4 A. Review of Related Study
As we know in real life, there are a lot of people with difference
characteristics who are in the opposite each other such as: those with good personality
and those with bad personality or high tempered and calm ones, and etc. In
structuralism theory, it is called binary opposition (Tyson, P: 213). Thus, such
characteristic can be found in fiction or novel like in “Jane Eyre” novel written by
Charlotte Bronte. Binary opposition of Jane Eyre as it has been discussed in
Edholm’s (2009) essay reveals the theme of this novel through structuralism theory
related to feminism theory. Edholm found several binary oppositions such as:
master/servant, dependence/ independence, rich/poor, and sane/mad. Jane Eyre is a
destitute after her parents passed away then she stayed with her relative John Reed
family. Although Jane Eyre is member of the family she was treated like a servant, it
suggests that Jane Eyre was a servant and John Reed family was a master. Jane Eyre
stayed with her relative and her life relied on others, this made a dependent. After
moving to “Lowood” school as a student she became an independent person. Jane
Eyre turned into madness as a result of bad treatment she received from John Reed
conclusion, Jane Eyre got her balance life after casting out of many issues in her life
and getting married to Mr. Rochester.
B. Review of Related Theories
Now we move to discuss about some theories that related with the analyses.
1. Character (s), Characteristic (s), and Characterization
Discussing about fiction or novel, firstly we have to know about
character in fiction. Character described by the author is meant to make the
reader understand contains of the story in a novel easer. Commonly, the
author portrays characteristics through describing the character’s manners as
such in wearing a dress, how the way character converse with other
characters, the character’s name given by the author, and etc. By this means
reader is expected easily understand every character in the fiction. It is
important to know personality or characteristic of character. It is supported by
Kriszner and Mandell (2000:93) statement below.
Writers may portray characters through their action, through their reactions to situations or to other characters, through their physical appearance, through their speech and gestures and expressions, and even through their names.
In line with Kriszner and Mandell, Abrams stated that character is a
person represented by the author in which characteristics are described by
showing the quality of emotional, intellectual, and moral of the character.
emotional qualities by inferences from what the persons say and their distinctive ways of saying it (1999:32).
From those definitions above, we know what character and characteristic
are. Character is the person described in story of fiction or novel, whereas
characteristic is the personality of the character.
As defined above, character is the person described in narrative story
of fiction or novel. Then, to know about each character deeply, the way how
the author described the character is known by characterization method.
According to L. Potter there are two terms to know about character, i.e.
“telling” and “Showing”.
In presenting and establishing character, an author has two basic methods or techniques at his disposal. One method is telling which relies on explosion and direct commentary by the author. The other method is in direct, dramatic method of showing, which involves the author’s stepping aside, as it were, to allow the characters to reveal themselves directly through dialog and their action (1967:27).
In this study the writer would like to exercise telling method to
analyze the character.
a. Characterization through Used the Name
Name is often used in fiction to give idea and to clarify the
characteristics of character. Hence, name of character will distinguish
between characters in the fiction. It refers to the dominant characteristic of
the character. L. Potter declared that characterization through use the name
is:
characters are given names that reinforce (or sometimes in contrast to) their physical appearance. Names can also contain literary or historical allusions that aid in characterization by means of association (1967:28).
b. Characterization through Appearance
In real life, we often meet with other people with difference
appearance. The characteristic of others can be recognized through their
clothing style, their gestures, and their conversation manner. In real life
people’s appearances may be deceiving but in fiction the characters
appearance play important role in shaping the story of fiction. Because
through appearance, the readers will understand the characters condition
such as: age, social status, and the characters health condition. The
description of appearance will show the reader the personality of characters,
whether the character is strong or weak, calm or cruel. Based on L. Potter
characterization through appearance is:
Detail of physical appearance can help to identify a character’s age and the general state of his physical and emotional health and well-being: whether the character is strong or weak, happy or sad, calm or agitated. Appearance can be used in other ways as well as, particularly with minor characters who are flat and static. By common agreement, certain physical attributes have becomeidentified over a period of time with certain kinds of inner psychological states (1967:30).
c. Characterization by the Author
This method gives opportunities to author to interpret the character in
comment about personality or characteristic of character. Hence, it will form
opinion in the reader’s mind, as stated by L. Potter.
In the most customary form of telling the author interrupts the narrative and reveals directly, through a series of editorial comments, the nature and personality of the characters, including the thoughts and feelings that enter and pass through the characters minds. By so doing the author asserts and retains full control over characterization. The author not only directs our attention to a give character, but tells us exactly what our attitude toward that character ought to be. Nothing is left to the reader’s imagination (1967:30).
2. Structuralism Criticism
In order to analyze Calon Arang and Priest Baradah character in novel
The King, The Witch, and The Priest the writer uses structuralism theory.
Structuralism believes that there is a structure found in a literary text.
According to Bresseler structuralism is.
A methodological that focuses on the text which texts is become important because it contains signs or signals to the reader that have established and acceptable interpretations (1994:70).
According to Tyson (2006: 213), the foundation of structuralism is
“Course General in Linguistic” of Ferdinand De Saussure. He believes
language is not a group of words but language is a system relationship
between words not words in individual. Accordingly, Focuses of structuralist
are to study the components that emphasize and rule the language in structure
form. It is then, to divide between structures that govern the language and a
phenomena. Hence, he divides structure of language as a langue and the
utterance as a parole. The interest of structuralist is langue as an object of
study whereas parole is the result of langue. In order, the terms are used for
structuralist that interested in literature study. As stated by De Saussure
language is not a group of words that stand by itself but as a system
relationship because they correlate each other. The result, we understand the
components in language.
De Saussure confirms that we will understand about structure in
language if we pay attention the difference between the words. Difference
means our ability to recognize reality such as: object, concept, and words or
pronounce. For example if we consider that every people is man we do not
need word woman, or if every people is good we do not need word bad, and
etc. Then he concludes the difference between two concepts or ideas is binary
opposition as follow.
According to structuralism, the human perceives difference most readily in terms of opposites, which structuralizes call binary opposition: two ideas, directly opposed, each of which we understand by means its opposition to the other.
In the other hand, Selden, Widdowson and Brooker support the idea of
binary opposition by taking an example of traffic – light system like bellow.
The above paragraph explains that every color in traffic system do not affirm
explicit meaning. When each color stands in individually, they are merely
member group of color. By this means, the meaning each color in traffic
system is ambiguous. The purport of each color will be clearly explicated by
marking the difference between the colors in form contrary system.
Meanwhile, the meaning or the concept of red color in traffic – light system
signifies to “stop” while green color signifies to “go”. Perhaps this is the
point of Selden, Peter, and Brooker about color in traffic – light system.
This confirms ideas of language declared by De Saussure that language is
the relationship between words, do not stand in individually. Moreover, idea
of traffic – light system clarifies the idea of binary opposition of Tyson.
Thus, binary opposition is the relationship between words that underline and
govern in language system. By this means they will have a meaning because
they are connected to each other in structure form.
According to E. Bressler the idea of binary opposition in structuralism
is:
Many structuralism theories abound, but a core of structuralism believe that primary signifying system is the best found as series of binary opposition that the reader organizes, value, and then uses to interpret the text (1994: 99).
E. Bressler believes that binary opposition is the organized of signifies (idea
or concept) found by the reader upon reading it. Subsequently, all of
signifies will have a value when they are related to each other. “Organized”
relationship between them. Orderly, the reader will find the meaning or
value each signifies by learning through the correlation between them. For
example the operation ideas of God and evil, the reader will learn to value
the concept of God and concept of evil, generally the reader will value God
to always triumph over evil. Accordingly binary opposition is mapping and
its operation is between various signifies in the text used by the reader to
interpret the meaning of the text.
Hence, structuralism can be exercised in this study because
