CHARACTER NOTES

1. CHARACTER NOTES Characterization: the way a writer creates or reveals a character • Types of Characterization: • Direct • Indirect • Types of Characters: • Flat vs. Round • Static vs. Dynamic

2. Direct Characterization • When the writer tells us what a character is like by listing physical characteristics or personality traits • Example: Jason was a tall, broad-shouldered football player who always had a smile on his face.

3. Indirect Characterization • When the writer shows uswhat a character is like by making us look for clues that reveal a character’s traits and motivation. • Example: Jody ran up the stairs to her room, tears streaming down her face, and slammed her door loudly, hoping her mother would hear.

4. Indirect Characterization, Cont’d Think about all the following: • What does the character do? (actions) • What does the character think? • What does the character say? (dialogue) • How are they dressed (IF it allows you to infer something about them) • How do other characters react?

5. Your Turn… Look for examples of both direct and indirect characterization from the following passage in “Thank You, Ma’am,” a short story by Langston Hughes: She was a large woman with a large purse that had everything in it but a hammer and nails. It had a long strap, and she carried it slung across her shoulder. It was about eleven o’clock at night, and she was walking alone when a boy ran up behind her and tried to snatch her purse. The strap broke with the single tug the boy gave it from behind. But the boy’s weight and the weight of the purse combined caused him to lose his balance so, instead of taking off full blast as he had hoped, the boy fell on his back on the sidewalk, and his legs flew up. The large woman simply turned around and kicked him right square in his blue-jeaned sitter. Then she reached down, picked the boy up by his shirt front, and shook him until his teeth rattled.

6. Flat Characters • Flat Charactersare less-developed with very few traits; they are usually one-sided or stereotypical. • Example: Think of “mean girl” characters in many teen movies—they are usually selfish, bossy, and shallow. We never see them being nice or having problems of their own. They are one-sided and simple.

7. Round Characters • Round Charactersare well-developed with a variety of traits, both good and bad. • Example: Ariel, in Disney’s The Little Mermaid, has positive traits, like being loving and courageous, but she also has less flattering traits like being forgetful and disobedient. She is a well-developed character with many sides.

8. Character Change: • Dynamic Character— a character that develops and changes over the course of a story due to a conflict or newfound understanding • Static Character— a character who remains the same over the course of the entire story

9. Dynamic Character Example: Ebenezer Scrooge is selfish and mean in the beginning of A Christmas Carol, but later becomes generous and selfless when he realizes his sins. He changes because of what happens to him in the story.

10. Static Character • Example: Cinderella’s stepmother is mean in the beginning of the fairytale and mean at the end. She never changes.

11. Tricks 2 Remember • Round = (Many characteristics) Well-rounded; three-dimensional like a round sphere; multi-sided like a ball • Flat = (Few characteristics) Simple; one-dimensional like a flat sheet of paper • Static=Same • Dynamic=Different