First, the main character Jake's personality is shown through the narrator's descriptive tone, as well as narration of the story. In the beginning of the story we can see that the author describes Jake such that one can make the assumption that he is probably young, approximately 20. We can determine this because of Jakes manner and thoughts when he is sitting in his car. His way of cognition is similar to that of a younger person who's greatest preoccupations in life, like the stereotype of most guys, are cars and freedom. When the author states that "[Jake] needed an FM radio in something better than this '58 Buick..."(Meyer, 265), he demonstrates Jake's age cohort. The description the author gives of Jake thinking about "crushed velvet interior with electric controls for the L.A. summer, a nice warm heater...for the winter drives at the beach, cruise control for those longer trips...(265) characterizes him

Along with using description to portray the characters, the author characterizes them through actions and interactions with other characters. The reader can tell that Jake is one of those over-confident, girl-lusting type of guy by the way he acts toward Mariana. First, after asking how she is, Jake "inhaled her scent like it was clean air and straightened out his ...clothes" (266). It gives the impression that he is attracted to Mariana and wants to look good for her. Also, when Jake thinks to himself that "she was slipping away from him" (266), it shows that she was something like a goal; a prize for him to win. Another action that demonstrates Jake's character is when "he followed her to the glove compartment side of her car" (266). It portrays Jake as a confident person that goes after what he wants. By following Mariana to the other side of the car, Jake displays that he is not shy, friendly, and even gives the sense that he is trying too hard to be amiable. Aside from being confident, the author shows the reader that Jake is not a very honest person when Jake makes up all of the information exchanged between people in a car accident. "He made up a last name and address and wrote down the name of an insurance company and old girlfriend once belonged to. He considered giving a real phone number but went against that idea and made one up" (266). These actions are another example of Jake's indifferent and detached attitude. Not only can the reader see Jake's character through actions, but he can see Mariana's as well. Mariana is depicted as a cautious girl. When Mariana "came around the back of the car"(266) where Jake was, this shows that she wanted to see what he was doing; that she was suspicious of him. She also acts cautiously when "she was writing down the license plate numbers on his Buick..." (267). Apart from being cautious, Mariana's actions prove that she is somewhat shy and not very sure about herself around guys. Toward the end of her encounter with Jake, Mariana begins to go along with whatever he says. Jake is obviously the one in control of the situat

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Approximate Word count = 1415
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)