This study aims to analyze the characterization of Dawson Cole in The Best of Me novel and to find out the characteristics of masculinity in The Best of Me novel through Dawson Cole’s portrayal. This study focuses on the main character Dawson Cole who has the characteristics of masculinity in The Best of Me novel. It explains and analyzes the characterization of Dawson Cole using Edward Jones’s characterization theory and Dawson Cole's characteristics portrayed which represent the masculinity concept using Janet Saltzman Chafetz's concept.
This study used a descriptive qualitative method. Some steps were used to collect the data were reading a novel, identifying the data, classifying the data, and reducing the data.
This study finds the masculinity and its characteristics of the main character Dawson Cole. Based on the references used in this study, Dawson's characterization could be found in five ways, they are characterization through appearance, characterization through dialogue, characterization through external action, characterization through internal action, and characterization through the reaction of other characters. Dawson also has seven masculinity characteristics, they are physical, a function of the man, sexually aggressive, emotion, intelligence, interpersonal, and other personal.
Keywords: Characterization, Masculinity, The Best of Me, Dawson Cole