Empire Falls by Richard Russo

770 Words2 Pages

a. Miles Roby: Dynamic, Main character of the story and operator of the Empire Grill. While Miles spends the duration of the book trying to flee Empire Falls- his dream is nearly achieved as a teenager when he attends a small catholic college in New York but his dreams are cut short when his mother becomes ill and he needs to return to the town to work to provide for his mothers medical expenses. Everything seems to be holding Miles in Empire Falls until Mrs. Whiting (a very influential and controlling figure in Mile’s life) dies in a struggle with control. Although Miles chooses to still reside in Empire Falls, he does it by his own choosing.
b. David Roby: Dynamic, After causing a car accident while under the influence of alcohol, David sobers up and turns his life around. David becomes a cook at the Empire Grill and habitual cannabis smoker.
c. Tick Roby: Static, The intelligent and scholarly daughter of Miles Roby. Suffers from minor scoliosis attributed to carrying a heavy backpack. While Tick witnesses a school shooting and experiences what could be identified as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, she appears to have recovered by the conclusion of the book and have returned to the compassionate and studious girl like in the beginning chapters.
d. Mrs. Whiting: Dynamic, A controlling figure in a family possessing political (friends with Officer Minty) and capital (owns majority of the town’s land) interests in Empire Falls. While her husband altered the path of the river for his industrial needs, he (and ultimately his family) failed in controlling nature and Mrs. Whiting becomes powerless as she is swept away in a flash flood.
e. C.B. Whiting: Dynamic, Attempts to control nature and the natural course of his life. In the begi...

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...as that no matter who you are, you never, ever, get your fill” (Russo 1382).
i. While Miles’ ex-wife Janine was starving herself in attempt to gain control of her weight, she was never satisfied with her natural and biological ability to continue to gain weight.
c. “No matter how well you planned something, God always planned better. If He was feeling stingy that day and didn't want you to have some little thing you had your heart set on, then you weren't going to get it and that was all there was to it” (Russo 5000).
d. “They stayed, many of them, because staying was easier and less scary than leaving” (Russo 6739).
e. “Not giving a shit, she decided, is like the defrost option on a car's heater that miraculously unfogs the windshield, allowing you to see where you're headed” (Russo 7136).
f. Narrative Detail: Dialogue, Vivid Imagery (5 senses), Concrete Details,

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