What is a characterization of a hero in literature? Description of the appearance of a literary character

Character- this is the totality of all mental, spiritual properties of a person, manifested in his actions and actions.

The character of the hero is expressed not only in the author’s direct description, it is manifested in the hero’s statements, in his behavior, in his attitude towards others, in his lifestyle, in the environment that surrounds him, in the events that happen to him, in his manners, appearance, speeches, etc.

To characterize a hero in an essay means to consider the hero’s actions and behavior in various circumstances, to show his inner world.

Approximate characterization plan for a hero

I. Introduction. The place of the hero in the work.

II. Main part. Characteristics of the hero.

1. The hero’s age, his social and financial situation.

2. Appearance.

3. The hero’s activities, his interests, inclinations, habits.

4. The behavior and actions of the hero.

5. How the hero treats others.

6. How others treat the hero.

7. What are the features of his internal experiences.

10. What personality traits of the hero are revealed in the work.

III. Conclusion. Your attitude towards the hero.

Updated: 2012-02-05

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Useful material on this topic

How to write character descriptions

Group characteristics of heroes.

1. Introduction (the place of heroes in the work).

2. Main part. Characteristics of heroes as a certain social type.

2.1. Appearance.

2.2. Social and financial situation of the heroes;

2.3. Worldview, circle mental interests heroes:

Profession, occupation;

Purpose in life;

State of the art.

2.4. The world of heroes' feelings:

Inner experiences, feelings, emotions of the characters.

Using a portrait;

IN speech characteristics heroes;

Through the actions of heroes;

Using the background and biography of the characters;

3. Conclusion. Why were these images created, what questions and problems do they help solve in the work.

Individual characteristics of the hero.

1. Introduction (the place of the hero in the work).

2. Main part. Characteristics of the hero as a certain social type.

2.1. Appearance.

2.2. Social and financial situation of the hero;

2.3. Worldview, circle of mental interests of the hero:

Profession, occupation of the hero;

Purpose in life;

Hero development level.

2.4. The hero's world of feelings:

Relationships with people around you;

Inner experiences, feelings, emotions of the hero.

2.5. What personality traits are revealed in the work:

Using a portrait;

In the speech characteristics of the hero;

Through the actions of the hero / heroes;

Using the background and biography of the hero;

Through the environment;

Through the characteristics of other characters;

3. Conclusion. Why created this image, what questions and problems he helps solve in the work.

Comparative characteristics of heroes.

1. Which heroes are compared, why they are compared.

2. What do the characters have in common:

3. What distinguishes the two heroes.

Comparative characteristics of heroes.

1. Which heroes are being compared, why they are being compared.

2. What do the characters have in common:

Mentally (intelligence, education, views on the world and man, purpose in life);

In emotional (spiritual) development (their attitude towards people, the qualities of their character: kindness, sociability, vindictiveness, envy, determination, spoiledness, etc.);

In social (material, professional) terms;

In relation to people around you.

3. What distinguishes the two heroes.

6. Your attitude towards these characters.

You may be asked to write an essay in which you compare two heroes of one work (Natasha Rostova and Marie Bolkonskaya, Pierre Bezukhov and Andrei Bolkonsky) or heroes different works(Anna Karenina and Natasha Rostova, Evgeny Onegin and Grigory Pechorin).

First, compare the simplest, “obvious” characteristics of the heroes: age, origin, education, social status, material wealth.

Pay attention to character traits. One hero is cheerful, romantic, honest. The other is a cynic and loves to lie.

Be sure to focus on your attitude towards life and towards people, for example, towards those around you. One is “tired of life” (Evgeny Onegin), the other does not get tired of learning it and acting until the very end (Evgeny Bazarov). One hero is ready to understand every person (Prince Myshkin), the other thinks only of himself (Raskolnikov).

It is very important to compare how the heroes of works behave in the same situation. War: Andrei Bolkonsky goes to active army, Pierre Bezukhov joins the militia.

Example. Tatyana Larina is 18 years old, she was born into a landowner family and grew up in the village. Tatyana was raised by a nanny who loved her very much. Tatyana is beautiful, romantic, thoughtful, naive, because she knows little about life, but reads a lot of French novels. Princess Mary is a young girl of aristocratic origin. She had occasion to be in society, to meet different people, but she is also naive and gullible. Both girls quickly fall in love, as soon as they meet a person who is different from those they are used to seeing in their environment. Both do not hide their love and are ready to follow their chosen one.

You can also compare how characters behave in similar situations. Tatyana Larina remained faithful to her husband, even when Eugene Onegin offered her his love: “But I was given to another; I will be faithful to him forever.” This choice helped her maintain her honor and dignity. Anna Karenina considered love more important than marital fidelity to my unloved husband and it ruined her. Katerina could not stand living with a man she did not love and committed suicide.

It is important not to miss the comparison of the heroes’ beliefs and their philosophical position. Raskolnikov discusses whether he has the right to act and commits a crime. Bazarov believes that man is the master of his own destiny and, most importantly, his work.

It is worth paying attention to the relationships of the heroes with other characters.

Finally, determine how you feel about these characters.

Today we will talk about drawing up a detailed character card. In the previous article " " I explained how to write a plan literary work, and emphasized the importance of creating character cards. After all, the more we know about our heroes, the easier it is to portray the characters as voluminous and memorable, indistinguishable from real people with your goals and dreams, habits and eccentricities, clothing style and habits.
Today I will continue this important topic and I will give you a list that I recommend in my book “ Cinema between hell and heaven» well-known film director and screenwriter Alexander Mitta. Why did I choose this particular list? This list seems to me to be the most complete that I have ever seen, ideal for large-scale prose. Of course, if you are writing a miniature or a story, you don’t need to think through all the points below. However, for a story or novel, the list will definitely be extremely useful. The main character and all the supporting roles should definitely be passed through him.

Determination of character appearance from A. Mitta.

1. Intelligence- how the hero makes decisions. He can be quick-tempered or indecisive, cunning or downright stupid. There are a lot of options, but any of them, being voiced, will definitely give your character “three-dimensionality”.
2. Physiology– health, age, deviations from the norm, illness, attitude to sports.
3. Social base– origin, class, religion, party.
4. Economic base- how rich, or in debt, or beggar, or thief.
5. Talent– what distinguishes the character from others: artist, swindler, athlete. Often coincides with his work, sometimes not. Until the name of the hero is invented, in my plan I call him precisely by this point: student, baker, businessman, etc. Very comfortably.
6. Outside interests– the hero’s hobbies or passions, the degree of his passion. Everyone has some hobbies. Even lying on the sofa every night is a noticeable feature that characterizes the character.
7. Sex life– in the family, on the outside, are there any problems.
8. Family– wife, parents, children; how the character is connected to them; how he got married; what relationships.
9. Education e - which one, where I received it, with what success. If the hero is self-taught, this is also an important touch.
10. Dislikes- this is what the hero cannot stand, what he is afraid of. This information can be used as small touches, or you can build an entire psychological thriller on it. After all, a hero must face the most severe trials during a conflict, right?

To this list one can add hero's life credo. The motto can become bright distinctive feature, if our character, for example, always does everything in defiance.
This list is much broader than what I usually use when writing stories. However, its completeness is its main advantage, and I advise you not to pass up the opportunity to try it out.

Goals and motives.

When creating hero cards, do not forget to clearly formulate the goals of each of them. What does the hero want in general (a cross-cutting task for the entire text) and in particular (a consistent chain of local tasks from scene to scene). If you and the reader understand the goals and motives of the characters, it appears emotional assessment, and ideally empathy. Very often we see texts in which it is completely unclear what motives the hero is guided by. He runs somewhere, does something, fires all his guns, mercilessly destroying enemies, but for what? It is precisely because of this plot pointlessness and aimlessness that a strange feeling arises that the events of history are nothing more than a performance by a visiting puppet theater, where a beardless, inexperienced playwright, standing behind a screen and blushing, pulls the strings of the puppets. The feeling is not pleasant, but the Internet is full of such texts. Therefore, the author’s task is to show the reader as soon as possible main goal hero. This could be a fight against an antagonist, a rescue own life, revenge, the desire to reunite with his beloved, etc., but the reader must clearly understand what the hero wants. I advise you to think about this moment.

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Hi all! Today I am with you, Elvira Baryakina, and the “Writer's Handbook”.

I'll tell you about something very interesting. literary device: how to introduce a hero without spending money on it a large number of strength, words and reading time.

Designating the character

First, we need to identify the hero. For example, we can say that the head of the border post is sitting in the room, and readers will immediately have a certain image in their heads. This will happen because behind the very definition of “head of the outpost” there is a whole trail of details that we know from books, films, etc.

We designate the environment in which the character finds himself

For example, we can place the head of a border post in his office.

Do we need details - what exactly does this room look like? Probably not. The most important thing is to describe the light and smells. For example, the room may be flooded with midday sun, and the air may smell of heated dust. And there is no longer any need to explain anything - the image has already been created.

Unusual action or object

How do we show the character's character? There is a clever trick for this: we can give the hero an object that does not fit with his image, or force him to do something unusual for him.

Let the head of the outpost watch cartoons: they say, nostalgia has overwhelmed the person.

New character

We introduce another character, and the reaction of the first character will determine his character.

Let's say a subordinate enters the office of the head of the outpost. We indicate what relationships exist between them: bad, good, with some special specifics, etc.

Hero's reaction

Now let’s look at the options for the outpost commander’s actions:

* Turn off the TV and take an important pose. This is what a person would do for whom it is important what impression he makes.

* Leave the TV on - as is. This is what a person would do if he doesn’t care what his subordinate thinks about him.

* Be embarrassed and hastily switch to the first channel you come across - and make a mistake. Let's say the boss wanted to turn on the news, but ended up watching a porn film. We show the reaction to the mistake: the boss panics, and comical notes appear in the plot.

In any of the above situations, the boss will show himself completely differently: he will have a different character and a different attitude. That is, the reaction to external challenges - even the most insignificant ones - will determine what a given character is like.