Characters are not always black and white, rather somewhere in between. This often makes it challenging to tell apart the good from the bad and decide which characters to root for. Nevertheless, these “grey” characters can often be all the more compelling to readers, because of their similarities to real people. The characters, Wes and Bob, from Mary Razzell’s short story, “The Job”, are no exceptions. On the surface, Wes and Bob seem like stereotypical, good and bad characters; Wes being the spiteful old grouch and Bob being the kind, supportive friend. Yet, upon delving deeper into the story, the two character’s given roles begin to crossover and Wes starts to seem less and less like the antagonist of the story. Though the differences between
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In their first meeting, he immediately becomes skeptical of Brian’s ability to complete the job, saying “[k]id like you wouldn’t even last a day” (73). Despite the odds, though, Wes’ judgement is proven wrong and Brian is able to perform the task, wonderfully. However, Wes continues to nag and belittle Brian during the job; offering him almost no respect, even as Brian strives to work hard for him. For instance, Wes says “You young punks, you’re all the same, soft. Not like me when I was your age” when he catches Brian taking a breather, after one hour of shovelling gravel (75). Wes also gives Brian “all the dirty places to work” (75), though he is perfectly capable of doing it on is own, as he possesses “[t]hick, corded muscles…in his neck, [and] on his arms” (73). In comparison to Wes, Bob is a very soft and warm character. He demonstrates his kindness when he lends Brian a pair of his own gloves and gives him some anti-fungal powder to keep his feet from “rot[ting] off” (77). Bob also offers Brian many helpful tips, like, telling him to “soak [his] hands in water” and to “[k]eep moving ‘em” (77), which prevents Brian’s hands from getting stiff and helps relieve some of the pain. Despite Wes and Bob’s extreme differences, a few subtle similarities can be seen between them as well, which eventually causes their “good” and “bad” roles to
In their first meeting, he immediately becomes skeptical of Brian’s ability to complete the job, saying “[k]id like you wouldn’t even last a day” (73). Despite the odds, though, Wes’ judgement is proven wrong and Brian is able to perform the task, wonderfully. However, Wes continues to nag and belittle Brian during the job; offering him almost no respect, even as Brian strives to work hard for him. For instance, Wes says “You young punks, you’re all the same, soft. Not like me when I was your age” when he catches Brian taking a breather, after one hour of shovelling gravel (75). Wes also gives Brian “all the dirty places to work” (75), though he is perfectly capable of doing it on is own, as he possesses “[t]hick, corded muscles…in his neck, [and] on his arms” (73). In comparison to Wes, Bob is a very soft and warm character. He demonstrates his kindness when he lends Brian a pair of his own gloves and gives him some anti-fungal powder to keep his feet from “rot[ting] off” (77). Bob also offers Brian many helpful tips, like, telling him to “soak [his] hands in water” and to “[k]eep moving ‘em” (77), which prevents Brian’s hands from getting stiff and helps relieve some of the pain. Despite Wes and Bob’s extreme differences, a few subtle similarities can be seen between them as well, which eventually causes their “good” and “bad” roles to