A Visit to Grandmother (Direct and Indirect characterization)

This week in school, we started reading a short story called “ A Visit to Grandmother”, and we learned about direct and indirect characterization. The story we are reading contains both kinds of characterizations that are used in interesting ways and made us attracted to the characters.

“When people ventured timidly into his office, it took only a few words from him to make them relax, even laugh”

“He wouldn’t never have brought my grandson to see me, I haven’t heard from Charles.”

In Direct characterization, the writer reveals information about a character and his personality through the character's thoughts, words, and actions, along with how other characters respond to that character, including what they think and say about him. At the beginning of the story, when the author described how Dr.Charles treats his patients, we got an idea about what kind of a person Charles is. He indirectly described that Charles is gentle and kind by the way he makes everybody around him comfortable even though they might be shy at first. The author also used indirect characterization in the second text when Chig’s Grandmother couldn’t believe that Charles would ever let her see her grandson, so it’s clear that there is an unresolved problem going on with his mother, and that they aren’t really close.

“She looked like a doll, made of black straw, the wrinkles in her face running in one direction like the head of a broom. Her hair was white and coarse and grew out straight from her head. Her eyes were brown-and were hidden behind thick glasses, which remained on a somehow tiny nose”

“…….GL,who seemed part con-man ,part practical joker and part Don Juan ; he had spoken of GL with the kind of indulgence he would have show a cute, but ill-behaved and potentially dangerous, five-year-old.”

Direct characterization is when the writer makes direct statements about the character's personality and tells what the character is like.The author directly described Chig's grandmother's appearance by saying that she had brown eyes,wild hair,a tiny nose,and wrinkles.The author also described GL Dunford through direct characterization in the second text by the way Charles talks about him.GL is mischievous,energetic,a joker,and a dynamic character.