Characterization Character and Characterization a.

b. Characterization

1 Definition In order to communicate and guide the readers in interpreting and understanding more about the characters in the story, an author needs employing appropriate ways to convey the characters. The way in which an author conveys the characters in the story understandable to and come alive for his readers is called characterization Murphy 161. In addition, Holman and Harmon 81-82 state characterization is the process of creating an unreal person who exists for readers as life like. In other words, the character can appear in the mind of the readers because he or she represents people’s character in real life. 2 Ways of Characterization Murphy 161-73 his book Understanding Unseen mentions nine ways in which an author conveys the characters’ personalities and traits in a story to the readers. They are personal description, characters as seen by another, speech, past life, conversation of others, reactions, direct comment, thoughts, and mannerisms. The first is personal description. In presenting a character in a story, the author draws the details of the character’s physical appearance. The author may describe whether the character is tall, beautiful, thin, with curly or blonde hair, and bad looking. The author may also describe the clothes worn by the character. This can show the character’s economic status in society. The second is characters as seen by another. The author describes a character through the eyes and opinion of another character. The reader may get a reflected image and better understanding about the characteristics of a character. The third is speech. The author gives the reader an insight into the character in a story through what the character says and states. It means that the readers may know the PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI character’ personality through the way the character says and puts forward an opinion to other characters. The fourth is past life. The author reveals the characteristics of a character from his or her life past. The reader may know the clues from the direct comment by the author, through the person’s thoughts, through his conversation or through the medium of another person. The fifth is conversation of others. The characteristics of a character in a story can be seen through the conversation of other people and the things they say about him or her. The sixth is reaction. The author shows the readers how a character reacts to various situations and events. This is related to a character’s emotion that triggers actions. For example, when a character is happy, he or she may laugh, sing a song, and hug somebody else. The seventh is direct comment. The author describes or comments on a person character directly. It means that the author speaks about his or her personal comment or description of a character directly in a story. The eighth is thoughts. The author describes a character’s personality and position through what the character is thinking about in his or her mind. The ninth is mannerisms. The author helps the reader understand a character by illustrating a person’s mannerisms, habit, or modes of behavior in dealing with something or someone in a story.

2. Critical Approach