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| Charles Dickens Jeremiah Gurney, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons |
Introduction: The Enduring Puzzle of Character Creation
One of the most difficult yet essential tasks for any novelist is the creation of characters that feel alive. Readers open novels not only for plot but also to encounter beings who appear to breathe, speak, and dream with the same urgency as real people. Yet unlike real human beings, fictional characters are conjured out of nothing. The novelist begins with a blank page and somehow must build voice, gesture, memory, and motivation.
How does this alchemy happen? How can writers bridge the gap between figment and flesh? It is a question that has occupied storytellers for centuries. And if we are searching for a guide, few offer richer instruction than Charles Dickens. His novels teem with figures so vivid that they have outlived the very world that produced them. Even in a text as somber and historical as A Tale of Two Cities (1859), Dickens demonstrates how believable characters can be sculpted with wit, exaggeration, empathy, and a deep understanding of the human condition.
This essay explores how to create believable characters, drawing lessons from Dickens’s methods while also providing modern writers with a practical toolkit. From eccentricity and contradiction to dialogue and emotional depth, Dickens shows us how imagination transforms into lifelike presence on the page.
The Foundations of Believability in Fiction
Before turning to Dickens’s specific techniques, it is worth asking: what makes a character believable in the first place?
Literary critics, writing instructors, and novelists themselves tend to agree on several key qualities:
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Consistency and Coherence—Readers must recognize a steady thread in a character’s actions, even if that thread is complex or contradictory.
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Individuality—Memorable quirks, mannerisms, and worldviews help distinguish one figure from another.
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Motivation and Desire—Characters need goals, whether noble or trivial, that drive their behavior.
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Emotional Depth—Readers believe characters when they see them experience recognizable emotions: fear, love, shame, and hope.
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Change or Revelation—Growth, decline, or sudden clarity makes a character feel dynamic, not static.
The trick is balance: too much eccentricity without emotional grounding makes a caricature; too much psychology without surface quirks risks flatness. Dickens demonstrates how to braid these strands into unforgettable portraits.
Dickens as a Master of Character
Charles Dickens is remembered not just as a social critic or storyteller, but as perhaps the greatest character creator in English literature. Figures like Ebenezer Scrooge, Miss Havisham, and Sydney Carton linger in the imagination long after plots fade.
What sets Dickens apart is his ability to move across a wide spectrum: he could create grotesque caricatures and subtle psychological studies within the same novel. He could make us laugh at Mr. Micawber’s optimism while simultaneously shuddering at the menace of Bill Sikes. His genius lies in his range and in his awareness that believability is not synonymous with realism alone. Instead, it emerges when exaggeration, truth, and empathy collide.
Lessons from A Tale of Two Cities
Although A Tale of Two Cities is often considered one of Dickens’s more serious and restrained novels, it nevertheless provides excellent case studies in character creation. Its backdrop—the French Revolution—demands grand archetypes, yet Dickens still imbues them with individuality and credibility.
1. Start with Grand Strokes, Then Refine
Many of Dickens’s characters are introduced through bold, almost theatrical sketches. Jerry Cruncher, for instance, is described by his spiky hair that seems to protest his every thought. This vivid image lodges in the reader’s mind immediately. Only afterward do we discover his contradictions: a daytime messenger for Tellson’s Bank, a nighttime grave-robber, a blustering husband, and a baffled father.
Lesson: Begin with a strong, memorable impression—a physical trait, a repeated phrase, or a symbolic gesture. Then deepen it with layers of motivation and conflict.
2. Use Contradiction to Humanize
Believability often lies in contradiction. Sydney Carton embodies this principle: outwardly cynical, dissipated, and careless, yet inwardly capable of profound loyalty and sacrifice. His contradictions make him unpredictable and deeply human.
Lesson: Avoid flat consistency. A character who is only noble or only villainous lacks depth. Instead, introduce gaps between inner feeling and outer behavior.
3. Create Distinct Voices
Dickens excelled at dialogue. Each major character in A Tale of Two Cities speaks with a distinct rhythm, vocabulary, or tic. Jerry Cruncher mispronounces words with comic effect (“Aggerawayter”), while Stryver blusters pompously. These voices allow readers to recognize characters instantly, even without tags.
Lesson: Craft speech patterns that reflect personality. Ask: does this character use long sentences or short bursts? Do they repeat pet phrases? Do they misinterpret language?
4. Employ Symbolism and Metaphor
Dickens often builds characters through symbolic association. Madame Defarge, forever knitting, becomes an emblem of revolutionary vengeance: each stitch is a life condemned. The image is both literal and symbolic, making her unforgettable.
Lesson: Link characters with recurring images or actions that symbolize their deeper drives.
5. Balance Archetype with Individuality
In a historical novel, Dickens needed figures that embodied large themes: aristocratic cruelty (the Marquis), revolutionary rage (Madame Defarge), self-sacrifice (Carton). Yet he never let them dissolve into pure allegory. Each has quirks—whether it is the Marquis’s languid cruelty or Madame Defarge’s composure—that keep them personal.
Lesson: Archetypes can give stories mythic power, but small individual details prevent characters from becoming clichés. The Practical Writer’s Toolkit: Applying Dickens’s Methods
Writers today, whether working on novels, short stories, or screenplays, can adapt Dickens’s strategies for creating believable characters. Here are twelve practical methods distilled from his work:
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Begin with a Striking Detail – An unusual haircut, a nervous habit, or a signature phrase can cement a character in the reader’s memory.
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Build Quirks Into Worldview – Jerry Cruncher’s obsession with his wife’s prayers is funny, yet it also reveals insecurity about his criminal profession. Quirks should echo deeper traits.
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Exploit Contradictions – A cruel person may show unexpected tenderness; a noble person may conceal cowardice. Contradictions invite intrigue.
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Develop Distinct Voices—Craft dialogue that reflects education, class, temperament, and worldview.
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Show Motivations. Clearly, characters feel real when their desires—love, revenge, ambition—explain their actions.
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Use Symbolic Actions—Recurring actions (knitting, pacing, praying) can embody character essence.
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Balance Caricature and Depth—Use exaggeration to entertain, but anchor it with inner life.
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Let Characters Evolve—Readers believe characters who change through conflict or revelation.
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Employ Narrative Commentary—A witty narrator can highlight traits, as Dickens often does, but avoid over-explaining.
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Mirror Society in Individuals – Characters can personify social forces, but individuality prevents them from becoming hollow.
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Evoke Empathy Through Emotion—Even villains should reveal moments of fear or vulnerability.
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Place Characters in Contrast—Foils such as Carton and Darnay sharpen each other’s identities.
Why Believability Matters
Believable characters are not only an aesthetic pleasure; they are essential for storytelling. Readers may admire a clever plot, but they invest emotionally when they feel attached to the people enacting it. Without convincing characters, the stakes of a story collapse.
Dickens understood this profoundly. The French Revolution in A Tale of Two Cities is a vast historical event, yet readers care about it because of Lucie Manette’s hope, Sydney Carton’s despair, and Madame Defarge’s rage. The Revolution matters because it affects people who feel alive to us.
Why Writers Search for Guidance
It is no accident that terms like “how to create believable characters” or “character development tips for writers” are among the most searched writing-related queries online. Every storyteller, from beginner to veteran, confronts the challenge of making figments feel alive.
By studying Dickens, we align with centuries of proven craft. His novels are not just entertainment but workshops in character creation. Today’s writers can adapt his principles across genres—fantasy, romance, mystery, or literary fiction—because human believability transcends setting.
Conclusion: Dickens’s Enduring Lessons
To create believable characters is to solve fiction’s central puzzle. It requires bold strokes and subtle shading, eccentric detail and emotional truth, archetype and individuality. Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities demonstrates how these elements combine: Jerry Cruncher’s comic contradictions, Sydney Carton’s tragic depth, Madame Defarge’s symbolic menace, and Lucie Manette’s gentle constancy.
For modern writers, the path is clear. Study Dickens not to imitate his Victorian manner, but to absorb his principles: observe human quirks, embrace contradiction, refine voices, and anchor characters in emotional truth. Whether you are drafting a debut novel or fine-tuning a screenplay, these lessons remain timeless.
In the end, believable characters are not about perfect realism. They are about resonance. Dickens reminds us that characters live when readers recognize themselves in the exaggerations, contradictions, and passions of people who never existed—yet feel as real as those we meet in daily life.
