Characters as a means to convey the message concerning life lesson as seen in charles dickens` little dorrit - USD Repository
CHARACTERS AS A MEANS TO CONVEY THE MESSAGE CONCERNING LIFE LESSON AS SEEN IN CHARLES DICKENS’ LITTLE DORRIT AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters
By
REGINA SRIHARTATI
Student Number: 024214084
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
CHARACTERS AS A MEANS TO CONVEY THE MESSAGE
CONCERNING LIFE LESSON AS SEEN IN
CHARLES DICKENS’ LITTLE DORRIT
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
REGINA SRIHARTATI
Student Number: 024214084
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
“Duty,…Begin it early,
and do it well;
and there is no antecedent to it,
in any origin or station,
that will tell against us with the Almighty,
or with ourselves.”
(Charles Dickens - Little Dorrit, p. 754)
For
My beloved parents and my brothers
I love you
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all I want to express my gratitude to Jesus Christ. That I can finish this thesis is really a big gift that Jesus gives to me.
During the making of the thesis, I get much help and support from many people. I would like to say thanks to them. The help is very worthy for me.
I would like to express my sincerest and deepest gratitude to my major advisor, Drs. Hirmawan Wijanarka, M. Hum. , and my co advisor, Tatang Iskarna, S.S., M. Hum. I am deeply grateful for their important advice, suggestions and generous assistance during the working of my thesis.
I also would to thank all the members of the teaching staff of the English Letters Department of Sanata Dharma University for giving me valuable knowledge during my study in English Letters. I also want to thank all the administrative staff, secretariat staff, and library staff, who have given many help for the completion of my thesis.
My biggest and best gratitude goes to my beloved parents, Stefanus Suparjono and Irene Ikawaty. Thanks for the love, support, and prayers. I also would like to thank my brothers, Augustinus Maria Harjanto and Theodor Hartarto, for all my uncles, aunts, and cousins. Thank you so much for the immensely much help and for always giving me motivation.
I would like to thank all my friends the 2002 of English Letters friends from other faculties in Sanata Dharma University, my friends in the boarding house, my friends in Jogjakarta, my friends in my hometown, and my other friends everywhere. Our friendship means much for me, and thank you so much for everything. Thank you for everyone that can not be mentioned one by one.
Regina Srihartati
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE ....................................................................................................... i APPROVAL PAGE ............................................................................................ ii ACCEPTANCE PAGE ...................................................................................... iii MOTTO PAGE .................................................................................................. iv DEDICATION PAGE ......................................................................................... v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................... vi LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI .......................... viii TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................... ix ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................... xi ABSTRAK ........................................................................................................ xii
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ...................................................................... 1
A. Background of the Study ................................................................... 1 B. Problem Formulation ........................................................................ 5 C. Objectives of the Study ..................................................................... 5 D. Definition of Terms ........................................................................... 6CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW ..................................................... 7
A. Review of Related Studies ................................................................ 7 B. Review of Related Theories .............................................................. 91. Theories of Character and Characterization .......................... 9
2. Theories of Message ........................................................... 11
C. Theoretical Framework ................................................................... 14
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY ............................................................... 16
A. Object of the Study ......................................................................... 16 B. Approach of the Study .................................................................... 17 C. Method of the Study ........................................................................ 18CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS ............................................................................ 21
A. Description of the Characters .......................................................... 211. Amy Dorrit .......................................................................... 21
2. Arthur Clennam ................................................................... 34
3. William Dorrit ..................................................................... 45
4. Mrs. Clennam ...................................................................... 52
B. Possible Message Seen from the Characters ................................... 56
1. The Meaning of Dutiful Life and in the Real Love ............ 57
2. The Rights of Giving Essence in One’s Life ...................... 61
3. The Unworthiness of Being Wealthy but Forgetting Love.. 65
4. The Uselessness of Anger and Keeping Hatred and Grudge to Others ................................................................. 68
CHAPTER V CONCLUSION ....................................................................... 74
BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................... 78 APPENDICES Appendix 1 Summary of Charles Dickens’ Little Dorrit. ................... 79
ABSTRACT
Regina Srihartati (2008). Characters as a Means to Convey the Message
Concerning Life Lesson as Seen in Charles Dickens’ Little Dorrit, Yogyakarta:
Deparment of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University.Charles Dickens’ novel entitled Little Dorrit which is published in 1954 becomes the object of this study. The study focuses its discussion on the possible messages revealed from the characters. The content of the story points out Dickens’ view about life lesson that every existence of human must have its meaning, and human have rights to give meaning in their life for avoiding a useless existence.
The aims of this study are first to analyze the characters. They are Amy Dorrit, Arthur Clennam, William Dorrit, and Mrs. Clennam. The second aim is to point out the possible messages found in the characters.
The study uses formalistic criticism as the approach to analyze the novel. Formalistic criticism analyzes the novel on the intrinsic elements. This study discusses the possible messages related to one intrinsic element, i. e. the characters.
After analyzing the characters, some conclusions can be drawn. The story shows that every character gives lesson about life meaning. Amy Dorrit has given much meaning into her life by doing goodness and being responsible. Arthur has finally chosen his own way of expressing himself and he is not under other’s will and shadow anymore. William Dorrit finally realizes that wealth is not everything since he doesn’t find true happiness in his wealth. Mrs. Clennam lives her life with hatred and revenge to her enemies, which makes her life wasted. In this story Dickens wants to point out about the view that human must give meaning into their life because there is always a value in one’s existence. The five messages found are the meaning of dutiful life and in the real love, the rights of giving essence in one’s life, the unworthiness of being wealthy but forgetting love, the uselessness of anger and keeping hatred and grudge to others, and the meaninglessness of a marriage which is not based on love.
ABSTRAK
Regina Srihartati (2008). Characters as a Means to Convey the Message
Concerning Life Lesson as Seen in Charles Dickens’ Little Dorrit, Yogyakarta:
Deparment of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University.Novel Charles Dickens berjudul Little Dorrit yang dipublikasikan pada tahun 1954 menjadi objek penelitian. Penelitian berfokus pada diskusi tentang pesan yang terungkap dari karakter. Isi cerita menunjukkan pandangan Dickens tentang pelajaran kehidupan bahwa setiap keberadaan manusia di dunia pasti memiliki arti, dan manusia mempunyai hak untuk memberi arti pada hidupnya agar tidak menjadi keberadaan yang tidak bermakna.
Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah pertama untuk menganalisa karakter- karakter dalam novel. Karakter-karakter yang dimaksud adalah Amy Dorrit, Arthur Clennam, William Dorrit, dan Mrs. Clennam. Tujuan kedua adalah untuk menunjukkan pesan yang didapat dari karakter.
Penelitian menggunakan sudut pandang formalistik sebagai pendekatan untuk menganalisa novel. Sudut pandang formalistik menganalisa novel pada intrinsik element. Penelitian mendiskusikan pesan dengan yang dihubungkan dengan satu intrinsik element, yaitu karakter.
Setelah menganalisa karakter, beberapa kesimpulan didapat. Cerita menunjukkan bahwa setiap karakter memberi pelajaran tentang arti hidup. Amy Dorrit membuat hidupnya berarti dengan berbuat kebaikan dan bersikap penuh tanggung jawab. Arthur memilih untuk bebas menentukan arah hidupnya sendiri dan dia tidak di bawah kehendak dan bayang-bayang orang lain lagi. William Dorrit akhirnya menyadari bahwa kekayaan bukanlah segalanya, karena dia tidak menemukan kebahagiaan sejati dalam kekayaannya. Mrs. Clennam mengisi hidupnya dengan kebencian dan dendam terhadap musuh-musuhnya, yang akirnya hanya membuat hidupnya sendiri menjadi sia-sia. Dalam cerita ini Dickens ingin menunjukkan pandangan bahwa manusia harus memberi arti pada hidupnya karena selalu ada arti dalam setiap kehidupan. Lima pesan yang didapat adalah arti dalam hidup yang berkewajiban dan dalam cinta sejati, hak untuk memberi makna pada hidup bagi setiap orang, tidak berharganya kekayaan jika melupakan cinta, tidak pentingnya kemarahan dan menyimpan kebencian dan dendam terhadap orang lain, dan tidak berartinya pernikahan yang tidak berdasarkan cinta.
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study A literary work is one way that the author chooses as the expression of his
ideas and experiences about life. When we read a literary work, there are always some experiences about life. It is because in a literary work, there is the representation of human’s feelings and thoughts. It is very interesting to read any piece of literary work. It gives enjoyment and pleasure to the readers because any literary work has their own richness.
Novel then becomes the form of literature from which readers may obtain pleasure, excitement, and understanding about life as well since it portrays human life. What is conveyed in the literary work can give the readers a new vision. Through the description of its element, including the characters, the settings, the plot, the theme, and or the complex problems between characters, people in general read, analyze and get valuable things, which are called the messages.
Frank Norris states that a literary work can function as a means of communication: “Actually the communication interlaced between a literary work and its readers always implies esthetical messages, even philosophical and intellectual values that will contribute for sensitivity of surrounding” (1970: 237). It means that when a writer writes a literary work, there is a message there is a certain message that the author wants the readers also feel. And for that purpose, there are many aspects in the novel that the author can use as a means to convey the message. These aspects open the reader’s awareness of signals or messages that the writer wants to tell through his work.
In this thesis, I would like to analyze Dickens’ novel Little Dorrit. With
Little Dorrit , Charles Dickens touches upon a subject near and dear to his own
heart; that of having a father who is incarcerated in Debtor’s Prison. There is a rhetoric of sympathy and irony about Dickens’ childhood memories of his father’s imprisonment in the Marshalsea Prison that can be felt in Little Dorrit. Dickens sets the novel in the 1820’s, around the time his father is an inmate in the Marshalsea, but virtually ignores that time period during the novel in favor of the middle of 1850’s introducing many anachronisms. Much of the story refers to a remote time early in the nineteenth century; much of it is actually recalled and copied from the life of Dickens’ father in the old Marshalsea Prison.
Little Dorrit , like many of Charles Dickens’ novels, has an extensive cast
of characters. Despite the number of characters in the novel, each character can be recognized and remembered although being left unmentioned for several chapters.
It is due to the characterization technique that is presented by Charles Dickens in his works. One of the methods that he employs to enhance the uniqueness of his characters involves describing them connected to their surroundings. He creates landscapes and residences that are parallel to the essence of the character found within. The settings become the aspect that strengthens the description of the characters. The focus on this study as a means to reveal the message is the characters.
Little Dorrit takes London as the setting of place, where in that, most
actions take place on Circumlocution Office, Marshalsea Debtors’ Prison, and Mrs. Clennam’s House. The setting of time is set in the 1850’s of the Victorian Era. But from the settings, Dickens gives picture about the society’s condition in London in the 1820’s of the Victorian Era, where government bodies in the Victorian age officials do nothing, slowly, and are represented in the character of Barnacles. In Little Dorrit, Charles Dickens introduces a new kind of heroine. She is Amy Dorrit or Little Dorrit. Little Dorrit’s character is interesting because although she is the heroine of the story, she is not the most beautiful character. On the contrary, she is very ordinary, but what is special in her that is her strong will, her earnest heart, etc, like what is explained in the characters’ analysis. Not only Little Dorrit, other characters in the novel are also interesting to discuss. A discussion on character, no doubt, is always interesting since characters are those who do action becoming the focus of readers’ attention. What is discussed in characters’ analysis is the physical appearance and the personalities by considering their relation with the settings.
As what has been told before that the major character in the novel is Amy Dorrit or usually called Little Dorrit. In Little Dorrit, it is stated clearly the strength of soul of Amy Dorrit and her resistance toward every problem around her. She is born in Marshalsea debtors’ prison at the time when her father is a she is not ashamed being born in the prison. She has simple life and thinking, but has very strong character. The novel later tells much about the life journey of Amy Dorrit, and her relation to other characters. The novel ends happily with Amy and Arthur’s marriage. Arthur is the man major character in the novel. This research will try to find the message after analyzing the contribution of the characters in the novel.
In the literary work, there are intrinsic elements, such as characters, plot, setting, theme, atmosphere, and tone. There are also extrinsic elements, such as the biography of the writer and historical background. As this study means to reveal the message in the novel, then this research will give attention only to the intrinsic element. This study takes one intrinsic element to become the focus for this research, that is the characters. The characters to be analyzed in this study are Amy Dorrit, Arthur Clennam, William Dorrit, and Mrs. Clennam. The reason why the writer chooses the characters as the focus of the analysis is because the writer thinks that message in Little Dorrit can be found by analyzing the characters in the novel.
A literary work must have its own message, or the signal that the author creates in his work for the readers to know. As for Dickens’ Little Dorrit, the author conveys a message through the story and I will explore it in this study. By analyzing the characters in the novel, the writer hopes to find the message that the novel actually wants to say to the readers.
The research problems will be systematically arranged and answered based
B. Problem Formulation
In order to facilitate the discussion, the writer will formulate the problem in a structured way so that it will achieve its determined objectives. Those two problems are:
1. How are the characters described in the novel?
2. What messages are revealed in the description of the characters?
C. Objectives of the Study
The aim of this study is to find out the answers of the problems arising in the problem formulation. This study can also help me to discuss further about the problems in the analysis. Related to the problems above, there are two objectives of the study that are going to be discussed.
First is to describe the characters of the novel by Dickens’ Little Dorrit. The characters are described in order to get clear understanding about them. There are many characters in the novel, and they are all very important because they all give contribution to the story of the novel. However, the writer will describe only the characters that have contribution in finding the message.
Secondly, the study is going to find the message that Dickens wants to say through the characters in his novel. This thesis aims to find out the influence of the characters toward the possible message expressed based on text interpretation. The characters are examined to find the message
D. Definition of Terms
In doing the analysis, this paper uses some terms. In order to know what those terms means and to avoid misunderstanding for those terms that are used in the analysis, the writer will give definitions for those terms.
1. Characters According to Baldick, characters are the people in a dramatic or narrative work (1991: 31). In addition to that, Abrams states that characters are the persons presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with moral and dispotional qualities that are expressed in what they say- the dialogue- and what they do- the action (1981: 20).
2. Message Beaty and Hunter states that message is the real meaning or some easy conclusion that can be simply stated or summarized inside a work of art
(1989: 899).
Combining all of the definitions above, the writer concludes that each of the term has relation one to another. They all give construction to a literary work.
The characters will lead the writer to find the message by putting human meaning inside the characters, about how they understand life. Then from seeing how the characters give meaning to their life, the meaning of the story is found. The writer thinks that the element of characters is needed when the writer wants to find the message.
CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW A. Review of Related Studies Charles Dickens writes many novels when he lives. He is born in 1812. He
begins to write in 1833 at the age of twenty one and dies in 1870 at the age of fifty eight. Little Dorrit is his eleventh novel. This novel, as well as his other novels has invited many comments and critics from those who have read it.
One comment comes from one of Dickensians who says that in Little
Dorrit , Dickens’ childhood memories of his father’s imprisonment in the
Marshalsea Prison for debt are brought forth again as the center-piece of the story of William Dorrit whose family is also imprisoned there. It is also stated that the theme of imprisonment, both physical and psychological, carries throughout the novel (http://www.fidnet.com/~dap1995/dickens/dorrit.html). This comment helps in giving an idea to the writer about characters that live in imprisonment.
Another review comes from Claire Doyle who teaches English and theology at the college of St. Benedict/St. John’s University. She says that Little
Dorrit is one of Dickens’ work mingles with the kind of penetrating social
analysis and savage satire that are unique to the novels of his maturity. At the center of this novels are Amy Dorrit, “the child of the Marshalsea”, and Arthur Clennam, the son of joyless marriage who is dogged by the admonition on his deceased father’s watch, “do not forget”. In some of Dickens’ most memorable
Circumlocution Office-these characters struggle to make sense of their oppressive and often mystifying inheritances and in so doing, to make a humane life for themselves and others (http://www.dartmouth.edu/~ilead/courses/spring03/ dickens.html). It means that this review concerns to the historical and social context of the novel. This review also gives idea to the writer about the characters’ struggle in their society.
In the Introduction part of the novel, there is also a comment about Little
Dorrit given by Mark Whyte. According to him, the prison types that are
presented in Little Dorrit are among the most successful, because it is the most real and natural, of his innumerable drama-persons. They are all, however, expectionally anaemic, and Dickens provides scarcely any comic or dramatic relief. Plot and people move together on a dreary level of monotonous helplessness in the face of disaster. There is not even a single character or event of outstanding humour of vitality. The construction is weak and wondering, the villains of the piece are wooden, while the mystery is even more than usually uninteresting and involved (1954:13). This comment by Mark Whyte shows the uninteresting part of Little Dorrit. They are the monotonous of the plot and people movement in the novel, the lack of homour, and the plainness of the mystery.
However, Mark Whyte then adds that people and scenes in Little Dorrit are enjoyable as they have been the outstanding triumphs of a Dickens novel. It means that the people and the scene that are presented by Dickens in his novel, Little Dorrit have been the beneficial side of his novel.
Seeing all the comments above, the writer concludes that Little Dorrit is an interesting novel. It carries the theme of imprisonment, as a representation of the author’s childhood memories. It also contains criticism on the government bodies of his era when it is about historical and social context of the novel. And although the plot and people movement in the novel are monotonous, but it can be concealed by the interesting sides of the novel which are the characters and the scenes.
What the writer is going to do in this thesis, then, is trying to find the message of the novel by analyzing the characters in the novel. Message can be deducted after discussing the relation that comes from the element of characters. The characters will be discussed one by one and then message can be found.
B. Review of Related Theories
1. Theories of Character and Characterization
Abrams in A Glossary of Literary Terms, gives two definitions to characters. (1) The character is a literary genre: a short, and usually witty, sketch in prose of a distinctive type of person. (2) Characters are the persons, in a dramatic and narrative work, endowed with moral and dispositional qualities that are expressed in what they say - the dialogue – and what they do – the action (1981:20-21). This means that the characters in any literary work must have their own particular qualities which differentiate them from other characters, and which the readers can see from the characters’ dialogue and action. In An Introduction to Fiction , Stanton’s opinion about characters is that it designates the individuals who appear in the story, as in “How many characters are there?”, and it refers to the mixture of interests, desires, emotions, and moral principles that makes up each of these individuals, as in “How would you describe his character?” (1965:17). It means that character is any individual that is presented in the story and the way to describe character is from the interests, desires, emotions, and moral principles that the character has. Stanton also says that the most important evidence of all is the character’s own dialogue and behavior. In good fiction, every speech, every action is not only a step in the plot, but also a manifestation of character (1965:18). Therefore, the speech and the action of a character need to be noticed because they show the evidence of character.
Characters cannot be separated from characterization because characterization is the ways that the author uses to establish the characters.
Rohrberger and Woods state that characterization is the process by which an author creates a character (1971:20). Rohrberger and Woods also suggest two principals an author can characterize. First, he can use Direct means to describe physical appearance. Second, he can use Indirect means to describe the character’s intellectual and moral attributes or explain the degree of his/her sensitivity (1971:20).
Abrams states that a broad distinction is frequently made between alternative methods available to an author in “characterizing” the persons in a the author merely presents his characters talking and acting and leaves the reader to infer what motives and dispositions lie behind what they say and do. In telling, the author himself intervenes authoritatively in order to describe, and often to evaluate, the motives and dispositional qualities of his characters (1981:21).
According to Holman and Harmon, there are three fundamental methods of characterization in fiction:
1. The explicit presentation by the author of the character through direct exposition, either in an introductory block or more often piece meat throughout the work, illustrated by action.
2. The presentation of the character in action, with little or no explicit comment by the author, in expectation that the reader will be able to deduce the attributes of the actor from the actions.
3. The representation from within a character, without comment on the character by the author, of the impact of actions and emotions and the character’s inner self, with the expectation that the reader will come to a clear understanding of the attributes of the character (1980:81).
2. Theories of Message
To come to an understanding about message, Beaty and Hunter in New
World of Literature give their opinion about message. Beaty and Hunter say that
message is the real meaning or some easy conclusion that can be simply stated or summarized inside a work of art (1989:899). It means that a work of literature work of literature. Richards, Platt, and Weber in Longman Dictionary of Applied
Linguistics define message as “what is conveyed in speech or writing from one
person to one or more other people” (1985:176).The meaning of message is often confused with the meaning of theme because sometimes message is considered identical with theme, whereas in fact, they do not always refer to the same meaning. Kenney, in How To Analyze Fiction says that theme has more complexity than message. Message becomes one of the elements that form a theme. But not all of themes are considered as message (1966:89).
In order to avoid misconception between the meaning of theme and message, the writer tries to conclude by seeing the different meaning between message and theme from the definition made by Beaty and Hunter in their book
New World of Literature . They say that the difference between theme and
message is that message seeks to inform or convince, meanwhile, theme seeks to have the reader comprehends and emphasizes so that the ideas are more broadly accessible (1989: 899). It means that message tends to give moral values to convince the reader rather than giving any ideas broadly like theme. These definitions are hoped to help the writer to find the message from the novel.
Message is closely related with moral. In a message usually there is a moral lesson. Moral it self means a teaching of good and bad (Kenney, 1966: 89).
Message in a story is intended as a suggestion related to practical moral lesson religious settlement, politics, economy, and society holds very important role in finding the message in a story, because conveying meanings and messages is influenced by the social background.
Message has its way about how they can be revealed. In general, delivering the message in a work of fiction can be in a direct and in an indirect form (Nurgiyantoro, 1995:336).
a. Direct conveying form Direct conveying form of message can be identical with the description of the characters’ characteristic way that has telling or expository quality. It means that the message is conveyed directly and explicitly. The author seems to teach the readers, and directly give his advice. This direct technique has its own superiority. This form is more communicative, meaning the readers can understand what the author means easily. The readers do not find any difficulties to interpret the message of the work by themselves.
b. Indirect conveying form In comparison to the previous form, the conveying form here has an indirect nature. The message is presented explicitly and united coherensively with other story elements. When a writer wants to convey or show something, he does not convey it directly and vulgarly (Nurgiyantoro, 1995:
In comparison to the characterization methods, the indirect way has similar form with showing technique. The writer performs the attitude and behavior of the characters in facing such as the events, conflicts, problems, and settings of their life. The writer pays attention to their verbal and physical behavior which happens inside their mind and emotion. The message is distributed through those various ways. That means that, when the readers want to understand or interpret the message, the must do that based on the story and the characters’ life.
C. Theoretical Framework
The analysis of message in Dickens’ Little Dorrit needs some theories to help the writer to find the messages of the novel. Theories that are applied in this study are theories of character and characterization and theories of message.
Theory on character by Abrams is applied to identify the characters in the novel. They are Amy Dorrit, Arthur Clennam, William Dorrit, and Mrs. Clennam.
The characters are identified by paying attention to the dialogues and actions among them. From the dialogues, the writer can conclude the personality of each character. The identification of characters also includes the description of the characters’ thought and feeling. They will tell about what the characters think about themselves and about many things like love and freedom, which help the writer to find out their characters. Theory on character by Stanton which states the way to describe character from the interests, desires, emotions, and moral principles of the character is also applied in this thesis. This thesis uses theory on characterization by Rohrberger and Woods by seeing characters’ physical appearance and intellectual qualities. This thesis also uses theory on characterization by Abrams which present the methods in characterization by showing and telling. The theory of characterization by Holman and Harmon which states three fundamental methods of characterization in fiction is also used in this study. These theories are applied to analyze the characters of Amy Dorrit, Arthur Clennam, William Dorrit, and Mrs. Clennam.
Since this thesis aims to find the message of the story, this thesis then employs theory on message. The writer uses theory on message by Beaty and Hunter which say that message is the real meaning of a work of literature. The writer also sees the definition of message in Longman Dictionary of Applied
Linguistics by Richards, Platt, and Weber which define message as what is
conveyed in speech or writing from one person to one or more other people. To differentiate the meaning of message and theme, the writer uses the definition by Kenney which says that theme has more complexity than message, however not all of themes are considered as message. He also states that message is closely related with moral, and that message in a story is intended as a suggestion related to practical moral lesson that can be taken through the story. The difference of message and theme which is seen in a book by Beaty and Hunter New World of
Literature is also employed in this study. All these theories of message will help
the writer to find the message of the story.CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY A. Object of the Study The object of this study is Little Dorrit. It is written by Charles Dickens. The novel consists of 2 parts, 70 chapters, and 766 pages. The version of the book
used in this study is the one printed in Great Britain by Collins Clear-Type Press which is published in 1954. It is set in London, but some scenes also take place outside London, and it occurs in the 1820s.
The novel tells about an ordinary young woman, namely Amy Dorrit. She is born in Marshalsea debtor prison from a debtor father. She has one older brother and one older sister. She works with Mrs. Clennam and falls in love with her son, Arthur Clennam. Arthur does not know about this until he gets into prison and is told by Mr. Chivery who loves Amy but gets no response. Amy loves his father very much and very devoted to him. She takes care of his father and always there whenever he needs her. She always gives support and love to her father. In the novel there are times when their family suddenly gets fortune and they become rich but then they must lose everything because of the Merdle banking scam. It is Amy who always accompanies him and gives him strength. When Arthur must get into Marshalsea debtor’s prison for losing everything in the Merdle banking scam, Amy visits him in the prison and nurses him. The story ends with the marriage of
G.K Chesterton in http://www.dickens-literature.com/Apprecations_and_ Criticisms_by_G.K_Chesterton/17.html gives his appreciation for the works of Charles Dickens, especially Little Dorrit. Little Dorrit stands in Dickens’ life chiefly as a signal of how far he went down the road of realism, of sadness, and of what is called modernity. Some think it is the best of the books of his later period; some even think it is the worst. Great Expectations is certainly the best of the later novels; some even think it is the best of all the novels. Hard Times is his novel most concerned with strictly recent problems. Edwin Drood is the most finely finished or well constructed of his later books. External similarities between Little
Dorrit and the earliest books lay in loose, melodramatic quality which serves to
make more obvious and startling the fact that some changes has come over the soul of Dickens. Like what G.K. Chesterton says that Little Dorrit is a mere Dickens novel, it shows that something must somehow have happened to Dickens himself. In Little Dorrit Dickens creates a character that is similar to him, that is having a father who lives in prison.
B. Approach of the Study
This study applies the formalistic approach since the analysis is based on the interpretation of the work itself in terms of its content and form. The writer needs to analyze the intrinsic element of the novel, without considering the extrinsic aspects, although they might have close relation to the novel, like the author’s life, the social milieu when the novel is written, literary history, or any novel are character, theme, point of view, plot, and setting. In this thesis the writer concentrates in the character and message.
Rohrberger and Woods in their book Reading and Writing About
Literature state that the formalistic approach only examines the novel, play, or
short story on their content without giving attention to the external factors, such as the biography, sociology, or the literary history.
The formalist approach insists on the total integrity of the literary piece. Concentrating almost entirely on its esthethic value, the formalist approach is concerned with demonstrating the harmonious involvement of all the parts to the whole and with pointing out how meaning is derived from structure. The formalist approach gives the idea of examining the work of literature by looking at the idea of the work, the readers do not need the facts of the author’s life, genre of work, and any reference to its social milieu (1971: 7).
This means that when examining a literary work using formalist approach, the writer gives its attention only on the intrinsic elements of the novel and also on the involvement of these intrinsic elements to the whole. Therefore, the extrinsic elements then become unimportant in formalist approach.
C. Method of the Study
In doing this research the writer conducts the library research as the method of the study. It means that the writer seeks the data from the books which are provided in the library. The data focuses on primary data and secondary data. The primary is the novel itself, and the secondary data includes some supporting books which help in answering the problems.
In doing the research the writer begins with reading the novel several times to get a deep understanding on the story. The writer tries to focus on the content of the novel, especially the characters.
While working in this study, the writer finds some comments about the author and the work. In this thesis the writer presents only three of them. They are found in http://www.fidnet.com/~dap1995/dickens/dorrit.html by one of dickensian, http://www.dartmouth.edu/~ilead/courses/spring03/dickens.html by Claire Doyle, a teacher at the college of St. Benedict/ St. John’s University, and the introduction part of the novel itself (Little Dorrit) by Mark Whyte. These comments are very valuable since they help the writer to more appreciate and understand the work.
After finding those comments on the author and the work, then the writer formulates some problems as the base of the analysis. To answer the problems, the writer needs to find the data on the book, especially books on the literature. Since the study deals with the analysis on the content of the novel, books that contain theories on literature are necessarily used. The technique of understanding and identifying the elements of the novel is served by some books. For the element of character, the writer finds it in Abram’s A Glossary of Literary Terms (1981), An
Introduction to Fiction written by Stanton, Reading and Writing about Literature
(1971) written by Rohrberger and Woods, Baldick’s The Concise of Literary
Terms (1990), and A Handbook to Literature (1986) written by Holman and
Harmon.And for the element of message, the writer finds it in New World of
Literature (1989) written by Beaty and Hunter, Longman Dictionary of Applied
Linguistics written by Richards, Platt, and Weber, and Kenney’s How to Analyze
Fiction .After finding and gathering data, then, the writer tries to analyze the problems using the theories that are found in books or literature. The writer reads the story carefully. While reading the story, the writer gives much attention to the intrinsic elements of the novel. It is the characters. First, the writer focuses on the major character, Amy Dorrit. Then, the writer focuses on minor characters, Arthur Clennam, William Dorrit, and Mrs. Clennam. Writing down all their description on the story through the other characters’ comments and their attitudes toward the problem would be one way to give the description of characters in the story of Little Dorrit .
Lastly, after discussing the characters, the writer concludes message of the story. The message is concluded after analyzing the characters. By doing this, there are some possible ideas that can be drawn.
The analysis ends as the questions in the problem formulation have been answered completely. The conclusion is made as the last step. Some interesting points which are found in the analysis will be put in the conclusion.
CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS In this chapter, firstly the analysis of the character will be presented in
order to know the characteristics of the characters in the story. Secondly, the discussion of the characters’ analysis is to find the possible messages can be draw from the analysis.
A. Description of the Characters
The writer has determined four characters to be analyzed in the characters’ analysis. They are Amy Dorrit, Arthur Clennam, William Dorrit, and Mrs.
Clennam. Those characters give a great contribution in revealing the messages of the story.
1. Amy Dorrit
In the story, the descriptions of Amy Dorrit’s characteristics are taken from the story about her childhood and from the story of her mature age. Her characteristics are described through the actions, the conversations, and the Charles Dickens’ comments which can be found in the novel; both the physical and non-physical characteristics.
According to the physical description, as what is commented in the story when for the first time Arthur has an opportunity of observing her, Amy is told as age, but at the same time, she also looks so come of age to be compared to her real age seeing from the consideration and care expression in her face.
Now that he had an opportunity of observing her, Arthur found that her diminutive figure, small features, and slight spare dress, gave her the appearance of being much younger than she was. A woman, probably of not less than two-and-twenty, she might have been passed in the street for little more than half that age. Not that her face was very youthful, for in truth there was more consideration and care in it that naturally belonged to her utmost years.. (p. 61-62) Charles Dickens as the narrator of the story later describes about Amy’s physical characteristics directly.
But it seemed to be a pale transparent face, quick in expression, though not beautiful in feature, its soft hazel eyes excepted. A delicately bent head, a tiny form, a quick little pair of busy hands, and a shabby dress-it must needs have been very shabby to look at all so, being so neat-were Little Dorrit as she sat at work (p. 62).
She is a shy girl and seems to be close only to herself. She knows how somebody must behave, and she does not like to be showy. It is shown when she is in her work place, at Mrs. Clennam’s House. Among Mrs. Clennam, Arthur Clennam, and Mr. and Mrs. Flintwich, she will not make any noise. She keeps her attitude in soft manner.
…but she was so little and light, so noiseless and shy, and appeared so conscious of being out of place among the three hard elders, that she had all the manner and much of the appearance of a subdued child (p. 62).
Amy Dorrit or Little Dorrit never talks much in her work place. It shows her seriousness in regarding her work. She takes her work as an important thing.
She only likes to busy herself with her sewing work, doing them in her own isolated place “she was so retiring, plied her needle in such removed corners” (p. 62).