Question

The door opened and Jim stepped in and closed it. He looked thin and very serious. Poor fellow, he was only twenty-two and to be burdened with a family! He needed a new overcoat and he was without gloves.
—"The Gift of the Magi,"
O. Henry
Use the drop-down menus to identify the examples of characterization as direct or indirect.
“He looked thin and very serious.”

“He was only twenty-two.”

“He needed a new overcoat and he was without gloves.”

Answer 1

Direct characterisation will be characterisation told directly to us, while indirect characterization will be revealed indirectly via their actions.

So, I am quite sure that this entire section is going to be direct characterisation.

Answer 2

The second sentence, “He was only twenty-two,” is an example of direct characterization.

Direct characterization means that the author is explicitly given the reader information about the character. Here, the author is providing the character's age.

The first and the last sentences, “He looked thin and very serious,” and “He needed a new overcoat and he was without gloves,” are examples of indirect characterization.

Through this sentences we can infer that the character is poor, since he looks "thin" and is in need of new winter clothes, and that he has suffered, since he has a serious look.