Intro to Fiction Test #1 -- various authors (Poe, Kincaid, Neale Hurston)

Essay by m lipscombUniversity, Bachelor'sA+, August 2004

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#1 Using examples from the reading, describe the role of the catalyst. What journeys were made possible because of the intervention of the catalyst.

The role of the catalyst -is to cause an important event to happen; one possessing or exercising power of influence or authority.

In Zora Neale Hurston's Spunk, we see a man, Joe, who does not like that his wife just let Spunk take her away from him. He does little or nothing to defend his self as a man and get his woman back. But the townspeople are the catalyst in the story, edging and pushing for Joe to stand up like a man when they say: "how's everything up yo' way? How's yo' wife?" knowing exactly what had taken place. The townspeople were snickering behind his back making comments like, "Talkin' like a man, trying to push him to take back what is rightfully his.

He is talked about so much by the townspeople that Joe does stand up to Spunk, although he is terrified of him. In the end, he loses his life trying to hold on to his pride and not be the laughing stock of the town.

# 2. Define the following terms: round character, static character, dynamic character, and character development. Describe in detail and discuss an example you have seen of these terms in the stories we have read.

Flat character: Someone who is characterized by one or two traits. Flat describes a character who can be summed up in a sentence.

In Raymond Carver's "The Bath" all of the characters are flat. The reader really does know any one of them as an individual. "The father got back at midnight" and "The doctor came in. He shook hands with the man. The woman got up from the chair,"...