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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 4 page essay that reviews Charles Portis' humorous novel Gringos. The writer argues that plot--what there is of a plot--is secondary in this novel and that characterization is the overwhelming feature of the narrative. The novel's laid-back protagonist, Jimmy Burns, an expatriate American living in Mexico, does various odd jobs and rescues various people from a UFO nut in the Yucatan jungle, but the vague, rambling plot is secondary to the quirky, cast of characters that makeup Jimmy's friends and acquaintances. Therefore, this examination of Gringos looks not at the plot, but at the way that Portis characterizes several of these people. No additional sources cited.
Page Count:
4 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khcpgri.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
American living in Mexico, does various odd jobs and rescues various people from a UFO nut in the Yucatan jungle, but the vague, rambling plot is secondary to the quirky,
cast of characters that makeup Jimmys friends and acquaintances. Therefore, this examination of Gringos looks not at the plot, but at the way that Portis characterizes several of these people.
First of all, there is Portis characterization of Jimmy, who spends his days unearthing pre-Colombian artifacts and doing the occasional small trucking job. While Jimmy is willing to work
on occasion, he is the quintessential "American idler," right down to his "grass-green golfing trousers," which really do not fit with the climate (Portis 10). As Jimmy is the novels
narrator, the reader soon learns that he is a perceptive observer, taking in crucial details that immediately inform the reader about basic character of people. For example, Jimmys observations
of his landlord, Fausto, let the reader immediately know the mans basic character and motivation. Fausto runs the hotel where Jimmy stays. As the novel opens, he is
annoyed with Jimmy for having paid his rent some weeks back. Fausto, having already spent this money, views Jimmy as staying at his hotel for free. Jimmy comments that "He
disliked these anticipo payments. Much better that I should get behind in the rent, like everybody else, and be beholden to him" (Portis 10). Also, Fausto makes a show of
his "high-floss nails," which are painted with "clear lacquer," which Jimmy feels is intended to how that "he was of that class of men who did not have to grub
in the earth with their hands" (Portis 10). As this indicates, in just a few lines, Portis offers insight into this character. Fausto is a man with pretensions who
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