Conflict, Characters, Theme

Characterization is...

• The struggle the main character has in the story

• The order of events that happen in the story

• The main message of the story

• How the author creates the characters in the story

Physical descriptions, actions, speech, thoughts, and character interactions are all things authors use to....

• Create conflict

• Develop characters

• Create a plot

• Create a theme

“ She told me she was sick and tired of my being around and that she had never cared a rap about me” (McCullers 192). 

• Thoughts

• Actions

• Speech

• Physical description

“And I miss the way Sucker and I were for a while in a funny, sad way that before this I never would have believed” (McCullers 195). 

• Thoughts

• Speech

• Actions

• Physical Description

“Whenever I would bring any of my friends back to my room all I had to do was just glance once at Sucker and he would get up from whatever he was busy with and maybe half smile at me, and leave without saying a word’ (McCullers 186).

• Thoughts

• Actions

• Physical description

• Speech

A specific quality or characteristic the author assigns to a character

• Theme

• Characterization

• Trait

• Conflict

When the author comes right out and tells you what a character is like physically or in personality

• Direct characterization

• Indirect characterization

When the author does not state directly what a character is like, but the audience is left to figure it out through their actions, speech, character interactions, etc.

• Direct characterization

• Indirect characterization

"Her hair is the brightest yellow I ever saw and occasionally she will wear it set into curls with some sort of gluey stuff. Her fingernails are pointed and manicured and painted a shiny red" (McCullers 187).

• Direct characterization

• Indirect characterization

“[She] acted like she was the Queen of Sheba and even humiliated me” (McCullers 187).

• Direct characterization

• Indirect characterization