CHAPTER II

THEORETICAL FOUNDATION

This chapter discusses related sources dealing with the aspect that the

study is based on. It helps to understand the answers of the statements of the

problem. This chapter consists of the theory about character, conflict and all

theories related with the analyse of the character and conflict.

1.1 Character

Novel has two elements; they are intrinsic and extrinsic element. (Kenney,

1966) “The intrinsic elements of novel are theme, setting, plot, character, point of

view, style and tone, structure and technique, and the extrinsic elements include

history, biography, society, psychology, ideas and arts.” Moreover Kenney argues

“The extrinsic elements is needed in order to learn the external aspects of prose

which bear relationship to its creation process, such as biography of his writer, his

idea, the feelings and etc.”

Character as a part of intrinsic elements, character is a person who is

somehow present in the story. In this chapter, there are definitions of character

given by some experts. According to Abram (1999:32-33) “Characters are the

persons represented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the

reader as being endowed with particular moral, intellectual, and emotional

qualities by inferences from what the persons say and their distinctive ways of

saying it—the dialogue—and from what they do—the action.” According to the

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statement, character is a picture of people life created by the author from a natural

action or conversation.

Moreover Abram (1999:33) argues “whether a character remains stable or

changes, the reader of a traditional and realistic work expects "consistency"—the

character should not suddenly break off and act in a way not plausibly grounded

in his or her temperament as we have already come to know it.” It can be known

that character belongs to people in a story that is created to make story alive.

Character has to be suitable with the story situation that happens in it, and the

character will be just changed if there is something, which causes it.

Meanwhile (Backman & Kushner, 1999:95) argues “Character in a story

of the novel is usually showed in completely, such as the physical traits, social

condition, behavior, feeling and habit, including how the relation between

characters to another whether it is described directly or indirectly.” Backman &

Kuahner argues that “The characters are the narrator’s fictional and the narrator is

the only person who is really familiar with them. That is why the characters are

shown completely, such as through the characters’ physical traits, social

condition, behavior, feeling and habit, etc.” It’s mean that the character are really

alive and fully displayed to represent the author’s own ideas as they occur in

everyday life.

It is same with what Abram (1999) says “Fiction had given and made

some models of life as the way of behaving, done by character with the writer’s

view about life. The character is a human representative shown in a narrative

work, explained by the writer. It has a moral quality as expressed in speech and

action.”.

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 It seems that the fictional story was made completely based on human

experience including the model depicted must also match what is happening in

real life because if the story is well describe and in accordance with the fact it may

affect the quality of story. According to Arnold Bennett in Beaty (1985:23-24)

“The foundation of good fiction is character-creation and nothing esle style

counts. But none of these counts anything like so much as the convincingness of

the characters.” Besaide that in creation of the character must be reasonable for

the reader because the clear and coherent character in a work of fiction is so

important that the work of fiction can be well received as like what Abram (1999)

says that “A character may remain essentially “stable” or unchanged in outlook

and disposition. Whether a character remain stable or changes, the reader of a

traditional and realistic work expects “consistency” the character should not

suddenly break off and act in a way not plausibly grounded in his or her

temperament”.

From Abram’s quotation, it means that a writer must be really mature in

describing a character because in a story the consistency is very influential for the

story itself as well as for the reader. The character described must fit the storyline

made and make sense to the reader. Character is one of the interesting things for

personal opinions that the readers want to see how is the other people life and how

they effort to pursue the goals. The reader can learn about individual characters

from their own words and action, from what other characters said about them and

the way others act towards them. According to Abrams (1999) people who is

shown in a narrative work, or the drama which is translated by the reader who had

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quality moral and the willingness to concern like the expressive in pronunciation

and what have to do in the action.

Arp and Johnson (2006:104) state that the author presents the characters

can be divided into two ways: direct presentation and indirect presentation. Direct

presentation tells us straight out by showing the exposition how a character look

and describe the other character. In indirect presentation, like techniques of the

characterization, the author tells us the audience about the character do, say,

action and thought. “We need to observe their actions, to listen to what they say

and how they say it, to notice how they relate to other characters and how other

characters respond to them, especially to what they say about each other”

(DiYanni, 2001:55).

Besides that, character can be classified into two major character and

minor character. DiYanni (2001:55) mention a major character is an important

figure at the center of the story’s action or theme. According to DiYanni, the

major character can be described as:

The major character is sometimes called a protagonist whose conflict with

That means character that are created as major characters just to help

readers discover who exactly is the main character in a story, sometimes the

major character aslo often look like the main character, but not all the character of

protaonist are the main character because in the story the author often play around

so that the reader is curious to find the main character. Another definition about

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character is an imagined person in story, whom we know from the work we read

on the page. Refers to what is DiYanni says that there are two main characters in

the story, antagonist and protagonist. The antagonist is known as a person who

makes conflict with protagonist. According to Pierre Laurence (1984:90) in

literature structure, sound, and sense, characters are the people in the text: there is

part of the ordinary life that meets when the readers read. To know more about the

character, there are four types of character: Flat character, Round character, Static

character and Dynamic character.

Basically the reader will discover for himself how the character is depicted

and to know how the character in a story the reader should know more about

character created like what Kennedy and Gioia (2010:78) stated a flat character

has only one outstanding trait or feature, or for most a few distinguishing marks.

According to Barnet, Burto and Cain (2005:228), a flat character is a simple

character that in the beginning until the end just has one trait. A flat character just

shows one or two characteristics in character in the novel. As said Barnet, Burto

and Cain that flat character have only one or two characteristic traits in the

character that means the reader will find it easier to find a flat character in the

story. Besides flat character, there is a round character. Arp and Johnson

(2006:105-106) add that round characters have a complex personality and many-

sided; they have the three-dimensional quality of real people. A round character is

a character that has many traits in novel that he/she represented more than a flat

character. While the round character is not easily found by the reader because as

said Arp and Johnson that round character has a complex personality and many

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sides of real people that is why the reader must be thorough and understand in

reading the characters described by the author.

Moreover Forster also says that (1990:73-80) distinguishes two kinds of

characters, those are flat and round character. Flat character is constructed a single

idea or quality, he is unchanging, static and at the end of the novel he is essential

what he has been thought. All Forster responses are predictable; so readers can

anticipate exactly how the character will reach. In terms of discriminating

characters of course the reader will more easily recognize flat character because

the reader simply see from one side only, even so flat character is also very

beneficial for the author because it allows writers in describing flat characters as it

is Forster (2002:50) says that:

“One great advantage of flat characters is that they are easily recognized
whenever they come in recognized by the reader’s emotional eye, not by
the visual eye, which merely notes the recurrence of a proper name. In
Russian novels, where they so seldom occur, they would be a decided
help. It is a convenience for an author when he can strike with his full
force at once, and flat characters are very useful to him, since they never
need reintroducing, never run away, have not to be watched for
development, and provide their own atmosphere little luminous disks of a
pre-arranged size, pushed hither and thither like counters across the void or
between the stars; most satisfactory.”

Beside that there are still many advantages gained by readers of the flat

character as Forster (2002:50-51) says that “A second advantage is that they are

easily remembered by the reader afterwards. They remain in his mind as

unalterable for the reason that they were not changed by circumstances; they

moved through circumstances, which gives them in retrospect a comforting

quality, and preserves them when the book that produced them may decay. The

second is round character, Forster (2002:73-80) says that “Round character is a

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character that his profound was altered by his experiences. His response makes us

surprized. He does not embody a single idea, but is much more complex. Literary

work usually portrays some difference types of character according to the

existence of characters and the appearance of characters in a novel.”

Static character is, “A static character, also known as a flat character, is

one who is offered the chance for positive change but who, for one reason or

another, fails to embrace it.” (Soles, 2009:67) Inside flat character, there is a static

character. Static character is same with flat character, but static character is a part

from changing personality. Static character can change the personality, but it

depends on the character that he/she wants it. But mostly, static character is

unchanging form beginning until the end of story.

“A dynamic character, sometimes referred to as a round character, is one

whose values, attitudes and/or ideals change as a result of the experience the

character undergoes throughout the story.” (Soles, 2009:65) A dynamic character

is same with round character, but dynamic character is a part from changing of

personality. Dynamic character is like development of character, one of the

characters in the story can change accordance to the progress of the story. The

audience can see the changing or development of the character from the beginning

until the end of the story. The changing of development can be the personality,

behavior and attitude.

The developing (or dynamic) character, on the other hand, undergoes some

distinct change of character, personality, or outlook. The change may be a large or

a small one; it may be positive or negative; but it is something significant and

basic, not some minor change of habit or opinion. (Arp and Johnson, 2006:106-

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107). Based on the clarification of character, it can be concluded flat character’s

partner is round character. Both of them include the number of how much traits

they have. Flat character is just showing one or two traits whereas round character

is more than two traits than flat character. Besides that, there are static character

and dynamic character. Static character’s partner is dynamic character. Both of

them include the changing of personality. The difference from both is static

sometimes or more static character cannot change, from the beginning until the

end of the story just like a usual. Different with dynamic character which from the

beginning the human nature of personality, they can change accordance the

situation that they faced.

1.2 Conflict

In general conflict arises from the character of protagonist that conflicts

with the antagonist character, so that it can trigger the conflict as DiYanni

(2001:55) says “The major character is sometimes called a protagonist whose

conflict with an antagonist may spark the story’s conflict.” Conflict seems to be

natural for human being because man can not escape from it. It happens so

because man can not fulfill all he desires completely. Where the choices fail to

satisfy the complete desire, the result will be conflict. Thus, conflict is a matter of

choices which results sense of disappointment. Conflict is one of the intrinsic

elements that a novel has. Conflict builds the story of the novel. Everyone meets

problem in the learning process to deal with self and others. Everyone has

conflict. Sometimes people make a disagreement with other and sometimes have

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to make decisions about how to act in certain situation. The way they deal with

their life depends on their self characterization of their personality.

“Personality includes something about you, including your basic

disposition, your emotion, your behavior, and every thing you learn that becomes

part of you” (Riker, 1982:23). Every novel has three elements, and it was the most

important things, there are main or central characaters, main conflict and main

theme. It does mean that in every novel there are always conflict to make story

live, it means that the conflict usually consist more than one, but in a novel there

must be one main conflict to make other conflict appears. According to Stanton,

conflict and divided into two, external and internal conflict.

External conflict are the conflict which is happen between a character to

something outside him or herself, or maybe with sorroundings nature or human

environment. According to the statement above, external conflict has a problem

between person to person or character against character because something

happens such as dislike between them or conflict that human being against the

nature such as disaster and flood. Moreover Jones (1968:30) claims that “external

conflict divided into two categories there are physical conflict and social conflict.”

Physical conflict is characters against nature environment. Such as flood, long dry

season, erupted mountain and many more. Secondly social conflict is caused by

contact between human being or some problems caused by human environment

such as persecutions, oppression, argument fight, war and etc.

Stanton (1965:16) state that “internal conflict is something happen in his or

her soul of character in the story.” From the quotation above it’s seem that

internal conflict or psychic conflict, it was happening in their heart, soul of a

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character or other character in the story. So it was a conflict that appears a

character against them. Internal confict appears when someone has a dilemma

against his or her wills. They will consider it what they do anything what they

want it. There are so many kind of external and internal confict in fiction.

Semi (1990) believes that “conflict in a fiction is something that has to get

attentions in analysis. The conflict itself can be seen inside the character or

another character, characters against environment, or conflict of group against

another group.” According to the statement above, conflict has important meaning

in analysis because as we know that the conflict has same meaning with accident,

in detective story conflict or incident such murders and robberies always appears

to make the story interesting to read.

1.3 Introduction to the Novel

The Crooked House novel tells of the wealthy Aristide Leonides killed.

Leaving a big house inhabited by his sister-in-law, second wife, two sons and

their wives, one of whom gave three grandchildren. The killer was one of them.

But who is the most likely, no one has a strong motive. Crooked House is a work

of detective fiction by Agatha Christie first published in the US by Dodd, Mead

and Company in March 1949 and in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 23 May

of the same year. The action takes place in and near London in the autumn of

1947. Christie said this and ordeal by innocence were her favourites. It is one of

only five Christie novels not to have received a screen adaptation.

Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller; 15

September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English crime novelist, short story

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writer and playwright. She is best known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short

story collections, particularly those revolving around her fictional detectives

Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play,

a murder mystery, The Mousetrap, and six romances under the name Mary

Westmacott. In 1971 she was made a Dame for her contribution to literature.

Christie was born into a wealthy upper-middle-class family in Torquay,

Devon. She served in a Devon hospital during the First World War, tending to

troops coming back from the trenches, before marrying and starting a family in

London. She was initially an unsuccessful writer, but this all changed for the

better when The Mysterious Affair at Styles was published in 1920 featuring

Hercule Poirot. During the Second World War she worked as a pharmacy

assistant at University College Hospital, London during the Blitz and acquired a

good knowledge of poisons which featured in many of her novels.

The novel is narrated by Charles Hayward, an Englishman stationed in Cairo

during World War II. While there, he meets fellow Brit Sophia Lenoides, a

worker in the Foreign Office. The two fall in love and begin a romance, but agree

to defer their engagement until they reconnect at home when the war is over.

Charles finally makes his way back to England, where he learns through a

newspaper obituary that Aristide Leonides, Sophia’s grandfather, has died. Upon

meeting with Sophia later, Charles is surprised to hear that Aristide was actually

murdered, and that someone living in Three Gables, the family manor, must have

done it.

Sophia wants the matter cleared up before getting engaged, so Charles agrees

to help. It turns out that three generations of Leonides family members live in

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Three Gables, a large but disproportionately built house (thus the Crooked House

in the title), and as all had equal access to the poison that killed Aristide and none

have solid alibis, there are many suspects to work through. The family are hoping

that Brenda Leonides, Aristide’s much-younger wife, is the killer, because they

would hate to have the murderer turn out to be someone in their family, as

apparently that would cause a bigger scandal. Brenda seems to have motive

enough: she was carrying on an illicit love affair with Laurence Brown, the live-in

tutor. The rest of the novel then deals with the Scotland Yard investigation, of

which Charles is an unofficial part thanks to a family connection. Suspects are

focused on, questioned, have their alibis checked, and dismissed one by one until

the surprising solution is revealed at the end.

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