Character Analysis Of Ellen Goodman's 'The Company Man'

A character arc is essential in any story, showing what the character has gone through and learned. Usually, this process involves the growth and gained knowledge of the character throughout the story, in a good way. However, in the case of ‘Young Goodman Brown”, the character arc is almost backwards in a sense. He does gain knowledge about the society in a bad way and this affects his perception of the town throughout the story. It is evident that in the text, Goodman Brown is mentally toyed with by the devil and the townspeople so much to the point of breaking down near the completion of the story and is not able to tell what is real anymore. This is evident by his relationship with the devil throughout the story, his motivations for following him into the dangers of the forest, and his changed perspective of the townspeople and clergymen concluding the text. The battle between Brown’s id and his ego and superego, relating to Freudian psychology, greatly affects the outcome of the text.

In The Known World by Edward Jones Jones, Moses’ motive takes a drastic shift. Moses is a slave that is owned by Henry Townsend, a black man who was freed by his father. Moses takes pride in his work and after becoming overseer ensures the plantation is perfect. However, after Henry’s death Moses’ motives change; he wants to be more than an overseer. Moses has been doing much of the work on the plantation and he believes that he should take his place. However, Moses soon find out this will not be as easy as he thinks. Although Moses is overseer on Henry’s plantation, after his death, Moses’ aspiration to take his place, causes Moses to lose everything.

To further express her disdain, Goodman, throughout the eulogy, utilizes syntax to imply how frivolous Phil’s life was. Goodman utilizes repetition to emphasize the insignificance of his life and the death of phil was hardly a tragedy because he devoted to his work rather than having a meaningful existence. She repeatedly states that it was “precisely at 3:00 am” when he died and that “one out of three” men are considered for the “top spot” and repeats this same number for Phil’s “replacement. Throughout the passage Goodman The repetition of this phrase articulates how he was wasted because that was the only thing he had going for him. Essentially, the author’s syntax points out the irony of being perfect in craft when, in fact, he worked so hard on the job that he never really had a life.

(Hurst 466). The narrator says that he was embarrassed of his brother. His brother

In the opening scene of ‘An Inspector Calls’ Gerald Croft is described as “an attractive chap about thirty, rather too manly to be a dandy but very much the easy well-bred man-about-town.” This suggests Gerald is a sophisticated, respectable, well-mannered, attractive young man and has came from an aristocratic background, this is also demonstrated by his parents Lord and Lady Croft choosing to not attend the celebration of his and Sheila’s engagement- reflecting that they do not approve of him marrying into a lower social class. Nevertheless Gerald does not appear fazed by this and attempts to do and say what he feels will impress Mr and Mrs Birling. Gerald is almost portrayed as the ‘perfect son’ for Mr and Mrs Birling as opposed to their own son Eric, who is characterised as less sophisticated, confident and educated. Gerald is practically running his fathers business and is very articulate whilst talking with the Birlings’, as opposed to Eric who is merely working for Mr Birling and is more socially impaired. Gerald has recently engaged to Sheila Birling and is persistent on being a part of the family, as shown when he says “ I insist on being one of the family now. I’ve been trying long enough haven't I? (As she does not reply, with more insistence.) Haven't I? You know I have”. The repetition of "haven't I?" further enhances his longing to be part of the Birling family, although as Sheila is hesitant and questions his claims as he was barely seen all summer so this may actually suggest the engagement is less about him being with Sheila and more about his partnership with the Birling’s business.Moreover, this would represent he is narcissistic and has a superficial mentality, just like Mr and Mrs Birling.

“When I was little I would think of ways to kill my daddy.” This beginning to the novel “Ellen Foster” by Kaye Gibbons, prepares readers to enter the world of one of the most influential and appealing young woman protagonists in modern fiction. Ellen Foster, the main character of the book by Gibbons, is, in my view, the most fascinating and remarkable character in the story. Readers are introduced to the narrator Ellen, a determined, yet mature and individualistic eleven-year-old, who lives in the South during the 1970s. She lives with an alcoholic father and a sick mother. Ellen must go through many hardships and face much trauma, when she foreshadows her mother’s death and the long journey in front of her by saying that a storm is coming- “I can smell the storm and see the air thick with the rain coming.” (p.7). Young Ellen must go through much more than the average child her age, but she knows that she will get her happy ending. After dealing with her abusive father and depressed mother, Ellen deserves to go to a happy family, one that will accept her with smiles on their faces and joy in their eyes. Even if it means jumping from foster home to foster home, from a cruel grandmother to a condescending aunt and cousin, Ellen will find the people that will love her, even if it means first having to go to those who don’t.

In Ken Kesey’s novel “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, the nurse Miss Ratched is a fine example of a realistic fictional villain. Possession of three key components is essential in identifying what makes Miss Ratched a villian. Motive is what drives the villain to commit the very acts that allow them to be considered evil in the first place, and often drive their entire being as a character. While they must possess motive, they must also have a sense of morals that coincides with their motives (typically evil, or distorted) and follow their moral compass in a way that often causes trouble for those around them. Additionally, a villain is frequently associated with their opposite; the hero who combats them. Kesey’s character perfectly aligns with these three categories of what makes a villain, and it is unquestionable that she is the villain of the novel.

Going through the “significant parts” of Phil’s life, Goodman stays away from going into detail about Phil’s relationship with family and work life. She explains a conversation said at the funeral: “... the sixty-year-old company president told the forty-year-old widow that the fifty-one-year-old deceased husband had meant much…” Calling the people by their age and titles, names, and not including exactly what they say. Goodman approaches Phil’s situation with an emotionless and bitter attitude by labeling the people in the passage with very little

Roszak makes a point in his essay about jobs being our salvation, where he describe there is no end to a working life. Roszak describes the waste of time in people’s jobs and that most employees don’t even put all of their effort into them. He figures

He looked at me as if he wished I wasn’t there.” Why is that? What is making poor Gerald so embarrassed? After reading a sentence full of suspense like; “I should tell you here what I found out later at the funeral” we readers start to ask inquisitive questions such as- whose funeral? And what is it that the narrator knows that we don’t? What’s written in the card of the flowers?

Both men, McMurphy and Luke were turned into examples, much like Jesus Christ and left behind a legacy. Luke at the prison was cool without a doubt, motivating all the prisoners to follow his lead which attracted attention of the authority who believed that Luke had to be dealt with since he was getting out of line and also taking the other prisoners with him 'Thats my darling luke, grins like a baby bites like a gator' we see here in this qoute that dragline was one of many whose heart Luke won, dragline calls him 'darling' which shows how much luke is loved by his fellow prisoners and what a huge impact he has had on their personality. When McMurphy started popping the bubbles of the 'rabbits', making them realize that they had been ripped

Whilst reading the novel Fifth Business by Robertson Davies, Dunstan Ramsey has developed many relationships with the characters whom are mentioned in the novel. One who stands out particularly is his relationship with Mary Dempster, the lady he has known for decades. As it is shown in the novel the author Davies has a theme of displaying different archetypes for each one of his characters, including Mary Dempster who identifies to be “The Innocent”. Examples include when she was hit in the head with a snowball, giving items out to the townspeople and losing her son Paul at the young age of ten years old.

Society heavily influences our work agenda, often times pushing a human to the brink of wanting to just hit the easy button and move back in with their parents at age 50. Most people float through life thinking that the only way to be successful is to work the hardest and keep moving forward; however, to achieve success in any endeavor, a person must fail. These such failures can be the epitome of someone's success. Under it all, there is an art to the simplicity of living the easiest life possible.

Goodman uses sarcasm towards Phil’s family to help display that he wasn’t present much in his family’s lives and spent too much time at the office. Goodman labels Phil’s family as “survivors” to portray that even before the death of Phil, the family already was fractured. This is shown even more clearly through

Please accept my most personal condolences and deepest sympathy on the recent death of your son, SPC Patrick Eugene Boss, an American Soldier, and a respectable man. He was a great American Soldier. It takes an exuberant amount of selflessness and courage to serve this great country in the capacity that Patrick did. His resilient character was never tampered regardless of any hardships that he ever endured. He was a true man that would stand for not only himself but others. His dedication to his country and the 1-22 Infantry Bush Hog Battalion will never be forgotten.