A Maxim of Violation as a Portray of Personality in the Novel The Three Button Trick and Other Stories by Nicola Barker

Abstract

This research explores how the maxim violation can portray personality of characters in
the novel The Three Button Trick and Other Stories by Nicola Barker. The research
objectives are; to find out the types of maxim violations appear in the novel and to know
how maxim violation can portray personality of the characters in the novel The Three
Button Trick and Other Stories by Nicola Barker. The theories used in this research are
maxim violation introduced by Paul Grice as the main theory conducted to explain about
the maxim violation phenomena. Besides that, Personality Traits Theory as known as ‘ Five
Factor Theory’ by McCrae and Costa to depict the personality owned by the characters
who violate maxims in the novel The Three Button Trick and Other Stories by Nicola
Barker. As the result of the research, the researcher found that maxim violation, behaviors
and personality are interchangeable and interconnected. At the time a speaker performs
maxim violation by which generate other interpretation of what it is said within
communication, the utterance apparently portrays the speaker’s personality throughout the
meaning, true intention and behavior it is conveyed.