Blog #3 - Character Traits

The novel I am currently reading is "Kissing the Rain" by Kevin Brooks. The main protagonist is Michael 'Moo' Nelson.

Fat
"Soft and splodgy, round-faced...yeh, I guess I always been one of them round-faced kids...which ain't surprising really -- I got a round-faced mum and a round-faced dad..." (Brooks 61)

This story is told from the first-person perspective of Michael Nelson. Sadly, he often talks about himself in a negative way, mostly saying that he is fat. He constantly is talking about how people make fun of him and he puts himself down. In my previous blog post, "Blog #1 - Opening Mood", I wrote about how Moo is always depressed and he clearly describes himself as fat.

Lonely
"MY PLACE. There it is, look -- 8 steps along, that bit there, where one of the railings has a knee-shaped kink, and the cross-rail's worn and shiny from 5 years' leaning..." (Brooks 4)

Moo is normally made fun of by his peers, plus he is somewhat new in town. The part of this quote where is says "5 years' leaning..." helps show this characteristic. It means that he leaned on that cross-rail for 5 years' now, showing that he goes there by himself.

Worrisome
"I dunno...I don't KNOW if it's all right or not... and I dunno if it makes any difference if I DON'T think it's all right..." (Brooks 79)

Moo becomes a very worrisome character throughout the story. Since he witnessed the accident at the bridge, he is always worried about the police or Mr. Vine showing up at his house. In the quote, he is worried and questioning if it is all right to let Dectective Callan in his home.

Aware
"I can't make em out just yet, they're maybe half a mile away, all I can see is 2 pairs of glaring headlights, one behind the other, 4 blazings eyes..." (Brooks 11)

Moo is very aware of his surroundings. In this quote, he is sitting up on a bridge and looking down at on coming traffic. He is so aware that he manages to notice the two pairs of headlights and the people's eyes in the car.