Modernism Character Definition of Terms

The next study is taken from one of the Brodies Notes which W.T. Currie has given contribution in analyzing Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot”. In this edition of Brodie’s Notes, Currie makes notes on most of the intrinsic elements starting from the philosophy, meaning, plot, themes, structure, style and of course the characters of the play. In this r esearch, Currie’s analysis helps the writer in the scope of understanding more about the characters in the play and their characterizations. Currie mentions that …Beckett has at least taught us not to look for narrative in our theatre. From this play on, the idea of drama as action and story no longer applied. The writer had a new dimension to work in. Silence too was rediscovered as a positive quality, and we do not need to look far in Godot to see how Beckett exploits this in the attitudes of Vladimir and Estragon. In their moments of total silence these two scarecrows on the verge of humanity do rouse in us feelings of compassion, [ …] 1978: 8. Currie’s writing shows that one of the ways to understand the postmodern play is not to look for the narratives, pointing at one of Beckett’s works, Waiting for Godot. This includes understanding the characters of the play. Later in this research, the writer refers to Currie’s analyses on the intrinsic elements in order to discover more about how the characters are exposed to the audience readers and therefore determine their modernist traits. Though Currie analyses the play almost entirely most of the intrinsic elements are discussed, this research does not conduct the same discussion upon the object of study. The writer will only use partial information from Currie’s writing to understand more about the play and to support the writer’s hypothesis of ‘modern characters in a postmodern play’ while Currie doesn’t state anything in his research regarding this.

B. Review of Related Theories

1. Theories of Character

According to Abrams, characters are persons presented in the dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with moral, dispositional, and emotional qualities and that are expressed in what they say –the dialog, and by what they do –the action 1993: 23. In order to understand about character and its development we must first concern on the character’s consistency as Abrams stated Character may remain essentially ‘stable’, or unchanged in his outlook and his dispositions, from beginning to end of a work, or he may undergo a radical change, either through a gradual development or as a result of an extreme crisis 1993: 23. Abrams tries to convey that a character has a possibility of undergoing a change throughout the story, either gradually or radically. He also states that “characters are the persons presented in a dramatic or narrative work who are later on interpreted by the readers from their sayings and actions. What they say and do shows their ‘moral, dispositional and emotionless qualities’” 1933: 23. According to Reaske, character can also present the fictitious creation of persons in dramatic or narrative work that can be interpreted through the combination of their dialogue and action expressed 1966: 40.