Characters

The most important characters in the short story “The Right Time to Fly” by Shirley Golden are Marcus and Suzy. In what follows, we will look at their outer and inner characterisation as well as their relationship.

Marcus

Marcus is one of the main characters in the short story, whose point of view the narrator uses frequently.

Outer characterisation

From his outer characterisation, we find out has been working for ten years at a landfill, a place where waste is gathered and scraped.

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Inner characterisation

Marcus’ inner characterisation initially introduces us to a rather serious, grumpy man, irritated by the student trespassing to take photos at the landfill. His stiffness is indicated by the way he interacts with her: “Don’t care. I’m this close to chucking that thing on the heap with the rest of the junk. How many times do I have to tell you, this is a restricted area?”” (ll. 15-16)

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Suzy

Suzy is the second main character in the short story, but an episodic one in the life of Marcus. Her character is rather static; the only thing that changes about her as a result of the action in the story is her opinion of Marcus. She initially sees him as an “arse-wipe” (l. 13) but realises that he is not “half bad” (l. 150), eventually.

Outer characterisation

The woman’s outer characterisation indicates that she is a nineteen-year old student of photography and arts with “cowboy booted feet” (l. 9)...

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Inner characterisation

Her inner characterisation reveals a typical youngster student, who does not care much for rules (she trespasses the landfill) and is still figuring out what adult life is about and what she wants to do:

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The relationship between Marcus and Suzy

The relationship which develops between Marcus and Suzy is actually very important for the development of the plot and implicitly, the short story’s themes.

Initially, the two characters are in conflict because of their external position:

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