One of the main aspects of a story that truly keeps our attention is character. A person is more likely to enjoy, maintain interest in, or be more intimately engaged with a story if they can relate to or are intrigued by a character or characters. In order for this to happen an author must demonstrate good characterization, the art and technique of representing fictional personages. Characterization relies heavily on narration and point of view. In John Cheever's "Goodbye, My Brother" and Tobias Wolff's "Powder," the point of view of the narration is limited to one person. Known as first-person narration, the story is told from the "I" perspective and the reader only can understand the story from the narrator's point of view.
Because of first-person narration, the reader is provided with easy access to the main character's thoughts, allowing only a glimpse of the antagonists in "Goodbye, My Brother" and "Powder," portraying a flat character. The one-dimensional representation of the brother Lawrence in "Goodbye, My Brother" and the father in "Powder" causes a reader to have judged perceptions, just as the narrator. The prejudiced narration and limited focus point of view in both stories leads to the characters of Lawrence and the father to be misunderstood by their respective families. The reader is only offered a biased, one-dimensional account of the antagonists Lawrence in "Goodbye, My Brother" and the father in "Powder."
Although both misunderstood, Lawrence and the father in these two stories differ in many ways, one being their general outlook. The father in "Powder" is characterized as an optimist. On Christmas Eve day, the father takes his son (the narrator) skiing after much debate between the father a...
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... so tells the facts of the story rather than sharing too many of his own opinions. Because of this, it is easier for a reader to make our own conclusions about the character of the father than the character of Lawrence. Instead of the narrator explaining all of the actions of the father, Wolff allows the reader to fill in the blanks.
It is very unlikely that a reader should find themselves bored with one of these characters. Both authors met and exceeded the expectations of portraying good characterization in making readers feel something towards the characters. The authors Cheever and Wolff display techniques of creating fictional personages through first-person narration. Through characterization, it can be concluded that the reasoning for the antagonist's actions are misunderstood by their respective families in both "Goodbye, My Brother" and "Powder."
Last but not least, O’Connor confirms that even a short story is a multi-layer compound that on the surface may deter even the most enthusiastic reader, but when handled with more care, it conveys universal truths by means of straightforward or violent situations. She herself wished her message to appeal to the readers who, if careful enough, “(…)will come to see it as something more than an account of a family murdered on the way to Florida.”
Often, when a story is told, it follows the events of the protagonist. It is told in a way that justifies the reasons and emotions behind the protagonist actions and reactions. While listening to the story being cited, one tends to forget about the other side of the story, about the antagonist motivations, about all the reasons that justify the antagonist actions.
Mosby’s analysis allows the reader to understand one of the major themes of this story: inability to
Character development in a protagonist is crucial to building themes and the overall intent is discovered through the main character. Wilson approaches the concept of the protagonist in an interesting manner, deciding to not conclude with the protagonist leaves the reader with a lack of pity and perhaps some confusion. Likewise, the protagonists in her plots are isolated, forgotten or consequently dead. In “Hurry, Hurry” the main character, Miriam is first portrayed lonely with only the companionship of her dogs. The setting attributes to isolation through the fragment “No people anywhere.” (Hurry, Hurry) this demonstrates how Miriam is all alone in the vast tranquility of nature. In contrast, the last paragraph in “Hurry, Hurry” does not imply anything about Miriam therefore it leaves the reader confused and the protagonist suppressed. Mr. Willy, from “The Window” is the principal character who is similar to Miriam. Mr. Willy asserts his loneliness through his feelings of being “small and alone” (The Window) therefore exposing how isolated his character is. However, the conclusion in this story does end with the leading character, th...
The narrator has a knack for bringing up traumatic times in his life, but passing it off in an indifferent tone. He believes that
Point of view is one of the single greatest assets an author can use. It helps to move the plot along and show what is happening from a character’s perspective. An author can make the plot more complex by introducing several characters that the reader has to view events through. The events can then be seen through different eyes and mindsets forcing the reader to view the character in a different light. From one perspective a character can seem cruel, yet, from another, the same character can seem like a hero. These vastly contrasting views can be influenced based on the point of view, a character’s background, and the emotions towards them. The novel Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich showcases some examples of events seen from different points
Authors’ use of setting and point of view greatly affect a narrative because they form the readers’ image of the story. First person narration can cause questioning of the narrators reliability, but this bias view can help create more intimacy between the protagonist and the reader. A third person point of view is more objective and allows the author to create the voice of the narrative; the author shapes the story. Through whichever point of view, the author develops a setting. Setting provides tone for the story. A well-established setting can enhance the story’s overall meaning. The combination of setting and point of view in John Updike’s “A&P” helps develop the story’s emphasis on conformity versus nonconformity. Likewise, setting and
end. This essay will further show how both stories shared similar endings, while at the same time
These authors create exits for characters, which flow seamlessly with the preceding storylines. The concluding scenes of these novels, while similar in the suicide theme are worlds apart when viewed through direct evidence of the characters actual feelings and past. It is interesting to note that both are basically suicides, but one becomes a clear suicide while the other becomes a liberating jump into family heritage. By using evidence written in specifically for the readers, both of these authors make it very clear how their endings should be understood, so that finally all ends well, understood.
In the story “Two Kinds”, the author, Amy Tan, intends to make reader think of the meaning behind the story. She doesn’t speak out as an analyzer to illustrate what is the real problem between her and her mother. Instead, she uses her own point of view as a narrator to state what she has experienced and what she feels in her mind all along the story. She has not judged what is right or wrong based on her opinion. Instead of giving instruction of how to solve a family issue, the author chooses to write a narrative diary containing her true feeling toward events during her childhood, which offers reader not only a clear account, but insight on how the narrator feels frustrated due to failing her mother’s expectations which leads to a large conflict between the narrator and her mother.
Another realization that helps the narrator gain more of an identity is the realization of his grandfather’s advice.
Powder, a short story written by Tobias Wolff, is about a boy and his father on a Christmas Eve outing. As the story unfolds, it appears to run deeper than only a story about a boy and his father on a simple adventure in the snow. It is an account of a boy and his father’s relationship, or maybe the lack of one. Powder is narrated by a grown-up version of the boy. In this tale, the roles of the boy and his father emerge completely opposite than what they are supposed to be but may prove to be entirely different from the reader’s first observation.
During childhood and adolescence, we are all faced with decisions that will affect our futures. Even a simple choice such as choosing books to read or clothes to wear can make an impact on our lives. The decisions made by Will Parker in The White Mountains and Sam Meeker in My Brother Sam Is Dead, however, are of a much greater magnitude. Their difficult decisions change the lives of many other characters. By choosing to go against their families' beliefs, Will and Sam both become orphans. The two young men are cast out into a dangerous world and have to learn about independence and its hardships.
... itself, represented by the Paternal Uncle and the Maternal Uncle. Through the death of both uncles, the conflict and revenge died and reconciliation was possible. The discord among the clans and families in both novels resemble divided Korea by displaying the shifts in ideology and beliefs of the separate groups.
The narrator of the story is non-omniscient, but also limited because we, as readers, do not know anything about the other people in the story’s thoughts, and this results in us sympathizing with Mike.