The meaning of love Twilight
9 that “flat characters are often quite serviceable, especially as comic
characters.” In literary works, characters need to be portrayed by the writer. A
narrative writer has to develop hisher characters of the novel to bring about attractions for readers; this phase is called characterization.
According to Ellen on http:www.tnellen.com, characterization is the method used by a writer to develop a character. The method includes 1
showing the characters appearance, 2 displaying the characters actions, 3 revealing the characters thoughts, 4 letting the character speak, and
5 getting the reactions of others. Rohrberger and Woods in their book Reading and Writing about
Literature 1971: 20 define the word “characterization” as “the process by which an author creates character, the devices by which he makes us
believe a character is the particular type of person he is.” Murphy in his book Understanding Unseens 1972: 161, points out nine ways in which
an author attempts to make his characters understandable to and come alive for his readers, namely:
a. Personal description
The author describes a person’s appearance and clothing. In describing his character, the author uses some adjectives to tell the readers the
details of the character’s appearance such as his face, skin, eyes, and his body. It is important because each character has an individual
aspect so that the reader can have a better imagination.
10 b.
Character as seen by another The author describes a character’s personality by letting the other
characters in the story tell what they see from the characters they encounter. So the readers will gain some clues through the judgment of
the other characters. c.
Speech The reader will gain some clues to a person’s character through the
character’s own words. When he gives his opinion in conversation with another, he is reflecting his personality. From his speech we know
his attitude toward other characters and life. d.
Past life The author can also describe his or her character by letting the readers
learn some events or experiences about the character’s past life that has some close connection to his present life. The author gives a clue
about the character’s past experiences or moments which have influenced and formed the character’s personality. This can be done
through some straight comment from the author himself through his conversation with the other characters or through the means of another
character. e.
Conversation of others The author gives the readers hints to a character’s personality from the
other character’s conversation about other character.