CHARACTERIZATION

RUBY ZHANG
WHAT IS CHARACTERIZATION?

• The process authors use to develop characters: to reveals the

personality of a character
Direct characterization

• There are two types of characterization:

Indirect characterization
DIRECT(EXPLICIT) CHARACTERIZATION

• The author tells us what he or she wants us to know about the character. A narrator
may give this information, or a character in the story may do it. Examples of direct
characterization would be:
• “Bill was short and fat, and his bald spot was widening with every passing year.”
• “‘Jane is a cruel person,’ she said.’”
• “I looked in the mirror and saw how dark the circles under my green eyes had become.”
INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION

• The author shows us things about character to help us have an understanding of the
character’s personality and effect on other characters.
• An acronym, PAIRS can help you recall the five methods
• PAIRS: physical description, action, inner thought, reactions and speech
METHODS OF CHARACTERIZATION: PAIRS

• Physical description: the character’s physical appearance is described.

• For example: characters might be described as tall, thin, fat, pretty etc. we might be told
the color of the hair or something about the clothing of the character.
• How the character dressed might reveal something about the character
METHODS OF CHARACTERIZATION:
ACTION/ATTITUDE/BEHAVIOR
• What the character does tells us a lot about him/her, as well as how the character
behaves and his or her attitude.
• Is the character a good person or a bad person? Is the character helpful to others or
selfish?
METHODS OF CHARACTERIZATION :
INNER THOUGHTS
• What the character thinks reveals things about the character. We discover things about
their personalities and feelings, which sometimes helps us see their true personality and
how they really view the world.
• Seeing these thoughts shows us if the character are rational or irrational, confident or
insecure, happy or sad and many other important personal characteristics
METHODS OF CHARACTERIZATION:
REACTIONS
• Effect on others or what the other characters say and feel about this character.
• It describes how the characters handle themselves socially, and the relationships they are
able--or unable--to form with fellow characters.
• Does the character make other characters feel happy, uneasy, repulsed, excited, anxious,
angry or scared?
METHODS OF CHARACTERIZATION :SPEECH

• What does the character say

• Characters’ personalities can be greatly defined by the words they say and how they say
them.
• The words they use can point to intelligence or a lack thereof, which also reveals their
educational background. The speed in which characters speak can describe if they are
generally nervous or laid back. Specific accents can set up where a character grew up. If the
speech is overly hesitant, the character may be shy or unsure about something. Think about
the people you know in real life, and how the way they communicate with you sets up their
personalities. It’s the same for fictional characters.
PRACTICE

• Analyze Hans Hubermann and Rosa using the five methods of characterization