Personalities And How They Change Essay, Research Paper
Personalities and How They Change:
All people have distinct personalities, some may be good, and some may be bad. However, one thing always remains constant, personalities are not permanent. For example, if there is a person who has a bad temperament and is under the influence of a good person, then their personality may change. As is the situation in ?Walk Well, My Brother?, by Farley Mowat. The protagonist Charlie Lavery is stranded in the arctic with an Eskimo woman named Konala. He picked her up in a bay on the Gulf Coast to take her to the hospital because she is very sick. Charlie?s mean personality changes when he meets this Eskimo woman. Charlie goes from being contemptuous to respectful because of Konala?s kindness.
Initially, Charlie looks upon the Eskimo?s land and their lifestyle scornfully. Charlie is ?a stranger to the land below,? but unfortunately he lacks all safety equipment. He under estimates the land. Charlie thinks that the Eskimos live in a ?filthy? manner. When he first looks at Konala with ?revulsion,? he is contemptuous towards her by ?[shaking] his head and [turning] away? and stating that she is ?not bad looking ? for a Husky.? From the beginning Charlie looks down upon Konala. He blames her for everything that goes wrong. When the plane crashes, Charlie disregards Konala by calling her ?a bloody albatross around his neck.? When Konala makes fish and offers Charlie some, he just rudely replies, ?Eat it yourself? you animal.?
Despite Charlie?s contempt towards Konala?s people and their land, she is very calm and kind. After persistently being ignored and yelled at by Charlie, Konala still attempts to aid him. Konala offers Charlie fish and he rejects it while calling her an ?animal?. She could get mad but instead, she ?obediently[ ] disappears from the doorway.? Not only does she want to help him, but she is also interested in him. This fact is reflected by the way she ?[sits] watching him intently?. What changes Charlie?s personality towards Konala is how she follows him on his trek north taking herself out of the ?relative safety of the aircraft.? Konala leaves behind the hospitable environment at the plane to follow Charlie through the perilous arctic. This forces Charlie to realize that he misjudged Konala and that she actually cares for him.
Ultimately Charlie respects the Eskimo?s land and their lifestyle. He begins to notice things about the land he has never previously noticed. Charlie is very ?surprised at how different the tundra [has] now become from the dreadful void he had trudged across not long since.? He also thinks that the arctic is now a ?journey of discovery.? Charlie even ?[kneels]? so he can have a closer look at the tiny flowers blooming. Not only is Charlie enticed by the land but he becomes more interested in the Eskimo culture. When Konala is singing a song, ?Lavery [tries] to find out what the song [is] all about.? Charlie is an excellent example of how personalities can change from bad to good.
Charlie, then, goes from being contemptuous to respectful because of Konala?s kindness. This story gives us a perfect illustration of how a person?s personality is not necessarily consistent throughout their life. Their personalities can change. These adjustments in character usually occur because of outside influences. People can be affected in a bad way or a good way but change is always imminent when everybody in the world has a different personality.