolbu is trying to do the same thing as his

brother did but broke the swallow’s leg on purpose. The next spring, the swallow

back to Nolbu and give him a gourd seed. Instead of treasure and silk, goblins

come out from the seed and beat him with the magic club, and destroye all of

Nolbu’s properties.


http://lostintranslationland.blogspot.co.id/

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