Discussion Topic

Bud's Character Analysis and Development in Bud, Not Buddy

Summary:

In Bud, Not Buddy, Bud Caldwell, a ten-year-old orphan during the Great Depression, undergoes significant character development. Initially passive, Bud learns to stand up for himself, as seen when he seeks justice against his abusive foster family. His journey leads him to Herman E. Calloway, whom he believes to be his father, but who is actually his grandfather. Bud's experiences with Calloway's band and Lefty Lewis's family highlight his adaptability, streetwise nature, and compassion. Despite hardships, Bud's resilience and creativity help him find a sense of belonging and hope.

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How does Bud change in Chapter 4 of Bud, Not Buddy?

In chapter 4, Bud has been victimized by the Amos family with cruel treatment for some time. As an orphan, he has been taught to be grateful and passive at this new home so that the family will keep him. Up until chapter 4, Bud follows these guidelines and tells adults, even those cruel to him, what they want to hear.

In this short chapter, however, the reader is introduced to a new Bud who will stand up for himself. Bud changes from a victim to a perpetrator of revenge and justice. He breaks out of the imprisoned situation in which the family had him. He decides to flee and never return to the orphanage. Lastly, he makes one gesture that is both revenge and a measure of protection. He creates a situation, acting in a way he has not before, where he can be sure to cause upset in the Amos family. He causes the Amos' son to wet the bed so that Mrs. Amos will see that her son is not perfect. He hopes that perhaps future foster children will not be as abused as he was by the Amos family because they now will see that their son and not the foster child is the cause of the household turmoil.

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What new experience does Bud have in chapter 14 of Bud, Not Buddy?

In chapter 14, Bud experiences for the first time what it is like to be able to choose different kinds of food to eat.

For an orphan like Bud, who's never had such a privilege in his short, difficult life, this is a startling experience indeed. But then, there's something almost heavenly about the Sweet Pea, the restaurant where Calloway and the other musicians eat, play cards, and just generally hang out. Bud thinks this is what heaven smells like.

Although Calloway and the other musicians get up from the table when Bud tries to sit with them, this unpleasant experience is quickly trumped by Bud's amazed observation that, at the Sweet Pea, it's actually possible to choose between different kinds of food.

Wherever he's previously been in life, whether at orphanages, soup kitchens, or foster homes, Bud's had to simply accept the food he's been given. But at the heavenly Sweet Pea, it's a whole different situation and a whole new experience.

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Who are the main characters and what's the resolution in Bud, Not Buddy?

The main character is, of course, Bud. He is a 10-year-old orphan during the Great Depression who goes on a quest to find a man that he thinks is his father.

Other main characters of note include:

Lefty Lewis is a man who picks up Bud on the side of the road and takes him home in order to keep Bud from walking along a dangerous road. Bud convinces Lefty Lewis to take him to the city that Bud believes his father is in.

Herman E. Calloway is the man who Bud believes is his father but turns out to be his grandfather.

The story comes to a resolution when Bud and Herman E. Calloway find out the truth about their relationship, and Herman grieves the death of his daughter. He then decides to let Bud stay with him and his band.

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Who are the main characters and what's the resolution in Bud, Not Buddy?

There are obviously a number of characters in this novel and I am not going to give you a description of each one as really what I want you to do is to read the book! So what I am going to do is just describe one to you so you can work out how to do it and use that as a basis for developing your own character study of others.

Miss Thomas then, is the singer of the band of Bud's grandfather and is also a very maternal character who acts as a kind of mother to Bud. Consider how Bud describes her:

I didn't see it before, but now that I looked I could tell that Miss Thomas must be the most beautiful woman in the world. When she talked she moved her hands and fingers around and the lights from the ceiling and from the little candle on the table would bounce off all them diamonds and spark up in your eye and make you feel like you'd been hit with some kind of magic fairy dust, then you couldn't help but smile.

It is clear then that Miss Thomas is a captivating woman, not just because of her beauty but also magical in terms of her charm and charisma. It is also evident that she is a real nurturer and mother-type figure. Note the way that she - unlike the rest of the band - notices Bud's various injuries and does not hesitate to ask what happened to him and shows compassion to hear the response as Bud tells his tale of woe and hardship. Finally, we can see that she is a very compassionate character as she embraces Bud and allows him to re-discover how to cry.

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What are Bud's thoughts about Lefty’s family in Bud, Not Buddy?

Bud likes Lefty's family and thinks they are fun and interesting.

In chapter eleven, Bud is walking towards Flint and heading in the direction of Owosso, Michigan. Lefty Lewis spots him on the side of the road and pulls over. Lefty proceeds offer Bud a bite to eat and explains his concerns for Bud's well-being. Bud initially believes that Lefty is a vampire because he is transporting blood, but Lefty explains himself and Bud agrees to ride with him. Bud sleeps throughout the night as Lefty travels to his daughter's home. In the morning, Bud hears Mrs. Sleet's voice and is introduced to Lefty Lewis's grandchildren, Kim and Scott, when he joins them for breakfast.

Kim and Scott are depicted as curious siblings, who continually argue and badger each other but are sincere, nice kids. During breakfast, Lefty Lewis proceeds to crack jokes the entire meal and his family joins in separate conversations, which Bud finds amusing but hard to follow. Bud is not used to being around people who talk during mealtime and thoroughly enjoys Lefty's family. They laugh throughout the entire meal and tell fascinating stories. In addition to their pleasant company, Bud enjoys the meal. Overall, Bud finds Lefty Lewis's family amusing, hospitable, and unique. Bud enjoys their positive, upbeat personalities and is thankful for their hospitality. They welcome Bud with open arms and entertain him during breakfast.

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In Bud, Not Buddy, what do Bud's actions reveal about him?

Bud is streetwise and tough. He is insightful, creative and wise. Bud also has typical childhood fears. The depth of his character unfolds through many events in the story.

The reader sees Bud's streetwise, tough side as he navigates the hazards of the orphanage and foster homes. This side of Bud is most evident when he escapes the cruel, last foster home when they lock him outside in a shed. Bud escapes, vows never to return and while living on the streets, begins a journey to find who he believes is his father.

The insightful, creative, and wise side of Bud appears as the reader learns how Bud thinks. Bud keeps a book of many "rules to live by" and refers to them often. Many of these came directly from or were adapted from, things that his mother taught him. Bud's insight allows him to understand how others may feel in many situations. This insight allows him to act in ways that further his goals most of the time. Rather than take revenge on the cruel foster family's mother, Bud understands that it is only through showing the foster mother her son's true colors that he will help create a better environment for other foster children. He therefore acts to create a situation where the mother will see her son's imperfections.

Bud has normal, childhood fears despite his streetwise personality. He believes in vampires and fears waking up in unknown places without first attempting to listen and figure out what is going on around him.

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Who are the major characters in the novel Bud, Not Buddy?

There are several important characters throughout the novel Bud, Not Buddy. Bud is the novel's narrator and protagonist. He is a ten-year-old orphan who lives in Flint, Michigan during the Depression. Bud's journey to find his biological father takes him to Grand Rapids, where he unknowingly mistakes his grandfather, Herman E. Calloway, to be his father. Herman E. Calloway is a famous musician who views Bud with contempt. Herman's daughter, Angela Janet Caldwell, ran away from home and passed away when her son, Bud, was six years old. At the beginning of the novel, Bud runs away from the Amoses' house after Todd Amos lies about Bud beating him up. Bud travels to a Hooverville with his best friend, Bugs. While Bud is visiting the Hooverville, he meets another supporting character, Deza Malone, who gives him his first kiss. Another major character throughout the novel is Lefty Lewis. Lefty drives Bud to Grand Rapids to meet his "father." Lefty Lewis introduces Bud to his daughter, Mrs. Sleet, and his two grandchildren, Kim and Scott, before they hit the road. Two other major characters in the novel include Steady Eddie, who plays the saxophone in Herman's band and quickly befriends Bud, and Miss Thomas, a singer in Calloway's band, who convinces Herman to let Bud stay at their home.

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What important trait of Bud, the protagonist from Bud, Not Buddy, is consistently supported in the text?

It is somewhat unfortunate given Bud Caldwell/Calloway’s overall temperament and intelligence, but this kind, compassionate little boy’s most persistent trait throughout Christopher Paul Curtis’s novel Bud, Not Buddy is his skill at fabricating or lying. Bud displays uncommon compassion for others, as when he consoles six-year-old Jerry, who has just, along with Bud, been pulled out of the breakfast line at the orphanage to be informed that both boys are being placed in new foster homes, Jerry with a family with three young girls. The slightly-older (by two years) Bud, burdened with the knowledge that he is almost certainly headed into a far worse scenario than Jerry, nevertheless takes the time to try to ease the latter child’s mind:

“I sat down next to him and said, ‘I know being in a house with three girls sounds terrible, Jerry, but it's a lot better than being with a boy who's a couple of years older than you. I'm the one who's going to have problems. A older boy is going to want to fight, but those little girls are going to treat you real good. They're going to treat you like some kind of special pet or something.'"

Bud’s compassion for others is evident throughout Curtis’s story, and it is this young boy’s compassion and intelligence that makes particularly sad the fact the trait most commonly ascribed to Bud throughout the novel is his skill at lying. Lying, for Bud, is an essential characteristic; it is a defense mechanism against the unfairness and petty cruelties he is forced to endure by virtue of his situation. The logical answer to the question—what is an important trait of Bud—then, is his proclivity for lying his way out of difficult situations, as when he is forced to lie to Mrs. Amos, the mother of 12-year-old Todd/Teddy, the violent, bullying boy in whose house the smaller, younger Bud is placed after he is pulled out of the orphanage. Bud hastens to note, upon being beaten by Todd and blamed for the attack by the older boy when Mrs. Amos enters the room, that he may have met his match in his new nemesis:

“I'm not bragging when I say that I'm one of the best liars in the world but I got to tell you, Todd was pretty doggone good. It seemed like he knew some of the same things I know, the things I think of all the time and try to remember so I don't make the same mistake more than seven or eight times. Shucks, I've got so many of them rememorized that I had to give them numbers, and it seemed like Todd knew Number 3 of Bud Caldwell's Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself.”

This passage reveals Bud’s secret for surviving: the ability to deceive others as to his true thoughts and motivations. It is a character trait to which he consciously clings when circumstances dictate. As Curtis’s young narrator concludes upon being compelled by Mrs. Amos to apologize for being attacked by Todd, and fearing the adult’s wrath, “if I didn't lie good enough she was going to use that strap on me.” Later, in Chapter Six, Bud again feels obligated to lie out of a well-founded sense of self-preservation. Arriving too late at the Mission in the hopes of finding food, he states, “It was time to start lying. If I didn't get any food now I'd have to steal something out of someone's garbage or I wouldn't be able to eat until the mission opened for supper.”

Bud’s propensity for lying is a constant theme throughout Bud, Not Buddy. In Chapter Ten, hoping to get a ride to Grand Rapids, where he has been falsely telling people he is from in the hopes that people will be naturally inclined to return him from whence he came, he begins to suspect that this particular lie may not work out the way he intended. Encountering an adult who may be predisposed to aid him in his journey, but who may not accept as fact the story Bud has told him, the boy reflects, “[t]hat's the bad thing about lying, once you say one you've usually got to stick with it.” Bud’s is a tragic situation, but he is smart and precocious enough to believe in himself. He knows he has to carefully maneuver himself through the adult world to achieve his objective. If lying from time to time is necessary, then so be it.

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Who are some male characters in Bud, Not Buddy?

Several men played an important role in the novel "Bud, Not Buddy" as they interacted with the main character, Bud. The most important and prominent one was the man Bud believes is his father, Herman E. Calloway. He is the leader of a jazz band and turns out to be Bud's grandfather. Though he has a tough exterior, he has a good heart and helps people in need.

Lefty Lewis also interacts with Bud in an important way. Mr. Lewis believes Bud's story and helps him with food, shelter, advice and a ride to find Mr. Calloway. At the time of their interaction, Bud and Mr. Lewis both believe that Mr. Calloway is Bud's father.

Steady Eddie is the band member that appears to most interact with Bud. Although the entire band takes Bud in as one of their own and a family member, it is Steady Eddie who also takes him under his wing and shows him the world of music. Eddie provides Bud with a recorder and a saxophone.

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What are Bud's thoughts upon seeing Mr. Calloway's face in Bud, Not Buddy? What is Lefty Lewis' intention for the papers in Bud, Not Buddy?

The answers to both questions are fairly simple.  The answer to the first question about what Bud thinks about his father’s face is one word:  old.  Bud has just walked into the nightclub on his own, thinking that his father is inside.  Bud is specifically looking for Herman E. Calloway, which is the name Bud has always treasured because it is on the flyer in his suitcase.  As Bud listens to the members of the band talk, Bud recognizes many similarities between himself and one man whose face is hidden from view.  As the man continues to exaggerate (something that Bud does as well), Bud further convinces himself that this man is Bud’s father.  Bud desperately wants to see his father’s face.  When the man turns around, Bud is very surprised.  Bud says, “My dad’s face was old.”

The answer to your second question is also simple:  Lefty Lewis intends to use the papers to help organize a labor union for Pullman porters (the men who work on trains).  The box that Lefty asks Bud to hide under the seat (when they are stopped by a policeman) contains flyers to help with this endeavor.

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