Characterizations: Authorial, By Others and Self

1.     Authorial Characterization
2.     Characterization by the Others
3.     Self Characterization

A character can be characterized by three people (or groups). First, it must be acknowledged that all characterization in a literature is the work of an author(s). Therefore, in one sense, all characterization could be considered as the characterization of the author. However, this category is kept separately so that it could be distinguished from the other two. The other two categories are Characterization by the Others and Self characterization.

A character could be characterized by other characters. For example, in Mark 8:27-30, when Jesus asks his disciples “who do you say that I am?” Peter answers and says “You are the Christ.” Peter then characterizes Jesus as Christ. Though the characterization is primarily done by the author, he/she places these words in the mouth of Peter which makes Peter as the one characterizing Jesus as the Messiah. This could be called as characterization by the others.

The third way of characterization is self characterization. In self characterization, a character with speech and actions may characterizes himself/herself. In the book of John, Jesus with the I am sayings he characterizes himself in seven ways: “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35); “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12); “I am the gate” (John 10:9); “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11); “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25); “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6); “I am the true vine” (John 15:1). Further, the divinity of Jesus Christ is further characterized in self characterization in John 8:58 beautifully. In John 8:58, Jesus says  “Truly, Truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” Jesus characterizes himself as the one who existed even before Abraham through which he characterizes himself as the one who is divine. This is called self characterization.