Characterization can be an effective tool to pull the reader into the plot of the story. Direct
characterization is exactly what it implies, a direct approach to describing what the character is like.
Using a line such as “He was an angry man” is an example of direct characterization. Indirect
characterization allows the reader to make the judgment call themselves. The author includes subtle
clues as to the character’s personality, and lets the readers reach their own conclusions. An
example of indirect characterization could be “Each time I saw him, he verbally abused anyone that
was near him”, and by reading that statement the reader could determine on their own that the man
was angry. I believe that indirect characterization is by far more effective in works of fiction. It
allows the reader to become a part of the story in a sense, and develop their own ideas to the
personality of all characters involved.
Nathaniel Hawthorne use direct characterization in Young Goodman Brown. It is often revealed in
the words of Goodman Brown himself. When introducing Goodman Brown’s wife, Hawthorne wrote
“And Faith, as the wife was aptly named” implying that Faith was a faithful wife. Goodman Brown
also speaks of her reverently saying “Well, she’s a blessed angel on earth; and after this one night I’ll
cling to her skirts and follow her to heaven.” In almost contrast, he referred to the fellow traveler as
“he of the serpent”. Hawthorne characterized Goody Cloyse by calling her “a very pious and
exemplary dame”. All characters in Young Goodman Brown are either good or evil. Hawthorne
leaves no room for grey.
In almost complete contrast, Mark Twain allows his readers to draw their own conclusions about his
characters through his use of indirect characterization in The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras
County. Twain uses local dialect to draw in the readers to his story. His use of dialogue is
unparalleled in his time. As the story progresses, you can feel the anxiousness of the man listening
to Simon Wheeler’s story. Towards the end of the story, the man refers to Wheeler as “sociable”,
but that is after pages of Wheeler’s long winded story-telling declaring it first. This story made me
reflect on certain people in my life, who if corner me with a story could steal hours of my life. Twain
also used the character, Simon Wheeler, to introduce another character, Jim Smiley. Wheeler