Characterization
In the story “And Summer is Gone,” by Susie Kretsmer I think the character David has many admirable qualities about him. For instance, David’s very sure of whom he is. He discovered himself at age 12 and managed to stay that way, even though his peers changed to fit in with the popular crowd at high school. In addition, David is also quite mature for his age, because when his old friend Amy from middle school treated him awful by declaring his painting as horrific, he never lowered to her level. He stood loyally by his artwork and realized she had changed so much, that it wasn’t worth his effort to bring her back to him. He had lost her. Another characterization of David is his realness. David’s not afraid to show his true colors, even if it costs him popularity and leaves him as an outcast for his high school years. All these traits in David are very rare to come across in a teenage boy. Although, in school he may be considered an oddball, in real life he would be thought highly of for showing his true personality.
David had always been a tad odd throughout the school years, but once he met Amy he was excited to share the comradeship that formed between them. He had finally found a companion who liked him for who he was. He assumed they would be best friends forever, and when Amy grew away from him he was confused. She began to change to fit in with the popular crowd and he never wanted that, so he stayed true to his own self; “No longer would she wade with me. Or wrestle on the couch, and she refused to play pretend games anymore.” These changes disturbed David but he let her do what she chose because that was the kind of person he was. Even though he couldn’t stand what she was doing to him, he still stayed strong and had no desire to change even if it meant he was alone; “I was alone.” He can be proud of himself for staying true because most teenagers have lots of trouble and become someone else in order to be ‘cool’.
David...