4.2.1 Main Character and Peripheral Character
Main character is the character that often appears in the almost each event and main character is the important and the special character, so that we fell is so
dominates the story. In certain novel, the main characters always appears in almost each event and can be found in each page of the novel. When we read
novel or any other literary work, we will usually deal with some character. There is character that classified as an important character and showed in the story
continuosly. In the case, main character has always related with other character. Peripheral character is the character that appears once or sometimes in a
novel, and may be relatively in short portion. It is called peripheral character often provide, support, and illuminate the protagonist.
4.2.2 Protagonist character and Antagonist character
Protagonist is the central figure of the story. The word “protagonist” derives from the Greek protagonist, “one who plays the first part, chief actor.”
The term protagonist is defined to be either always synonymous with the term main character, or it is defined as a different concept, in which case a single
character stil may and usually will serve the function of both the protagonist and main character, or the functions may be split.
An antagonist from Greek antagonists,“opponent, competitor, rival” is a character or group of characters, or, sometimes an institution of a happening who
represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend. In the classic style of story where in the action consist of a hero fighting a villain, the
Universitas Sumatera Utara
antagonist is not always the villain, but simply those who oppose the main character.
4.2.3 Types of characters: Round and Flat
The British novelist and critic E. M. Foster, in his critical work Aspects of the Novel, calls the two major types “round” and “flat.”
Round Characters is a character who shows many different face; often
presented in depth and with great detail. The basic trait of round characters is that they recognize, change with or adjust to circumstances. The round character-
usually the main figure in a story-profits from experience and undergoes a change or alliteration, which may be shown in 1 an action or actions, 2 the realization
of new strenght and therefore the affirmation of previous decisions, 3 the acceptance of a new condition, or 4 the discovery of unrecognized truths.
Because round they usually play a major role in a story, round characters are often called the hero or heroine. Many main characters are anything but
heroic, however, and it is therefore preferable to use the more neutral word protagonist. The protagonist is central to the action, moves against an antagonist,
and exhibits the abality to adapt to new circumstances. To the degree that around characters are both individual and sometimes unpredictable, and because they
undergo change or growth, they are dynamic.
Flat Characters is a character who usually has only one outstanding trait
or featuree. In contrast, flat characters do not grow. They remain the same because they may be stupid or insensitive or lacking in knowledge or insight. They end
where they begin and are static, not dynamic. But, flat characters are not therefore
Universitas Sumatera Utara
worthless, for they usually highlight the developmet of the round characters. Usually, flat characters are minor, although not all minor characters are
necessarily flat. Sometimes flat character are prominent in certain types of literature, such
as cowboys, police, and detective stories, where the focus is less on character than on performance. Such as character might be lively engaging, even though they do
not develop or change. They must be strong, though, and clever enough to perform recurring tasks like solving a crime, overcoming a villain, or a finding a
treasure. The term stock character refers to characters in these to the degree that stock characters have many common tarits, they are representative of their class,
or group. Such as characters with variations in names, ages, and sexes, have been constant in literature since the ancient Greek.
4.3 Questions about the characters in novel
Kategori