Weapon and Flaw—An Analysis of Percy Jackson’s Character Trait
Percy Jackson’s most significant trait might be how he is emotionally-driven; this has a side that is negative, and one that is positive.
“The Minotaur,” I said.
“Um, Percy, it isn’t a good idea—”
“That’s what they call him in Greek myths, isn’t it?” I demanded. “The Minotaur. Half man, half bull.”
In this section on page 59, we see Percy reacting to his frustration—frustration at not knowing and not being allowed to know—by insisting on saying the name of a monster even when Grover, who is familiar with this newly discovered world, warned him not to. Here he has overtly expressed his emotion by shutting away danger and making a friend uncomfortable; even under the circumstances, we can determine the negative side of Percy’s trait—stubbornness.
Anyway, Nancy Bobofit was throwing wads of sandwich that stuck in [Grover’s] curly brown hair, and she knew I couldn’t do anything back to her because I was already on probation.
…
“I’m going to kill her,” I mumbled.
Grover tried to calm me down. “It’s okay. I like peanut butter.”
…
“That’s it.” I started to get up…
This part shows more perspectives than one. First off, it could be derived that Percy is extremely loyal, since even when he knows what he is risking he fights to stand up for his friend. Second, the argument that Percy is persistent is also legitimate; no matter what was ahead of him, in this case possibly dismissal from school, he strives for what he believes is right—his friend but also his honor. Of course, the battle for his honor or face could be defined as a sign of him being overly-emotional, or being too quick to react. Instead of what was said before, Percy might not have been aware of what laid ahead.
Percy’s emotion will be his most powerful weapon and his most fatal flaw; the way the plot is going, this trait will possibly turn him into a key component of the problem that has already been hinted in chapter 5, but it might also cause Percy an abundance of troubles.