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1) direct characterization
2) indirect characterization
3) static characterization
4) dynamic characterization
5) irony
7) theme

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1) Characterization
— Characterization is a literary device that is used step-by-step in literature to highlight and explain the details about a character in a story. It is in the initial stage in which the writer introduces the character with noticeable emergence. After introducing the character, the writer often talks about his behavior; then, as the story progresses, the thought-processes of the character. —

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— Direct characterization is how an author tells his or her reader about a character. Direct characterization occurs when the author specifically reveals traits about the character in a direct, straightforward manner. Direct characterization is also important in showing the character's motivation. Motivation refers to what characters want, fear, love, and hate. —

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Sasha Blakeley

Sasha Blakeley has a Bachelor's in English Literature from McGill University and a TEFL certification. She has been teaching English in Canada and Taiwan for seven years.

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Direct characterization is a literary device authors use to establish their story's characters. Read about its purpose, how to differentiate between direct and indirect varieties, and read examples to help understand the idea and usage of characterization. Updated: 09/23/2021

Direct characterization is how an author tells his or her reader about a character. Direct characterization occurs when the author specifically reveals traits about the character in a direct, straightforward manner. Direct characterization is also important in showing the character's motivation. Motivation refers to what characters want, fear, love, and hate.

Indirect characterization is very different. This is when authors indirectly portray characters using dialogue, appearance, actions, relationships, and overall place in the world. For example, stating that a student bit her pencil and began shaking right before a big test is a way of indirectly describing her nervousness. In contrast, direct characterization would be to outright call her an extremely nervous student. You can think of direct characterization as telling the reader something about the character and indirect characterization as showing the reader something about the character.

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Examples of Direct Characterization

Here are some examples of direct characterization:

1. Karen is bright, energetic, and helpful.

Here, the writer uses adjectives to describe who Karen is as a character.

2. Joe was motivated by money. He had no use for love or family.

The sentence above directly states the character of Joe by telling us what motivates him: money.

3. While Jill loved Bradley, she knew she was not the marrying kind.

Here we are presented with a character who is pulled in two directions. The writer directly lets us know Jill's internal conflict through direct characterization. Internal conflicts refer to the mental and emotional struggles or conflicts a character faces.

4. Raheem is often distracted, but one thing he stays focused on is girls.

This character is described with the adjective 'distracted,' and then Raheem is also described as being a player.

5. When Jill's mother was diagnosed with cancer, Jill felt that the world as she knew it had ended.

Here the author refers to a past event to give context to Jill's state of mind.

Literary Example of Direct Characterization

Check out this passage from To Kill a Mockingbird, where the young narrator, Scout, describes her aunt:

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Direct Characterization: Deeper Dives

This lesson introduced you to direct characterization, an important part of many authors' writing styles. Use these activities to further your understanding.

Compare and Contrast

Direct characterization is, as this lesson said, contrasted with indirect characterization. The two serve different purposes in writing and can be used even within the same story. Write a paragraph explaining the difference between the two terms in your own words and try to think of times when one kind of characterization would be more appropriate than the other.

Further Examples

You read several examples of direct and indirect characterization in this lesson. Now, see if you can find examples of direct characterization in other stories. Virtually all novels have to describe their characters at some point. Find at least three literary passages that include direct characterization and write a short analysis explaining why direct characterization is more (or less!) effective in this case than indirect characterization would be.

Write Your Own

Write a short story in which one or more characters are described using direct characterization. You can also use indirect characterization if appropriate. For instance, consider how your descriptions sound to readers: what will they think of your characters? Which traits have you chosen to highlight in your descriptions?

Unreliable Narrators

One interesting trick that authors sometimes use is to employ direct characterization and an unreliable narrator. In that case, what the narrator tells the reader about the character they are describing may or may not be accurate, and may include the narrator's own biases. For example, this is notable in The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. Find two other examples of direct characterization by an unreliable narrator or include this concept in your own writing. In a journal entry, explain what purpose this technique might serve; why would authors want to give their readers potentially misleading information about characters?

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Direct Characterization: Definition & Examples - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

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Direct characterization is a literary device authors use to establish their story’s characters. Read about its purpose, how to differentiate...

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— Indirect characterization is the process by which the writer shows the character's personality through speech, actions and appearance. When you watch a movie or television show, you can usually gather what type of person the main character is based on the character's actions and reactions in different situations. There isn't a label on the screen that necessarily says 'angelic, gullible teen' or 'selfish, arrogant villain.' Instead, you have to watch and listen to that person to notice how the character's personality is revealed through the story. By doing so, you are seeing how indirect characterization is being used on the screen. This also occurs in many novels and short stories. Instead of watching the character, you imagine the character in your head as you read descriptions of the actions and dialogue. —

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— a literary or dramatic character who undergoes little or no inner change; a character who does not growor develop. —

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Definition of Static Character

A static character is one that does not undergo inner changes, or undergoes a little change. It is a character that does not develop or grow, such as Sherlock Holmes and James Bond.

In fact, this character does not develop the inner understanding to know how his environment is affecting him, or he does not understand that his actions have positive or negative impacts on others. The personality of this character remains the same at the end of the story as it appeared in the beginning. All his actions stay true and unchanged to his personality in-between the scenes.

Difference Between Static and Flat Characters

Static characters should not be confused or mixed up with flat, one-dimensional characters. Though neither changes as the story progresses, if a character remains unchanged, it does not mean that he is one-dimensional like a flat character. A static character can be perfectly interesting, like Sherlock Holmes, who is completely ingenious, eccentric, and sometimes jerky. He never changes, but the audience still loves him. Thus, a static character could be the protagonist too, and a flat character, on the other hand, only plays a side role in the story.

Examples of Static Characters in Literature

Example #1: Mr. Collins, Pride and Prejudice (By Jane Austen)

The first example of a static character is Mr. Collins from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. He plays a vital role in the novel by making efforts to get Darcy and Elizabeth together, and contributes comedy to the story; however, his character does not change. Thus, he is a perfect example of a static character.

Example #2: Scar, The Lion King (by Don Ferguson)

Scar is another excellent example of a static character. Scar is a sly and clever brother of the Lion King. This cunning character plots to kill Simba and his father. As the film goes on, we notice that Scar does not go through any changes, keeping his personality traits until the end. By the end of the story, he does not survive and dies due to his wicked deeds.

Example #3: Draco, Harry Potter (by J. K. Rowling)

Draco Malfoy is another good example of a static character. Although he gets many opportunities to grow and transform for the better, he prefers not to change. He also dimly senses that Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters are evil, even though he continues to believe that only purebloods are worthy, and "Mudbloods" and "Muggles" are to be disdained.

Example #4: Loisel, The Necklace (by Guy de Maupassant)

In his short story, The Necklace, Guy de Maupassant introduces M. Loisel as a static character that does not care much to develop himself. He basically appreciates little things in life, seems happy with his life, and plays as a foil to his perpetually dissatisfied wife. He exists because his wife needs an escort, as she cannot attend the balls by herself. Also, Mathilde could not find any way to pay back the diamond necklace herself. Therefore, all she does to help him pay for necklace is to save money in every possible way by doing all laundry work and other household labor.

Example #5: Atticus Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird (by Harper Lee)

Atticus Finch is another good example of a static character in the novel, To Kill a Mocking Bird. Though his attitude about his father changes, he shows the same fortitude in the courtroom, as he explains that he shot the dog earlier in the story. Finch exercises the same principle of seeing things from other people's perspectives throughout the narrative. For instance, in the beginning, he gives a warning to the children to give respect to Boo's privacy and eccentric ways. Then, towards the end, he again recognizes the value of giving respect to Boo's privacy by agreeing with judgment of Heck Tate regarding Bob Ewell's death.

Function of a Static Character

The function of the static character is not less than the hero with whom he is often found at every critical juncture in the narrative. It happens that, whenever the protagonist is in some quandary, the static character is there to help him out. It is because the main character or the protagonist cannot get there on his own. He needs other characters to serve some purpose to add to the plot or help outright. This is the static character who helps the protagonist and also serves as a foil to a character. Moreover, the foil helps reveal the differences between the two characters.

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Static Character - Examples and Definition of Static Character

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A static character is one that does not undergo inner changes, or undergoes a little change. It is a character that does not develop or grow, such as Sherlock Holmes and James Bond. In fact, this character does not develop the inner understanding to know how his environment is affecting him, or he does not understand that his actions have positive or negative impacts on others.