Characterization
Leonardo DiCaprio (left) who played Frank Abagnale (right)
In his autobiography, Catch Me If You Can, Frank Abagnale clearly creates a dominant impression of himself: daring, adventurous, clever, and very deceiving. Throughout the telling of his life, the reader can easily pick up on these characteristics from the way he talks, acts, and interacts with other people. Abagnale’s decision to run away from his divorced parents at a young age of 16 proved he was daring, but it was furthered even more so upon his interactions with the FBI. On many occasions he found himself face to face with FBI officers, but he managed without getting caught. Examples of Abagnale’s adventurous and daring life are portrayed in the way he travels. Abagnale learned a lot of information on piloting a plane, obtained identification and a uniform, and traveled via the process of 'deadheading.' This is when an off duty pilot rides in the jump seat near the real pilots who are actually working and flying the plane. The 'deadhead' gets a free ride. Since Abagnale has so much money from his check swindling, it would have been easier for him to just pay for his plane tickets; however, he decided to take the risk of getting confronted by the airline crew for being a fake deadhead instead of pay for his flights. Abagnale’s methods of deceiving the world by forging checks and escaping arrest show how clever he is. This is trait is also exposed to the reader when he learns how to live in constant disguise; he constantly changes himself and adheres his actions to fit the role of another person to keep him out of trouble. While he was learning terms of a pilot in order to appear knowledgeable of his role, he wrote down the information he learned in a little notebook. For example, Abagnale wrote "One of the first notations in the notebook is ‘glide scopes.’ The term was mentioned on my second deadhead flight and I jotted it down as a reminder to learn what it meant. Glide scopes are runway approach lights used as landing guides." (p.63)
Frank Abagnale is a static character in terms of his actions. Regardless of if he was about to be caught or confronted, his attitude was the same. He would get to situations where he was close to being put in jail and then he would move along in his criminal life like it never happened. After being through various jails, some brutal and some not so brutal, in Spain, Paris, and Sweden, he comes back to the United States. One would think Abagnale was changed as a result of his jail time, but he still intends to be a criminal. "I fled straight across the runway in the darkness, later learning that I had escaped unnoticed, the method of my escape unknown until an irate O’Riley and other FBI agents searched the plane and found the lifted-out toilet." (p.265-266) This shows how even though he faced his consequences, he wasn’t changed as a character because he was still a criminal.
Frank Abagnale always expressed his philosophies and other people had their ways of perceiving him. His view is that "A man’s alter ego is nothing more than his favorite image of himself." (p.1) He also wrote "I learned early that class is universally admired. Almost any fault, sin or crime is considered more leniently if there’s a touch of class involved." (p.10) Both of these quotes show how he always thought the way others perceived you was very important. This is why he was able to be so sneaky and not get caught. He successfully won over others by the way they perceived him. Abagnale used some of his money to buy a Rolls-Royce so that when he parked outside a bank to cash a fraudulent check, he would not look like a criminal.
Frank Abagnale is a static character in terms of his actions. Regardless of if he was about to be caught or confronted, his attitude was the same. He would get to situations where he was close to being put in jail and then he would move along in his criminal life like it never happened. After being through various jails, some brutal and some not so brutal, in Spain, Paris, and Sweden, he comes back to the United States. One would think Abagnale was changed as a result of his jail time, but he still intends to be a criminal. "I fled straight across the runway in the darkness, later learning that I had escaped unnoticed, the method of my escape unknown until an irate O’Riley and other FBI agents searched the plane and found the lifted-out toilet." (p.265-266) This shows how even though he faced his consequences, he wasn’t changed as a character because he was still a criminal.
Frank Abagnale always expressed his philosophies and other people had their ways of perceiving him. His view is that "A man’s alter ego is nothing more than his favorite image of himself." (p.1) He also wrote "I learned early that class is universally admired. Almost any fault, sin or crime is considered more leniently if there’s a touch of class involved." (p.10) Both of these quotes show how he always thought the way others perceived you was very important. This is why he was able to be so sneaky and not get caught. He successfully won over others by the way they perceived him. Abagnale used some of his money to buy a Rolls-Royce so that when he parked outside a bank to cash a fraudulent check, he would not look like a criminal.
