The Interesting Characters from Witi Ihimaera's Short Stories.
An interesting character in “Yellow Brick Road” by Witi Ihimaera is Matiu, a young boy who cares for his family and is very eager to meet with the future. Matiu helps to deliver the idea of going somewhere foreign with great enthusiasm in this story, unlike the character Hema from “Big Brother, Little Sister.” Hema is also an interesting character as he is protects and cares for the people in his family, and instead of purposely harming them when they betray him, Hema runs away. Hema and Matiu are similar in some ways, namely their bravery and the way they relate to the present through flashbacks from the past, however, they differ when it comes to their perspective of thinking, considering that Matiu is less aware and less focused on his situation that Hema is about his own.
Matiu, with his enthusiasm and lovingness, is an interesting character as he has helped me understand the theme of migrating to a different place with people you love (who do not want to move) in ‘Yellow Brick Road’. An example of Matiu’s enthusiasm includes the time when Matiu states, with an cheery tone “we’re almost there! Almost at Wellington, the Emerald City!” – relating his destination to the sought-out Emerald City of the Wizard of Oz, while his mother’s “eyes are still red with the crying.” This has helped me understand the idea that Matiu, while eager to go to a new place, does not quite know of and is not quite aware of the sadness and uncertain feelings of the other members of his family. However, he is not afraid to share his expensive lollies with them (“you want one, Mum? You want one, Dad? Roha?), possibly to cheer them up, demonstrating to me that he is a very loving child who cares about his family, even though he cannot grasp the situation entirely.
Hema, a character from ‘Big Brother, Little Sister’ is an interesting character because of his courageous personality and his love for his family that has given me the opportunity to relate to the theme of ‘travelling to a
Matiu, with his enthusiasm and lovingness, is an interesting character as he has helped me understand the theme of migrating to a different place with people you love (who do not want to move) in ‘Yellow Brick Road’. An example of Matiu’s enthusiasm includes the time when Matiu states, with an cheery tone “we’re almost there! Almost at Wellington, the Emerald City!” – relating his destination to the sought-out Emerald City of the Wizard of Oz, while his mother’s “eyes are still red with the crying.” This has helped me understand the idea that Matiu, while eager to go to a new place, does not quite know of and is not quite aware of the sadness and uncertain feelings of the other members of his family. However, he is not afraid to share his expensive lollies with them (“you want one, Mum? You want one, Dad? Roha?), possibly to cheer them up, demonstrating to me that he is a very loving child who cares about his family, even though he cannot grasp the situation entirely.
Hema, a character from ‘Big Brother, Little Sister’ is an interesting character because of his courageous personality and his love for his family that has given me the opportunity to relate to the theme of ‘travelling to a