What makes the characters in a story seem real? It's all in the details. Authors can describe the characters' attitudes, or how they think, act, and feel. They can also describe the
characters' motivations, or the reasons for their actions.
Often, a character's attitude and motivation change during a story. As the story unfolds,
readers learn more about a character based on how that person responds to events.
Study the cartoon. For each panel, think about what the boy does and why he does it.
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Complete the chart below, based on details you can see in the cartoon above.
Why He Does It
What the Boy Does
He takes an ice-cream cone
from a little girl.
What This Shows About Him
He is not always kind; he likes to
play jokes.
He might think it is funny.
He hesitates when the girl
becomes very upset.
He wonders if his joke was
such a good idea.
He gives the ice-cream cone
back to the girl.
he's teasing
her.
Describe how the boy seems to change over time.
Characters in stories often change in response to events. If this sounds familiar, it should.
It's one of the ways in which authors make their stories similar to real life.
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