Literary Device: Characterization

1. Literary Device: Characterization Characterization is the convincing representation of characters within a text through various means (direct and indirect). Common methods include the inclusion of physical details, inner monologue, dialogue, other character’s opinions of literary figures, and the description of a character‘s basic movements through their literary landscape. Example: “Private First Class Paul Berlin lay quietly with his forehead resting on the black plastic stock of his rifle, with his eyes closed. He was pretending he was not in the war…He was pretending he was a boy again, camping with his father in the midnight summer…In the dark, with his eyes pinched shut, he pretended…Hepretended he was not a soldier.” - Tim O’Brien, “Where Have You Gone, Charming Billy?”

2. “Where Have You Gone, Charming Billy?” – Author’s Purpose • What are your initial impressions regarding the character of Paul Berlin based on the passage above?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ • How does the author define the character of Paul Berlin for the reader: From the beginning, the reader is immediately aware of the unseasoned nature of this soldier. Inexperienced and afraid, Paul Berlin fears the war and his place within it. …with his forehead resting on the…rifle… …pretending he was not in the war… ...with his eyes closed… …pretending he was a boy again… …with his eyes pinched shut… He pretended he was not a soldier…

3. from The FountainheadAynRand A young woman stood before a railing, speaking to the reception clerk. Her slender body seemed out of all scale in relation to a normal human body; its lines were so long, so fragile, so exaggerated that she looked like a stylized drawing of a woman and made the correct proportions of a normal being appear heavy and awkward beside her. She wore a plain gray suit; the contrast between its tailored severity and her appearance deliberately exorbitant - and strangely elegant. She let the fingertips of one hand rest on the railing, a narrow hand ending the straight imperious line of her arm. She had gray eyes that were not ovals, but two long, rectangular cuts edged by parallel lines of lashes; she had an air of cold serenity and an exquisitely vicious mouth. Her face, her pale gold hair, her suit seemed to have no color, but only a hint, just on the verge of reality of color, making the full reality seem vulgar. Keating stood still, because he understood for the first time what it was that artists spoke about when they spoke of beauty…

4. from The FountainheadAynRand The young woman turned and looked at Keating as she passed him on her way to the stairs. Her eyes went past him without stopping. Something ebbed from his stunned admiration. He had time to see her eyes; they seemed weary and a little contemptuous, but they left him with a sense of cold cruelty…Beyond a broad arch, in a small library, with three young men beside her, he saw Dominique Francon. She stood leaning against a column, a cocktail glass in her hand. She wore a suit of black velvet; the heavy cloth, which transmitted no light rays, held her anchored to reality by stopping the light that flowed too freely through the flesh of her hands, her neck, her face. A white spark of fire flashed like a cold metallic cross in the glass she held, as if it were a lens gathering the diffused radiance of her skin…

5. The Fountainhead – Author’s Purpose • What is your initial impression of the character of Dominique Francon?_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ • Examine what methods Rand employs to characterize Dominique during her introduction to the reader using the chart below: Though exquisitely beautiful and seemingly fragile physically, Dominique Francon seems to possess a startling inner core of malicious strength and scorn. Her slender body seemed out of all scale… …an air of cold serenity… …gray eyes…parallel lines of lashes… …an exquisitely vicious mouth… Her face, her pale gold hair… …her eyes…seemed weary and…contemptuous… …the diffused radiance of her skin… …a sense of cold cruelty…

6. The Fountainhead – Author’s Purpose • How do these descriptions of her physical beauty contrast with the initial impression of her personality?_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ • When describing Dominique’s gray business suit, Rand writes “the contrast between its tailored severity and her appearance [was] deliberately exorbitant - and strangely elegant.” This statement could easily be applied additionally to the divide between her outer appearance and inner emotions. How does this contrast heighten the reader’s interest in Dominique Francon’s true nature? ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Despite her outward physical fragility, Dominique Francon exhibits a disdainful and acidic personality that directly contrasts with her appealing outer shell. By presenting such a startling divide between the outer and inner face of this character, Rand creates the mystery of Dominique for the reader to unravel.

7. Answer the essay question below: • In Ayn Rand’s sprawling novel The Fountainhead, the individualistic author creates larger-than-life protagonists who strive incessantly against the mediocrity of modern social life. In a well-organized response, complete with text evidence and compelling commentary, examine how the initial contrast between DominqueFrancon’s physical beauty and inner sterility piques the reader’s interest regarding the heroine’s true nature. Red – Major Writing Task Blue – Minor Insights/Instructions