Character Clues
Character Analysis
Clothing
Like a catty housewife on a reality television show, Benford is always paying attention to what his characters are wearing. Unlike said catty housewife, however, Benford does this to clue us into the type of character we're dealing with, and not because he's superficial and maybe has some self-esteem issues.
For example, when we are first introduced to Cooper and Gordon, we learn that Cooper wears "a T-shirt and blue jeans" to the lab, while Gordon sports a "blue long-sleeve button-down shirt, Oxford broadcloth, with corduroy slacks that belted in the back, and a tweed jacket" (3.35). This tells us right away that Gordon is an old-school professional compared Cooper, despite only being three years Cooper's senior. This old-school persona will later seep into his personal life as well. Conversely, Cooper's attire shows he is much more laidback, both in personality and in his work at the lab.
Actions
This may be a bit of an obvious one, but actions can often clue us into characterization before a character has even spoken and other times the actions can give us new insights into a character we've been getting to know for a while.
For example, Gordon first notices Saul Shriffer while the man is in an argument. Saul's style of arguing includes "press[ing] down hard with the chalk," "frequently refuting what he himself had been saying only moments before," and "[making] careless mistakes in the calculation." All of these actions point to a man who will argue passionately for his theories while waiting for an "exact solution [to] come later" (14.21). In short, Saul's kind of all over the place and at least a little reckless with his science.
Peterson's dinner with Laura is another example of a character's actions cluing us into the character, but in this case, it gives us further insights into a character we've known for awhile. During dinner, Laura covers her glass to signify she's had enough wine. Then Peterson tells a joke, and while she is laughing, he feels "sure she did not see him refill her glass" (22.17). Yuck, right? Peterson is willing to be slimy in order to get what he wants. While we've known for a while that Peterson is all about Peterson, this new action clues us in to just how far he's willing to go.
Family Life
Family life, or even a lack of family life, can also clue us into characterization. Peterson hates family—he loathes children and seduces several wives, showing his contempt for the social institution. His goal in life is, consequently, to make life super awesome for himself and only himself.
Renfrew, on the other hand, loves his family and the goal of his experiment is to make the world a better place by resolving the ecological disasters before they even begin. He may have difficulties balancing his work and family life, but in the end, his goal is to help more people than just himself.