Successfully forming your characters in fiction stories sets the basis for the story to unfold. In D.H Lawrence’s “The Rocking-Horse Winner” the tone of the main character is described as young and ambitious. His physical characteristics go along with this, and the conflict that he encounters is perfect for his tone and character. In Graham Greene’s “The Destructors” the main character is a bit different. His tone is more quite and stern. The conflict that he encounters is different and his motivations are as well. The characterization of each is revealed differently. In “The Destructors the main character and his motivation is portrayed slowly whereas in “The Rocking-Horse Winner” the tone, conflict and motivation of the main character is brought to our attention immediately.
In “The Rocking-Horse Winner,” Paul, is introduced in the first paragraph, and is the main character. Paul is worried that his family has run out of luck and is in desperate need of more money at all times. “There was never enough money. The mother had a small income, and the father had a small income, but not nearly enough for the social position which they had to keep up” (par.3). Paul is portrayed as a young inquisitive boy, who is the oldest of his siblings. He is also ambitious in nature and is determined that he has more luck than his father or mother. “’Well anyhow,” he said stoutly, “I’m a lucky person”” (par.14). In “The Destructors” we are introduced to Trevor. Trevor is introduced as a poor boy like Paul, who lives in London nine years after world- war 2. He is described as short and direct with his words, usually not saying much to get his point across. When he said his name “Trevor” “it was a statement of fact, not as it would have been with th...
... middle of paper ...
...side world changed when he proved that he was lucky by being able to pick winning horses. He has good-hearted principles that apply to everyone today. He others before himself and was rewarded for that. Trevor started off as a strong silent boy. He then began to start using his abilities to achieve a more prominent status in his gang and was eventually able to destroy Old Misery’s house. His motivations were more devious in nature and more self-centered. He was only looking out for himself, and the destruction of another person’s property was an example of the evil nature that he had. It goes to show the extent that some people are willing to go to achieve seemingly meaningless goals for their personal benefit. Both characters are “round” and “stock”. They may have different qualities about them, but each one’s qualities were the backbone to the story and its events.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic novel written by Harper Lee. The novel is set in the depths of the Great Depression. A lawyer named Atticus Finch is called to defend a black man named Tom Robinson. The story is told from one of Atticus’s children, the mature Scout’s point of view. Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, the Finch Family faces many struggles and difficulties. In To Kill a Mockingbird, theme plays an important role during the course of the novel. Theme is a central idea in a work of literature that contains more than one word. It is usually based off an author’s opinion about a subject. The theme innocence should be protected is found in conflicts, characters, and symbols.
Characters that have different aspect are far more interesting to read about than average characters. Callum Roe, who is the main character in the story seems to base his personality and his actions off his past events, this makes him a very interesting protagonist for an Adventure novel such as The Darkest Path. For instance the relationship Callum shares with his family. Callum has a very strong bond with his brother, James. Everything Callum does reflects back to the moments with his brother and their family. Callum has a very loving personality, it's very interesting to see how he can still find love when the whole nation is at war and him and his family are split from each other. It's important that stories have characters like Callum.
There are many differences and similarities between Graham Greene’s “The Destructors” and D.H. Lawrence’s “Rocking Horse Winner.” One general difference is that in “The Destructors” the setting is in Great Britain, after the bombing had happened during World War 1, when the buildings were destroyed. The setting of “Rocking Horse Winner” is a suburban community located on the outskirts of Baltimore, Maryland. This one distinct difference affects the entire background of each story. The setting of “The Destructors” brings mood and feeling into the story were ass the setting of “Rocking Horse Winner” is just a general setting which could be changed and would not have a significant affect on the story as a whole. One general similarity between the two stories is that they both have a young boy as the main character, but the use of this character is very different in each story. The boy in “Rocking Horse Winner” is more innocent and unknowing of the evil the world can hold, he also hasn’t reached the rebellion stage of adolescence. In the other story “The Destructors” you have “T” who comes from a high class English family but is forced into poverty by the war, but he has already begun his rebellion against what is “good.” The similarities and differences between money, class, and family values in the stories are much more significant because they have more affect on each story and on the reader.
How do fiction storytellers reveal a character’s actions and or characteristics? Fiction storytellers use things like conflicts, diction, and imagery to add a better description to a book. Most of these examples also hook the reader to want to learn more. The mood of a story is also revealed when using this examples. In The Looking Glass Wars Beddor uses conflicts and challenges to inform the reader about Alyss’ characteristics.
When comparing the themes of each story, surprising similarities arise. First, both are developed around the lives of children. In “The Destructors” a group of boys called the Wormsley Gang have the same view of the world around them. They have grown up together and share stories about the bombs that destroyed their town. They also challenge each other to accomplish various tasks. The house that the boys ultimately destroy represents the greediness of Mr. Thomas, an architect who owns the tattered home. The Wormsley Gang called him ‘Old Misery’. In the Rocking Horse Winner”, the story’s plot is thickend by a a young boys obsessive desire to “become lucky”. This young boy, Paul, believes that his house is continually whispering, “…there must be more money…there must be more money”. Paul is able to relate the self-proclaimed dissatificatoin of his mothers life with the odd mood of his house. Paul knows that although his mother appears to have everything together on the outside, she does not love him on the inside. Paul believes that he can please his mother if he is able to find a way to give her more money. In both stories, the houses were very symbolic.
The creation of a character demands different kinds of information and the most important part of this process happens when the psychological aspects of the character are put together to meet his life history up to that moment when the story is happening.
In the beginning of the story, Paul seems to be a typical teenage boy: in trouble for causing problems in the classroom. As the story progresses, the reader can infer that Paul is rather withdrawn. He would rather live in his fantasy world than face reality. Paul dreaded returning home after the Carnegie Hall performances. He loathed his "ugly sleeping chamber with the yellow walls," but most of all, he feared his father. This is the first sign that he has a troubled homelife. Next, the reader learns that Paul has no mother, and that his father holds a neighbor boy up to Paul as "a model" . The lack of affection that Paul received at home caused him to look elsewhere for the attention that he craved.
Authors use character development to show how a person can change. Through a descriptive portrayal of a charter and their development they become real to the reader. A well-developed character stirs up emotions in the reader making for a powerful story. A person can change for better or worse and Nathaniel Hawthorne shows this thru the character development of Hester, Chillingworth, and Dimmesdale in The Scarlet Letter.
It is the mainstay of many pieces of classic American literature, especially those that fall into the category of 'pulp', to have thin, cardboard-cutout characters with obvious emotions and intentions for which their only purpose is to drive the story to a predetermined end. The seductive and dangerous femme fatale; codgerly old men; the badgering and nagging housewife, adorned with dress and apron; and etc... These characters, and the many like them, are set into a story to play a specific role—namely as a reactor—and force the protagonist in some direction. After all, what would a hero do if there was nothing heroic to be done? Sit around? Twiddle their thumbs...? These characters are, in some degree, necessary for the purpose of advancement, and the only reason I have spent this first paragraph going into them, however briefly, is that I feel the need to distinguish between a person and a character. Ostensibly, they are the same thing, at least from an outward point of view. One might say, “A story has people,” which is practically the same thing as saying, “A story has characters.” But, the obnoxious semantics aside, these are not both the same thing—it's a case of the uncanny...Characters, though appearing to be people, are not. They are posters of people, images of people—used to meet some plot obligation and/or bring out characterization in a real person. As confusing as this could sound, it's really simple: Characters are not people. They are merely ideas or archetypes1 of a human form, used to push the story along. People are real. They react to things, sometimes stupidly, sometimes intelligently, and above all, when written into a story believably, give the verisimilar appearance of truth and correctness (even when doing...
...g and appreciation of qualities of characters, and hence, a deeper understanding of underlying motives and psyche. Intricate and methodical characterization is crucial to grasp the full meaning of a narrative.
One particular criterion character effectively supports the central idea in “Rip Van Winkle” by Washington Irving. The character's type develops with the personality development throughout the story. Three types of characters: round, flat, and stock, appear in most stories. The round character displays a fully developed personality and full emotions. Flat characters, also known as supporting characters, do not develop fully or express complex emotions. A stock character, also known as a stereotype, fits an established characterization from real life or literature. With these three types of characters leading the reader through the story, the reader learns the events taking place as well as the changes in the character’s lives. The author keeps the reader informed of the changes affecting the characters throughout the narrative through style. When a character undergoes a fundamental change in nature or personality during the story, the character has dynamic style. However, a character without change defines a static character. Although all characters have a style and type sometimes understanding the differences appears complicated. A chart often helps establish a better understanding of character type and style.
In Edgar Allan Poe’s story The Fall of the House of Usher, the character Roderick Usher exhibits severe mental illness. Most of Poe’s writings are psychological in nature. The Fall of the House of Usher is a great example of this. Poe’s life was filled with many tragic events. The unpleasant outcome of his early years resulted in a great Gothic Romantic writer. He is a master of writing psychological thrillers, adding suspense and mystery in his stories. The topics of his writings are a concoction of unpleasant, austere, and grotesque things, thus the reader can be left feeling squeamish and susceptible. We are drawn into Poe’s stories by our intrinsic human nature of curiosity and intrigue. This paper gives examples of Poe’s literary style as we examine Roderick’s metal state through his words and appearance.
...es the two characters time to find their identities. For example, it took the woman in “Birthmark” 15 years to come to term with her identity. This is relatable because for most people it takes days, weeks or even years. Further more, the writing styles and plot of each story gives the reader an effective understanding of the characters. Both writing styles give the reader good insight because they can understand what the characters feel.
In the beginning of both of the pieces of literature, the main character(s) have not had the experience that will shape their values yet. Rather, as time moves forward in the stories, the
Authors develop characters’ personalities in order to add depth to their story and allow readers to feel more connected to the characters. Beyond this, characterization also allows authors to develop the themes of their stories in a more clear manner. A prime example of this would be in the poem Judith, where the author contrasts Judith and Holofernes’ personalities in order to develop the major themes of heroism and having faith in God.