CHAPTER II
Theoretical Background
This chapter provides the theories used in analyzing character
development through conflicts in Roxanne Rustand’s The House at The Briar
Lake . So, this chapter discusses Review of Related Theories including the theory
of conflict, character, and character development.
2.1 Review of Related Theories
In this section, it discusses the theory of conflict, character, and
character development.
2.1.1 Conflict
According to Kirszner and Mandell (2000: 67), conflict is the clash
between two or more opposite powers that come out as the action
develops. Those two opposite powers can be between characters, for
example mother and daughter who have different ideas or choices.
Another power is between characters against situations, events,
supernatural forces, for example people with tsunami. Conflict may also
happen within character’s mind, for example the difficulty in choosing two
or more choices that a character must take. It makes the character to be
confused.
Additionally, Roberts and Jacobs (1989: 99) said:
5
6
“…a conflict is the opposition of two people. they may fight, argue,
enlist help against each other, and otherwise carry on their opposition. Conflicts
may also exist between larger group, although in imaginative literature, conflicts
between individuals are more identifiable and therefore more interesting.
Conflict may also exist between an individual and larger forces, such as natural
objects, ideas, modes of behavior, public opinion, and the like. The existence of
difficult choices that a character must take may also be presented as a conflict, or
dilemma.”
Conflict can occur between individuals or groups. When there are
two people who have different idea or value, they will fight and argue each
other, difficulty to choose that character has to take can be conflict inside
the character itself. In short, conflict can occur between person against
person, man against man, and person against group, as well as inside the
character itself.
According to Pickering and supported by Kirszner and Mandell,
conflicts are divided in two types, they are external and internal conflict.
2.1.1.1
External conflict
Pickering (1981: 15-16) said that external conflict is
struggle between character and some objects outside that
character such as man and nature, man and society, and
man and man. Additionally, Kirszner and Mandell (2000:
67) explain that conflict is a clash between a protagonist
and an antagonist. The antagonist itself shouldn’t be a
person, but can be a situation, event, or a supernatural
force.
”… and an antagonist, someone or something presented in
opposition to the protagonist. Sometimes the antagonist is not
7
a character at all but situation (for instance, war or poverty) or
an event (a natural disaster, such as flood or a storm, for
example) that challenges the protagonist. In other stories, the
protagonist may struggle against a supernatural force”
(2000:67)
2.1.1.2
Internal conflict
Internal conflict is the conflicts happen inside the
character’s psyche or personality, for example a self-doubt
(Pickering, 1981: 15-16).
According to Kirszner and
Mandell (2000: 67), the character may struggle against a
supernatural force or character’s mind, for example a
character’s desire or a struggle between two choices inside
the character’s mind that should be chosen and she/ he
cannot take them all or can be said as dilemma.
Internal conflict is the struggle inside the character’s mind that can
be self-doubt and dilemma. Here, the focus of this study is to find out
internal conflict faced by main character Hannah. That theory can be
applied to analyze internal conflict that happen in the character of Hannah
in The House at The Briar Lake novel.
2.1.2
Character
According to Moll and Kortland (1967: 11), character can be a
person or an animal. Although the animal characters are used such as
lions, monkeys, horses and others, but they behave like people. Kirszner
8
and Mandell (2000:92-93) also give the definition of character that a
character in a story is a fictional portrayal of a person.
Moreover, Abrams states about the characters in literary work as
“the persons represented in a dramatic or narrative work, who interpret by
the reader as being endowed with particular moral, intellectual, and
emotional qualities….” (1999:32)
Thus, character is important element that can be a person or other
creature as a fictional representation of author’s imagination.
Kirszner and Mandell divide character in two types, they are:

Round character
As Kirszner and Mandell (2000: 93-94), round character is the
character that develops well and tightly engaged in some actions. The
sequence of action that bases on the sequence of plot will pass through
the climax phase where the main conflicts happen. The conflicts faced
by character that has round characteristic will lead in character
development. People who have round character may act differently in
similar situation and are not easy to predict their response in some
situation because they have complex character. For example is Jane
Eyre, one of the characters in Bronte’s novel, is considered as round
9
character because her character develops from temperament girl turn
into educated and calm girl.

Flat character
According to Kirszner and Mandell (2000: 93-94), flat character is
a character which is hardly developed, as for example the character of
Mrs. Reed in Jane Eyre novel by Charlotte Bronte. Her character did
not develop from the beginning of the story until the end of the story.
In the beginning Mrs.Reed hates Jane Eyre, and it is same until the end
of the story, she still hates Jane Eyre.
2.1.2.1.
Characteristic
Kirszner and Mandell (2000: 92-93) said that, characteristic is
human’s behavior which are showed in action, dialogue, and idea.
There are many ways to describe the character in the story. The
characteristics of a character can be recognized by the reaction to the
other character, physical appearance, the expression, gesture, and
name.
Supporting the theory of characteristic, Robert and Jacobs (1989:
143-144) said,
“A trait is a typical or habitual mode of behavior, such as acting first and
thinking afterwards, crowding another person closely while talking, looking directly
into a person’s eyes or avoiding eye contact completely, and borrowing money and
not repaying it”. (1989: 144)
10
Characteristic is the character trait that can be shown by the action,
dialogue, idea, gesture, expression, physical appearance, and name.
This theory is linked with the story in the novel to analyze the
characteristic of Hannah in The House at The Briar Lake novel by
Roxanne Rustand.
2.1.3. Character development
Character development is the character progress from beginning of
the story until the end of the story because of human contacts and
experiences. As Moll and Kortland (1967:12) said that character
development is the changes of character’s characteristics from what they
were at the beginning until the end of the story because of influence of
another character, their experiences, human contacts, and the other action.
The development can be negative to positive or the contrary. Based on the
explanation above, conflict can happen in human contact and character’s
experiences. Conflict that is faced by the character can lead to the
character changes. As Roberts and Jacobs (1989: 99) said that conflict is
the most significant element, the essence, and the major ingredient of plot.
It is clear that conflict is included in the plot sequence and influence the
development of the story. The character can change because he/she
confronts with problem that happen with other characters or within
character’s mind. When people face some problems in their life, that
problems can change the character from the beginning until the end of the
11
story. The character of Hannah, for example, as the main character in The
House at The Briar Lake novel, she faces some conflicts within her mind.
Her character changes after she faces conflicts in the novel.
This theory can be applied to find out character development of
Hannah in the House at The Briar Lake novel by Roxanne Rustand.