By Matteo Martignago, cinematographer and colorist. Updated July 2026.
What is indirect characterization?
Indirect characterization is a technique in which a writer reveals a character’s personality implicitly, through their Speech, Thoughts, Effect on others, Actions, and Looks (the STEAL method), instead of stating traits outright. Direct characterization tells the reader a trait; indirect characterization shows behavior and lets the reader infer it.
Here is the difference in one pair of sentences. Direct: “John was short-tempered and rude.” Indirect: “John slammed his coffee down, snapped ‘Are we done wasting my time?’, and walked out before the waiter finished speaking.” The second version never uses the words short-tempered or rude. You infer them from what John says and does. That is indirect characterization, and it is the storyteller’s version of the old advice to show, don’t tell. (It is a separate thing from free indirect discourse, which is a narration style rather than a method of characterization.)
Direct vs. indirect characterization
Every writer uses both modes. Direct characterization states a trait plainly; indirect characterization hands you the evidence and trusts you to name the trait yourself.
| Aspect | Direct characterization | Indirect characterization |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | The narrator states the trait | The reader infers the trait from evidence |
| Mode | Tells | Shows |
| Example | “She was cruel.” | She smiled as she read the eviction notice aloud. |
| Channels | Narration and exposition | Speech, thoughts, effect on others, actions, looks |
| Strength | Fast and unambiguous | Immersive; builds the reader’s trust |
| Risk | Can feel flat, told rather than shown | Vague if the evidence is thin |
Neither is better in the abstract. Direct is efficient and clear; indirect is immersive, because audiences believe what they observe more than what they are told. Skilled writers alternate between the two.
The STEAL method: the 5 methods of indirect characterization
STEAL is the mnemonic taught in most English classrooms for the five methods, or types, a writer can use to reveal character indirectly. It is a common classroom framework rather than one theorist’s invention.
| Letter | Channel | What it reveals | Quick example |
|---|---|---|---|
| S | Speech | Background, class, intent | Deflecting every hard question with a joke |
| T | Thoughts | Hidden feelings and fears | Inner calm that masks panic |
| E | Effect on others | Status and influence | A room falling silent when they enter |
| A | Actions | True values under pressure | Returning a wallet full of cash |
| L | Looks | Traits implied by appearance | Worn shoes hinting at poverty |
S: Speech
What a character says, and how they say it, reveals background, class, and intent. Word choice, dialect, and tone all carry meaning. A character who answers every question with a joke is telling you something they are not saying outright.
T: Thoughts
A character’s inner monologue exposes the feelings, desires, and fears they hide from everyone else. The gap between what a character thinks and what they say out loud is where subtext and dramatic irony live. Note that this is Thoughts, not talk; spoken words belong to Speech.
E: Effect on others
How other characters react to a person, defer to them, or are changed by them tells you who that person is. This letter is about other people’s responses, not the character’s own emotions or actions. When a room goes quiet as someone enters, that reaction does the characterizing.
A: Actions
What a character actually does, especially under pressure, reveals values more reliably than anything they claim. A person who returns a wallet full of cash shows honesty far more convincingly than a narrator calling them honest.
L: Looks
Appearance, dress, and grooming characterize when the detail implies a trait, not when it is neutral description. Worn shoes hint at poverty or hard work; a spotless, over-pressed uniform hints at rigidity. The point is the inference the detail invites, not the description itself.
Examples in literature
- To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee), Actions. Atticus Finch drops a rabid dog with a single rifle shot, and his children, who never knew he could shoot, learn he is nicknamed One-Shot Finch. The action reveals a quiet courage and modesty he never boasts about. The narrator never simply says Atticus is brave.
- Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen), Actions and Effect on others. Elizabeth Bennet walks three muddy miles to nurse her sick sister and arrives with her petticoat six inches deep in mud. Her effort reveals loyalty and independence, and the Bingley sisters’ scorn at her muddy hem only throws that unpretentious devotion into sharper relief. Darcy’s line that she is “tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me” is Speech that exposes his pride.
- The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald), setting and symbolism. Beyond the five STEAL channels, Gatsby’s enormous mansion and lavish weekly parties reveal both his wealth and his desperate hope of drawing Daisy back, and the image of him reaching toward the green light on her dock reveals his longing without a word of explanation.
- Hills Like White Elephants (Ernest Hemingway), Speech. The textbook case of pure indirect characterization. A couple’s tense, evasive conversation at a train-station bar reveals an entire unspoken conflict and a fraying relationship, though the narrator never states a single trait and the real subject is never named. It is the purest proof that what a writer leaves out can characterize as sharply as what they put in.
On screen: how film shows instead of tells
Film is where indirect characterization lives most naturally, because the camera’s first instinct is to show rather than tell. On screen the STEAL channels play out through blocking, framing, production design, and editing rather than narration. The test is the same as on the page: if a voiceover or title card states a trait, that is a tell, closer to direct characterization. True indirect characterization makes the audience infer the trait from what they see. As a cinematographer, I point to these three sequences when a director asks how to establish a character before a word of dialogue.
Up (2009)
The wordless “Married Life” montage tells the story of Carl and Ellie’s whole life together in about four minutes. A coin jar they fill for their dream trip, then break open again and again for a car repair or a hospital bill, reveals a lifetime of deferred dreams and steady devotion. Later, an empty second chair and Carl climbing the stairs alone reveal his grief. There is no dialogue; the images and staging do all the characterizing.
There Will Be Blood (2007)
The film opens with roughly fifteen near-silent minutes. Daniel Plainview digs alone in a mineshaft, breaks his leg in a fall, and drags himself across the desert to file his claim. Long before he speaks a line, his behavior establishes an obsessive ambition, fierce self-reliance, and a streak of ruthlessness. The characterization is built entirely from action, framing, and sound.
Parasite (2019)
Bong Joon-ho lets the set do the characterizing. The Kim family lives in a semi-basement and must climb upward to reach the Parks’ hilltop mansion, and when a flood comes, filth flows literally downhill to them. Height, staircases, and water map the class hierarchy and each family’s place in it without a line of dialogue explaining it. It is production design and blocking used as pure show, don’t tell.
Why and when to use indirect characterization
Indirect characterization pulls readers and viewers in because it asks them to participate. When you infer that a character is kind from watching them act, you trust that conclusion in a way you never trust a narrator’s label. That earned belief is why the big emotional beats and reveals almost always lean indirect.
Direct characterization still has its place. It is efficient for minor characters, for quick setup, and for moments where clarity matters more than immersion. The danger of leaning only on indirect characterization is vagueness; if the evidence is too thin, the trait never lands. Strong writing alternates the two, using direct strokes for speed and indirect ones for depth.
Tips for writing and shooting indirect characterization
- Pick the telling detail. One precise choice, a bitten fingernail or a carefully folded receipt, characterizes better than a paragraph of general description.
- Reveal under pressure. Put the character in a moment of stress or choice, where actions expose values they would otherwise hide.
- Use other people. Let a second character’s reaction carry the point, which is often stronger than showing the trait head-on.
- On screen, give the trait to a prop or a gesture. A worn wedding ring or a hesitation before a handshake says more than a line of dialogue, and it survives translation and rewatching. Our guide to the high-angle shot covers how camera angle alone can characterize.
- Balance it. If you have shown a trait three times and readers still miss it, one direct line is not a failure. Clarity beats cleverness.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between direct and indirect characterization?
Direct characterization tells you a trait outright, as in “She was cruel.” Indirect characterization shows behavior and lets you infer the trait, as in watching her smile while reading an eviction notice aloud. Direct tells; indirect shows.
What does STEAL stand for in characterization?
STEAL stands for Speech, Thoughts, Effect on others, Actions, and Looks, the five channels of indirect characterization. Remember that T is Thoughts (not talk), E is the effect on other characters (not the character’s own emotions), and L is Looks (appearance).
Is dialogue direct or indirect characterization?
Dialogue is indirect. It is the S, for Speech, in the STEAL method. Because the narrator is not stating the trait, you infer it from what the character says and how they say it.
What are the two types of characterization?
The two types are direct characterization, where the narrator states a trait, and indirect characterization, where the reader infers a trait from the character’s speech, thoughts, effect on others, actions, and looks.
What is an example of indirect characterization?
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch drops a rabid dog with a single rifle shot, and his children discover he is nicknamed One-Shot Finch. The action reveals a quiet courage the narrator never states outright, so you infer the trait yourself. That is indirect characterization.
Why do authors use indirect characterization?
Because it draws the audience in and earns their belief. Readers trust a trait they deduce for themselves more than one they are simply told, so indirect characterization makes characters feel real and keeps readers engaged.
How do you identify indirect characterization?
Ask one question: did the narrator state the trait, or did I work it out? If you inferred it from a character’s speech, thoughts, effect on others, actions, or looks, it is indirect characterization.
Can film use indirect characterization?
Yes, and it is where the technique shines. Film reveals character through action, framing, and production design, as in the wordless opening of There Will Be Blood. A voiceover that simply states a trait, on the other hand, is a tell, closer to direct characterization.
The bottom line
Indirect characterization is how great stories make you feel you have met a real person instead of reading a description of one. Learn the five STEAL channels, watch how your favorite books and films use them, and give your audience the evidence rather than the verdict. They will reach the conclusion themselves, and believe it because they got there on their own.
