Robert E Lee

Abstract

This paper theorizes the prevailing social environment that each character lives in leads to their transition from being resolute to irresolute individuals determined to make beneficial or detrimental changes in their lives. The author points out, in one of the five literary works, that in "The Bluest Eye," Morrison creates the character of Pecola Breedlove, a black American in 1940s American society, in whom the readers can see her internal conflict, torn between accepting being a black American and aspiring to become a white American, hence her preoccupation to have the "bluest eye(s)". The paper relates, in the last of the five works, that Dmitri Gurov in "Lady with the Pet Dog" by Chekhov demonstrates a change in character for the benefit of romantic love when he finally admits to himself, once in his life, he needs a woman who will not only satisfy his physical needs but also his emotional need to understand him and to feel for him as a man and partner in life.

From the Paper:

"Literary works have become significant artifacts for readers because of the similarities and almost-real depictions of the lives of its characters in a particular period and event in human history. Analyses of literary works include, among others, looking into transitions or changes that occurred within a character's personality or behavior throughout the story. This conscious effort to illustrate changes in characterization is vital to the development of the story, since literary works ultimately mirror the reality that it is through human acts that humanity's fate changes over time. That is, an individual's interaction with his/her society inevitably leads to a change in his behavior, and vice versa."