There’s More to the Story: Physical Differences
Addison Norman
In
literature we often see writers mentioning physical qualities on characters; from
first glance it could appear as nothing significant and some times it is just
an insignificant fact. In the chapter “Marked for Greatness,” Foster explains
that theses characteristics often have an importance, deeper than a character’s
appearance.
In
the chapter, Foster mentions physical indicators of deeper meaning in the
novella Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert
Louis Stevenson. In the story Stevenson creates a character with a dark side
representing the duplicity in human nature. The evil character, Mr. Hyde,
carries several features that help the audience infer the nature of Mr. Hyde’s temperament.
In most cases Hyde is described as not looking human and quite animalistic.
This is representative of the instinctive, uncivilized actions Dr. Jekyll committed
when he was Mr. Hyde.
In
literature it is popular to see the antagonist marked in some way that separates
them from others; in the chapter Foster helps his readers uncover the value of
the markings. A number of classic
stories include antagonist characters that are initially separated due to their
appearance; The Wizard of Oz, Lion King, and Batman are just a few examples of
the literary trend. The Wicked Witch of the East has a bright green skin; Scar
has a large scar down his cheek, and the Joker has scars surrounding his mouth.
Each of the characters have aspects of evil in which are underscored by their
physical appearance. This helps the audience notice the ominous presence the
antagonist has to the protagonist.
An in depth
example can be found in the short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You
Been?” by Joyce Carol Oats. Oats employs symbolic physique effectively in her
description of Arnold Friend. In the story Connie, a teenage girl, is on the
path toward lost innocence and Arnold Friend is a foreboding character in the
background appealing her toward evil. Then one afternoon Connie is put face to
face with Arnold Friend, along with his temptations. Multiple times throughout the plot the
narrator notices Friend’s appearance. Arnold Friend is described as having a thick,
curly, black, and greasy head of hair, a heavy face of makeup and a dark pair
of sunglasses over his eyes. From this combination a reader can already set
Friend off as different. As the story progresses, Oats mentions the boots
Friend wears. The boots don’t look right on his feet, and they point different
directions. Because of this imbalance, Friend almost fell over. The arrangement
of images leads a reader to see something fake about Friend. If one looks even
further, Friend’s handicaps and look merged together to express that Friend has
goat qualities: curly hair, boots to cover hooves, heavy makeup. A goat in some
beliefs is a way Satan can be depicted. Arnold Friend is acting as a devil in disguise,
which fits perfectly with the story’s context. Friend is attempting to lure
Connie away from innocence.
Not only are
antagonists marked in literature, but also other dynamic characters often have
aspects that are substantial to the theme. For example, the Lord of the Flies by William Golding is
another piece of literature in which the author creates physical qualities that
aid in the underlying topic of the book. In Lord
of the Flies a group of young schoolboys are deserted on an island with no
parental supervision; the boys actions shed light on the truths of human
nature’s need for power while examining societal flaws. One main character,
Piggy, is the boy in the novel that is different from the other boys; he has
multiple handicaps including terrible vision without his glasses, asthma, and
is physically out of shape compared to the other male characters. These
characteristics initially separated Piggy from the other boys. In addition to
this Piggy is often described as having a flush, pink-toned skin; Golding is
illustrating Piggy to actually look like a pig. Piggy representing a pig by
appearance foreshadows Piggy’s significance by the end of the novel. In the end of the novel, all humanity is lost
among the boys, and Piggy is killed. Piggy’s death represents the boys’
depletion of all civilization and unity with savagery. Piggy is that archetypal
scapegoat of the boys’ human nature and his physical appearance underscores
this aspect.
After reading Foster's chapter, I'm able to look deeper than just on the
surface. By being mindful of a character's physical appearance one can begin to
notice the character's true nature.
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