Scrutinizing the Traits of Male Characters in Select Crime Fiction

<p>Literature has contributed to our<br>understanding of the complexity of the<br>human mind through its myriad depiction<br>of characters. Understanding the<br>temperament of the hero and the anti-hero<br>is made interesting through the thrilling<br>stories of crime novels. Crime fiction has<br>enhanced the dissection of the psyche of<br>the criminally inclined characters. This<br>study attempts to highlight the traits of<br>the male characters in the novels The<br>Silent Patient by Alex Michaelidesand<br>The Silence of The Lambs by Thomas<br>Harris. The PEN model of personality<br>propounded by Hans Eysenck is applied<br>to reveal the traits of the male characters.<br>These two novels feature a variety of<br>male characters, all of whom exhibit the<br>traits given by Eysenck in his theory. The<br>superior traits of these characters serve as<br>the main reason for them to involve<br>incrime. This study establishes the notion<br>that the traits of a person directly affect<br>their actions and choices in life. </p>