heavy chores. Mardoll also showed the wonderful characteristics of Baudelaire children. In her review, Mardoll tried to show the impressive Baudelaire
children’s characteristics struggling in Count Olaf’s house. Mardoll shows how Baudelaire children can move on after the death of their parents and how
Baudelaire children can struggle in Count Olaf’s house. In this study, the writer focuses on the different viewpoint, which is the
failure of Count Olaf in the story. In the novel, Violet Baudelaire, as the oldest child of the Baudelaire’s family, always get bad treatments from Count Olaf as
her guardian because she was the heir of the Baudelaire’s fortune. Count Olaf always tries
to capture Baudelaire’s fortune in many ways. The writer tries to look at Count Olaf’s view point and reveals his characteristics. Also, the writer tries to
reveal Count Olaf’s failures in this novel.
B. Review of Related Theories
There are some theories which the writer used to reveal the problem formulation. The first theory is theory of character. This theory conducted the
writer in defining the characteristic of Count Olaf. Then, the writer uses the theory of failure to show some failures which Count Olaf did in the novel.
1. Theory of Character
In this study, the writer uses the theory of character by M. H Abrams’. The person presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the
reader as being endowed with moral and disposition qualities that are expressed in what they say the dialogue and by what they do the action 1981: 20-21.
Abrams said that a character could be judged by his or her dialogues. The conversation in the story shows the reader how the character is. The other point to
comprehend the character is looking at his or her actions. From these two points, the reader will understand the characteristics of the character presented in the
novel. There are also two types of character, namely the flat and the round
character. The flat character is the character that possesses only one conspicuous trait. A round character is a character that described in detail, through his or her
thoughts, feeling and perceptions toward something Forster, 2000: 61. The flat character stays the same from the beginning until the end of the story, but round
character is a dynamic character which is more fully developed and described. Holman and Harmon in A Handbook of Literature stated that
characterization is the creation of imaginary person so that they exist for the reader as if the people in the real life Holman and Harmon, 1986: 81. While in
order to understand the characteristics of a character, M.J. Murphy in his book Understanding Unseen: An Introduction to English Poetry and the English Novel
for Overseas Students stated nine important points that are needed to understand 1972: 161-173. They are:
a. Personal Description is the way the author draws the character’s appearance
and clothes. The character can be fat, thin, handsome, or bad looking. From the description, the readers are given image of how the character looks like
1972: 161.
b. Character as Seen by Another is the way the author describe a character
through other characters’ viewpoint and opinions, instead of describing a character directly. This helps the readers understand the character deeper
1972: 162. c.
Speech is the way the author gives the readers an insight into the character of one person in the book through what the person says. Whenever the character
speaks, including conversation with another or giving opinion, the character itself is giving the readers some clues to its characteristics or personalities
1972: 164. d.
Past Life is the way the author guides the readers to figure out the character, by learning somethi
ng about the person’s past life. This usually stated by the direct comment by the author, the person’s thought, his or her conversation, or
through the medium of another person 1972: 166. e.
Conversation of Others is a person’s character which is seen through the conversation of other people or through the things that they say about him or
her. People talk about other people and things they say often give a clue to the character of the person spoken about 1972: 167.
f. Reaction is a clue given by the author to a person’s character by letting the
reader knows how that person reacts to various situations and events. A character’s reactions show his or her personality in facing problems or
situations 1972: 168. g.
Direct Comment is the way the author describes or comments on a person’s character directly 1972: 170.
h. Thought is the way the author gives the readers direct knowledge of what a
person is thinking. Therefore, an author is able expressed his or her thoughts to do what his or her reader cannot do in real life 1972: 171.
i. Mannerism is the way the author describes a person’s mannerism, habits, or
idiosyncrasies that may also tell the reader something about his or her character 1972: 173.
The nine elements of the theory of characters and characteristics by M. J. Murphy will not be used all. There are only several elements that are needed to
analyze the character in the story because there are only some elements of the character that are explained using the theory of characters and characteristics.
2. Theories on Failure
