He is ashamed of what he had done and tells the story to make amends for it. Before he begins his tale, he shows remorse for his actions when he says that "after all this time, there will be a kind of satisfaction in making myself look cheap by telling [the story]"(81). The Fool appears to write this story as an attempt to fix all that he has done wrong, which shows how he changes through the story. Thus, the change shows the Fool as a dynamic character when Dee's consistency through the story shows her as a static character. .
Another contrasting character type between the Fool and Dee is whether they are round or flat. The Fool is a round character, whereas Dee is flat. The Fool has many characteristics. The author carefully develops him as to reveal his faults, his drinking and lying, and his good quality, his ability to change, which make him a round character. However, Dee's character can be described easily in a few words: materialistic, superficial, and uncaring. Dee cares nothing for the truth, which her mother is trying to bestow upon her. Dee tries to embrace her African heritage; however, by changing her name, mannerisms, and appearance, she is actually denying her real heritage, which is American. Her mother explains "I probably could have carried [the heritage] back beyond the Civil War through branches"(94). She also goes around her mother's house taking objects that appear to have an African appearance for her to display in her own home. When she finds her grandmother's quilts, she wants to have them for her own. Her mother, already promised them to her sister, denies her for the first time in her life and does not allow her to take them. Dee becomes very angry and feuds with her mother until she sees that she will not be getting the quits and, at that time, leaves the house. Hence, Dee appears as a flat character. .
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The author's characterizations influence the way a reader perceives the characters.
