Tools of Characterization
Characterization in From Here to Eternity
Actions
Prewitt demonstrates his character by refusing to act—by not giving into "The Treatment" and joining the boxing tournament. But he also does give into violence, killing Judson in a knife fight, and beating Sgt. Galovitch in a fistfight.
So we get the sense that he's someone acting against his own nature—he's a fighter, but he's trying to reign those fight-y impulses in. Also, in addition to seeing his friend Maggio's benevolence, we see how hotheaded he can be—getting into a pointless fight with Judson at the New Congress Club, and later abandoning his post (which gets him put in the stockade). We get the sense that he's a nice guy, but he has the impulse control of a two-year-old.
Then there are the (approximately one zillion) bad things that Captain Holmes does: cheating on his wife, failing to get her medical attention when she experiences a problem with her pregnancy, and orchestrating the bullying of Prewitt. He's not a villain who still has principles or some good qualities (say what you want about Darth Vader, he's not cowardly): Holmes is just a rat.
On the other hand, Warden is a character who goes from obeying his superior's lousy orders, to sneaking around with Holmes' wife, and finally demonstrating his true capacity for command during the Pearl Harbor attack.
Clothing
The army uniforms demonstrate that a lot of these characters are, well… in the army. And with that comes certain characteristics we expect: toughness, discipline, and maybe some hard-living.
In their down time, the soldiers like to kick-back in Hawaiian shirts—which they refer to as "sport shirts." At one point, Maggio says,
"Let's go to a phone booth where I'll unveil a fifth of whisky... I have hidden here under my loose-flowing sports shirt."
(Yes, he actually talks like that.)
Family Life
Family life is a mess in From Here to Eternity. People are either alone and isolated or trapped in terrible marriages. The best example is the Holmes' marriage. They're not going to be able to have children… thanks to Captain Holmes' massive irresponsibility. When Warden says he doesn't like to see "a beautiful woman go to waste," Karen reveals the wasteland of her marriage:
"Waste, did you say? Now that's a subject I might tell you something about. I know several kinds of waste, Sergeant. You're probably not even remotely aware of some of them. Would you like to hear? For instance, what about the house without a child? There's one sort for you."
Characters like Prewitt and Alma are totally severed from their family connections. Prewitt wants to form a family of his own by marrying Alma, but she wants something financially secure. Alma's goals might seem slightly cold, but she's been beaten up by the world so much that she strongly feels the need for a safer situation:
"In a year I'll have enough money saved. I'm going back to my hometown in Oregon. I'll build a house for mother and myself. Join the country club and take up golf. I'll meet the proper man with the proper position. I'll make a proper wife who can run a proper home, raise proper children. I'll be happy because when you're proper, you're safe."
Location
All the movie's violent and sexy events are taking place in sunny Hawaii—which, at the time, was a U.S. territorial possession, not a state. For that reason, Hawaii is defined by its military presence. While it affects the characters through the nature of its military culture, the kind of clothes they wear, etc., the laid-back attitudes Hawaii is known for don't seem to have entered their lives in a big way. The characters still marvel at its beauty, though:
ALMA: It's very beautiful, isn't it?
KAREN: I think it's the most beautiful place I ever saw in my life.
Also, smaller locations, like The New Congress Club—the brothel-like social club where Maggio and Prewitt hang out—affect character too. The way soldiers conduct themselves around women is—if ever so slightly—different from the way they act in the barracks.
Names
Robert E. Lee Prewitt has an old-school Southern name. In the present day, it definitely wouldn't be considered P.C. to name your kid after the general who fought to preserve slavery under the Confederacy. But when From Here to Eternity was made, the name "Robert E. Lee" was still commonly understood to refer more to Southern nobility and chivalry. (It was a simpler—i.e. way more racist—time.)
So Prewitt, despite being on the total opposite end of the scale of social status from Robert E. Lee, is meant to exemplify courage, honor, etc. Alma tells Karen at the end about Prewitt's family:
"They're very fine people. Southern people. He was named after a general. Robert E. Lee... Prewitt… Isn't that a silly old name?"
You also have soldiers with nicknames—like "Fatso" Judson (who doesn't even appear all that chubby, really) and Dana "Dynamite" Holmes (whose nickname is probably a little ironic, given that he's kind of a weeny in addition to being a villain). Also, you can tell that Angelo Maggio is Italian from his name—hence the anti-Italian slur "Wop" that Judson hurls at him.
Occupation
Prewitt, Maggio, and Warden are all soldiers, which impacts their characters in different ways. Prewitt embodies loyalty, even when the army's treating him horribly, and Warden eventually discovers/reveals his true mettle when the Pearl Harbor attack happens.
Maggio takes to soldiering a little differently—he doesn't like getting forced onto guard duty, and briefly goes AWOL and gets drunk… which leads him to a court-martial, which leads to the stockade, which leads to his death. He can't really take the discipline.
As for the female characters, Karen Holmes doesn't have an occupation. Her husband ruined her ability to have children and she doesn't really have anything to do (she doesn't have a job—though the movie doesn't explain whether Holmes has prevented her from working). She seems trapped in a housewife role… but without any children or events that might brighten that role and make it feel worthwhile. She's left tending the ashes of a failed marriage and of a home that never was.
Alma is a hostess at The New Congress Club—though, in the book, she's overtly a prostitute. This profession is supposed to be pretty low-ranking in terms of social status, comparable to Prewitt's as a private in the army. But Alma has more ambition than Prewitt. She wants to break out, move back to the mainland, and live a prosperous and "proper" life. At one point, she and Prewitt have this exchange:
PREWITT: I'm a thirty year man, in for the whole ride.
LORENE: I suppose it's different when a fellow makes a career out of it.
PREWITT: Nothing wrong with a soldier that isn't wrong with everyone else.
Prewitt doesn't think there's anything wrong with his position—he's proud of being one of the grunts, one of the guys who do the fighting, and not being higher up the chain of command. But Alma has dreams of financial security and of the "good life." She's unwilling to tie herself to someone who can't attain a more stable career (unwilling, that is, until near the end of the movie, when it's too late).
Physical Appearances
Physical appearances play a bit of a role in determining what we think about different characters: consider how Sgt. Warden's muscular, military looks affect our perception. He looks like a quintessential soldier and fighter.
However, it's hard to say Prewitt really looks like a tough guy, even though he is one. Maybe Montgomery Clift's looks run more towards conveying sensitivity?
Also, audiences were originally surprised that Deborah Kerr, who plays Karen Holmes, took such a different tack with this film. Kerr usually played English noblewomen and related roles, so they didn't expect her to put across the sultry vibe quite as much.
Additionally, Ernest Borgnine was clearly chosen to play Judson because his looks fit a kind of broad, bully-looking stereotype. However, Borgnine could use his looks to convey a kind of humble vulnerability just as easily, like in the feel-good classic Marty.
Props
Probably the most important prop for defining character is Prewitt's bugle. It shows that he's not just someone interested in getting drunk, getting into fights, and other typical macho behavior—he has artistic aspirations as well.
The fact that Judson carries around a switchblade indicates the opposite—he's someone who's ready for trouble and probably looking for it, too.
Sex and Love
There's lots of implied sexytimes in this movie—and some love too. Most obvious is Sgt. Warden's adulterous (though only technically) relationship with Mrs. Holmes. In their case, and in the case of Alma and Prewitt, sexuality isn't a destructive force—it's an expression of real (and hawt) affection.
But in the case of Karen Holmes and her husband, with his numerous infidelities, it becomes a damaging, ruinous power. They've lost the love between them, if there ever was any to begin with. Karen tells Warden the sad story:
KAREN: Come back here, Sergeant. I'll tell you the story; you can take it back to the barracks with you. I'd only been married to Dana two years when I found out he was cheating. And by that time I was pregnant. I thought I had something to hope for. I was almost happy the night the pains began. I remember Dana was going to an officers' conference. I told him to get home early, to bring the doctor with him. And maybe he would have… if his "conference" hadn't been with a hat-check girl! He was drunk when he came in at 5 A.M. I was lying on the floor. I begged him to go for the doctor, but he fell on the couch and passed out. The baby was born about an hour later. Of course, it was dead. It was a boy. But they worked me over at the hospital, they fixed me up fine, they even took my appendix out— they threw that in free.
Jeepers. That's bleak.
Being Holmes' wife, it doesn't seem like Karen has the opportunity to leave him and search for work on her own. She's tied down to him financially. And since Karen's relationship with Captain Holmes was already so terrible, having a child might've relieved the emptiness of her life. But he stole that from her, too.
Social Status
Prewitt and Alma both lack social status. Prewitt is a private—the lowest rank in the army. Sgt. Warden, who is himself outranked by Captain Holmes, outranks Prewitt. He's a "dog-face" or a "dog-soldier"—at the bottom of the hierarchy.
Alma is just as low on the food chain—she's a sex worker (although she's not explicitly called a prostitute in the movie). However, Alma attaches more importance to advancing her social status, and doesn't want to enter into something that lacks better prospects or a way to advance:
PREWITT: Why's it funny if a guy wants to marry you?
ALMA: Because I'm a girl you met at the New Congress Club! And that's about two steps up from the pavement.
PREW: Okay—I'm a private no class dogface. The way most civilians look at it, that's two steps up from nothing.
Speech and Dialogue
The dialogue in From Here to Eternity is usually succinct, terse, and sometimes witty. A good example comes from Sgt. Warden, who says of Captain Holmes,
"He'd strangle in his own spit if he didn't have me around to swab out his throat for him."
It's direct and vivid—kind of a gross metaphor, but very effective (hmm—maybe we'll use it on our enemies). It also tells us something about Warden: he thinks he's a better soldier than Holmes, but he still accepts his position as a subordinate, however begrudgingly.
Thoughts and Opinions
The characters' thoughts and opinions in From Here to Eternity aren't usually extremely "deep," but they do a good job of revealing important truths about them. For instance, Prewitt demonstrates that he's a man of principle and independence, and Warden demonstrates that he's a bit more cynical.
Check out this exchange:
PREWITT: A man don't go his own way, he's nothing.
WARDEN: Maybe back in the days of the pioneers a man could go his own way, but today you got to play ball.
Another good example would be Prewitt's observation, "Nobody lies about being lonely." It shows that he's surprisingly insightful and sensitive, and that he appreciates that Alma is telling him the truth when she says that she doesn't want to marry him but still wants to be with him to prevent herself from falling into loneliness.