Method of The Research

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CHAPTER II THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

A. Definition of Character

In this chapter, there are definitions of character given by some experts. Henderson in his book wrote: “Character refers to the people authors create to inhabit their stories. Characters should be believable and consistent. Being believable means not that all characters be like people we have known but they believable in the context of the story. Consistently requires not that the characters remain exactly the same, but that any changes in character be sufficiently by what happens to them in a story.” 6 From the definition above, it can be known that character belongs to people in a story that is created to make story alive. Character has to be suitable with the story situation that happens in it, and the character will be just changed if there is something, which causes it. In addition, Hall emphasizes the character as something imagined by saying,“A character is an imagined person in story, whom we know from the words we read on the page”. 7 In another word, character means a figure in a story that is known and thought by readers. Pickering and Hoeper state, “Character applies to any individual in a movie. For purposes of analysis, characters in fiction are customarily described by their relationship to plot, by degree of development they are given by author, and by whether r not they undergo significant character change” 8 6 Henderson, Gloria Mason, et al., Literature and Our Selves a Thematic Introduction for Readers and Writers New York: Longman, Inc, 2006, p. 9. 7 Hall, Donald, To Read Literature Fiction, Poetry, Dream. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Wiston, 1981, p. 47. 8 Pickering, James H., and Jeffry D. Hoeper, Concise Companion to Literature New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1962, p. 24. From the explanation, it is known the character every person in movie; they are related to the acquaintance of plot, the way of authors in revealing the character, and whether there is any change of character during the story or not. From definitions that have been mentioned above, it can be understood that character are people that are created in the movie, novel, and other literary works to inhabit the stories. They also have close relationship with plot, the way of authors in revealing the character, and the characters’ change. In character, there is a major character. Pickering and Hoeper said, “The major or central character of the plot is the protagonist”. 9 It means that major character is the protagonist. A supporting character can also developed like a major character. Perrine and Thomas state, “Authors may present their characters either directly or indirectly. In direct presentation they tell us straight out, by exposition or analysis, what characters are like, or have someone else in the story tell us what they are like. Indirect presentation the author shows us the character in action; we infer what they are like from what they think or say or do.” 10 From the explanation, it is known direct presentation means the viewers know the character from another character, and from name or the appearance. Indirect presentation means the author reveals the character by showing action. Pickering and Hoeper state, “To describe the relative degree to which fictional characters are developed by their creators, E. M. foster distinguished 9 Ibid. p. 24. 10 Perrine, Laurence., and Thomas R. Arp, Literature Structure, Sound, and Sense Florida: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Publisher, 1988, p. 66.