In ‘Brooklyn’ by Colm Tóibín, ‘The Great Gatsby’ by F. Scott Fitzgerald
(TGG), and ‘How Many Miles to Babylon?’
by Jennifer Johnston (Miles) each author cleverly uses an array of techniques
to mould unforgettable characters. In my
opinion, the most effective techniques used in these texts are the narrator,
conflict, setting and resolution. Each
of these literary devices contributes to the creation of thought-provoking
characters that leave lasting impressions.
Memorable characters are shaped by the author’s use of narration. The perspective of the narrator enhances
characters and makes them interesting.
The third person narrator is used in ‘Brooklyn’. Eilis Lacey is the protagonist and the use of
third person narrator in this novel is extremely appropriate because it
reinforces the idea that Eilis is a bystander in her own life. She is so passive that she is not even
telling her own story. This is different
in ‘TGG’, where Fitzgerald uses the first person narrator, in the form of
flashback. Nick Carraway tells the story
of Jay Gatsby in 1920’s New York. Fitzgerald uses the first person narrator
cleverly and so we get an insight into Nick’s thought process. We learn that perhaps his opinion of Gatsby
is biased. In my opinion, Nick is the
same as Eilis. Despite the use of first
person narrator, Nick is still a bystander.
He is akin to Eilis, because he is not telling his own story
either. He is telling Gatsby’s. Nick stands by as Gatsby initiates a
relationship with a married Daisy Buchanan.
He lets it happen in his own home and watches on as Gatsby was,
‘reclining on the mantel piece in a strained counterfeit of perfect ease’. It is readily apparent that Nick is passive,
similar to Eilis, and the use of the first person narrator helps the reader to
understand this. This style of narration
is also seen in ‘Miles’. Alec tells the
story of the journey of his friendship with Jerry, with the use of flashback,
reminiscent of ‘TGG’. Alec is also similar to Nick; telling his own story but
remaining a passive character. When Alec
and Jerry meet for the first time at the lake, we discover that Alec is
unassertive. Jerry is of a lower social
class, but he is in complete control of the situation, and certainly doesn’t
lack confidence. Jerry invites Alec into
the lake, ‘come on in, why don’t you?’
Jerry is essentially inviting him into the friendship. Despite the fact that Jerry is trespassing on
Alec’s property, Alec, like Nick and Eilis, responds passively and allows it to
happen. In my opinion, the style of
narration is extremely effective in all three texts. The narrator helps in creating characters and
in letting the reader understand their motives and opinions. The passive character is echoed in all three
texts and it is clear to me that this influences the plot. It also certainly contributes to shaping
memorable characters.
Conflict is the most significant technique used in all three texts, in
my opinion. Conflict adds so much to a
story. It takes a mundane novel and
turns it into a compelling and thought-provoking story. Conflict shapes memorable characters because
it gives the reader an insight into their mind.
How they react to conflict and tension makes them memorable. In ‘Brooklyn’, Eilis returns home following
the death of her sister and begins a relationship with Jim Farrell, despite the
fact that she is now married to Tony in Brooklyn. She is confronted by Miss Kelly, her former
employer, who knows about Eilis’s infidelity.
She confronts Eilis in a ‘skittish’ tone, ‘Miss Lacey? If that’s what
your name is now’. Miss Kelly represents
a higher power that stands opposed to Eilis’s illicit relationship. Eilis is shaken with fear, that Tony will
learn of her betrayal, and her reaction to this subtle, yet powerful conflict
moulds her into a memorable character.
Her passivity is again reinforced as she leaves Miss Kelly’s house
hastily, not standing up for herself.
She knows now that she will have no choice but to return to Brooklyn. This
conflict sets the resolution of the story in motion and because of that; we
learn that self-preservation is Eilis’s priority. Daisy Buchanan is very similar to Eilis. After engaging in a relationship with Gatsby,
Tom confronts them at a hotel, where Nick,
Jordan, Tom,
Daisy and Gatsby are all spending the afternoon. ‘I suppose the latest thing is to sit back and
let Mr Nobody from Nowhere make love to your wife’, Tom confronts Gatsby, but
Gatsby assures him that ‘She’s never loved you. She loves me’. It is readily apparent that Eilis’s traits
are mirrored in Daisy. She, like Eilis ,
is shaken with fear and responds with passivity, not knowing who to choose,
before ultimately deciding on the safety and security of her marriage with
Tom. This makes her a memorable
character in my opinion. Her behaviour
is frustrating for the reader, so much so that she is ultimately unforgettable.
The conflict in ‘Miles’ is similar to ‘Brooklyn’,
but disparate from ‘TGG’. Unlike ‘TGG’,
where the conflict is between two individuals vying for Daisy’s attention, the
conflict in ‘Miles’ is between an authority figure and a young person, which is
akin to ‘Brooklyn’. Major Glendinning
confronts Alec, which is reminiscent of Miss Kelly’s encounter with Eilis. ‘Let it be understood once and for all that I
will have no talking between the men and the officers’, Major Glendinning warns
Alec about his friendship with Jerry. Again
we see how a conflict shapes a character.
Like Eilis and Daisy, Alec too responds passively and continues to be a
bystander. However, unlike Eilis and
Daisy, Alec soon becomes a memorable character because he changes. Similar to ‘Brooklyn’,
this conflict sets the resolution into motion, but unlike Eilis, Alec’s priority
is not self-preservation, he makes a tremendous and tragic sacrifice for his
friend, and is moulded into a memorable character for positive reasons.
Setting plays a major role in each text by influencing each character’s
behaviour and, in turn, shaping them into a lasting character. It is clear to me that in each text, social
class and society motivates characters and influences how the plot
develops. In ‘Brooklyn’, Ireland is
portrayed as a strict and prohibitive place in the 1950’s. This is evident in Eilis’s final conversation
with her mother. Her mother merely asks
is her husband ‘nice’, after she learns of her daughter’s marriage. It is clear from her mother’s reaction that
duty overruled love and all importance was placed on the legal obligation of
marriage. This certainly influences
Eilis’s behaviour and shapes her into a memorable character. Society at this time deems divorce and
affairs as taboo and because of this Eilis meekly overlooks her love for Jim
and returns to her life in Brooklyn. Society in 1920’s New
York in ‘TGG’ is the opposite of that of 1950’s Ireland. It is a society in which divorce and affairs
were the norm. It is a society which is
far more liberal. Daisy and Gatsby do
not see anything wrong with their relationship, because society did not frown
upon it. Daisy then acts carelessly at
the end of the novel because society will not punish her for it. She leaves a path of destruction behind her,
leaving others to clear up her mess.
Therefore, like Eilis, setting affects Daisy’s decision making and
ultimately moulds her into a memorable character.
Resolution is also a key technique in shaping memorable characters in
each text. In both ‘Brooklyn’
and ‘TGG’, Eilis and Daisy engage in extra-marital affairs. Both easily walk away from these affairs at
the end of the story in order to avoid conflict. As their reality collides with their fantasy,
both characters’ responses are similar and, in turn, make them unforgettable. Both are passionately involved in their relationships,
but both ultimately choose security, by choosing their husbands. This action shapes both Daisy and Eilis into
characters that are hard to forget. They
leave lasting impressions on the reader and it is these final impressions that
make them memorable.
The resolution in ‘Miles’ also shapes Alec into a very memorable
character because he is no longer like Eilis and Daisy. He is no longer a bystander in his own
life. He saves Jerry from the most
ignoble of deaths: death by firing squad, by shooting him himself, ‘I shut my
own eyes and pulled with my finger’. By
doing this, Alec stands out from Eilis and Daisy as a character who takes
control and no longer aims for self-preservation. It is an act of genuine love, in contrast
with the acts of betrayal and deception in ‘Brooklyn’
and ‘TGG’. In all three texts, memorable
characters are moulded because of the resolution. Eilis, Daisy and Alec leave lasting
impressions and opinions in the reader’s mind.
In my opinion, Eilis and Daisy leave negative impressions because of
their selfish actions, whereas Alec leaves a positive impression due to his
admirable action at the end of the novel.
Ultimately, I wholly agree that various techniques shape memorable
characters. In each text, each author
cunningly makes use of narration, conflict, setting and resolution. These techniques are most effective in
shaping Eilis, Daisy and Alec into unforgettable characters. In my opinion, it is the contribution of
these techniques that causes the reader to remember a character, long after
they have finished reading the novel.
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