Characterization of Lindsey

The most important character in the short story “The Royal Flush” by Lori Pollock is Lindsey, the protagonist. The collective character of the residents at The Royal Commemorative Estates is important for the social setting which we will discuss in a subsequent section.

The father, J.P., the landlord, and the rickshaw driver are secondary, episodic characters which give the plot authenticity and contribute to constructing the social setting.

Lindsey is the main character in the short story. Her outer characterisation informs us that her mother has died (ll. 26-27), that she is a flexitarian (l. 16), and that she is a student going on a volunteering project in Bangladesh.

Inner characterisation

Lindsey’s inner characterisation is mostly conveyed indirectly, through dialogue, her actions, and her attitude.

The opening dialogue between Lindsey and her father at the restaurant suggests that Lindsey is keen on promoting a healthy and sustainable lifestyle. She is concerned about what type of meat the restaurant serves and about what her father eats:

‘I’m a flexitarian,’ Lindsey said, as though explaining something to a child. ‘There’s nothing wrong with eating a little animal protein now and then, as long as the chicken was free to peck and play or the cow was properly pastured.’ (ll. 16-18)

Lindsey had signed up her father for “More to Meals than Meat” after she’d seen it advertised in the post office the last time she’d been home. She was worried he’d get scurvy... (ll. 20-21)

The fact the Lindsey “looked down at the mention of her mother.” (l. 27) suggests that she is probably still affected by her mother’s death.

Lindsey is an idealist, as suggested by the fact that she goes to volunteer in an international development project. However, Lindsey’s desires and ideals are not matched by reality. Firstly, she is disappointed that she will not go to the project of her choice: “…once Dr. Hassan had underlined the connections between hygiene and justice, Lindsey overcame her disappointment at not being selected for the women’s project in Tanzania, happy, in any case, to be helping those less fortunate than herself.” (ll. 35-37)

When she arrives in Bangladesh, the different culture has a strong impact on Lindsey. She wants to see and discover the new place. However, Lindsey’s expectations are different from the reality of the project. She finds out that her project involves installing eco-toilets which offends her and makes her feel like she cannot make a real difference as a volunteer: “How would she build capacity through communication and information sharing? How would she use the knowledge of women’s oppression gained through reading Taslima Nasrin’s Shame, a book banned – banned! – in Bangladesh, if reduced to plumbing?” (ll. 64-66); “After getting over her initial displeasure at the assignment’s complete underuse of her...