Blog 1, option one
In order for us to get to know a
character, and gain an ability to predict and understand his or her
actions, we must learn about them. To this effect, the author uses a
variety of methods for describing characters.
The first few sentences of “Everyday
Use,” by Alice Walker, contain a lot of direct, as well as
suggested information about all three main characters. The reader
can immediately start to imagine what the situation is that Maggie
and the narrator are faced with. The placement of the word “so”
in the first paragraph carries a bit of resentment for Dee, even
though we haven't officially “met” her yet. Mrs. Johnson seems
to emphasize a sense of pompousness in Dee that burdens her and
Maggie both physically and spiritually. This is partially
description of circumstances, where the description of what's going
on with two characters and the situation at hand describes another
character. Also, we could assume that the narrator mirrors the
author in judgment. The first adjective describing Maggie is
“nervous.” This suggests vulnerability, which is reinforced
later in the story with more specific submissive actions Maggie
takes. But along with outward vulnerability can be predicted an
inward strength of will, which is confirmed towards the end of the
story when she relinquishes the quilts that Mrs. Johnson says she
deserves more than Dee. This also indicates Mrs Johnson's
sensitivity for Maggie's lack of confidence and corresponding
goodness of heart.
“A Rose for Emily” by William
Faulkner is full of examples where the words of others describe the
main character. This keeps the reader just as distant from Emily as
are the townspeople, who seldom see her. Thus, we know that Emily is
a reclusive being. This sense of detachment is reinforced by some of
the history that the author provides, affirming that curiosity comes
with ignorance. Faulkner also provides characterization through
careful choice of vocabulary. When Miss Emily “vanquished” the
people who came to collect her taxes, it signifies her rare braveness
to use such strong words in blatant absence the usual fear of
rejection.
“The Things They Carried,” by Tim
O'Brien, is centered around the characters and their individual
characteristics, and gives us a lot of insight into the minds of
soldiers. “... including M&Ms for especially bad wounds”
signifies Rat Kiley's awareness that he cannot fix everything. This
also provides insight into soldiers' morale and some of the humor
they use. The author also provides us with some characteristics of
spirituality and superstition, when he describes some of the items
that did not have much, if any, physical weight. Jimmy Cross's
picture of Martha showed his affection for her. “They all carried
ghosts” is placed, almost humorously, to emphasize the simplicity
of the fact. When people say they “couldn't imagine” what
warfighters must go through, the simple fact is, that, neither can
the warfighters. It must be rare for a soldier to provide a
detailed, poetic analyzation of his inner feelings about what has
happened to him, so the simplicity of some of O'Brien's details tells
us that the ghosts they carry cannot be explained. There are no
words to describe them, so they have no choice but to hold it in,
thus explaining some of the psychological havoc that war can wreak on
a human mind.
