Analysis of Stylistic Categories and Their Effects in Roald Dahl's 'Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and Matilda'.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE .......................................................................................................
i
TABLE OF CONTENTS ...............................................................................
ii
ABSTRACT......................................................................................................
iv
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study ......................................................................
Statement of the Problem ......................................................................
Purpose of the Study .............................................................................
Methods of Research .............................................................................
Organization of the Thesis ....................................................................
1
4
4
4
5
CHAPTER TWO: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ...............................
6
CHAPTER THREE: ANALYSIS OF STYLISTIC CATEGORIES
AND THEIR EFFECTS IN
CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
AND MATILDA...................................................................................
11
CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION ............................................................ 46
BIBLIOGRAPHY .......................................................................................... 51
APPENDICES:
Data of Cohesion: Cross-reference in
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory .......................................
Data of Devices of Sound in
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory .......................................
Data of Figurative Language in
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory .......................................
Data of Graphological Variation in
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory .......................................
Data of Cohesion: Cross-reference in Matilda ..................................
Data of Devices of Sound in Matilda ................................................
Data of Figurative Language in Matilda ............................................
Data of Graphological Variation in Matilda ......................................
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Synopsis of Roald Dahl’s Charlie
and the Chocolate Factory .......................................................
Synopsis of Roald Dahl’s Matilda .....................................................
Biography of the Author ....................................................................
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ABSTRACT
Gaya penulisan memegang peranan penting dalam sebuah karya tulis.
Penulis akan mampu mengkomunikasikan pesan dan efek kepada pembacanya.
Setiap penulis memiliki gaya penulisan tersendiri yang menjadi ciri khas mereka.
Dengan mengeksplorasi penggunaan gaya penulisan, pembaca dapat memahami
bagaimana menyampaikan deskripsi dan makna dalam sebuah karya tulis,
sehingga pembaca dapat tertarik karena gaya penulisan tersebut.
Roald Dahl dikenal sebagai salah satu penulis cerita anak-anak yang
mampu membawakan cerita dengan gaya penulisan yang menarik. Pembawaan
gaya penulisan yang istimewa ini boleh dikatakan menjadi ciri khas Dahl dalam
cerita untuk anak-anak.
Kemampuannya mengolah imajinasi yang akhirnya
mampu diterima oleh pembaca membuat saya tertarik untuk membahas gaya
penulisan yang dipergunakan.
Gaya penulisan sesungguhnya meliputi bidang yang cukup luas. Adapun
beberapa kategori gaya penulisan yang ditemukan dalam dua novel yang akan
dibahas adalah cohesion, devices of sound, figurative language, dan graphological
variation. Cohesion yang akan dianalisis berupa pengulangan satu atau beberapa
kata dalam kalimat dan juga variasi kata-kata yang merujuk pada hal yang sama.
Devices
of
sound
menyajikan
keindahan
bunyi-bunyi
tertentu
dalam
menggambarkan suatu peristiwa maupun dalam nama-nama karakter. Penggunaan
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kalimat kiasan dalam figurative language yang unik, penggambaran keadaan yang
berlebihan juga menimbulkan efek yang menarik di dalamnya. Sistem penulisan
berupa kata-kata dalam huruf kapital maupun huruf miring menjadi bagian gaya
penulisan dalam karya Dahl.
Dalam skripsi ini, saya akan membahas keempat kategori yang disebutkan
di atas. Lewat keempat kategori tersebut akan dianalisis efek-efek yang timbul
terhadap pembaca khususnya anak-anak, seperti penekanan, penjelasan atau
gambaran yang lebih jelas, humor, dan keindahan bunyi.
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APPENDICES
Table 1. Data of Cohesion: Cross-Reference in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
I
A
Cross-reference
Formal Repetition
No
Data
Effect
1
How d' you do? And how d' you do? And how d' you do again?
emphasis
2
This thing, for him, was far, far worse than seeing slabs of
chocolate….
emphasis
3
…he would begin to walk very, very slowly….
emphasis
4
5
B
Elegant Variation
6
7
His birthday… special occasion…the great day… marvellous
birthday mornings.
“What a revolting woman,” said Grandma Josephine
“And what a repulsive boy,” said Grandma Georgina.
“Beastly girl,” said Grandma Josephine.
“Despicable!” said Grandma Georgina.
“You’re pulling our legs, Charlie, aren’t you? You’re having a
little joke?”
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precise description
emphasis, precise description
emphasis, precise description
emphasis, precise description
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B
Elegant Variation
8
… how good to see you! Delighted! Charmed! Overjoyed to
have you with us!
emphasis, precise description
9
Delighted to see you, sir! Overjoyed! Enraptured! Enchanted!
emphasis, precise description
10
The children and their parents were too flabbergasted to speak.
They were staggered. They were dumfounded.
emphasis, precise description
11
12
“He’s crazy!” they shouted. “He’s nutty!” “He’s screwy!” “He’s
batty!” “He’s dippy!” “He’s dotty!” “He’s goofy!” “He’s
buggy!” “He’s wacky!” “He’s loony!”
“Impossible!” cried Mr. Wonka. “Unthinkable! Inconceivable!
Absurd!”
emphasis, precise description,
humour
emphasis, precise description
Table 2. Data of Devices of Sound in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
II
Devices of Sound
Consonant repeated /
Sound imitated
Effect
/w/
pleasant sound
/t/
pleasant sound
3
Willy Wonka
He worked…and screwed the little caps onto
the tops of the tubes of toothpaste
“He’s dippy!” “He’s dotty!” “He’s daffy!”
/d/
pleasant sound, humour
4
Great flabby folds of fat bulged….
/f/
pleasant sound
5
…cameras were clicking and flashbulbs were
flashing and people were pushing….
/k/, /fl/, /p/
pleasant sound
No
Data
1
2
A
Alliteration
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6
B
Onomatopoiea
7
8
…and then a splash, and into the river went Augustus falls into the
Augustus Gloop
river.
The boiling liquid in the
…black metal pots were boiling and pots, the air coming out
bubbling…kettles were hissing and pans were from the lids, the liquid
sizzling, and strange iron machines were falls into the hot pans, the
sharp and heavy sounds
clanking and spluttering….
from the machines.
…a small shiny affair that kept going phut- The
machine
stops
phut- phut-phut- phut….
working.
precise description
precise description,
pleasant sound
precise description
Table 3. Data of Figurative Language in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
III
Figurative
Language
No
A
Hyperbole
1
B
Metaphor
2
C
Simile
3
Data
Explanation
Effect
The weather is very hot
…there came a very hot day with a boiling sun,
that it makes the chocolate
and the whole place began to melt.…
palace melt.
…with two small greedy curranty eyes peering
Augustus has small eyes.
out upon the world.
Charlie’s grandparents are
They were as shriveled as prunes, and as bony very old, their skin is
wrinkled, and they are very
as skeleton….
thin as if they had no flesh.
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emphasis
precise description,
humour
precise description
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C
Simile
4
The place was like a witch’s kitchen!
5
“You’re blowing up like a balloon!”
“Like a blueberry,” said Mr. Wonka
6
“…she’ll be sizzled like a sausage!”
7
8
The
Invention
Room
produces
the
unusual
precise description
chocolate products.
Violet is swelling up into a
precise description,
big round shape.
pleasant sound, humour
Veruca will be burnt in the
precise description,
incinerator.
pleasant sound, humour
She was now kneeling…with her head down
Mrs Salt has got big
and her enormous behind sticking up in the air
buttocks.
like giant mushroom.
Mike Teavee becomes very
He’s about ten feet tall and thin as a wire!
tall and thin.
9
He’s beginning to look like skeleton!
Charlie is getting thinner.
10
…his face was like a monstrous ball of Augustus has a round big
dough….
face.
precise description,
humour
precise description,
humour
precise description,
sympathy
precise description,
humour
Table 4. Data of Graphological Variation in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
IV
A
Graphological
Variation
Capitalization
No
Data
Effect
1
The one thing he longed for more than anything else was… CHOCOLATE.
emphasis
2
… there was an ENORMOUS CHOCOLATE FACTORY.
emphasis
3
IT’S THE FIFTH GOLDEN TICKET, MOTHER, AND I’VE FOUND IT!
emphasis
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4
A WHOLE dollar!
emphasis
5
It meant FOOD.
emphasis
6
“Snozzberries?” said Mike Teavee.
“True?” cried all four of them at once. “… It’s about fifty times as big as any
other!”
7
B
Italicization
emphasis, humour
emphasis
emphasis, reader’s
involvement
8
“Not people, Charlie. Not ordinary people, anyway.”
9
“But Grandpa, who,” cried Charlie. “who is Mr. Wonka using to do all the
work in the factory?”
emphasis
10
…this piece of gum…is one I’ve been working on for over three months solid.
emphasis
11
“You don’t use hair cream?”
emphasis, humour
12
“Whips!” cried Veruca Salt. “What on earth do you use whips for?”
emphasis, humour
13
“Has beans?” cried Violet Beauregarde.
emphasis, humour
Table 5. Data of Cohesion: Cross-Reference in Matilda
I
Cross-reference
No
A
Formal Repetition
1
Data
The anger inside her went boiling and boiling….
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Effect
emphasis
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2
3
4
A
Formal Repetition
5
6
7
8
B
Elegant Variation
9
10
11
…Miss Trunchbull deals very very severely with anyone who gets out of line
in this school.
The two tiny ones, confronted by this giant….
……………………………………………………………………………..…….
…they continued to gaze up at the giant.
“That’s the daughter … in the village,” Miss Trunchbull barked.
………………………………………………..……………………………….…
“Not for long anyway,” Miss Trunchbull barked grinning.
………………………………………………………………………...…………
“Good afternoon, children’” she barked.
Make sure your clothes are clean, your faces are clean, and your hands are
clean.
“I did not do it!” she screamed.
…………………………………………………………..………………………
“I’m telling you I did not do it!” Matilda screamed.
Matilda felt herself getting angrier…and angrier…and angrier… so
unbearable angry…..
Even when their own child ….
…………………………………………………………………………………
…their own revolting offspring….
She had somehow trained herself by now to block her ears to the ghastly sound
of the dreaded box.
…he snapped at her.
………………………………………...................................................................
…Mr. Wormwood barked.
“Come on!” Matilda cried… “Stick ‘em up!” she yelled.
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emphasis
emphasis
emphasis
emphasis
emphasis
emphasis
variation
emphasis, precise
description
emphasis, precise
description
emphasis, precise
description
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12
He always had to make his appearance felt immediately by creating a lot of
noise and clatter.
13
“Your daughter’s a cheat and a liar,” the father said….
14
B
Elegant Variation
15
emphasis, precise
description
emphasis
…Miss Trunchbull’s enormous bosom.
………………………………………………………………………...…………
Her massive bosom….
“A thief!” the Trunchbull screamed. “A crook! A pirate! A brigand! A
rustle!”
emphasis, precise
description
emphasis, variation
16
“You witless weed! You empty-headed hamster! You stupid glob of glue!”
emphasis, pleasant
sound, humour
17
“Stand up, you disgusting little cockroach!”
……………………………………………………………………………….…
“Stand up at once, you filthy little maggot!”
emphasis
Table 6. Data of Devices of Sound in Matilda
II
A
B
Devices of sound
Rhyme
Alliteration
No
Data
Rhyming sound/ sound
repeated/ sound imitated
Effect
/®enw/ /menw/ /enw/
pleasant sound
/pleǿs/ /feǿs/
/bks/ /lks/
pleasant sound
pleasant sound
1
Jenny, many, not any.
2
Place, face
3
Books, looks
4
Mr. and Mrs.Wormwood.
/w/
pleasant sound
5
Michael, Matilda
/m/
pleasant sound
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6
pleasant sound, reader’s
involvement
/p/
pleasant sound, emphasis
/k/
pleasant sound, reader’s
involvement
10
“It’s made me a mint
/m/
pleasant sound
11
You witless weed! You empty-headed
hamster! You stupid glob of glue!
/w/, /h/, /gl/
pleasant sound, humour
12
The sound of breaking plate
…she dropped the plate with a crash and
and the sound of dropping
a splash on to the floor.
food.
13
...out came the long slimy newt straight The sound of the newt falls
into the glass, plop!
into the glass of water.
14
And then suddenly, click went her face
The sound made by fingers.
into a look of almost seraphic calm.
Alliteration
9
Onomatopoeia
pleasant sound
/s/
8
C
/b/
She had been listening slightly
spellbound to this smooth recital….
…another suitable punishment for the
poisonous parent.
…sitting quietly by herself in a cosy
corner devouring one book after another.
7
B
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precise description, sound
imitation, pleasant sound
precise description, sound
imitation
precise description. sound
imitation, reader’s
involvement
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Table 7. Data of Figurative Language in Matilda
III
A
B
Figurative
Language
No
Simile
Effect
1
precise description,
emphasis, humour
2
Mr. Wormwood let out a yell that rattled Mr Wormwood yelled with a
the window-panes.
loud voice.
precise description,
emphasis
3
…a tall shrivelled female who looked as
The cook is very old, wrinkled
though all of her body-juice had been dried
and thin.
out of her in a hot oven.
precise description,
emphasis
4
…she extended a hand the size of a tennis Miss Trunchbull grabs Rupert’s
racquet and grabbed all the hair….
hair with her big-sized hand.
precise description,
emphasis, humour
5
Her great horsy face has turned the colour
Miss Trunchbull is very angry.
of molten lava….
precise description,
emphasis
6
C
Explanation
She had one of those unfortunate bulging
Mrs Wormwood has got a plump
figures where the flesh appears to be
body with the flesh all over it.
strapped in all around the body to prevent
it from falling out.
Hyperbole
Metaphor
Data
7
Miss Trunchbull has a big body
She was gigantic holy terror, a fierce
and fierce look; besides, she is
tyrannical monster who frightened…
also very frightening.
Mr Wormwood is not in a good
His face was as dark as a thunder-cloud.
mood.
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precise description
precise description
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C
Simile
Miss Trunchbull walks firmly.
precise description,
humour
precise description,
emphasis
precise description,
pleasant sound
8
She always marched like a storm-trooper.
9
… if she fell over she would smash into a Miss Honey is very slim and
thousand pieces like a porcelain figure.
thin.
10
The place stank like a sewer.
11
The playground…became silent as the
The playground becomes quiet.
grave.
precise description
12
The cottage was so small it looked more Miss Honey’s house is very
like a doll’s house than a human dwelling. small.
precise description,
emphasis
13
The parents looked upon Matilda in Matilda is compared to a scab,
particular as nothing more than a scab.
which is a disgusting thing
precise description,
emphasis
The place is very smelly.
Table 8. Data of Graphological Variation in Matilda
IV
A
Graphological
Variation
Italicization
No
Data
Effect
1
“Could I do it?”
emphasis
2
“You mean you live down here?” Matilda asked.
emphasis
3
“Erik what?”
emphasis
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Synopsis of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlie Bucket is a little boy who lives together with his parents, Mr and
Mrs Bucket, and his grandparents, Grandpa Joe and Grandma Josephine, Grandpa
George and Grandma Georgina. They are such a poor family that life is very
uncomfortable for them. The food Charlie loves most is chocolate and he only
gets it once a year on his birthday.
For the first time, the great chocolate maker, Willy Wonka, announces that
he will allow five children to visit his chocolate factory. The lucky children will
see all the secrets and magic in the factory; what is more, every winner will be
given delicious candy supplies for the rest of their lives. The five Golden Tickets
can be found in candy bars in any country in the world. This fantastic news is
exciting for young Charlie. Unfortunately, there is no Golden Ticket in his
birthday chocolate and the chocolate bought by Grandpa Joe. But one day, he
buys two bars of chocolate with a dollar bill he has found on the street. The
chance to have a tour to Wonka’s factory is now in his hand.
The five lucky winners are Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Violet
Beauregarde, Mike Teavee and the hero, Charlie Bucket. Charlie is accompanied
by Grandpa Joe. What they see inside the factory is absolutely amazing. But
unfortunately, some incidents happen to the four winners. Augustus Gloop, the fat
boy, falls into the chocolate river and is sucked by the enormous pipe. The spoilt
girl, Veruca Salt, is thrown out into the trash by the squirrels. Violet, the gumchewer, eats the experimental chewing-gum meal and chews herself into a big
blueberry. Mike, the boy who is obsessed with television, shrinks himself in the
televison. Charlie becomes the only one left in the factory and since that moment
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his life changes. Willy Wonka decides to make Charlie his heir and give him the
factory. He hopes that Charlie will run the factory. Finally, Mr Wonka asks
Charlie to fetch his family to live in the factory.
Synopsis of Matilda
Matilda is a brilliant gifted little girl who is underestimated by her parents
as nothing more than a scab. They are too ignorant to realize and acknowledge
that their five-year-old girl is given such a brain. At her age, she is able to recite
multiplication and has read a lot of books. Her brilliance fascinates Miss Jennifer
Honey, the nice, gentle and quiet teacher. She tries to convince the headmistress
that Matilda should be placed in the same class as the eleven-year-olds. Instead of
permitting it, the horrible and big child-hating headmistress, Miss Trunchbull,
does not believe Matilda’s intelligence. Miss Honey also attempts to convince
Matilda’s parents, Mr and Mrs Wormwood, about it. Unfortunately, the father,
who is a dishonest second-hand car dealer, and the mother, who is bingo addicted,
think that Miss Honey is only wasting her time talking about their daughter.
What is remarkable is that Matilda is still loved by her friends and Miss
Honey for being humble. Matilda also becomes Miss Honey’s best friend; she
always visits Miss Honey. In her visits Matilda finds out that her teacher’s life is
terrible. What surprises Matilda is that she suddenly gets an extraordinary ability.
She can use her eyes to move things. Using her brilliant idea, Matilda attempts to
use her magical power to help her kind-hearted teacher to restore her rights, such
as her financial security, and the house left by her father, who is actually Miss
Trunchbull’s brother. Finally, the goddess of fortune smiles at Matilda. The
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family has to move to another country because people find out that her father has
been selling stolen cars. Matilda, who has already loved her town and school, does
not want to go with her family. Then Matilda stays and lives with Miss Honey
with her father’s permission.
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Biography of Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl was born in Llandaff, South Wales in 1916, of Norwegian
parents. His childhood was spent in England. When he moved to Washington at
the age of twenty-six, he began to write.
He narrated his adventure in World War II as a fighter pilot in his first
short story, which was published in The Saturday Evening Post. Dahl started his
long and famous career as a writer of stories for adults. In 1960, while living with
his family in England, Dahl began writing children’s stories. The first stories were
written for his own children as an entertainment. His ability to write horror stories
with a humorous touch makes his works never become ghastly. One of the most
entertaining aspects comes from the unusual events in the plots.
His fantastic children’s novels such as James and the Giant Peach, The
BFG, Matilda, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, become popular although
he has passed away. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is one of his novels which
is successfully adapted into a movie. Not only his novels, but his books of rhymes
for children, including Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes, also continues to be
popular.
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Style of language can be an option used by an author in order to present a
pleasant reading to a reader. The use of style of language may reflect the author’s
values when conveying her/his messages. The author may use formality or
informality, scientific terms or common terms, figurative or literal language, et
cetera. The author can also develop or combine the style because there is no limit
in style.
Stylistics studies the relation between the significances of the text and the
linguistic characteristics in which they are manifested. It investigates the relation
between the writer’s artistic achievement and how it is achieved through
language. Sometimes when reading a text, one will find out that the writer prefers
certain words to others, in order to gain an aesthetic effect. Through the stylistic in
a text, the language will provide particular artistic function. Applying various
styles in a literary work may give more colours to the language. When the reader
explores the use of style, she/he will comprehend how the style conveys its
meaning, image or even the mood of the work. The style used in delivering a story
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possibly will influence the story itself, the message conveyed, and even the target
readers. For instance, the language in a humorous story is certainly less serious
than that in a speech. Formal language can be stiff; yet, a touch of aesthetic
language can make it more interesting and attract readers to read it further.
Known as one of the most famous writers for children, Roald Dahl is an
expert in choosing uncommon words in his stories. To express his ideas, Dahl
comes up with his choice of words which makes the writing interesting to read
and easy to imagine. The use of simple language; yet, good and various diction
leads to the emphatic and humorous effects in his works. Dahl’s diction and the
other aesthetic effects built in the novels strengthen his works as children
literature, especially the humorous ones. I figure out that Dahl concerns not only
with style of language, but also style of writing. The two novels I analyze deal
with the writing system which also contribute some effects to the stories.
The major characters in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda
are children who deal with their problems in their surroundings with the existence
of the grown-ups. The children characters in his books are usually portrayed to
have the ‘quintessential qualities’; namely their sense of humour and their
absolute honesty .
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is one of the most popular fantasy
fictions for children, which also has been adapted into a successful movie. It tells
about a poor child named Charlie, who wins the Golden Ticket together with the
other four children. They visit a big chocolate factory owned by Willy Wonka.
Charlie Bucket, the main character in this novel, is described as an honest, kind,
and brave boy who undergoes some fantastic adventures in the chocolate factory.
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His fate changes when finally he is chosen by Mr Wonka to own the chocolate
factory.
In Matilda, named after the eponymous heroine of the story, a brilliant
little girl suffers from unfair treatments from her parents. At school, she has to
face the huge and fierce headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, who hates children. When
Matilda finds out that she has magical power in her eyes, she uses the power to
help her kind-hearted teacher, Miss Honey, who is actually the headmistress’
niece, to acquire Miss Honey’s rights.
Since the two novels are regarded as humorous modern fiction for
children, it is important to know some points that refer to the characteristics of
children literature. One of children’s favourites is humorous stories for children
like to laugh (Huck, 1989: 513). In Through the Eyes of a Child, Norton states that
humorous stories, whether involving the world of fantasy or the world of real
people living in the world, are among children’s favourites. The humorous
situation may allow children to understand that life can be highly entertaining and
is not always serious (Norton, 1983: 406).
The linguistic area used in the thesis is the stylistic categories, which
include cross-reference as the part of cohesion, devices of sound, figurative
language and graphological variation. The cross-reference applied in analyzing
the data is formal repetition and elegant variation. It is stated that cohesion is an
important part of what makes a text, both in literary and non-literary writing, but it
is not always an important aspect of literary style (Leech, 1994: 245). The
graphological effect concerns spelling, capitalization, hyphenation, italicization
and paragraphing (Leech, 1994: 131). While the devices of sound include
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alliteration, assonance and onomatopoeia; the figurative language such as
metaphor, simile, and hyperbole also occur frequently. All these can be analyzed
as the contributors to the stylistic effects in the two novels.
Statement of the Problem
In this thesis, I would like to analyze the following problems:
1. What stylistic categories are used in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
and Matilda?
2. What are the effects of using such stylistic categories in Charlie and the
Chocolate Factory and Matilda?
Purpose of the Study
The analysis is done for the following purposes:
1. To show the stylistic categories used in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
and Matilda.
2. To figure out the effects of using such stylistic categories in Charlie and
the Chocolate Factory and Matilda.
Method of Research
In gathering the data for the thesis, I read the two novels as the primary
texts. Then, I collect, select and classify the data based on the stylistic categories
found in the two novels. Besides, I also analyze the effects of using such
categories. Finally, I write a research report.
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Organization of the Thesis
This thesis consists of four chapters. In the first chapter, I present the
Introduction, which contains the Background of the Study, Statement of the
Problem, Purpose of the Study, Method of Research, and Organization of the
Thesis. In the second chapter, I put forward the theoretical framework of the
linguistic area and the approaches used in analyzing the data. In the third chapter I
analyze the data from the two novels. Later, in the fourth chapter I draw a
conclusion concerning the findings in the third chapter. The thesis ends with the
Bibliography and Appendices.
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CHAPTER FOUR
CONCLUSION
Having analyzed the stylistic categories of Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory and Matilda, I conclude that the use of stylistic categories carries out the
need of imagination in a fantasy story or a story of something extreme. In the two
novels, both Charlie and Matilda are two little children who undergo some
unusual experiences. In the first novel, the story is emphasized more on its fantasy
by creating an amazing chocolate factory with the strange incidents, the
marvellous candies and even the brilliant chocolate maker. The second novel is
stressed more on the extreme adults’ attitudes towards children. It plays with the
readers’ feeling more than their imagination.
In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I find twelve data in cohesion, eight
in devices of sound, ten in figurative language and thirteen in graphological
variation. Whereas in Matilda, there are seventeen data in cohesion, fourteen in
devices of sound, thirteen in figurative language and three in graphological
variation. The number of data in each category, except the graphological variation
in Matilda, is relatively quite equal and not too contrastive. It can be said that both
novels contain the four categories. In Matilda, the number of graphological
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variation is the least of all. Although graphological variation is the medium to
emphasize something, apparently in Matilda the emphasis is focused more
through the other three categories.
The effects found in the stylistic categories are giving precise description,
emphatic effect, humorous effect, giving pleasant sound, variation, sympathy,
imitating sound, reflecting meaning, and get the readers’ attention to involve in
the story. Basically, each category in each novel has the same effect. As stated in
the theory, repetition is an explicit way to repeat the expression and it has the
purpose of emphasizing or increasing emotion. The same effects can be found in
the two novels through both formal repetition and elegant variation. The emphatic
effect occurs frequently to express the description. In my opinion, elegant
variation has more dominant effects for the reason that there are various terms in
describing the same thing. The readers will become more interested because of the
use of the various words. Most of the data in elegant variation are in the form of
synonyms. Basically, it has the same form and effect as the formal repetition.
However, this type of repetition helps the readers to have a more precise
description of something or someone.
The devices of sound in the two novels play their role to give a pleasant
sound, to imitate the sound and even to reflect a meaning. The readers can enjoy
the story more through the interesting sounds that occur. The author’s use of
figurative language instead of stating the literal meaning presents another way to
express the description in more interesting and beautiful language. As a result, the
readers can acquire clearer image of something described.
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The capitalization and italicization found in the novels are not the same as
the ones that are usually found in the rule of writing, like italicizing titles of books
or capitalizing chapter titles. In these two novels, the graphological variation
serves as the writer’s medium to convey his implicit messages, namely the
writer’s intention of giving more emphasis on something. Normally, the different
writing style from the surrounding text allows the readers pay more attention to
the intended words. It can be a way to highlight something that will be focused on.
Through the use of this technique, the emphasized words can be noticeable easily,
and consequently, the readers will understand the writer’s messages better.
From the number of the effects that occur, in Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory there are twenty-five data having an emphatic effect, twenty-one giving a
precise description, eleven creating a humorous effect and eight giving a pleasant
sound. While in Matilda, there are twenty-eight data having an emphatic effect,
twenty-one giving a precise description, five creating a humorous effect and
thirteen giving a pleasant sound. Since the emphatic effect and precise description
are the most dominant effects in the two novels, I figure that the main idea in the
two novels is to deliver deeper and clearer messages. The emphatic effect makes
the readers concern more about emphasized things. Precise description gives an
easy way of building the readers’ imagination. As these two novels are intended
for children, precise description plays an important role to help the readers,
especially children, in understanding and imagining the story. The description in
the stories requires detailed information in order to deliver the message properly
to the readers. The other effects, giving a pleasant sound and creating a humorous
effect, function more as a medium in entertaining the readers. These effects will
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make readers enjoy their reading more. As a result, I am sure that both novels are
interesting to read.
I am of the opinion that the most interesting stylistic categories are the
alliteration and the use of metaphors. There are a lot of words that are created with
the intention to have the same consonant sounds, for example in the names of the
characters like Willy Wonka, Mr and Mrs Wormwood, Matilda and Michael, and
Bruce Bogtrotter. Furthermore, the swearings, such as ‘You witless weed! You
empty-headed hamster! You stupid glob of glue!’ (Dahl, 1998: 148) are some
examples of the writer’s creative skills to use the sound repetitions. Even some of
the similes found in the novels contain alliteration, like ‘The place stank like a
sewer’ (Dahl, 1998:85) or ‘…she’ll be sizzled like a sausage!’ (Dahl, 1998: 113)
The use of metaphors in the two novels is also interesting to discuss. From
the metaphors in the two novels, it can be figured that the writer’s way of
comparing the characters or situation is unusual, and hence, very special. The
comparisons are absolutely different from the common metaphors I know. For
instance, ‘…and his face was like a monstrous ball of dough with two small
greedy curranty eyes peering out upon the world.’ (Dahl, 1998: 21) This
contributes a lot to the fact that the novels are worth reading. It is through the
metaphors of the uncommon comparison that the most humorous effects are
produced. The use of unusual comparisons encourages the readers to explore their
own imagination and get the clearer description as well as laugh.
The use of the stylistic categories can be said as Dahl’s specialties in his
writings. Instead of delivering the story explicitly, Dahl applies some variations
which cannot be considered an easy thing to do. Devices of sound or figurative
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language need some ‘extra’ work; as a result, he comes up with a readable story
for children. In my opinion, Dahl is a very good children’s story writer. He uses
such a wide diction, that is various vocabulary used in forming the sentences,
which adds to the funny element in the stories. The way he delivers the message is
so fantastic that the readers will not be bored. On the contrary, they will be
entertained. All these factors lead to one fact that readers, in this case children, are
asked to get more involved in the course of the stories.
As a closing remark, I would say that Dahl’s unique and creative skills in
writing children’s stories make children literature valued more. The aesthetic
language in his stories can attract children to read literature further for their being
an interesting reading. For linguists, there are a lot of linguistic items that are
worth analyzing in Dahl’s children’s novels. Although they are children fiction
which contains easy-to-understand sentences and simple plot of story, the
language style is certainly of high quality for linguists to explore.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
References
Eastman, Richard M. A Guide to the Novel. San Fransisco: Chandler Publishing
Co., 1965.
Huck, Charlotte S. Children’s Literature in the Elementary School. USA:
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1989.
Leech, Geoffrey N. Style in Fiction. Essex: Longman Publishing, 1891.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English. England: Pearson Education
Limited, 2001.
Norton, Donna E. Through the Eyes of a Child. Ohio: Bell & Howell Company,
1983.
Internet Web Sites
Figurative Language. 8 November 2005.
The Free Dictionary. By Farlex. 6 April 2006.
Howard, Kristin. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. 30 May 2006.
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Howard, Kristin. My Dahl Biography. 30 May 2006.
Ling 131: Language & Style. 30 May 2006.
Matilda. 23 September 2005.
Raof, Abdul. Language Description. 9 December 2003. 6 March 2006.
Stauffer, Marilyn H. Outline on Literary Elements. 4 March 1999. 8 November
2005.
Wiley Publishing. How to Analyze a Poem. 8 November 2005.
Primary Texts
Dahl, Roald. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. New York: Puffin Books, 1998.
---. Matilda. New York: Puffin Books, 1998.
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PREFACE .......................................................................................................
i
TABLE OF CONTENTS ...............................................................................
ii
ABSTRACT......................................................................................................
iv
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study ......................................................................
Statement of the Problem ......................................................................
Purpose of the Study .............................................................................
Methods of Research .............................................................................
Organization of the Thesis ....................................................................
1
4
4
4
5
CHAPTER TWO: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ...............................
6
CHAPTER THREE: ANALYSIS OF STYLISTIC CATEGORIES
AND THEIR EFFECTS IN
CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
AND MATILDA...................................................................................
11
CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION ............................................................ 46
BIBLIOGRAPHY .......................................................................................... 51
APPENDICES:
Data of Cohesion: Cross-reference in
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory .......................................
Data of Devices of Sound in
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory .......................................
Data of Figurative Language in
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory .......................................
Data of Graphological Variation in
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory .......................................
Data of Cohesion: Cross-reference in Matilda ..................................
Data of Devices of Sound in Matilda ................................................
Data of Figurative Language in Matilda ............................................
Data of Graphological Variation in Matilda ......................................
ii
53
54
55
56
57
59
61
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Synopsis of Roald Dahl’s Charlie
and the Chocolate Factory .......................................................
Synopsis of Roald Dahl’s Matilda .....................................................
Biography of the Author ....................................................................
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ABSTRACT
Gaya penulisan memegang peranan penting dalam sebuah karya tulis.
Penulis akan mampu mengkomunikasikan pesan dan efek kepada pembacanya.
Setiap penulis memiliki gaya penulisan tersendiri yang menjadi ciri khas mereka.
Dengan mengeksplorasi penggunaan gaya penulisan, pembaca dapat memahami
bagaimana menyampaikan deskripsi dan makna dalam sebuah karya tulis,
sehingga pembaca dapat tertarik karena gaya penulisan tersebut.
Roald Dahl dikenal sebagai salah satu penulis cerita anak-anak yang
mampu membawakan cerita dengan gaya penulisan yang menarik. Pembawaan
gaya penulisan yang istimewa ini boleh dikatakan menjadi ciri khas Dahl dalam
cerita untuk anak-anak.
Kemampuannya mengolah imajinasi yang akhirnya
mampu diterima oleh pembaca membuat saya tertarik untuk membahas gaya
penulisan yang dipergunakan.
Gaya penulisan sesungguhnya meliputi bidang yang cukup luas. Adapun
beberapa kategori gaya penulisan yang ditemukan dalam dua novel yang akan
dibahas adalah cohesion, devices of sound, figurative language, dan graphological
variation. Cohesion yang akan dianalisis berupa pengulangan satu atau beberapa
kata dalam kalimat dan juga variasi kata-kata yang merujuk pada hal yang sama.
Devices
of
sound
menyajikan
keindahan
bunyi-bunyi
tertentu
dalam
menggambarkan suatu peristiwa maupun dalam nama-nama karakter. Penggunaan
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kalimat kiasan dalam figurative language yang unik, penggambaran keadaan yang
berlebihan juga menimbulkan efek yang menarik di dalamnya. Sistem penulisan
berupa kata-kata dalam huruf kapital maupun huruf miring menjadi bagian gaya
penulisan dalam karya Dahl.
Dalam skripsi ini, saya akan membahas keempat kategori yang disebutkan
di atas. Lewat keempat kategori tersebut akan dianalisis efek-efek yang timbul
terhadap pembaca khususnya anak-anak, seperti penekanan, penjelasan atau
gambaran yang lebih jelas, humor, dan keindahan bunyi.
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APPENDICES
Table 1. Data of Cohesion: Cross-Reference in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
I
A
Cross-reference
Formal Repetition
No
Data
Effect
1
How d' you do? And how d' you do? And how d' you do again?
emphasis
2
This thing, for him, was far, far worse than seeing slabs of
chocolate….
emphasis
3
…he would begin to walk very, very slowly….
emphasis
4
5
B
Elegant Variation
6
7
His birthday… special occasion…the great day… marvellous
birthday mornings.
“What a revolting woman,” said Grandma Josephine
“And what a repulsive boy,” said Grandma Georgina.
“Beastly girl,” said Grandma Josephine.
“Despicable!” said Grandma Georgina.
“You’re pulling our legs, Charlie, aren’t you? You’re having a
little joke?”
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precise description
emphasis, precise description
emphasis, precise description
emphasis, precise description
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B
Elegant Variation
8
… how good to see you! Delighted! Charmed! Overjoyed to
have you with us!
emphasis, precise description
9
Delighted to see you, sir! Overjoyed! Enraptured! Enchanted!
emphasis, precise description
10
The children and their parents were too flabbergasted to speak.
They were staggered. They were dumfounded.
emphasis, precise description
11
12
“He’s crazy!” they shouted. “He’s nutty!” “He’s screwy!” “He’s
batty!” “He’s dippy!” “He’s dotty!” “He’s goofy!” “He’s
buggy!” “He’s wacky!” “He’s loony!”
“Impossible!” cried Mr. Wonka. “Unthinkable! Inconceivable!
Absurd!”
emphasis, precise description,
humour
emphasis, precise description
Table 2. Data of Devices of Sound in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
II
Devices of Sound
Consonant repeated /
Sound imitated
Effect
/w/
pleasant sound
/t/
pleasant sound
3
Willy Wonka
He worked…and screwed the little caps onto
the tops of the tubes of toothpaste
“He’s dippy!” “He’s dotty!” “He’s daffy!”
/d/
pleasant sound, humour
4
Great flabby folds of fat bulged….
/f/
pleasant sound
5
…cameras were clicking and flashbulbs were
flashing and people were pushing….
/k/, /fl/, /p/
pleasant sound
No
Data
1
2
A
Alliteration
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6
B
Onomatopoiea
7
8
…and then a splash, and into the river went Augustus falls into the
Augustus Gloop
river.
The boiling liquid in the
…black metal pots were boiling and pots, the air coming out
bubbling…kettles were hissing and pans were from the lids, the liquid
sizzling, and strange iron machines were falls into the hot pans, the
sharp and heavy sounds
clanking and spluttering….
from the machines.
…a small shiny affair that kept going phut- The
machine
stops
phut- phut-phut- phut….
working.
precise description
precise description,
pleasant sound
precise description
Table 3. Data of Figurative Language in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
III
Figurative
Language
No
A
Hyperbole
1
B
Metaphor
2
C
Simile
3
Data
Explanation
Effect
The weather is very hot
…there came a very hot day with a boiling sun,
that it makes the chocolate
and the whole place began to melt.…
palace melt.
…with two small greedy curranty eyes peering
Augustus has small eyes.
out upon the world.
Charlie’s grandparents are
They were as shriveled as prunes, and as bony very old, their skin is
wrinkled, and they are very
as skeleton….
thin as if they had no flesh.
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emphasis
precise description,
humour
precise description
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C
Simile
4
The place was like a witch’s kitchen!
5
“You’re blowing up like a balloon!”
“Like a blueberry,” said Mr. Wonka
6
“…she’ll be sizzled like a sausage!”
7
8
The
Invention
Room
produces
the
unusual
precise description
chocolate products.
Violet is swelling up into a
precise description,
big round shape.
pleasant sound, humour
Veruca will be burnt in the
precise description,
incinerator.
pleasant sound, humour
She was now kneeling…with her head down
Mrs Salt has got big
and her enormous behind sticking up in the air
buttocks.
like giant mushroom.
Mike Teavee becomes very
He’s about ten feet tall and thin as a wire!
tall and thin.
9
He’s beginning to look like skeleton!
Charlie is getting thinner.
10
…his face was like a monstrous ball of Augustus has a round big
dough….
face.
precise description,
humour
precise description,
humour
precise description,
sympathy
precise description,
humour
Table 4. Data of Graphological Variation in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
IV
A
Graphological
Variation
Capitalization
No
Data
Effect
1
The one thing he longed for more than anything else was… CHOCOLATE.
emphasis
2
… there was an ENORMOUS CHOCOLATE FACTORY.
emphasis
3
IT’S THE FIFTH GOLDEN TICKET, MOTHER, AND I’VE FOUND IT!
emphasis
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4
A WHOLE dollar!
emphasis
5
It meant FOOD.
emphasis
6
“Snozzberries?” said Mike Teavee.
“True?” cried all four of them at once. “… It’s about fifty times as big as any
other!”
7
B
Italicization
emphasis, humour
emphasis
emphasis, reader’s
involvement
8
“Not people, Charlie. Not ordinary people, anyway.”
9
“But Grandpa, who,” cried Charlie. “who is Mr. Wonka using to do all the
work in the factory?”
emphasis
10
…this piece of gum…is one I’ve been working on for over three months solid.
emphasis
11
“You don’t use hair cream?”
emphasis, humour
12
“Whips!” cried Veruca Salt. “What on earth do you use whips for?”
emphasis, humour
13
“Has beans?” cried Violet Beauregarde.
emphasis, humour
Table 5. Data of Cohesion: Cross-Reference in Matilda
I
Cross-reference
No
A
Formal Repetition
1
Data
The anger inside her went boiling and boiling….
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Effect
emphasis
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2
3
4
A
Formal Repetition
5
6
7
8
B
Elegant Variation
9
10
11
…Miss Trunchbull deals very very severely with anyone who gets out of line
in this school.
The two tiny ones, confronted by this giant….
……………………………………………………………………………..…….
…they continued to gaze up at the giant.
“That’s the daughter … in the village,” Miss Trunchbull barked.
………………………………………………..……………………………….…
“Not for long anyway,” Miss Trunchbull barked grinning.
………………………………………………………………………...…………
“Good afternoon, children’” she barked.
Make sure your clothes are clean, your faces are clean, and your hands are
clean.
“I did not do it!” she screamed.
…………………………………………………………..………………………
“I’m telling you I did not do it!” Matilda screamed.
Matilda felt herself getting angrier…and angrier…and angrier… so
unbearable angry…..
Even when their own child ….
…………………………………………………………………………………
…their own revolting offspring….
She had somehow trained herself by now to block her ears to the ghastly sound
of the dreaded box.
…he snapped at her.
………………………………………...................................................................
…Mr. Wormwood barked.
“Come on!” Matilda cried… “Stick ‘em up!” she yelled.
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emphasis
emphasis
emphasis
emphasis
emphasis
emphasis
variation
emphasis, precise
description
emphasis, precise
description
emphasis, precise
description
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12
He always had to make his appearance felt immediately by creating a lot of
noise and clatter.
13
“Your daughter’s a cheat and a liar,” the father said….
14
B
Elegant Variation
15
emphasis, precise
description
emphasis
…Miss Trunchbull’s enormous bosom.
………………………………………………………………………...…………
Her massive bosom….
“A thief!” the Trunchbull screamed. “A crook! A pirate! A brigand! A
rustle!”
emphasis, precise
description
emphasis, variation
16
“You witless weed! You empty-headed hamster! You stupid glob of glue!”
emphasis, pleasant
sound, humour
17
“Stand up, you disgusting little cockroach!”
……………………………………………………………………………….…
“Stand up at once, you filthy little maggot!”
emphasis
Table 6. Data of Devices of Sound in Matilda
II
A
B
Devices of sound
Rhyme
Alliteration
No
Data
Rhyming sound/ sound
repeated/ sound imitated
Effect
/®enw/ /menw/ /enw/
pleasant sound
/pleǿs/ /feǿs/
/bks/ /lks/
pleasant sound
pleasant sound
1
Jenny, many, not any.
2
Place, face
3
Books, looks
4
Mr. and Mrs.Wormwood.
/w/
pleasant sound
5
Michael, Matilda
/m/
pleasant sound
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6
pleasant sound, reader’s
involvement
/p/
pleasant sound, emphasis
/k/
pleasant sound, reader’s
involvement
10
“It’s made me a mint
/m/
pleasant sound
11
You witless weed! You empty-headed
hamster! You stupid glob of glue!
/w/, /h/, /gl/
pleasant sound, humour
12
The sound of breaking plate
…she dropped the plate with a crash and
and the sound of dropping
a splash on to the floor.
food.
13
...out came the long slimy newt straight The sound of the newt falls
into the glass, plop!
into the glass of water.
14
And then suddenly, click went her face
The sound made by fingers.
into a look of almost seraphic calm.
Alliteration
9
Onomatopoeia
pleasant sound
/s/
8
C
/b/
She had been listening slightly
spellbound to this smooth recital….
…another suitable punishment for the
poisonous parent.
…sitting quietly by herself in a cosy
corner devouring one book after another.
7
B
Bruce Bogtrotter
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precise description, sound
imitation, pleasant sound
precise description, sound
imitation
precise description. sound
imitation, reader’s
involvement
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Table 7. Data of Figurative Language in Matilda
III
A
B
Figurative
Language
No
Simile
Effect
1
precise description,
emphasis, humour
2
Mr. Wormwood let out a yell that rattled Mr Wormwood yelled with a
the window-panes.
loud voice.
precise description,
emphasis
3
…a tall shrivelled female who looked as
The cook is very old, wrinkled
though all of her body-juice had been dried
and thin.
out of her in a hot oven.
precise description,
emphasis
4
…she extended a hand the size of a tennis Miss Trunchbull grabs Rupert’s
racquet and grabbed all the hair….
hair with her big-sized hand.
precise description,
emphasis, humour
5
Her great horsy face has turned the colour
Miss Trunchbull is very angry.
of molten lava….
precise description,
emphasis
6
C
Explanation
She had one of those unfortunate bulging
Mrs Wormwood has got a plump
figures where the flesh appears to be
body with the flesh all over it.
strapped in all around the body to prevent
it from falling out.
Hyperbole
Metaphor
Data
7
Miss Trunchbull has a big body
She was gigantic holy terror, a fierce
and fierce look; besides, she is
tyrannical monster who frightened…
also very frightening.
Mr Wormwood is not in a good
His face was as dark as a thunder-cloud.
mood.
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precise description
precise description
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C
Simile
Miss Trunchbull walks firmly.
precise description,
humour
precise description,
emphasis
precise description,
pleasant sound
8
She always marched like a storm-trooper.
9
… if she fell over she would smash into a Miss Honey is very slim and
thousand pieces like a porcelain figure.
thin.
10
The place stank like a sewer.
11
The playground…became silent as the
The playground becomes quiet.
grave.
precise description
12
The cottage was so small it looked more Miss Honey’s house is very
like a doll’s house than a human dwelling. small.
precise description,
emphasis
13
The parents looked upon Matilda in Matilda is compared to a scab,
particular as nothing more than a scab.
which is a disgusting thing
precise description,
emphasis
The place is very smelly.
Table 8. Data of Graphological Variation in Matilda
IV
A
Graphological
Variation
Italicization
No
Data
Effect
1
“Could I do it?”
emphasis
2
“You mean you live down here?” Matilda asked.
emphasis
3
“Erik what?”
emphasis
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Synopsis of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlie Bucket is a little boy who lives together with his parents, Mr and
Mrs Bucket, and his grandparents, Grandpa Joe and Grandma Josephine, Grandpa
George and Grandma Georgina. They are such a poor family that life is very
uncomfortable for them. The food Charlie loves most is chocolate and he only
gets it once a year on his birthday.
For the first time, the great chocolate maker, Willy Wonka, announces that
he will allow five children to visit his chocolate factory. The lucky children will
see all the secrets and magic in the factory; what is more, every winner will be
given delicious candy supplies for the rest of their lives. The five Golden Tickets
can be found in candy bars in any country in the world. This fantastic news is
exciting for young Charlie. Unfortunately, there is no Golden Ticket in his
birthday chocolate and the chocolate bought by Grandpa Joe. But one day, he
buys two bars of chocolate with a dollar bill he has found on the street. The
chance to have a tour to Wonka’s factory is now in his hand.
The five lucky winners are Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Violet
Beauregarde, Mike Teavee and the hero, Charlie Bucket. Charlie is accompanied
by Grandpa Joe. What they see inside the factory is absolutely amazing. But
unfortunately, some incidents happen to the four winners. Augustus Gloop, the fat
boy, falls into the chocolate river and is sucked by the enormous pipe. The spoilt
girl, Veruca Salt, is thrown out into the trash by the squirrels. Violet, the gumchewer, eats the experimental chewing-gum meal and chews herself into a big
blueberry. Mike, the boy who is obsessed with television, shrinks himself in the
televison. Charlie becomes the only one left in the factory and since that moment
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his life changes. Willy Wonka decides to make Charlie his heir and give him the
factory. He hopes that Charlie will run the factory. Finally, Mr Wonka asks
Charlie to fetch his family to live in the factory.
Synopsis of Matilda
Matilda is a brilliant gifted little girl who is underestimated by her parents
as nothing more than a scab. They are too ignorant to realize and acknowledge
that their five-year-old girl is given such a brain. At her age, she is able to recite
multiplication and has read a lot of books. Her brilliance fascinates Miss Jennifer
Honey, the nice, gentle and quiet teacher. She tries to convince the headmistress
that Matilda should be placed in the same class as the eleven-year-olds. Instead of
permitting it, the horrible and big child-hating headmistress, Miss Trunchbull,
does not believe Matilda’s intelligence. Miss Honey also attempts to convince
Matilda’s parents, Mr and Mrs Wormwood, about it. Unfortunately, the father,
who is a dishonest second-hand car dealer, and the mother, who is bingo addicted,
think that Miss Honey is only wasting her time talking about their daughter.
What is remarkable is that Matilda is still loved by her friends and Miss
Honey for being humble. Matilda also becomes Miss Honey’s best friend; she
always visits Miss Honey. In her visits Matilda finds out that her teacher’s life is
terrible. What surprises Matilda is that she suddenly gets an extraordinary ability.
She can use her eyes to move things. Using her brilliant idea, Matilda attempts to
use her magical power to help her kind-hearted teacher to restore her rights, such
as her financial security, and the house left by her father, who is actually Miss
Trunchbull’s brother. Finally, the goddess of fortune smiles at Matilda. The
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family has to move to another country because people find out that her father has
been selling stolen cars. Matilda, who has already loved her town and school, does
not want to go with her family. Then Matilda stays and lives with Miss Honey
with her father’s permission.
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Biography of Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl was born in Llandaff, South Wales in 1916, of Norwegian
parents. His childhood was spent in England. When he moved to Washington at
the age of twenty-six, he began to write.
He narrated his adventure in World War II as a fighter pilot in his first
short story, which was published in The Saturday Evening Post. Dahl started his
long and famous career as a writer of stories for adults. In 1960, while living with
his family in England, Dahl began writing children’s stories. The first stories were
written for his own children as an entertainment. His ability to write horror stories
with a humorous touch makes his works never become ghastly. One of the most
entertaining aspects comes from the unusual events in the plots.
His fantastic children’s novels such as James and the Giant Peach, The
BFG, Matilda, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, become popular although
he has passed away. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is one of his novels which
is successfully adapted into a movie. Not only his novels, but his books of rhymes
for children, including Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes, also continues to be
popular.
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Style of language can be an option used by an author in order to present a
pleasant reading to a reader. The use of style of language may reflect the author’s
values when conveying her/his messages. The author may use formality or
informality, scientific terms or common terms, figurative or literal language, et
cetera. The author can also develop or combine the style because there is no limit
in style.
Stylistics studies the relation between the significances of the text and the
linguistic characteristics in which they are manifested. It investigates the relation
between the writer’s artistic achievement and how it is achieved through
language. Sometimes when reading a text, one will find out that the writer prefers
certain words to others, in order to gain an aesthetic effect. Through the stylistic in
a text, the language will provide particular artistic function. Applying various
styles in a literary work may give more colours to the language. When the reader
explores the use of style, she/he will comprehend how the style conveys its
meaning, image or even the mood of the work. The style used in delivering a story
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possibly will influence the story itself, the message conveyed, and even the target
readers. For instance, the language in a humorous story is certainly less serious
than that in a speech. Formal language can be stiff; yet, a touch of aesthetic
language can make it more interesting and attract readers to read it further.
Known as one of the most famous writers for children, Roald Dahl is an
expert in choosing uncommon words in his stories. To express his ideas, Dahl
comes up with his choice of words which makes the writing interesting to read
and easy to imagine. The use of simple language; yet, good and various diction
leads to the emphatic and humorous effects in his works. Dahl’s diction and the
other aesthetic effects built in the novels strengthen his works as children
literature, especially the humorous ones. I figure out that Dahl concerns not only
with style of language, but also style of writing. The two novels I analyze deal
with the writing system which also contribute some effects to the stories.
The major characters in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda
are children who deal with their problems in their surroundings with the existence
of the grown-ups. The children characters in his books are usually portrayed to
have the ‘quintessential qualities’; namely their sense of humour and their
absolute honesty .
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is one of the most popular fantasy
fictions for children, which also has been adapted into a successful movie. It tells
about a poor child named Charlie, who wins the Golden Ticket together with the
other four children. They visit a big chocolate factory owned by Willy Wonka.
Charlie Bucket, the main character in this novel, is described as an honest, kind,
and brave boy who undergoes some fantastic adventures in the chocolate factory.
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His fate changes when finally he is chosen by Mr Wonka to own the chocolate
factory.
In Matilda, named after the eponymous heroine of the story, a brilliant
little girl suffers from unfair treatments from her parents. At school, she has to
face the huge and fierce headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, who hates children. When
Matilda finds out that she has magical power in her eyes, she uses the power to
help her kind-hearted teacher, Miss Honey, who is actually the headmistress’
niece, to acquire Miss Honey’s rights.
Since the two novels are regarded as humorous modern fiction for
children, it is important to know some points that refer to the characteristics of
children literature. One of children’s favourites is humorous stories for children
like to laugh (Huck, 1989: 513). In Through the Eyes of a Child, Norton states that
humorous stories, whether involving the world of fantasy or the world of real
people living in the world, are among children’s favourites. The humorous
situation may allow children to understand that life can be highly entertaining and
is not always serious (Norton, 1983: 406).
The linguistic area used in the thesis is the stylistic categories, which
include cross-reference as the part of cohesion, devices of sound, figurative
language and graphological variation. The cross-reference applied in analyzing
the data is formal repetition and elegant variation. It is stated that cohesion is an
important part of what makes a text, both in literary and non-literary writing, but it
is not always an important aspect of literary style (Leech, 1994: 245). The
graphological effect concerns spelling, capitalization, hyphenation, italicization
and paragraphing (Leech, 1994: 131). While the devices of sound include
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alliteration, assonance and onomatopoeia; the figurative language such as
metaphor, simile, and hyperbole also occur frequently. All these can be analyzed
as the contributors to the stylistic effects in the two novels.
Statement of the Problem
In this thesis, I would like to analyze the following problems:
1. What stylistic categories are used in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
and Matilda?
2. What are the effects of using such stylistic categories in Charlie and the
Chocolate Factory and Matilda?
Purpose of the Study
The analysis is done for the following purposes:
1. To show the stylistic categories used in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
and Matilda.
2. To figure out the effects of using such stylistic categories in Charlie and
the Chocolate Factory and Matilda.
Method of Research
In gathering the data for the thesis, I read the two novels as the primary
texts. Then, I collect, select and classify the data based on the stylistic categories
found in the two novels. Besides, I also analyze the effects of using such
categories. Finally, I write a research report.
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Organization of the Thesis
This thesis consists of four chapters. In the first chapter, I present the
Introduction, which contains the Background of the Study, Statement of the
Problem, Purpose of the Study, Method of Research, and Organization of the
Thesis. In the second chapter, I put forward the theoretical framework of the
linguistic area and the approaches used in analyzing the data. In the third chapter I
analyze the data from the two novels. Later, in the fourth chapter I draw a
conclusion concerning the findings in the third chapter. The thesis ends with the
Bibliography and Appendices.
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CHAPTER FOUR
CONCLUSION
Having analyzed the stylistic categories of Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory and Matilda, I conclude that the use of stylistic categories carries out the
need of imagination in a fantasy story or a story of something extreme. In the two
novels, both Charlie and Matilda are two little children who undergo some
unusual experiences. In the first novel, the story is emphasized more on its fantasy
by creating an amazing chocolate factory with the strange incidents, the
marvellous candies and even the brilliant chocolate maker. The second novel is
stressed more on the extreme adults’ attitudes towards children. It plays with the
readers’ feeling more than their imagination.
In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I find twelve data in cohesion, eight
in devices of sound, ten in figurative language and thirteen in graphological
variation. Whereas in Matilda, there are seventeen data in cohesion, fourteen in
devices of sound, thirteen in figurative language and three in graphological
variation. The number of data in each category, except the graphological variation
in Matilda, is relatively quite equal and not too contrastive. It can be said that both
novels contain the four categories. In Matilda, the number of graphological
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variation is the least of all. Although graphological variation is the medium to
emphasize something, apparently in Matilda the emphasis is focused more
through the other three categories.
The effects found in the stylistic categories are giving precise description,
emphatic effect, humorous effect, giving pleasant sound, variation, sympathy,
imitating sound, reflecting meaning, and get the readers’ attention to involve in
the story. Basically, each category in each novel has the same effect. As stated in
the theory, repetition is an explicit way to repeat the expression and it has the
purpose of emphasizing or increasing emotion. The same effects can be found in
the two novels through both formal repetition and elegant variation. The emphatic
effect occurs frequently to express the description. In my opinion, elegant
variation has more dominant effects for the reason that there are various terms in
describing the same thing. The readers will become more interested because of the
use of the various words. Most of the data in elegant variation are in the form of
synonyms. Basically, it has the same form and effect as the formal repetition.
However, this type of repetition helps the readers to have a more precise
description of something or someone.
The devices of sound in the two novels play their role to give a pleasant
sound, to imitate the sound and even to reflect a meaning. The readers can enjoy
the story more through the interesting sounds that occur. The author’s use of
figurative language instead of stating the literal meaning presents another way to
express the description in more interesting and beautiful language. As a result, the
readers can acquire clearer image of something described.
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The capitalization and italicization found in the novels are not the same as
the ones that are usually found in the rule of writing, like italicizing titles of books
or capitalizing chapter titles. In these two novels, the graphological variation
serves as the writer’s medium to convey his implicit messages, namely the
writer’s intention of giving more emphasis on something. Normally, the different
writing style from the surrounding text allows the readers pay more attention to
the intended words. It can be a way to highlight something that will be focused on.
Through the use of this technique, the emphasized words can be noticeable easily,
and consequently, the readers will understand the writer’s messages better.
From the number of the effects that occur, in Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory there are twenty-five data having an emphatic effect, twenty-one giving a
precise description, eleven creating a humorous effect and eight giving a pleasant
sound. While in Matilda, there are twenty-eight data having an emphatic effect,
twenty-one giving a precise description, five creating a humorous effect and
thirteen giving a pleasant sound. Since the emphatic effect and precise description
are the most dominant effects in the two novels, I figure that the main idea in the
two novels is to deliver deeper and clearer messages. The emphatic effect makes
the readers concern more about emphasized things. Precise description gives an
easy way of building the readers’ imagination. As these two novels are intended
for children, precise description plays an important role to help the readers,
especially children, in understanding and imagining the story. The description in
the stories requires detailed information in order to deliver the message properly
to the readers. The other effects, giving a pleasant sound and creating a humorous
effect, function more as a medium in entertaining the readers. These effects will
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make readers enjoy their reading more. As a result, I am sure that both novels are
interesting to read.
I am of the opinion that the most interesting stylistic categories are the
alliteration and the use of metaphors. There are a lot of words that are created with
the intention to have the same consonant sounds, for example in the names of the
characters like Willy Wonka, Mr and Mrs Wormwood, Matilda and Michael, and
Bruce Bogtrotter. Furthermore, the swearings, such as ‘You witless weed! You
empty-headed hamster! You stupid glob of glue!’ (Dahl, 1998: 148) are some
examples of the writer’s creative skills to use the sound repetitions. Even some of
the similes found in the novels contain alliteration, like ‘The place stank like a
sewer’ (Dahl, 1998:85) or ‘…she’ll be sizzled like a sausage!’ (Dahl, 1998: 113)
The use of metaphors in the two novels is also interesting to discuss. From
the metaphors in the two novels, it can be figured that the writer’s way of
comparing the characters or situation is unusual, and hence, very special. The
comparisons are absolutely different from the common metaphors I know. For
instance, ‘…and his face was like a monstrous ball of dough with two small
greedy curranty eyes peering out upon the world.’ (Dahl, 1998: 21) This
contributes a lot to the fact that the novels are worth reading. It is through the
metaphors of the uncommon comparison that the most humorous effects are
produced. The use of unusual comparisons encourages the readers to explore their
own imagination and get the clearer description as well as laugh.
The use of the stylistic categories can be said as Dahl’s specialties in his
writings. Instead of delivering the story explicitly, Dahl applies some variations
which cannot be considered an easy thing to do. Devices of sound or figurative
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language need some ‘extra’ work; as a result, he comes up with a readable story
for children. In my opinion, Dahl is a very good children’s story writer. He uses
such a wide diction, that is various vocabulary used in forming the sentences,
which adds to the funny element in the stories. The way he delivers the message is
so fantastic that the readers will not be bored. On the contrary, they will be
entertained. All these factors lead to one fact that readers, in this case children, are
asked to get more involved in the course of the stories.
As a closing remark, I would say that Dahl’s unique and creative skills in
writing children’s stories make children literature valued more. The aesthetic
language in his stories can attract children to read literature further for their being
an interesting reading. For linguists, there are a lot of linguistic items that are
worth analyzing in Dahl’s children’s novels. Although they are children fiction
which contains easy-to-understand sentences and simple plot of story, the
language style is certainly of high quality for linguists to explore.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
References
Eastman, Richard M. A Guide to the Novel. San Fransisco: Chandler Publishing
Co., 1965.
Huck, Charlotte S. Children’s Literature in the Elementary School. USA:
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1989.
Leech, Geoffrey N. Style in Fiction. Essex: Longman Publishing, 1891.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English. England: Pearson Education
Limited, 2001.
Norton, Donna E. Through the Eyes of a Child. Ohio: Bell & Howell Company,
1983.
Internet Web Sites
Figurative Language. 8 November 2005.
The Free Dictionary. By Farlex. 6 April 2006.
Howard, Kristin. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. 30 May 2006.
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Howard, Kristin. My Dahl Biography. 30 May 2006.
Ling 131: Language & Style. 30 May 2006.
Matilda. 23 September 2005.
Raof, Abdul. Language Description. 9 December 2003. 6 March 2006.
Stauffer, Marilyn H. Outline on Literary Elements. 4 March 1999. 8 November
2005.
Wiley Publishing. How to Analyze a Poem. 8 November 2005.
Primary Texts
Dahl, Roald. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. New York: Puffin Books, 1998.
---. Matilda. New York: Puffin Books, 1998.
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