【2.1】 CHARACTERS:THE PEOPLE IN FICTION The term character applies to any individual in a literary work.For the purpose of analysis,characters in fiction are customarily described by their relationship to plot, by the degree of development they are given by the author,and by whether or not they undergo significant character change. Types of Characters Protagonist Antagonist The major,or central,character of the plot is the protagonist,his opponent,the character against whom the protagonist struggles or contends,is the antagonist.In John Updike's A&P,for example,the protagonist,Sammy,is brought into conflict with the antagonist,Lengel,the manager of the grocery store.The terms protagonist and antagonist,do not(unlike the terms hero,heroine,or villain)imply a judgment about moral worth.Many protagonists embody a complex mixture of both positive and negative qualities,very much in the way their real life counterparts do. The protagonist is often easy enough to identify;he or she is the essential character without whom there will be no plot.It is the protagonist's fate the conflict or problem being wrestled with)on which the attention of the reader is focused.Often the title of the work identifies the protagonist:Young Goodman Brown,Rip Van Winkle,A Rose for Emily,and Yellow Woman (cf.P.117),The Horse Dealer's Daughter (cf.P.128) The antagonist can be somewhat more difficult to identify,especially if he is not a human being,as is the case with the marlin that challenges the courage and endurance of the old fisherman Santiago in Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea.In fact,as noted above,the antagonist may not be a living creature at all,but rather the hostile social and natural environment with which the protagonist is forced to
【2.1】 CHARACTERS: THE PEOPLE IN FICTION The term character applies to any individual in a literary work. For the purpose of analysis, characters in fiction are customarily described by their relationship to plot, by the degree of development they are given by the author, and by whether or not they undergo significant character change. Types of Characters Protagonist & Antagonist The major, or central, character of the plot is the protagonist; his opponent, the character against whom the protagonist struggles or contends, is the antagonist. In John Updike’s A&P, for example, the protagonist, Sammy, is brought into conflict with the antagonist, Lengel, the manager of the grocery store. The terms protagonist and antagonist, do not (unlike the terms hero, heroine, or villain) imply a judgment about moral worth. Many protagonists embody a complex mixture of both positive and negative qualities, very much in the way their real life counterparts do. The protagonist is often easy enough to identify; he or she is the essential character without whom there will be no plot. It is the protagonist’s fate （the conflict or problem being wrestled with）on which the attention of the reader is focused. Often the title of the work identifies the protagonist: Young Goodman Brown, Rip Van Winkle, A Rose for Emily, and Yellow Woman (cf. P. 117), The Horse Dealer’s Daughter (cf. P. 128) The antagonist can be somewhat more difficult to identify, especially if he is not a human being, as is the case with the marlin that challenges the courage and endurance of the old fisherman Santiago in Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea. In fact, as noted above, the antagonist may not be a living creature at all, but rather the hostile social and natural environment with which the protagonist is forced to
contend. Flat &Round Characters Flat characters are those who embody or represent a single characteristic,trait,or idea,or at most a very limited number of such qualities.Flat characters are often referred to as type characters,as one-dimensional characters,or when they are distorted to created humor,as caricatures.Flat characters usually play a minor role in the stories in which they appear,but not always so.For example,Montresor and Fortunato are the protagonist and antagonist,respectively,in Edgar Allan Poe's The Cask of Amontillado.Yet they are both flat characters:Montresor,who leads the unsuspecting Fortunato to be walled up in his family crypt,embodies nothing but cold-blooded revenge.And Fortunato,who appears dressed in the cap and motley of the jester complete with bells,is quite literally a fool.Flat characters have much in common with the kind of stock characters who appear again and again in certain types of literary works (e.g.the rich uncle of domestic comedy,the hard-boiled private eye of the detective story,the female confidante of romance). Round characters are just the opposite.They embody a number of qualities and traits,and are complex multidimensional characters of considerable intellectual and emotional depth who have the capacity to grow and change.Major characters in fiction are usually round characters,and it is with the very complexity of such characters that most of us become engrossed and fascinated.The terms round and flat do not automatically imply value judgments.Each kind of such characters has its use---witness Poe's successful use of flat characters to dramatize the theme of revenge in The Cask of Amontillado.Even when they are minor characters,as they usually are, flat characters are often convenient devices to draw out and help us to understand the personalities of characters who are more fully realized.Finally,round characters are not necessarily more alive or more convincing than flat ones.If they are,it is because the author had succeeded in making them so. Dynamic Static Characters
contend. Flat &Round Characters Flat characters are those who embody or represent a single characteristic, trait, or idea, or at most a very limited number of such qualities. Flat characters are often referred to as type characters, as one-dimensional characters, or when they are distorted to created humor, as caricatures. Flat characters usually play a minor role in the stories in which they appear, but not always so. For example, Montresor and Fortunato are the protagonist and antagonist, respectively, in Edgar Allan Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado. Yet they are both flat characters: Montresor, who leads the unsuspecting Fortunato to be walled up in his family crypt, embodies nothing but cold-blooded revenge. And Fortunato, who appears dressed in the cap and motley of the jester complete with bells, is quite literally a fool. Flat characters have much in common with the kind of stock characters who appear again and again in certain types of literary works (e.g. the rich uncle of domestic comedy, the hard-boiled private eye of the detective story, the female confidante of romance). Round characters are just the opposite. They embody a number of qualities and traits, and are complex multidimensional characters of considerable intellectual and emotional depth who have the capacity to grow and change. Major characters in fiction are usually round characters, and it is with the very complexity of such characters that most of us become engrossed and fascinated. The terms round and flat do not automatically imply value judgments. Each kind of such characters has its use---witness Poe’s successful use of flat characters to dramatize the theme of revenge in The Cask of Amontillado. Even when they are minor characters, as they usually are, flat characters are often convenient devices to draw out and help us to understand the personalities of characters who are more fully realized. Finally, round characters are not necessarily more alive or more convincing than flat ones. If they are, it is because the author had succeeded in making them so. Dynamic & Static Characters
Characters in fiction can also be distinguished on the basis of whether they demonstrate the capacity to develop or change as the result of their experiences. Dynamic characters exhibit a capacity to change;static characters do not.As might be expected,the degree and rate of character change varies widely even among dynamic characters.In some stories,the development is so subtle that it may go almost unnoticed;in others,it is sufficiently drastic and profound to cause a total reorganization of the character's personality or value system.Change in character may come slowly and incrementally over many pages,or it may take place with a dramatic suddenness that surprises and even overwhelms the character. Static characters leave the plot as they entered it,largely untouched by the events that have taken place.Although static characters tend to be minor ones, because the author's principle focus is located elsewhere,this is not always the case. Olenka,the protagonist of Anton Chekhov's The Darling,is a static character whose essential qualities are submissiveness and blind devotion.Without opinions, personality,or inner resources of her own,she passes through a series of relationships that leave her character essentially unchanged.But protagonists like Olenka are comparatively rare;for the most part,the author creates static characters as foils to emphasize,set off and contrast the development taking place in others
Characters in fiction can also be distinguished on the basis of whether they demonstrate the capacity to develop or change as the result of their experiences. Dynamic characters exhibit a capacity to change; static characters do not. As might be expected, the degree and rate of character change varies widely even among dynamic characters. In some stories, the development is so subtle that it may go almost unnoticed; in others, it is sufficiently drastic and profound to cause a total reorganization of the character’s personality or value system. Change in character may come slowly and incrementally over many pages, or it may take place with a dramatic suddenness that surprises and even overwhelms the character. Static characters leave the plot as they entered it, largely untouched by the events that have taken place. Although static characters tend to be minor ones, because the author’s principle focus is located elsewhere, this is not always the case. Olenka, the protagonist of Anton Chekhov’s The Darling, is a static character whose essential qualities are submissiveness and blind devotion. Without opinions, personality, or inner resources of her own, she passes through a series of relationships that leave her character essentially unchanged. But protagonists like Olenka are comparatively rare; for the most part, the author creates static characters as foils to emphasize, set off and contrast the development taking place in others
