From the explanation above, the writer can see that Charley is so depressed although he is in his unconscious state. This part uses the third and
sixth method of characterization theory which is speech and reaction.
5. Ambitious
Charley is an ambitious person. It can be seen from his manner. When he has finished playing for The Pirates in the World Series, he never stops practicing.
Charley really wants to play in the World Series again, and he never stops although he gets an accident in his spring training which injures his knee anterior,
posterior and medical collateral ligaments p.140. You see, I was more alive in those six weeks with the Pirate than I ever
felt before or since. The spotlight had made me feel immortal. I missed the huge, carpeted locker room. O missed walking through airports with my
teammates, feeling the eyes of the fans as we passed. I missed the crowds in those big stadiums, the flashbulbs, the roaring cheers – the majesty of
the whole thing. I missed it bitterly… And so I clung to baseball long after I should have quit. I went from minor-league city to minor-league city, still
believing, as athletes often do, that I would be the first to defy the aging process p.141.
From the quotation above, the writer sees how Charley really misses to
have a bright career in baseball again. He still keeps his ambitions although, as an athlete, he is not in his best condition anymore. Although he is injured and the
doctor says that he cannot play baseball anymore, he still looks for the opportunities by keeping on playing in some games.
6. Smart
Although he has bad characters, Charley still has some good characteristics. His mother always says that Charley is a smart person. She tells
Charley that being smart is a special gift to be proud of. However, this situation also brings consequences that Charley should develop the gift by reading more
books. He should go to the library to borrow books. “She told me I was smart and that being smart was a privilege, and she insisted that I read one book every week
and took me to the library to make sure this happened” p.33. Furthermore, when he enters college he can get good marks in his report.
His grades are two A’s and two B’s. Those grades show that he has something good in his head which, at first, makes his mother so proud of him. Moreover,
when she decides to quit from college, it is not because either that he cannot follow the study or he is not intelligent. The reason why he leaves college is
because of the influence of his father who wants him to play baseball rather than letting him to continue his study.
The next day I got my grades and they were good, two A’s and two B’s. I called my mother at the beauty parlor and she came to the phone. I told her
the results and I told her about Catherine and the Bobby Darin song and she seemed so happy that I had called her in the middle of the day. Over
the rumble of hair dryers she yelled, “Charley, I’m so proud of you” p.131.
From the previous example, we can see that the second method of Characterization theory by Murphy, which is character as seen by another, is
applied.
7. Tender
