Question

Which of the following shows strong characterization?

A. Alex was still unconscious. He still had no idea that in the night someone broke into his home. Then they went on to drug him, toss him into the back of a truck. He was unaware that the truck sped down the highway all the way to Washington, DC and to the White House. And he certainly did not know that when they wake him up, that he will be their only hope.


B. Ben was always fearless. He had been skydiving many times and was never scared. He bravely fought for his country without a moment’s hesitation. When his plane lost an engine he never lost his cool, and brought it down safely. However when he heard that his wife might be sick, he was scared.


C. Kyle walked around the empty apartment. It was once full of so much life, but now it was just an empty shell waiting for someone else to move in. He took one last look around at the bare white walls, the ugly tan carpets, and the broken outlet that never got fixed, before walking out the door, never to see the place again.


D. Parker had a lot of pets. He had a cat, a dog, a snake, a horse and three birds. These pets did not always get along. There were many times where someone would call and complain about the sounds from Parker’s home. The hardest part was figuring out if they should send the police or animal control.

Answer 1

Answer: Choice B is an example of strong characterization, also called direct characterization.

Explanation: Ben was always fearless. No guessing

He had been skydiving many times and was never scared. He bravely fought for his country without a moment’s hesitation. When his plane lost an engine he never lost his cool, and brought it down safely. These descriptions of his experiences present a clear picture of the kind of person Ben is.

However when he heard that his wife might be sick, he was scared. New situation, clearly described, and a change in his emotion directly stated.

In the other examples, there are descriptions of circumstances and conditions. The reader can infer some things about the characters who are in those situations and their emotional states.