The Man Who Was Almost A Man Essay

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Recommended: Character development introduction

In order for a story to develop a convincing character, it needs to meet the following criterias. First criteria, the individual’s character must remain the same as shown in the story. Second criteria, the character needs to be motivated by the environment they’re placed in. Third criteria, the character must have enough time to change but still make it believable. In “The Man Who Was Almost a Man” Dave is constantly struggling to find a position where he’s seen as a man to others. Dave comes to a conclusion of how he’s going to show others that he’s a man by buying a gun. It took him a while to persuade his mother to give him money so he can buy a gun for his reason, not the reason he told his mother. Dave meets the criterias as the story starts to where it ends although he didn’t change much as third criteria wants. …show more content…

Dave tried changing but he didn’t allow himself enough time to truly become a man. He believed that he can be a man overnight but in reality it takes a long time to become one. Many men have different paces in becoming a man but eventually all of them will become one when it’s meant to be. The way Dave did to become a man quickly wasn’t in his best interest because luckily he killed a mule and not a person. He assumed that he’s almost eighteen, he should be treated like a man but it’s like the same thing as respect, it takes time to earn respect. He didn’t know how to become one, he believed that a gun can make a boy become into a man but anyone can get a gun and still be naive to think they’re capable of handling a gun. Dave didn’t have a great example of a man be shown to him, maybe his father was the same as him and whatever his dad was teaching him wasn’t the right standards a man has. Dave didn’t change in the end of the story, he wasn’t man enough to stay and pay off his debts, he rather left them to his family who’s already struggling

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