Theory of Character Theory of Piterature

2.1.1.2 Theory of Characterization

To get the description of Polly’s character, the writer also uses the theory of characterization. The writer presents the theory of characterization by Redman and Murphy. By using the theory, the writer is able to get Polly’s characterization clearly. According to Redman :1964: 363, characterization is the development of a character through what heshe says and does and through what other characters say about him. Murphy :1972:161-173 mentions nine methods of how the author reveals the character’s traits. The first method is personal description. In this method, the author describes the character through the person’s appearance and clothes. The readers are given the telling details, such as the skin, the eyes, the face, and the character’s extraordinary clothing. The way heshe wears can show hisher personality. The second method is character as seen by another. Instead of describing a character directly, the author can describe himher through the eyes and opinion of another. The readers understand the character through the others character’s opinion. The third method is through the character’s speech. The author can give us an insight into the character of one of the person in the book through what the person says. Whenever a person speaks, whenever heshe is in conversation with another, whenever heshe puts forward an opinion, heshe is giving the readers some clues to hisher character. The fourth method is through the character’s past life. The author can give the reader clue to events that have helped to shape a person’s character by letting the readers learn something about a person’s past life. The fifth method is conversation of others. The author can also give us clues to a person’s character through the conversations of other people and the things they say about him. People’s talking about other people often gives a clue to the character of the person spoken about. The sixth method is through the character’s reactions. The author can detect person’s character from how that person reacts to various situations and events. Hisher personality can be shown by the character’s reaction in facing a problem or a situation. The seventh method is through the direct comment from the author. The author can describe or gives comment on a person’s character directly. The clue about the character’s personality is given through the author’s comment on a character. The eighth method is through the character’s thought. The author can give us direct knowledge of what a person is thinking about. In this respect heshe is able to do what we cannot do in real life. Heshe can tell us what different people are thinking. The ninth method is mannerism. The author describes a person’s mannerisms. Habits or idiosyncrasies, which may also tell us something about hisher character.

2.1.2 Theory of Critical Approach

There are many approaches to analyze literary works. Rohberger Woods Jr :1971: 1-15 suggest five kinds of critical approaches. They are the formalist approach, the biographical approach, the socio cultural-historical approach, the mythopoeic approach, and the psychological approach. The formalist approach focuses to apprehend the totality of the literary object. The biographical approach is an approach that asserts the necessity for an appreciation of the ideas and the personality of the author to an understanding of the literary object. The socio cultural-historical approach is the approach that deploys the social background and the historical background of the literary work. The myhtopoeic approach is critics who make use of the mythopoeic frame of references seek to discover certain universally recurrent patterns of human thought that they believe find expression in significant works of art. The last approach is psychological approach, it involves the effort to locate and demonstrate certain recurrent patterns. The proponents of this approach insist that each character’s behavior could refer to psychology of human beings. The suitable approach for this study is psychological approach because this approach can help the writer to analyze Polly’s character. Polly’s characterization can be seen from the dialogue, the third point of view, or from the author’s description. This approach also helps the writer to find Polly’s personality changes.