character than on performance. Such as character might be lively engaging, even though to perform recurring tasks like solving a crime, overcoming a villain, or a
finding a treasure. The term stock character in these to the degree that stock characters have many common traits, they are representative of their class, or
group. Such as characters with variations in names,ages, and sexes, have been constant in literature since the ancient Greek.
3.8 Questions about the characters in novel
According to Richard Gill in his book Mastering English Literature 1985 :97 , it is important to recognize whether a character is round or flat, but
we should not confuse this with another kind of question. An author can create in a full or limited way, but the range of the character is a diffrent consideration from
what the character is like. We should, therefore, also think about how an aouthor creates the personality, or individuality , of a character. The best way in which we
can approach thingking about the personality of a character is to ask questions about the character we meet in the novel. These questions should be about the
ways in which an author can make a character, They are : •
Telling and showing There are two very general questions we can ask . The first is : what do
you tell about the character? Author need not tell their readers direcly about the personality of their character. They might show readers a number of things in and
through the events of the story, but it is very rare to find characters who are
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entirerly created in this way. Most outhors use direct telling to convey something about their characters.
The second general question has already been hinted at: what do we show about the character ? When an author shown a reader something, it is done
indirecly. Something about a harater can emerge from the way he or she speaks, reacts or thinks.
• How characters speak
In many novels the way a character speak is a show hisher own expression. The outhor frequently gives the characters personalities by making
them repeat some certain words, use illustrations in their speech, talk a great deal or say very little, or speak in a very compliated or a quite simple manner.
• The appearance of charaters
In many novels it is important to ask : what does the outhor tell us about a character’s appearance? It is important to remenber that not all novelist do.
It is, therefore, worth asking why some novelis a create detailed pictures when others do not. If there is a detailed picture, the novelist will be able to
control a reader’s, but if there is not, the reader may fail to use his or her imagination.
When an outhor writes about the appearance of a character, he or she is usually telling or showing the reader something about the inner world of
the character’s personality •
How characters dress
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Another question to ask is about the appearance of a character of: how does the character dress? Some authors, however, make clothes a significant
part of a character’s personality, important for the atmosphere of the book or essential to the development of the plot.
• The social standing of characters
If an outhor is interested in the relation between the diffrent classes within society, he or she is likely to streer the social standing of characters.
You should remenber that not every outhor is interested in the working of society, and that those are will be interested in different societies and will
have different attitudes towards them. •
The names of characters It is useful to ask : Is there anything significant about a character’s
name? Often the answer will be no, but there are novels in which the names suggest the nature of the character. The name is thus important for the
meaning of the novel.
• The company of characters
It is important to appreciate what this question is driving at. It does not matter whether you know that a character is a member of a family or of
larger group such as the workforce of a factory. What matters is how the outhor presents the character.
• What characters do
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The way in which a character is shown as acting or reacting is one of the the chief ways in which authors establish personality. An author can make
everything a character is important. Even if the action is one that is normally thought of as slight, it can be made significant.
You must be prepared to find some characters action to be complex, because not every character reacts in same way everything they do and
balance one action against another. Although charaters in novel are not real people, they can be as puzzling. Therefore, you should be prepared to find
their action problematic
4.THE ANALYSIS OF “STAYING POWER” NOVEL
4.1 Kate Power
