Comparing Character Development and Complexity Between Modern Literature and Beowulf
...artly because of the time period when this poem was written. Although readers see his small, but great development, it is not as complex when compared to Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird, or Guy Montag from Fahrenheit 451. In both these stories, the main characters are highly developed and readers can see their development clearly. Readers can see the change in Beowulf, but it is not as complex. One key that provides complexity to a character’s development is how much sympathy readers have for the characters. In Fahrenheit 451, Guy Montag undergoes development from a book-burning fireman, to a caring man who felt empty in life, to a runaway criminal who helps people read books and understand them. Also, in To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout Finch goes from a little kid into a responsible child who can understand other people’s thoughts and feelings. Readers see each of their struggles and emotions based on events in their stories, and have sympathy towards them. However, in Beowulf, Beowulf barely struggles, leaves everything up to fate, and does not show his emotions as much, so readers lack sympathy for Beowulf. The setting and time is another thing that makes the characters in Beowulf not as complex when compared to characters in modern works of literature. The time difference when these pieces of literature were written is over 1000 years. In the old days, the writers based their stories on myths, legends, current events at that time, and their living environment. It is almost the same when compared to modern works, but more ad...