Character

Character:

• Any personage in a literary work who acts, appears, or is referred to as playing a part.

Character

• The "who" in the story
• The reason readers care about what happens and how it happens

Character

• While a character does not have to be a "person," it must have some human qualities.

Character Analysis Checklist

• name
• physical appearance
• objects and places associated with him/her

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• actions
• thoughts and speech
• how other characters respond (thoughts, comments)

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• narrator's comments

Heroes and Heroines

• The "good guy/girl" who opposes the "bad guy/girl"
• The "bad guy" is called the villain.

Traditional Heroes/Heroines

• are usually larger than life
• stronger or better than most human beings
• may even be godlike

Heroes and Heroines

• The hero/heroine does not have to be the leading character.

Modern Heroes/Heroines

• Are much more ordinary than the traditional heroes/heroines.
• So, instead, we refer to them as . . .

Protagonists

Protagonist

• neutral term for the main character in a work
• may be male or female
• may be heroic or not heroic

Antagonists

Antagonist

• the main character's opponent

Antihero

• a hero/heroine who may be difficult to like or admire
• possesses qualities that make him/her the opposite of the typical hero/heroine

Remember:

• Liking the characters is not an indication of whether the fiction is good or not

Major/Minor Characters

Major characters:

• the characters we see more of over time
• the more complex, more realistic characters

Minor characters

• are less well-developed
• are used to fill out the story
• are not expendable or useless to the story

Minor characters

• help shape our interpretations of the major characters
• may function as a foil

Foil

• a character that helps by creating a contrast to reveal unique qualities of (usually) the main character.

Flat vs. Round

Round characters

• are well-developed
• can "surprise convincingly"
• have psychological complexity

Flat characters

• are one-dimensional
• speak and act in predictable patterns

Dynamic character

• a character that changes through the course of the story

Static character

• a character that remains almost completely the same from beginning to end

Stock characters

• flat characters who represent a familiar, frequently recurring type

Archetypes

• a type of character that recurs in myths and literature of many different time periods and cultures

Reminder:

• Fictional characters are not "real people."
• Fiction is more orderly and the author has more control over events.

Characterization

Direct characterization

• The narrator explicitly tells the reader what the character is like

Indirect characterization

• the character's traits are implied by speech, behavior, thoughts, appearance

An exercise

• Read the example on page 127
• Jot down some notes to answer the two questions at the top of page 128.

"Recitatif"

Question 1

• At what point do you begin to make assumptions about the race and class of Twyla and Roberta?

Question 2

• What details influence those assumptions about the two characters?

Question 3

• Morrison does not make it clear which character is white and which is black.
• Why is this important to the story?

Question 4

• How does the relationship between Twyla and Roberta evolve over the course of the story?

Another exercise

• Review Morrison's notes on this story (page 148)
• How does this add to your understanding of the impact of her technique?

Good People

Question 1

• Summarize and characterize Lane Dean Jr.'s internal and external conflicts.

Question 2

• How does his faith intensify or even create the conflict and help him resolve them?

Question 3

• What different definitions of "good people" or "good person" are implied here?

Question 4

• How does Lane Dean Jr.'s definition of "good people" change over the course of the story?

Question 5

• What part does hypocrisy play in these definitions?

Question 6

• How is your interpretation of Lane Dean Jr.'s character shaped by what is not directly revealed?