Wish You Well by David Baldacci

Character development is an important part of all novels. A character's mindset can change throughout the story as they go through events that may change there mindset. In Wish You Well by David Baldacci, Oz's personality and attitude change from the beginning to the end of the novel. His point of view alone effects the story. As the book starts off Oz is a little immature boy. He is not self efficient and relies completely on his mother Amanda and his older sister Lou. â€Å"Fortunately, his fearful cries would be replaced by a smile when Oz would at last focused on her, and she would want to hold her son always, keep him safe always. (Baldacci p. 4) Amanda had protected Oz his entire life and made him feel a sense of attachment. He never had to make his own decisions or face an event where his hope or faith was challenged. Until the car accident, his mother was severely injured and his father was killed. â€Å"Oz reached for his mother, incomprehension the only thing between the little boy and possibly fatal panic. † (Baldacci p. 14) This was the first and only time in the story that we see Oz in panic. Lou being older feels she understood more about the world and life than Oz. She had loved her father but clearly did not have the same type of relationship with her mother. After the accident and her father was dead, Lou seemed to get a negative outlook. She never once had a positive thought that possibly her mother could might get better and regain consciousness. Oz on the other hand never lost his faith. He always though positively. Throughout the novel Oz makes comment to his grandmother, diamond, and Lou that his mother could and was getting better. His love for her was so strong that even though deep down he knew the reality of her healing was not likely, he would do whatever he could to make it possibly come true. Oz thinks that wishing for his mother to regain her health at the wishing well will make her better. â€Å"I wish that my mother will wake up and love me again. He paused and then added solemnly, And Lou too. † (Baldacci p. 131) Oz truly cared about his mother and sister and risked his fear to try and make them all happy again. He was truly a caring character who changes from being a shy innocent boy. Into a caring self confident young man. Lou and Oz both loved each other and there mother. However, each characters point of view was different regarding the citation. Lou was kind of angry and tried to think about things realistic. She knew the odds of her mother getting well and there family going back to normal was limited. She realized it and tried to move on. As opposed to Oz who hoped and wished that his mother and Lou would get better and things could go back to the way they were. In the end even though both character's points of view where vastly different, they each helped each other get through some tragic events in the novel together, through love and perseverance.