The Third And Final Continent By Jumpha Lahiri And Nightfall On The Waterway

Many short stories written nowadays are written nowadays in third person to ensure that the audience receives a well-rounded, factual story. The third person POV, however, is extremely broad and can be interpreted in a multitude of different ways by various authors. An astonishing example of the third person variety is a comparison between A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner and The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. While Faulkner’s piece demonstrates a mysterious third person POV, O’Brien’s piece takes the third person POV onto an uncommon emotional journey.

Every story has a setting. Whether it is in this world or one that is completely imaginary, the setting of any story is necessary in order to understand the characters. The characters in the following three short stories are shaped by their setting and would not be the same if the setting was different. Over the course of each story it is easy to see how vital the setting is in order for the reader to fully understand the characters and their lives. Therefore, while the reader reads these stories they must analyze how the setting affects the characters, the obstacles that the setting creates, and what it tells us about the characters.

In short stories, often an author can find him/herself limited on space to develop one or more of the story’s characters. A skilled author can use small vignettes to relate instances of character development that can be used to infer a relationship with the character. These passages can be a line or two, but can carry the weight of a full chapter if executed properly. Will Weaver paints an idyllic farm scene in “A Gravestone Made of Wheat,” featuring a full cast of traditional characters. Nevertheless, through glimpses into specific instances in Olaf and Inge’s respective lives together, the audience can appreciate their nontraditional nature.

Being subjected through sets of dramatic circumstances, both Shukumar and Lee attempt to strive forward to keep what is left of their relationships close, yet their unforgiving fates drive their determination toward their very limits. Throughout my readings in “A temporary Matter” by Jhumpa Lahiri and “Coming Home Again” by Chang-Rae Lee, the authors of both novels foretell that unresolved conflicts and despondent settings are very detrimental to the development of human character.

(HOOK) The characters that are present in short stories can leave an imprint on one’s vision of literature for an eternity. (CI) These memorable characters have made an impact on the way I view literature, primarily because of the way that I have been able to relate to them. (GS1) One character is a powerful, but envious princess. (GS2) Another is an abandoned orphan who seeks for love and companionship through his honesty and openness. (GS3) A final character shows her aptitude for her passions, but often finds herself quarreling with those that are closest to her. (GS4) When I read the stories involving these characters, I see myself in their places. (GS5) I relate to a multitude of their traits and characteristics, whether they are positive or negative. (THESIS STATEMENT) I can best relate to the short story fictional characters of (I) the princess in Frank. R Stockton’s “The Lady, or the Tiger?”, (II) Jerry in Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’s “A Mother in Mannville”, and (III) Waverly Jong in Amy Tan’s “Rules of the Game.”

The Third and Final Continent, in the book Interpreter of the Maldives by Jhumpa Lahiri, depicts the life of the narrator. The narrator first meets Mrs. Croft, who is 103 years old, when he requests a room in her house. Mrs. Croft's belief in American tradition is evident by her, “long black skirt that spread like a stiff tent to the floor, and starched white shirt edged with ruffles…” This description shows that she has yet to adapt to the current American culture. When first introduced to Mala, the narrator’s wife, it is evident that she has yet to begin to emulate the American culture, like Mrs. Croft, by what she is wearing. Mala is described as wearing her sari, “draped in a sign of bridal modesty over her head,” and this shows that Mala is still heavily immersed in her Indian culture. Mala adapted to the American culture and this is evident when it is stated that she, “no longer drapes the end of her sari over her head…” This change in description of her sari proves that Mala took in American culture.

Author Thomas Foster thoroughly examines the overall concept of characters in his book “How to Read Literature Like a Professor.” He discusses round and flat character and how this impacts the eventual outcome of the characters, themselves. Although all characters are vital and add their own value to the plot, it just so happens that certain characters are more significant than others. This results in the more minor character suffering more hardships and in many cases dying in the story. This part of Foster’s book brought up many similarities to the novel “The Book Thief.”

Theme of the story: The conditions of a character's life has a direct influence on how they act in the novel.

THE LIFEGUARD: He had influenced McMurphy to start obeying or at least keeping quiet to whatever Big Nurse did. He made McMurphy realize that Big Nurse had control over him and that it was in his best interest to not lash out on her or taunt her. He sparked a change in the way McMurphy acted and he made McMurphy go through that period of being docile which was one of the causes for Cheswick feeling betrayed.

The minor characters in a story can play such a major role. In the novel, “The Strange Case of Dr .Jekyll and Mr.Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson, the readers are introduced to several minor characters, such as Lanyon, Enfield, Carew, and Poole, who help advance the plot. Hastie Lanyon was an old friend of Jekyll who wrote a letter to Utterson about what he witnessed, Richard Enfield told the story of the door , Sir Danvers Carew was murdered by Hyde, and Poole was Jekyll’s butler who got Utterson for help. These minor characters play a major role in the plot.

The simplistic plot of the novel and the overall theme of love allows the author to span the lives of the main characters. The reader sees the span of the life of two of the main characters, Sidda and her mother

(Mahlis) Kincaid relates the mothers of her works to “tough love”. Tough love turns into the daughter weakly trying to overcome this harsh, unfeeling “love” and failing. The daughters in most of Jamaica Kincaid’s works would become mentally unsure of herself until they find their identities, away from the mother. The feelings between daughter and mother transform too. During the years of youth, the mother is idolized and can do no wrong. As the daughter grows and matures, the mother is resented for the mental “bullying” and unnecessary castigation dealt out in childhood. (Simmons) In the novel, Lucy, the main character is truly weakened by the feelings she has for her mother and home. The same feelings apply to both subjects that are irrevocably seared into her soul as unconquerable hurdles. Ironically, Lucy frets over becoming her mother as she becomes her mother.

In many stories, the main characters carry the plot of a story throughout the book. The author often expresses the message that he desires the reader to receive through their thoughts and actions. Yet, the minor characters often have a large affect on the outcome of the book, although it is not quite as obvious to the reader. By altering the thoughts or actions of the main characters, a seemingly minor player in a novel may actually, at closer examination, be an important player in the plot. In the short story Benito Cereno, by Herman Melville, the minor character, Atufal, largely influenced Captain Delano, who is a main character. Delano’s assessments and opinions aboard the Spanish ship were

The success of literary works depends greatly on the quality of its characters, which is why it is essential to have characters, both major and minor, with distinct and contrasting personalities. Not only are minor characters used as foils for the major characters by emphasizing their important character traits, but in many cases they furthermore play a crucial role in the advancement of the plot. In the three novels that were examined this year, The Great Gatsby, The Kite Runner, and The Handmaids Tale, the minor character had a pivotal role in the development of the plot. In The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway is not only the narrator but he is the image of order in a society of disorder. In The Kite Runner, Rahim Khan is the moral center

The novel consists of sixteen interrelated stories centred on the lives of four Chinese immigrant mothers and their four American-born daughters. Each four sections of the novel begin with a short parable set in italics and Tan uses parallelism, repeating similar elements of the story to introduce each four individual stories and to emphasize the conflict between the mother and daughter, familiarizing the reader with it.