Question

Select the correct text in the passage. Which line in this excerpt from “Wagner matinee” by Willa Cather is an example of direct characterization?

Answer 1

Answer:

An example of direct characterization from this passage is "She was a pious woman; she had the consolations of religion and, to her at least, her martyrdom was not wholly sordid"

Explanation:

"A Wagner Matinee" is a short story by Willa Cather published in 1904. In this passage a young Bostonian named Clark, the story's narrator, is describing his Aunt's past, and her care and love for him. In most of the lines from this passage, he describer his aunt's character indirectly by her actions and reactions to specific situations. But in this line "She was a pious woman; she had the consolations of religion and, to her at least, her martyrdom was not wholly sordid" he describes her directly. He uses adjectives pious, and phrases 'had the consolation of religion', 'her martyrdom was not wholly sordid.' to characterize her.

Direct Characterization: It is a characterization technique in which author or any character from the story/novel describes and reveals a character by using descriptive adjectives, epithets, or phrases.

Indirect Characterization: In this technique of characterization an author reveals a character through character's actions and reactions to specific situations and conflicts.