22 Thackeray’s satires. Thackeray uses her both as the butt of the satire and as the
tool to show his satire. Another critic is Seymour Betsky, a Fulbright professor of English,
University of Utrecht. Though Thackeray is not the first novelist who writes the novel about the struggle of middle class or the gross behavior of upper class,
Betsky says that he is the first novelist who really hates rank and privilege, and shows it in his characters.
But he is the first novelist who, hating rank and privilege in his bones, skins bull-dog teeth into every single abuse of rank and privilege: self-
defeating miserliness in a Sir Pitt Crawley; in Rawdon Crawley the prodigality of bloods and dandies; the mediocrity of mind and talents that
govern the great nation with a growing empire, exemplified in Mr. Pitt Crawley; extreme brutality in Lord Steyne, trading on its prerogatives.
Betsky also says that the weapon of Vanity Fair that attracts the readers is Thackeray’s satires. It is a satirical novel. Thackeray shows that there are many
moral inequalities in Vanity Fair, but he also predicts that there is no radical change to reform those.
2.4. Theoretical Framework
There are some theories that are applied in this study. Those theories are used in order to answer the problems. To answer the first problem, the theory of
character and the theory of characterization are applied. It is important to know the theory of character because the analysis of this study is also dealing with some
characters of the novel. Besides explaining about what is meant by character, this theory also explains that the readers can see the novel’s world through the
characters’ eyes. Theory of characterization is employed in this study in order to PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
23 reveal the characterization of the characters. This theory provides the definition
and techniques of characterization. Though not all, these techniques can be used to discover the characterization of the characters. Theory of critical approaches is
used to determine the most appropriate approach in analyzing and interpreting the novel.
To answer the second problem, theory of satire, the relation between society and literature, and review on the British society of the early Victorian era
are utilized. Theory of satire gives information about what a satire is, and what the function of satire in a literary work. The relation between society and literature is
used to know what is meant by society and the correlation between literature and society. This theory is also used to get proves that readers can really know the
perception of the British society in the early Victorian era through the characters of the novel. The review on British society provides the information about the
governmental, economic, social condition and moral values at that era. Besides getting better understanding about the society, by knowing this information, the
readers can also get the social criticisms that the author tries to express in his novel.
