The Host characterization

The Host Characterization

I finished the book The Host by Stephenie Meyer because everyone was reading it last year and I decided it was time to see what everyone was talking about, and what the movie was about.   

Melanie Stryder is a human rebel who was captured before the book began.  She was implanted with a soul named Wanderer.  Melanie's consciousness survives being taken over by the soul and she resists being taken over completely even though the soul is inside of her.   She likes to retaliate to lots of problems with violence, which her soul doesn't like due to most souls hating any type of violence.  She is very protective over the things she loves, like her brother, Jamie, and her boyfriend, Jarred.  "I knew nothing of what passed for beauty among these strangers, and yet I knew that this face was beautiful.  I wanted to keep looking at it.  As soon as I realized this, it disappeared.  Mine, spoke the alien thought that should not have existed."  (Meyer, 13).  This quote shows that Melanie is protective over her boyfriend, which was the picture that the soul was looking at.  

Wanderer "Wanda" is the soul that was placed into Melanie's body.  Wanderer is like the typical soul,  she is naturally altruistic, horrified by violence, and finds it difficult to believably lie (to humans). She hates upsetting people and so suffers endlessly trying to be as little of a burden as possible.  She finds herself to start feeling how Melanie feels during her time spent in Melanie's body.  She starts to feel sympathetic towards humans, and even starts to feel love towards Melanie's boyfriend and brother, which makes her different.  

Ian O'Shea is one of the people to fall in love with Wanderer.  He claims that he is in love with her personality and does not care how she looks, so when she changes hosts, he does not help pick it out.  He gets annoyed with how she is so selfless towards others, afraid that it will eventually hurt her as well. 

Jarred Howe is Melanie's boyfriend.  They met when they where raiding the same house for food.  At first he thought that Melanie was a soul, and when he found out that she was human, he was so excited that he kissed her, making them both fall in love.  He claims that Wanderer took Melanie's life, but starts to grow on her when he sees her comforting a dying friend.  He also cares for Melanie's brother Jamie when she was captured, making him a parental figure towards Jamie.  

Jamie Stryder is Melanie's little brother.  He wants to be treated as an adult- meaning going on the raids with their group.  He is one of the only ones to like Wanderer immediately  viewing her as a substitute sister.  

This is a video of the author Stephenie Meyer talking about her book and movie!