A person's character is developed over time as a result of the experiences they have had. In Shakespeare's plays Much Ado About Nothing and King Lear, we see the characters of Don John and Edmund who are both illegitimate children and have lived in the shadows of their brothers. Because they have lived their lives ostracized and made fun of, they grow up seeking vengeance. In the book The Finder, the characters of Ray and Jin Li have both been shaped by their past experiences. As the plot progresses, the author, Colin Harrison, hints at Ray's background without ever truly telling us what his past experiences have been. Over time we can guess that he was possibly a spy or an elite military fighter, but we can never truly know. As he investigates the sewer for clues about the murder of two Mexican girls who were with Jin Li, he is faced with a horrible scene full of raw sewage. He tells himself, "This is nothing. You've seen much worse, pal. Just use some of the usual tricks" (94). Not many people are faced with having to crawl 100 yards through a sewage pipe, but Ray doesn't seem to think it is very much out of the ordinary. He says he has seen worse and we, the readers, are left only to imagine what else could be worse than this?
Jin Li's character has also been drastically shaped by her past experiences in China. As a child she lived in a rural village. Her mother worked in a factory but was seriously injured and her father became a government official. Jin Li was supported by her grandparents who helper her study so she could escape the life that she knew. She worked in Chemistry and in finance, making her extremely diverse in her abilities and allowing her to take care of herself easily. She describes her childhood, "Her mother retreated into their house and would not come out. Jin Li and her brother did the shopping. Her father chose to sleep in the fold-out bed in the front room and rarely spoke to her mother" (88). Because she had to care for her mother and deal with her family's problems, Jin Li was able to take care of herself from an early age and her knowledge of the world around her, both scientifically and personally, was that of someone much older. Her brother was also influenced by her father and came to see humans as only things to be used for one's own gain. These experiences led to where Jin Li has ended up and have developed and prepared her for the difficulties she will face in the future. Throughout our lives, our experiences will develop how we see and treat others as well as the way that we handle situations.
1 comment:
I like the clear connection you made to the Shakespeare plays we've read in class. The theme you discuss for your book ties nicely into the plays as well. Your book sounds really interesting, as does the character Ray. I think it's kind of cool that there's a little mystery behind him, instead of just filling the reader in on his whole past.
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