It is not a rare occurrence when literary characters are painted as highly exaggerated versions of their real-life prototypes, which are usually much more intricate and complicated in character than fictional characters. However, as evident from the further comparison and speculations about a dialogue between Hemingway’s Schwartz, Langston Hughes’ Roger and Francisco Jimenez’ Panchito, all of three exhibit unusual and almost tangible humanness. Part of it stems from the situations that the authors are putting their protagonists in – they do, indeed, feel extremely real – because the authors are writing from personal experience. By making the heroes so down-to-earth, it becomes possible to envision them interacting with each other – that is what is attempted with the current work.
Both the boys in Hemingway’s and Hughes’ stories exhibit strength of character somewhat unusual for their age. Schatz, a Hemingway’s character, in spite of being only nine years old, finds the expression of this strength of spirit in the form of stoic attitude that he adopts in face of hardship – in this case, influenza. Hughes’ Roger, is slightly different in that sense, demonstrating less of the characteristics of an adult, which is something Schwartz does more successfully, but the unifying trait that they both have is honesty. Roger, despite of being terrified by Mrs. Jones at first, speedily admitted his true intentions – “I wanted a pair of blue suede shoes” (Hughes, p. 56). This kind of demeanor is atypical to a young thief and is somewhat reminiscent of Dickenson’s characters. Above both boys being truly sincere and honest, they are similar in another way as well – Schwartz and Roger seem more reserved and not very talkative. This introversive quality potentially comes from their inclination of self-analysis, which could be the root of their pronounced wisdom, so rare for their young age.
In spite of their similarities on the matter of being extremely stoic, the lifestyles of the two boys, Hemingway’s and Jimenez’ differ enormously. Schatz, coming from a financially stable German family, apparently lives in a big country house in proximity to a picturesque creek. His family is easily able to afford a doctor visiting a boy, which starts to sound luxurious when compared to Panchito’s situation. From the insights of Panchito’s feelings and thoughts that Jimenez gives to the reader, it becomes clear that the boy can only dream of a life in a house, away from any worry. His family and himself are “braceros” – hired farm-laborers from Mexico that come to US to help the local farmers harvest their seasonal crops (Jimenez, p. 407). Due to the nature of such work, Panchito’s family is constantly moving, to the point which the mere sight of their belongings packed into cardboard boxes makes him hysterical. Most of all, he dreams of a stable, settled lifestyle – and unlike his peers, wishes to attend school. He seeks normality and stability, which Schwartz simply has it by default.
Regardless of the characters showing signs of high moral standards, it is possible that Panchito could encourage Roger’s criminal behavior. He is away from home, his family barely making the ends meet, his life having turned into a constant mental battle with stress related to the hard labor and lack of stability. Committing a petty crime could give him a relief from the harsh reality by offering financial aid. Panchito seems to be on the verge of breaking down, and perhaps, he could approve of such behavior because he would see an opportunity in the criminal act. Therefore, he could give an advice to Roger to continue mastering the craft of theft, so the future prospects would be potentially brighter.
It would be fascinating to see what these three different, yet very similar characters would advice each other in the situations enunciated by the writers. The nature of the relationships they would form only showcases the complexities of human character. What Ernest Hemingway, Langston Hughes, and Francisco Jimenez wanted to exemplify in their short stories was human versatility, while accentuating the sincerity of a child.
References
Hemingway, E. (n/d). “A Day’s Wait”. Fiction and Nonfiction, (pp. 76-78).
Hughes, L. (n/d). “Thank you, Ma’am». Chapter 2: Character, (pp. 52-59).
Jimenez, F. (n/d). “The Circuit”. The Circuit, (pp. 405-415).