1. Direct and Indirect Characterization
Ms. Bumgarner
English 10

2. Think About It
A new student comes into class. How do you form opinions about the new student and his/her personality?
Appearance
Actions
Speech

3. Two types: Direct and Indirect
Characterization
Definition: The process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character.
Two types: Direct and Indirect

4. Effects of Characterization
If you’ve ever read a book or watched a movie and really cared about what happened to the characters, they have been characterized well.
Poor characterization can make a character uninteresting because that character may lack focus and clarity. We don’t care about characters we don’t “know” well.
Good characterization creates a clear picture in the reader’s mind. Characterization is what makes fictional characters “real” to us.

5. Direct Characterization
When the narrator states facts about a character’s personality.
Ex. “The patient boy and quiet girl were both well- mannered and did not disobey their mother.”
The author is directly telling the audience the personality of these two children. The boy is “patient” and the girl is “quiet.” Both are “well-mannered.”
When an author uses direct characterization, the reader doesn’t have to do any “detective work”

6. Indirect Characterization
When the author reveals a character’s personality through details of speech, thoughts, interactions with other characters, actions, and looks
Speech Thoughts Effects on others (relationships) Actions Looks (appearance)
Writers usually prefer to use indirect characterization.
By showing their characters in action, readers get to decide for themselves what a character is like without the judgment of the author or narrator

7. Indirect Characterization
Speech
What does the character say?
How does the character speak?
Thoughts
What is revealed through the character’s private thoughts and feelings?
Effect on others toward the character (relationships)
What is revealed through the character’s effect on other people?
How do other characters behave in reaction to the character?
Actions
What does the character do?
How does the character behave?
Looks (appearance)
What does the character look like?
How does the character dress?

8. Speech
The exact words of a character give us insight into that character’s personality.
“Harry, show your talents!” barked the instructor. “Don’t hold back this time!”
The way a character says something (i.e. accent, word choice, slang, etc.) can also reveal personality traits.
“I do not have the time,” she said, “but perhaps you could consult your timepiece.”
The instructor pushes his students to work to the best of their abilities.
The woman speaks properly and without using contractions. She uses larger words instead of slang. She is most likely well-educated.

9. Thoughts
A character’s thoughts and feelings reveal information about what that character is like
Frank insisted he wasn’t tired or hungry, but really he was both. The long plane trip, with two delays, had left his patience in shreds. However, he didn’t want Aunt Judy to go to any trouble.
What kind of person do you think Frank is?
How do you know?
Frank is caring and considerate of others

10. Effect on Others (Relationships)
How one character reacts to another character often reveals qualities of both characters
Note what characters say to each other and how characters act toward each other
Michael hugged Annie before he got out of the car. “I’ll call you tomorrow,” he said. She smiled and replied, “You always say that, and you never do!” He laughed. “Okay, I’ll , then.” “You’d better!” Annie grinned, but her eyes were sad.
What does the conversation reveal about each character’s personality?
Michael is friendly but unreliable, Annie is unsure about her feelings for Michael.

11. Actions “Actions speak louder than words” – right?
Actions reveal a great deal about people. For example, actions can tell us whether a person is…
helpful and encouraging
mean and mocking or
A characters’ actions can tell us personality, motivation, or situation.
Kristi is getting up early to run on a cold morning as she prepares for a marathon. She’s probably a dedicated athlete.

12. Actions
It was a cold October day when Kristi’s alarm buzzed at 6:00 a.m. She pulled on her clothes and headed for the door. She carefully adjusted her headphones; then she pulled the sleeves of her turtleneck over her hands to keep out the cold. Here goes 10 miles, she thought as she began her run. I have to be ready for the spring marathon.
What actions does Kristi take? What do these actions tell us about her?
Kristi is getting up early to run on a cold morning as she prepares for a marathon. She’s probably a dedicated athlete.

13. Looks (Appearance)
Through exact physical details, a writer can imply, or suggest, a character’s personality.
How is the character dressed?
What is the character’s posture?
What is the character’s facial expression?
The man standing at the door had short hair,piercing eyes, and a serious gaze. He was dressed neatly in a starched, white shirt and striped tie.
What might the character’s appearance tell us about his personality?
Based on the man’s appearance, you might conclude that he is a serious, focused businessman.

14. The study of character development should be fun!
“But, how do you know if an ending is truly good for the characters unless you've traveled with them through every page?”
-Shannon Hale