First Impressions, Perspective, and Personal Growth Theme Analysis

In Nine Days, the reader’s perception of each character changes constantly as they are viewed from different angles and perspectives. Although initially the reader is inclined to judge characters like Jean, Charlotte, or even a local bully named Mac as one-dimensional, antagonistic characters, as the narrative develops the readers sees that there is more to everyone than first meets the eye. By forcing the reader to continuously shift and develop their perceptions of each character, the narrative argues that despite first impressions, each person has a complex and dynamic personal history, as well as the capacity to change themselves over time.

Through Kip and Stanzi’s early narrations, the people around them appear one-dimensional and shallow to the reader, demonstrating how a limited, fixed perspective can cause one to make incomplete judgments of another person’s character. In the first chapter, from Kip’s isolated perspective, Francis is depicted only as the spoiled, perfectionist brother, doted on by Jean, the cruel and selfish mother. His point of view gives both characters a very shallow characterization, since the reader has no context for what else is happening in the story. Even Kip himself seems rather simple and without ambition—the reader knows quit school two years before, but does not know that it was to earn money for the family after his father’s death. This demonstrates that a limited understanding of a person can cause one to see them in a shallow, one-dimensional manner. Similarly, in 2001, Stanzi—who struggles with self-contempt about being overweight—bitterly sees her sister Charlotte as the favored, slim, beautiful sibling. According to Stanzi, Charlotte is the better version of herself, revealing how her own shallow characterization of Charlotte is informed by her view of herself. Stanzi’s contempt for Charlotte, rooted partially in her own self-loathing, suggests that one’s own projected view of themselves can lead them to make narrow assumptions about another person as well.

However, seeing the world through another person’s eyes—through Francis, Jean, and Charlotte’s narratives—demonstrates that there is far more to an individual beneath the surface than one would initially expect. Francis’s story reveals that, immediately after his father’s death, Francis is beset with fear over how their family will survive with so little money, and guilt over stealing jewelry from an old woman. Francis’s guilt drives his obsession with living a perfect, upright life so that he can become a lawyer and lift his family from their hardships. Although Francis is never portrayed as likable to the reader, his narrative reveals that rather than being nothing more than a spoiled child, he has many complex emotions at play and ultimately wants to help his family. Likewise, while Jean is cruel and callous, her narrative reveals that she is burdened with anger and grief over her husband’s death and feels trapped by the task of keeping her family alive, demonstrating that even in spite of great flaws, any individual has more to them than initially appears. Far from the beautiful, successful individual Stanzi sees Charlotte as, Charlotte’s narrative reveals that she, too, is riddled with self-doubt and fear. Although Charlotte, a part-time yoga instructor, is fit and healthy, she feels as if she’s done nothing with her life—no college, no career—while Stanzi is a licensed counselor and plans to earn a PhD. Charlotte never thinks ill of Stanzi’s weight, but rather is angry at herself for allowing herself to become pregnant by a man she does not even respect. The complex emotions and fears that Charlotte feels go much deeper than Stanzi’s simple perception of her as beautiful, perfect, and insufferable. The distinction between Stanzi’s perception of Charlotte and Charlotte’s perception of herself again demonstrates that there is far more to an individual than one initially perceives or projects onto them.

More than simply demonstrating that there is more to each character than meets the eye, the novel, in its span of 70 years, tracks how several characters change and develop, furthering arguing that every person has the capacity to change over the course of time. 1937, Mac (a schoolyard bully) harasses Kip, beats up Francis, and coerces Francis into stealing an old woman’s jewelry. But in 1945, he reappears having just returned from World War II a hero. Although he is still rather abrasive, when he also defends Kip’s honor as a soldier—having also just returned from the war—at a local dance, he demonstrates that time and experience have matured him into a decent man. Likewise, though many of his peers in 1939 consider him a “layabout” or a lazy teenager, he returns from the war confident and capable. After marrying Annabel, he even proves himself to be an exceptional father and grandfather, demonstrating his own capacity for change and growth. Likewise, although in 2001 Stanzi is a depressed, overweight counselor who resents Charlotte, when she appears again in 2005 she’s transformed herself into a fit personal trainer, and has supportively joined Charlotte’s family as the second parent. This shift demonstrates that even for someone as bitter and cynical as Stanzi once was, personal change and positive transformation are possible. Each individual’s capacity for change further argues that one should not leap to quick judgments about another person, since their current perceptions of them do not define the course of the life or how they’ll be in the future. Nine Days demonstrates that each person has their own personal history that is complex, multi-dimensional, and always changing, thus suggesting that one should not be quick to judge another based solely on their limited perception of them.