character analysis for Under the Ribs of Death
... declines his father’s offer of free accommodation at a time when he does not have a job and has a young son. For the first time in his life Alex can see something from his father’s perspective. He recognizes his father’s unconditional love and desire for his son’s well being. He accepts this as a value for himself to live by. As the story unfolds the readers learn more of how Sandor deals with his problems and issues. Sandor is teased about his name and is attacked by gangs of English children and feels that he has to defend himself by fighting, “People laugh when they hear me say our name…if we changed our name I wouldn’t hafta fight no more…we’d be like other people, like everybody else.” (pg. 17) He feels alienated from his father who does not appear to understand the torment Sandor experiences at school and in the streets. Sandor is lost and wants to find a new identity that will allow people to take him seriously. He is not proud of being Hungarian and is willing to lose his cultural background which is a poor quality. If a person does not accept and is not proud of his heritage he will not be taken seriously, even if he changes his name. Another poor quality that Sandor has is that he believes money is everything. This can be the cause of Sandor living in a poor family where he must wear used oversized clothing and sleep on chairs. Yet the way he goes about retrieving money is incorrect. When Sandor receives a gift from his uncle, he uses it to start a business. None of the kids in his neighbourhood have money of their own. The children ask their fathers for money. Children who brought nickels were only permitted to hold the tubes in their hands. Those who were able to raise a few coppers were able to have a quick peak through the tube. His uncle and father witness this event and Sandor is punished. As his father says, “Have you no shame at all? Your gift has not been an hour in your possession and already you have turned it into something dirty…” (pg. 92) some people would see this event and state that Sandor is creative and ambitious. I believe that if Sandor had the money he would be materialistic since he cares strongly of what people think. He was willing to lend his gift even for a weak to Eric but not to other boys. Alex is a character that is true to himself, he does...