In the kingdom there was a woman who had a smart son. his name was manuel. she was a widow and they were very poor. manuel told his mother that he was going to the palace to try to guess the riddle of the princess and get them a fortune. even better, he said, he would try to give the princess a riddle to guess first. how does the plot influence characterization in this excerpt? the exposition introduces manuel as a clever boy. the exposition suggests that manuel is dishonest. the rising action reveals that manuel cares for the princess.. the rising action proves that manuel is capable of earning money.