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Characterization (Direct and Indirect)
Characterization is the act of creating and describing characters in literature. Characterization includes both descriptions of a character’s physical attributes as well as the character’s personality. The way that characters act, think, and speak also adds to their characterization. There are two subsets of the definition of characterization: direct and indirect characterization.
Direct characterization, also known as explicit characterization, consists of the author telling the audience what a character is like. 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, on the other hand, consists of the author showing the audience what kind of person a character is through the character’s thoughts, words, and deeds. This requires the audience to make inferences about why a character would say or do those things. Here are examples of indirect characterization:
- Bill sighed as he looked at the offer of a gym membership. He really should join. But just thinking about it made beads of sweat collect at the top of his bald spot.
- As Jane walked past the box labeled ‘Free Puppies,’ she furtively glanced around her, then gave the box a swift kick.
- I yawned, trying to keep my eyes open in the meeting. I reached for my coffee cup and was disappointed to realize it was empty.
Examples of Characterization in Literature
Example 1:
“Cathy was chewing a piece of meat, chewing with her front teeth. Samuel had never seen anyone chew that way before. And when she had swallowed, her little tongue flicked around her lips. Samuel’s mind repeated, ‘Something—something—can’t find what it is. Something wrong,’ and the silence hung on the table” (East of Eden, Steinbeck, 171).
In John Steinbeck’s East of Eden, Cathy is a truly evil character. In this example of characterization, Steinbeck creates a chilling image. Cathy seems to eat meat much as a snake would. The indirect characterization forces the reader to think about evil associated with snakes.
Example 2:
“Harry had a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair, and bright green eyes. He wore round glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose. The only thing Harry liked about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead that was shaped like a bolt of lightning” (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Rowling, 20).
This characterization example gives a very complete physical description of Harry. It is very common in children’s books and books for young adults to give such a detailed direct characterization of many of the main characters.
Test Your Knowledge of Characterization
1. Choose the correct characterization definition from the following statements:
a)A list of characters in a work of literature.
b)Creating characters through descriptions of their looks and personalities, as well as what they think, say, and do.
c)The act of making characters seem different than they really are.
2. Which of the following quotes about or by Atticus Finch in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is an example of indirect characterization?
a)Besides that, he wore glasses. He was nearly blind in his left eye, and said left eyes were the tribal curse of the Finches. Whenever he wanted to see something well, he turned his head and looked from his right eye.
a)“It was times like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived.”
b)“This time we aren’t fighting the Yankees, we’re fighting our friends. But remember this, no matter how bitter things get, they’re still our friends and this is still our home.”
3. Is the following line from Steinbeck’s East of Eden an example of direct or indirect characterization?
Nearly everyone preferred Aron with his golden hair and the openness that allowed his affection to plunge like a puppy.
a)Direct
b)Indirect
c)Both