Essays

Characterisation: Katie

Katie, from the novel „Hearts and Minds“ written by Amanda Craig , can be described as the typical young, attractive woman in Great Britain, striving for success, but still dealing with her own issues.
In this essay, I would like to characterize one of the many protagonists of the book, Katie, a bit further.
First of all, you could say Katie fled from her bad breakup with Winthrop, a wallstreet banker. So she moved from New York City to London, and obviously she was in quite a hurry, for she did not spend a lot of time looking for an adequate apartment. In fact, her flat is described as shabby, dirty and cold. Also, her job is not an ideal one, she works as an editorial assistant for a rude boss, Quentin. Her work can be described as all-around, with no straight definition of what she actually does. Nontheless, although it is a very stressful job with barely any vacation, she enjoys working, and you could probably say that it keeps her mind off other things she does not want to think about.
So, as already indicated, Katie is going through a crisis, she has lost touch with herself and her self-confidence is practically gone. For example, she believes that a successful man like Winthrop could never fall for her again. So she seems quite desperate, and her co-workers worry about her getting thinner and thinner each day. This suggests that she has Anorexia.
Summed up, Katie has obviously reached her lowest point, like most of the characters in the novel, but also, like most of the characters, hope for her is not yet lost, and she finds her way back to happiness. This occurs, with the help of two of these characters, Anna and Ian. Anna, a young illegal immigrant that has been forced into prostitution, seeks asylum in Katie’s apartment. Katie generously takes her up, which underlines her sympathy for people in need and, simply stated, her big heart. Anna, cleaning up Katie’s apartment, also helps her get back on her feet, maybe by believing in her, as she calls her a “fallen angel”. Ian, Quentin’s son, simply gives her hope again, and helps her believe in herself, for she sees that she can actually fall in love again, with Ian.
All in all, Katie is a character that has lost her way, but with the help of other protagonists she finds it again and eventually is able to get her own happy end.