Characterization of David
The short story “Spoil the Child” by Howard Fast involves several characters, David, Maude, the mother, the father and the two Indians. Out of these characters, here we will focus on David, who is both the protagonist and the narrator of the story.
David is the narrator of the short story and the main character and develops as a result of the action. His characterization is mostly conveyed indirectly through his actions, thoughts, and attitude, but also directly from the perspective of the other characters.
Outer characterization
David’s outer characterization reveals him to be “a boy of twelve”, short of height, traveling with his family (mother, father and older sister) across the prairie towards West: “…pa always called me an undersized, freckled little runt. He said I wouldn't grow up.”
Inner characterization
The boy’s inner characterization tracks his change from an innocent child to someone who has lost his innocence and has grown-up before time.
Initially, he acts like a naughty boy, riding the mules because no one is watching him and quarreling with his sister Maude who tells him to their mother, who scolds him for being bad:
She said I was bad — a lot worse than you'd expect from a boy of twelve. You didn't expect them to be bad that young.
"You learn to leave the mules alone," Maude called.
"You shut up," I told her.
Though he is scolded frequently by his mother, who also beats him, David helps with the chores, setting the fire and giving water to the mules. Furthermore, he worries about his mother’s health:
"I'll leave you alone now," I told Maude. "I gotta leave you alone now. Maybe you know what's the matter with ma?"
"That's none of your business," Maude said.
He is also quite innocent as he does not realize that his mother is not really ill, but pregnant, as the end of the story reveals. Another indication of his innocence is his fear of the prairie, which is an unknown place to him: “…the prairie was just a roll of yellow and brown, a thread of cloud above it. It frig...
