4-1 Discussion The Story of Our Characters First, think for a moment about your own town, city, state, or country. Where do you live, and how has that affected you as a person? When you think about your own customs, food, transportation system, clothing, social status, religion and social trends — or the absence of any of these—what stands out in your mind about what makes you yourself? Two sayings come to mind when I must describe myself, the first is, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times …” by Dickens, and the second is the Klingon proverb– ‘revenge is a dish that is best served cold’ [Just Kidding]. The second saying is “cogito, ergo sum, I think, therefore I am” by Descartes. However, in the last 15 years, a new saying seemed to seep into the sinews of my life, “[Andrew], sooner or later you're going to realize just as I did that there's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.” [Morpheus: The Matrix]. Maybe I’ve been jaded but these really show my state of mind. In reference to “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times …”; I feel that at 58 years old, I wonder if I’ll win a billion dollars, or get hit by a bicycle going 200 mph. And the second thought I get is, cogito, ergo sum, which lets me accept a day full of ecstasy, or a day with a razored-bladed slide with alcohol lubricating my descent. And the third thought, “There's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.” This is a compass to steer me away from bullshit. After you self-reflect, discuss how Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" illustrates the idea that a number of factors contribute to characterization. What is notable about the effects of the 19th-century communication system, train, family structure, and social trends in the story? Even though the main character seems to be a “victim of circumstances” and environment, her reactions to these external stimuli are deep seeded and show us that sometimes you don’t know you’re real feelings until the appropriate situation for said feelings. The notable effects can be bifurcated into two diametrically opposed categories: external/internal. The two externals were the communication and train which were slow in movement. The two internals were family and society. However important these elements are, “Characters are the core of a story and interact with or influence every other element of [the story] (Gotham Writer's Workshop 25-26)” In addition, all the characters in a story, are like real people you meet in real life, even the cardboard characters (Gotham Writer's Workshop 25) How might you describe the atmosphere and tone? Tense, to put it mildly. Though at first, it seemed that it was a sad account for all in the story, the mood is changed dramatically for the main character. This is cleverly foreshadowed by the following excerpt: There stood, facing the open window, a comfortable, roomy armchair. Into this she sank, pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul. She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life. The delicious breath of rain was in the air. In the street below a peddler was crying his wares. The notes of a distant song which [someone] was singing reached her faintly, and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves. There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds that had met and piled one above the other in the west facing her window. Then her deepest trepidation arises and strikes her down: When the doctors came, they said she had died of heart disease—of joy that kills. We must never forget that “Tone of voice is an emotional indicator… (Kress 110).” And this indicator is the “laugh track of the fiction “show” Based on the description in the story, identify what kind of man Brently Mallard is. Overall, Mr. Mallard is a cardboard character that has an intense sense of being that is so powerful, that Louise dies because of the thought of a continual existence with him, in other words, Mr. Brently Mallard. This situation is a good example of “[looking] for ways to make irony work [for the story] (Rozelle 115). In closing, “A character is usually an imaginary person (DeMaria), however, there are exceptions, a good one is the house in Ray Bradbury’s short story, “There Will Come Soft Rains.” Works Cited Bradbury, Ray. "August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains." Charters, Ann. The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction. Boston: Bedford/St Martin's, n.d. 122-126. DeMaria, Robert. The College Handbook of Creative Writing. Boston: Wadsworth, 2014. Gotham Writer's Workshop. "Character: Casting Shadows." Workshop, Gotham Writer's. Gotham Writer's Workshop: Writing Fiction. Ed. Alexander Steele. New York: Bloomsbury, 2003. 25-51. Kress, Nancy. Write Great Fiction: Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint: Techniques and exercises for crafting dynamic charaters and effective viewpoints. New York: Penguin Random House LLC, 2005. Rozelle, Ron. Write Great Fiction: Description & Setting: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting a Believable World of People, Places, and Events. Cincinnati: F+W Publications, Inc, 2005. When responding to your classmates, reflect on how your reading of Chopin's story shares similarities and differences with your peers. Elaborate on how one's upbringing can directly impact characterization in your writing. Dan Saiers Hi Dan, you stated that “In the late 1800s… [w]omen were expected to be a bit subservient, and maybe not have such thoughts about their husband.” With all due respect, saying “a bit subservient” is a galactic understatement [a galaxy far away]. To understate female servitude in that era is to not appreciate the magnitude of the subjugation Zwssthat was ubiquitous in the United States. However, I agree with your other observations. At first I was going to disagree with your statement “I read somewhere that a person's personality and how they see the world throughout their life is largely determined by their childhood friends. ” However, after thinking of the trauma I went through with someone I thought was my friend, I was convinced, you were right.
