Are the characters realistic? Do they seem like they could be real people?
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I've been enjoying Requiem for a Dream quite a lot for a multitude of reasons. The plot is interesting, dark, and maybe even a little twisted. A nice addition to the story is the fact the characters are very realistic, making the negative events in their lives a little more horrible because you can see how easy it happens to someone.
Requiem doesn't really have a main character. Throughout the book, different sections focus on the four main characters: Marion, Sara, Tyrone, and Harry. Basically, each character gets the spotlight at some point. The thing that makes the characters really enjoyable is how realistic they are. Though, as I've said before, it does make it a bit more dark. The four characters all share one thing in common: they have a dream they're willing to do anything for. Marion wants to be a successful artist. Sara wants to lose weight and be on television. Tyrone wants to get out of the bad neighborhood and live somewhere peaceful. Harry wants a nice business going and to stay with Marion. These are all very realistic hopes and dreams people can have, but it gets much more complicated for the characters.
Just like in real life, there are obstacles the characters much overcome to achieve their dream. Marion, Harry, and Tyrone all have to overcome their drug tendencies and the bad neighborhood before they can really get anywhere. And just like in real life, the obstacles are much harder to overcome than anyone can really imagine. To get out of their bad neighborhood, the trio needs money. Money that they get from selling the purest heroin in town. When they sell, they can't help but try it. Throughout the book, you notice how Harry often says he only needs to sell one more pound before he and Marion can get away. However, he says this plenty of times and the last pound never truly appears.
Sara holds a dream that many people have: her weight loss. If she were to lose some weight, then she could look good on TV in the red dress she's only ever been thin enough to wear once. If she could wear that dress, people would like her. She'd be thin and pretty. Most of all, the dress is a homage to her late husband. Sara has one problem that prevents her from losing weight. To her dismay, she's rather addicted to eating. If she doesn't eat, she can feel the refrigerator taunting her. To counter this, she takes diet pills. Though she has overcome her need to eat with pills that suppress her hunger she must now overcome her new drug addiction. Little does she know that her diet pills are actually dexedrine tablets (a stimulant drug). Although it hasn't been explicitly stated that she now has a drug addiction, there are a few signs. She a pops a pill when she feels like it. If she doesn't, she feels nervous and paranoid they'll suddenly stop working. Her son, Harry, is familiar with the drug. He and his friends take them for a quick high, so he worries for her.
Overall, the characters' dreams and obstacles make them realistic. The dreams they have very good intentions but they desire them so much they're willing to do anything to get them. In effect, they end up digging themselves deeper into a pit that they can't get out of...Something that isn't uncommon today.
Comments: Sara | Lacey | Mitchell
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