Volume 03 Issue 12-2023
51
International Journal Of Literature And Languages
(ISSN
–
2771-2834)
VOLUME
03
ISSUE
12
Pages:
51-56
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.
705
)
(2022:
5.
705
)
(2023:
6.
997
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
ABSTRACT
Jamaica Kincaid is acknowledged as one of the leading women writers from the Caribbean who left the island for the
United States, establishing herself as a great representative of literature. In 2002 she wrote «Mr. Potter», giving breath
into a character unlike any other in contemporary fiction. In «Mr. Potter», there is indirect characterization that
provides insights into the character of Mr. Potter using actions, inner thoughts, dialogues, and interactions to reveal
a character's traits, rather than explicitly stating them. Certain aspects of this character are shown through his
responses to situations and people around him such as being strict, disciplined and an adherent of traditional values.
These examples of indirect characterization help to build a nuanced portrayal of Mr. Potter, allowing readers to form
a deeper understanding of his personality, values, and the complexities that shape his character. Overall, in the
following paper actions, dialogues, relationships between the characters, main character's reactions are discussed to
reveal author's special style in indirect characterization.
KEYWORDS
Indirect characterization, Jamaica Kincaid, Mr. Potter, personality, speech, appearance, thoughts effect, action.
INTRODUCTION
Literature usually relies on descriptions. In the process
of creating his work, the writer directly describes a
certain period, landscape, event and, in most cases,
people. The main purpose of this is to bring this work
Research Article
INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION IN JAMAICA KINCAID'S «MR. POTTER»
Submission Date:
December 19, 2023,
Accepted Date:
December 24, 2023,
Published Date:
December 29, 2023
Crossref doi:
https://doi.org/10.37547/ijll/Volume03Issue12-10
Ganieva Orzigul Khayriddinovna
Doctor Of Philosophy In Philological Sciences, Associate Professor Department Of English Literary And
Translation Studies, Foreign Languages Faculty, Bukhara State University, Uzbekistan
Ashurova Nigina Aziz Qizi
Master Student Of Bukhara State University Department Of English Literary And Translation Studies, Foreign
Languages Faculty, Bukhara State University, Uzbekistan
Journal
Website:
https://theusajournals.
com/index.php/ijll
Copyright:
Original
content from this work
may be used under the
terms of the creative
commons
attributes
4.0 licence.
Volume 03 Issue 12-2023
52
International Journal Of Literature And Languages
(ISSN
–
2771-2834)
VOLUME
03
ISSUE
12
Pages:
51-56
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.
705
)
(2022:
5.
705
)
(2023:
6.
997
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
to life right in front of the reader's eyes and to ensure
that he gets into it. However, sometimes the author
does not give such a description directly, but reveals it
indirectly, using other factors in the work. Indirect
characterization in literature means describing
character details such as the appearance, thoughts,
actions, words and reactions from other characters for
a reader to make inferences about that personage as
well as their manners and personality, rather than
telling them directly. This type of implicit
characterizing requires a reader to engage with the
work more deeply than the explicit one does so that
they can understand and learn better about a character
that is being portrayed by the writer. When the reader
has to make conclusions for themselves and
investigate different pieces of information on their
own, the story and characters start to feel quite
intimate. In addition, it intrigues the reader to get to
know more about the character when not stating it
frankly, but being subtle, dropping hints and relying on
signals.
Jamaica Kincaid, who is considered one of the modern
American women writers, was born in 1949 in Antigua,
a country along the Caribbean Sea. Most of her works
are autobiographical in nature, making his parents and
people he met in his life the main characters of each of
her novels and stories. Jamaica Kincaid's «Mr. Potter»
is also written about her own father, and is a logical
continuation of the novels «Annie John» and «Lucy», in
which the author wrote about her mother. The writer
created this work by combining outrage and love for
his father. But the girl still has a strong feeling of love
for her father, even though the father abandoned her,
the daughter cannot give up on her father. The reason
is that she tries to find and understand the main causes
that led his father to do this, and she wants to end this
«tradition of renunciation» and gives an end to it,
finally.
In «Mr. Potter» Jamaica Kincaid relies on this kind of
indirect characterization from the beginning till the
end of this novel to reveal the main character's
personality and his spiritual world. The simple and
difficult life of an illiterate taxi chauffeur who spends
his days driving his blue Hillman in the wide streets of
Antigua under the sunshine is told by one of his
daughters, with anger and compassion at the same
time, after his death who was not accepted by him
before. Due to the skill of the writer, a complex
character full of contradictions in his inner world is
embodied before the eyes of the reader.
Since this novel is distinguished by the fact that it
consists entirely of indirect descriptions, we found it
necessary to pay special attention to the author's skill
in depicting the personality of the main character and
to analyze it.
MATERIALS AND METHODOLOGY
Through portraying «Mr. Potter», Jamaica Kincaid
clearly reveals the chaotic way of life of the people of
Antigua, but does not give a full description of the
characters somewhere in the work. It is based on the
characters' appearances, conversations, and their
attitudes towards various situations in the work. Mr.
Potter is the main character who holds the whole chain
of events in this novel, and the writer gives very little
description about him. In revealing his image, Kincaid
emphasizes the character's appearance, speech,
actions,
and
responses
to
the
surrounding
circumstances.
Named Roderick at birth, nicknamed Drickie by his
unloving family after his parents abandoned him, he
Volume 03 Issue 12-2023
53
International Journal Of Literature And Languages
(ISSN
–
2771-2834)
VOLUME
03
ISSUE
12
Pages:
51-56
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.
705
)
(2022:
5.
705
)
(2023:
6.
997
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
grows up to be named Mr. Potter and lives a difficult
life. Mr. Potter's poverty is explained by the fact that
he works as a taxi driver for hire, that even «a blind
beggar standing on the street recognizes his footsteps
and never asks for money», one of the women he
offends «one day took all his savings to get a car and
left him», and «a pair of shoes never came easily to
him.» [1, 5, 20] While, on the one hand, Mr. Potter's
«admiration for Mr. Shepherd's handkerchief sticking
out of his suit pocket, his well-ironed trousers and
poplin shirt, and his well-polished shoes, and later
wearing these clothes himself» is a clear example of
the idea above, on the other hand, it indicates that Mr.
Potter is an organized, neat and disciplined person.
Jamaica Kincaid focused on two aspects of the
appearance of the main character in the work: the first
is the black div of Mr. Potter and the white shirt that
he always wears, which «gives peace of mind» to the
owner, through such a contrast, the writer points to
the conflict in the psyche of the character, perhaps in
his «dark» life, full of difficulties, Mr. Potter is looking
for «light» in a sense, and this white shirt can give him
this; and the second is his nose, which stood out from
everyone else and «as if it was inherited by all his
daughters», through which it was secretly mentioned
that the character was so poor that he could not give
his children anything other than that. [1, 96, 4, 167]
The main character's speech is reflected in the novel as
the main means of revealing his personality. Mr. Potter
is an illiterate man who cannot speak English fluently,
cannot read or write, and in most cases when he is
asked to speak he simply says «Eh, eh». [1, 12]
Regarding women who love him and want to enter into
a serious relationship with him, he replies, «I warn you
against it.» [1, 118] From this evidence, the conflicts in
Mr. Potter's inner world can be clearly seen. If the first
example shows that Mr. Potter is low in self-
confidence, timid and a little shy, then in the second
case, one can see the result of his lack of love. A young
man who grew up not knowing what love is, even
when he grows up, not only cannot feel this feeling,
but he is also afraid to feel it. From this, one can
definitely sense aspects of his behaviour, such as
instability, fear, and a desire to avoid responsibility.
The actions of the main character in the novel and how
he behaves in different situations are also the result of
the continuous processes and changes taking place in
his inner world. It is through this factor that the main
character can turn into a favorite or an enemy for the
reader completely. In the case of Mr. Potter, the reader
is likely to experience both. For example, «every
morning, Mr. Potter arriving on time at the rental car
owner's garage and washing first his car, then his
friend Mr. Martin's, and then Mr. Joseph's, who is
brought in as a mere acquaintance», «his loving the son
of one of his wives very much, even if he was not a child
of his own» give evidence to his punctuality, discipline,
his love for his profession, sincerity, generosity and the
fact that he also has a feeling of affection and kindness,
and these examples arouse feelings of respect and
relief towards Mr. Potter in a reader. However, he
treats women with disrespect, and does not admit any
of his children while they are all being girls, especially
Elaine, who is narrating the story. She says that when
she was 4 years old, she waited for Mr. Potter for hours
in front of his workplace and finally as soon as she saw
and waved at his father, he simply ignored her that the
girl described this situation, «As if I was just a dog in his
way, like I was nothing to him», and this description
now makes the reader hate the character of Mr. Potter.
[1, 7, 156, 146]
Volume 03 Issue 12-2023
54
International Journal Of Literature And Languages
(ISSN
–
2771-2834)
VOLUME
03
ISSUE
12
Pages:
51-56
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.
705
)
(2022:
5.
705
)
(2023:
6.
997
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
Results It would be without any exaggeration to say
that through the character of Mr. Potter, Jamaica
Kincaid brings to life a figure unlike any other in
modern fiction. Although the character of Mr. Potter
can be considered as a very simple character, when
approached from the perspective of the author's skill,
we can witness that he is a very complex character.
From the behavior of Mr. Potter and the attitude
shown to him by other characters in the novel, there is
no doubt that at first the reader will have a feeling of
alienation or indifference towards this character. The
reason is that «even the world was indifferent to his
existence.» [1, 29]
From the appearance of Mr. Potter, his conversations
and relationships with other characters throughout
the story, his poverty, illiteracy, being a supporter of
old traditions, order and uniformity, loyalty to his work,
his boss, and his friends, we can learn that he is
obedient, quiet, and kind, but these qualities do not
indicate that he is a complete good person. Because it
is inevitable that we will develop animosity towards
Mr. Potter from the way he treats his children and
women. But only after paying attention to the main
reasons why Mr. Potter becomes such a person, any
reader will have a feeling of understanding and pity for
Mr. Potter, just like the daughter of him, Elaine. The
formation of the main character's spiritual world was
primarily the result of his growing up without love.
Roderick or Mr. Potter, who was rejected by his
parents as a child, who later served as a pawn for the
family that raised him, who was ignored by his boss and
the guests whom he delivered to their addresses,
instead of fighting against and eliminating such
treatment, quietly accepts these relationships and
begins to reflect them on his behaviour. He, like other
people in his life, becomes a careless, rude, silent, weak
and, most importantly, loveless person.
DISCUSSION
Although «Mr. Potter» is the story of a single man, his
story is a true depiction of the way of life in rural
Caribbean countries. Mr. Potter is also presented as a
mirror and continuation of the history of slavery,
colonization and the resulting poverty, illiteracy and
despair of the indigenous people of Antigua.
When we think deeply about the inner world of the
main character of the novel, we witness that Mr. Potter
is as complex as his simplicity. He is a person who has
internal conflicts and life problems, but he does not
pay any attention to them. Because the centuries of
pressure on his ancestors had been absorbed into
Potter's blood. It is the understanding of this situation
that makes the reader care and sympathize with Mr.
Potter. The importance of this character was
expressed at the end of the play, «children and
acquaintances were crying complaining that Mr. Potter
had left his all fortune to a distant relative.» After the
death of Mr. Potter, whose existence was not even
remembered throughout his life, he gains the attention
of everyone. People remembered all of his good and
bad deeds. In fact, they were also helpless victims of
that poverty. The purpose of coming to Mr. Potter's
funeral was also to gain wealth for their own benefits.
His death was as important as his birth. [1, 189 ] So we
can't just take Mr. Potter as an ordinary character. He
is the character who plays the main role in the
development of events in the whole work. That's why
the writer uses a special way to describe him, that is,
she does not describe his personality and, in general,
what kind of person he is, but the emphasis is on other
factors in the work such as the speech, appearance and
Volume 03 Issue 12-2023
55
International Journal Of Literature And Languages
(ISSN
–
2771-2834)
VOLUME
03
ISSUE
12
Pages:
51-56
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.
705
)
(2022:
5.
705
)
(2023:
6.
997
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
actions of the character which perform this task. It is
worth saying that through this approach, Jamaica
Kincaid leaves the conclusion about the main character
of the work up to the reader. He wants readers to be
curious about Mr. Potter and imagine his inner self
through a careful analysis.
CONCLUSION
Based on the analysis given above, it can be concluded
that the writer may not always use direct descriptions
when introducing the character to the reader or
revealing his inner image. The author can perfectly
show the personality of the character by relying on
other factors involved in the work. In particular, the
character's appearance, clothing and speech style,
inner thoughts, conversations with other characters in
the work, his treatment of them, or his attitude and
responses to various situations that occur in the work
can serve as a mirror of the inner world of the
character. Being able to use such literary auxiliary tools
to reveal the psychology of the hero requires not only
great skill from the author, but also places a great
responsibility on the reader to be able to understand
and analyze this artistic creativity and to understand
the full content of the story. As the reader tries to
determine the thoughts and goals of the writer, he
unwittingly discovers the character of the work.
Jamaica Kincaid, one of the modern American talented
women writers, was able to show her great literary
skills as a writer at the highest level by indirectly
characterizing Mr. Potter. This work stands out not
only among Kincaid's other works, but also in modern
world literature as an excellent example of an indirect
descriptive approach. The author maintains this
method of representation until the end of the work,
and through all the other characters and situations
around the main character, he draws the image of Mr.
Potter. The character expresses his inner spiritual
world in conversations, by the way he dresses, behaves
and reacts to the surrounding events, and the
contribution of the author to it is incomparable.
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Volume 03 Issue 12-2023
56
International Journal Of Literature And Languages
(ISSN
–
2771-2834)
VOLUME
03
ISSUE
12
Pages:
51-56
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.
705
)
(2022:
5.
705
)
(2023:
6.
997
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
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