isolated feelings. She is 35, married without children and the “closed pot” can be interpreted as unhappiness.
Elisa is not given much of a chance to be taken seriously. An example of this is during a conversation she has with her husband Henry about her
flowers, where Henry tells her “I wish you would work out in the orchards and raise some apples”. Elisa perks up for a moment and makes a
suggestion that she could accomplish working out in the orchards, only to have Henry shut her
down by saying “well it sure works with the flowers”. I believe Steinbeck uses Henry‟s rejection of her work in this conversation to
illustrate the way society has rejected women as nothing more than mothers and housekeepers. Elisa‟s garden is surrounded by a wire fence, which
would suggest to the reader, Elisa‟s isolation not only from her husband, but
also from the rest of world. antiessay.com, 2011 conclusion
B. Review of Related Theories
In this study, the writer is going to used some theories that are connected to each other in order to solve and gives answer from the problem formulation that
are formulated in previous chapter. The writer is going to used theory of character and characterization, and theory of symbol.
1. Theory of Character and Characterization
In a work of literature, character is a person or creature that interacts with
others within a story. Character is
an important element that is used by the author to help the readers understand his her work. And also,
H.L. Yelland, S.C. Jones and K.S.W. Easton in their book A Handbook of Literary Terms, explained that
a character is a person who is getting involves in literary work; novel, short story,
play, etc.
There are two types of characters; major character and minor character. Major character is the most important character in the story; the one the story is
about; the protagonist. This character is often called the main character. There is usually one single major character. While minor character is a person of less
importance than the major character, but who is necessary for the story to develop.
It is said that character is a person who is responsible for the thoughts and actions within a story, poem, or other literature. Characters are extremely
important because they are the medium through which a reader interacts with a piece of literature. Every character has his or her own personality,
which a creative author uses to assist in forming the plot of a story or creating a mood. The different attitudes, mannerisms, and even
appearances of characters can greatly influence the other major elements in a literary work, such as theme, setting and tone. With this understanding of
the character, a reader can become more aware of other aspects of literature, such as symbolism, giving the reader a more complete
understanding of the work. The character is one of the most important tools available to the author.
Another important element is called characterization. An author use characterization to create the characters.
Characterization refers to a character‟s
personality or the method by which the writer reveals this personality. Characterization is the creation of the image of imaginary persons in drama,
narrative poetry, the novel, and the short story. Characterization generates plot and is revealed by actions, speech, thoughts, physical appearance, and the other
characters thoughts or words about him. Characterization provides a distinct
description and depiction of each character‟s appearance, personality, and impact within the story. There are some ways in which the author develops
characterization, including the physical description of the character, the words or the dialogue, the character‟s actions.
Karen Bernardo wrote at storybites.com: What does characterization do for a story? In a nutshell, it allows us to
empathize with the protagonist and secondary characters, and thus feel that what is happening to these people in the story is vicariously happening to
us; and it also gives us a sense of verisimilitude, or the semblance of living reality. An important part of characterization is dialogue for it is both
spoken and inward dialogue that affords us to the opportunity to see into the characters hearts and examines their motivation. In the best of stories,
it is actually characterization that moves the story along, because a compelling character in a difficult situation creates his own plot.
Characterization is one of the most difficult aspects of creative writing to master, because authors tend to naturally fall into the fatal trap of creating
two-dimensional, cardboard characters. storybites.com, 2011
2. Theory of Symbol
