How do you want your Double Cheeseburger, Professor Hall?

• The TOP BUN includes the topic sentence and thesis.
• The CHEESE is the introduction of the evidence.
• The PATTY is the evidence for trait number one.
• The LETTUCE is the explanation of the evidence.
• Repeat the cheese, patty, and lettuce again for the second character trait.
• Finally, the BOTTOM BUN represents the conclusion and so-what.

Types of Character

The main character is the protagonist.

The character who opposes the main character is the antagonist.

A flat character is characterized by one or two traits, summed up in a few sentences.

A round character is complex and many-sided.

A stock character, a type of flat character, is a stereotypical figure whose nature is immediately known.

A static character does not change from the beginning to the end of the story.

A dynamic character goes through a permanent change in the story.

Indirect Vs. Direct Characterization

Direct Characterization: telling how a character is; states in the text the characterization
Examples- Becky is a mean girl. She is a bully.
The author tells you Becky’s characterization, you don’t have to guess(infer) what she is like.

Indirect Characterization: author shows not tells how a character is; states through showing the characterization
Examples- Becky pushed the weaker girl to the ground and spit in her hair. As the little one cried looking up at her, Becky snickered and said, “what are you gonna cry crybaby?”
In the example above the reader has to infer Becky’s characterization through the text offered by the author, the author “paints a picture” of Becky.

Indirect characterization is shown by author’s in the following ways:

1. Appearance: what does the character’s appearance say about them? Weird? Poor? Mean?

2. Actions: What does the character act like? How do they treat others?

3. Speech: What does the character say to others in situations that are sad? Happy? Can you tell how they are just based on what they say?

4. Thoughts and feelings: What is the character thinking and feeling? What does this say about the kind of person they are?

5. Other character’s viewpoint: How do other characters react to the character? What do they say about them? How do they act around them?

Author’s use different indirect characterization techniques. One example doesn’t make a character mean or nice. Gather lots of different evidence to form your opinion of the character.

Questions that Readers Who Want to Understand a Character Can Ask

Are the characters believable? Have you ever felt like this character, or have you known anyone who felt like this character? What about the character seemed real and true?

Is each character’s behavior consistent with what we know about him or her? Does the behavior remain consistent throughout the book? Is the change that occurs in the character consistent with what we know about the character?

Although the character’s behavior is consistent, is it also not stereotyped? Does the character’s behavior show that the character is a unique individual?

Do you identify with the character? How would you have reacted if you were the character?

Does the character change or learn as the story progresses? Does the character reach a new understanding about the situation or about life?

Is the character memorable? Will you remember this character in a month?