2. DEFINITION:
The presentation of a fictional personage.
There are two ways to do this; direct and indirect.
Direct characterization occurs when a narrator directly tells us
what a character is like.
Indirect characterization occurs when a character’s traits are
revealed implicitly through his or her
actions, speech, behavior, thoughts and actions.
3. DIRECT VS. INDIRECT
Examples of Direct Characters
Examples of Indirect Characters
Twyla from Recitatif
Roberta from Recitatif
Penny and Primrose from
Stella-Rondo, Mama, Papa
The Thing in the Forrest
Daddy, Uncle Rondo, and Shirley
Sister from Why I live at the
T from Why I live at the P.O.
P.O.
5. SISTER
Flat, Static Character.
She doesn’t grow or change through
the story.
Unreliable narrator-her prior
judgment of each character is
revealed in how she presents them.
She also speaks differently, like she’s
talking aside to you as if you’re
there.
6. MAMA
Unable to Accept Reality
Eggs on the sibling rivalry
between Sister and Stella-Rondo.
Believes whatever she is told
instead of finding out the truth
for herself.
7. STELLA-RONDO
“Steals” Mr. Whitaker from
Sister.
Runs back home from her
unhappy marriage.
The favorite daughter, and
younger than Sister by 12
months.
8. UNCLE RONDO
Mentally unstable.
Very mean-spirited, vengeful.
Throws firecrackers into Sister’s
room early in the morning.
Wears Stella-Rondo’s nightgown
around.
9. PAPA DADDY
Patriarch of the family.
Got Sister her job through his
“connections”.
Has been growing his beard
since he was a teenager.
11. TWYLA: THE BEGINNING
She narrates the story.
She grows and changes
through the story.
When the story begins, she is
8 years old.
12. TWYLA: IN THE MIDDLE
Working at Howard Johnson’s
as a waitress.
Recognizes Roberta and is
glad to see her.
Doesn’t understand why she’s
being snubbed.
13. TWYLA AS A MOM
Married to a fireman.
Has one son.
Loves her
stable, comfortable, family life.
Protests against Roberta’s protest.
14. TWYLA DURING THE
PROTEST
Is mad that Roberta is protesting
integration. Takes it personally.
Thinks they can’t disagree and still
be friends.
Gets personal with her protest
signs.
Doesn’t mind that her son will be
bussed, she says “I mean, I didn’t
know!”
15. TWYLA; THE LAST TIME
Decides to run out and get a
Christmas Tree at the last
minute.
Runs into Roberta; doesn’t
want to talk to her, but does
accept her apology.
16. ROBERTA IN THE
BEGINNING
She is 8 years old when we
meet her at St. Bonny’s.
She is there before Twyla.
They become inseparable.
17. ROBERTA AT THE HOJO
Comes in on the Greyhound, on
her way to see Jimi Hendrix.
She is a customer at the
restaurant and Twyla serves her.
She is dismissive of Twyla.
18. ROBERTA
Married to a rich
widower, has 4 step-children.
Shopping at the high end
grocery store.
She approaches Twyla and
asks her to go to coffee.
19. ROBERTA DURING THE
PROTEST
Protesting her son’s school being
integrated.
Tells Twyla not to take it personally.
Tells Twyla that you’re the same person
who kicked a black lady while she was on
the ground and you call me a bigot.
20. ROBERTA AT THE DINER
She is drunk when she sees
Twyla.
Apologizes for saying Twyla
kicked Maggie.
Wonders what really
happened in the orchard.
21. SUMMATION
Characters are who tell us the story. You can’t have a story
without characters, even if sometimes the characters aren’t
people.
Characters give insight to the story through their voices.
We learn a lot of what an author is trying to convey from the
characters.
Characters stick with you after you finish the story.
Not all narrators are characters within the story.
22. Works Cited
M O R R I S O N, T O N I . R E C I TA T I F. T H E N O RT O N
I N T R O D U C T I O N T O L I T E R A T U R E . 1 1 TH E D. N E W
Y O R K C I T Y : N O R T O N & C O M P A N Y, 2 0 1 3 . 2 0 0 - 2 1 4 .
P R I N T.
W E L T Y, E U D O R A . W H Y I L I V E A T T H E P . O . T H E
N O R T O N I N T R O D U C T I O N T O L I T E R A T U R E . 1 1 TH E D.
N E W Y O R K C I T Y : N O R T O N & C O M P A N Y, 2 0 1 3 . 6 5 9 6 6 8 . P R I N T.
