is called characterization. The ability to characterize is a primary attribute of a good writer Holman and Harmon, 1986: 81.
According to Holman and Harmon, there are three fundamental methods of characterization in fiction. The first one is “the explicit presentation by the
author of the character through direct exposition, either in an introductory block or more often piecemeal throughout the work, illustrated by action” 1986: 81.
The second one, they state that “the presentation of the character in action, with little or no explicit comment by the author, in the expectation that the reader will
be able to deduce the attributes of the actor from the actions; and the last one” 1986: 81. For the last one “the representation from within a character, without
comment on the character by the author, of the impact of actions and emotions on the character’s inner self, with the expectation that the reader will come to a clear
understanding of the attributes of the character” 1986: 81 comes as one of the fundamental methods of characterization.
2. Theories of Social Bullying and the Impact of Social Bullying
In social life, there are connections among a person toward the others. In childhood, children play and interact with their friends as a form of interaction in
their age. These interactions result many things. Interactions can result good or bad things. The good things can be in the form of friendship or healthy peer. On
the contrary, bad things can come in the form of bullying. Referring to the age of the characters, the victim and the doers of social bullying, in the book, the writer
finds out the age range. The age range of the characters is 11-12 years old since
they are fifth graders. Helen Cowie states in New Perspective On Bullying that “13 to 14-year-old pupils were more likely than 11 to 12-year-old pupils to refer
to an imbalance of power” Cowie, 2008: 5. Relating to some researches related to bullying in social life, she also states that the bully and the victim, suggesting
that children did not share adult researchers’ claims that bullying is a social process that extends beyond the bullyvictim dyad” Cowie and Jennifer, 2008:5.
In Life-Span Development, John W. Santrock mentions the definition of bullying. It is defined as “a verbal or physical behavior intended to disturb someone less
powerful Santrock, 2009: 337”, “then children who said they were bullied reported more lonely and difficult in making friends’“ Santrock, 2009: 338.
There is another statement of bullying. According to Brunstein Klomek, “bullies and their victims in adolescence were more likely to experience depression and
engage suicide ideation and attempt suicide than their counterparts who were not involved in bullying” Brunstein Klomek others, 2007: 46, 40-49.
In Personality Development, Elizabeth B. Hurlock places bullying as a form of cruelty. Which forms of cruelty a person uses will depend upon which
give him the greatest personal satisfaction and which avoid or minimize social disapproval. One of the most common forms is bullying-inflicting physical pain
on an animal or person who is smaller, weaker, or less able to defend himself Hurlock, 1974: 404. For Pamela Orpmas, the relational bully “uses covert or
indirect forms of aggressions, such as intentionally isolating another student, excluding peers from a group, threatening to withdraw friendship, or spreading
negative rumors or lies about a child” Orpmas, 2006: 20.
Helen Cowie differs bullying into three parts. The first one is direct physical aggression. She states that “direct physical aggression includes such
behaviours as pushing, hitting, punching or kicking” Cowie and Jennifer, 2008: 3. Another form of bullying is direct verbal aggresion. Cowie states that “direct
verbal aggression may take the form of yelling abuse at another, name-calling, using insulting expressions or making verbal threats” Cowie and Jennifer, 2008:
3. Cowie also states another form. It is indirect aggresion. For her, “indirect aggression, sometimes referred to as social aggression or relational aggression as
the term implies, uses less direct forms of aggressive behaviour such as spreading malicious rumours about another, excluding a person from the group, or
disclosing another’s secrets to a third person” Cowie and Jennifer, 2008: 3. The doers of bullying have many reasons as their background to bully
someone else. One of the reasons coming as the object to bully is physical appearance. Mona O’Moore and Stephen J. Minton show that pyhsical appearance
can be the object to bully someone else. Physical appearance comes as a differentiation in any relationships, mainly in children’s peer. One can be picked
on “because a bully will say that there is something wrong or different about the bullied person’s height too short, or too tall or weight too thin, too heavy”
O’Moore and Minton, 2004: 74. ..... Primary school aged children may lament, ‘Oh, if only I were
tallershorterfatterthinnerdidn’t wear glasseshad a different hair
colourdidn’t have frecklesspoke differentlywere better at insert name of sportactivity then I wouldn’t get picked on’ In other words, because
those who bully typically single out a person for being somehow‘different’ – please note, this so-called difference may be real or imaginary. ....
O’Moore and Minton, 2004: 54.
Bullying happens when the doers find a focus, in the victim, to bully. Robbins and Parlavecchio state that “in moments of disruption, such as in illness,
clumsiness, or exposure to the judgments of other people, the lived body becomes an object of our attention” Robbins and Parlavecchio, 2006: 322. Children with
weaknesses will be the focus or the target of the bullying. Relating the statement by Robbins and Parlavecchio, the condition of being the center of attention makes
the child may feel underpressured not to do something stupid. Hersen and Gross state that “socially anxious children often come into treatment believing they
“cannot” tolerate their fear in social situations, or with certainty that they will do “something stupid,” peers will laugh at them, and they will feel greatly
embarrassed” Hersen and Gross, 2008: 702. Respect and impression by the others will help a children to grow better. The child may feel that she or he is
accepted in that place. Lerner, Easterbrooks, and Mistry state that “ a young
child’s assertion of self-will is a newly discovered self-conscious sense inspiring reflection and requiring expression and respect from others”
Lerner, Easterbrooks, and Mistry,
2003: 104 In Nothing’s Fair in Fifth Grade, the action of social bullying mainly done
by the girls towards Elsie as the victim. The boys bully Elsie too but the fact found in the book says that the girls do more. Helen Cowie and Dawn Jennifer
state that “ boys were more likely to report being bullied by one boy or several
boys, whereas girls were more likely to report being bullied by one girl or several girls” Cowie and Jennifer, 2008: 6. This statement shows that there is a tendency
to bully person with same sex.
