Characters

The most important characters in “Self Defense” by Samuel Wilkes are Norman, as the main character, and Daniel, as a secondary character. 

The main character and narrator of the story is an American man named Norman (l. 64). In the story, he escapes the Tennessee State Penitentiary with his cellmate, Daniel (ll. 188-189), and they try to reach the Gulf of Mexico by driving through Alabama (ll. 3-4).

Your exam question asks you to focus on the relationship between Norman and Daniel. Overall, Norman and Daniel’s relationship is one with an unequal balance of power, with Norman unable to exert any control over Daniel and simply going along with Daniel’s ideas.

We will explore their relationship, along with their characterization, in what follows.