The daughter could not see far in front of her and continued to play with her fingers. Although the old woman lived in this deso
late spot with only her daughter and she had never seen Mr. Shiftlet before, she could tell, even from a distance, that he was a tramp and no one to be afraid of. His left coat sleeve was folded up to show there was only half an arm in it and his gaunt figure listed slightly to the side as if the breeze were pushing him. He had on a black town suit and a brown felt hat that was turned up in the front and down in the back and he carried a tin tool box by a handle. He came on, at an amble, up her road, his face turned toward the sun which appeared to be balancing itself on the peak of a small mountain. What technique does O’Connor use in the paragraph to create compelling characters? detailed descriptions vivid dialogue multiple settings believable motivations
In this excerpt, we can see that O'Connor takes great care in creating believable characters by using detailed descriptions. Without her descriptions, we would still know that the man is a tramp. However, by giving us so many details about his clothes, the way he wore his hat, and the way he walked, we can better understand why the old woman believed him to be a tramp and not a dangerous character.
