Fallen Angels Chacter analysis
Character Analysis in Fallen Angels During war, many people change physically, mentally, and socially. War itself is disturbing to the mind. In Walter Dean Meyer’s Fallen Angels, the characters undergo many changes as they learn the true meaning of war. Perry, Peewee and Johnson all change in the sense of their personalities and their outlooks on life. In the beginning of the novel all the characters have very distinct characteristics. As the story progresses they start to see how war can have a huge impact on your life. Perry, who is the protagonist in the book, is from Harlem. He hasn’t always had it easy in his life. His mother is what is known as a “drunk”, and his father walked out on him and his family. He always had to supply for his family. Perry enlisted in the army because he could not afford to go to college and support his brother at the same time. When Perry is on his way to Nam he is excited but does not know what’s coming. He is a smart young adult who changes as he realizes the true meaning of war and encounters many near death experiences. When Perry sees deaths right before his eyes, he changes that he could never really be himself ever again. Perry grew a relationship with Lt. Carroll, when he gives Perry the jacket he had gotten from Saige to give to Kenny. When Lt. Carroll dies, it has a great impact on him and his platoon; they trusted him like no other. Also, Perry faces the changes as he wants to pray. He says,” … If he knew where the Lord’s Prayer was in the bible.” (Meyers 107). Perry had never really believed in praying, but as he enfaces the horror of war, he sees he has very small chance to live and wants to exceed his time. At the end of the novel Perry thinks,” That this was right, but it was only right from a distance… But when the killing started, there was no right or wrong except in the way that you were part of the killing” (Meyers 270). This states that Perry had seen the tragic ending to war and even though in the case he
Cited: Myers, Walter Dean. Fallen Angels. Austin, TX: Holt, Rhinehart and Winston, 1988