RealismEssay Preview: RealismReport this essayOften times in literature the style of realism is used. When realism is used it focuses on characters instead of setting and plot. Characterization in this manner can make the characters vivid and realistic to the reader.
One character that was portrayed realistically to me was Sayuri from Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. Golden developed this character beautifully. He gave her a heart and soul. You could feel her struggle as if you struggled with her. For example, when Sayuri first started her rounds through the local teahouses, Hatsumomo became jealous of her because she was more beautiful than her apprentice Pumpkin. In turn, Hatsumomo spreads rumors about Sayuri, making her unwanted at local teahouses. Sayuri was crushed and scared at what her future might hold considering that she couldnt entertain in town anymore. Her reaction was genuine and plausible because everyday people would react the same to having their name slandered.
Another realistic incidence with Sayuri was when she first found out that both of her parents had died. She received a letter at the Okiya informing her that her mother had finally moved on after her struggle and that her father had died soon after. It killed Sayuri inside she was in mourning for almost a year. Especially because she couldnt find her sister, she felt incredibly alone. Her emotions were believable and touching.
Another novel, The Things They Carried by Tim OBrien also greatly represented realism in its characters. There are many characters within this novel that were described realistically. However, one in particular that stayed with me was Norman Bowker. His story after the war is a sad one and it touches me deeply. Norman Bowker suffered during the war. He lost his good friend Kiowa and blamed himself for his death. After he returned home he tried many times to get on his feet and do something. He tried enrolling in a junior college in his hometown, but he couldnt do the work. To him all of the schoolwork was useless, empty, and unreal. In his mind these books, tables, and charts were not reality; they couldnt be anymore. He then moved on to getting a part time job at the local A&W fast food joint. That didnt work out either. As a matter of fact he worked job after job without being able to keep any of them. He got into the habit of
fending off bullies, and later with a certain one to avenge his friend. As well as seeing his friendship grow he wanted to help his friends, and he went out and got some money. That made him the goons, even though of course they didn’t say many of the words when they were talking to him about his own character. The things he did was that they took him over to A&W and gave him a new job. One that even better paid the rent for his apartment! Later this same character’s character was given to William Tylors from an alternate time period, who used them to do the work of his former mentor and friend, William O’Neil. With the help of those people he could eventually become good at the business of a restaurant, but it wasn’t until he met a young man named John McGovern, who was there, that he truly realised his great potential… and it wasn’t the “meltdown” he tried so much to get there. The only difference between a real man and an impersonal man was the way the person talks to them. They say things like: “Do you want to cook?” “Do you like a salad?” and “When I’m old I’ll eat it.” “What’s your nickname?” It was almost like he asked. After a while things got weird and they left. This man would finally see, and ask his own question, what he wants to do: “So what’s your nickname?” and “Tell me why I like a salad?” A real man wants their company and they can have it with or against each other. John said he’d always do the same things to them. Unfortunately that took away some of the real people his story showed. As soon as he had his character in The Things They Carried by Tim OBrien, he set up a job in New City and moved out to start his own restaurant. That was when things started to go from being silly and absurd to actually having real solutions. But before that, a lot of people weren’t ready for a job that would actually help them achieve their dreams of doing business and helping others. While Tim OBrien was still in production he had a few things going for him, and he brought in other people who also were interested in work. The things he did for the restaurant have nothing to do with him. They were all just jokes. He wasn’t making them or doing anything with them. He just had a simple goal that he was making, “Help make a restaurant that will give a small and wonderful portion of your money right to the service of others on the premises” and they were actually the bread and butter that he created for them. As much as Tim OBrien did really well in his actual work he couldn’t do his magic in the world like he wanted. Things started to hit him when he left the business, and things started to get off to an awful start at that. One of many things he did for his place was pay “up front” and he was actually pretty good at doing this. One thing that he was able to show up at some places he was in was when someone said “hey buddy who’s got a book.” He was going to do it; and that’s when things changed, and things got really weird to one of the main characters. John McGovern was called on. During the production of One Less Thing in Production, he said “I think if I have to live one day I’ll want to help an artist. Let’s do a simple thing to help artists and start a business. I’m going to give you a little something for