Final answer:
The main character or protagonist of a story is often depicted through physical descriptions, thoughts, feelings, dialogue, and interactions with others. Narrative perspective, such as first-person or third-person point of view, plays a role in characterization. Characters can be any entity that participates in the story, including animals or objects.
Step-by-step explanation:
The main character in a story, also known as the protagonist, is typically the character who faces significant challenges and whose personality is expressed through various narrative techniques. Authors might use direct characterization by describing a character's physical appearance, thoughts, feelings, dialect, or slang. They may also employ indirect characterization, revealing a character's nature through their interactions with others and dialogue.
In the process of bringing their characters to life, authors can present them through several viewpoints, including first-person and third-person perspectives. The first-person point of view is limited to one character's mind, while the third-person can vary from a limited perspective, sharing only what that character knows, to an omniscient viewpoint, where the reader has insight into the thoughts and feelings of all the characters.
Characters in a narrative can be more than just people; they can also be animals or even inanimate objects, which may have their own roles as protagonists or antagonists. When analyzing a character, it's also beneficial to understand the plot, as the development of the character is often closely tied with their journey within the story's events.