Characterization Direct characterization: The author tells us directly how the character is. Example: Oh! but he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! — Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

Characterization Indirect characterization: The author shows how the character is through speech, actions, physical descriptions, and how others react to him or her. Example: “I wish to be left alone,” said Scrooge. “…I don’t make merry myself at Christmas, and I can’t afford to make idle people merry. I help to support the establishments I have mentioned; they cost enough, and those who are badly off must go there.” “Many can’t go there, and many would rather die.” “If they would rather die,” said Scrooge, “they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.” — Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

Round character A character whose personality is fully realized in the story; we get a sense of the character’s motives, background, etc. Mr. Fredricksen in UP is a round character. We discover his background when we see him as a young boy dreaming of travel and adventure. We understand his personality as we see him growing older with his wife, and we understand his motivation when he wants to preserve his house after his wife’s death.

Flat character A character whose personality is not fully realized in the story; we only see one or two characteristics. Dug from UP is a relatively flat character. He really has only a couple of traits (friendly and loyal). We don’t get too much background with him. He’s a dog.

Dynamic character A character who changes in a significant way during the course of a story. The change must be sufficiently motivated by an event and/or occur over a period of time. As with many round characters, Mr. Fredricksen is also a dynamic character. He starts off as a withdrawn old curmudgeon. However, by the end he has transformed into an action hero (with the fight on the zeppelin) and has become a de facto father for Russell. As a result of his experiences, Mr. Fredricksen has opened up emotionally and regained a more youthful outlook on life.

Static character A character who largely remains the same during the course of the work. Bob Cratchit in A Christmas Carol is a static character. At the beginning he is a kind man and a devoted husband and father. At the end he is a kind man and a devoted husband and father. There is no real change to his character.