Laurence Perrine, in his book
Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense
, divides characters into two types, namely:
a. Static character. Shehe is the one who does not undergo and change. At
the end, he or she is still the same as in the beginning of the story. b.
Dynamic character. Shehe is the one who is modified by actions and experience and one objective of the work in which the character appears to
reveal the consequences of those actions. The character undergoes a permanent change can be a large or small one: it may be for better or for
worse 1978: 70.
2. Theories on Characterization
According to Abrams, characterizing is establishing the distinctive characters of the persons in the narrative, and there are two methods to
characterize, they are by showing and telling. In showing, also called the dramatic method, the author simply presents the characters talking and acting
and leaves the reader to infer the motives and dispositions that lie behind what they say and do. The author may show not only external speech and actions, but
also a characters inner thoughts, feelings, and responsiveness to events; for a highly developed mode of such inner showing, see stream of consciousness. In
telling, the author intervenes authoritatively in order to describe, and often to evaluate, the motives and dispositional qualities of the characters 1999: 33.
Besides that theory, according to Murphy in
Understanding Unseen
1972: 161-173, it is mentioned that there are attempts to acknowledge characteristics and behavior of characters, to make the characters become
understandable to the reader. The first attempt to describe the characteristics and the behavior of
characters is through personal description. The author can describe the person‘s appearance and clothes.
Then the second attempt, we can acknowledge the character‘s description as seen by others. The author can describe him through the eyes and opinions of
another. The third attempt is through a speech or conversation. The author can give
us an insight into the character through what the person says. Whenever a person speaks, whenever he is in conversation with another, whenever he puts forward an
opinion, he is giving the clue of his character. The fourth attempt is by knowing from the thought the character has in
mind. The author gives us the description of characteristic from what the character‘s thinking.
The last attempt is by knowing the past life of the character. By letting the reader learn something about a person‘s past life the author can give us a clue the
shape of his character.
3. Psychoanalytic Criticism
