Chris McCandless: Indirect and Direct Characterization

INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION - "the writer reveals information about a character and his personality through that character's thoughts, words, and actions, along with how other characters respond to that character, including what they think and say about him." Dictionary.com
DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION - "in literature and drama, the method of character development in which the author simply tells what the character is like." Dictionary.com

Direct Characterization Examples:
1) "he claimed to be 24 years old" (page 4)
2) "five feet seven or eight" (page 4)
3) "with a wiry build" (page 4)
4) "he said he was from South Dakota" (page 4)
5) "he was determined. Real gung ho." (page 6)
6) "he was the hardest worker I've ever seen" (page 18)
7) "and he never quit in the middle of something" (page 18)
8) "he was what you'd call extremely ethical" (page 18)
9) "he set pretty high standards for himself" (page 18)
10) "you could tell right away that Alex was intelligent" (page 18)

Indirect Characterization Examples
1)Indirect Characterization Examples-
Chris gave all his money to Charity, Showing that he cared about others. Pg. 1 of author's notes
2)Burned the money in his pocket, Shows that he didn't need money to survive. Pg. 1 of author's notes
3)Abandoned his car to live off the wild, Shows that he is not a "Rubber Tramp", but a leather Tramp. Pg. 1 of author's notes.
4)instead of driving across the desert, he decides to walk it, showing that he could do everything without electronics. Pg 26
5)Chris sent his mother a gift on mother's day, Shows he still cared for his parents. pg 20
6)For 36 days all Chris ate was Rice and Marine Life, Shows how he was able to eat small amounts but stay strong. Pg. 36
7)Chris carried his canoe for, 3 DAYS on foot, pg 34
8)After graduating college, he went missing to live his life long dream, Shows that he was determined to live his dream. Pg.1 of Author's notes
9) Gallien saw that Chris's gear wasn't the best, so he offered to buy him better gear, but Chris told him no, Shows he didn't need anyone else's help . Pg. 6.
10)Chris mailed his parents, a copy of his grades, and they were all A's, shows that he was very smart in his work. Pg. 22


So far I can tell many things about Chris's character. He is a determined,smart man who is looking for an adventure. He is independent and doesn't like to accept things from other people out of kindness. Chris is hard-nosed and doesn't give up easily at all. He never quits on something he starts doing, and always needs to know the absolute right answer before he can go on to the next thing.