Tools of Characterization

Characterization in Grease

Actions

It's too cliché to say that actions speak louder than words, so instead we'll say, "actions speak louder than lyrics."

One specific instance is during Danny's drive-in ballad, "Sandy." He sings about being "in misery," but he doesn't acknowledge that he has made himself miserable by pushing Sandy too far. Are there other songs in which the characters realize they're not acting the way they wish they did?

Clothing

Grease is like The Outsiders with songs. The movie doesn't use that book's term for social classes (Greasers and Socs) but the same theory still applies. You can tell who the Greasers are by, well, the amount of grease on their hair. They probably oil those slick leather jackets, too. And the Socs, if they used that term, would be Patty Simcox and pretty boy Tom Chisum.

What's really revealing, and not as in revealing skin, is the clothing of the Pink Ladies. It's nice. Like, really nice. Rizzo and her gals might want to be Greasers, but economically, they're closer to Socs. The Pink Ladies are Socs in Greaser clothing, but they forgot to cut off the designer labels.

Names

The names in Grease are dripping with meaning (and maybe a little grease). Sandy Olsson practically rhymes with "wholesome." And Sandy recalls romantic memories of the beach scene at the beginning of the movie.

And Rizzo. Oh, Rizzo. The most complicated character has the most complicated name. Her full name is Betty Rizzo. What kind of name is that? Like grease and water, the two just don't mix. Betty is wholesome. Rizzo is gritty. No wonder she's so conflicted about trying to find her own identity.