Characters in Monster

Stage directions

An instruction in the text of a play, especially one indicating the movement, position, or tone of an actor, or the sound effects and lighting.

Indirect characterization

Character traits are revealed through a character's thoughts • A character's dialogue • A character's actions • What other characters say about the character.

Characters' actions

Character's actions can tell you what they are thinking and feeling. To analyze a character's actions , think about: • what the character is doing and what it means. • what feelings could have led to the character's actions. • how you would act in a similar situation. • how other characters are acting in the same situation .

protagonist

The main character in a story.

Inner thoughts

The thoughts and feelings of a character as they occur.

action

The way a person or character behaves.

characterize

The way an author develops or describes a character.

How do you support inferences about a character based on actions and dialogue?

We can support inferences about a character by observing the character's actions and words and by paying attention to what others say about the character and how they respond to him or her.

dialogue

Written or spoken conversation.

When a character's words and actions do not match up, ask yourself:

• Can I trust the speaker? • Which more likely reflects the character's true self - the words or the actions? • Does the character have something to hide ? • Does the character care what other people think about him or her?

Direct characterization

• The narrator's explicit description of a character.

Who is Steve Harmon?

•is the protagonist, or main character , of Monster. • Steve is a sixteen-year-old on trial for felony murder. • He is accused of being an accomplice by acting as the lookout for those involved in the crime. • If convicted, Steve faces the possibility of life in prison . • Steve is a student at Stuyvesant High School in New York City. • An aspiring filmmaker, Steve tells his story through a journal and a screenplay.