The Main Character’s Identity Construction in Great Expectation Novel through Systemic Functional Linguistic

Abstract

This present research applies Halliday's Systemic Functional Linguistics or SFL approach to analyze how meaning is constructed in Charles Dickens' Great Expectations novel (2015). This research focuses on ideational, interpersonal and textual meta-functions. Great Expectations (2015) by Charles Dickens is the source of the primary data. Theme, rheme and cohesive structure are used for the textual meta-function, while ideational, interpersonal systems, and assessment are used for the interpersonal meta-function in the research method's descriptive qualitative analysis. The findings point out that the dominance of mental processes and attributive relational processes, which create Pip's anxiety and reflection as a symbol of the laboring class in Victorian society, is how the ideational meta-function is constructed. Interpersonal meaning takes shape from a declarative mood combined with negative subjective judgments. Finally, the approach by which meaning is constructed in Great Expectations represents the battle for social identity through language processes that highlight the gap between classes and the protagonist Pip's psychological struggle.