Conservative Charazterization

The main characteristic that makes Elizabeth Strout's 2008 novel Olive Kitteridge shed the visage of a painfully average book would undoubtedly be the vast amount of characters present in the story. Not only does Strout introduce fresh new characters each chapter but she also paints the characters in their own unique image abstractly detailing them within sometimes just a few sentences. Thus, Strout provides the reader with an opportunity to make accurate assumptions about the characters without spending countless pages describing them all. For example, when introducing Henry Kitteridge Strout simply states that he "Retired now" and how he "wakes early as though the world were his secret" (3). Whilst this may not seem like much Strout says so much about Henry's character which I can easily interpret. For instance, the direct characterization of Henry as a retired man indicates he has quite a few years under his belt  which could give me the sense of him as a decrepit old man. However, by including the simile about Henry's mornings seving as "his secret" Strout gives the apparent husband to Olive Kitteridge a slightly whimsical and friendly charm. Furthermore, Strout indirectly characterizes Henry as innocent and almost child-like through having his own little "secret" time alone with the world. Although this might all seem like an opinion, it holds true later on in the story when Henry exemplifies his inferred friendly and innocent persona by  inviting his employees over for dinner, or having the "need to keep everyone content" (4). Likewise Strout's ability to  inadvertently describe a character furthers itself when first discussing how Christopher's new wife Suzanne "will take over...coming from money the way she does" (63). On the surface Strout seems to only indirectly characterize her as wealthy. However by saying this through the often accusatory tone of Olive Kitteridge I am led to infer that she posses the qualities of a spoiled brat. Furthermore, the foreshadowing of Suzannanne "taking over" Christopher's life led me to believe she will act as more of an omen to Olive and Henry rather than a loving daughter-in-law. Again, my inferences thanks to Strout's open-ended characterization of Suzanne as a control freak prove accurate once more when Chris tells his mom that "Suzanne and I are moving to California" (142). Through Strout's ability to develop a persona through only a sentence or two I have come to appreciate the vast amount of characters that I would otherwise detest due to the prospect of memorizing them all.