Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Prompt 7: Unique Characters
Every character ever created is unique
from another. While they may share similarities with others, they are never the
exact same. The first and most essential part of recognizing the uniqueness of a
character is how the author portrays them. Their background, their features,
their lifestyle, and many other items come together to form the basic structure
of a character. These items usually set the tone for how an author means to
present the character to others. Take Tom Joad for example. From the beginning
of Grapes, he is fleshed out as a rugged but hardworking individual who has
strong connections to his family. The intricacies of Tom’s interaction with
other characters throughout the book also help create his personality.
Steinbeck creates his protagonist to appear as a rogue on the run with morals
that seem nobler than that of his previous action of murder. However, what truly
makes a character unique is how a person interacts and connects with the
character. Personally, I connected with Tom Joad through a respectful
reverence. His perseverance and unwavering resolve which shines throughout the
book made me aspire to be like him when going through trials and tribulations
of my own. For me, now, Tom Joad is much more than a character in a book. He is
a symbol of strength when times get tough. The way you interacted with Tom
could have been nothing like my experience, and that is what makes characters so
unique. Authors may never truly see the impact their characters have on people
because each person experiences characters in their own unique way.
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Ryan,
ReplyDeleteYour ideas about what make a character unique are, well, unique. It's interesting to think that what really makes them unique is the unique ways different people interact with them. I wonder how authors feel about seeing their characters interpreted and connected with in so many different ways. It must be difficult to write characters in ways in which they can be relatable and connected with while still achieving the author's intent. In How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Foster reminds the reader that characters aren't people. Does that mean, though, that we shouldn't treat them like people? In some ways, they seem more human than real life people are.
Ryan,
ReplyDeleteAlthough I like most of your ideas and views in this, I don’t necessarily agree with your opinion on how every character is unique. I see what you mean, but there are many characters that are only created to make a certain statement in the story. Think of Daisy from The Great Gatsby. She had no character except for what Gatsby gave her and only existed to prove a point. Her character was in no way unique—actually she was based around the idea of a dream Gatsby wanted to have. In fiction, there are quite a few Daisy-type characters in that those people only exist to make a statement and the more into fiction I get, the more frequently I find these characters. But your final statement about how people interpret and experience a character is unique to each reader is, I believe, the only way to see any of these types of characters. Aside from this, though, your blog pretty much agreed with everything I thought about uniqueness.
Ryan, I love your analysis of Tom Joad! I believe Steinbeck wanted Tom to be symbolic of strength and representative of these resilient farm families.
ReplyDeleteRyan, I agree and disagree with you. I think that characters are unique, but I agree with Rhi in saying that many characters lose their human aspect when you realize that they are only created to make a specific point. I like your views on Tom Joad because I never really thought about how important his interactions were. I also like how you saw him as more than a character because he symbolized strength through his actions. Reading what Alycia added was also very interesting because Foster does say that characters are not real people, but it is almost impossible to not treat them like real people and feel involved with their lives.
ReplyDeleteIn the book How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Foster says "characters in literature are representations of human beings. Literary people are made up of words." According to Foster, characters are "illusions that suggest real people." So, with that being said, I do agree with you that characters in literature are unique because people are unique. Memorable characters appear throughout literature, for example, Huck Finn. There has never been anyone in American literature quite like Huck Finn. But looking up at Morgan's comment, I don't agree with her when she says characters lose their human aspect just because the writer invented them to move the plot along.
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ReplyDeleteRyan, you said, "However, what truly makes a character unique is how a person interacts and connects with the character." I completely agree. A character is just a character. What makes a character "alive" is a reader's ability to connect and interact with the character.
ReplyDeleteUsually, readers find a character in a story that they grow to favor. However, that character is simply a work of fiction. What makes that character seem alive is not the way the author writes about him/ her, but it is the way the character appeals to the reader. Therefore, every character is unique to each reader because it is based off personal experiences and interpretations.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Ryan when you explained that some characters “may share similarities with others, they are never the exact same.” What makes a character unique is their distinct characteristics. For example, you explained that in John Steinbeck’s novel, The Grapes of Wrath” the character Tom Joad has a complex personality. According to Thomas Foster the complexity of the character separates a round character from a flat character. You also explained that you connected with Joad and this is important while reading. If readers are not interested with the characters they will not be interested with the story. I also agree with Morgan and Rhi when saying that some characters are created to make a point. In the case of Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gastby this may be true. She was an unobtainable figure that taunted Jay Gatsby, but there would not be a story if it were not for Daisy.