29 description, character as seen by another, speech, past life, conversations of
others, reaction, direct comment, thought, and mannerisms. Using these methods, the author portrays Gayle as:
4.1.1 Brave
Gayle is a brave person. As a child who is just four years old, Gayle has courage to watch a frightening event. She bravely watches her father attack her
mother physically and verbally. Her father’s attack is vicious and cruel. Gayle’s father hurts and underestimates his wife with words and then hits, punches and
kicks her. He also twists his wife’s arms, and throttles her. This can be seen from Gayle’s reaction below.
I had to watch, unable to help her, time and time again, as he tortured and humiliated her, leaving her weeping and in agony. I was desperate to stop
him, but I couldn’t. My fear paralyzed me, and in any case I knew that if I tried he would simply toss me aside. But I still felt that somehow what was
happening was my fault Sanders 11. Actually, Gayle wants to help her mother, but she cannot do anything. She
knows it will be a big problem for her to stay safe if she tries to help. She is very afraid that her father will also attack her if she helps her mother. So she only
keeps silent and watches her father beats her mother brutally. Gayle’s family is not a happy family. Although they do many things that
other families do, for example having dinner together or playing together, Gayle has no happy memories in her early childhood because fear and anxiety have
dominated every moment. Even when something appears normal, Gayle still cannot relax or feel any pleasure, because she knows it will not be long lasting. At
home Gayle spends many hours hiding behind a curtain or a chair to watch her
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30 father’s brutality towards his wife and also waits until her father ends his cruel
actions Sanders 11 Here Gayle’s courage can be seen through her reactions. Gayle always
watches and waits when her father abuse her mother. When she does this, her parents do not know that Gayle is watching, so with her courage she tries to hide
for a long time until the father’s brutality towards her mother ends. In Gayle’s home, her father’s violence escalates to terrifying levels. Gayle
thinks that this is the worst incident that she has ever seen. It can be seen through Gayle’s speech below.
One incident in particular, perhaps the worst of that time, has stayed with me. For some reason I awoke in the night and crept down the stairs. As I
looked into the lounge from the shadows of the hall I could see my parents. My mother was on the floor on her back and my father was on top
of her, chocking her, his hands around her neck. She was coughing and struggling, trying to move her arms. Then suddenly he stopped, turned her
over onto her front and sat on her back. I could hear her gasping for breath and could see that her face was white. My father grabbed both the
shoulders and pulled them back so hard that she went limp. He was forcing them back at such an angle that, although it’s probably impossible, I
thought I could see her shoulder blades touch at the back Sanders 50-51. Here Gayle’s courage is tested. Although she watches her father abuse her
mother brutally, Gayle still keeps herself watching that frightening event until at the end. She can even see her father’s violence toward her mother in detail as has
been proven through the Gayle’s speech. Besides, food and meals are barely served at Gayle’s home. Sometimes a
meal will be served at the table and the whole of the family will all sit together. But when the family does this, Gayle is so frightened and she is barely able to eat.
It is because, Gayle remembers when she was four or five, and she dropped her
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31 plate of food on the floor. At that time she became horrified at the smashed plate
and food all over the floor. Then Gayle was sent by her mother to bed without anything to eat, but she finally found a way to fill her stomach. This can be seen
through Gayle’s reaction. If there is no food, Gayle will creep into the kitchen to look for something to eat. Then she will eat quietly and silently in order not to be
noticed by her parents Sanders 25. To satisfy her hunger, Gayle moves stealthily to look for something to eat.
Then she will hide somewhere else and eat the food she has taken quietly in order not to be caught by her mother. This shows that Gayle is brave enough do what
she actually must not do. It is also described in the novel that, Gayle is brave to walk most of the
journey to and from school on her own, this can be seen through her speech below.
Even at the age of five I walked most of the journey to and from school on my own. Mum would take me to the main road near our house and see me
across, and then I’d walk for the ten minutes it took to reach school. Coming home, I would walk along the road on my own until I saw Mum
waiting for me on the other side. I would wait until she told me to across, and we’d finish the short walk home together Sanders 39.
We can see that it is unusual that a child at the age of five is able to walk
on her own. Thus, Gayle is a brave person because the other children rarely do the same activity. They will usually be picked up by their parents at the school.
4.1.2 Smart
