Speaker for the Dead Characterization

There are many dynamic characters in Speaker for the Dead. Novinha is a dynamic character in the book. When she is introduced into the book she is very angry and withdrawn. This is due in part to the death of her parents. "she told the Bishop that if the Pope declared her parents to be venerable, it would be the same as the Church saying her parents hated her. The petition for canonization of her parents was proof that Lusitania despised her" (Card 9). Several chapters later her character has experienced a large change. She starts to feel like she is part of a family with the scientists she works with.


A short while later her personality changes again. After the death of the scientist who was a father figure in her life, she feels guilty because it was her research that killed him. Later in the book, 22 years after she still feels the guilt of the death she accidentally caused. One of the things that I like about this book is that the characters change based on the people, circumstances and events going on around them. I feel that this makes the characters more relatable.