Frank

Outer characterization

We are not told much about Frank’s outer characterization in “Graveyard Shift” by James M. Reasoner. The only thing we know is that Frank is a widower (p. 81, l. 9) and that he constantly travels the country (p. 81, l. 8), usually working night shifts in convenience stores. Later on, it is revealed that Frank’s wife, Becky, was killed during a robbery:

The same emotions that must have been on my wife Becky's face when she walked into a little store far away and surprised a man just like this one, a man who had gotten away clean, leaving my world bleeding to death on a dirty tile floor… (p. 83, ll. 24-27)

Inner characterization

The first thing that readers learn about Frank is his attitude towards working the graveyard shifts: “Graveyard shifts are all alike. I know too well the emotions that fill the long nights: boredom and fear. Boredom because nothing different ever happens, fear that sometime it might.” (p. 81, ll. 1-3). Frank also enjoys the night shifts because they free his days and they offer him the liberty to do whatever he wants (p. 81, ll. 12-13). During his night shifts, Frank likes to inspect the customers, which proves that he is insightful:

You see the same type of customers, n...