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of course, accounts of great men committing suicide by disembowelment that serve as reminders for others not to neglect the duty called giri
to one‟s name. To enrich Benedict
‟s opinion, this study will analyze honor in Oishi Kuranosuke character that lives as the combination of loyalty and self-control as the
determination to make the best decision as a ronin in Genroku era.
B. Review of Related Theories
1. Theory of Character and Characterization
In a literary work to support and develop the story inside, we need the important role of the character. Character is usually a human figure. In the story
sometimes there are one or more characters that have major part in the whole story and called as the main character. As the reader of a novel, we often give our attention
to the main character and try to analyze hisher action and the personal development in the story. Characters action, speech, and development are influencing the story, so
the audience will get a better understanding into the story. A character, according to A Dictionary of Literary and Thematic Themes by
Edward Quinn, is a person depicted in narrative or drama with descriptions of its physical appearance, mind, and motivation Quinn, 2006:72-73. While, Cleanth
Brooks and Robert Penn Warren in The Scope of Fiction assert that “ a
character has to resemble human beings in all senses and this is not to say that a character must be in the form of human being, only there must be some characters
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that are described more fully and therefore more special than others ” Brooks
Warren, 1960:148. The other description about the theory of character and characterization
comes from Abrams. He, in his book A Glossary of Literary Terms, stated that character is divided into two kinds, flat and round. Abrams stated
, “Flat characters are a one- dimensional in that they are relatively uncomplicated and do not change
throughout the course of work. This makes the flat characters are monotonous. In the contrary, the round characters are complex and undergo development. The round
characters sometimes sufficiently surprise the reader ” 1981:20.
Compare with the description that Abrams stated in his book, Holman and Harmon in A Handbook of Literature stated that:
Characterization is the creation of imaginary person so that they exist for the reader as if the people in the real life. While in order to understand the
characteristics of the character, we need to go to through the characterization. Characterization is a process of a character which is portrayed as a real
person who lives in real life or the process of the author to create the characters 1986:81
M.J. Murphy in his Understanding Unseen : An Introduction to English Poetry and the English Novel for Overseas Students
stated nine important ways that are needed to understand. Those nine ways are:
1. Personal Description
The author describes the character by hisher physical appearance. The character can be thin, fat, handsome, or bad looking. The clothes can describe the character
‟s
