Character Analysis

The Last Sin Eater

               In the book The Last Sin Eater by Francine Rivers, the main character is Cadi Forbes. She is the protagonist in the story. The whole book resolves around her the most, and it is written in a first person’s point of view. She is the major character of the story, and she dominates it.

            Cadi Forbes is a young girl. Her name is shown on page 8, and her appearance is labeled on page 1. The author is going against stereotypes because girls are stereotyped as not outgoing or adventurous. On page 25, she said she was following the river, and she was looking for the sin eater. Cadi is a static character. She doesn’t loose heart looking for the sin eater to help her. The author discloses Cadi’s by what the character does. Cadi’s determination is disclosed by doing anything to find the sin eater. On page 63, Cadi said she spent her afternoons on Dead Man’s Mountain for a whole week. On page 74, she stole a jar of preserves to draw the sin eater down from the mountain. The author also discloses Cadi’s hope for forgiveness by telling the sin eater that she wants forgiveness. She wants to be forgiven by her mom about her sister’s tragic accident. Cadi’s curiosity is shown by what other character says about her when Cadi’s mother said she was full of curiosity on page 1.

            Cadi’s characteristics aid her to be consistent and adequately motivated. Her determination makes her consistent and doesn’t give up. Her desire of forgiveness gives her strengths and motivation to continue her difficult adventure. Cadi is trying to do the right thing but going about it in the wrong way. She stole things from her house, and that’s not ethical. She gets the motivation from her love to her mother that she wants to be cleansed so that her mom won’t be angry at her again and forgives her. Cadi is motivated and strong-willed from the beginning to the end of the story. She doesn’t not give up even she was threatened by Brogan Kai. On page 105, Brogan Kai hits Cadi and threatened her, but she still continues doing what she thinks she should.

            Cadi’s parents thought she was crazy because she is talking with herself, but actually she was talking with Lilybet. On page 321, it says Lilybet was thought as an angel who shows herself only to Cadi. Lilybet always gives advices and helps Cadi. Fagan is Cadi’s friend, and he helps her a lot. In the end of the story, page 323; they get married and have a daughter. The man of God told her about God and the truth. He also helped her to find a solution when she was trying to find someone who can eat her sins. On page 165, the man of God baptizes Cadi, and Cadi is saved. Cadi’s weakness is that she is too impulsive, and she swayed by her emotions. Problems could have solved faster and safer without her stubbornness. She makes decisions without thinking the consequences. Cadi’s strengths are that she is being good in trying times and her determination. She does not give up until the end. She thinks the teaching of the man of God is the truth and is right; therefore, passed his words to the people and stopped the custom of having sin eaters. On page 296, Fagan and Miz Elda are telling the people about the truth.

            One conflict in the story is that Cadi thought her mom hates her because of her sister’s death. Her mom didn’t talk to her, and Cadi thought of suiciding because of that. Actually, her mom was blaming herself for sending her little daughter to find Cadi and not being a good mother. Cadi looked very hardly for the sin eater because she wants her mother to forgive her. At last, she told her mom that she didn’t push her sister from the log, and her mom said she had never thought of that. She was just blaming herself, and Cadi was forgiven. The misunderstanding between them was broken at the end of the story.