ANDREA SACH’S STRUGGLES AGAINST EXPLOITATION AND ALIENATION IN LAUREN WEISBERGER’S THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA

Abstract

Considered as a portrait of life, literature often conveys social phenomena, such as those in Lauren Weisberger’s The Devil Wears Prada, a novel that portrays subordinate’s exploitation and alienation. Therefore, the novel is interesting to analyze. The objectives of this study are to analyze the intrinsic aspects of the novel, to describe that exploitation happens in the society of the novel, to analyze that the exploitation done by Miranda Priestly to Andrea Sach, her staff, causes alienation, and to show that subordinate represented by Andrea Sach can struggle against the exploitation and alienation. The method used in the study is library research. To analyze the social aspects of the novel, sociological approach is employed. The study reveals that exploitation happens in the society of the novel. It is represented by the relationship between Andrea Sach and Miranda Priestly, her superior. There is an unbalanced power which leads Andrea Sach under pressure. The exploitation makes Andrea Sach alienated. Almost all of her time is to satisfy what her job requires. Because of her demanding job, she gets distanced from her boyfriend, her close friend, and even from her family. Later, she realizes that she is exploited and alienated. She struggles to come out from the situations. Her decision to come back home gets her fired. She has reckoned that her decision will draw her into a direct confrontation with Miranda. However, it makes her free. She is no longer under pressure and has more time to fix her alienation up. It can be concluded that even though exploitation and alienation cannot be rejected, people can fight against it.