2.  A character’s motives are the reasons why the character acts as he or she does.  Sometimes an author tells you what a character’s motives are.  Other times, you must use the clues in the text and your own knowledge to figure out the character’s motives.

3.  Understanding a character’s motives can help you better understand why the events in the story happen!  Tip: To figure out a character’s motives, ask yourself: What is the character’s goal? How might he or she reach that goal?

4. Let’s read this paragraph and figure out Doris’s motives. Doris looked longingly at the guitar in the window of the music shop. Her father’s guitar had been ruined in a fire. Dad seemed sad without it. Doris missed the sound of Dad softly strumming the guitar in the evenings. “I wonder if I can work in exchange for a guitar,” she thought. Doris entered the shop and shyly asked to speak with the owner.

5. Character’s Traits, Thoughts, Words, Actions Character’s Motives Trait: Thought: Action: Asks to speak with the shop owner Shy Wonders if she can work in exchange for a guitar. Doris wants to make her dad happy by getting him a new guitar.