Characters and setting work together to pull readers into the world of a story. A clever plot may keep us turning pages, but it’s the people (or creatures!) we care about, and the world they live in, that contribute to making a story compelling.
Characters come alive through their actions, dialogue, and choices. They can be heroes we cheer for, villains we love to hate, or more complex figures who change and grow.
Add to this the setting, providing the backdrop for, not just time and place, but mood and atmosphere. (Like the windswept moors in Wuthering Heights or the bustle and energy of Charlotte’s Web’s county fair).
The two elements are closely tied: characters are shaped by their environments, and in turn, they shape the settings they inhabit. A farm boy raised in Kansas will see the world differently from a girl growing up in a futuristic space colony. Exploring this relationship helps readers see why stories can feel so rich and layered.
We’ll start with some tools for looking at characters. From main characters who drive the plot to side characters who add depth and humor, understanding how authors create characters gives kids another path into analyzing literature.
Character: Overviews and Tutorials
Tutorials With Practice Exercises:
- Methods of Characterization
- Character Traits
- Character Motivation
- Characters and Conflict
- Characters and Inferences
- Describe That Character
Khan Academy Videos:
Setting: Overviews and Tutorials
Tutorials With Practice Exercises:
- What Is Setting?
- How Setting Affects Plot and Conflict
- How Setting Creates Mood
- Analyzing Setting and Character Development (“To Build A Fire”)
- Analyzing Setting and Character Development (Little Women)
- Analyzing a Complex Character (Fahrenheit 451)
- Analyzing a Character’s Dialog and Thoughts (Ender’s Game)
Practice Activities
Character Analysis Chart: Fill in information regarding a character’s speech, thoughts, effects on others, actions, and looks.
Characters and Traits: various charts and graphic organizers, plus list of traits to help describe characters
Character Interview: Have a chat with a character from a story.
Short Stories
“All Summer in a Day” Text and comprehension questions with a focus on setting.
“To Build a Fire” Text and comprehension questions with a focus on character and setting.
- Interactive Tutorial: The interaction of setting, character development, and plot.
- Summary & Analysis
“The Necklace” Text and comprehension questions with a focus on character motivation.
“Hallucination” Text and comprehension questions with a focus on character motivation, setting and plot.
“The Cask of Amontillado” Text and comprehension questions with a focus on setting and mood.
Explore More: Check out Literary Analysis for Any Book and the Narrative Elements guide for free ready-to-use resources.
