Characterisation of other characters
Jocie is the main character in the short story “Streamlining” by Muli Amaye, while Brandon and the mother are secondary characters which are portrayed using Jocie’s perspective.
Brandon
Brandon is a secondary character in the short story, described from his sister’s perspective. According to his outer characterisation, he is “thirty-one and has a job in insurance” (ll. 47-48) and plays the drums in his spare time (l. 46).
Inner characterisation
His inner characterisation presents him as immature, irresponsible, superficial, and opportunistic. His sister believes that his knowledge is superficial: “Jocie hated it when her brother started going on like this. As if he actually knew things that mattered, when the truth was that he’d half-listened to a conversation...” (ll. 4-5)
His language suggests a teenager-like, immature attitude because he uses more slang and colloquial words than is usual for an adult: “ ‘So, like, nobody gets buried these days, yeah. We gotta look after the earth’s resources, innit?’ ” (l. 1);
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The mother
The characters’ unnamed mother is a secondary character in the short story. For most of the story, she is absent from the action and only appears at the end. However, she appears in many of Jocie’s thoughts and recollections.
According to the woman’s outer characterisation, she has two children and used to be married to an African man. The man left her when the children were small. The “bear hug” (l. 106) suggests that she is a forceful woman.
Inner characterisation
Her inner characterisation is conveyed through Jocie’s perspective and the mother’s actions.
According to Jocie’s opinion and memories, the woman favoured her son over her daughter. She pampered Brandon and always found excuses for his behaviour:
…Mother doted on him. He couldn’t do anything wrong. If he turned up in a creased shirt, it was his girlfriend’s fault. If his hair wasn’t neat, it was the barber’s fault. If he had a hangover, it was his mates’ fault. (ll. 23-25)
But she criticised and blamed Jocie for everything bad that happened: “Her earliest memories were about being responsible: for waking up Brandon with her crying; for giving Mummy a headache with all her chatter; for making Daddy leave because she was always naughty.” (ll. 28-30)
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