Review of Related Studies
feelings, and responsiveness to events; for a highly developed mode such inner showing, see
stream of consciousness
. In telling, the author intervenes authoritatively in order to describe, and often to evaluate, the
motives and dispositional qualities of the characters Abrams and Harpham, 2012: 47.
Through talking in dialogue, the character is pictured. It is because
dialogue gives the reader a clue about what qualities that a character has. In fact, dialogue is not only able to give the reader information about the qualities of the
character but also to infer the character’s motives behind the dialogue. As a result, the reader m
ay see further what lies behind the character’s dialogue to define the characteristics of that character.
In order to define the character’s characteristics, there are several ways that can be applied. Murphy, in the book
Understanding Unseens: An Introduction to English Poetry and English Novel for Overseas Student
, delivers nine ways to examine a
person’s characteristics in a work of literature. The first way is personal description. Through personal description, the
author tells directly a character’s details such hisher appearance and clothes. For an instance, if the character wears ragged and dingy clothes in any occasions in
the story and the character’s eyes are hollow, the reader has the image that
character is a slob. Those descriptions are described by the author. Hence, to identify the character’s characteristics, the reader can focus on the author’s
description. The second way is character as seen by another. Through the eyes and
opinions of another, the author can describe a character’s quality. For an instance,
the other characters see a certain character as a kind-hearted person because that
character is always nice to other characters in any situations. Therefore, the reader may get a reflected image of a character in the story
through another character’s perspective.
The third way is speech. The author states a character’s characteristics in a
story through that character’s speech, opinion, and conversation with other characters. Anything that the character utters provides a great detail inside the
mind of the reader. The character may speak in a quiet manner or in an anxious manner. The character may speak rudely or intelligently. As result, the reader gets
those clues to define the character’s characteristics. The fourth way is past life.
A person’s characteristics may be influenced by hisher experiences in the past life as well as a character in the story. This way
is expressed through the character’s thought, hisher conversation with other character
s, and also through the author’s direct comment. The author can give the reader a clue
to events that shape a character’s characteristics. The fifth way is conversation of others. The author gives clues to the
reader about the characteristics of a character in a story through the conversations of other characters. The author is also able to give clue to the reader about a
character’s characteristics through the things that the other characters talk about that particular character in a story.
The sixth way is reactions. It is about effect on others. In other words, it is about what other characters see and feel about this particular character. In
understanding a literary works, the reader learns about the relationships among
characters. How do other characters feel about this particular character? Do they feel happy, sad, or confident?
The seventh is direct comment. In this way, the author directly comments a character
’s characteristics in the story. Everything that the author describes in the story is meaningful for the reader to interpret a character
’s quality. Does the author describe a certain character as an ambitious, deceitful, or kind-hearted
man? Hence, the reader is able to understand that character ’s characteristics in the
story through the au thor’s comment.
The eighth way is thoughts. A character ’s thought about certain matters in
society is described through this way. What is thought by the character such whether heshe falls in love or is in the bad mood gives information to the reader
about the quality of that character. Author is the only one party who has this privilege. The author can tell the reader what different character is thinking.
The last way is mannerisms. According to Murphy, a character’s
mannerisms reflect hisher personal characteristics. Other than mannerisms, a character
’s habits also reveal hisher quality. Anything that a character does tells the reader a lot about himher. Therefore, the author may use this way to tell the
reader something about the character in the story.