30 the author, character’s reaction to various situations and events, thoughts, and
mannerism para.160-173. In this analysis the writer will apply all those methods to understand the characteristics of the main character in Coelho’s Veronika Decides to
Die. Furthermore, the theory of motivation will also be used to understand the
personality of the main character. In this part, the main character will be analysed in details. Quotations from the novel will be used to support the characterization. The
writer will only focus on describing the characteristic of Veronika, the main character of Coelho’s Veronika Decides to Die to help the readers understand Veronika’s
characteristics.
4.1.1 Veronika is young, pretty and intelligent
There are some descriptions of Veronika, the main character, portrayed by the author of this novel. Veronika, the main character of Coelho’s Veronika Decides to
Die described herself as a young, pretty and intelligent. Since I only took sleeping pills, I’m not disfigured in any way: I’m still
young, pretty, intelligent, I won’t have any difficulty getting boyfriends, I never did p. 21.
Veronika’s description of herself is also supported by some remarks of the
other characters. Veronika is known as a beautiful young woman of age 24. A nurse in Villete described her as a young and pretty woman. “…, I kept wondering why a
31 pretty young girl, with her whole life ahead of her, should want to kill herself…” p.
65. Moreover, Mari, one of the lunatics in Villete described Veronika as a young,
pretty and healthy woman. How Mari described Veronika could be seen from her conversation with Eduard when they were talking about Veronika.
…”And it’s because of the girl,” said Mari. “We’ve seen a lot of people die here, always when they least expected it, and usually after they’d entirely
given up on life. But this is the first time we’ve seen it happening to a young, pretty, healthy person with so much to live for.” p. 150.
Veronika was in the age of twenty four when she decided to commit suicide.
Veronika is considered as a mature individual who is able to make her own choices as revealed through a conversation between Dr. Igor and Veronika’s mother when
Veronika’s mother came to see Veronika in Villete. “…How old is she?
“Twenty-four.”
“So she is a mature, experienced woman who knows what she wants and is perfectly capable of making her own choices…” p. 78
4.1.2 Veronika has an attractive appearance
Moreover, the author described Veronika as an attractive woman who could attract others’ attention to her appearance. “When she entered a room everyone would
turn to look at her…” p. 67. The description above shows that Veronika is a person who has attractive appearance which is able to attract people’s attention.
32 A more details description was made by the lunatics in Villete when Veronika
was missing. The lunatics portrayed Veronika as a woman with green eyes and brown hair.
That night, when they were all together for supper, the inmates noticed that four people were missing… Finally, the girl with green eyes and brown hair
was missing.” p. 195. The descriptions of Veronika’s appearance above prove that Veronika is an
attractive and beautiful woman who can attract everyone’s attention.
4.1.3 Veronika is an Organized Person
Furthermore, beside her physical appearance, Veronika also has some other personal characteristics that can be seen through the way she thought and interacted
with other people. The author described Veronika as an individual who had an organized life. It can be seen in the beginning of the novel.
“She does her routines of cleaning her room, brushing her teeth and lying down before she took the pills. She chooses to do all of her routines rather
than doing anything else she never does before. She likes to keep everything right in order p. 1”.
Veronika’s choice to live in a convent with strict rules shows that Veronika is
an organized person. “She rented a room in the convent because the nuns required all the tenants to
be back at a certain hour, and then they locked the door. Anyone still outside after that had to sleep on the street” p. 44.
By living in a convent Veronika can maintain an organized life. The convent
with strict rules limits her interaction with other people and it plays an important role to measure and organize her relationship with other people. Her decision to live in a
