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Writing About CharacterThe People in Literature

f [ /ritcrs of fiction create narratives that enhance and deepen our under-VV st.rn.ting of human character ancl human life. ln our own day, unclerthe influcnces of pioneers like Freud, Jung, and Skinner, the science of psy-chology has influenced both the creation and the study of literature. lt is wellkrrown that Freud buttressed some of his psycholclgical conclusions by refer-ring to literary works, especially plays by Shakespeare. Widely known filmssuclr as Spellbound (1945) and Tha Snske Pit (7948) have popularized the rela-tionships between literary character and psychology. Without doubt, tl-re pre-sentation and understanding of character is a major aim of fiction (andliterature generally).

In literature, a character is a verbal representation of a human being as prL'-sented to us by authors through the depiction of actions, conversations, de-scriptions, reactions, inner thougl-rts and reflections, and alsc.l througll theauthors' or,r'n interpretive commentary. The goal of literary characterizationis to present not just the externally perceived person, but also-and primari-ly-the inner person, the secret self: those expressed and unexpressed innerthoughts, aims, motives, aspirations, joys, fears, obsessions, and frustratior-rsthat collectively make up human personalities. Of course, authors want topresent characters to us whorn we carc' about, cheer for, and even love, al-though they also present characters whom we dislike, laugh at, or even hate.

ln a story or play emphasizing a major character, you may expect thateach action or speech, no matter how small, is part of a total presentation ofthe complex combination of both the inner and the outer self that constitutesa human being. Whereas in life things may "just happen," in literature all ac-tions, interactions, speeches, and observations are deliberate. Thus, you readabout important actions like a long period of work and sacrifice (Maupas-sant's "The Necklace"), the excitinp; discovery of a previously unknown lit-t'r.rry work (Keats's "On First Looking lnto Chapman's Homer"), abizarretlt'fiirncc of fate (Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death"), or a young man'sl,rrrcil'trl btrt poignantly hopeless dream of freedom (Bierce's "An Occurrence,r t ( )n,l ('reck Briclge"). By making such actions ir-rteresting, authors help yourrrrtlt'r'stirnrl irncl appreciate not only their major characters but also life itself.

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sionary or practical, careful or careless, impartial or biased, straightfgrwlrtlor underhanded, "winners" or "losers," and so on.

with tl-ris sort of list, to which you may add at will, you can analyze andtlcvelop conclusions about character. For example, Matl-rilde in Maupassant,s"The Necklace" indulges in dreams of unattainable wearth and comfort andis so swept up in her visions that she scorns her comparatively good life withlrer reliable but dull husband. It is fair to say that this aversion to reality isher major trait. It is also a major weakness, because Maupassant shows howlrcr dream life harms her real life. By contrast, the speaker of Lowell's poem"Patterns" considers her hopes for happiness destroyed because she has justlcarned that her fianc6 has just been killed in battle. Because she faces her dif-liculties directly, she exhibits strength. By similarly probing into the actions,speecl-res, and thoughts of the literary characters you encounter, you can alsotlraw conclusions about their qualities and strengths.

Distinguish Betzueen Circumst&nces and Character Traitswhen you study a fictional person, distinguish between circumstances andclraractel, for circumstances have vahrc only if they demonstrate important traits anLlqualities of chnracter. Thus, if our friend Sam wins a lottery, let us congratulate himrrrr his luck; but the win does not say much about l-ris chsracter-not much, thatis, unless we also learn that for several years he l-ras been regularly spendinglrundreds of dollars each week for lottery tickets. In other wordr, t-t-tukit-rg the efllirrt to win a lottery is a character trait but winning (or losing) is rrof.

or, let us suppose that an author stresses the neatness of one character andthe sloppiness of another. If you accept the premise that people care for their,rppearance according to choice-and that choices develop from character-you('arl use these details to make conclusions about a person's self-esteem or thelack of it. In short, when reading about characters in literature, look beyond cir-t'umstances, actions, and appearances, and attempt to determine what theselhir-rgs show about character. Always try to get from the outside to the inside,Ior it is the internal quality of character that determines external behavior.

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Actions by Characters Reaeal Their QualitiesWhat characters do is our best clue to understanding what they are. For ex-ample, the character Farquhar in Bierce's "An Occurrence at Owl CreekBridge" tries to sabotage the Union army/s railway system near his countryestate. This action shows both loyalty (to the Confederate cause) and person-al bravery, despite the fact that he is caught. Often characters are unaware ofthe meanings and implications of their actions. Smirnov in Chekhov'splay TheBctr, for example, would be a fool to teach Mrs. Popov to use her dueling pis-tol because she has threatened to kill him with it. Even before he recognizesl-ris love for her, he is subconsciously aware of this love, and potentially self-destructive and comic action shows that his loving nature has overwhelmedhis instinct for self-preservation.

Actions may also signal qualities such as naivet6, weakness, deceit, ascheming personality, inner conflict, sudden realization, or other growth orchange. Powerful inner conflicts are brought out by Claspell within the twowomen inTrifles. The women both recognize their strong obligation to the let-ter of the law, but as the play progresses they discover an even stronger per-sonal obligation to the accused killer, Minnie. Hence, under these newcircumstances, they show their adaptability and their willingness to change.

The Author's Descriptions Tell Us About Characters

Appearance and environment reveal much about a character's social and eco-nomic status, and they also tell us about character traits. Mathilde in Mau-passant's "The Necklace" dreams about wealth and unlimited purchasingpower. Although her unrealizable desires destroy her way of life, they alsocause her character strength to emerge. The descriptions of country folkwaysin Hardy's "The Three Strangers" are independently interesting and unique,but they also make plain the personal loyalty of the peasants and their socialstability and solidity.

Wh at Ch ar acter s S ay -D r am atic St atem entsand Thoughts-Rea eals IMat They Are Like

Although the speeches of most characters are functional-essential to keep-ing the action moving along-they provide material from which you maydraw conclusions. When the second traveler of Hawthorne's "Young Good-man Brown" speaks, for example, he reveals his devious and deceptive nature

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('lrirrat'le rs rlay also use speech to obscure their motives, perhaps by lying,lx'rhnps by omitting details. The first stranger, Timothy Summers, of Hardy's"'l'lrt"l-hrcc Strangers," speaks easily and comfortably in order to keep the na-livcs and the second stranger, the Hangman-from knowing his true iden-tity. Even when he is alone with the Hangman he speaks easily but,rnrbiguously so that the hangman will have no clues about who he really is.

Whqt Others Say Tells Us About a Character

t3y studying what characters say about each other, you can enhance your un-clerstanding of the character being discussed. Claspell's Trit'les is unique inthis regard because the farm housewife, Minnie, is the center of attention anddiscussion even though she does not appear in the drama at all. Everythingwe learn about her is gained from the c'lialogue and actions of those charac-ters who are actually onstage.

Ironically, speeches often indicate sornething other than what tl-rc'spe'ak-ers intend, perhaps because of prejudice, sttrpitlity, or foolishrtcss. Tl.rc sisterNora in O'Connor's "First Confessior-t" for ext.rnrplc, tclls irlror.rt hcr brotherJackie's attempted violence against her, but in effcct shc clescribcs JackicJs in-dividuality just as she also discloses her own spitcftrlncss.

The Author, Speaking as a Storyteller or an Obsaruar,May Present ludgments About Charscters

What the author, speaking as a work's authorial voice, says about tr charirc-ter is usually accurate, and the authorial voice can be accepted factually.However, when the authorial voice interprets actions and characteristics, asin Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown," the author himself or herself as-sumes the role of a reader or critic, whose opinions are therefore open toquestion. For this reason, authors frequently avoid interpretations and devotetheir skill to arranging events and speeches so that readers can draw theirown conclusions.

Types of Characters: Round and Flat

No writer can present an entire life history of a protagonist, nor can each char-acter in a story get "equal time" for development. Accordingly, some charac-ters grow to be full and alive, while others remain shadowy. The Britishnovelist and critic E. M. Forstet in l-ris critical work As1tects of the Nozre/, callsthe two major types "round" and "flat."

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-l'hcbasictruitolroundcharactersisthatwt'lt'.rrrrcrrorrr',lr,rl'r'ul llrr'tttlopt't'lnit us to conclude that they are full, lifelike, i'llrcl trctttot,rlrlr'.'llrt'ir trrtttttl-ness and fullness are characterizcd by both inclividuirlity anLl rrnprt'rlit t.rlrility.A complementary quality about round characters is thereforc' that they r.rrc

dynamic. That is, tltey recognize, change with, or ad just to circumstances. Suchchanges may be shown in (1) an action or actions, (2) the realization of newstrength and therefore the affirmation of previous decisions, (3) the accep-tarrce of a new condition and the need for making changes, or (4) the discov-ery of unrecogllized trutl-rs. We may consider jackie, of O'Connor's "FirstConfession," as round and dynamic. We learn from his adult narration that heis a normal and typical child, trying to maintain his sense of individualityamid what he considers to be embarrassing farnily circumstances. Histhoughts about "solutions" to his problems are of course greatly in excess,but when the time comes for him to confess his "sins," he does not evadetlrer-n, but dutifully states everything that he has been thinking. As amusingas his story is, his confession about the truth of his inr-rer thoughts constitutesthe type of adjustment that characterizes him as a dynamic character.

Because a round character usually plays a major role in a story, he or sheis often called tl-re hero or heroine. Some round characters are not particular-ly heroic, however, so it is preferable to use the more neutral word protago-nist (the "first actor"). The protagonist is central to the action, moves againstan antagonist (the "opposing actor") and exhibits the ability to adapt to newcircumstances.

FIat Characters Stay the Same

Unlike round characters, flat characters do not grow. They remain the samebecause they lack kr-rowledge or insight, or because they are stupid or insen-sitive. They end where they begir-r and thus are static, not dynamic. Flat char-acte.rs are not worthless ir-r fiction, however, for they highlight the develclpmentof the round characters, as with the sheriff and county attorney in Glaspell'sTrifles. Usually, flat characters are minor (e.g., relatives, acquaintances, func-tionaries), but not all minor characters are necessarily flat.

Sometimes flat characters are prorninent in certain types of literature, suchas westerns, and police and detective stories, where the focus is less on char-rrcter than on performance. Such characters might be lively and engaging,cven though they do not develop or change. They must be strong, tough, andt'lt'ver enough to perform recurrit-tg tasks such as solving a crime, overcom-ing a villain, or finding a treasure. The term stock character refers to charac-It'rs irr these repeating situations. To the degree that stock characters havenl,rly c()mmon traits, they are representative of their class or group. Suchr'lr.rr'.rt'[t'rs, with variations in names, ages, and sexes, have been constant inlitr,r',rlrrrt'sir.rce the ancient Greeks. Some regular stock characters are the in-st.rrsilivt' l.rrtht'r, the interfering mother, the sassy younger sister or brother,

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Stock characters stay flat as long as they do no more than perform theirrolcs ancl cxhibit conventional and unindividual traits. When they possess noattittrclcs except those of their class, they are clften called stereotype charac-tcrs, because they all seem to have been cast in the same mold.

Wl'ren authors bring characters into focus, however, no matter what rolesthey perform, the characters emerge from flatness and move itrto roundness.Such a character is Louise Mallard of Chopin's "The Story of an Hour." Louiseis a traditional housewife, and if she were no more than that she would beflat and stereotypical. After receiving the news that her husband has died,however, she becomes round because of her sudden and ulrexpectecl exl-rila-ration at the prospect of being free. One may compare Louise with the titlecharacter of Mansfielcl's "Miss Brili." At first Miss Brill seems quite dull. Shealmost literally has no life, and as a character she is flat. But the story demon-strates that shc protects hcrself interestingly by indulging in remarkable imag-ination and creativity. Sl-Le is, finally, ir round character. In sltm, the ability togrow and develop and to be alterecl by circr-rrnstances ntakes characte-rs roundand dynamic. Absence of these traits makcs charactcrs flat ancl sttttic.

Reality and Probability: Verisimilitude

Characters in fiction should be true to life. Therefore thcir actions, strttcmctrts,and thoughts must all be what human beings are likelV to do, say, arrd thitrkunder the conditions presented in the literary work. This is the standard ofverisimilitude, probability, or plausibility. One may readily admit that thereare people in life who perform tasks or exhibit characteristics that are difficultor seemingly impossible (such as always leading the team to victory, alwaysgetting A+'s on every test, always being cheerful and helpful, or always un-derstanding the needs of others). However, such characters in fictittrt would notbe true to life because they do not fit within normsl or usunl behavior.

You should therefore distinguish between what characters may possibly doand what they most frequently or most usually do. Thus, in Maupassant's "TheNecklace" it is possible that Mathilde could be truthful and tell her friendJeanne Forrestier about the lost necklace. In light of her pride and sense ofself-respect, however, it is more in character for her and her husband to hidethe loss and borrow money for a replacement, even though they must endurethe ill consequences for ten years. Granted the possibilities of the story (ei-ther self-sacrifice or the admission of a fault or a possible crime), the decisionshe makes with her husband is the more probable one.

Nonetheless, probability does not rule out surprise or even exaggeration.The sudden and seemingly impossible changes concluding The Beor, for ex-ample, are not improbable because Chekhov early in the play shows that both

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Writers render probability of character in many ways. W()rks tllat irttenrptto mirror life-realistic, naturalistic, or "slice of life" stories likc Hardy's "'l'hcThree Strangels"-set up a pattern of everyday probability. Less realistic corr-ditions establish different frameworks of probability, in which characters arcexpected to be unusual. Such an example is Hawtl-rorne's "Young GoodmanBrown." Because a major way of explaining this story is that Brown is havinga nightmarish psychotic trance, his bizarre and unnatural responses are plob-able. Equally probable is the way the doctors explain Louise Mallard's sud-den death at the end of Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" even though theirsrnug analysis is totally and ironically wrong.

Yotr might also encounter works containing supernatural figures such asthe second traveler in "Young Goodman Brown." You mav wonder whethersuch characters ale probable or improbable. Usually, gods and goddesses em-body qualities of the best and most moral human beings, and devils likefjawthorne's gr"ride take 0n attributes of the worst. However, you might re-member that the devil is often given dashing and engagin.g qualities so thathe can deceive gullible sinners and then drag them into the fiery pits of hell.The friendliness of Browu's guicle is therefore not an improbable trait. In judg-ing characters of this or any other type, your best criteria are probability, con-sistency, .rnd believability.

Writing About Character

Usually your topic will be a major character in a story or drama, althoughyou might also study one or more minor characters. After your cllstomaryoverview, begin taking notes. List as many traits as you can, and also deter-mine how the author presents details about the character through actions, ap-pearance, speeches, comments by others, or authorial explanations. If youdiscover unusual traits, determine what they show. The following sugges-tions and questions will help you get started.

.who,.,n"*",,11::::"::#:::"7:":::#,::.,,charac,erf romhis or her own actions and speeches? From the speeches and actions ofother characters? How else do you learn about the character?

. How important is the character to the work's principal action? Which char-irctcrs oppose the major character? How do the major character and the op-l.rosing character(s) interact? What effects do these interactions create?

. What actions bring out important traits of the main character? To whattlegrt'r' is the character creating events, or just responding to them?

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Organize Your Essay About Character

Introduction Identify the character you are studying, and refer to note-worthy problems in determining this character's qualities.

Body Use your central idea and thesis sentence to create the form for thelrody of your essay. Consider one of the following approaches to organizeyour ideas and form the basis for your essay.

1. Develop a central trait or major characteristic, such as "the habit of see-ing the world only on one's own terrns" (Miss Brill of Mansfield's "MissBrill"). This kind of structure should be organized to show how tl.re workbrings out the trait. For example, one story might use dramatic speechesto bring the character to life (Minnie of Triflt's). Another story might em-ploy just the character's speech anc'l actior-rs (the Third Stranger of Hardy's"The Three Strangers"). Studying the trait thus enablcs you to focus onthe ways in which the author presents the character, and it also enablesyou to focus on separate parts of the work.

2. Explain a character's growth or change. This type of essay describes acharacter's traits at the work's beginning and then analyzes chanp;es or

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3. Organize your essay around central actions, objects, or quotations thatreveal primary characteristics. Key incidents may stand out (such asusing a breadknife to strike out a€jainst a person), along with objects ckrse-ly associated with the character being analyzed (such as a broken bird-cage). There may be important quotations spoken by the character or bysomeone else in the work. Show how such elements serve as signposts orguides to understanding the character. (See the folktwing demonstrativeessay for an illustration of this type of development.)

4. Develop qualities of a flat character or characters. If the character is flat(such as the sheriff and county attorney inTrifltts or the servaltts in T/rcBear),you might develop topics such as the function and relative signif-icance of the character, the group the character represents, the relationshipof the flat character to the round ones, the importance of this relation-ship, and any additional qualities or traits. For a flat character, you shouldexplain the circurnstances or defects that keep the character from beinground, as well as the importance of these shortcomings in the author'spresentation of character.

Conclusion When brirrgirrg your essay to a close, show how the charac-ter's traits are related to the work as a whole. lf the person was good but cameto a bad end, does this misfortune make him or her seem especially worthy?If the person suffers, does the suffering suggest any attitudes about the classor type of which he or she is a part? Or does it illustrate the author's generalview of human life? Or both? Do the characteristics explain why the personhelps or hinders other characters? How does your essay help to clear up first-reading misunderstandings?

Demonstrative Essay

The Character of Minnie Wright in Susan Glaspell's Trifles

t1l Minnie Wright is Glaspell's major character in Trifles. We learn about her,however, not from seeing and hearing her, for she is not a speaking or anacting character in the play, but rather from the secondhand evidenceprovided by the story's actual characters. Lewis Hale, a neighboring farmer,tells about Minnie's behavior after the dead body of her husband, John,was found. Mrs. Hale, Hale's wife, tells about Minnie's young womanhoodand about how she became alienated from her nearest neighbors becauseof John's stingy and unfriendly ways. Both Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, the

:;lrorrll':; wtl.,, rrr,rhr,,lr:,crv;rltorrs irboul Mirrrrie based on the condition ofIrcr kilr;lrcrr I rorrr llu:; rrrlclrmation \rye get a fUlllaltrait of Minnie. who hasclrirrrqc-.d lrorrr passivity to destructive assert * Her change incharactqr 1g 14dic4ted by her clothing, her dead canary, and her unfinishedpatchwark_qulll.tTtreelothes that Minnicharacter as a person of charm who has withered under neglect andcontempt. Martha mentions Minnie's attractive and colorful dresses as ayoung woman, even recalling a "white dress with blue ribbons" (speech134). Martha also recalls that Minnie, when young, was "sweet and pretty,but kind of timid and-fluttery" (speech 107). ln light of these recollections,Martha observes that Minnie had changed, and changed for the worse,during her long years of marriage with John Wright, who is characterizedas "a raw wind that gets to the bone" (speech 104). As more evidence forMinnie's acceptance of her drab life, Mrs. Peters says that Minnie asks forno more than an apron and a shawl when under arrest in the sheriff'shome. This modest clothing, as contrasted with the colorful dresses of heryouth, suggests how her spirit has been suppressed.The end of this suppression of spirit and a]SA the emergence of Mlrage is shown by the discovery of her dead calta4l We learn that Minnie,who when young had been in love with music, has endured her cheerlessfarm home for thirty years. During this time her husband's contempt hasmade her life solitary, cheerless, unmusical, and depressinglyimpoverished. But her buying the canary (speech 87) suooests thereemergence of her love of song, just as it also suggests her growth towardself-assertion. That her husband wrings the bird's neck may thus be seenas the cause not only of her immediate sorrow, shown by the dead bird in a"pretty box" (speech 109), but also of the anger that marks her change froma stock, obedient wife to a person angry enough to kill.Like her love of song, her unfinished quilt indicates her creativity. ln herdreary and abused years on the farm, never having had children, she hashad nothing creative to do except for needlework like the quilt. Mrs. Halecomments on the beauty of Minnie's log-cabin design (speech 72) andobserves the colorful patches of cloth in her sewing basket (speech 71,speech direction). The inference is that even though Minnie's life has beenbleak, she has been able to indulge her characteristic love of color andform-and also of warmth, granted the purpose of a quilt.lronically, the quilt also shows Minnie's creativity in the murder of herhusband. Both Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters interpret the breakdown of herstitching on the quilt as signs of her distress about the dead canary andalso of her nervousness in planning revenge. Further, even thoughnowhere in the play is it said that John is strangled with a quilting knot, noother conclusion is possible. Both Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters agree thatMinnie probably intended to knot the quilt rather than sew it in a quilt stitch,and Glaspell pointedly causes the men to learn this detail even though they

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