Author’s Note: When I was reading the book Dawn, I was thinking that the next time I wrote an essay, I would write a character analysis. Once I got to prewriting, I had to really think about which character to do it on. I seemed to have an interest in Leafpaw (she seems so cute!), so I wrote this piece about her. I hope that this piece paints a vivid picture because I tried to use descriptive words and similes/metaphors.
Healing the sick, collecting herbs that can be as disgusting as mouse bile and berries as sticky as honey, traveling to the moonstone- it seems that the eager to learn medicine cat apprentice Leafpaw is always busy and learning new things. She also seems to worry about things an awful lot. In the book Dawn by Erin Hunter, Leafpaw is portrayed as a character who is constantly worried, busy, and is eager to learn new things.
Leafpaw tends to worry a lot. Especially since the Twolegs (humans) started destroying the forest with their huge, glittering monsters with unnatural shining pelts to build a new Thunderpath (road), everyone has been worrying. Everybody thinks that the Twolegs have no purpose for destroying all the trees, but they are helpless and can do nothing to stop them. It’s not only because the Clans have to leave their homes that Leafpaw is worried, but also due to her duties as a medicine cat apprentice. Since she has to tend to the sick/injured, (hence the name medicine cat,) she has more to worry about. There are more dangers that may affect her as a medicine cat such as cats getting sick and not having enough herbs/berries to take care of the them or maybe cats getting unknown diseases that she doesn't know how to treat. Even though she is only an apprentice, she still has a lot to offer as a medicine cat in-training. Leafpaw worries about other things, too. Sometimes, Leafpaw is worried for her father, Firestar, the clan leader because she wants to know what he will do because of the fact he has to try to get the clans to work together so they can all escape the dreaded Twolegs. At other times, she is worried for her sister who was lucky to have returned back home from her travels.
Lately, Leafpaw hasn’t only been worried, she has been very busy. She is a big help to Cinderpelt, her mentor. Especially since she has an injury that will stay for her entire life. When Cinderpelt was just an apprentice, she fell into Tigerstar’s trap that was for Bluestar. (Tigerstar was a horrible cat, who would do anything to satisfy his hunger for power.)Leafpaw helps Cinderpelt in many ways- whether it’s helping her collect herbs/berries to supply her stock or tending to the sick/hurt.
Even though she is busy most of the time, Leafpaw always seem to have time to be eager to learn new things. When she was at the cave of pointed stones, Leafpaw kept asking Stone-Teller questions about their warrior ancestors. That's because she is learning to be a medicine cat and medicine cats meet and share dreams with their warrior ancestors. So, Leafpaw was eager to find out more about how the Tribe does things, which by the way is very different than how the Clans do things. Yes, Leafpaw asks her questions without interrupting or butting in. She doesn't always ask questions to learn, though. Leafpaw seems to teach an important lesson to readers. Leafpaw knows that sometimes it is good to be quiet, and she will learn. This teaches readers that if they don’t ask as many questions, they can still learn a lot of useful things.
Leafpaw is a worried, busy, and eager to learn new things who is a medicine cat in-training. She can do a lot of useful things. If you read Dawn, you are most likely going to walk away from it thinking very differently about a lot of things. People who read this book also know that it they are being so awful to the wildlife they are destroying just to make a new road. Doesn't the world have enough roads? Leafpaw faces all of these dangers in the book, Dawn.
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