Those theories of character and characterization help the author present a character, as well as helping the readers understand the message implied to the
work. Those theories will be helpful for the writer to identify and understand a character.
3. Theory of Symbol
Symbolism is said to be one of the most important aspects of serious imaginative literature. According to Burton, it is a meaning calculated and willed, a
deliberate mental translation of concepts into illustrative, pedagogic, sensuous terms. The symbols are illustrative in a readers mind and that by sensing symbols it can
create a meaning rather than its literal meaning seeing symbols on where they lay in a literary work. 1977: 189
According to Merriam Webster’s Encyclopedia of Literature, the symbols used in literature are often a different sort are often a different sort which means that
they are usually private or personal in that their significance is only evident in the context of the work in which they appear. A symbol can also have not only one
meaning 1995: 1085. In literature, symbolism is an important device for writers. Literary symbols
extend meaning beyond the prosaic representation of realities afforded by literal description or extracted through analysis and exposition. According to Barton and
Hudson, a literary symbol designates an object or a process that not only serves as an image itself but also refers to a concept or abstract idea that is important to the theme
of a work. Harmon notes that there are two broad types of symbol; first, there are
symbols that carry a universal meaning. In this case, a sunrise may represent a new beginning or a stream the passage of time. With the second type, an object or process
is invested with a particular meaning by author Barton and Hudson, 1997: 491-493. Stanton implies that ideas and emotions often seem as real as any physical
fact; yet they are invisible, intangible things. In literature, one way of giving them the vividness of reality is to use symbol-concrete, factual details that evoke ideas and
emotions in the readers mind. He says that by using symbols, the author can make his meaning visible 1965: 31.
Another theory which is about the effects of symbols is also explained by Stanton, as he states that
First, the symbol that apperas during an important moment of the story underlines the significance of that moment. Second, a symbol repeated several
times reminds us of some constant element in the storys world. Third, a symbol that recurs in varying contexts helps to define or clarity the theme
1965: 31-32.
The theory above explains the effects symbols can give towards the reader. Though, problems like finding the correct symbols and their meanings behind it do
still exist. Robert Stanton in Introduction to Fiction gives ways for readers to find symbols. It is by making something conspicuous by describing it more fully that its
factual importance, by making it unusual for no apparent reason, by mentioning it in the title, and many more. Stanton also explained the way to find what is symbolized
behind certain symbols. He said there are three ways to find them and they are by finding the common connotation of the symbol, comparing the connotation with the
context in the literary work, and comparing the context to one another.
The next quotation according to Barnet, Burto and Cain in Literature for Composition, Essays, Fiction, Poetry, Drama
explains how to find symbols in literature
If writers use symbols, they want readers to perceive.. How do writers help us to perceive things? By emphasizing them-for instance, by describing them at
some length, or by introducing them at times when they might not seem strictly necessary, or by calling attention to them repeatedly 2005: 231.
Based on the theory above, it is important to find objects that the writer wants to use as a symbol. This theory shows that the writer has to emphasize the symbol by
describing them at some length, by introducing them at times when they might not seem necessary, and by calling attention to them repeatedly.
According to Kennedy and Gioia in An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry and Drama
, it is stated that interpreting symbols have to begin avoiding vagueness. It is begun by listing the specific object, people, and ideas with which a particular symbol
is associated. It is not suggested to be objective but rather subjective when interpreting them. Identifying an exact place in the story where the symbol links itself
to other things has to be done. The list of associations does not need to be long; it only needs to be accurate and reasonable 1999: 242.
C. Theoretical Framework
