It can be seen through the childhood experience of Mack that he is angry. He is angry to his father, a fake religious man who always beat his wife and children.
Mack is also angry to God for having such a religious man like his father. It also can be concluded that Mack did kill his father with varmint poison. Mack is finally able
to kill his own father, and that shows how furious he becomes.
2. Mackenzie Allen Phillips’ Character After the Great Sadness
After his experience in the shack, Mack turns into someone who is truly different. He becomes someone who can actualize himself, full of hope, and he
somehow, believes.
a. Self Actualized
Mack is now a self actualized person. The evidence of this is Mack’s ability to forgive his father for what his father has done to him in his childhood
p.217. Mack also convinces Nan that every word he tells Nan is true, about his meeting with God.
When Nan noticed that his eyes had opened, she quietly approached so as not to wake their daughter and kissed him. “I
believe you,” she whispered, and he nodded and smiled, surprised by how important that was to hear. It was probably
the drugs that were making him so emotional, he thought. p.247
According to Murphy 1970, Mack’s character can be observed through his reactions toward event and situations happened in his life. That Mack is now a
self actualized person is proven by his reaction toward Nan’s words. The last evidence, Mack can assure Kate that it was never Kate’s fault.
Mack does not forgive Kate because there is nothing to be forgiven. Mack helps Kate to be also self actualized p.246.
b. Joyful
Mack’s experience in the shack assures Mack that the Great Sadness is gone. Mack is able to forgive his father and himself, and there is no more regret
inside Mack for Missy’s death. He enjoys his life with his family, because Mack knows there is someone out there who is taking care of him and his family.
Well, there you have it—at least as it was told to me. I am sure there will be some who wonder whether everything really
happened as Mack recalls it, or if the accident and morphine made him just a little bit loopy. As for Mack, he continues to
live his normal productive life and remains adamant that every word of the story is true. All the changes in his life, he tells me
are enough evidence for him. The Great Sadness is gone, and he experiences most days with a profound sense of joy. p.249
A character can be observed through another character in the novel Murphy, 1970. Willie’s comment about Mack above is the evidence of Mack’s new
character. Mack is able to grasp every joy in everything happens in his life, including Missy’s death. The Great Sadness is no longer a part of is life.
c. Full of Hope
