Development of the Main Character

The main character Mack is the main character the author introduces. He is a very loving and kind-hearted man. Mack does soon have a burden that will stick to him, and it becomes very difficult to overcome. Mack’s daughter is kidnapped and brutally murdered which is how it all starts. Trauma fills the room for Mack because he always seems to have all these traumatic things on his mind.Mack is still a loving man, but becomes very begrudgement. Mack is angry at the world and God because of what happens to his daughter. Mack then gets a note signed “Papa” which is odd because that note said to go back to the shack. This does anger Mack because he doesn’t know who wrote it because nobody knows that God is referred to as Papa in his family. With Mack confused and angry, he goes back to the shack. When he gets there he doesn’t realize that this will become life changing. He meets Papa (God), Jesus, and Sarayu (The Holy Spirit). He has to be able to reconcile his faith in God, so that he doesn’t feel so melancholy. They take him through times that are hard for him. They bring back the burden of his childhood and of the tragedy with his daughter.”For almost two days, tied to the big oak at the back of the house, he was beaten with a belt and Bible verses every time his dad woke from a stupor and put down the bottle.” This actually allows Mack to be who he is. “Shortly after the summer that Missy vanished, The Great Sadness had draped itself around Mack’s shoulders like some invisible but almost tangibly heavy quilt. The weight of its presence dulled his eyes and stooped his shoulders. Even his efforts to shake it off were exhausting, as if his arms were sewn into its bleak folds of despair and he had somehow become part of it.” This specific quote is actually how he felt when Missy (his youngest daughter) was gone. The burdens just weigh on his shoulders, and he feels like everything around him is just being taken away from him. Mack when he felt like he needed to go back to the shack, he really was desperate to be able to do something about what had happened with Missy. After confronting his past that’s when he really started to become himself.Spending time with God and the other allows him to realize that he shouldn’t be angry at the world. He finds peace with his situation and also withing himself and his family. He then learns to smile again, and then he becomes one with reality. He knows that God will be on his side, and he knows his daughter is okay. With the feeling he now possess’, Mack simply just manages to help his family out. He gets them out of that dark place because he found God, and he doesn’t need to feel guilty and not forgive. As you can see Mack’s character is developed through events that are major in his life. The tragedy with his daughter and the time spent with God makes it easy for to realize what is most important.

Another main character was Missy. She wasn’t in the book very long at all. She was Mack’s youngest who was kidnapped brutally murdered. She was a very curious and sweet young girl. She had so much curiosity and was one who asked many questions. She is a small character in this book, but she is still one of the main characters. She is the one that causes the others to be able to develop. She actually allows him to see the beauty if life. Not only that, but she gives leverage to Mack when she dies by making him feel all the hatred he did. As bad as it sounds without the hatred, Mack would have never found peace.

Other characters such as Papa, Jesus, and Sarayu all allow Mack to develop too. They take him through a journey of finding himself. He will reconcile his beliefs while he is around these people.The book revolves around Mack, but without the others, he could not develop. Papa is represented in a very obscure way to Mack. She helps him realize who he is and makes him feel loved. Papa also helps him elevate himself to higher points in thought. Her telling him small stories makes him feel that God really does love him, and that everything will be alright. Sarayu is like a gentle individual. She does simple things to distract him a bit. She brings him out to somewhere beautiful aka the garden. When she does this she talks to him about his feelings ,and he seems to talk to her. Jesus plays a different role. He is a human, so it is easier for Mack to relate to him than the others. He actually acts almost as a friend or brother. He leads Mack to realize what the meaning of life really is.