Anya Pritafania Narrative And Characterization Techniques In Sue Monk Kidd’s Novel The Secret Life Of Bees (An Analysis With Narratological Approach) Narrative and Characterization Techniques in Sue Monk Kidd’s Novel The Secret Life Of Bees (An Analysis with Narratological Approach) Anya Pritafania English Language and Literature Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia [email protected] ABSTRACT: This research analyzes narrative techniques in Sue Monk Kidd’s novel The Secret Life of Bees (2002) by using Barry’s version (2002) of Genette’s Narratology theory (1980). The purpose of the research is to identify how the story is narrated and how the narrative constructs the main character as evidenced in the novel. By applying the theory, this research attempts to gain insights into how the narrative is presented to the reader in the form of first person mode. This research employs a descriptive qualitative method. This research finds that the story The Secret Life of Bees is narrated through six narrative categorizations: narrative level, narrative time, narrative voice, focalization, narrative of words, and narrative mode. Moreover, the narrative constructs the main character through four methods of characterizations: physical description, dialogue and actions, thoughts and feelings, and what other characters’ say about the main character. This research implies that the story The Secret Life of Bees is well organized. The use of first person narrative and the presence of child character who is also the narrator have made the story interesting and easy to follow. Furthermore, the development of the main character also plays a crucial role in giving the clue to the story’s meaning and successfully covers the major theme of the story. Keywords: Narrative techniques, Barry’s Version (2002) of Genette’s narratology theory (1980), Narrative Categorizations, Characterization, Methods of Characterization 27 Passage2014, 2(2), 27-39 INTRODUCTION structure of narration or the way Narrative involves an action or an stories are told. Of many different event to be told. People in general narratology theories, Barry believes often associate narrative with literary that Genette’s theory of narratology types, like novels, short stories, fairy (1980) is considered as one of the tales, sagas or folk tales. As a most valuable theories, because the widespread activity which is closely work has as its focus, not the story related to the acts of telling and re- itself, but rather the process of telling telling, narrative can have numerous the story itself (Barry, 2002: 151). variety of structures that produce Concerning to Genette’s theory, different kinds of effects and Barry provides six basic questions responses. In specific, narrative can which possibly cover the main areas be found in a text, such as literary discussed by Genette. First, how is text. In relation to this, Thwaites, the story ‘packaged’? this question Davis, and Mules (1994:114), state deals with the analysis of narrative that narrative structure complements level. According to Barry (2002), texts in three ways: it depicts the narratives can be divided into primary sequences of events or ideas in a story and secondary narratives. The by foregrounding their movement primary narrative refers to the through the passing of time, narrative that comes first in the story, emphasizes a network of social but it does not mean the main meanings by transforming events into narrative of the story. The secondary actions performed by characters, and narrative, in fact, is usually the main offers the kinds of pleasure and story, although it comes after and is enjoyment to the readers. embedded into the primary narrative. The study of narrative is The second question proposed commonly called narratology. by Barry is: how is time handled in According to Barry (2002: 145), the story? This question deals with narratology is not the reading and the analysis of narrative time in order interpretation of individual stories, to understand how time reference but rather the attempt to study the determines the order of events in the 28 Anya Pritafania Narrative And Characterization Techniques In Sue Monk Kidd’s Novel The Secret Life Of Bees (An Analysis With Narratological Approach) story. For instance, a writer often uses everything because the narrator has an flashback technique to relate an event access to enter the minds and which happened in the past and flash emotions of more than one character forward technique to present the in the story. The term internal future events. focalization refers to a narrative Barry’s third question is: who which is focused on the is telling the story? This question consciousness of a single character deals with the analysis of narrative and it only tells what the character voice. According to Abbott (2008: ‘thinks’ and ‘experiences’, whereas 70), “voice in narration is a question the external focalization refers to a of who it is we “hear” doing the narrative in which everything is narrating.” There are two possible narrated from the viewpoint of a types of narrators which emerge in narrator who is completely located the story, one is the kind of narrator outside of the story and focuses on who is not identified as neither a what the characters ‘say’ and ‘do’. character nor the author’s voice in the The fifth question is: how are story. The other one is a narrator who speech and thought represented? This is identified as a character and takes question deals with Genette’s idea of part in telling the events of the story. narrative of words. Genette (1980) The fourth question is: how is introduces three modes of speech the narrative focalised? This question representation in narrative, such as deals with the analysis of focalization narratized, transposed, and mimetic or viewpoint from which a narrative speech. Considering that Genette’s is presented. There are three types of terms are too general, Barry (2002) focalization as suggested by Genette provides another options which (1980: 10), those are zero, internal, hopefully can be a useful indicator for and external focalization. Zero analyzing the representation of focalization is often called as a character’s speech and thought in classical narration. It is used to narrative by introducing the terms, describe a narrative in which the such as ‘direct and tagged’, ‘direct narrator is the one who knows 29 Passage2014, 2(2), 27-39 and untagged’, ‘direct and selectively character in the novel. Character is tagged’, and ‘tagged indirect speech’. one of the essential elements in a The sixth question is: is the story. Characters’ traits and roles are basic narrative mode ‘mimetic’ or shaped based on how they are ‘diegetic’? This question deals with described and how they act in a story. Genette’s ideas of narrative mode. Characters may perform various The terms mimesis and diegesis are functions in a story. Different types of often paraphrased as ‘showing’ and characters perform different roles in a ‘telling’. Barry (2002: 151) says that: narrative process. Mimesis can be regarded as ‘slow Forster (1927) states that telling’, in which what is done and based on the personality they possess, said is staged for the readers, characters in a novel are either creating the illusion that they are relatively flat (simple) or round seeing and hearing things for (complex). Flat characters are often themselves. By contrast, diegesis static in which they do not grow means ‘telling’ or ‘relating’, in emotionally from beginning to the which the narrator just says what end of the story. Round characters, happens, without trying to show it as it happens. however, are much harder to However, in reality, many understand and describe because they writers often use the two modes in have multiple personality traits. tandem for strategic reasons. This is Another way of classifying because an entirely mimetic novel characters in the story is by looking will tend to be a very long story and through the roles they play. an entirely diegetic novel will tend to Altenbernd and Lewis (1966: 59) be a summary of a story. Therefore, a state that according to their roles in combination of the two modes is the story, characters can be classified needed in order to create a good story. into protagonist and antagonist. Furthermore, this research also Protagonist is the central character in applies the characterization analysis the story which can be directly to reveal the way the narrative identified by the readers and often constructs the personality of the main claimed as a good character (the hero 30 Anya Pritafania Narrative And Characterization Techniques In Sue Monk Kidd’s Novel The Secret Life Of Bees (An Analysis With Narratological Approach) or heroine). By contrast, antagonist is different from other characters. the villain (the anti-hero) or the Myers-Shaffer (2002: 175) argues character who is blocking the hero’s that “the basis of characterization is way. the revelation of the character’s Characters can be regarded as identifying traits, the mental and people in narratives. Although ethical (including moral) traits sometimes characters may not always (qualities or characteristics) of the be people, they may be animals, individual.” Therefore, good robots or other imagery creatures, the characterization is that one which can writer gives them human ability and give vivid images to the readers. psychological traits. Thus, we can Practically, both characters consider them as people but in a and characterization are the crucial different form. Characters are created elements in elements in making a by writer for different purposes to story interesting. Characters help the build a story. In the novel The Secret writer and the readers connect each Life of Bees, the writer creates the other within a story. In relation to main character, Lily Melissa Owens, this, Werlock (2010) explains that to generate the theme of the story.