Character Interactions
Feature
Menu
Connecting with Characters
Main Characters
Subordinate Characters
Flat Characters versus Round
Characters
Dynamic Characters versus Static
Characters
Conflict
Motivation
Practice
Connecting with Characters
What draws readers into a
story?
Vivid, complex
characters whose
problems and triumphs
draw forth our emotions
and reveal some truth
about humankind.
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Section]
Main Characters
Protagonist—the main character of
a story.
• The action of the story
revolves around the
protagonist and the
conflict he or she faces.
Antagonist—the
character or force the
protagonist struggles
against and must
overcome.
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Section]
Subordinate Characters
Subordinate
characters
add depth and
complication
to the plot.
Main character
Friends
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Section]
Flat Characters versus Round
Characters
Flat characters
• have only one or two
character traits that
can be described in
a few words
• have no depth,
like a piece of
cardboard
Flat Characters versus Round
Characters
Round
characters
• have many
different
character traits
that sometimes
contradict each
other
• are much like
real people, with
several sides to
their personality
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Section]
Dynamic Characters versus
Static Characters
Dynamic characters
• change or grow as a result of the
story’s actions
• learn something about themselves,
other people, or the world as they
struggle to resolve their conflicts
The changes that a dynamic
character undergoes contribute to the
meaning of the story.
Dynamic Characters versus
Static Characters
Static characters
• do not change or grow
• are the same at the end of a story
as they were in the beginning
Subordinate characters are often
static characters.
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Conflict
External conflict—struggle between
a character and an outside force.
• character versus
character
• character versus
society
• character versus
nature
Conflict
Internal conflict—
struggle between
opposing needs or
desires or emotions
within a character.
• character versus
himself
• character versus
herself
Conflict
Quick
Check
“Y’all git some stones,”
commanded Joey now and
was met with instant
giggling obedience as
everyone except me began
to gather pebbles from the
dusty ground. “Come on,
Lizabeth.”
What type of
conflict does
the
character
face?
I just stood there peering
through the bushes, torn
between wanting to join the
fun and feeling that it was a
bit silly.
from “Marigolds” by Eugenia W.
Collier
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Section]
Motivation
Motivation—what drives a
character’s actions. It
• explains behaviors
• reveals personality
• is often based on character’s fears,
conflicts, needs
Motivation can be inferred by
observing characters’ behavior,
speech, actions.
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Section]
Practice
Think
of a story you’ve
read in which the
protagonist faces
powerful conflicts.
Use a chart like
the one here to
map out the
conflicts and their
resolutions, as
well as the
protagonist’s
motivations.
Protago
nist
•
Motivati
on
•
Motivati
on
•
Internal
Conflict
•
External
conflict
and
antagon
ist
•
Resoluti
on
•
Resoluti
on
•
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Section]
The End