Toni Morrison, Andre Dubus, Anton Term Paper

He is identified as follows in the story: "...he had not so much moved through his life as wandered through it, his spirit like a dazed body bumping into furniture and corners. He had always been a fearful father..." This depiction of Matt shows how his love for his family has become a weakness for him, for there is always a fear in him that he will fail as a father to his children and husband to his wife. However, this characterization of Matt changed when Strout, Frank's killer, was released from imprisonment. Matt takes revenge on his own hands, for he believes that he does not deserve the freedom that he got after killing his son. Thus, he now becomes an individual determined to avenge his son, and does so by killing Strout. Matt's characterization in "Killings" illustrates how character transition is achieved by bringing strength to his personality and behavior; however, this character transition resulted to a detrimental effect, and this is reflected in Matt's killing of Strout.

The woman character in Robert Frost's "Home burial" illustrates the strengthening of her character in order to protest against the oppressive nature of her husband. Her husband's killing of their child marks the pivotal point wherein her character changes from being submissive to being radically expressive of her feelings of protests about their child's death. Her running away from her husband at the end of the poem illustrates the accomplishment of the woman's transition, a symbolic representation of her freedom from oppression and being the husband's submissive and abused wife.

Set in post-World War I American society, Krebs' characterization in Hemingway's "Soldier's Home" is a melancholic representation of an individual who is unable to adapt to the changing times.In Krebs, readers can see how time has passed him by, leaving him alone in a rapidly progressing society, wherein conventions such as women's conservative nature are gradually replaced by their increasing freedom to express themselves. Krebs experiences the hard part of a war veteran's suffering: he was totally detached from his society, and his own family feels that he is not yet capable of handling himself psychologically and mentally after the war. In effect, Krebs, until the end of story, was described by Hemingway as an individual resolute to change the course of his life, but we, the audience, know better: that despite Krebs resolution to move on and start his life anew, Hemingway left us feeling disillusioned (like Krebs) about his future life. The 'soldier's home,' in fact made Krebs not 'at home' at all, but was left feeling detached and lonelier than ever.

Lastly, Dmitri Gurov in "Lady with the pet dog" by Chekhov demonstrates a change in character for the benefit of romantic love: Gurov, a self-declared adulterer, falls in love with Anna, and feels the need to finally become emotionally involve with a woman. This radical change in his characterization is illustrated when he finally admits to himself that once in his life, he needed a woman that will not only satisfy his physical needs, but also his emotional need for someone who will understand him and feel for him as a man and partner in life. His decision to leave his wife and live with Anna completes the transition in his character, where he finally has created meaning and purpose in his life for the sake of a loved-one (Anna)......