Examples Of Indirect Characterization: The Cat In The Hat

Alexis Aguilar

A characterization a process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character. Characterization is revealed through direct characterization and indirect characterization. A direct characterization tells the audience what the personality of the character is. An example would be, “The patient boy and quiet girl were both well-mannered and did not disobey their mother” In this quote the author is directly telling the audience the personality of the two children. That the boy is “patient” and the girl is “quiet.” Another example would be, “Karen is bright, energetic, and helpful.” This quote is directing us by telling us that Karen is both bright, energetic, and helpful. Another example is, “Joe was motivated by money.

How does the character dress?

Examples of Indirect Characterization from The Cat in the Hat:

Speech: Many of the words spoken by the cat at the beginning of the story have an upbeat connotative meaning. For instance, the cat says to the children. “But we can have/ Lots of fun that is funny!” (7). Explaining that it reveals that the cat’s character is an upbeat character that likes to have fun.

Thoughts: So all we could do was to Sit! Sit! Sit! Sit! And we did not like it. Not one little bit (3). Explaining those are the thoughts of the narrator as he stares out the window on a rainy day. These thoughts reveal that this character is not happy about his current situation.

Effect on others: Throughout the first three quarters of the story, three different illustrations portray the fish scowling at the cat (11, 25, and 37) immediately after each of the cat’s activities. When the cat returns to clean up his mess at the end of the story the fish is shown with a smile on his face (57). Explaining the scowls on the fish’s face support the argument that the cat’s behavior at the beginning of the story is not acceptable to the fish. The fish’s smile at the end of the story reveals that the cat is engaging in behavior that is now acceptance to the

There isn’t a label on the screen that necessarily says “angelic, gullible teen” or “selfish, arrogant villain.” Instead, you have to watch and listen to that person to notice how the character’s personality is revealed through the story. By doing so, you are seeing how indirect characterization is being used on the screen. This also occurs in many novels and short stories. Instead of watching the character, you imagine the character in your head as you read descriptions of the actions and dialogue. The well-known phrase “show, don’t tell” can apply to indirect vs. direct characterization. Indirect characterization shows who a character is based on what he/she does and says, while direct characterization tells the reader or audience exactly what type of person that character is. An example would be, If a mother calmly tells her son it’s time for bed and he responds by saying, “No, I don’t have to do what you say! I’m staying up all night!” then we can infer that this young boy is mad, obstinate and may have authority issues. The author is not telling us directly what type of personality the boy has instead, we must decide this based on the author’s use of speech. Differences: As where Direct Characterization rather consists of the author telling the audience what a character is like. A narrator