In today's society, the word "realistic" is defined in so many different ways. Many authors have established their own definition of what they believe a realistic character is. In the novel Thinner by Stephen King, the main character, William Halleck, is a fun, loving family man. He had three kids and has been married to his wife, Heidi, for eighteen years. Though, like all characters that display realistic traits, there has to be some kind of contortion in his life. William experiences an emotion that we have all felt before; fear. William Halleck epitomizes the realistic character.
             William expresses emotions very human-like. He shows that he is a strong-willed man all throughout his situation. In the story, William endures the burden of his curse in secret to protect the feelings of his family. He also shows profound signs of fear, which lead to his wife finding out about his encounter with the old gypsy man. "I've just been exercising." William says as he is trying to hide it. "You can say what you want, you can be mean but when people start to lose weight it could mean that they're sick or in trouble," Heidi continued to say. As William began to realize his wife knew too much he told her about his curse. This was a different kind of fear William felt. It was the fear of how his wife and children would react to his problem.
             Another trait William experiences is discomfiture. It seems as if he doesn't have a grasp on what life is. William feels lost in his own world, and he demonstrates this in the story when he is speaking with his wife. Heidi notices William is acting a little unusual and asks him what is wrong. At this point, William is so confused that he doesn't know how to respond to her. Sometimes fear takes over our bodies in such a way that our normal attitude becomes hidden by a higher power not known by the average person.
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