Below is a chart which shows the continuum from pessimistic to optimistic and on which you can "gauge" where a character fits at each point in the story.
for each of the stories, "the trout" and "the wager," decide where you think each story's main character is at the beginning, the middle and the end of the story. after you decide, put a quote in the appropriate box to support your "optimism gauge." i have done the first box for you as an example. this assignment is worth 25 points – 5 points for each box completed.
"the wager"
extreme
pessimism
moderate
pessimism
neutral
moderate
optimism
extreme
optimism
beginning
one of the guests, a jurist, a young man of twenty-five years of age, replied: to live under any conditions is better than not to live at all."
middle
end
"the trout"
extreme
pessimism
moderate
pessimism
neutral
moderate
optimism
extreme
optimism
beginning
middle
end