The Characters |
John Grogan  John Grogan is the author of the book and the book is also written from his point of view. |
Jenny Grogan  Jenny Grogan is John's wife.
|
Patrick, Conor, and Colleen Grogan  Patrick, Conor, and Collen are John and Jenny's kids.
|
Marley  Marley is the Grogan's pet dog. The setting of this story is a suburb in Florida with increasing crime. This affects the character development of Marley because if the Grogan's didn't live in this neighbourhood they never would have known the person that was stabbed on their street. When that person was stabbed, Marley evolved into a much more mature dog than he ever was. "When I looked up, there (Marley) stood, ten feet from us, facing the street, in a determined, bull-like crouch I had never seen before. It was a fighter's stance." (118). Had the attacker returned, they would have to get through Marley first. One event that influenced Marley's character development was Jenny's miscarriage. Marley comforted her when she came home from the doctor. Rather than his constant rambunctious activity, Marley had grown to realize when he needed to be calm. Another event was when Jenny was bedridden for three months - Marley stayed by her side the whole time. Also when the Grogan's brought Patrick home Marley welcomed him and knew that he had to be gentle around Patrick. One night John couldn't find Marley anywhere, but he finally found Marley lying under Patrick's crib resting with him. The second half of Marley and Me has more substantial character development as Marley grows up from a exuberant puppy to a old dog. When the Grogan's first took home Marley, he was very wild but now he is much quieter. He still has bursts of energy, however, not nearly as frequent. He also is more mature yet he would still steal food from the table. |
