Forbidden City
Alexander Jackson’s Growth in the Novel “Forbidden City”
What if you had a one in a lifetime chance to look at the world from a whole new angle? Would you take the opportunity to look at things in a new way, or would you simply accept things as you see them now? Alexander Jackson is a seventeen year old Canadian, whose view of the world has been drastically changed. My novel study presentation on the book “Forbidden City”, will be about the protagonist Alex Jackson and how he grows and changes throughout the novel.
The beginning of the book introduces a responsible, organized Alex who is a history nut, and who is fascinated with everything to do with the military. He even made three dozen miniature soldiers and one war chariot with four horses, just for fun. He fashioned all the soldiers with lead then hand-painted each one cautiously until they were perfect. Alex was always a little outgoing and adventurous. “Come on, Dad, I’ll be all right. I’m not a baby, you know.” (Bell, 36) and “This is just an excuse to keep me here, right? Because you think it will be too dangerous, right?” (Bell, 97) are quotes that show how Alex is outgoing .
Alex and his Dad travel to China where they meet Eddie. Eddie did not seem pleased to meet Alex, and said, “Well, we’ll try and find a spot for you.” (Bell, 16). Afterwards their relationship grew friendlier. Alex also met another friend, Lao Xu. Lao Xu loved history and seemed to know everything about China. When Alex asked Eddie why Lao Xu did not just become a history teacher if he loved it so much, Eddie answered saying Chinese people do not get to pick their job and that Lao Xu was basically a spy sent by the government. This made Alex feel a little uncomfortable and upset because he wasn’t sure if Lao Xu was really his friend or not. “Maybe Lao Xu and I could still be friends, but now I knew there would always be a wall between us.” (Bell, 31) Alex’s feelings towards Lao Xu changed for the better as the story
What if you had a one in a lifetime chance to look at the world from a whole new angle? Would you take the opportunity to look at things in a new way, or would you simply accept things as you see them now? Alexander Jackson is a seventeen year old Canadian, whose view of the world has been drastically changed. My novel study presentation on the book “Forbidden City”, will be about the protagonist Alex Jackson and how he grows and changes throughout the novel.
The beginning of the book introduces a responsible, organized Alex who is a history nut, and who is fascinated with everything to do with the military. He even made three dozen miniature soldiers and one war chariot with four horses, just for fun. He fashioned all the soldiers with lead then hand-painted each one cautiously until they were perfect. Alex was always a little outgoing and adventurous. “Come on, Dad, I’ll be all right. I’m not a baby, you know.” (Bell, 36) and “This is just an excuse to keep me here, right? Because you think it will be too dangerous, right?” (Bell, 97) are quotes that show how Alex is outgoing .
Alex and his Dad travel to China where they meet Eddie. Eddie did not seem pleased to meet Alex, and said, “Well, we’ll try and find a spot for you.” (Bell, 16). Afterwards their relationship grew friendlier. Alex also met another friend, Lao Xu. Lao Xu loved history and seemed to know everything about China. When Alex asked Eddie why Lao Xu did not just become a history teacher if he loved it so much, Eddie answered saying Chinese people do not get to pick their job and that Lao Xu was basically a spy sent by the government. This made Alex feel a little uncomfortable and upset because he wasn’t sure if Lao Xu was really his friend or not. “Maybe Lao Xu and I could still be friends, but now I knew there would always be a wall between us.” (Bell, 31) Alex’s feelings towards Lao Xu changed for the better as the story