CHARACTERS AND

CHARACTERISTICS
Husna
Alisyah
Sarmila
Shahida
Siti Nurmaisarah

Main characters
Dawan
1. A young Thai girl who lives with her family in the village.
2. Family members-parents, grandmother and siblings,
Kwai and two sisters.
2. Has a close-knit relationship with family.
4. Attends village school with Kwai.
5. Faces problem of gender inequality or sexism.
6. Wins a scholarship to study in city school.
7. Leaves home to go for further studies in the city school.

a) loving, caring, patient, soft and obedient

1. Enjoys being with her brother.
2. When Kwai is on the bridge under the heavy rain, Dawan
gives him the umbrella while she hobbles home with a
hurt anKle bare-headed and empty-handed.
3. Waits patiently for her parents' approval of her going to
the city school.
4. Keen to take up the scholarship but will not do so
whihout her parents' especially her father's permission.
5. Does not want to hurt Kwai whom she knows is keen to
go to the city school.

b) determined, passionate and adamant

1. Has strong feelings about gender inequality in rural
areas.
2. Determined to further her education in city school.
3. Feels bad for Kwai when she wins the scholarship but is
determined to take up the opportunity.
4. Feels sure that her ideals are as good as those of Kwa's
even though her initial concept of furthering her
education in th city is not quite the same as Kwai's.
5. Although Dawan respects the head monk, she is
adamant about wanting to try to 'improve things'
although the monk says that she 'will just be wasting her
time and spirit'.

c) far-sighted, level-headed, strong sense of responsibility

1. Understands that the present injustices, social and
economic, can be changed.
2. Willing to sacrifice going to the city school for Kwa's sake
as he might be a more effective innovator than her.
3. When Bao's brother bullies Bao, Dawan feels
responsible because she has taken a lotus and a
sparrow for free from Bao. She feels compelled to
protect Bao and so, rushes out from her hiding place.

d) Intuitive and desicive

1. When Dawan wins the scholarship, she becomes the
objectof her father's anger and frustration, and her
brother's challenger. She talks to her father very frankly
and intuitively realized her father is genuinely bewildered
about a girl's right to go to a city school.
2. She tells her father desicively that she wants her father
to 'open her cage door and allow her to soar off and do
great things for them all'. She wins her father's approval
as he tells her to go ahead and try.

e) emotionally stable, great strength of character

1. When she leaves the temple after talking to the head
monk, she feels a sense of futility and walks with heavy
feet. She moans to Bao that nobody can help her or
would want to and seems to be on the verge of giving
up. But, alomost immediately, with strong emotions and
strength, she recovers and realises her future is in her
own hands.
2. When Dawan tells her family about the results, theri
reaction-father's furious reply and questioning, mother's
silent disapproval and grandmother's soothing words-is
unnerving but Dawan accepts it in her stride. She does
not give any open outburst of temper.

f) appreciative
1. Dawan is appreciative of the love and support givn by
her grandmother who tells her not to be 'cared all the
time' and not to be a 'rabbit' or timid like her mother.
2. She appreciates Bao's friendliness and encouragement.
3. She is appreciative of Kwai's understanding and for not
challenging her for the scholarship.

Kwai
1. Dawan's brother.
2. Has a close relationship with Dawan.
3. Only boy in the family so is the favourite child.
4. Helps father with work in the paddy fields and hers the
buffalo although sometimes he forgets to do that.
5. Likes to sit at the wooden bridge to watch the sunrise,
think things out and discuss social issues with Dawan.
6. The bridge is synonymous with his and Dawan's happy
childhood days.
7. A good student and is very interested in his studies.
8. Well-liked by the teacher who discusses issue with him
after school.

a) fair, considerate, good sense of humour, sensitive

1. Encourages Dawan to speak her mind and not to be so
afraid of speaking out in class.
2. Realises that Dawan is very keen to study in city school
and so, does not inform her father about his result.
3. Teases Dawan and leaves her wondering whether he
would inform theri father about his getting second place.
4. Regrets hurting Dawan at the market and does not
apologise because his upbringing in the concept of
gender inequality.
5. Sensitive and aware that Dawan is concerned about him.

b) clear-headed, discerning and perceptive, far-sighted

1. Understands the implications of the scholarship.
2. Rationalises the dilemma he is in after knowing his
results.
c) egoistic, bullheaded
1. Upset that Dawan goes to get Noi's support.
2. Seems happy that Dawan has won the scholarship, deep
down he is still bound by the gender inequality tradition.

Teacher
1. Teacher in the village school.
2. Effective teacher.
3. Not prejudiced against female students.
4. Well-liked by students and the headmaster.
5. Likes Kwai and Dawan
6. Makes dramatic announcement about Dawan being the
WINNER of the scholarship.
7. Informs Kwai and his father of Kwai's second placing
behind Dawan.

a) confident, creative and broad-minded

1. Has faith that his students will exercise their
responsibilities well.
2. Students will not sell him out to the headmaster for
teaching them a topic out of the syllabus.
3. Able to bring out ideas and opinions of students.
4. Teaches them to be analytical.
5. Does not practise gender inequality.
6. Realistic approach in taching.

Father
1. A typical Thai farmer who takes care of the family well.
2. Family man who only hopes for the best for his family.
3. Does not go against the customs and traditions observed by the
villagers.
a) loving, impatient, simple-minded
1. loves both Dawan and Kwai but is gender-biased and belives that
only boys deserve to be educated.
2. Believes that educating girls is a waste of time.
3. Allows Dawan to attend school after Kwai insists that she be allowed
to do so.
4. Upset that te children do not tell him about Kwai's examination result.
5. Doesnt understand why Kwai is willing to give up his chance for
further education for his sister who is 'only a girl'.
6. He relents and gives his blessing to Dawan and tells her 'then try, my
daughter' while smiling at her.

Grandmother
1. Dawan and Kwai's grandmother.
2. Loving to her grandchildren especially Dawan.
3. Encourages and supportive of Dawan's ambition for further education.
4. Sensitive to Dawan's moods.
a) loving, sensitive, understanding, firm and supportive
1. Has a way of sensing things and when she asks about the other person's
welfare, people usually listena and wait.
2. Proud of Dawan's success with the scholarship.
3. Firm with and proud of her ideas as she tells her daughter-in-law 'I do what I
think right'.
4. Assures Dawan that her father is gentle and quiet once but is bad-tempered
now because of his worries.
5. Advises Dawan to 'gather herself together and face the world out there with
clear bold eyes'.
6. She allows Dawan to have a godd cry before the latter leaves for the trip to
the city.
7. Supportive of Dawan, she gives her a lotus bud in a jar and tells her to think of
her leaving as a petal unfolding from the lotus. There will always be change
and so there is nothing to fear.

Bao
1. A girl who sells flowers and sparrows at the marketplace.
2. Picks the lotus from the klong and insists it doesnt cost
her anything.
3. Does not attend school and is impressed with Dawan's
schooling and winning the scholarship.
4. Bullied by her brother who demands all the money that
Bao collects from the sale of the flowers and sparrows.

a) friendly, pleasant, supportive, strong-willed, discerning

1. Willing to give a lotus to Dawan for free and also allows
her to set free a sparrow.
2. Knows that her brother will cause trouble for Dawan.
3. Strong-willed and ready to stand up for her beliefs.
4. Tells Kwai off for being as big a bully as her brother.
5. Passionate about nature.

Minor characters
Mother
1. Dawan and Kwai's mother.
2. Takes care of family well.
3. Timid and allows her husband to make all desicions for
the family.
4. Doesnt want Dawan to be disappointed with father's
desicion about education in the city school. However,
Dawan feels that her mother is inconsistent.
5. Has learned to control her feelings and opinions.

Noi
1. Dawan's cousin who has worked in the city.
2. Returns to the village disillusioned with life in the city.
3. Gives a rosy picture of life in the city but tells Dawan and her mother the truth.
4. Does not encourage Dawan to go to the city.
5. Takes care of Dawan's hurt ankle.
Ghan
1. Cousin Noi's husband.
2. Impressed with Dawan's ideas about wanting to change the system to a better one.
3. Feels that city life is not for girls and it's much healthier for a young girl to grow up in
the countryside.
4. Favours the simple life in the country against the poor and meaningless life in the city.
5. Heavily indebted to an army officer who helped him from being drafted into the army.
The head monk
1. Head monk in the temple.
2. Gives Dawan a talk on religious precepts to dissuade her from going for further
education.