a person, animal, etc. in a story, poem, or play

the main character in fiction or drama; “the good guy," all major events have some importance to this character

the character or force that blocks the protagonist; “the villain”

characters who change over time

characters who remain the same

well-developed characters with many personality traits

characters who are described simply

The characteristics of a person, the information the author gives the reader about the characters, include:

the time and place of a work of fiction

the sequence of events in a story

the beginning of the story in which the characters, the setting, and the conflict are introduced

the events in the story become complicated and the conflict in the story intensifies

the highest point of interest and the turning point of the story

events and complications begin to resolve themselves

the final outcome or untangling of events in the story

the problem or struggle in a story that triggers the action

a struggle with a force outside one’s self

a struggle within one’s self; a person must make some decision, overcome pain, quiet their temper, resist an urge, etc.

the leading character struggles with one or more of the other characters

the leading character struggles against ideas, practices, or customs of other people (the school, the law, etc.)

the leading character has a problem deciding what to do in a certain situation (can’t decide between right or wrong, make choices, etc.)

the leading character struggles against nature: cold, heat, a tornado, an avalanche, etc.

the angle from which the story is told

the story is told by one of the characters (using pronouns: I, me, we, etc.)

the story is told by someone outside the story (using pronouns: he, she, they, etc.)

allows the narrator to share the thoughts and feelings of all the characters

allows the narrator to share the thoughts and feelings of one central character

allows the narrator to record the action from his or her own point of view, being unaware of any of the characters’ thoughts or feelings, the reader has to interpret events on his own.

the statement about life that a writer is trying to get across; the main idea

the author or narrator hints at something that will happen later in the story

the difference between what is expected and what actually happens

character says one thing but means the opposite

what occurs is the opposite of what one expected

the audience knows something is going to happen, character does not.

a scene set in a time earlier than the main story

a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance

an object, person, situation, event or action that has a deeper meaning in the overall context beyond a surface understanding