How it works
An author states some things about a character and leaves the rest for the reader to work out. This characterization graphic organizer keeps the two apart, then asks what the clues add up to.
Read the full guide
Start with what the text says outright
Direct characterization is the quick find: a sentence that names a quality. Have students copy one, with its page. Then they look for a moment that shows the same quality without naming it. Many stories give few direct statements, so an empty left box is an answer too.
One clue for each claim
On the chart of five kinds of clue, every row ends with what the evidence shows. Hold students to it: "she is generous" needs the moment she gave something away. A row with no evidence stays blank.
- One action can show two qualities. Let students write both and defend each.
- How others react is a clue too: a room that goes quiet says something about who walked in.
Questions and answers
What is characterization?
The way an author represents a character in a story or a play: what the character is like, and how the reader comes to know it. The character may be a person, a creature or any other being.
What is the difference between direct and indirect characterization?
In direct characterization the author tells the audience what a character is like, through the narrator, another character or the character. In indirect characterization the audience must infer it for themselves from what the character thinks, says and does.
What are the methods of indirect characterization?
A character's thoughts, actions, speech, physical appearance and mannerisms, and the way other characters react to them. The chart on this page gathers these into five rows: speech, thoughts, effect on others, actions and looks.