Year 11 ESL English St James College - Term 3, 2013Name: ______

Character Development in The Spare Room by Kathryn Lomer

Character / Who is this person? What is his/her relationship to the other characters? / List some interesting/important things that happen to this person in the novel. (include page numbers) / Write some interesting/important quotes from the novel. (include page numbers) / How is this person represented by Lomer in the novel? Give examples from the novel.
1.Akira / 19 yo man. Comes to Aus to learn Eng
Protagonist
Homestay brother to Angie and Daisy. Friend of Stolly, Chisuko /
  • Came to Aus because father wanted him to.
  • Did not speak Eng well when he came here.
  • Did not feel good about himself
  • Had a friend called Satoshi who was not around anymore
  • Makes friends with Stolly and starts to improve English
/ P.10 …”he completely ignored me when right at the very end I said I didn’t want to go to Australia”
P.28 “I failed dismally…He could have been speaking Swahili or Martian for all I knew.”
P.132 “Chicken tits”
P.64-66 “Stolly had great plans for me.” /
  • Confused and unsure of what he wants from life
  • Likeable, humble, respectful
  • Polite, willing to try despite the difficulties
  • Open to making friends from different cultures
Now turn to the back page of this document to see a sample paragraph using this information.
2. Angie / 17yo girl
Homestay sister of Akira
Daughter of Alex and Jess
Sister to Daisy/Joey /
  • Makes clear from the beginning that she didn’t want homestay student
  • Keeps her distance from everybody
  • Brought home by police for underage drinking
  • Tries to steal perfume but is “saved” by Akira
  • Her character develops and in the end displays different attitude eg.s
defending Akira when her friends are taunting him
lying beside him and listening to his story about Satoshi / P.40 “When I stood up she was still watching me cooly. So, she said eventually, this is our Japanese girl, is it?”
P.45 “Why should I go and pick up Akira? This is your baby, Mum. Anyway, how would I find him? They all look alike to me.”
P. 138 “Suddenly Angie was on her feet….He’s my homestay brother, she said. Don’t take any notice. He doesn’t know what he’s saying.”
P.164 “I …think you’ve lost someone too….She reached out and touched my face.” /
  • Angry and bitter young woman
  • Rude and selfish when speaking with other characters
  • inconsiderate of other people’s feelings
As the novel continues she is also presented as being
  • sad and confused
  • caring about others and gentle

3.Daisy
4.Jess
5. Alex
6.Stolly
7.Gordon
8.Chisuko

Practice paragraphs for each character.

Akira is the protagonist of the novel and is presented as a respectful son despite his confusion about his father’s plans for him. On page 10 he says about his father …”he completely ignored me when right at the very end I said I didn’t want to go to Australia” and yet he accepts the decision and tries to be positive about it. Lomer positions the reader to see Akira as a likable and good natured young man. He is open to learning new things and makes an effort to do so even though he feels uncomfortable and embarrassed at times. When he first arrives in Australia he recounts the experience of trying to speak to the customs officer on page 28, “I failed dismally…He could have been speaking Swahili or Martian for all I knew.” Akira is presented as having his own sadness and confusion in his life, due to his distant relationship with his parents, the loss of his friend Satoshi and his lack of self belief. However Kathryn Lomer does not show any examples of him being mean or rude. Instead she shows many situations where he can laugh at himself and just keep trying. A good example of this is when he laughs after Stolly teaches him the correct word to use when asking the butcher for some chicken meat. (ie breast not tits!)

Angie is another very important character in this novel. The reader is positioned to see that Akira is attracted to her and hopeful of developing a relationship from the first moment he saw her in the “green Chinese robe with a colourful dragon on one side”. However, Angie’s initial response to Akira is exactly the opposite. On page 45, she says to her mother, “Why should I go and pick up Akira? This is your baby, Mum. Anyway, how would I find him? They all look alike to me.” There are numerous examples of her rudeness throughout the novel but in many of these cases, there is a suggestion from the author that there is some hidden reason for this. For example, her reaction to Daisy giving the teddy to Akira was a bit exaggerated so it leads the reader to wonder who the teddy bear belonged to before. Angie’s character continues to develop until the end of the novel when we read about her allowing Akira to comfort her when she is upset. Furthermore, on page P.164 she shows compassion and sympathy to Akira when she says, “I …think you’ve lost someone too….She reached out and touched (his) face.”

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Character development in The Spare Room