They call me Ishmael

Characterization is a term that tends to hold a very specific meaning. That meaning, rather than be used to describe the dynamic fluctuations of a process or system, is typically bound to the pages of literature. In the world of writing, characterization constitutes the methods by which an author describes and develops characters as their lives unfold beneath the weight of a story. It  refers to the techniques an author uses to convey to the reader how a character evolves in response to the ebb and flow of the narrative. 

Although more commonly used for character development, the term characterization also applies to literary efforts that describe the world in which a story takes place. Such efforts create and define the environment in which characters live and act. They establish the context within which the events of a story occur.

Both of these elements of characterization are quintessential a reader’s understanding of a story. They impart upon the reader a sense of time and place. While we can champion the utility of characterization as a literary tool, its usefulness is best expressed through example. One such example is the opening paragraph to Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. Melville writes:

Fig 1: The fabled and feared white whale Moby Dick

“Call me Ishmael. Some years ago—never mind how long precisely—having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. It is a way I have of driving off the spleen and regulating the circulation. Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people’s hats off—then, I account it high time to get to seas as soon as I can. This is my substitute for pistol and ball. With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself upon his sword; I quietly take to the ship. There is nothing surprising in this. If they but knew it, almost all men in their degree, some time or other, cherish very nearly the same feelings towards the ocean with me.”

While no reference to the fabled white whale called Moby Dick is made, the characterization of Ismael and his world creates a textured depiction of the readers mind. The reader is made to understand that Ishmael is a restless and dissatisfied soul defined by an adventurous and self-aware spirit. Although the times in which he lives are tough, the sea offers escape and repose. 

The use of characterization in this opening paragraph is interesting because it imbues upon the reader both explicit and implicit knowledge. It establishes the novel’s narrative voice and conjures imagery in the readers mind. It reveals insights into a character’s intent and foreshadows the tides of adventure that approach. This interplay between the explicit and implicit is what expands the utility of characterization beyond the realm of literature and into the world of Statistical Process Control and process behavior charts. It is what imbues characterization with the ability to describe process behavior with a single word and, in doing so, bestows an audience with both explicit and implicit knowledge about the kinds of variation that influence process behavior.