Untitled Essay, Research Paper

1-29-97Essay # 2: Fictional character Analysis for The Portable Phonograph

Walter Van Tilburg Clark & # 8217 ; s short narrative, The Portable

Phonograph, is a

narrative about the last subsisters in the universe after the entire devastation of

a war.

The writer gives hints and intimations of this throughout the beginning by composing

in

a narative voice and depicting the scene in dark war-like footings. The

characters are so introduced as a group of work forces huddled around a fire. The

older of the work forces, Doctor Jenkins, is the leader and his character is full

of

personality that can be analyzed by the reader. He is the proprietor of the

shelter

that they meet in. This paper will indicate out the different facets of the

old

adult male in this narrative and province decisions that can be drawn from them.

The work forces in this narrative are evidently amused by the slightest

small things.

They occupy themselves through book readings from a aggregation that one

adult male has. Each of the work forces has their part to the group and together

they endure a clip of desolation by entertaining each other. The older adult male

has a record participant that he brings out one time a hebdomad for the hearing

pleasance

of the group. He is really proud of this hoarded wealth. It has sustained through

these

difficult times merely as he has and he limits his usage of it to do it last. He

owns

merely three steel acerate leafs and he gets one out to utilize because on this

peculiar

juncture, their is a musician visitant with them. The other work forces act as

excited

as kids. They listen to the record and so go forth the physician & # 8217 ; s house.

Doctor Jenkins is nervous and leery at the terminal of

the narrative when

the other work forces leave. & # 8220 ; With nervous custodies he lowered the piece of canvas

which served as his door, and pegged it

at the underside. Then rapidly

softly,

looking at the piece of canvas often, he slipped the records in the

instance & # 8230 ; & # 8221 ;

( Clark, page 241 ) . He feels that & # 8220 ; everything he has & # 8221 ; is at hazard with the

greed

that a clip like this could bring forth in the other work forces. He is unafraid and

comfy with the things that he has and he doesn & # 8217 ; t swear the others.

He

so hides his hoarded wealths away in a safe topographic point after they leave. As he gets

into

his bed he feels the & # 8220 ; comfy piece of lead pipe & # 8221 ; with his manus. The

physician has no job fall backing to force and that really makes him

feel

more comfy.

The greed that the physician sees in the others is a contemplation

of the

feelings and ideas that he himself has. His positions are distorted through

his

midst shell and he sees himself in the work forces. He invites them back every

hebdomad,

it seems, so it is rather perchance that his ownerships do non do him as

happy

as the company he receives every hebdomad.

The contrast between the felicity that the work forces get from

his musical

device and the deficiency of fulfilment this provides for him is interesting.

In the

universe that this narrative describes, the reader expects the the physician to be

happy

with all that he has. As the narrative unfolds, you gain an apprehension of

the

feelings behind his ownerships.

Doctor Jenkins is a normal character. His feelings are

presented in a

existent mode. The reader can reason that his personality is non unlike

anyone

else. What he sees is influenced by the manner he is and how he feels. He

positions

things in a manner that finally makes his feelings of intuition and greed

stronger. Therefore ne’er interrupting the rhythm of how he Judgess those around

him.