Review of Related Theories
usually minor characters although not all minor characters are flat. They are undistinguishable from their class or group. We understand little about their traits
and lives. Unlike the round characters who are dynamic, this type of character is static since they are not developed and do not change or grow.
The term stock characters is also found in this theory to show the type of character who performs in the repeating situations and have many common or
outstanding traits for examples are the clown, the revenger, the foolish boss, the macho male, etc. They are given the label stereotype because they all seem to be
cast in the same mold. Authors use many different ways to convey information about characters
in fiction through the methods of characterizing which is often called characterization. Grenville states:
“Characterization is all the things writers do to build up the characters they want. Characterization is the process that
transforms real- life people into characters in fiction 1998: 36.”
M. J. Murphy’s Understanding Unseens 1972: 161-173 includes the theory of characterization and he proposes nine methods to disclose the characters.
Below are those nine methods: a. Personal description
The character is personally described by using the appearance skin color, hair, eyes, nose, hands, and the other parts of the body and clothes how she or he
wears the cloth and what kind of cloth she or he wears. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
b. Characters as seen by another By using this method, the readers are able to describe the certain character
through the other’s character opinion, view, attitudes, and comments to that character.
c. Speech The conversations even if the character do monologue that are made by the
author allow the readers to notice how the characters speak or say about something so that they give information about the characters.
d. Past life This methods invites the readers to describe the characters through their past life
or experiences. e. Conversation of other
The author describes the characteristics of a character through the conversation done by others and their saying about him or her.
f. Reaction The readers are able to obtained information about the character by analyzing
his or her reactions while facing some events, incidents, or cases. g. Direct comment
This method will be easier than the other since the author gives the description about the characters directly.
h. Thoughts In this case, the author describes the character of a character through his or her
thoughts that may be presented from the speech or attitude. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
i. Mannerism The characters are described by the author through their mannerisms, habits, or
idiosyncrasies. According to Abrams, however, there are two methods of characterization:
showing or dramatic method and telling method. In the first method, the author presents the characters talking and acting and leaves the reader to infer what
motives and dispositions lay behind what they say and do. Whereas, in the second method, the author intervenes authoritatively in order to describe, and often to
evaluate, the motives and dispositional qualities of the characters 1981:21.
2. Theory of Conflict Conflict is the most significant element and the essence of plot which is
also considered as a necessary element in fiction. The reason that conflict is the major ingredient in a plot is that once two forces are in opposition, there may be
doubt about the outcome. The doubt, if the readers become interested and engaged with the characters, produces curiosity and also tension. The interest of a highly
contested game is also generated by a conflict in a story. The conflict should be a contest, an engagement between characters or forces of approximately equal
strength. The point is that unless there is doubt there is tension, and unless there is tension there is no interest Roberts and Jacobs, 1989:99.
Further, Virgil Scott adds that conflict must be handled in certain ways in order to make it convincing and effective. Therefore, he writes in his book Studies
in the Short Stories basic principles that should be noticed by a writer if they want
to arouse and maintain a reader’s interest in a story. First, the conflict in a story must be significant. It means that as a result of given conflict, the character or
characters involved there will never again be quite the same people as they were before the incident occurred. Second, there must be a unity of the conflict, the
characters, the theme, the symbols, and the point of view, and the other literary devices. They must be interrelated, functional, and necessary to achieving the
story’s basic purpose or effect. Unity, in the term of conflict, means that each development in the conflict of a story must follow logically and inevitably from
the preceding development 1968:3-4. There are various ways used by the author to arrange the events. In the
narrative structure, the author will usually begin the story by giving the reader information which he must have before he can understand the conflict that
follows. This part is called exposition. The section called the rising actions follows just after the exposition. Here, the author proceeds to introduce the
complication or conflict. The resolution or denouement takes place after that. It is the climax that will be the turning point of the action which will lead to that
section. The reader will be led to an understanding of some kind of disclosure Rohrberger and Woods, 1971:21. Such this plot above is noted by
Koesnosoebroto in his book The Anatomy of Prose Fiction as the conventional plot. This type of plot places conflict at the core of it 1988:43.
Rohrberger and Woods suggest us that conflict is not only a struggle between people. The protagonist may be in conflict with fate, the gods,
environment, and even with a part of himself with conflicting value systems or PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
desires. Another possibility is that his inner conflict may be in objectified in a conflict with someone or something outside himself.
The same idea is contributed by Koesnosoebroto by claiming that a conflict may be physical, moral, psychological, intellectual, or spiritual contest
between antagonistic forces. What he means by antagonistic forces are internal conflict between aspects of the personality or external conflict between a person
and external forces such as another person, society, environment, nature, the universe, and God. He then specifies his explanation by employing the types of
conflict that he adopts from other writer. Below are those types of conflict: a. a conflict of man-against-man when the main character is pitted against some
other some other person or group of persons b. a conflict of man-against-environment when the main character is confronted
against some external forces physical nature, society, or fate c. a conflict of man-against-himself the internal conflict when the main
character is confronted against some elements in his own nature Moreover, he states:
“An external conflict may be a projection of internal conflict. Whatever, a major function of conflict is to clarify the issue or
problem. At moments of great conflict, characters reveal themselves more clearly, plot moves through its most significant
action, and theme arises most evidently from its context
1988:43.” The term internal and external conflicts are also deployed by Redman in
categorizing conflict. Internal or inner conflict refers to a struggle within the heart and mind of the protagonist. While external conflict refers to a struggle between
the protagonist and an outside force. In his opinion, conflict is resolved when one PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
force usually the protagonist succeeds or fails in overcoming the opposing force. The protagonist sometimes gives up the struggle as too difficult or not worthwhile
1964:363. Holman and Harmon also contribute four different kinds of conflict. They
are a struggle against nature, a struggle against another person usually the antagonist, a struggle against society, and a struggle for mastery by two elements
within the person 1986: 107. Meanwhile, Stanton affirms that internal conflict, external conflict, or even
both of them reduce to the central conflict. The central conflict is the core of the story’s structure or the generating center out of which the plots grows. It is
possible to have more than one conflict or force in the story, still the central conflict that fully accounts for the events of the plot. The central conflict of a
story, therefore, is intimately related to its theme. In the other words, both of them may be identical 1965:16.
3. Theory of Message One of the purposes why a literary work is written by an author is to offer
kind of ideal life the author expects. It contains of moral application in the chara
cter’s attitude. Through the story and the character’s attitude, the readers then are expected to be able to take lesson from the moral values that are
delivered. Moral, in a literary work, can be viewed as message Nurgiyantoro, 2007:321.
Message is something that the author would like to convey to the reader. It is the meaning of the story or the meaning that is suggested through the story.
Message is sometimes considered identical with theme since both of them are something contained in the story and can be interpreted from the story. However,
message and theme do not always refer to the same thing. Theme is different from moral in that it is not only more complex than moral but also does not have
meaning or direct value as suggestion for the reader. Hence, message or moral can be judged as one form of theme but in the simple way. It should be noticed then
that not all theme are message Nurgiyantoro, 2007:320. The same concept is told by Stanton by stating that theme contains
reevaluation or judgment of moral or message direct or indirectly 1965:4, 19 and message can be seen as one form of theme 1966:899. Meanwhile, Beaty and
Hunter try to assert the difference between theme and message more clearly, “While message seeks to inform and convince, theme seeks to have you
comprehend and empathize, so that the information or the ideas are less directly articulated, or more broadly accessible 1989:899.”
It is revealed by Roman Jacobson as quoted by Jeremy Hawthorn in A Concise Glossary of Contemporary Literature
that sending the message is the general function of language. Therefore, it needs several requirements in order to
be more operative. There are six factors that determine the effectiveness of message those are addressers who sends the message, the message itself,
addressee who receives the message, context in which the message referred to, code being used for the meaning of a particular word, and contact both physical or
psychological connection
between addresser
and addressee
to stay in
communication. “The addresser sends a message to the addressee. To be operative the
message requires a context referred to, sizable by the addressee, and either verbal or capable of being verbalized; a code fully, or at least
partially, common to the addresser and ad dressee…, and finally a
contact , a physical channel and psychological connection between the
addresser and the addressee, enabling both of them to enter and stay in communication Hawthorn, 1992: 73-
74.” The message or moral that is offered in the literary work, especially
fiction, is always related to human’s noble characters and has universal characteristic. Its universality means that it does not only refer to individual or a
group of people but also to the all human being in this universe. Therefore, the truth will be accepted universally. Furthermore, we should be aware that the
message in the fiction conforms to the nature of human being characters and not to the rules or regulation which are created, determined, and judged by human being.
Besides, the message of fiction is not always in accordance with the religion law since fiction indeed is not religion Nurgiyantoro, 2007:322.
According to Nurgiyantoro, a novel can propose more than one message. Still there will be major and minor message. Kinds of messages or moral
themselves may includes conflicts owned by human being i.e. the conflict between man and himself, the conflict between man and other people or nature, and the
conflicts between man and God. The reader’s task is to recognize and take lesson from the messages then Nurgiyantoro, 2007: 333-334.
Therefore, the reader needs to recognize the author’s method in delivering the message. For practical reason, Nurgiyantoro mentions that the message can be
delivered by the author through direct and indirect form. Direct form means the message is conveyed directly and explicitly by the author. Here, the author seems
to teach the reader and gives his advice straightly. This method is communicative in that the reader enable to understand and comprehend what the author intends to
say easily 2007:335-336. In comparison to the previous form, indirect form means the message is implied in the story and fuse coherently with the other
elements of the story. This method allows the reader to determine his own message. Unlike the direct method, the indirect method is less communicative in
that the reader can not always able to reach the author’s intention. Therefore, it may cause misunderstanding 2007: 339-340.