Throughout literature, the value of a story may be determined through the merit of the characters within. The merit of characters may be judged on three criteria, the first being plausibility or how feasible a certain character is – a characteristic perfectly exemplified in the story “I’m a Fool” by Sherwood Anderson. Motivation comprises the second story and is demonstrated through the character Dee in “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker. The character of Miss Brill shows how the continuity of a character may be used to greatly improve the integrity of a story. Through reality of the swipe in “I’m a Fool”, the clear conveyance of Dee’s motives in “Everyday Use”, and the consistency of Miss Brill one can see the beneficial impact that expert character creation can have on literature.In the story “I’m a Fool”, the author Sherwood Anderson demonstrates the importance of plausible characters. The narrator, a poor swipe with little education or social status represents a quite believable character in our real world. The swipe possesses a skewed system of morals, which makes him more human. Nothing is black or white to the swipe, merely gray. Because of this confused ethical sense, he finds himself getting into situations that are all too real and all too human.In the story, “Everyday Use” the character Dee presents an interesting situation. Dee has found a new pride in her heritage and she returns to her old roots to collect a few artifacts of her humble beginnings. The interesting thing about Dee’s motivation lies in the fact that it is in conflict with the motivation of her family. Dee has acquired a new pride in her roots, a pride that her family can’t understand. This conflict of characters ...
