Literature 8 No. 3: Character Analyst

Leah: In Revelations, Leah provides the most information about what’s going on around the family in the Congo. She talks about the scenery and the other villagers. She also sees everything from a very optimistic point of view. She says of their new home, “Oh it’s a heavenly paradise in the Congo and sometimes I want to live here forever (103).” She has a strong desire to please people, especially her father. Everyone else sees moving to the Congo as a bad thing, except Leah and Nathan, and Nathan never narrates, so Leah provides a unique view of the story.

Ruth May: Ruth May talks a lot about what the other family members are doing. She quotes her mother and father a lot. She is very matter-of-fact, and tends to believe whatever she hears. She is a little mischievous, getting into trouble by climbing trees and spying on people. She has a different kind of bias that the rest of them, because he hasn’t quite formed his own opinions yet. I think that because she is the youngest, people aren’t aware of her as much as they are of the others, so she picks up some interesting information here and there. She breaks her arm and goes to the doctor, and she overhears a conversation that she probably shouldn’t have.

Rachel: Rachel probably has the most negative view of all of them about their situation. She hates everything about Kilanga. She provides the opposite opinions of Leah. When she talks about their surroundings, it’s in a negative way. She is very self-centered and cares a lot about her appearance. She never really gets used to her life in the Congo.

Adah: Adah provides the most unique view of the story, a view twisted inside out and backwards. She has her own opinions more than any of the others do. If we didn’t know she was a Reverend’s daughter, it would be hard to tell. Like Ruth May, the others underestimate her. They forget she’s there a lot, and don’t notice when she leaves the house for long periods of time. When a lion supposedly ate her, the others all believed it even though she was sitting right on the porch.