Lesson 9 — Activity 2: Characters

Characters are an important part of most short stories, novels, and plays.

The term characters refers to:

• the people, animals, or creatures who give a story life and grab the reader's attention

In many short stories and novels, we can learn much about human nature and the way people are by observing the characters created by a skilled writer.

A writer develops a character's personality by showing us the attitudes, values, and behaviours that motivate that character. As we learn about a particular character, we can recognize traits that we see in ourselves and the people around us.

The main character in a story, the one we usually care about most, is called the protagonist.

The character that causes problems for the main character (the villain or bad guy in some stories) is called the antagonist.

Thinking once again about the fairy tale, Cinderella, the protagonist is Cinderella and the antagonists are her wicked stepmother and stepsisters.

Characters in fiction are sometimes classified as:
 

• Round or Flat — A round character is one we learn a lot about in the story; a flat character is one we learn very little about.
  

• Dynamic or Static — A dynamic character is one who changes through the events of the story; a static character stays the same throughout the story.
  

• Unique or Stock — A unique character is one who is very unusual or different from other characters in looks, personality, and/or actions; a stock character is sometimes referred to as a stereotyped character because the character represents a certain type or group of people with general rather than individual traits.

Cinderella also includes these types of characterizations:

• The main character, Cinderella, may be called a round, dynamic character as we learn a lot about her throughout the story and she changes throughout it, from a girl who has nothing to a young woman who gets everything she's always dreamed of!
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• The wicked stepmother may be called a flat, static character. We really only learn that she is very mean and note that she remains mean throughout the story.

  

• The prince may be called a stock character. He represents the person who comes to the rescue of the damsel in distress. This is a common character in fairy tales. He also represents the "good guy" character found in stories; the stepmother represents the "bad guy" character.