Nothing was more important to Tolstoy than character development. For him, the purpose of life is to grow morally. The purpose of literature — as all art — is to aid that growth. Abstract philosophy and pedantic scholarship are therefore redundant. Indeed, even the psychological novel is a ...
An example of character motivation is in "The Lord of the Flies." The character Ralph simply wants to survive and get off the island. Unfortunately, Ralph struggles with those who are on the island with him, but by maintaining a level mind he is able to stay alive.What...
You’ve just developed a deeper understanding of what character traits are and how to use them. But what other characters can guide your character development? Check out the classic character archetypes and how your characters measure up at the link below. ...
Understanding Character Development The information readers can retrieve from a character in a piece of literature depends upon character development. Character development is how complex a character is presented; how much the author is willing to share with us. Often, this depends on how close a ...
The Importance of Foils in Character Development and Plot Advancement In literature, foils, whether they are secondary characters or play a more dominant role, are often used to provide a sharp contrast to the main character's personality traits, highlighting certain qualities or aspects that are ...
A dynamic character is a character who changes over the course of a story. The plot shapes them in some way, forcing them to grow and adapt. This change often comes in the form of a lesson learned. For example, an insecure character with low self-esteem might learn to love themselves,...
Understanding character archetypes Character archetypes are great building blocks for your stories. You don’t want to make your characters too one dimensional, but understanding why people seem to gravitate to a particular set of character traits will help you analyze human behavior. ...
How does dramatic irony affect character development? Dramatic irony adds depth by revealing how characters behave when they are not aware of all the facts. This gap between what they know and what the audience knows can highlight traits like innocence, arrogance, or determination, making character...
A character is said to be "flat" if it is one-dimensional or lacking in complexity. Typically, flat characters can be easily and accurately described using a single word (like "bully") or one short sentence (like "A naive and idealistic schoolteacher with a fragile heart of gold"). The...
Having strong integrity is also an outstanding character trait to discuss during job interviews. You can share an experience or example of how you showed integrity in past roles and positions to show potential employers how your personal values might align with those of their company or ...