Short Story Characters

360 Words2 Pages
Short Story Characters "With All Flags Flying" by Anne Tyler is a short story about Mr. Carpenter, an eighty-two year old man who is struggling to preserve his dignity in the face of old age and death. He hides his love because he believes that showing his true feelings might lead to dependence on his family and a loss of personal dignity. In Buck’s short story, “The Good Deed”, the elderly character, Mrs. Pan, was moved from her ancestral village in the province of Szechuen in China to New York by her son, Mr. Pan. On entry to this foreign and new world she feels lonely, isolated by language, distanced by culture; her nostalgia for China consuming her thoughts. When Mrs. Pan decides to arrange a marriage for Lili she obtains a solid sense of usefulness. Mrs. Pan began to participate in her new world and by doing this she began to leap the culture barrier. Mr. Carpenter does not want to be a burden to his family. “I came to a decision. I want to go to an old folk’s home. That’s what I want”. This quote supports the fact Mr. Carpenter wanted to go to an old folk’s home instead of being a burden to his family. Old Mrs. Pan differs from Mr. Carpenter in the fact that she does not mind being cared for by her family. Another way that Mr. Carpenter and Old Mrs. Pan differ is that Mr. Carpenter is physically strong and Old Mrs. Pan is not. Mr. Carpenter started off to his daughter’s house and made it up the steep hill and quite a ways on the superhighway before a young biker boy stopped to give him a lift. Old Mrs. Pan on the other hand needed her grandson johnnie to help to Lead her across the street to the china shop. She had trouble getting down the stairs to get johnnie too; Mr. carpenter could get up the stairs at his daughter Clara’s house. Old Mrs. Pan walks with a cane. While Mr. Carpenter stayed with Clara he walked two blocks a day.
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