Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools



Name: ____________________________________ Period: _____

Complex Characters in Literature Practice

Read each character description and scenario and, on the line provided, label each as one of the following: Dynamic, Static, Round, Flat.

Ebenezer Scrooge, in A Christmas Carol by Dickens, was very stingy with his money. He worked his employees very hard for little pay. After his experience with the ghosts that visited him, he changed his ways, paying his employees a more than fair wage, providing days off work and actually giving gifts.

How would you describe this character? _________________________________________________________

What evidence from the description led you to this conclusion? ______________________________________

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A character in a story named Elaine never cuts anybody a break. She tells her friends and coworkers that charity and compassion have no place in society. On the other hand, Elaine can never pass up feeding a stray kitten or puppy, and always tries to find a good home for lost or abandoned pets.

How would you describe this character? _________________________________________________________

What evidence from the description led you to this conclusion? ______________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Bert, a bumbling salesman, never takes the time to organize his files, properly record his sales, or follow up with customers. Finally, his boss gets fed up and fires him. Bert struggles for two months to find a new sales position. During that time, his car is repossessed for nonpayment and he maxes out his credit cards. Bert finally finds a new sales position but, before a week passes, he is called into a conference with his new boss. Bert is informed he must get organized or he’ll be fired. A week later the new boss fires Bert after he fails to follow up with an important customer.

How would you describe this character? _________________________________________________________

What evidence from the description led you to this conclusion? ______________________________________

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In a story about a friendly teacher named Sandra Smith, Louis Drud is a janitor in her building. Louis is always tired and grumpy whenever Sandra runs across him and says hello.

How would you describe this character? _________________________________________________________

What evidence from the description led you to this conclusion? ______________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Characters and Characterization: Evidence Chart

Characters and characterization are an important part of any story. Characterization includes direct characterization as well as indirect characterization and authors can choose to make characters round or flat and dynamic or static. All of these choices impact the plot and theme of the story.

One particular reason why characters and characterization are important is that both are used as a way to advance the plot or move the story along towards an inevitable conclusion. While understanding and analyzing for type of characterization and character (direct, indirect, round, flat, dynamic, static) are important, deeper thinking involves a consideration of why the author made the particular choices about character that he/she made. In other words, how do these choices impact the plot and theme of the story?

In the chart below, choose a story we have studied in this class and analyze two of the characters in the story.

What is the story that you chose? ______________________________________________________________

|Character |Basics – description |What’s he/she like – and how |How does the character |How does this character’s |How does this character’s |

| |and relationship to |can you tell? (Provide specific|interact with other |actions and interactions |actions and interactions |

| |other characters |examples to support your |characters? Be specific and |advance the plot (create |advance the theme, or |

| | |statements about the |comment on how each |conflict, suspense, etc., that |meaning, of the story? |

| | |characters’ personalities). |action/interaction creates |moves it forward)? | |

| | | |an impact. | | |

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