Learn It Part 2
A reader does not only learn about characters from the description of them in the story. Let’s look at the opening paragraph of the story again. As you read, make note as to what we learn about the characters.
One September night a family had gathered round their hearth, and piled it high with the driftwood of mountain streams, the dry cones of the pine, and the splintered ruins of great trees that had come crashing down the precipice. Up the chimney roared the fire, and brightened the room with its broad blaze. The faces of the father and mother had a sober gladness; the children laughed; the eldest daughter was the image of Happiness at seventeen; and the aged grandmother, who sat knitting in the warmest place, was the image of Happiness grown old. They had found the "herb, heart's-ease," in the bleakest spot of all New England. This family were situated in the Notch of the White Hills, where the wind was sharp throughout the year, and pitilessly cold in the winter,--giving their cottage all its fresh inclemency before it descended on the valley of the Saco. They dwelt in a cold spot and a dangerous one; for a mountain towered above their heads, so steep, that the stones would often rumble down its sides and startle them at midnight.
– Nathanial Hawthorne, “The Ambitious Guest,” 1835.
Now watch a video that takes you through some details in the first paragraph of the story. The video will help you learn how text directly and indirectly reveals character.
As you read the rest of the story, look for ideas and details such as character traits and setting that Hawthorne has included to help you understand the characters better. Once you have a better sense of the characters in the story, you will see how their development helps you understand the theme.
Tip Box
Characters are not only revealed with what is directly shared by the author. We learn about characters through what they say and what others say about them. Be sure to pay attention to the conversations and how the characters interact with each other to learn all you can about the characters in a story.
