Background of the Study
The major character is the most supported character in the novel. The other elements in the novel are created to support it existence while the
secondary character is a character which is less prominent than the major character. Henkle, 1977: 88
The major character is the focus of the story. All of the elements in the story support the major character to reach the goal of the story. The secondary
character is also important because it makes the story goes. Secondary character as a proponent acts to show how the major character is built.
In his book, Henkle also mention theory by E. M. Foster which stated about flat and round character.
In a famous definition of fictional characters, the early twentieth-century novelist E. M. Foster said that there are “flat” characters who are
compelled by a set idea in their creator, and “round” characters who embody all the variations and complexities of human nature. Henkle,
1977: 91
Flat characters are characters which remains the same from beginning until the end of the story. Its character is brought by the creator. Usually secondary
characters are flat characters. They carry the quality that support the major characters. Round characters are the characters which experience a change. They
are livelier and show reaction toward event or other things by changing their characters. Round characters show the reader the nature of human that make the
story more actual. Here are the characteristics of major character found in Henkle’s book.
The first one is that the major character built the value and encouraged the reader to expect from them.
As we noted in Chapter 3, the major character in a novel perform a key structural function: upon them we build expectations and desires, which, in
modification, shift or establish our values. Henkle, 1977: 92
The creation of major character here is to make a convincing drama and to show human issues of the book by the amplitude and attention given to it.
As the writer turn to secondary character, however, we discover that they perform more limited functions. In order to understand the role of a secondary
character, we must identify some of those functions. The most obvious function of secondary characters is to populate the
world of the novel. Since fiction presents human context, the secondary character establish that context. Henkle, 1977:94
In other word secondary character is made to support the real-like world in the novel. It also stands for the better understanding of the major character.
To give a certain character the author do what is called characterization. Characterization is the central to the fictional experience. Factors that
enable author to communicate human qualities and guide us to understanding of human themes in the novel are complexity of the
characterization. It is about the attention given certain figures and personal intensity that a character seems to transmit. Henkle, 1977: 86,87
Characterization is the way how the characters are made by the creator. The process of the characters maker, why do they have certain natures, how do impact
of their nature to other characters, and also why do they have certain habits are some of the consideration that the author make to create a characters in a story.
Character is an extended verbal representation of a human being, the inner self that determines though, speech, and behavior. The characters can be
shown in dialogue, action, and commentary. Jacobs 1986: 119 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
There are some clues of how the characters are disclosed. The first is from what they themselves say. The second one is from what other characters say about
them. Then, it also stated implicitly in the action that they did. The last one is from the statements of the author of the story Jacobs, 1986: 122-124
Reader can disclose the nature of characters in fiction by analyzing what they themselves say. For example, in Glaspell’s Trifles the writer can conclude
that the men underestimate women by their saying. The men said that women used to worry over trifles.
The second one is by what other say about them. From the utterances of other character reader can get the characteristic of a character. Sometimes in a
daily life human also likely to judge other or just say that some people like this and that. That is also happened in the narrative story since it is a picturesque of
the real life. The third one is stated implicitly in the action that they do. In real life the
character of human is often reflected by their deeds because it must be based on their way of thinking. An easy going person will not think too much to do
something. That person will immediately say yes if asked to do something or go somewhere. That is also what we will find in the story.
Another one is by statement of author of the story. This one is like a easiness that the reader will get in reading a story. Sometime in the story the
author gives some explanation or description about characters that are going to PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
play in a story. By reading that, the reader can gather information about the characters and what role they maybe play in the story.