This article investigates the structural and narrative strategies Susan Hill employs to construct characters in her prose works A Kind Man and A Question of Identity. By analyzing main protagonists, female figures, and episodic characters, the study demonstrates how Hill uses action, dialogue, perspective, and social interaction to reveal ethical and relational dimensions of character. A Kind Man foregrounds character development through episodic sequences and social observation, while A Question of Identity employs procedural narrative, multi-threaded plotting, and dialogue-driven exposition to convey protagonist and secondary character identities. The findings suggest that Hill’s structural techniques actively shape the reader’s understanding of character, making her work an exemplary model of narrative-mediated identity construction.

Susan Hill, character creation, narrative structure

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Hill, S. (2014). A kind man. Random House.

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Independent Review of A Kind Man

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Scullion, V. (2005). Gothic transformations and musical appropriations in Susan Hill's novel The Bird of Night. Gothic Studies, 7(1), 53–64.