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Character Analysis Of Jillian Horton's 'The Bicycle'

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Jenni Buskas The Bicycle Essay Did you ever rebel as a teenager? Chances are, you did. But why? Was it because you felt so much pressure to conform to the social norms, or to cultivate your own talent? Fifteen-year-old Hannah Golandsky can certainly relate. Hannah is the protagonist of The Bicycle, a short story by Jillian Horton In the story, Hannah struggles between her desire to ride a bike, and her need to perfect her gift for playing piano. Tante Rose, her aunt and piano tutor, refuses to let Hannah ride a bike due to her own experience with the bicycle — an experience that cost Rose her ability to play the piano. Hannah is a complicated character, which we learn through her self-narration and conflict with Tante Rose in the story. …show more content…

She “... practised every day for Tante Rose” (Horton, 2). Anyone with a hobby or job that they perform on the daily can speak to the devotion it requires to not get burnt out or uninspired. Practising every day implies that Hannah is diligent, and the fact that she did it for Tante Rose further proves her devotion, both to her future career and her aunt. In fact, Hannah moves in with her aunt in order to “... devote all [her] free time to [her] studies in piano” (2). Her devotion to piano outweighed her willingness to stay with her family, a quality that few possess. This fifteen-year-old girl was willing to remove herself from her social life, free time activities, and even her family in order to further her piano career and thus earn the coveted respect of her Tante. That requires an immense amount of devotion, likely even more than some adults have. Hannah was so absorbed in her piano studies that “sometimes it seemed that there was nothing else in the world but Tante Rose and me and Tante Rose’s piano” (3). She saw nothing but what was necessary for her goal of becoming a concert pianist. Her devotion to the piano, and by extent Tante Rose, overwhelmed all other aspects of her life. This quality of Hannah’s is more evident as the story

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