Characters in Sun – Sun

Johnson
 Identifying Characters
 Discussing Characters
 Chapter 1-2
 Themes
Overview

Sun-Sun Johnson enjoys life. He has enjoyed starting at the bottom

and working hard to become the biggest landowner in the village.
He enjoys being married to an elegant, out-of-the-ordinary woman,
and he loves his three children. But he doesn’t enjoy keeping up a
position; he can’t be bothered to be dignified or to keep a look out
for scroungers – he aims to be generous, whatever the cost.  The
cost proves to be the loss of his fortune, his home, and his wife to
his greatest rival. Only his eldest son, Rami, remains faithful, and
together they start again, from the bottom.
Character

There are two meanings for "character":

1) a person in a fictional story; or 2) qualities of a person. 1) People in
a work of fiction can be a(n):
• Protagonist - Clear center of story; all major events are important
to this character. The main character in a story, the protagonist
experiences the conflict in the story. The protagonist does not have
to be "good."
• Antagonist - Opposition or "enemy" of main character. The cause of
the conflict. The antagonist doesn't have to be a person.
Characteristics of a character

• Characteristics of a character can be revealed through:

• his/her physical appearance
• what he/she says, thinks, feels, dreams and what he/she does or does not
do
• what others say about him/her and how others react to him/her
Types of characters - Characters can be ...

• Round - Fully developed personalities that are affected by the

story's events; they can learn, grow, or deteriorate by the end of
the story. Characters are most convincing when they resemble real
people by being consistent, motivated, and life-like.
• Flat - One-dimensional character
• Dynamic - Character who does go through change and "grows"
during a story
• Static - Character does not go through a change.
Elements of Characterization

• Physical appearance: What does the character look like?

• Actions, speech, and behavior
What does the character do? How does the character behave?
What does the character say?
• Interactions with others
How other characters in the story react to this character
Practicing characterization

• Ask yourself the following questions: Who is the main character (or
characters, as the case may be)? How do you know? (What did you see, read
or understand in the story that told you so? What allowed you to infer your
personal conclusion? What evidence can you provide to support your
conclusion? Did the argument of a critic help to lead you to your
conclusion?)
• Why is he (or she) important to the plot/story as a whole? How do you know?
• What kind of life does your character have (family, friends, enemies, job,
education, status, gender, etc.)? How do you know? Why is it important? How
does it contribute to the kind of person he (or she) is, and the choices he (or
she) makes, etc.?
ACTIVITY

• Highlight the major events in chapters 1 – 2, use direct

reference/examples from the text
• Explain what is the major tension (conflict/issue) in the chapter.
With reference to the lines, “I was there when the blow fell…”
how was this symbolic/important to the sequence of events (Plot)
throughout the novel.
- How does each character respond to “the blow,”? Consider Male vs
male, the clash of male ego/personalities.
Practicing characterization

• What are his goals, motives, or motivations? How do you know?

• What is special or unusual about him? How do you know? What are
the implications of these characteristics in the context of the
wider story?
Describing Characters
 Speech/Thoughts
 Actions
 Relevance to Themes
Main Characters

• Rami Johnson is the son of Sun-Sun Johnson is known to be loyal

because he stayed with his father when his mother and his siblings
deserted him. He is considered very mature because of the way he
dealt with his father’s downfall and his mother’s remarrying.

Merton Johnson otherwise known as "Sun-Sun" is a very wonderful

person who cared for people. He made quite a lot of foolish business
decisions because he led with his heart. He loved his ex-wife and
children. He died for Jake when saving him from a fire, highlighting
his bravery and selflessness.
Antagonists

• Jake Hibbertson jake hibberston is a heartless businessman who

robbed Sun-Sun of his house, his wife and his most prided possessions,
his children. He is the richest man in Robin Hill. He also reveals
his cold-heartedness by not attending Sun-Sun's funeral, who died
getting him out of a fire.

Debbie is Sun-Sun’s ex-wife. She is Brad's, Arlene's and Rami.'s

mother. She teaches at the local school.
Debbie is also a social climber who detested Sun-Sun for being too
charitable. She married Jake Hibbertson and had a child for him.
Minor Characters

• Mrs. Betty Hilcher is Sun-Sun’s only adult neighbour in River

Bottom. She is completely generous to Sun-Sun and Rami by
bringing them food as a welcoming gift. She is also very supportive
of Sun-Sun’s efforts to rebuild his life.

Donna-Ray Hilcher is Mrs. Betty Hilcher's daughter. She is Rami’s

only neighbour, near his age group, and she is his friend.
Chapter Summary
1-3
Review : Chapter 1

• Introduces the protagonist, Sun-Sun, and the antagonist Jake.

• The story begins with Jake addressing Sun-Sun, at Robin Hill, for
the money that was owed to him.
• Sun-Sun gives him the Robin Hill’s title as payment, and the
chapter ends when Sun-Sun and Rami leave Robin Hill for River
Bottom with their mare, Marble, and their belongings on a cart.  
• Sun-Sun’s wife had divorced him a year and a half ago, and two of
his children, Brad and Arlene stayed with their mother, while
Rami, the narrator, willingly stayed with his father.
Analysis

• Rami introduces us to the protagonist “Sun-Sun Johnson” and the

antagonist Jake Hibbertson. Sun – Sun’s wife has divorced him and
left with his two children. In the initial portion of the chapter,
Jake is accosting Sun Sun in Robin Hill for money that is owed to
him. Sun- Sun had used the “title” of Robin Hill as collateral and
has to hand it over to Jake. Sun- Sun and Rami leave Robin Hill on
a cart. The people of Robin Hill them out of town, calling them
“worthless.”
Review : Chapter 2

• Sun-Sun and Rami worked to get River Bottom organized and habitable, it took
them two weeks to finish all the work.
• This chapter emphasizes how differently the children were treated; Arlene and
Brad were treated tenderly, while Rami was made fun of by his friends, because
he stayed with his father after the divorce.
• There is also a comparison of Jake and Sun-Sun's lives in this chapter, highlighting
Jake's thriftiness and Sun-Sun's excessive kindness.
• Rami reveals that Jake gained his wealth by 'conning' Sun-Sun, and is given the
nickname, the Rake.
• Rami visit his mother and is surprised to see Jake relaxing in Sun-Sun's favourite
chair.
Analysis: Chapter 2

• River Bottom is seen as a step down/down grade from Robin Hill,

the ‘cabin’ was way less habitable. Rami explains his feelings of
chastisement and rejection by others because of his decision to
stay with his father. Rami reflects on his father’s glory days, his
extravagant life and generosity towards others.
• Rami compares the qualities of his father and Jake. Both are
opposite, while “Sun- Sun” is compassionate while Jake is Sly and
thrifty. Jake is seen as a cunning business man.
Review : Chapter 3

• Rami and Sun-Sun's neighbours, Donna-Ray Hilcher and Betty Hilcher

visit them. They take food as a welcome gift and father talks to Mrs.
Hilcher and shows her around.
• Donna-Rae and Rami are left alone and also have their own
conversation. Rami and Sun walk them home, where they share a night
cap, then returned home.
• Later on, Rami could not sleep, as he is conflicted about his parents
separation. He is comforted by the thought of Donna-Ray and is able to
sleep.
Main Idea in the Chapters

• Broken Relationships: Effects of divorce on family life

 How does this affect the children and parents?
• Deception/Betrayal
• From Rags to Riches ( From Robin Hill to River Bottom)
• Ambition vs Humility
• Value of money
 Themes
How does the characters contribute to the themes?
Discussion of Themes

• The total meaning of the story. In many cases, stories are

packages that allow readers to see the outcomes of certain
behaviours. Without a theme, the story lacks meaning or purpose.
• Sometimes the theme is stated,' sometimes it is only implied. In
other stories, the theme may be a direct refutation of a
traditional theme.
Themes

• Family Relationship (Healthy vs Unhealthy Relationships)

• Loyalty vs Betrayal
• Money vs Poverty (Loss)
• Love 

Draw a diagram to show the themes in the story. Make sure to

match characters’ thoughts and actions, and any event in the
story that you think aligns itself with the theme.