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Michael Fekield Character Quotes

Decent Essays

Keith, a young boy who grew up in the Close, makes a statement that starts the events that take place in this book. At the beginning of the book, Keith seems to be the protagonist, whereas Stephen, is merely his side-kick, but in the end, as the reader finds out more about Keith’s true colours, he seems less deserving of this title. The reader learns about his unpleasant character through his physical description, background, and his relationship with others.

His personality is depicted as harsh, and controlling throughout the book. Stephen, the narrator, refers to him as “the leader”, which suggests that he is the one in charge. In addition, he also uses the adjective “dominant” when describing him, which once again implies that he is the one who makes decisions. Michael Frayn uses verbs and adverbs with negative connotations such as “orders”; “snatches them away” and “coldly” when describing his actions to give us further insight into his personality. The word “orders” links back to the idea of Keith being the leader, since ordering somebody to do something is an act of authority. The fact that he snatches something away from Stephen, gives the impression that he is malicious and rude, since instead of asking politely, he just takes it out of his hands. “Coldly” not only depicts him as lacking sympathy but also makes the reader think of cold-blooded reptiles, like snakes, which are often linked to evil in literature. Stephen also uses the adverb “authoritatively” to describe the way Keith wrote the sign that says ‘Privet’, demonstrating …show more content…

Barbara Berrill mentions that everybody except Stephen thinks that he’s “stuck up”. The author also states that “Keith treats both dogs and children with equal disdain”. The comparison between his behaviour towards animals and children provides an explanation as to why he has no

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