Flat v.s Round and Static v.s. Dynamic characters

[Kaitlyn]

This week I am learning about Flat, Round, Dynamic, and Static characters. Flat characters are characters with little character traits and Round characters are complex with a large amount of character traits. Dynamic characters are characters that change over the course of the story, while static characters stay the same or only change a little. I think that Minho is a flat and a Static character. Throughout the book, Mihno tends to stay the same and he isn't very complex. I was wondering about flat/round and Dymanic/Static characters you have noticed in The Scorch Trials. Also, please let me know if you agree with my Mihno statement.

[Emily]

I agree with your statement about Mihno. I think a either round or dynamic character would be Theresa. She sort of changed once phase two started. I know some of this was part of the Betrayal, but i still feel like she changed.

[Kaitlyn]

Emily L. wrote: "I agree with your statement about Mihno. I think a either round or dynamic character would be Theresa. She sort of changed once phase two started. I know some of this was part of the Betrayal, but ..."
I'm not so sure about Teresa. It makes it seem like she changes, but in the end shes acting. To me, it seems like Teresa cares about Thomas from the beginning to the end.

[Kaitlyn]

I think that Newt is also very flat. He doesn't have a wide range of traits. He isn't complex. Also, I feel that Newt is very static throughout the whole book. He seems to stay the same. He knows how to handle situations and is always strategically thinking.

Just to clarify, just because a character is flat doesn't mean that they have to be static. A character can be static and round. Its not very likely though and I don't think that both these traits appear in a single character in the book.

[Emily]

Kaitlyn wrote: "Emily L. wrote: "I agree with your statement about Mihno. I think a either round or dynamic character would be Theresa. She sort of changed once phase two started. I know some of this was part of t..."

Yeah

[Sieran]

Well, Minho is my favorite character, so I'll be biased, haha, but I don't feel that he's flat. People have different definitions of what "round" means, but I personally prefer to see round characters as those that feel like real people to you. Minho might not have showed as much variation in personality traits as Thomas did, maybe, but I could love and relate to Minho very easily, and thus he feels real to me.

So maybe part of my own definition of roundness is whether the reader can empathize with and relate to a character. This will be subjective, though, as we don't all empathize with the same characters.

The dialogue was helpful in revealing Minho's beliefs, reasoning, motivations, etc. too, and these revelations are one reason why I found it easy to relate to and understand him.

Another thing is that we can only see people from Thomas's perspective, so we never see how Minho is like when Thomas is not around. Nor do we get to see Minho's thoughts like we see Thomas's. So we won't get a full picture of Minho's personality either.

Just my thoughts. :D

[Kaitlyn]

Serena wrote: "Well, Minho is my favorite character, so I'll be biased, haha, but I don't feel that he's flat. People have different definitions of what "round" means, but I personally prefer to see round charact..."

Thanks for sharing. However, I feel that you are talking about your opinion of the characters and not as much round, flat, dynamic, and static. From what I have learned, round characters are more focused on the traits rather than relating with a characters. Any reader should be able to see if the character is round, they shouldn't only be able to see if the character is round if they relate to the character.
Anyway, thanks for sharing your opinion and please continue to share on other characters you find.

[Michaelfischgrund]

I agree with you Emily. Teresa does change over time which makes her dynamic. But part of her changes are perceivable. One example is at the end of the book book where we never new that she liked WICKED until that moment. She is a flat character because she is not that complex at all