Name of Character Trait/ textual
Character evidence
1
2
3
4
5
Notes: What does the textual evidence reveal?
Is the character round? Flat? Stereotype?
Realistic (verisimilitude)
Chapter 4: Writing About Character: Terminology
Character: a verbal representation of a human being through action, speech,
description, and commentary
Trait: a quality of mind or habitual that is evident in both active or passive ways
Round characters: we are told enough to about them to conclude that they are three
dimensional, rounded, authentic, memorable, original, and true to life.
Flat characters: simple and one-dimensional.
Static: unchanging, not dynamic.
Stock character: used to describe characters that who appear in repeated situations.
They are often considered representatives of their class or group.
Stereotype: characters that exhibit conventional and unindividual traits. They all seem to
be cast in the same mold.
Verisimilitude, probability, plausibility: in order to be true to life, characters should
exhibit actions, statements, and thoughts that human beings are likely to do, say, and
think under the conditions presented in the literary work.
In groups:
•
•
•
•
List three of the different characters we have met so far in the story. What traits
do they exhibit?
Are they round or flat characters? Why?
Do you think any of the characters are stereotypes? Why?
Do the characters’ actions, thoughts, speech seem plausible/probable? That is, do
they exhibit verisimilitude? Why or why not?
Chapter 4
Writing About Character:
The People in Literature
Fiction, Drama, and Poetry
understanding
of human character and human life. In our own day, under the influences of
such pioneers as Freud, Jung, and Skinner, the science of psychology has influenced
some of his psychological conclusions by referring to literary works, especially plays
by Shakespeare. Widely known though now old films such as Spellbound (1945) and
both the creation and the study of literature. It is well known that Freud buttressed
The Snake Pit (1948) have popularized the relationships between literary character
and psychology. Without doubt, the presentation and understanding of character are
major aims of fiction (and literature generally).
In literature
, a character is a verbal representation of a human being. Through
action, speech, description, and commentary, authors portray characters who are
worth caring about, cheering for, and even loving, although there are also characters
you may laugh at, dislike, or even hate.
In a story or play emphasizing a major character, you may expect that each
action or speech, no matter how small, is part of a total presentation of the complex
combination of both the inner self and the outer self that constitute a human being.
Whereas in life, things may “just happen," in literature, all actions, interactions,
speeches, and observations are deliberate. Thus, you read about important actions
as a young man's convoluted pathway into mistrust and suspicion (Nathaniel
Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown”) or a devoted grandmother's errand of
mercy (Eudora Welty's “A Worn Path"). By making such actions interesting, authors
help you to understand and appreciate not only their major characters but also
life itself.
such
Character Traits
In studying a literary character, try to determine the character's outstanding traits. A
trait is a quality of mind or habitual mode of behavior that is evident in both active and
passive ways, such as never repaying borrowed money, supplying moral support to
thoughts and problems of others, avoiding eye contact, taking the biggest portions, or
always thinking oneself the center of attention.
82
Chapter 4. Writing About Character
83
straightforward
Sometimes, of course, the traits that we encounter are minor and, therefore, negli-
gible, but often a trait may be a person's primary characteristic (not only in fiction but
also in life). Thus, characters may be ambitious or lazy, serene or anxious, aggressive or
fearful, thoughtful or inconsiderate, open or secretive, confident or self-doubting, kind
or cruel, quiet or noisy, visionary or practical, careful or careless, impartial or biased,
or underhanded, “winners” or “losers," and so on.
With this sort of list, to which you may add at will, you can analyze and develop
conclusions about character. For example, Mathilde in Maupassant's "The Necklace"
indulges in dreams of unattainable wealth and comfort and is so swept up in her visions
that she scorns her comparatively good life with her reliable but dull husband. It is fair
Maupassant shows that her dream life harms her real life. A contrast is seen in the
to say that this denial of reality is her major trait. It is also a major weakness, because
speaker of Lowell's poem “Patterns," who is realistically facing the truth that her hopes
for happiness have been destroyed because of her fiancé's battlefield death. By similarly
analyzing the thoughts, actions, and speeches of the literary characters you encounter,
you can draw conclusions about their nature and their qualities.
Distinguishing Between Circumstances and Character Traits
When you study a fictional person, distinguish between circumstances and character,
for circumstances have value only if you show that they demonstrate important traits.
Thus, if our friend Sam wins a lottery, let us congratulate him on his luck. His win does
not say much about his character, however, unless you also point out that for years he
has been regularly spending hundreds of dollars each week for lottery tickets. In other
words, making an extraordinary effort to win the lottery is a character trait but winning
(or losing) is not.
Or let us suppose that an author stresses the neatness of one character and the
sloppiness of another. If you accept the premise that people care for their appearance
according to choice—and that choices develop from character-you can use these
details to make conclusions about a person's self-esteem or the lack of it. In short, when
reading about characters in literature, look beyond circumstances, actions, and appear-
ances, and attempt to determine what these things show about character. Always try to
get from the outside to the inside, for it is the internal qualities of character that deter-
mine external behavior.
How Authors Disclose Character in Literature
Basically, authors rely on five ways of bringing characters to life. Remember that you
must use your own knowledge and experience to make judgments about the qualities
of the characters.
The Actions of Characters Reveal Their Qualities
What characters do is our best clue to understanding what they are. For example, walk-
ing in the woods is recreation for most people, and it shows little about their characters
Designated Literary Topics
Part II • Writing Essays on
84
loving nature has overwhelmed his instinct for self-preservation.
except a fondness for the outdoors (perhaps a significant trait). But Phoenix's walk
Her walk, seen within the context of her age and her mission, can be taken as the
through the woods in Eudora Welty's “A Worn Path” is difficult and dangerous for her.
meanings and implications of their actions. Smirnov in Anton Chekhov's play The Bear,
expression of her loving, responsible character. Often, characters are unaware of the
has threatened to kill him with it. Even before he recognizes his love for her, he is sub-
for example, would be a fool to teach Mrs. Popov to use her dueling pistol because she
consciously aware of this love, and his potentially self-destructive action shows that his
how they may be changing or why they do the things they do. The strong inner conflict
Like ordinary human beings, fictional characters do not necessarily understand
strength. Theoretically, they have an overriding obligation to the law, but they discover
experienced by the two women in Glaspell's short play Trifles brings out their character
Hence, they show their adaptability and their willingness to alter their behavior as a
that they have an even stronger personal obligation to the accused killer, Minnie.
result of the things they discover in the farmhouse kitchen. In Mansfield’s “Miss
Brilla
the major character is alone—always alone—and she goes to a public park to enjoy the
passing crowd (her only weekly entertainment). She eavesdrops on
nearby and draws silent conclusions about them, thus vicariously sharing in their lives
She even supposes that all those in the park are actors, along with herself
, performing
in a massive drama of life. Her unrealistic daydreams reveal her habitual solitude and
pathetic vulnerability.
people sitting
The Author's Descriptions Tell Us About Characters
Appearance and environment reveal much about a character's social and economic
status, and they also tell us about character traits. Mathilde in Maupassant's “The Neck-
lace" dreams about wealth and unlimited purchasing power. Although her unrealizable
desires destroy her way of life, they also cause her strength of character to emerge. The
descriptions of the rural countryside in Eudora Welty's “A Worn Path" are unique and
interesting, but beyond that, they bring out the determination of Phoenix, her loyalty
and dedication to her grandson, and her age and softening physical condition.
What Characters Say Reveals What They Are Like
Although the speeches of most characters are functional-essential to keeping the
action moving along—they provide material from which you may draw conclusions.
When the second traveler in Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” speaks, for exam.
ple, he reveals his devious and deceptive nature even though he appears friendly. The
lawmen in Trifles speak straightforwardly but without much understanding of the
women in the story
. Their
speeches suggest that their characters are similarly direct but
unimaginative, although their constant belittling of the two women indicates their
inability to understand others.
Often, characters use speech to hide their motives, although we as readers should
see through such a ploy. The narrator Montresor in Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado,"
for example, is a vengeful schemer, and we can see this much from his indirect and
Purchase answer to see full
attachment