The Overwhelming Essay -- Character Analysis, Jack, Dr. Gansana

In The Overwhelming, Mizinga says to Jack, "One is defined by what one is against. And who. To struggle against these people, to fight for what is yours. To suffer and yet to struggle on: This is what makes life precious. And brings understanding (p 76-77)". Within the three novels that will be discussed in this essay, the aforementioned quote highlights the dilemma that each protagonist faces on his way from innocence to maturation (word choice). In The Overwhelming, the protagonist, Jack travels to Rwanda during the onset of the Rwandan genocide. In search of his friend, Dr. Gansana, Jack learns that the workings of Rwanda is nothing like his home country, and experiences firsthand the brutality that would occur over the following weeks. He must make a decision between his son and his friend, and ultimately chooses his son, leading to the death of his friend. The Innocent, by Ian McEwan, Leonard, a sheltered adult, travels to a post World War 2 German for work. He encounters games of espionage, and what can be called love. This connection takes him from adolescence to maturation, to the point where he inadvertently commits murder. Lastly, Native Son, by Richard Wright, tells the story of Bigger, an African American youth, who faces external strife from his immediate environment. In a racially discriminating America, Bigger commits murder and is freed. He goes from being inhibited and beaten down by his environment, to attain a sense of freedom. With this said, all these men encounter murder, whether the decisions made were deliberate or inadvertent. While their reactions are different, it can be seen that murder transforms their innocence or contributes to the loss of it. In The Overwhelming, Jack Exley enters Rwanda with inte... ...k man in America. While he also kills Bessie, she has less of an effect because she is African American as well. Despite this, Bigger still commits murder. Fletcher states, "You are liable for murder if (1) you act (2) intentionally (3) to bring about the death of (4) a living human being, and you are not acting in (5) self-defense or while (6) insane (Fletcher, 97)†. In Bigger’s case, he is guilty for both murders. The murder of Mary was accidental but he disposed of her body in brutal fashion. This fashion however was out of fear of being caught. Because of the racial difference, it was very likely that Bigger would get in trouble for being caught with Mary, if not worse, lynched. His murder of Bessie revolved around the fact that she may have given him away to the police. With this said, it is clear these murders revolve around the fear of being caught.