Characterization of the young man

Outer characterization

The young man is the main character of the short story “Close to the Water’s Edge” by Claire Keegan. He remains unnamed, which helps highlight that his inner thoughts and feelings are the focus of the story. At the same time, the absence of a name – which is a symbol for identity – further stresses the idea that the young man is struggling between his parents’ expectations and assumptions of who he is, and living life on his own terms. 

The young man is about to turn 21 (p. 145, l. 40). He used to live with his grandmother while his parents went through a divorce (p. 148, ll. 41-42). In the present time, he is a student at Harvard University (p. 146, l. 11) and lives in Cambridge (p. 144, l. 2). His physical description suggests that he is good-looking: “(…) his dark tan stunning against the white of his shirt” (p. 144, ll. 1-3). An important element of his wardrobe is ...