Character Study of The Mayor
By Christina Cox
Kalamazoo Valley Community College
Spring 2007

The Mayor of Hamelin is a tall, slender man. He has shaggy blonde hair on his head with scruffy shadows of hair surrounding his face. The Mayor has worked hard most of his life, and earned the coveted title of Mayor. When I asked him why he wanted to become Mayor, he said the biggest reason was his father. Forty years ago his father tried to become Mayor just as Hamelin was developing into a prosperous town. But a richer and more powerful man was elected instead. This man was an evil man. The townspeople were scared to vote against this evil man because of his wealth and power. This ruined the fathers life, and he felt betrayed by the people of the town.

Life was never the same in the family again. The son (now the Mayor) worked hard all his life so that he could step into the important position that his father was denied. The sons dreams came true when he was finally voted in as Mayor. He has not been mayor for six years and the people of Hamelin are so impressed and happy with their town, it appears that he may be Mayor for a long long time.

Thoughts for Reflection:
What other stories can you think of that may have a similar theme of working hard for a goal?

Do you think the failure of the father to become Mayor had a positive or negative impact on the son?

What do you suppose happened to the evil mayor?