The way characters react to particular situations is crucial in any story. Characters are only as interesting as their responses to situations and events in the work. This document analyses various characters and two fictional stories in order to prove that this statement holds. An author uses characters to act in various roles in his/her work and in a manner that will help to develop the plot. In any fictional work, there are various characters depending on the plot and the overall goal of the author. Major characters are the center of attention throughout the plot. They help in the development of the plot and are involved in resolving of the conflict in the work at the end of the plot. Minor characters are used to develop the role of the major character. Other variations in the categorization of the characters are based on their behaviors throughout the plot. In this perspective, dynamic characters are characters who change from time to time as the story progresses. They do this because of scenarios and events happening throughout the plot. On the other hand, static characters do not change as the plot develops. A round character is one whose personality is not easy to define and understand. A flat character is one whose personality is easily identifiable. The main character in the work is referred to as the protagonist who is faced with a conflict and tries to resolve it as the plot develops. An antagonist may be a character or a situation that bothers the protagonist. It is upon the protagonist to find means of understanding and resolving the dispute between him/her with the antagonist. Lastly, a symbolic character is a character used by the author to symbolize a perception used in the plot that is happening in the society. A symbolic character portrays real life occurrences in the society but in a symbolic manner throughout the story.
Accordingly, characters’ responses to events in the story influences the reader’s understanding and makes their roles more interesting. This helps raise the reader’s curiosity that will drive him/her to continue reading the story. Different readers will get a different perception and understanding of a piece of work. Research indicates that various readers have different interest in characters reactions. To understand how much a character's response influences the reader’s interest and perception of a story, it would be a great idea to have a look at various stories by different authors. The rest of this document analyses two stories and focuses on the key areas of the stories that help to show the reaction of characters and how this influences the overall plot.
“Barn burning” and “The Tell-Tale Heart”
Barn burning is a story about Snopes that struggles with a number of challenges. The story begins with one of the sons, Sartoris contemplating about his father’s action. His father has been accused by Mr. Harris of burning his barn. In court, the court lacks enough evidence to prove that Snopes is guilty but is sent away from the county. In the new area, the family meets Major de Spain who owns the farm where they will be working. Snopes continues with his mischievous behaviors. In one scenario, he destroys de Spain’s rug while cleaning it off his dirt. He is charged but refuses to admit his crimes. His behaviors continue to get worse and even to the extent of attempting to burn de Spain’s barn. This time Sartoris alerts the major and his father is shot severally.
As such, “The Tell-Tale Heart” drama narration by a man about his actions in committing a murder. He kills an old man after his instincts alert him that the old man’s heart pounding may signal the neighbors of his scary entry to the old man’s house. He brutally kills him, dismembers his body, and hides the body parts under the floorboard in the bedroom. Unluckily, police had been notified of the old man’s shriek and came to the house. The man acts welcomes them to the house calmly, but in the end ends up narrating the ordeal. This happens because his mind tells him that the police officers will hear the pounding of the dead man’s heart.
In the analogy of the two stories, the characters play a key role in the development of the plot. Moreover, they help readers to understand the story through their reactions. In the “Barn burning” story, Sartoris reactions help to resolve the conflict of the plot. He acted under the instructions of his father who committed several crimes but counted on him to cheat on what had happened. His father goes to the extent of order his mother to restrain him when he attempted to stop him from doing crime. He struggles and ends up stopping his father from burning the Spain’s barn. His reactions to the whole story helps to keep involved in the development of the plot and understanding fully what was happening.
Additionally, in the “The Tell-Tale Heart” drama, the author uses a narrator to develop the story. The use of descriptive words such as “the old man’s blue eyes” and dismembering help readers in developing mental images of the scenario. The narrator’s actions depict a confused person, but his narration seems to contradict. He claims that he is not a mad man but his actions depict otherwise. When police officers enter the crime scene, he behaves so calmly to the extent that the police officers don’t even have a clue of what had happened. He welcomes them to the house and even engages them in a chat. While chatting, he alarmingly hears pounding. Confused, he thinks it’s the old man’s heart trying to pass a signal to the police officers. He ends up narrating what he had done to the police officers who promptly arrest and detain him.
Particularly, a character’s reaction in a story can have a dramatic effect on how the story develops. Reactions and use of certain words helps to send a message about the conflict developing. This keeps the readers engaged in the plot. Without these kinds of reactions, the author would not have been in a position to clearly illustrate the actual occurrences in the story. Right choice of words and reactions helps capture the reader’s mind to the fictional world. By analyzing various fictional stories, a character’s reaction is understood and analyzed to indicate the level of influence it had on the readers. The goal of the author is to capture the attention of the readers and have them read the story from the beginning to the end. He does this by wittingly employing various characters who react in different ways to scenarios. This helps to bring out the meaning of the statement by Henry James that characters are only as interesting as their responses to particular situations.
Works Cited
Bernardo, Karen. Types of Characters in Fiction. n.d. http://learn.lexiconic.net/characters.htm. 16 June 2013.
Fasher, James M. and Ramona S. Frasher. "Influence of Story Characters' Roles on Comprehension." The Reading Teacher 32.2 (1978): 160-164. 16 June 2013. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/20194721>.
Faulkner, William. Barn Burning. Paperblank Book Company, 1996.
Poe, Edgar Allan. The Tell-Tale Heart. Juvenile Fiction, 2009.
