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- Characters: how writers build them
Characters: how writers build them
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Every GCSE Literature paper asks about characters. Writers rarely tell us directly what a character is like: they show us, and they use characters to explore ideas.
How writers reveal character
Practice extract (an original short scene)
Key character terms
Antagonist: a character who opposes the protagonist.
Foil: a character who contrasts with another, so that each one's qualities stand out.
Character development: how a character changes across the text, and what causes the change.
Writers often use characters to stand for an idea, such as hope, greed or ambition.
How does the writer present Tom in this scene?
- Speech: 'It might. One day.' shows he quietly believes reading could improve his life.
- Stage direction: '(quietly)' shows he does not argue loudly with his mother.
- Action: he closes the book 'as if it were made of glass', showing how much he treasures it.
Answer: Tom is presented as quietly hopeful: he treasures his book and believes reading might one day change his life, even though his mother dismisses it.
Look at speech, thoughts, effect on others, actions and looks. Use terms such as protagonist, foil and character development, and ask what idea each character helps the writer explore.
The interactive lesson includes the diagrams for this topic.
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