CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
2.1 Introduction
As it is stated in Wellek (1967:73,81,110) that there are two approaches in
analyzing the literary work, they are intrinsic and extrinsic approach. Those two
approaches is one of the most important things that role in a story to make it well
arranged and satisfied the readers.
Intrinsic approach is a kind of approach which analyze a literary work
based on the text and the structural points of contain in literary work itself. The
structural points that meant here are character, plot, setting, style and point of
view. It is contains in a literary work to role the story become life. Those
structural points cannot separate each other. Because when it loses even one of
those important points, somehow the reader will not understand and getting
confuse about role of the story.
Meanwhile, extrinsic approach is a kind of approach which analysis the
relationship between the content and other disciplines of knowledge. So in other
words, this approch is using another appropriate dicipline of knowledge in order
to analyze a literary works. For sure, a literary works contains many idea,
philosophy, religion, brief history etc as the outside element beside structural
points which also important to make a story more a life and more interesting to
reader. So it can say that, this extrinsic approach is analyzed outside element of
the novel which also play important role in the story.
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2.2 A Brief of Intrinsic Elements
As it explained before, intrinsic approach is a kind of approach which
analyzes a literary work based on the text and the structural points of contain in
literary work itself. So it is only focused on inside elements of the story that
obviously cannot separate each other. The structural points on a literary works can
be classified into five classifications, they are: character, plot, setting, point of
view and style.
2.2.1 Character
Character is one of the important elements of fiction. Characters are
elements which can be found in a novel. Plot and characters are inseparable,
because plot is not simply a series of event happens that come out of character to
delineate characters. In other word, when we want to know ‘what happened to him
or her’ and ‘how did it work out for them’, so we should find out the action of the
character in a sequence of events. Analyzing a character is more difficult than a
analyzing a plot, because character is more complex, variable, and ambiguous.
Character is any person, identify, or entity whose existence originates from
a fictional work or performance. Such existence is presumed by those
participating in the performance as audience, readers, or otherwise. In addition to
people, characters can be aliens, gods, an artificial intelligence or, occasionally,
inanimate objects. According to Edgar (1987), a character may be defined as a
verbal representation of a human being. Through action, speech, description, and
commentary, authors portray characters that are worth caring about, rooting for,
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and even love, although there are also characters you may laugh at, dislike, or
even hate.
The characters of a book are the fictional figures that move through the
plot. They are invented by the author and are made of the words rather than a flesh
and blood. Therefore they cannot be expected to have all the tributes of real
human beings. Nevertheless, novelist does try to create fictional people whose
situations affect the reader as the situations of real people. Authors describe the
more simple characters in novel with no more than few phrases that identify the
character’s most important traits. These characters have little capacity for personal
growth, and they appear in the novel as limited but necessary in elements of the
plot. Despite their small parts, such characters are often vivid. To create complex,
realistic characters, author usually combine traits that to do not correspond to any
single real person. But are aspects of several people. To give these characters
motives for their action, authors highlight the character’s thoughts, feelings,
conflicting impulses, and capacity, and capacity for change.
In his book A Guideto Books for Character – Fiction, Starbuck (1930:12)
said that character is the word stands for the deeper integrations of the selfhood in
terms of conduct actual or potential. It is a descriptive word indicating how one
will act and the spirit or temper in which the deed is done. It consists of the sum of
one’s attitude at any given moment which determines how one will act and fell
toward any specific situation. It has its integrating centers like kindliness or
thoughtfulness or thrift or loyalty. Even these nuclei of conduct and attitude are
shifting quantities that are subject to cultivation and training. They cannot be
influence, however, without changing the entire personality. It is the nature of art
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to appeal directly and powerfully to fundamental attitude like courage, love, or
curiosity. The entire personality shifts and drift in the direction of its dominant
interest.
According to Croft (2002:113), characters are the central feature in any
play or novel. Here are some ways to get a picture of character:
• What the characters looks like (physical appearance, clothing, etc.)
• What characters say and how it is said.
• What the characters thinks (often we learn about this from a
character’s soliloquies)
• How character acts – watch out for reaction to different situations.
• How character’s words match their actual deeds or their underlying
motives.
• What other character changes as the play goes on.
As it stated in An Introduction to Reading and Writing”, Robert and Jacob
describe that in analyzing a literary character, the writer begins to determine the
character’s outstanding traits. A trait is a quality of mind or habitual mode
behavior, such as never repaying borrowed money, avoiding eye contact, or
always thinking oneself the center of attention. Sometimes, of course the traits we
encounter are minor and therefore negligible. But often a trait maybe a person’s
primary characteristic (not only in fiction but also in life). Thus, characters may be
ambitious, lazy, serene or anxious, aggressive or fearful, thoughtful or
inconsiderate, open or secretive, confident or self-doubting, kind cruel, quite or
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noisy, visionary or practical, careful or careless, impartial or biased,
straightforward or underhanded, “winner or loser,” and soon.
In his book Introduction to Literature Kasim told there are some types of
characters (2005:24-27) : stereotypes, stock characters, allegorical or symbolical
characters and full dimension-characters.
2.2.1.1 Stereotypes
A stereotype is a conventional character representing a particular group or
class or occupation. Because the character is conventional, he acts according to set
patterns. His appearance is familiar, his speech is predictable, and his actions are
standardized. Stereotyping is a simplified way of looking at people representative
of a group rather than as individuals.
Stereotypes often seems true to experience, not because they are exact replicas of
people who walk in the streets, but because people whom we meet show of the
same of the same traits of talking, dressing, and acting associated with types.
Unquestionably, stereotypes in literature have had their effect on social attitudes.
Despite the serious social and personal implications of stereotyping, it persists in
literature as a quick means of characterization. The typical senator, the typical
servant these are all characterizations that may be used by a writer for a purpose,
perhaps for comedy or satire. Stereotypes may also be related to races and ethnic
group. As an example it is often said that Irish are people who easily get angry.
2.2.1.2 Stock Characters
Closely related to stereotypes are stock characters. Even though the word
`stock’ has close associations with drama, stock figures appear in other genres as
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well. They are figures who because of their customary associations with a
dramatic situation have become conventions.
2.2.1.3 Allegorical and Symbolical Characters
Allegorical and Symbolical characters are not symbolical ones. Any character
may be interpreted as symbolical when it appears that his actions and words seem
to represent some thought or view or quality. A symbolical figure is one whose
accumulated actions lead the readers to see him as something more than his own
person, to see him as the embodiment of redemptive power of hope.
2.2.1.4 Full-Dimension Characters
Full-Dimension Characters in literary works are usually described at
greater length and revealed in more detail-they are capable of greater
individuation. No doubt, many people whom we encounter casually and see only
as stereotypes—the waitress, the cab driver, the servant – would be interesting
subject for study, but, just as in life, literature does not permit us to know every
character equally well. Leading characters of a literary work are drawn in full;
others are only sketched in to fill out the scene. Though poetry through ordinarily
does not permit the same space for characters development that fiction and drama
do, it is still possible to describe the full dimensionality of its` characters.
But necessary is in elements of the plot. Despite their small parts, such
characters are often vivid. To create complex, realistic characters, authors usually
combine traits that do not correspond to any single real person. But are aspects of
several people. To give these characters motives for this action, author highlights
the characters thought, feelings, conflicting impulse, and capacity for change.
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There are no limits on the types of characters who can inhabit a story: male or
female, rich or poor, young or old, prince or pauper. What is important is that the
characters in a story all have the same set of emotions as the reader: happiness,
sorrow, disappointment, pain, joy, and love.
Koesnobroto (1988: 67) distinguished two types of character, main or
major character and minor character. Major character is the most important
character in the story. Basically, a story is about this character, but he cannot stand
on his own; he needs other characters to make the story more convincing and
lifelike. Minor characters are of less important than those of the main. The main
characters in fiction or in a play is called protagonist. In traditional fiction the
protagonist is also the hero or heroine, an admirable character that embodies
widely accepted strength and virtues, who is morally good. The antagonist is
unsavory enough the world villain or villainess is used.
It has often been assumed that characters in a literary work can be judged
from four levels of characterization. These four levels are helpful for us to see the
very basic description of characters. The four levels of characterization are:
1. Physical
Physical level supplies such basic facts, as sex, age, an size. It is simplest
level of characterization because it reveals external traits only.
2. Social
Social level of characterization includes economic status, profession,
religion, family, and social relationship all those factors which place a character in
his environment.
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3. Psychological
This level reveals habitual responses, attitudes, desires, motivation, likes,
and dislikes – the inner workings of the mind, both emotional and intellectual
which lead to action. Since feeling, thought, and behavior define a character more
fully than physical and social traits and since a literary work usually arises from
desires in conflict, the psychological level is the most essential parts of
characterized.
4. Moral
Moral decisions more clearly differentiate characters than any other level
of characterization. The choices made by a character when he is faced with a
moral crisis show whether he is selfish, a hypocrite, or he is the one who always
acts according to his belief. A moral decision usually causes a character to
examine his own motives and values, and in the process his true nature is revealed
both to himself and to the readers.
Forster, in his book Aspect of the Novel (1990: 73-80) distinguish two
kinds of character, those are: flat and round character.
1. Flat
A flat character is constructed round a single idea or quality; he is
unchanging, static; at the end of the novel he is essentially what he has been
throughout. His every response is predictable; the readers can anticipate exactly
how the character will react.
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2. Round
Quite the opposite is a character portrayed in the round. He is profoundly
altered by his experiences. His responses take us by surprise. He doesn’t embody
a single idea or quality, but is much more complex. A round character is a major
character in a work of fiction that encounters conflict and is changed by it. Round
characters tend to be more fully developed and described than flat, or static,
characters. If you think of the characters you most love in fiction, they probably
seem as real to you as people you know in real life. This is a good sign that they
are round characters. A writer employs a number of tools or elements to develop a
character, making him or her round, including description and dialogue. A
character's responses to conflict and his or her internal dialogue are also
revelatory. In contrast, one that does undergo an important change in the course of
the story is. More specifically, the changes that we are referring to as being
"undergone" here are not changes in circumstances, but changes in some sense
within the character in question -- changes in insight or understanding (of
circumstances, for instance), or changes in commitment, in values. The change
(or lack of change) at stake in this distinction is a change "in" the character
(nature) of the character (fictional figure).
According to Gill (1995:128) there are some elements that the authors
must pay attention creating a character. First is to range the character, something
which makes one character different to other characters. Second, how character
speaks in that how they use the words and phrases to express their personality.
Third, the appearance of character, here the author must describe about the
character that show the inner world of its characters so the reader will understand
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about the character’s personality. Fourth, is the way how the character dress up,
which describe the social status or social class and also describe the character’s
personality by wearing good clothes. Fifth, the social standing of characters, in
that in what social class that the character I created. Sixth, is the name of the
character. Seventh is the company of character should describe although not in
details. Eight, the way the characters think in that when he speaks he uses a lot
moral words, for instance. This though must be evident to a reader so that the
reader will understand how the character thinks and how the characters approach
the problems and challenges. The last is what the characters do, this is the action
or reaction of the characters in the novel and an author can make everything a
character does important.
In the novel that you have read, some of the characters are given positive,
sympathetic portrayal. Others have negative, perhaps even villainous portrayal.
Still others may begin with negative, qualities and gradually become more and
more positive. Rarely does an authors rely on the reader’s personal sense of
morality to determine which characters are positive are negative. Instead, there are
details, actions, and characteristic that helps to define who is ‘good’ and who is
‘bad’. The distinction of those controversial characters are protagonist and
antagonist.
1. Protagonist
The protagonist is characterized by his or her ability to change or evolves.
Although a novel may center on the actions of another character, it is a dynamic
character that typically allows the novels to the progress in manner that is
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conducive to the thesis of the work and earns the respect or attention of the
audience. In some stories, there can be more that is conducive to the thesis of the
work and earns the respect or attention of the audience. In some stories, there can
be more that one protagonist; ‘ensemble cast’ is popular in television stories.
The protagonist is vulnerable; it should be pointed out, not always the hero
of the story. Many authors have chosen to unfold a story from the point of view of
a character, while not central to the action of the story, is in a position to comment
upon it. However, it is most common for the story to be ‘about’ the protagonist;
even if the protagonist’s actions are not heroic, they are nonetheless usually vital
to the progress of the story. Neither should the protagonists be confused with the
confused with the narrator, they may be the same, but even the first – person
narrator, they may be the same, but even the first – person narrator need not to be
the protagonist, as they may simply be recalling the event while not living through
is as the audience is. The protagonist is often faced with a ‘foil’, and character
known as the antagonist who most represent obstacles that the protagonist in a
story. Sometimes, a work will initially highlight a particular character as a
dramatic device. Such a character is called a false protagonist. When the work
contains subplots, these may have different protagonist from the main plot. In
some novel, the books protagonist from the main plots does not permit clear
identification of one as the main plots. In this novel, Bella swan is the main
character and protagonist.
In an ancient Greek drama, the protagonist was the leading actor and such
there could only be one protagonist in a play. However, the word has been used
the plural to mean ‘important actors’ or ‘principals characters’ since at least 1671.
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When there is more than one protagonist, the story becomes more complex. The
use of ‘protagonist’ in place of ‘proponent’ has become common in the 20th
century and may have been influenced by a misconception that the first syllable of
the words represents the prefix pro – (ie. ‘Favoring’) rather proto - , meaning first
(as opposed to deuter -,to deuter second, in deuteragonist, or tri – third, in
tritogonist). For example, usage such as “He was an early protagonist of of
nuclear power” can be replaced by ‘advocate’ or ‘proponent’.
2. Antagonist
An antagonist is fictional character or group of character, or, sometimes an
institution of a story that represents the oppositions again which the hero (es) or
protagonist (s) must contend. In the classic style of story where in action consists
of a hero fighting a villain, the two can be regarded as protagonist and antagonist,
respectively.
Writers have also created more complex situations. In some instances, the
story is told from the villain’s points of view, and any hero trying to stop said
villain can be regarded as an antagonist. Such as antagonists are usually police
offers or other law enforcement officials. More often, stories simply do not have
characters that are readily identifiable as most heroic or villainous. Instead, the
antagonist becomes that character, group, or metaphysical force which provides
force which provides the chief obstruction to the protagonist (s) of the story. Note
that the antagonist is not necessarily human; often, the forces of nature or
psychological elements provide this elements of position. The protagonist –
antagonist relationship is also sometimes completely ambiguous.
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2.2.2 Plot
Plot is one of the elements of fiction and organized the sequence of events
and actions that make up the story. A novelist uses plot to arrange the sequence of
events. In most stories, these events arise out of conflict experienced by the main
character. The conflict may come from something external, like a dragon or an
overbearing mother, or it may stem from an internal issue, such as jealousy, loss
of identity, or overconfidence. As the character makes choices and tries to resolve
the problem, the story's action is shaped and plot is generated. In some stories, the
author structures the entire plot chronologically, with the first event followed by
the second, third, and so on, like beads on a string. However, many other stories
are told with flashback techniques in which plot events from earlier times
interrupt the story's "current" events. According to Foster:
“A plot is a narrative of events the emphasis falling on
causality. The king died and the queen died of grief is
not plot, the time sequence is preserved, but the sense
of causality overshadows it”
(Aspects of The Novel, E.M. Forster, 1980:87).
Plot must be effective and it includes a sequence of incidents that bear a
significant causal relationship to each other. Causality is an important feature of
realistic fictional plot because something happens because of a result something
else. In other words, it's what mostly happened in the story or novel or what the
story's general theme is based on, such as the mood, characters, setting, and
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conflicts occurring in a story. An intricate, complicated plot is known as an
imbroglio, but even the simplest statements of plot can have multiple inferences,
such as with songs the ballad tradition.
Talking about plot means we talk about the actions or events that are
usually resolved at the end of a story. The fictional plot maybe a struggle between
opposing forces, love and many others and it is usually resolved by the end if the
story
There are five essential parts of plot:
1. Exposition - The beginning of the story where the characters and the setting
is revealed. The exposition is the introduction to the characters and setting of
the story. The exposition hooks the reader, providing enough interest and
information to the intended audience to encourage the reader to continue
reading.
2. Rising Action - This is where the events in the story become complicated
and the conflict in the story is revealed (events between the introduction and
climax). The rising action introduces the conflict or problem in the story.
This part of the plot tells us what it is that the main character or protagonist
is facing. During the rising action, the main character struggles with this
conflict or problem. The conflict may be:
1. Character vs. character: the problem the protagonist faces is one
involving another character
2. Character vs. society: the protagonist faces a problem involving
something in the society in which they live (example: racism)
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3. Character vs. self: the character has some internal struggle inside
themselves
4. Character vs. nature: the protagonist struggles with some natural force
(tornado, harsh climate, etc.)
3. Climax - The climax is the high point of the story, where a culmination of
events creates the peak of the conflict. The climax usually features the
most conflict and struggle, and usually reveals any secrets or missing
points in the story. Alternatively, an anti-climax may occur, in which an
expectedly difficult event is revealed to be incredibly easy or of paltry
importance. Critics may also label the falling action as an anti-climax, or
anti-climactic. The climax isn't always the most important scene in a story.
In many stories, it is the last sentence, with no successive falling action or
resolution.
4. Falling action - The falling action is the series of events which take place
after the climax; it is where the protagonist must react to the changes that
occur during the climax of the story. The events and complications begin
to resolve them. The reader knows what has happened next and if the
conflict was resolved or not (events between climax and denouement).
5. Denouement - This is the final outcome or untangling of events in the
story. The part of a story or drama which occurs after the climax and
which establishes a new norm, a new state of affairs-the way things are
going to be from then on. The author often ties up the loose ends of the
story to have the plot reach a conclusion.
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In a story, the events maybe rise and fall repeatedly and actually a plot
develops a series of complications or intensification of the conflict that leads to a
moment of great tension. Sometimes the author will use some techniques in
writing the plot to make the story more interesting or to add a twist or turn.
Foreshadowing is where the author may hint at what might happen in the future.
Flashback is where the author might tell us something that has happened in the
past to help explain the present. Irony is when the author has something happen in
the story that is the opposite of what the reader expects.
In general, plot can be divided into two types, they are closed and open. This
division is based on the way how an author presents the resolution of his story,
they are:
a. Closed plot: in this type of the plot the end of the story is clear because the
author presents a definite resolution of conflict. Most narrative works use
closed plot, because the end of the story is clear, readers do not have to
think a lot about it.
b. Open plot: this type of plot has little or no resolution at all. The author,
however, creates some clues in the story that will lead his readers to
conclude the resolution of the story.
“ Crane in his work, The Concept of Plot states that any
novel or drama represents a composite of three elements:
action, character, and thought. Plot is, thus, the particular
synthesis of the three elements. He divides plot into three
kinds,
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1. Plot of Action: in this kind of plot the interest lies in “what
happens next”, while the character and thought are portrayed
minimally. We rarely, if ever, find any serious or intellectual
issues.
2. Plot of Character: this kind of plot deals with the process of
change in the moral character of the protagonist.
3. Plot of Thought: this kind of plot deals with the process of
change in the thought of the protagonist and in his feeling.”
(Introduction to Literature, Razali Kasim M.A, 2005:20)
In a well plotted story, things precede or follow each other not simply
because time ticks away, but more importantly because effects follow causes. In a
good story nothing is relevant or accidental; everything is related and causative.
The controlling impulse in a connected pattern of causes and effects is conflict,
which refers generally to people or circumstances that a character (often the
protagonist) must face and try to overcome (often the antagonist). Conflict brings
out the extremes of human energy, causing characters to engage in the decisions,
actions, responses, and interactions that make up most stories. Conflict is the
major elements of plot because opposing forces arouse curiosity, cause doubt,
create tension, and produce interest.
2.2.3 Setting
“The of a narrative or dramatic work is the general locate,
historical time, and a social circumstances in which its action
occurs; the setting of an episode or scene within awork is the
particular physical location in which it takes place”
( Abraham, 1969: 75)
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The setting is not only shows the place or time of the sequence of events,
but it also expresses the character in a story. For example: the setting describes in
a house, and then the house will express the character of the owner. In this case,
we can see from the interior of the house, if the owner is a rich man then his house
is big and filled in the expansive things. According to Wellek and Warren through
their book Theory of Literature describe that:
“Setting is environment and environment especially domestic
interior, maybe viewed as metonymic, or metaphoric, expression of
character” (1977:221).
Setting is the natural, manufactured, political, and temporary environment,
including everything that characters know and own. Like all human beings,
fictional characters do not exist in isolation. Just they become human by
interacting with other characters, they gain identity because of their cultural and
political allegiances, their possessions, their jobs and their location where they
live and move and have their being. Stories must therefore necessarily include
description of places, objects, and backgrounds. So, setting includes the time,
location, and everything in which a story takes place, and initiates the main
backdrop and mood for a story. Setting has been referred to as story world or
milieu to include a context (especially society) beyond the immediate
surroundings of the story. Elements of setting may include culture, historical
period, geography, and hour. Along with plot, character, theme, and style, setting
is considered one of the fundamental components of fiction. A setting is the time
place and social environment a story takes place.
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Writers describe the world they know. Sights, sounds, colors, and textures
are all vividly painted in words as an artist paints images on canvas. A writer
imagines a story to be happening in a place that is rooted in his or her mind. The
location of a story's actions, along with the time in which it occurs, is the setting.
Setting is created by language. How many or how few details we learn is up to the
author. Many authors leave a lot of these details up to the reader's imagination.
Setting is a key role in plot, as in man vs. nature or man vs. society stories.
In some stories the setting becomes a character itself. In such roles setting may be
considered a plot device or literary device. The term "setting" is often used to
refer to the social milieu in which the events of a novel occur.
Characters may either helped or hurt by their surroundings, and they may
fight about possession and goals. Further, as characters speak with each other,
they reveal the degree to which they share the custom and ideas of their times.
a. Nature and the outdoors
The natural world is an obvious location of many narratives and plays. It is
therefore important to note natural surroundings (hills, valleys, mountains,
meadows, fields, trees, lakes, streams), living creatures (birds, dogs,
horses, snakes), and also conditions in which things happen (sunlight,
darkness, calm, wind, rain, snow, storm, heat, cold) – any or all of which
may influence character and action.
b. Objects of human manufacture and construction
To reveal or highlight qualities of character, and also to make fiction life,
authors include detail about buildings and objects of human manufacture
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and construction. Houses, both interiors, are common, as are possessions
such as walking sticks, fences, park benches, toys, automobiles, hair
ribbon, necklace, and so on.
c. Cultural conditions and assumption
Just as physical setting influence characters, so do cultural conditions and
assumptions, such as characters live, the primitive beliefs, human sacrifice,
modern scientific beliefs, and so on.
2.2.4 Theme
The theme in a piece of fiction is its controlling idea or its central insight.
It is the author's underlying meaning or main idea that he is trying to convey. The
theme may be the author's thoughts about a topic or view of human nature. Fiction
necessary embodies issues and ideas. Even stories written for entertainment alone
are based in an idea or position. In fiction ideas take from of an underlying theme
or central idea, which helps to tie the work together. Often the author makes
theme obvious, it does not much imagination to state the theme.
In reading a story the reader will discover, not taught, human values. The
meaning of the story with this `element discovery’ is a comment on human values
embodying in the story as inseparable part of it, not something apart from the
story. The observation and the way in which it is made trough the interrelationship
of the various elements reveals what it is called the theme of the story. A novels
theme is the main idea that the writer expresses. Sometimes the theme of the story
is stated explicitly. However, frequently it is left implicit. Theme can also be
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defined as the underlying meaning of the story. The theme of a novel is more than
its subject matter, because an author’s technique can play as strong a role in
developing a theme as the actions of the characters do. Rarely can a novels theme
be interpreted in only way. Because of the length of novels, and the various
characters, conflicts, and scenes found within them, readers can look at different
aspects of the work to uncover different interpretations of the meaning of the tale.
A common theme in novels is the conflict between appearance and reality.
Another common theme is the search for personality identity. The theme of
individual who strikes out alone to face the world is used in many works. Some
novels feature people who cannot break from their society’s convention and
instead become disillusioned with conflict between their inspiration and the reality
of their lives. Throughout the history of the novel, a major theme has been
whether people can change their situation in life or whether they are in the grips of
forces beyond their control. Other common themes in novels include how art and
reflected in one another, the meaning of religion, and whether technology helps
people or whether it is a harmful aspect of society.
2.2.4 Point of View
Every story is told by someone that is usually called narrator. Point of
view is a device used in narration that indicates the position form which an action
is observed and narrated. Narrative points of view can be divided into two:
2.2.4.1 Participant point of view
Participant point of view is often divided into two, they are:
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a. The protagonist – narrator
The protagonist narrator is a major character in the story. Because the
narrator is the protagonist, what he tells is mainly about himself.
b. The witness – narrator
The narrator is a minor character that mainly tells about the other character,
especially the protagonist.
2.2.4.2 Non-Participant point of view
The non-participant point of view can be divided into two, they are:
a. Omniscient
The narrator relates what he wishes about the thought as well as the deeds of
his character. When he chooses the omniscient, narrator enters of any or all
his character.
b. Selective or Limited Omniscient
In this point of view the narrator limit his omniscient to the end of only a
few of his character, or even to one of his character.
2.2.5 Style
Style is the manner of expression; how a speaker or writer says what he
says. Writing style is the manner in which a writer addresses a matter. A style
reveals the writer’s personality or voice. It is the result of the choices the writer
makes in syntactical structures, diction, and figures of thought. Similar questions
of style exist in the choices of expressive possibilities in speech. A writer controls
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not only the density of prose but its distribution. Within the rules of grammar, the
writer can arrange words in many ways. A sentence may state the main
proposition first and then modify it; or it may contain language to prepare the
reader before stating the main proposition.
Varying the style may avoid monotony. However, in technical writing,
using different styles to make two similar utterances makes the reader ask whether
the use of different styles was intended to carry additional meaning. Stylistic
choices may be influenced be the culture. In the modern age, for instance, the
loose sentence has been favored in all modes of discourse. In classical times, the
periodic sentence held equal or greater favor, and during the Age of
Enlightenment, the balanced sentence was a favorite of writers.
The most common sentence in modern usage, the loose sentence begins
with the main point (an independent clause), followed by one or more subordinate
clauses, this call loose sentence. In contrast, a periodic sentence places the main
point in the middle or at the end of sentence. In the former case, the main point is
modified by subordinate clause before and after its position in the sentence. In
later case, the main point is modified be preceding subordinate clauses. A
balanced sentence is characterized by the parallel structure; two or more parts of
the sentence have the same form, emphasizing similarities or differences.
Depending on the mode in which the writer is writing, diction can also pertain to
the writer’s style. Argumentative and expository prose on a particular subject
matter frequently makes use of a set of jargon in which the subject matter is
commonly discussed. By contrast, narrative and descriptive prose is open to the
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vast variety of words. In so far a style of diction can be discerned, however it is
the best to examine the diction against a number of spectrum:
• Abstract-concrete: how much the diction is physical
• General-specific: to what degree is the diction precise, to what degree is it
vague?
• Denotation-connotation
• Literal-metaphorical
Other attribute of diction include:
• Density
• Length
The connotation of a word refers to the special associations, a part from its
dictionary definition that it may convey. Connotation especially depends
on the audience. The word “dog” denotes any animal from the genus
canis, but it may connote friendship to one reader and terror to another.
This partly depends on the reader’s personal dealing with dogs, but the
author can provide context to guide the reader’s interpretation. Punctuation
is now so standardized that it rarely is a factor in writer’s style. The same
is true for gratuitous changes to spelling and grammar. Unless the goal is
to represent a regional or ethnic dialect in which such changes are
customary.
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