Characterization of Gabriel from “The Dead”, by James Joyce, and a sequel to “The Dead”. Examine how your character changes over the course of the story.
Part A
This portion of the assignment will be a character analysis essay. You are to characterize Gabriel from the story “The Dead” by James Joyce. One of the most important elements of literature is character development. Examine how your character changes over the course of the story.
Remember that when an author creates a character, he or she uses several methods to help the reader create a mental image of the character. Sometimes an author uses direct statement to give the reader information about a character. A writer will simply tell the reader that the character is mean or brave or honest. As readers, we do not have to guess because we are told the information.
Another method of revealing a character’s traits is indirect characterization. This method allows the reader to take pieces of information and put them together to draw a conclusion (make an inference) about a character.
There are five ways that an author uses indirect characterization:
- Describing the character’s appearance.
- Showing the character’s actions.
- Allowing the reader to hear the character speak.
- Revealing the character’s thoughts and feelings.
- Showing how others react to the character.
Find examples of each kind of indirect characterization in the story. This information will be the basis of your essay.
Your essay will have three parts. The introduction will include general comments about the character and the story. (Be sure to identify the author and title of the story, as well as the character’s name.) These statements will lead you to your thesis statement. Some questions to address in your introduction might include:
- Why did you select the character?
- What do you like or dislike about this character?
- Analyze how the character changes over the course of the story.
- Do you identify with this character on any level?
- What does the author want the reader to feel for this character?
You will develop a thesis statement that is directly related to the traits of your character to be proven throughout the body paragraphs in the essay.
A thesis statement is a sentence or two that tells the reader what the rest of the essay is about. A good thesis statement does not simply announce a topic; it says something about the topic, and it provides the framework for your paper. Never start a paper with, “In this paper, I will discuss . . .” An example of a good thesis statement is:
In the story “The Dead” by James Joyce, Gabriel realizes that the living and dead are not that different, thus changing his perspective on the life he is living.
Each body paragraph will start with a topic sentence that includes one character trait that you choose to describe for your character. Follow the topic sentence with evidence from the story to support your topic sentence. Use at least one direct quotation form the story in each body paragraph to support your ideas. These quotations must be correctly documented according to the MLA guidelines.
The following is an example of a topic sentence with a quotation from “The Dead” by James Joyce:
Gabriel’s epiphany brings him to the realization that the love he holds for his wife is shallow compared to the love Michael Furey had for Gretta, noting: “He had never felt like that himself towards any woman but he knew that such a feeling must be love” (Joyce 991).
| After every quote, write the author’s last name and the page number that the quote is found on in parenthesis, followed by a period. |
Next, explain how your examples support your topic. Conclude each paragraph with a closing sentence that will naturally lead to the next topic. You will have at least three to five body paragraphs.
Your final paragraph will be your conclusion. Restate your thesis statement in a fresh manner and provide closure by adding your final thoughts about the character and the story.
The paper should be 700-900 words in length.
Part B
Write a sequel to “The Dead” in which the character of Gabriel decides how to change his life following his epiphany. He will feel differently about his relationship with Gretta and about the choices he has made in life. Pick up the story from that point and write the next chapter. Be sure to write a complete story that includes a setting, character descriptions, and a plot with a conflict.
Write your story from a first-person point of view. There will be a lot of dialogue because the character will concentrate on sharing his/her ideas with the reader. Be sure to include dialogue from the other characters as well. At the end of your story, note whether the main character is happy with his/her situation or not. It is up to you to decide the ending.
You will need to write dialogue in your story, which must appear in quotation marks. Be sure to use punctuation and quotation marks correctly. Use the following examples, and refer to a grammar textbook or website for additional assistance:
- Use a comma to offset dialogue, and capitalize dialogue if it forms a complete sentence:
Joe said, “We can stop in the next town.”
“We can stop in the next town,” Joe said.
- You may use an exclamation point to offset dialogue for emphasis, but do so sparingly:
“I can’t believe we lost!” the coach yelled.
The coach yelled, “I can’t believe we lost!”
- Place a question mark after dialogue that asks a question:
“Where are we going?” Jo asked.
Jo asked, “Where are we going?”
- If the person speaking is identified after the dialogue, capitalize the reference to the person only if it is a proper noun (a formal given name).
“I couldn’t reach him by phone,” the woman said. “I’ll try again later.”
“We don’t have any cat food,” Kendra exclaimed. “Tiger will have to wait.”Y
Your story should be 600-700 words in length.
Answer preview for Characterization of Gabriel from “The Dead”, by James Joyce, and a sequel to “The Dead”. Examine how your character changes over the course of the story.
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