Dead Men’s Path

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Dead Men’s Path

Flat characters are simple and they do not change. On the other hand, round characters are complex and they develop during the plot. Round characters are often harder to understand. They are more real in the sense that they have depth and they tend to be more intriguing. Michael is presented as a person who opposes tradition in every sense of the word. From the beginning, it is clear that he considers tradition to be backwards and he does not think much about those who practice it. He is not willing to change his perspective on the matter. From the beginning of the passage, Michael is seen as a person who embraces change. He thinks of many ideas of how he will turn the school around when he is appointed as the head. When the old village man visits him asking him to reopen the path that runs through the school, Michael tells him that he will not do it. He adamantly refuses to consider another perspective to the issue. Michael does not go through any transformation throughout the plot. He remains the progressive and adamant headmaster until the end.

The writer does not include many details concerning Nancy. However, he does mention that she has the same perspectives as her husband. She despises tradition and she looks for ways of presenting herself as a modern woman. Her willingness to support her husband in his new ideas concerning the school seems to be supported by the fact that she wants the other wives to admire her. However, she seems to be unstable in character because her enthusiasm seems to reduce when she learns that she will not have the opportunity to show off to others since the other teachers are unmarried. In this sense, she appears to be a round character because of her complexity. She has more traits because she demonstrates a willingness to support change, but only if it suits her.

Work Cited:

Achebe, Chinua. Dead Men’s Path.1972. 10-12.