The Member of the Wedding #3

"So at dark John Henry came to the back door with a little weekend bag. He was dressed in his white recital suit and had put on shoes and socks. There was a dagger buckled to his belt. John Henry had seen snow. Although he was only six years old, he had gone to Birmingham last winter and there he had seen snow. Frankie had never seen snow" (McCullers, 9).

The simple syntax of this excerpt serves to mirror the simplicity of John Henry, conflicting with the complexity and vagueness of Frankie's thoughts and desires. John Henry is Frankie's six-year-old cousin, and McCullers' characterization of him presents John Henry as a passive and innocent youth. In this way, John Henry serves as a foil character to Frankie, who is an assertive and somewhat deceitful adolescent. However, thus far, John Henry also seems to be a potentially flat character, with an unchanging and dry personality. This assertion can be supported by the simplicity of McCullers' syntax when referring to John Henry. However, the true role of John Henry's simple character will likely be revealed later in the story.