The use of characters in a short story are important as they often help show theme.
Characters in "The Fat Boy" include:
The fat boy (blamed for all the crimes in town)
Railway workers (steal railway property)
Mr McNulty (guilty of arson - burns down own building for insurance money)
New Worker at McNulty's (thinks the fat boy is crying, doesn't see him as evil)
Mrs Denzil (murdered)
Nigel Lammerton (beats his wife)
Deptuty Mayor (tells lies and is corrupt)
Melanie Lamb (raped by her neighbour the music teacher and gets pregnant)
Music Teacher (rapes Melanie Lamb)
IHC Children (smile at the fat boy - see him as being friendly)
Artie Compeyson (drowns kittens - lacks compassion)
Main Character: The Fat Boy
The main character of the story, the anonymous, nameless ‘fat boy’. The fat boy is portrayed as an unattractive figure who everyone in the town (except the children) hates. He is described as being obese, with thick fat legs, round chubby cheeks and a “froglike faintly inquiring look that the faces of fat boys have”. His hair is fair, straight, shiny and “oddly medieval”. He also appears to be wearing some kind of school uniform. The reason behind this hate is that the fat boy is always seen at places around the town right before a crime occurs, for example the fire at McNulty’s warehouse and the rape of Melanie Lamb. Various townspeople accuse the fat boy of being responsible for these crimes and use him as a ‘scapegoat’. He is someone to blame all their troubles upon rather than own up to their own immoral actions. The fat boy is eventually mobbed by a vigilante group of townspeople however his body somehow disappears in the middle of the brawl and can not be found.
Techniques used to create this character:
Imagery (figurative language)
Contrast
Symbolism
Dialogue
Imagery (figurative language):
Imagery helps create a picture of the fat boy’s appearance. This is important as the fat boy is given an extremely unattractive appearance. The reason behind this is that the townspeople resent his presence and so see him as an unpleasant figure. Only the innocent moral people of the town seem to see him in a different light.
Simile – “froglike faintly enquiring look that the faces of fat boys have”
Simile – “He held the iron bar like a staff”
Metaphor – His hair was straight and oddly medieval”
Alliteration – “His heavy thighs made the flap of his fly gape”
Contrast:
Contrast helps readers to get to know more about the fat boy’s personality and the reason for his presence in the town. It also helps show the theme of the story.
Fat boy vs Townspeople (moral vs immoral)
Townspeople vs IHC and outsiders (immoral vs innocent and uncorrupted)
See Contrast for quotes and examples
Symbolism:
The fat boy is symbolic of Outsiders, Religious figure, Conscience. This technique helps you get to know his character as it helps give a lot of information about his character without having to fully explain it in the story. It also gives clues as to what his purpose is in the story and the reason for his presence in the town.
See Symbolism for quotes and examples
Dialogue:
Dialogue in this story gives important information about the fat boy. Throughout the story the fact boy actually does not speak, even when he is attacked by the townspeople. This helps readers to think about what his purpose is in the story and if he is actually real.
“No one had ever known the fat boy to say anything. He just watched”
The use of characters in a short story are important as they often help show theme.
Characters in "The Fat Boy" include:
The fat boy (blamed for all the crimes in town)
Railway workers (steal railway property)
Mr McNulty (guilty of arson - burns down own building for insurance money)
New Worker at McNulty's (thinks the fat boy is crying, doesn't see him as evil)
Mrs Denzil (murdered)
Nigel Lammerton (beats his wife)
Deptuty Mayor (tells lies and is corrupt)
Melanie Lamb (raped by her neighbour the music teacher and gets pregnant)
Music Teacher (rapes Melanie Lamb)
IHC Children (smile at the fat boy - see him as being friendly)
Artie Compeyson (drowns kittens - lacks compassion)
Main Character: The Fat Boy
The main character of the story, the anonymous, nameless ‘fat boy’. The fat boy is portrayed as an unattractive figure who everyone in the town (except the children) hates. He is described as being obese, with thick fat legs, round chubby cheeks and a “froglike faintly inquiring look that the faces of fat boys have”. His hair is fair, straight, shiny and “oddly medieval”. He also appears to be wearing some kind of school uniform. The reason behind this hate is that the fat boy is always seen at places around the town right before a crime occurs, for example the fire at McNulty’s warehouse and the rape of Melanie Lamb. Various townspeople accuse the fat boy of being responsible for these crimes and use him as a ‘scapegoat’. He is someone to blame all their troubles upon rather than own up to their own immoral actions. The fat boy is eventually mobbed by a vigilante group of townspeople however his body somehow disappears in the middle of the brawl and can not be found.
Techniques used to create this character:
Imagery (figurative language):
Imagery helps create a picture of the fat boy’s appearance. This is important as the fat boy is given an extremely unattractive appearance. The reason behind this is that the townspeople resent his presence and so see him as an unpleasant figure. Only the innocent moral people of the town seem to see him in a different light.
Contrast:
Contrast helps readers to get to know more about the fat boy’s personality and the reason for his presence in the town. It also helps show the theme of the story.
See Contrast for quotes and examples
Symbolism:
The fat boy is symbolic of Outsiders, Religious figure, Conscience. This technique helps you get to know his character as it helps give a lot of information about his character without having to fully explain it in the story. It also gives clues as to what his purpose is in the story and the reason for his presence in the town.
See Symbolism for quotes and examples
Dialogue:
Dialogue in this story gives important information about the fat boy. Throughout the story the fact boy actually does not speak, even when he is attacked by the townspeople. This helps readers to think about what his purpose is in the story and if he is actually real.