Topic > Character Identity Development in Contemporary British Literature

In the film “Everyday”, the main character is a person who wakes up every day with a different body. They never wake up in the same body twice and never know which body they will enter next time. It's always a mystery what kind of mood or feelings they will have because they don't really know who they are as a person. Throughout contemporary British literature, poets and authors use narrators who tell their own individual stories and life experiences to find their true identity. Margaret Atwood also uses the external environment to influence the individuality of the characters in the story "Death by Landscape". In the poem "Originally", Carol Ann Duffy gives the characters distinctive characteristics through life experiences, similar to Duffy's Scottish immigration. In the poem “This is a Photograph of Me,” Margret Atwood also gives a character the ability to look at himself in a different way than before his death. Authors and poets, on the whole, use many factors to help the character find their identity in the story or poem. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In Atwood's short story, he begins by giving Lois the environment she needs to recognize herself in "Death by Landscape." Also, while at the camp, the environment around her is better than it was at home where she lived. Lucy realizes that "it would be nice not to go back" as they sleep outside under the stars. The dynamic characterization forces Lois to realize that she is free at camp and is on her way to finding her true, happy self. Meanwhile, Lois has a lot more freedom when she's at camp because she doesn't have her parents watching over her and checking on her constantly. After Lois "travels so far, especially that water, with nothing to push them but her own arms," ​​she realizes how many activities she is capable of doing. This is ironic because Lois had two camp counselors who are always checking on the girls and she doesn't have as much freedom as she would if she were on her own, but she has a lot more than at home that allows her to figure out what makes her happy. The setting that Atwood places Lois in also gives her the independence she needs to truly find her own identity. When the girls “begged to be allowed to sleep outside,” they showed their counselors that they are responsible. Through indirect character development, Atwood shows that Lois is more independent rather than just telling the reader. All in all, the setting plays a key role in how authors deepen their understanding of who their characters are. In "Originally", Duffy also uses a narrator who has a life-changing experience that later changes the character's identity. . Additionally, Duffy uses the traumatic experience of immigration to set the story of a young narrator on her journey of personal growth. “As the miles raced toward the city,” the immigrants already miss their country and their home. This flashback to the scary journey illustrates the speaker's memory of the pain they felt when they left their home. Similarly, many times when people move to a new place they want to return to the home they grew up in, but have difficulty returning. They arrive in a new country with all their belongings and “in a red room fallen across the fields” they find their new home. The vivid imagery helps the reader experience the moment of the poem. Likewise, Duffy uses an event that every person goes through, childhood, so that the reader can.