Characterization – Direct and Indirect
Characterization is the process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character. Characterization is revealed through direct and indirect characterization.
DirectCharacterizationTELLS the audience what the personality of the character is.
Example: “The patient boy and quiet girl were both well-mannered and did not disobey their mother.”
Explanation: The author is directly telling the audience the personality of these two children. The boy is “patient” and the girl is “quiet.”
IndirectCharacterizationSHOWS things that reveal the personality of a character.
There are five different methods of indirect characterization:
S / What does the character say? How does the character speak?T / What is revealed through the character’s private thoughts and feelings?
E on others toward the character / What is revealed through the character’s effect on other people? How do other characters feel and behave in reaction to the character?
A / What does the character do? How does the character behave?
L / What does the character look like? How does the character dress?
Tip #1: Use the mnemonic device of STEAL to remember the five types of indirect characterization.
Tip #2: Use indirect characterization to analyze visual media:
Film: Look at how the character dresses and moves. Note the facial expressions when the director moves in for a close-up shot.
Drama: Pay attention to the way that the characters reveal their thoughts during a soliloquy.
Examples:
Read the following excerpt from 'Rip Van Winkle' by Washington Irving: He was a simple, good-natured man; he was moreover a kind neighbor and an obedient, henpecked husband. This description directly tells the reader about this man's personality using words like simple,good-natured, kind and obedient. There is nothing left for you to infer or conclude on your own. Therefore, this excerpt is an example of direct characterization. If Irving were to use indirect characterization in this description, perhaps he would've described a scene in which the man was calmly helping some rambunctious children cross the street or happily strolling through town, waving at people of all ages. The reader would then have to conclude that he was a kind, good-natured man without the writer ever having told him/her so.
If a mother calmly tells her son it's time for bed and he responds by saying, 'No, I don't have to do what you say! I'm staying up all night!' then we can infer that this young boy is angry, obstinate and may have authority issues. The author is not telling us directly what type of personality the boy has; instead we must decide this based on the author's use of speech. This is an example of ______characterization.