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It’s important to think about how characters change and interact with each other, as this could suggest some important themes or ideas in the text. The writer may use language to encourage the reader to respond to a character in a certain way.

Look for contrasts or contradictions - not just between characters, but within each character. In real life no one is simply good or bad. All effective characters have more than one side.

Typical contrasts between characters

• Characters who think versus characters who feel.
• Characters who talk versus characters who act.
• Sociable characters versus solitary characters.
• Predators who take advantage of people versus characters who are victims.
• Characters who want one thing versus those who want another.

Typical contrasts within a character

• A person who says one thing, and does another.
• A character who sacrifices something important to pursue a goal of their own.
• A character who wants two opposing things.

Example

This extract is a description of a character from Jane Austen’s 19th century novel Pride and Prejudice. Mr Darcy is one of the main characters in the story. What do we learn about him from this extract?

Mr. Bingley was good-looking and gentlemanlike; he had a pleasant countenance, and easy, unaffected manners. His sisters were fine women, with an air of decided fashion. His brother-in-law, Mr Hurst, merely looked the gentleman; but his friend Mr Darcy soon drew the attention of the room by his fine, tall person, handsome features, noble mien; and the report which was in general circulation within five minutes after his entrance, of his having ten thousand a year. The gentlemen pronounced him to be a fine figure of a man, the ladies declared he was much handsomer than Mr Bingley, and he was looked at with great admiration for about half the evening, till his manners gave a disgust which turned the tide of his popularity; for he was discovered to be proud, to be above his company, and above being pleased.

Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

Analysis

• There’s a contrast between Mr.Bingley’s “…unaffected manners…” and Darcy’s manners which “…gave a disgust…”
• The choice of the emotive word ‘disgust’ suggests their feelings are strong, as the word has connotations of disapproval and loathing.
• This is in marked contrast to the feelings of “…great admiration…” that people felt towards Darcy at first.
• The use of the metaphor “…turned the tide of his popularity…” also gives emphasis to the strength of this change of feeling.
• All of the men in the extract are judged against the standard of being a ‘gentleman’. Mr Bingley is “gentlemanlike...” in contrast to Mr Hurst who “…merely looked the gentleman…”
• It is implied, at first, that Darcy appears to be the superior Gentleman. There is a contrast between the mild adjective ‘pleasant’ used to describe Mr. Bingley and the words chosen to describe Darcy - “fine, tall…handsome…noble…fine figure…”
• The repetition of the word ‘fine’ is significant and it has suggestions of quality and superiority. His wealth and status, it is implied, has contributed to his ‘proud’ manner.
• Darcy and Bingley are also directly compared - “…he was much handsomer than Mr. Bingley.”
• The writer uses contrasts between characters and also contrasts between the positive first impression of Darcy and then the negative final judgement of his behaviour - “…he was discovered to be proud…”