Identity construction of a Character

Characters have long been studied as narratological element and how they function in relation to their plots. Characters are also studied on basis of their actions, trans-medial aspects, archetypes, knowledge, their interrelation to each other and they are also studied how the readers relate to them. In my essay, I will explore how the character’s distinctive quality from other characters creates polarity between the characters and also, their relations to each other helps to define identity construction of a character. To demonstrate my argument, I will study the characters in two mediums that are the graphic novel American Born Chinese and the film Ghost World. The essay will first describe the assigned traits to each character, how they differ from each other and how their interrelation within characters helps to construct character’s identity in the narrative. Both the film and the graphic novel have in common their coming-of-age narrative which is be used to study different characters and their contribution in development of protagonist’s identity. In addition to that, the essay will further explore the visual narrative of both medium to see how panels aid the identity construction of the characters