9 these individuals” 17. In other words, character is both the people in the novel
and their personalities or characteristics. Character is one of the most important aspects in the novel. Through the
eyes of the characters, the readers can experience not only the characters’ life but also see what Henkle said as “a vision of a world” 48. The characters tell the
story of the novel and put across the picture from their world. The readers, therefore, can identify the novel’s world through the characters. Wellek and
Warren also say that the author expresses his idea and knowledge about his society in the world of literature by using language as a medium in his fictitious
characters. The use of fictitious characters in fiction, such as heroes and villains afford interesting indications of social attitude, which is similar to the
characteristics of the people in his society 104. Elizabeth Langlard also states that by looking at the interaction between characters, we can see the society or the
world of the novel. “This society may also be revealed through human relationships, through characters patterned interactions and their common
expectations from one another” 6 The character in the novel, or what E. M. Forster calls as “Homo Fictus”
38 reflects the qualities of ordinary human beings. They are named, given sexes, provided with personalities complete with physical and psychological aspects.
The difference is that the characters in the novel, if the author wants to, can be understood completely because their inner and outer life can be exposed Forster
32. The explanation on how the author describes the inner and outer life of the characters will be explained further in the theory of characterization.
10 Forster divides characters into flat and round. Flat characters are easily
recognized, “they are constructed round a single idea or quality” 47. They change only a little part from the beginning to the end of the story. On the other
hand, round characters are more complex than the flat characters. They are more dynamic and can change. The changes will influence the character. The action of
this character is often unpredictable by the readers.
2.1.2. Theory of Characterization
According to Holman and Harmon 81, the technique the author uses to reveal the characters of an imaginary person in the story is called characterization.
By knowing the technique that the author uses, the readers can get descriptions about the characters of the novel. The descriptions of the characters can help the
readers to know and understand them better. The techniques the author uses may vary from one to another.
There are many ways in characterizing characters. The following are nine ways Murphy says the author can employ “to make his characters understandable
to, and come alive for, his readers” 161. The first way is by personal description. The readers can identify
someone’s characters by describing the physical appearance 161. The second is by seeing from other characters. Besides describing a character directly, the author
can also describe his character through the eyes and opinions of other characters. The readers can know one’s character by knowing other characters’ opinion and
point of view about him or her 162. The third is by speech. Whenever a PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
11 character says something or has a conversation with other characters, he gives the
readers some clues to his characters 164. Next is by exploring the character’s past life. The pictures of the character’s past life can be traced and learnt to help
us figure out the character’s action of the present time. 166. The fifth is by seeing from conversation of others. The clues to one character can be revealed
through the conversation with other characters 167. The sixth is by reaction. The response or the reaction of a character to something may give the readers clues to
one’s character 168. The seventh way is by direct comments. In this way, usually the author of the novel acts as a narrator. The author describes one’s
character by giving a comment directly 170. The eight is by thought. The readers can know the character’s inner ideas and thoughts by looking at what one is
thinking about directly, or by other characters’ though about him or her 171. The last way is by seeing one’s mannerism. The readers can get clues of one’s
characters by his mannerism, habits or idiosyncrasies 173.
2.1.3. Theory of Critical Approaches
Mary Rohrberger and Samuel H. Woods, Jr. presents that there are five approaches that can be used as a means of observing a novel critically. These
approaches are the formalistic approach, the biographical approach, the socio- cultural historical approach, the mythopoeic approach, and the psychological
approach 6-15. The first approach is the formalist approach. This 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 and how PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
12 matters of technique determine structure 6-7. The second approach is the
biographical approach. This approach emphasizes the necessity for an appreciation of the ideas and personality of the author to an understanding of the
literary object. Critics try to learn as much as they can about the life and development of the author and apply this knowledge in their attempt to understand
his writing 8-9. The third is the sociocultural-historical approach. Two factors are present here. Firstly, accuracy in the presentation of historical facts is of value
to the historian, but not necessarily to the author. Secondly, a work of literature might have historical significance, but not necessarily literary significance 9-11.
The fourth is the mythopoeic approach. The critics use of mythopoeic frame of reference try to discover certain universally recurrent patterns of human thought,
which they believe exist in significant works of arts 11-13. The last approach that Rohrberger and Woods present is the psychological approach. This approach
involves the effort to locate and demonstrate certain recurrent patterns. In applying this theory, we must be careful not to take the part for the whole and
reduce a piece of literature to a mere statement of a behavior pattern 13-15.
2.1.4. The Theory of Satire
The Nineteenth century became a period of satire. Most of literary works; such as poetry, drama, essays, novels, and criticisms took on the satirical manner.
“Although the Victorian period was not noted for pure satire, the writers; such as Dickens, Thackeray and others produced novels that showed an excellent vehicle
for social satire” The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature 569. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
