Sunday, January 26, 2014

Is a Character Good or Bad?

A friend and I recently got into a discussion about endings. Endings of books, endings of movies, endings of stories in general. I like my books to have a solid resolution. I don’t enjoy books or movies that leave me ‘hanging’ or to draw my own conclusions. I like to know that there is a resolution and that the story is complete, as the author intended. I usually don’t like to draw my own interpretation, I want to know why events happened and what was the author’s purpose. So, I was surprised to find that I enjoyed a book left me ‘hanging’ at the end.
Three By the Sea by Mini Grey, is a great book to spark a debate about a character’s motives. The stranger who appears in the story seems to be up to no good, inciting the cat, dog and mouse to argue with one another. However, at the end of the story, the characters have changed their ways and they all seem a bit happier to do things differently. I wonder if Mini Grey meant for the stranger to be a good or bad character. I think there could be arguments for both and I think this book would be a great way to help students begin to understand how to look for motives and support for their opinions.


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