The Relationship Between THE PROTAGONISTS AND THEME in the Novel ``THE TREE OF MAN'' By Patrick White As Australian Best Seller Author

It is interesting to see the relationship between Stan and Amy and their different characteristics from which arise the conflicts in facing life in order to create the intact theme. By looking at Stan’s first appearance in the novel, it seems White has a preconceived role or set of characteristics he wants to apply to Stan’s character. His bitter experience makes him become well-known as a “pretty stubborn man” by the people around him. In the meantime, Amy’s characteristics have also been prepared by White through the function of three things which were given to her by the Parson’s wife at the wedding party. Those three things are: a bible, a blouse as good as new, and a little silver nutmeg grater. Of course, they are given to Amy, but there is an impression that both Stan and Amy will have to adopt those kinds of characteristics in life. For further analysis, let us see the appearance of the protagonists as symbolized by the three things in expressing the theme. Keywords: novel, protagonist, theme, relationship