Institutional Repository | Satya Wacana Christian University: Binary Opposition of Calon Arang and Empu Baradah in Pramoedya Ananta Toer’s The King, The Witch and The Priest T1 392014515 BAB II

CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL REVIEW

A.

Review of Related Study
As we know in real life, there are a lot of people with difference

characteristics who are in the opposite each other such as: those with good personality
and those with bad personality or high tempered and calm ones, and etc. In
structuralism theory, it is called binary opposition (Tyson, P: 213). Thus, such
characteristic can be found in fiction or novel like in “Jane Eyre” novel written by
Charlotte Bronte. Binary opposition of Jane Eyre as it has been discussed in
Edholm’s (2009) essay reveals the theme of this novel through structuralism theory
related to feminism theory. Edholm found several binary oppositions such as:
master/servant, dependence/ independence, rich/poor, and sane/mad. Jane Eyre is a
destitute after her parents passed away then she stayed with her relative John Reed
family. Although Jane Eyre is member of the family she was treated like a servant, it
suggests that Jane Eyre was a servant and John Reed family was a master. Jane Eyre
stayed with her relative and her life relied on others, this made a dependent. After
moving to “Lowood” school as a student she became an independent person. Jane

Eyre turned into madness as a result of bad treatment she received from John Reed
family but after getting married to Mr. Rochester, her sanity was regained. In

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conclusion, Jane Eyre got her balance life after casting out of many issues in her life
and getting married to Mr. Rochester.

B.

Review of Related Theories
Now we move to discuss about some theories that related with the analyses.
1.

Character (s), Characteristic (s), and Characterization
Discussing about fiction or novel, firstly we have to know about

character in fiction. Character described by the author is meant to make the

reader understand contains of the story in a novel easer. Commonly, the
author portrays characteristics through describing the character’s manners as
such in wearing a dress, how the way character converse with other
characters, the character’s name given by the author, and etc. By this means
reader is expected easily understand every character in the fiction. It is
important to know personality or characteristic of character. It is supported by
Kriszner and Mandell (2000:93) statement below.
Writers may portray characters through their action, through their reactions to
situations or to other characters, through their physical appearance, through their
speech and gestures and expressions, and even through their names.

In line with Kriszner and Mandell, Abrams stated that character is a
person represented by the author in which characteristics are described by
showing the quality of emotional, intellectual, and moral of the character.
Characters are the persons represented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are
interpreted by the reader as being endowed with particular moral, intellectual and

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emotional qualities by inferences from what the persons say and their distinctive

ways of saying it (1999:32).

From those definitions above, we know what character and characteristic
are. Character is the person described in story of fiction or novel, whereas
characteristic is the personality of the character.
As defined above, character is the person described in narrative story
of fiction or novel. Then, to know about each character deeply, the way how
the author described the character is known by characterization method.
According to L. Potter there are two terms to know about character, i.e.
“telling” and “Showing”.
In presenting and establishing character, an author has two basic methods or
techniques at his disposal. One method is telling which relies on explosion and direct
commentary by the author. The other method is in direct, dramatic method of
showing, which involves the author’s stepping aside, as it were, to allow the
characters to reveal themselves directly through dialog and their action (1967:27).

In this study the writer would like to exercise telling method to
analyze the character.
a.


Characterization through Used the Name
Name is often used in fiction to give idea and to clarify the

characteristics of character. Hence, name of character will distinguish
between characters in the fiction. It refers to the dominant characteristic of
the character. L. Potter declared that characterization through use the name
is:
Names are often used to provide essential clues that aid in characterization. Some
characters are given names that suggest their dominant or controlling traits. Other

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characters are given names that reinforce (or sometimes in contrast to) their physical
appearance. Names can also contain literary or historical allusions that aid in
characterization by means of association (1967:28).

b.

Characterization through Appearance
In real life, we often meet with other people with difference


appearance. The characteristic of others can be recognized through their
clothing style, their gestures, and their conversation manner. In real life
people’s appearances may be deceiving but in fiction the characters
appearance play important role in shaping the story of fiction. Because
through appearance, the readers will understand the characters condition
such as: age, social status, and the characters health condition. The
description of appearance will show the reader the personality of characters,
whether the character is strong or weak, calm or cruel. Based on L. Potter
characterization through appearance is:
Detail of physical appearance can help to identify a character’s age and the general
state of his physical and emotional health and well-being: whether the character is
strong or weak, happy or sad, calm or agitated. Appearance can be used in other
ways as well as, particularly with minor characters who are flat and static. By
common agreement, certain physical attributes have become identified over a period
of time with certain kinds of inner psychological states (1967:30).

c.

Characterization by the Author

This method gives opportunities to author to interpret the character in

story of fiction and to portray the character. Furthermore, author will

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comment about personality or characteristic of character. Hence, it will form
opinion in the reader’s mind, as stated by L. Potter.
In the most customary form of telling the author interrupts the narrative and reveals
directly, through a series of editorial comments, the nature and personality of the
characters, including the thoughts and feelings that enter and pass through the
characters minds. By so doing the author asserts and retains full control over
characterization. The author not only directs our attention to a give character, but
tells us exactly what our attitude toward that character ought to be. Nothing is left to
the reader’s imagination (1967:30).

2.

Structuralism Criticism


In order to analyze Calon Arang and Priest Baradah character in novel
The King, The Witch, and The Priest the writer uses structuralism theory.
Structuralism believes that there is a structure found in a literary text.
According to Bresseler structuralism is.
A methodological that focuses on the text which texts is become important because it
contains signs or signals to the reader that have established and acceptable
interpretations (1994:70).

According to Tyson (2006: 213), the foundation of structuralism is
“Course General in Linguistic” of Ferdinand De Saussure. He believes
language is not a group of words but language is a system relationship
between words not words in individual. Accordingly, Focuses of structuralist
are to study the components that emphasize and rule the language in structure
form. It is then, to divide between structures that govern the language and a
million individual utterances in language that they are only surface

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phenomena. Hence, he divides structure of language as a langue and the
utterance as a parole. The interest of structuralist is langue as an object of

study whereas parole is the result of langue. In order, the terms are used for
structuralist that interested in literature study. As stated by De Saussure
language is not a group of words that stand by itself but as a system
relationship because they correlate each other. The result, we understand the
components in language.
De Saussure confirms that we will understand about structure in
language if we pay attention the difference between the words. Difference
means our ability to recognize reality such as: object, concept, and words or
pronounce. For example if we consider that every people is man we do not
need word woman, or if every people is good we do not need word bad, and
etc. Then he concludes the difference between two concepts or ideas is binary
opposition as follow.
According to structuralism, the human perceives difference most readily in terms of
opposites, which structuralizes call binary opposition: two ideas, directly opposed,
each of which we understand by means its opposition to the other.

In the other hand, Selden, Widdowson and Brooker support the idea of
binary opposition by taking an example of traffic – light system like bellow.
Each color in the traffic system signifies not by asserting a positive univocal
meaning but by marking a difference, a distinction within a system of opposites and

contrast: traffic – light ‘red’ is precisely ‘not – green’; ‘green’ is ‘not – red’ (1997:
68).

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The above paragraph explains that every color in traffic system do not affirm
explicit meaning. When each color stands in individually, they are merely
member group of color. By this means, the meaning each color in traffic
system is ambiguous. The purport of each color will be clearly explicated by
marking the difference between the colors in form contrary system.
Meanwhile, the meaning or the concept of red color in traffic – light system
signifies to “stop” while green color signifies to “go”. Perhaps this is the
point of Selden, Peter, and Brooker about color in traffic – light system.
This confirms ideas of language declared by De Saussure that language is
the relationship between words, do not stand in individually. Moreover, idea
of traffic – light system clarifies the idea of binary opposition of Tyson.
Thus, binary opposition is the relationship between words that underline and
govern in language system. By this means they will have a meaning because
they are connected to each other in structure form.
According to E. Bressler the idea of binary opposition in structuralism

is:
Many structuralism theories abound, but a core of structuralism believe that primary
signifying system is the best found as series of binary opposition that the reader
organizes, value, and then uses to interpret the text (1994: 99).

E. Bressler believes that binary opposition is the organized of signifies (idea
or concept) found by the reader upon reading it. Subsequently, all of
signifies will have a value when they are related to each other. “Organized”
means how the reader maps various signifies in the text and the operation

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relationship between them. Orderly, the reader will find the meaning or
value each signifies by learning through the correlation between them. For
example the operation ideas of God and evil, the reader will learn to value
the concept of God and concept of evil, generally the reader will value God
to always triumph over evil. Accordingly binary opposition is mapping and
its operation is between various signifies in the text used by the reader to
interpret the meaning of the text.
Hence, structuralism can be exercised in this study because

structuralism is an approach that related to textual analysis.

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