Ch. 2Ch. 2Characters: Characters:

The People You’ll The People You’ll MeetMeet

What are Characters?What are Characters?People or

animals in a story

Ex: Ron Weasly in

Harry PotterMargot in All

Summer in a DayKarana in Island

of the Blue Dolphins

Physical TraitsPhysical TraitsPhysical traits describe a

character’s outward appearance.

Examples: short, brunette, stumpy, freckled, slim.

Character TraitsCharacter Traits

Character traits describe a character’s demeanor or

conduct, in other words, their personality, behavior, and

motivations.

What are some examples?What are some examples?

Positive Trait Examples:

EfficientEasygoingAmbitiousBraveCalmCarefulProperWiseSkillful

Negative Trait Examples:

JealousLazySneakyStrangeStingyHopelessDemandingAnnoyedCowardly

How do you find out what How do you find out what traits traits describedescribe a character? a character?

1) What the character says and thinks

2) What the character does3) What the character looks like

(physical traits)4) What others say & think about

the character5) How others react to the

character

How do I How do I explainexplain or or proveprove a a character’s traits?character’s traits?

When you are asked to explain a person or character’s traits, you must remember to use specific examples and then make the connection between the example and the trait.

For example, if you say Brian is brave, it is not good enough to say he travels down the river and overcomes many obstacles. Instead, you must specifically explain the obstacles and THEN explain how this makes him a brave person. So:

State trait – give example – make connection

TraitEvidence from the

story&

Examples of when

the character

demonstrates the trait

Connection showing how

these examples prove the trait

Determination

The Moose asked his coach at least 3 times to let him run the ball on the football

field.

He spoke with his teammates to convince them that he had a valid

point.

By talking to the coach on repeat occasions, and by risking his teammates

disapproval, Moose showed that he was a determined character.

Dynamic CharactersDynamic Characters

Dynamic characters change over the course of the story. They

may mature, have a change of heart or make an important

decision. Usually a main character.

Static CharactersStatic CharactersStatic characters remain constant

and unchanged over the course of the story. These characters

are usually not main characters.

ProtagonistProtagonist

The protagonist is the main character in a story. The action centers around the

protagonist.

AntagonistAntagonistThe antagonist is the

character(s) who opposes the protagonist. The antagonist provides a source of conflict.

Direct Character Direct Character DevelopmentDevelopment

With direct character development, the author makes a

direct statement about what the character is like.

Example: Leslie was a sensitive girl who cried at the drop of a

hat.

Indirect Character Indirect Character DevelopmentDevelopment

With indirect character development, an author gives clues about a character’s personality through details and the interactions with other characters. This requires the reader to draw conclusions. Example: Rod did 150 crunches yesterday and grinned as he gazed at his abs.

Summary (5 sentences)Summary (5 sentences)Understanding character is

important for my reading improvement because…