Personality In Jodi Picoult's 'Nineteen Minutes'

One’s character subconsciously influences her actions so her behaviours towards others reflects one’s character. In” Valentine’s Day” by Stuart McLean, the protagonist Stephanie enjoys and suffers from romances at her school, and her reactions to other characters reveal her self-conscious, simple, and easygoing character.

This research discusses the many different ways of how society can influence identity. In the book the girl who fell from the sky by Heidi Durrow, it talks about a girl named Rachel Morse. Rachel Morse tries to put her tragic past behind her by keeping away her feelings. She goes to live with her grandmother. Rachel pretends to be a new girl after her mother killed herself and her siblings. As life starts to get hard for her, she remembers her father’s promise that he would come back and get her. The years passed and her father did not come which made Rachel gets more and more annihilate by the way she is judged based on the color of her skin. After Rachel started school in Portland, she became aware of being bi-racial. She believed

In the novel Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes an important theme that becomes clear through Sheila's character is that being comfortable in your own skin is very important.

of a girl who was misunderstood. Throughout her childhood and young adulthood, Daphne struggled with identifying with her feelings. Daphne was constantly searching for an answer to why she felt different. Daphne wanted to “fit in” but she knew she was unconventional. The different labels she was given through out her psychiatric stay stuck with her and left a scar of how she was once perceived.

Self image is crucial for an individual’s sense of well being. It can also be a source for their identity and dreams for the future. As well, others’ impressions of the individual considerably affects their view of themselves. This interaction can either build their self esteem or tear it down. In his short story, “The Glass Roses”, Alden Nowlan explores the idea that when an individual is coming of age and is struggling to determine their identity, how others’ perceive them - specifically father figures - deeply influences how they perceive themselves. Stephen, the protagonist, is a fifteen year old boy on the cusp of adulthood working in his father’s woodcutting company. As he finds fascination in beauty and feels enslaved by the work, he fails to gain his father’s approval and falls to depression. Fortunately, he forms a friendship with the Polack, who provides a kinder definition of being a man as well as a hope for the future.

Picoult’s novels are aimed at a mature audience, whether that is from adult to young adult-if they are emotionally ready to read it. Nineteen Minutes is a tragic and emotional novel, but teenagers are able to relate more due to the teenage characters and high school setting.

In a superficial society, one may be labeled by how they appear, but what lies inside them could be completely different. This is demonstrated in “Girl Who Loved her Horses,” by Drew Hayden Taylor. A young girl, Danielle, surprises the other children with a spectacular piece of art. Danielle, although seemingly shy and invisible, possesses a determination for drawing her horse, and inside, is full of strength and energy. Danielle is shy and introverted to the point that the other children hardly realize she exists.

personalities that can be interpreted in many ways by its audience. The story begins when

The movie, The DUFF, is a typical high school movie that revolves around a senior girl named Bianca who at the beginning of the movie is completely contented with who she really was. She had two very attractive and popular best friends who were Jess and Casey. The story all began when Madison, aka the mean popular girl who seeks for attention at school invited them to a night party at her house. Well at first, Bianca doesn’t want to come. As she heard that her crush Toby will be there; she was forced to come. During the party, Wesley, who is her childhood friend whom she doesn’t like that much come to talk to her. It was a normal conversation until he suddenly called her the “Duff” which is the abbreviated term for Designated Ugly Fat Friend. After that incident, Bianca’s life was not the same as it was before. She tried to sought for a change and asked Wes’ help for her to transform from a Duff into somebody that actually fit in among the crowd. After going through lots of changes, she was then able to realize things that she never thought of before. At the end, she was able to understand that being a Duff is not actually a bad thing because in reality, we are always going to be somebody’s duff. This movie analysis paper will define, describe and make connections between the three important concepts including self-concept, perception, and self-esteem in relation to the movie, The DUFF.

Isolation can result in a lowered self-esteem. In the book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, the reader can see the impact that isolation has on the main character, Melinda. Melinda sees herself as a person with "Two muddy-circle eyes under black-dash eyebrows, piggy-nose nostrils and a chewed-up horror of a mouth" (Anderson 17). In this passage, we see that Melinda feels degraded just because she has no friends. Teens may also isolate themselves because of their body image. "For some, the desire to look as perfect as these models can become

Just before she entered high school, Melinda was smart and on the verge of popularity. She was a straight B student and had a group of close, reliable friends, but her life changed

Teenagers are young, naïve and impressionable. They are also insecure and usually sometimes unable to express themselves so they put others down. They are pressured daily to do things they really don’t want to do. They often find themselves doing something they said they would never do. Because of the influence of those around them, they are trying to cover their insecurities by saying things to make others feel bad about themselves. The traits above describe the two main characters in the short story “Bernice Bobs Her Hair”. Both Bernice and Marjorie are young teens dealing with the pressure of being popular and fitting in. Bernice, being the quieter, shyer girl, deals with trying to fit in in a place she feels she doesn’t belong.

Set This House in Order, a novel written by Matt Ruff, features the journeys of two characters with Multiple Personality Disorder. This novel gives its readers a look into the complex mind of two different multiple personality cases. Throughout the novel, these characters, Andrew Gage and Penny Driver, come to terms with their MPD and the events that lead to the conception of their disorder. This essay will focus on the characterization of the main character Andrew Gage. In Literature Approaches To Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, characterization is defined as “the means by which writers present and reveal characters” (DiYanni 60). The process by which Matt Ruff characterizes Andrew is what drives the plot throughout the book.

The world is inhabited by people of unique personalities and traits. People notice one another’s physical appearances, talents, and habits, but their stories are unknown to the world’s prying eyes. A secure world never allows an individual to go out of their comfort zone. Only in times of trial will an individual grow and prosper. Such adversity develops and molds a person’s character, revealing obscure skills and dexterity.

People model themselves after those they admire. Of course, people cannot simply become someone they are not. Instead, to become the person they want to be, they may need to play a character. In the novel Hate List and Nineteen, characters’ public personas allow them to achieve their inner desires. Whether it is to become a hero, to gain control, or to be loved, each character develops a fake public persona that allows them to become the person they want to be.