Character Feminism Definition of Terms

areoften portrayed through the women characters in her books, there is relation about Nin’s characteristics in Henry and June and the characteristics of women characters in Ladders to Fire. Nin’s characteristics are also revealed in an undergraduate thesis entitled Nin’s Motivation to Establish Relationship with Henry and June in Anais Nin’s Henry and June written by Ika Dewi Widiastuti 2011 from Sanata Dharma University. Nin is described as attractive, smart, hypersexual and independent woman. These characteristics aim to reveal Nin’s motivation to establish relationship with Henry and June. The result of this research states that Nin’s motivation is purely to fulfill her needs such as psychological need, sex need, safety need, love and belonging needs. Based on the analysis, it can be said that Nin’s motivation to establish relationship with Henry and June is to fulfill her needs. She fulfills her needs in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and she also reaches the top level, the actualized person 2011: 53. Another research of Nin’s novel comes from Ohio University Press. In the novels, Nin indicates that neurosis keeps the female characters from becoming complete human beings. She emphasizes their fragmented nature by using only their given names. These women include Lillian, whose self-doubt causes her overbearingness; timid Djuna, who yearns for love but misses much of life because of her inability to live in the present; guilt-ridden Helen, who cannot attain the freedom she expected when abandoning her husband and children long ago; Sabina, whose broken internal compass makes her life chaotic; and Stella, whose distrust of others keeps her from revealing her true self ohioswallow.com, 2015. In this research , the writer aims to reveal the women’s characteristics in Ladders to Fire which reflect the ideas of radical libertarian feminism. Since the previous researches which have been mentioned focus on Nin’s characteristics as the author, it will be very useful as the supporting sources for the writer to reveal the characteristics of the women characters in the Ladders to Fire. Anais Nin has been described as bisexual, independent, and attractive woman in the previous researches, therefore the women characters in Ladders to Fire may be the portrayal of Nin’s characteristics.

B. Review of Related Theories

1. Theory of Character and Characterization

Characters plays important role in the flow of a story. M.H. Abrams explains that characters are the persons presented in a dramatic or narrative work, whoare interpreted by the reader as being endowed with moral, dispositional, and emotional qualities that are expressed in what they say-the dialogue-and by what they do-the action 1971: 21. According to Robert Stanton, character is generally used in two ways. The first character marks out the person who appears in the story. The second character refers to the traits or the elements in somebody’s personality that makes up each of a person. A character’s reason of behaving as he does is his motivation 1965: 17.