There are many ways in which bullying can be portrayed in Don’t Call Me Ishmael. Some of the ways in which bullying can be portrayed include, characters, settings, plot and point of view. These are called narrative conventions.
One of the ways that bullying is portrayed in Don’t Call Me Ishmael is through characters. The author must make it clear as to what character plays what role as it may confuse the readers. A character called Barry Bagsley is the school’s biggest bully. He is one of those stereotypical bullies you read or watch about. Barry always victimises those who are smaller, weaker and inferior than him. He likes to pick on people’s insecurities and always bring their self-esteem down. The author shows this by describing his actions and dialogue in another character’s…show more content… The plot of anything tells you what it is about. Without the plot, the readers or viewers would not have a clue on what the book or show is. Don’t Call Me Ishmael is about a 14 year old boy who is struggling his way through high school. Obstacles are thrown at him everywhere. Ishmael Leseur is his name and claims that he has ‘Ishmael Leseur Syndrome’ which is a syndrome that causes a normal person into a walking disaster. He is also one of the victims of the biggest bully, Barry Bagsley. Ishmael becomes friends with the new student, Scobie who claims that he is not afraid of anything which is the reason why he stood up to Barry using his power of knowledge. ‘But that won’t stop Ishmael and his intrepid band of misfits from taking on bullies, bugs, babes, the Beatles, debating and the great white whale in the toughest, the weirdest, the most humiliatingly awful – and the best year of their lives.’ This example from the blurb tells you a bit about what is in the book and what storyline it has. Without a plot, there is no novel or shows. The plot is the main idea behind the story and explains to the reader what it is
