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Instead of describing a character directly, an author can describe it through the eyes and the opinions of another character. “The reader gets, as it were, a reflected
image” Murphy, 1972: 162. It shows the reader how to understand a character by analyzing deeply through other people’s opinion. So the author of a literary
work tries to give an opinion to the reader by putting an idea through his choice of words and phrases that she writes.
c. Speech
The third way is speech. Through the speech in conversation, the reader will usually find the personalities of the character that will be analyzed.
The author can give us an insight into the character of one of the persons in the book through what that person says. Whenever a person speaks,
whenever he is in conversation with another, whenever he puts forward an opinion, he is giving us some clue to his character Murphy, 1972: 164.
From the above quotation, speech also holds an important role because
from verbal action, it will be easy for the reader to decide the characterization of the character that will be analyzed.
d. Past Life
By knowing the background and the past life of the character, it will be easy to see what kind of person that the writer wants to describe.
By letting the reader learn something about a person’s past life the author can give us a clue to events that have helped to shape a person’s character.
This can be done by direct comment by the author, through the person’s thoughts, through his conversation or through the medium of another
person Murphy, 1972: 166.
From the above quotation, the writer concludes that past life constitutes the characteristics of someone at present. Good or bad experiences happening to the
character will influence herhis personality, behavior and attitude.
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e. Conversation of Others
The fifth way is to ask the reader to see and to analyze the character through the things that are said. Through the conversation in the story, the reader
will get a clue about what kind of person she is. “The author can also give the reader clues to a person’s character through the conversations of other people and
the things they say about him” Murphy, 1972: 167.
f. Reactions
In a story, there is a situation that will affect the readers’ perception in understanding the character. Reaction is one of the important things that the
readers need to notice. “The author can also give us a clue to a person’s character by letting us know how that person reacts to various situations and events”
Murphy. 1972: 168. Every reaction that is shown will show further about the characterization of the character that will be analyzed.
g. Direct Comment
“The author can describe or comment on a person’s character directly” Murphy, 1972: 170. Here, the author is free to comment on his character in order
to get a better and clear understanding of the character.
h. Thoughts
The thoughts of the reader in reading and understanding a literary work are important. “The author can give us direct knowledge of what a person is thinking
about” Murphy, 1972: 171. This quotation means that the thoughts can only be seen by the readers. The readers usually will feel it, think about it and safe it in
their mind to make herhim get the point of one character.
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i. Mannerisms
Mannerisms are the last way that Murphy wants to share. Mannerisms hold an important role in understanding the character. “The author can describe a
person’s mannerisms, habits or idiosyncrasies which may also tell us something about his character” Murphy, 1972: 173. So, mannerisms usually will show the
reader a deeper understanding about the personality of the character itself.
3. The Relation between Literature and Psychology
In literature, people can learn about psychology, like they can in psychology. As already known, literature is a part of art. There are always
meanings, reasons, moods and feeling of the artist or the authors, hidden behind all literary works.
A good novelist can communicate the feelings of his fictional characters and make them seem more life-like than the real people whose behavior
the psychologist attempts to describe. Writers can use the understanding provided by psychologists to enrich their stories, and psychologists can
gain in their understanding of human behavior by drawing from the deep sensitivity of good authors Kalish, 1972: 8.
The above quotation shows that psychology and literature are connected to each other. Both literature and psychology learn about phenomena happening in
the past and nowadays. Usually, a work of literature can be analyzed from many points of view, which are, from the character, the situation that the author
describes and also from the biography of the author himherself. Seeing literature from psychological aspect leads the writer to conclude
that both literature and psychology have the same purpose, that is, as a mirror for the reader in understanding human behavior by increasing self-awareness and
