Characterization is the way a writer shows what a character is like. It helps us understand a character’s personality, thoughts, and actions.
There are two types of characterization:
1. Direct Characterization: The author tells the reader exactly what the character is like. The information is given to us clearly.
Example: "Jessica was a kind and generous person." Here, the author directly tells us that Jessica is kind and generous.
2. Indirect Characterization: The author shows us what the character is like through their actions, speech, thoughts, and how others react to them. We have to figure out the character’s traits ourselves.
Example: "Jessica spent her entire Saturday volunteering at the animal shelter, even though she had other plans." Here, the author doesn’t say Jessica is kind directly, but we can tell she is because of what she does.
In short:
Direct = Tells
Indirect = Shows