Character Characterization

Adrian Golebiewski

Writing a story is pretty difficult. Writing a short story is even harder, there is so much that has to be accomplished; in both commercial and literary fiction! The plot, the structure, whether it has a happy, unhappy, or indeterminate ending. There must be artistic unity, chance, coincidence, rising action, climax, falling action. Most importantly there must be characterization. Characters make the story! “anyone can summarize what a person in a story has done, but a writer needs considerable skill and insight into human beings to describe convincingly who a person is” [page 168]

Authors present their characters either directly or indirectly. In all good fiction all characters are dramatized. There are flat characters, they can be summarized pretty quickly. There are special types of flat characters one of which is called a stock character; characters we recognize right away (a sheriff or detective) On the other hand are round characters, which have qualities of real people and are many-sided. The static character is the same person from beginning to end, and finally there is the developing character which undergoes some kind of change, this character usually undergoes an epiphany. “Ultimately it is the quality of the characterization by which a literary story stands or falls”. [page 173]

There is three things necessary to make a convincing or developing character; “first It must be consistent with the individual’s characterization as dramatized in the story, second It must be sufficiently motivated by the circumstances in which the character is placed, and finally the story must offer sufficient time for the change to take place to be believable.” [page 172]

In “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Con...

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... flask and and went home and thought to himself two things; how difficult it would be to replace Ivan, and how Rainsford escaped him. This is where the final step needed for a convincing character comes into play. It took from beginning to end but the change was there. The General congratulated Rainsford for winning the game after he surprised him by standing in his room.

“Rainsford did not smile, I am still a beast at bay,” he said, in a low hoarse voice. “Get ready, General Zaroff.” The General made one of his deepest bows. “I see, splendid! One of us is to furnish a repast for the hounds. The other will sleep in this very excellent bed. On Guard. Rainsford…” [page 76]

“He has never slept in a better bed, Rainsford decided.” [page 76] The final step was completed in the last line of the story. Richard Connell did an excellent job making a convincing character.