Characterization

How authors make characters seem real

How do you form impressions of what a person is like? From the way they treat others and from all the

things they do and say From what other people say about them From how others treat them From the people and places with whom they

associate. From the way they dress, look, talk, and their

possessions From what they call themselves (email addresses,

nicknames)

An author characterizes the people in stories in the same ways By what they say and do

Jake lies to Marina, after trying to date her; he evades responsibility for the car accident, he gets into the accident through day dreaming.

Father shows off, treats waiters arrogantly, hugs Charlie awkwardly and has secretary be the one to reply to Charlie’s message

Omniscience By what they think

Young wife thinks about being a newly wed and admires her husband—we see her as romantic,impulsive and emotional.

How Jake views the steadily employed; Jake’s daydreams about a new car and new lifestyle; Jake’s thoughts of his freedom when he sees Mariana check his plates

Editorial Omniscience By what the author tells us about the

characters The author tells us that Jake “sounded

genuine” and speaks in “his most sincere voice” calling our attention to his insincerity.

How others treat them The young couple’s reaction to Miss Brill gives a

different perspective from her own thoughts. Rhona’s treatment of Mim characterizes her as

young, inexperienced, but successful so far at work, eager to please and potentially easy to manipulate.

Setting contributes to characterization Jake characterized by being under

Hollywood freeway, stuck in near motionless traffic.

Wife is characterized by her bedroom with new silk curtains and fanciful light fixtures.

People they associate with Miss Brill has no close friends. She hangs

around in the park and imagines details of the lives of others.

Jake misjudges Mariana but views her as the kind of naïve, easily impressed girl he charms with “that way of his.” That he pursues this kind of woman says something about his character.

What they wear;possessions Miss Brill wears a fur that is old and out of

style but which she thinks is glamorous. Jake wears “less than new but not unhip

clothes” Apricot pink curtains she expects to see—

wife is still like a little girl. Jake is like his car, known for being able to

start and move--not for beauty

Names “The young wife” maybe fears being reduced to

that. “Miss Brill” never married and we don’t learn her

first name because she has no close friends to call her by it. It sounds a bit like “brilliant” or “brittle”

Maybe “Jake” with no last name underscores his desire to avoid responsibility, or his show biz daydreams

Some terms used in discussing

characters in literary works

A round character A round character is fully developed Round characters exhibit complex

psychological traits, like real human beings Rhona, Mim, Miss Brill

Round and flat are not absolute terms but ends of a scale Jake is rounder than Mariana but she is not

entirely flat.

a flat character A flat character is less fully developed and

may be known by only one or two traits The couple in the park, the husband in “the

Hand,” and the off-stage Jim are all fairly flat characters.

Static versus dynamic Static characters do not change during the

story Dynamic characters develop

psychologically, come to a new insight, or are somehow changed by the action Jake is static, the young wife is dynamic Miss Brill is dynamic, Rhona is static

protagonist The protagonist is the central character

Usually the one from whose perspective the story is told

Usually the one the reader comes to empathize with

Often a dynamic character Not necessarily heroic or good.

The protagonists in the stories “The Hand”—the young wife “Love in L.A.”—Jake “Miss Brill” Miss Brill “Reprimand”—Debatable it could be

Rhona or Mim.

The antagonist The antagonists is whatever opposes the

protagonist Many stories have more than one

antagonist An antagonist does not have to be a person

Antagonists in “The Hand” Simple answer: the hand = the dark side of her husband = the institution of marriage viewed as

patriarchal and repressive = the wife’s own fears and doubts about

what she has done

Antagonists in “Love in LA” Simple answer: Mariana =whatever challenges his freedom and

forces him to recognize the discrepancy between his vision of himself and reality

The traffic, the working world, more expensive modern cars, as well as Mariana

Antagonists in “Reprimand” If Mim is the protagonist Rhona is the antagonist

although she pretends to be acting as a selfless friend and mentor and tries to get Mim to accept that Jim is the antagonist along with sexism in the workplace.

If Rhona is the protagonist then Mim is the antagonist (rival for power and attention) whom she vanquishes by making her feel insecure and convincing her that Jim is her antagonist. Jim is another antagonist for favoring Mim over Rhona.