Tools of Characterization

Characterization in Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Occupation

When sleuthing for characterization, the first thing you might want to focus your magnifying glass on are occupations. They're some of the first clues of knowing what kind of characters we're dealing with.

Consider Major Walsh and Lacombe. Both men have different jobs, and each observes Roy and Jillian's appearance at Devils Tower in a different light. Major Walsh, a military man, immediately sees Roy and Jillian as a threat and treats their presence with defensive caution. But Lacombe's a scientist, so he views Roy and Jillian's presence at Devils Tower as a mystery in need of answers. Like any good movie scientist, he's out for the truth, whether he can handle it or not.

Roy's blue-collar job as an electrician lets us know what an ordinary, regular guy he his—not one you'd be expected to be singled out by visited ETs. It makes his extraordinary adventure all the more interesting.

Clothing

Close Encounters is a lot like hanging out at the mall: You can tell a lot about people by where they shop.

Characters working for the government wear either uniforms, such as the soldiers, or dress similarly. A great example is the researchers at the landing site. They dress so much alike that they all put on the same aviator sunglasses when viewing the mother ship. Like their clothing suggests, these characters are also uniform in intent, sharing the same goals.

Characters like Roy and Jillian wear the clothing of the American middle class—shirts, jeans, etc. They don't wear the same clothing as each other, and their objectives are also different. And Farmer, well, Farmer just wants to tell people about that time he saw Bigfoot. Wranglers and cowboy boots for this guy.

Thoughts and Opinions

Sometimes the most direct route to characterization is to just listen to what characters think. That may seem obvious but, well… you're right. It is obvious.

Ronnie's a practical person. She treats Roy's extraordinary experience like the kid practicing his drums next door—if she ignores it, maybe it'll just go away. She comes up with stories to explain his 50/50 sunburn, and when discussing the matter, she says, "I don't want to hear about this anymore." Rather than take a risk and learn something new, albeit potentially scary, she chooses not to believe and wishes he'd just knock it off.

Lacombe, on the other hand, is a very open-minded person, a dreamer/scientist combo. He listens to Roy's story and doesn't consider him crazy. He knows something is going on, and even if he can't explain the "event sociologique," he knows it's important. This open-mindedness drives him throughout the film, propelling him toward the amazing discovery that we're not alone in the universe.