Characters

The main characters in the short story “Vanity” by Charles Baxter are Harry Albert and David Lowie. Several other characters are mentioned by the author, but they are not exactly relevant to the way the action develops. These secondary characters are Lowie’s wife, the showgirls, the people on the plane, the Germans in Lowie’s story and the young man with whom Harry spends the night.

In what follows, we will look at the way in which Harry Albert’s and David Lowie’s characters are constructed regarding outer and inner characterization.

Harry Albert

The short story is written from Harry Albert’s point of view. Initially, we do not know his name, but only the fact that his seat in the airplane is 32-B:

“He had stuffed his suitcase into the empty overhead bin, having purchased early-boarding rights from the airline, and had settled into his nonreclining seat, 32-B, when he had to stand up again to let the passenger in 32-A get past him.” (p. 1, ll. 1-3)

Outer characterization

When it comes to Harry’s outer characterization, everything we know is told either by the narrator, by Lowie or Harry himself. Initially, the narrator depicts him in the following manner:

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Inner characterization

Regarding inner characterization, the first interesting thing about Harry Albert is his name, which Lowie correlates with aristocracy: “And I am likewise honored to meet you, English royalty.” (p. 8, l. 149);

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David Lowie

David Lowie is the second important character in the story. Initially, readers get to know him as the “passenger in 32-A” (p. 1, l. 3).

Outer characterization

Then, his outer characterization is offered directly by the author:

Inner characterization

Regarding inner characterization, the things we find out about David Lowie are mostly offered in a direct manner by the character himself, through his conversation with Harry. Probably the most striking thing about David Lowie is that he is a Holocaust survivor:

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