Characterisation

In the following section, we characterise Magnus who is the main character in the short story and furthermore emphasise some important things about the relationship between him and the narrator which are worth considering when you characterise and analyse this story. 

Magnus

Magnus is introduced from the beginning as the best friend of the narrator’s big brother. He teaches her to read while they drive to school. He sings in the school choir and has the perfect pitch. Already in the first paragraph, Magnus is described as somewhat “unusual”, when the mother praises his singing in the car:

How unusual that a schoolboy in this day and age would appreciate them. But then Magnus is a very unusual boy. (ll. 9-11)

It is not explained explicitly in the short story, however, as the story moves on, we get the impression that Magnus is very clever and he takes a high educational degree, in what is presumably astronomy or physics:

He goes to university and sends me letters every week or so (…) “How matter can never be created or destroyed, but only altered? I would think that comforting to religious people. I don’t know why they seem to think science is cold.” (ll. 23, 28-30)

When the narrator describes how Magnus asks her to marry him, we get the impression that Magnus is a very rational and honest in everything he does:

He says to me, “I was going to buy you an engagement ring but I wasn’t sure whether we should buy it together or if I should choose one and surprise you. There appear to be two schools of thought.”  (ll. 43-45)

Even though this proposal is not described as a classic romantic proposal, and we get the sense that Magnus does indeed do things his ...