Character

1. Character Who is the story about?

2. Creating Characters Creating characters—telling what human beings are like—is the whole point of writing stories. [End of Section]

3. appearance private thoughts speech others’ reactions actions Character Development Writers build characters by revealing

4. Character Development Quick Check Which methods of character development are being used? • “Keep still, you little devil, or I’ll cut your throat!” • A fearful man, all in coarse grey, with a great iron on his leg. A man with no hat, and with broken shoes, and with an old rag tied round his head. A man who had been soaked in water, and smothered in mud, and lamed by stones, and cut by flints . . . ; who limped, and shivered, and glared and growled; and whose teeth chattered in his head as he seized me by the chin. • from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens What do you think of the man based on this excerpt? [End of Section]

5. Speech First-person narrators reveal their personal traits as they • tell their own stories (using pronouns like I, me, and we) • tell us what they think and feel Be aware that some first-person narrators mislead or lie to the audience. Dramatic Monologue Soliloquy

6. Speech Dialogue can reveal a lot about characters and their relationships with each other. Pay attention to • what characters say and don’t say • how characters respond to each other [End of Section]

7. Appearance Pay attention to language the writer uses to describe the characters’ looks, clothes, and demeanor. The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shriveled his cheek, stiffened his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue. . . . from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens • Does the description give you a positive or negative impression of the character? • Which words contribute to this impression? [End of Section]

8. Private Thoughts Writers can take us into the characters’ minds to reveal their thoughts and feelings. As you read, note whether the characters’ thoughts and feelings match their speech and actions. [End of Section]

9. How Other Characters Feel Watch how other characters in the story react to the character. Note • how the others feel about the character • what the others say about the character [End of Section]

10. Actions What characters do and how they treat each other often reveal the most about them. Observe characters’ actions to determine • what their personality is like • what motivates them • how they deal with conflict [End of Section]

11. Direct and Indirect Characterization Direct Characterization—Writers tell us directly what characters are like or what their motives are. Oh, but he was a tightfisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Indirect Characterization—Writers show us characters (through speech, appearance, private thoughts, other characters’ reactions, and actions) but allow us to decide what characters are like.

12. Direct and Indirect Characterization Quick Check Is this an example of direct or indirect characterization? My sister, Mrs. Joe, with black hair and eyes, had such a prevailing redness of skin that I sometimes used to wonder whether it was possible she washed herself with a nutmeg-grater instead of soap. She was tall and bony, and almost always wore a coarse apron, fastened over her figure behind with two loops, and having a square impregnable bib in front, that was stuck full of pins and needles. from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens What kind of person do you think this character is? [End of Section]

13. Connecting with Characters What draws readers into a story? Vivid, complex characters whose problems and triumphs draw forth our emotions and reveal some truth about humankind. [End of Section]

14. Main Characters Protagonist—the main character of a story. • The action of the story revolves around the protagonist and the conflict he or she faces. Antagonist—the character or force the protagonist struggles against and must overcome. [End of Section]

15. Subordinate Characters Subordinate characters add depth and complication to the plot. Main character Friends [End of Section]

16. Flat Characters versus Round Characters Flat characters • have only one or two character traits that can be described in a few words • have no depth, like a piece of cardboard

17. Flat Characters versus Round Characters Round characters • have many different character traits that sometimes contradict each other • are much like real people, with several sides to their personality [End of Section]

18. Dynamic Characters versus Static Characters Dynamic characters • change or grow as a result of the story’s actions • learn something about themselves, other people, or the world as they struggle to resolve their conflicts The changes that a dynamic character undergoes contribute to the meaning of the story.

19. Dynamic Characters versus Static Characters Static characters • do not change or grow • are the same at the end of a story as they were in the beginning Subordinate characters are often static characters. [End of Section]

20. Conflict External conflict—struggle between a character and an outside force. • character versus character • character versus society • character versus nature

21. Conflict Internal conflict—struggle between opposing needs or desires or emotions within a character. • character versus himself • character versus herself

22. Conflict Quick Check What type of conflict does the character face? “Y’all git some stones,” commanded Joey now and was met with instant giggling obedience as everyone except me began to gather pebbles from the dusty ground. “Come on, Lizabeth.” I just stood there peering through the bushes, torn between wanting to join the fun and feeling that it was a bit silly. from “Marigolds” by Eugenia W. Collier [End of Section]

23. Motivation Motivation—what drives a character’s actions. It • explains behaviors • reveals personality • is often based on character’s fears, conflicts, needs Motivation can be inferred by observing characters’ behavior, speech, actions. [End of Section]

24. The End