“1984” by George Orwell is a dystopian novel written about the future of London had the imaginary party “Ingsoc” had taken over and run the country. Characterization is the way that the author of a story reveals the traits and features of a character in their work. Direct characterization is when the author tells the readers of the story the exact details of the trait or feature that the holder has. These can be things such as “Winston already felt was suddenly shot through by a streak of ordinary embarrassment” (Orwell 181). This example from chapter eight of the novel “1984” shows the main character Winston feeling embarrassed about his lack of knowledge in a situation that he was placed in. Indirect characterization is when the author infers to a trait that the character may have but does not explicitly mention it. Indirect characterization might sound like, “Since he did not in fact know what kind of help he expected from O’Brien, it was not easy to say why he had come here” (Orwell 182-183). In this quote it is not directly said, but the reader can recognize that Winston, the character that is being spoken about is unsure of himself and not confident in his reason to be where he was. Using characterization, the author of a story is really able to bring to life different features and traits about the characters in their stories.
Characterization Practice – Part 2, Chapter 8 from “1984”
