characters




 * Characters** : a person who is responsible for the thoughts and actions within a story, poem, or other literature. Characters are extremely important because they are the medium through which a reader interacts with a piece of literature. Every character has his or her own personality, which a creative author uses to assist in __forming the plot of a story or creating a mood.__ //The different attitudes, mannerisms, and even appearances of characters can greatly influence the other major elements in a literary work, such as theme, setting, and tone.// With this understanding of the character, a reader can become more aware of other aspects of literature, such as symbolism, giving the reader a more complete understanding of the work.


 * Dynamic / Round Characters :** A round character is a major character in a work of fiction who __encounters conflict and is changed by it__. Round characters tend to be more fully developed and described than flat, or static, characters.


 * Static / Flat Characters :** Flat characters are minor characters in a work of fiction who __do not undergo substantial change or growth in the course of a story__. Also referred to as "two-dimensional characters" or "static characters," they play a supporting role to the main character, who as a rule should be round.


 * Narrator :** The narrator is somone who tells a story from the //first-person point of view//, who is also a character in that story, either a main-character narrator or a minor-character observer narrator.


 * Example 1** : Olivia is __the narrator__ in Heat and Dust, she tells the whole story from the first-person point of view, meaning that the story is told through her eyes, or her perspective. Also, she's in the the story herself, as she tells us about her own life and Olivia's life through the written letters.


 * Example 2 :** An example of a __dynamic character__ in Heat and Dust would be Olivia. This is because in the story she undergoes internal change because of the plot. Her life changes drastically because in India, she feels bored and neglected with her life. Then the Nawab comes along, someone who is spontaneous and fun, which causes Olivia to internally alter.


 * Example 3:** An example of a __static character__ in Heat and Dust would be the Begum, her character doesn't change at all throughout the story, she's the Nawab's mother from beginning to end.