Transcript Elements of Literature: Character

Character Interactions
Feature Menu
Connecting with Characters
Main Characters
Subordinate Characters
Flat Characters versus Round Characters
Dynamic Characters versus Static Characters
Conflict
Motivation
Practice
Connecting with Characters
What draws readers into a story?
Vivid, complex characters whose
problems and triumphs draw
forth our emotions and reveal
some truth about humankind.
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Main Characters
Protagonist—the main character of a story.
• The action of the story revolves
around the protagonist and the
conflict he or she faces.
Antagonist—the character or force
the protagonist struggles against
and must overcome.
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Subordinate Characters
Subordinate characters
add depth and complication
to the plot.
Main character
Friends
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Flat Characters versus Round Characters
Flat characters
• have only one or two
character traits that can be
described in a few words
• have no depth, like a
piece of cardboard
Flat Characters versus Round Characters
Round characters
• have many different
character traits that
sometimes contradict
each other
• are much like real
people, with several
sides to their
personality
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Dynamic Characters versus Static Characters
Dynamic characters
• change or grow as a result of the story’s
actions
• learn something about themselves, other
people, or the world as they struggle to resolve
their conflicts
The changes that a dynamic character undergoes
contribute to the meaning of the story.
Dynamic Characters versus Static Characters
Static characters
• do not change or grow
• are the same at the end of a story as they were
in the beginning
Subordinate characters are often static characters.
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Conflict
External conflict—struggle between a character
and an outside force.
• character versus character
• character versus society
• character versus nature
Conflict
Internal conflict—struggle
between opposing needs or
desires or emotions within a
character.
• character versus himself
• character versus herself
Conflict
Quick Check
“Y’all git some stones,” commanded
Joey now and was met with instant
giggling obedience as everyone except
me began to gather pebbles from the
dusty ground. “Come on, Lizabeth.”
What type of
conflict does the
character face?
I just stood there peering through
the bushes, torn between wanting to
join the fun and feeling that it was a bit
silly.
from “Marigolds” by Eugenia W. Collier
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Motivation
Motivation—what drives a character’s actions. It
• explains behaviors
• reveals personality
• is often based on character’s fears, conflicts,
needs
Motivation can be inferred by observing characters’
behavior, speech, actions.
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Practice
Think of a
story you’ve read in
which the protagonist
faces powerful conflicts.
Use a chart like the one
here to map out the
conflicts and their
resolutions, as well as
the protagonist’s
motivations.
Protagonist
•
Motivation
•
Motivation
•
Internal
Conflict
•
External
conflict and
antagonist
•
Resolution
•
Resolution
•
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The End