Characters: Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks
Juliana Discher Bell 3
The novel I am reading right now is Safe Haven. Basically this book is about a woman named Katie who is trying to restart her life after escaping from her abusive husband, Kevin. It takes place mostly in Southport, North Carolina where Katie has escaped to and transitions back to her previous home where Kevin lives. While Katie is in Southport she meets a man who changes her life named Alex. The story is told in third person omniscient.
The main character in the story is Katie. Katie is a 27-year-old trying to start a new life. She married young and thought she had found the man of her dreams, but he ended up physically and mentally abusing her. She couldn't handle it anymore so she ran away to the tiny town of Southport where she worked as waitress. Katie is very secretive and reserved at first, but after meeting the kind people in her new home, she opens up. Katie is a dynamic character because she changes immensely throughout the book. One quote about Katie is, “Deep in her heart, she wasn't sure she deserved to be happy, nor did she believe that she was worthy of someone who seemed...normal.” This quote shows that even after she had left Kevin, she still suffered the effects of his abuse. She had some self loathing and questioned whether she deserved to be happy.
Another character in the story is Alex. Alex is a widowed father with two sweet kids, Josh and Kristen. Alex's wife passed away years before, and he wasn't sure he would ever love again, until he met Katie. He thought she was beautiful and a truly kindhearted person. He also realized that she was great with his kids and very motherly around them. Alex is very intelligent and puts the pieces together of Katie's domestic abuse before she tells him.
Katie and Alex both change each other's lives for the better. After meeting one another and getting familiar, they opened both of their hearts up even when they thought they never would find love for a second time. A quote to describe their relationship is “When she looked up at him, it was suddenly easy for her to imagine that her fears were pointless. That he would love her no matter what she told him, and that he was the kind of man who loved her already and would love her forever.” Alex helped Katie get over her fears and Katie helped Alex have a complete family again.
The main character in the story is Katie. Katie is a 27-year-old trying to start a new life. She married young and thought she had found the man of her dreams, but he ended up physically and mentally abusing her. She couldn't handle it anymore so she ran away to the tiny town of Southport where she worked as waitress. Katie is very secretive and reserved at first, but after meeting the kind people in her new home, she opens up. Katie is a dynamic character because she changes immensely throughout the book. One quote about Katie is, “Deep in her heart, she wasn't sure she deserved to be happy, nor did she believe that she was worthy of someone who seemed...normal.” This quote shows that even after she had left Kevin, she still suffered the effects of his abuse. She had some self loathing and questioned whether she deserved to be happy.
Another character in the story is Alex. Alex is a widowed father with two sweet kids, Josh and Kristen. Alex's wife passed away years before, and he wasn't sure he would ever love again, until he met Katie. He thought she was beautiful and a truly kindhearted person. He also realized that she was great with his kids and very motherly around them. Alex is very intelligent and puts the pieces together of Katie's domestic abuse before she tells him.
Katie and Alex both change each other's lives for the better. After meeting one another and getting familiar, they opened both of their hearts up even when they thought they never would find love for a second time. A quote to describe their relationship is “When she looked up at him, it was suddenly easy for her to imagine that her fears were pointless. That he would love her no matter what she told him, and that he was the kind of man who loved her already and would love her forever.” Alex helped Katie get over her fears and Katie helped Alex have a complete family again.
If you would like to read more information on the type of abuse Katie endured in the book, feel free to click on the link here -> Domestic Violence and Abuse Link
I saw this movie a while ago and I think that the quote you provided was a great example of characterization of Katie that is also portrayed in the film with the use of flashbacks. Since you never really get to hear Katie's thoughts in the movie, the director uses flashbacks to contrast her fear with her husband to her calmness when she finds her Safe Haven. In the text, you can really understand her thoughts and feelings so there is a difference in the way Katie's character is explained between the book and the movie.
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