Exploring Characterization

Authors use characterization to help us understand the people in their stories. Characterization is how an author shows what a character is like. There are different ways an author can do this.

One way is through direct characterization. This is when the author tells you exactly what a character is like. For example, the author might write, "Sarah was a kind and generous person." We know right away that Sarah is a good person because the author tells us.

Another way is indirect characterization. This is when the author shows you what a character is like through their actions, words, and thoughts. For example, the author might write, "John helped the old woman carry her groceries." This shows us that John is helpful and kind, even though the author doesn't directly say it.

An author can also use a character’s appearance to show what they are like. If a character always wears dirty clothes and has messy hair, this might show that they are careless or poor.

Finally, what other characters say about a character can also tell us about them. If everyone says that a character is brave, we can assume that they are.

By paying attention to all these details, we can better understand the characters in a story and what motivates them.