Character Types in Literature

  • Static Characters:

    • St. Louis de Montfort (consistent devotion)
    • Death in "Appointment in Samarra" (inevitable fate)
    • Emily Grierson in "A Rose for Emily" (resistant to change)
    • Harold Krebs in "Soldier's Home" (emotionally detached)
    • The dog in "To Build a Fire" (instinctual, unchanged)

  • Dynamic Characters:

    • Narrator in "33 Days to Eucharistic Glory" (spiritual growth)
    • Mrs. Mallard in "The Story of an Hour" (experiences freedom then tragedy)
    • Sammy in "A & P" (internal shift and defiance)
    • Unnamed man in "To Build a Fire" (realizes limitations too late)
    • Miss Brill in "Miss Brill" (realization of loneliness)
    • Narrator in "In Love or Out of Love in Sarajevo" (complex reflections)

  • Round Characters:

    • The narrator(s) in devotional processes (complexity through experience)
    • Emily in "A Rose for Emily" (conflicting emotions)
    • Narrator in "In Love or Out of Love in Sarajevo" (reflective nature)

  • Flat Characters:

    • Supporting figures that do not develop significantly, e.g., Josephine and Richards in "The Story of an Hour"; townspeople in "A Rose for Emily"; Stokesie and Lengel in "A & P"; background characters in "In Love or Out of Love in Sarajevo".

  • Foil Characters:

    • Servant vs. Death in "Appointment in Samarra" (contrast of human nature)
    • Brently Mallard as a foil to Mrs. Mallard's independence
    • Homer Barron vs. Emily (traditional vs. modern values)
    • Lengel's conformity versus Sammy's defiance in "A & P"
    • Young couple in "Miss Brill" contrasting with her isolation.