Re: Departmental exam

Summary of Content (My father, Sun-sun Johnson)

1. The novel is written from a first-person narrative perspective. The narrator is Rami, Sun-Sun Johnson’s son.
2. It is set in a rural farming community.
3. The story outlines Sun-Sun’s demise as he loses his wife, two of his children, his farm and much of his wealth. Sun-Sun is criticized as being careless with money (gambling and spending), too generous and naïve. However, some causes of his demise were out of his control, for example, the accident with the tractor, crop failure and dishonest workers. Jake takes advantage of this to takeover Robin Hill. However, once Sun-Sun leaves Robin Hill to River Bottom, he slowly rebuilds his wealth and regains the respect of the communities and his wife. The sacrifice of his life to save Jake is a significant show of kindness that is characteristic of him.

 

Characterization

Types of characters:

1. Main/major characters are vital to the development and resolution of the conflict. In other words, the plot and resolution of conflict revolves around these characters.
2. Minor characters serve to complement the major characters and help move the plot events forward.
3. The protagonist is the central person in a story, and is often referred to as the story's main character. He or she (or they) is faced with a conflict that must be resolved. The protagonist may not always be admirable, but s/he must command involvement on the part of the reader, or better yet, empathy.
4. The antagonist is the character(s) (or situation) that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend. In other words, the antagonist is an obstacle that the protagonist must overcome.
5. A foil is any character (usually the antagonist or an important supporting character) whose personal qualities contrast with another character (usually the protagonist). By providing this contrast, we get to know more about the other character.

Identify an example of each of the following types of characters. Use characters from both My father, Sun-Sun Johnson and The Silver Sword.