ENG 125 Introduction to Literature Final Assignment Week 5

Ricardo Alvarado

ENG 125: Introduction to Literature

Magdalena Sokolowski

July 3, 2017

From the prompts provided, I chose prompt 1. Write an analysis of a principal character in a literary work. Focus on two or three key actions of that character. Discuss the character's motivations and decisions in terms you can support with clear evidence from a critical reading of the text. Consider whether this character's actions fit together or contradict each other. You may also want to examine whether or not any other characters in the story are aware of this conflict, and if so, how they influence the character you are writing about.

My working thesis of the prompt is, ‘Mr. Kapasi, a middle-aged man, works as a tour guide who encounters a significant transformation in his life after having a conversation with Mrs. Das.’ Mr. Das effectively convinces him the importance of his job although he previously had discounted it. The conversation also depicts the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Das family is not as happy as it seems to be.

The Das family is described to be unhappy with its wedding. Mr. Das opts to take his family-Mrs. Das and the children to a tour and it is in the tour that they meet up with Mr. Kapasi who is their tour guide in the new environment. Mr. Kapasi views his life as a unsuccessful, and he anticipates for more of something. He makes attempts to lift his existence, and it is through these efforts that he develops an admiration of possibilities of fellowship between him and Mrs. Das.

This vision finally reveals the loneliness of Mr. Kapasi’s life and how his marriage is. His arranged marriage is a rock since his partner has failed to recover from the heartache over the death of their son as well as forgiving him for working with the doctor that failed to save their son's life. Mr. Kapasi believes he and Mrs. Das have a relationship since he notices in her state of affairs the distant wed and worried marriage.

This is very devastating to Mr. Kapasi which makes him develop the perception that his work is a failure. According to him, his career is not what he had dreamt it to be like . He uses his English knowledge tangentially in differ to the dreams of maintaing greatness he ones had.

He views Mrs. Das to languish in a lovely marriage happily. This makes him imagine Mr. and Mrs. Das to have an active connection. This admiration is what makes him initiate a conversation with Mrs. Das. Mrs. Das reveals to him that she is not happy in her marriage since their marriage is forced. She further reveals to him that they have nothing in common with Mr. Das which makes them not to enjoy their wedding. Mr. Kapasi further learns that the last born child of Mr. and Mrs. Kapasi is born out of other affairs.

This devastates Mr. Kapasi, and he perceives this as an insult. Mr. Das further convinces Mr. Kapasi the importance of his job showing him how it’s him who helps the doctor to save quite some lives. This conversation changes the perception of Mr. Kapasi, and he now views his work as a significant one which is crucial in his country.

Mr. Kapasi job as a tour guide and an interpreter for a doctor symbolize his role as a cultural intermediary. As a tour guide , he shows the Das family who is Americans the variety of scenes in India. As an interpreter, he aids sick people from other regions to communicate with his doctor.

Mrs. Das, on the other hand, personifies the American flaws, including not respecting other countries and cultures, poorly behaved children and selfishness in that she blames other people for her feeling of guilt about her infidelity. In the story, she represents a traveler who is unique because of her broad sense of self-importance and entitlement. Mr. Kapasi transformation from ordinary tour guide to "romantic' interpreter ends poorly: with his return to common labor of his days.

The characters in the story are adequately developed whereby the author layers small, precise details in the description of each character which ultimately gives them depth and richness. The interaction of the characters in the story depicts the role of each character in the story. This enables one to describe each character motivation in the story.

Work Cited:

Clugston, R. W. (2014).  Journey into Literature  (2nd ed.) [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/books/AUENG125.14.1

Zahra, F. & Keshmiri, F. (2015). F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Unique Literary and Writing Style: Canadian Center of Science and Education. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2t90TgR