Examination Day

Dickie Jordan is the protagonist and main point-of-view character of “Examination Day.” Dickie is a 12-year-old boy who is portrayed as sweet and innocent. Dickie’s intelligence and sensitivity make his death at the end of the story tragic. 

Dickie’s primary characteristic is his intelligence and perceptiveness. This is alluded to throughout the work. The omniscient narrator first describes him as “an alert-eyed youngster” (Paragraph 3), indicating that he is paying attention to the world around him. His intelligence is further alluded to when he states that he “get[s] good marks [grades] in school” (Paragraph 21). Dickie’s intelligence is manifest not just in his grades, but also in his display of perceptiveness. He instantly notices, for instance, that there is “sudden tension” between his parents on the morning of his birthday. Later, he demonstrates his perceptiveness by asking keen questions about the natural world and how it works (e.g. “What makes it green, though? The grass?” (Paragraph 12). His curiosity about the weather, plants, and the Sun suggests that in another society, he would make a good student—even scientist—but his questions are rebuffed by his father. 

Dickie’s second main characteristic is that he is anxious and eager-to-please.