Character Clues

Character Analysis

Physical Appearances

Descriptions of a character's physical appearance can sometimes seem cliché or obvious (e.g., she had big blue eyes that reminded him of the sea, because the sea is big and blue and sometimes stormy)—but notice how Munro keys in on small, telling details or quirks.

Mavis is described as "handsome, but with little pouches of boredom or disapproval hiding the corners of her mouth" (40). Similarly, Neil is described as having a thin-lipped mouth "that seems to "curl in on some vigorous impatience, or appetite, or pain"(144). We hear about how, when he goes swimming, Mr. Travers wears bathing shoes and displays "a pancake fold of white flesh slopping over the top of his bathing trunks" (2).

These descriptions help create a vivid exterior, but they also say a lot about the internal worlds of each character.

Actions

Actions can sometimes be obvious, but they can be so subtle that they don't really seem like actions at all. In "Passion" we get a wide range. Think about how Mavis acts during the word game, or what Neil and Grace's decision to abandon everyone on Thanksgiving might suggest about their personalities, or how Maury won't take Grace to a bar because she's not yet twenty-one.

Telling what a person is like through his actions is often more interesting than just saying something like, "Neil was deeply deep and a bit selfish." It's also worth noting how Munro says things about her characters by putting their actions side by side. For instance, Maury wouldn't take Grace to a bar, but Neil apparently has no problem doing it.

Clothing

Munro gets a lot of mileage out of her clothing, using it in the same way that she uses physical appearances. One of the first things we learn about Mr. Travers is that he wears bathing shoes when he goes swimming. How could that guy not be sweet and harmless?

The narrator provides a long description about what Grace was wearing during her first date with Maury:

A dark-blue ballerina skirt, a white blouse…a wide rose-colored elasticized belt…with the very cheapest silver-painted bangles. (22)

How does this description affect your perception of Grace? How easy is it to judge someone based on his or her clothing? How often do you think those judgments are correct?