The power of characterization

I am amazed by reading the chapter of character. When this chapter mentions Charles Dickens’ novels, his great novels that I had read just popped up my mind immediately. Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Hard Times, Great Expectations, a Tale of Two Cities, his story characters always are the main elements that attracted me to finish the entire books. He succeeded of presenting his characters by naming, showing and telling. As the chapter says, he chose Gradgrind in his Hard Times, the name as stand for master of school. He used both showing and telling techniques to double imaged the picture of him to readers. Clearly showing his characters either physical looks or interior thinking might be. Anyone who reads Oliver Twist will possibly never forget Oliver Twist. The power of characterization is truly make a story live.

May-Lee Chai’s Saving Sourdi, I disagree her story succeeded in character description. Her characters are far away from Dicken’s. For example, I will never question Dickens’ Oliver Twist is reliable or not. The boy has already got into my nerve. I have no doubt to feel sympathy and great sorrow of what Oliver had experienced. In contract, Chai’ story is modern, so I use my modern mind to view her story. Her story girls seems realistic, but to me, lack of reasoning and some exaggeration in it. A 11-years-old girl got panic but dared to grabbed a paring knife to stab a giant man? Is that true of a social problem that the author wanted to show us? Nevertheless, the author has given me an attention of how would I do if I were the girl. But in fact, I don’t do much care about this. Many families in this world have encountered harder more problems than this girl. What can we do? A young and naïve girl has a thinking of hatred and thinking of run away from home isn’t a simple family problem? In contract, Dickens’ Oliver Twist, a tragedy of his life is not just that simple problem.