Characterization

1. Characterization

2. Terms Character: word used to refer to the people, animals, or objects in a story Protagonist: the main character in a story (the “good guy”) Antagonist: the character that the protagonist is up against (the “bad guy”) Static Character: a character who does not change his/her thoughts, values, or beliefs during the story as a result of his/her experiences only in stories do characters remain static—in real life people are always changing Dynamic Character: a character who is changed as a result of his/her experiences in real life people are dynamic

3. Characterization Direct Characterization: • Writer conveys information about characters by telling the information directly to the reader • Done through the narration of the story • Easy for readers to have clear understanding of character • Most information about characters is not conveyed through Direct Characterization

4. Indirect Characterization • Author shows the character in action & readers interpret what the actions reveal about the character • It is necessary for readers to correctly interpret these actions and what they reveal • There are several tools that a writer will use to impart personality traits to their characters

5. Character’s Name • Names convey images • Authors select characters’ names based on the image they want to create for the character • Weak/Undesirable Name: Weak character • Strong/Favorable Name: Strong character

6. Character’s Appearance • Attractive—readers perceive the character favorably • Unattractive—perceived unfavorably

7. Character’s Job • Readers make assumptions about characters based on the jobs they do. • Low-Level/Low-Skill jobs imply character is uneducated, poor or unambitious • High-Level/High-Skill jobs imply character is intelligent, successful and ambitious

8. Character’s Home • Environment in which a character lives may cause readers to make assumptions about character • Small/low-quality housing implies poverty, low-income, perhaps low intelligence or low ambition, lack of success • Large/high-quality housing implies success, intelligence, ambition,

9. Character’s Habits/Actions • Behaviors reveal a lot about a character • Actions speak louder than words • Readers must interpret actions and what they reveal

10. Character’s Dialogue • Dialog is what characters say to and about each other. • Both whatcharacters say andhow they say it should be considered

11. Character’s Thoughts • What a character is thinking to himself • Like an inner dialogue

12. Importance of Correct Interpretation of Characterization • Character’s personality may cause or add to his/her conflict • Character’s personality may impede his/her ability to deal with conflict • Understanding characterization can help readers understand why a story unfolds the way it does and why a problem may be difficult for a character to overcome