Paper II Character

 

Character

        A character is a person, animal, being, creature, or thing in a story. Writers use characters to perform the actions and speak dialogue, moving the story along a plot line. A story can have only one character (protagonist) and still be a complete story. This character’s conflict may be an inner one (within him/herself), or a conflict with something natural, such as climbing a mountain. Most stories have multiple characters interacting, with one of them as the antagonist, causing a conflict for the protagonist.

Types of Character

a. Major characters

These are the most important characters in the story. There are two types, of which there may be a couple for each.

  • Protagonist – This is the main character, around which the whole story revolves. The decisions made by this character will be affected by a conflict from within, or externally through another character, nature, technology, society, or the fates/God.
  • Antagonist – This character, or group of characters, causes conflict for the protagonist. However, the antagonist could be the protagonist, who is torn by a problem within. Most times, something external is causing the problem. A group of people causing the conflict would be considered society, perhaps the members of a team, community, or institution. Additionally, the antagonist could be a part of nature, such as an animal, the weather, a mountain, or a lake. A different kind of antagonist would be an item such as a pen, car, phone, carpet, etc. These are all considered technology since they are instruments or tools to complete a job. Finally, if the conflict comes from something out of the character’s control, the antagonist is fate or God.

b. Minor characters

These are the other characters in a story. They are not as important as the major characters, but still play a large part in the story. Their actions help drive the story forward. They may impact the decisions the protagonist or antagonist makes, either helping or interfering with the conflict.

Characters can have different traits. Major characters will usually be more dynamic, changing and growing through the story while minor characters may be more static.

  • Foil – A foil is a character that has opposite character traits from another, meant to help highlight or bring out another’s positive or negative side. Many times, the antagonist is the foil for the protagonist.
  • Static – Characters who are static do not change throughout the story. Their use may simply be to create or relieve tension, or they were not meant to change. A major character can remain static throughout the whole story.
  • Dynamic – Dynamic characters change throughout the story. They may learn a lesson, become bad, or change in complex ways.
  • Flat – A flat character has one or two main traits, usually only all positive or negative. They are the opposite of a round character. The flaw or strength has its use in the story.
  • Round – These are the opposite of the flat character. These characters have many different traits, good and bad, making them more interesting.
  • Stock – These are the stereotypical characters, such as the boy genius, ambitious career person, faithful sidekick, mad scientist, etc.

  • Conclusion

    Characters are the whole reason for any story. They can be used to help teach a lesson, entertain, to educate, and even to persuade, depending on the author’s goal for the storyline. Characters can be based on real people and events, or be totally unrealistic, such as space aliens. People become attached to characters as if they are real, may develop favorites, and relate to those that have faced similar situations.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Paper IV Partition Novel Sem V

Image
 Partition Novel:           The long fight for India’s independence from the British Raj, which commenced with the Indian Mutiny of 1857, gained momentum after World War II. However, India’s desire for self-governance was coupled with severe inter-communal disharmony. The Indian National Congress and the Muslim League could not reconcile their views, which further added to the chaos ensuing escalation of sectarian violence. So in the year 1947, when the British finally left India, the country was divided into two independent nation-states — India and Pakistan.           Partition literature is a nuanced depiction of the tragedy of Partition, a period in India’s history that is very hard to make sense of. It is an amalgamation of history, conflict studies, border studies, and politics. The multi-layered dynamics of the Partition of India, not only the political but also its metaphoric and symbolic relevance and ramification...
Read more

Paper IV The Contribution of Great Trio to Indian Novel – Raja Rao, Mulk Raj Anand and R. K. Narayan

 The Contribution of Great Trio to Indian Novel – Raja Rao, Mulk Raj Anand, and R. K. Narayan           Raja Rao, Mulk Raj Anand, and R. K. Narayan are often celebrated as the "Great Trio" of early Indian English literature. Their contributions significantly shaped the Indian novel and helped establish a distinct Indian voice in English literature. Here’s a closer look at their contributions: Raja Rao 1. "Kanthapura" (1938): Rao’s debut novel is a seminal work that introduced a unique narrative style blending traditional Indian oral storytelling with the English language. The novel portrays the impact of the Indian independence movement on a small village, offering a deep insight into the social and political fabric of India. 2. Philosophical Depth: Raja Rao's work is known for its philosophical depth, exploring themes of Indian spirituality, cultural identity, and the conflict between tradition and modernity. His writing often reflects his interest in...
Read more

Paper IV The Contribution of Women to the Indian English

 The Contribution of Women to the Indian English                The Indian English novel is globally recognized today. It has come of age in terms of quality, quantity, and variety. The credit also goes to women novelists whose contribution counts a lot in novel writing and publishing. They try varied themes, locales, techniques, or styles; raise issues of caste, class, gender, and identity; and derive the stuff for their books from home, society, politics, deep psychology, or self-story. Some women writers went abroad and got settled there. They include Attia Hosain who migrated to Britain in 1947; Kamala Markandaya married an Englishman; Bharti Mukherjee, Chitra Banerjee and Kiran Desai now reside in America.                There are many Indian women writers both novelists and poets, based in the USA and Britain. Some like Jhabvala and Anita Desai are late immigrants while others, like Jhum...
Read more