1. Understanding Character
Lit Types
LAP 1: Short Stories

2. Character
A character is an individual who takes part in the action of a literary work. A character is usually a person but may also be a personified plant, animal, object, or imaginary creature.

3. Types of Characters
Some characters you may like; others you may detest.
The characters around whom a story is centered are the major characters.
Minor characters play lesser roles in the story and may give the major characters points of interaction.

4. Types of Characters (continued)
Major characters can also be characterized as either protagonist or antagonist.
The protagonist has the central role in the story; the antagonist works against the protagonist, and this friction creates conflict.

5. Types of Characters (continued)
Round Character or Flat Character
Static Character or Dynamic Character

6. Motivation and Characterization
The force or forces that drive a character to think, feel, or behave in a certain way is called motivation.
The act of creating or describing a character is called characterization.
There are three main techniques that an author uses to form a character:
Showing what characters say, do, or think
Showing what other characters say or think about them
Describing the physical features, dress, and personalities of the characters

7. Dialogue and Dialect
The dialogue, or conversations between two or more characters, is also revealing.
A character may speak in a dialect, or a version of a language spoken by the people of a particular place, time, or social group.

8. “Destiny” Writing Prompt
In your journal, write a one page response on the following writing prompt:
Describe a time when someone made you look foolish in front of others. Explain what happened and you felt.
Keep this in mind when you read “Destiny” by Louise Erdrich

9. “Destiny” Character Chart
With an assigned group, you will complete the character chart for the short story “Destiny”.
Each group will complete the chart for each character, but you will be assigned a specific character to illustrate and present to the class.