Characters

The characters featured in the story “The Recital” by Eimear Ryan are Grace—the narrator, Tim—the employer, Liam—the politician, Jennifer—the narrator’s sister, and Kevin—the conductor. The most important characters in the story are Grace, Liam, and Jennifer, whose characterisation we will focus on in the next pages.

Along with characterisation techniques such as the use of the protagonist’s perspective and direct and indirect characterisation, the writer uses contrasts as a characterisation technique.

Grace is both the narrator and the protagonist of the story. Her characterisation is mostly conveyed indirectly, through her perspective on the events, her actions, and her attitude.

Jennifer, called Jen by the narrator, is a secondary character in the short story, relevant for the way Grace relates to her.

Liam is a secondary character in the short story, presented using the narrator’s and other characters’ point of view (Jen’s and Tim’s).

You can read their characterisation in the next pages!