Character Studies

Characterization is an important tool in novels and novellas.

Not only can personalities be developed but conflict and tension

can be created through characters in a novel. If we take "Pride and

Prejudice" as an example, the conflict between the social classes is reflected and implied in the conversations and the silences between Darcy and his beloved Elizabeth Bennett who is proud enough not to let her emotions show her love for him. And she will not relinquish her love and esteem for her family, especially her father who is her main moral support when darcy declares his love for her. In the scene between Darcy's godmother who visits Elizabeth without being announced, we feel the tension and then the anger mounting in their conversation and in her gesture showing her the way out of her house. These are literary techniques for the development of plot using characters in fiction.