Direct and Indirect Characterization in The Call of the Wild

Question 2 • *NBHS FL-1001070-M/J Language Arts 3 A

Which excerpt from The Call of the Wild is an example of indirect characterization?

Answer

“Dave refused to run quietly on the trail behind the sled, where the going was easy, but continued to flounder alongside in the soft snow, where the going was most difficult, till exhausted.”

“They were in a wretched state, worn out and worn down. Buck’s one hundred and forty pounds had dwindled to one hundred and fifteen. . . . there was nothing the matter with them except that they were dead tired.”

“Charles was a middle-aged, lightish-colored man, with weak and watery eyes and a mustache that twisted fiercely and vigorously up, giving the lie to the limply drooping lip it concealed. Hal was a youngster of nineteen or twenty.”

“They did not know how to do anything, and as the days went by it became apparent that they could not learn. They were slack in all things, without order or discipline.”

Explanation

Indirect characterization reveals what a character is like through actions rather than stating the trait outright. In choice A, Dave keeps struggling through the difficult soft snow instead of taking the easier path, which lets readers infer his determination. The other excerpts directly describe the characters’ condition, appearance, or qualities.

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