Complementary Characters

Complementary characters are characters whose unique strengths support each other. Differences make the characters unique. Jonas is a character from the book The Giver. Jonas is twelve years old. Jonas lives in a futuristic community. He is always wondering about the world outside his community. He is a student of the Giver, and always listens to what the Giver says. He listens to his parents, but when he realizes what kind of community he lives in, he stops listening to what they say. He does not take his memory pills the community requires, like he should. He is very unique in his community. He sees many things differently in his community. They have given up memories of pain, suffering, and hunger. He believes that people should experience these things to realize what could happen to them and should know about the outside world. He objects to some of the things his community does. Others in his community find Jonas mysterious because they are not used to people who disagree with what they are doing or think differently. This is because in Jonas’ community, everyone is alike and stays pretty much the same. He is mentally strong and thinks about what he does before he acts. He knows how to be clever and find loopholes. He is kind to other people that agree with him.

People that do not understand him are not always caring to him, so he does not care for them either. He cares for his baby brother’s safety. His brother is going to be “released,” so Jonas brings Gabriel, his brother, to the outside world. Jonas is inspiring to readers because he has courage to leave his community and he always thinks about what he should do. Overall, Jonas is a rebel and is very smart. He knows what is right, and knows what he should do.

Tanis is from the book A Rumor of Dragons. Tanis is a half elf. He lives in a fantasy world with swords, magic, and strange creatures. Tanis is very brutal and fierce when it comes to fighting. He is always willing to start a fight, not always knowing what the outcome will be. This is thought of as stupid by some, but very brave and gallant to others. They may think it is stupid because it is almost barbaric, and is somewhat a form of suicide. It may be thought of as brave because it takes someone with much courage to be able to do something like running into battle, being totally outnumbered, but willing to fight for what you think is right. Tanis is also a leader of his party. He is the one who got the party together, and he usually decides what they should do next. Unlike Jonas, he is thought of as normal and not looked upon as strange. They also chose Tanis because he is very clever, cunning, and sly. He is quick on his feet and can outrun most people. He is physically strong, unlike Jonas, who is mentally strong. Tanis is a strong, offensive warrior. Tanis always has something to make him angry and give him the spirit of fighting. Tanis is a pursuer or a hunter. He searches all around his fantasy filled world in search of dragons that will try to bring chaos to the world, and also searches for magical disks, belonging to the gods. Once they have the disks, they will be powerful enough to destroy all of the dragons. Overall, Tanis is a very harsh person, he is sly, offensive, and he is motivated by something he wants, which is peace throughout the dragon-infested lands and wizards and creatures.

Jonas and Tanis would complement each other if they ever met and became a team. With Jonas’ intelligence and Tanis’ strength, they would be a good team. Tanis may risk his life in a fight. Jonas may want to fight, but would think before risking his life. They would also work well together because Jonas and Tanis are always determined and have a purpose. Jonas’ is to learn about his community and then escape from it and Tanis’ is to collect all of the disks and bring peace throughout his world. They are both successful. Jonas learns about his scary community, and manages to escape. Tanis does not get the disks right away, but fulfills smaller things in order to get the disks. They are both persistent in their journey and do not give up. They face the challenges that await them, even though they may be vulnerable and outnumbered. Tanis has thousands of creatures waiting to attack him, and Jonas has his community chasing after him. They still do not give up hope, and keep trying.