People differ in line with culture, beliefs, skills and even interests. As a result, there is variation in economic, political and social factors that govern different communities. Comparative literature works towards the evaluation of similar concepts that are conveyed by different authors. The comparison tactic represents the dynamism in knowledge and opinions. It is surprisingly tricky to say that every sentence is equivalent to its translation in another language. The following is a comparison of three literary works; "Speckle Trout" by Ron Rash, "The Parsley Garden" by William Sayoran and "The Man Who Was Almost a Man" by Richard Wright. The three authors seem to be sending a similar message through different writing techniques.
Comparison
There are similarities in the three narratives in that each story has a teenage boy as the main character. The story by Richard Wright follows the life if a seventeen-year-old boy named Dave Saunders. The kid is desperate to prove his manhood after realizing that he is being teased and disrespected due to his age. He decides to buy a gun that would help him make things right. The author sends a message that growing up is a hard thing to do especially when one lacks parental care. After buying the pistol, Dave walks around the fam with it, but he is afraid and unsure of how to use it (Wright, 2013). He, therefore, decides to practice using it when no one is watching. Through the experience, the author reflects on some of the mistakes people make when trying to prove their adulthood.
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In the story Speckle Trout, Rash presents a young boy named Lanny who lives in a small town that is similar to the to the one that the author originates. In a fishing mission, the character appears defiant in that he has to go to a region where everyone stayed away from with the aim of catching some trout. Lanny even walks past a No Trespassing sign. The real character of the boy is revealed when he comes upon some pots plants, steals them and sells them to a local drug dealer. Knowing that is an easy way to make money, the boy gets back for more plants despite being warned. He learns his lesson when he mistakenly steps on a bear trap, and his life is in danger.
The Parsley Garden is a story of a boy who is caught shoplifting from a local store. Young Al Condraj pockets a small hammer with the intention of using it to use the "freely" available wood and nails to make up something better. Although the store owner releases him, he is ashamed and humiliated for his behavior (Hiremath, 2016). At first, Condraj decides to take revenge on the store manager who made him feel like a thief, but he cannot summon enough courage. Through the story, the author reflects on the process of maturing and the character's position in the society.
Contrast
The main difference is that the boys learn their life lessons differently. In life, the most important thing is not avoiding mistakes but embracing and learning from them. Al is ashamed of his behavior for trying to act more intelligent than the store owner. He discovers that he is in a world that he has little or no control of his actions. Al, therefore, spends the rest of his life in the story aligning his perceptions of society. On the other hand, Lanny is challenged to make the right decisions through the consequences that he faces. In life, we can either learn from our own mistakes or other people's experiences. Lanny learns on the adverse effects of stealing and the importance of listening to others especially when being warned against a particular action. Lastly, Dave Saunders makes himself look foolish after buying a gun to realize that he does not know how to use it.
Another area of contrast is that the three characters are brought up under different life conditions. Sometimes, family and friends fail to acknowledge the growth of their young ones hence treating them like they are still kids. Dave tends to distance himself from his family and does not share his experience with them until he is forced to tell the story. The reason is that his parents regard him as a boy even though he is seventeen. From this, we learn about the importance of parenthood in child development. The author makes it clear that people should avoid being controlled by factors such as wealth and social classes (Hiremath, 2016). Al finds no one with whom to discuss his plight until he is in trouble. The familial ties between Al Condraj and his mother are evident when he recounts his story to her. It is through this that his work dilemma is resolved. The story reflects on the importance of shared ideas for both family and friends. Lanny appears to be completely different from the other two boys in that he never shared his experience with his parents. The story shows how the lack of parental care can lead to poor decision making.
Lessons Learnt
The story, The Parsley Garden has a few possible themes. However, the main idea is the issue of self-identity. After taking the hammer, Al acknowledges his, but he feels ashamed of being caught. He is not a criminal and should not be treated like one, but he needs to learn on the need to respect other people as well as their property. The entire story is about Al trying to reconcile with his inner self as well as the social values. Ron Rash keeps the reader intrigued to the adventure of Lanny and the life lesson that follows along the creek. When Lanny first starts fishing, he believes he can make as much money as possible until he stumbles across some pot plants and becomes enticed by the idea of making quick money. The author challenges the readers on the importance of making the right decisions and listening to advice from other people (Wilhelm, 2015). Lastly, the story about Dave does not provide a ready answer to his problems, but the author points out the process of coming-of-age for teenagers. It is often that adolescents have inner struggles when trying to become adults. The society should, therefore, learn to teach and appreciate them as part of the community.
Conclusion
The three stories are applicable in modern society in that they reflect on different structures of our lives. Lanny is greedy and does not think of the consequences of his behaviors hence he ends up learning the hard way. Al discovers that there are different ways to find revenge, but very few leave a person satisfied with his actions. At the end of the story, Al does not feel humiliated anymore because he got the hammer which he used to make a bench on his own. As a result, people should avoid executing revenge plans to satisfy their inner self. Ironically, Dave ends up running away after he shoots off his remaining bullets. He hops onto a moving train eager to find a place where he could be treated like a man. The decisions to leave his home place represents Dave taking control of his life and the beginning of his adulthood.
References
Hiremath, M. (2016). Reflections on The Values of Life and the Aversion for War in The Short Stories of William Saroyan. Literary Endeavour .
Wilhelm, R. (2015). Gone Fishing: Trauma and Repression in Ron Rash’s Water World.
Wright, R. (2013). The Man Who Was Almost a Man. An introduction to short fiction : 50 masterpieces , 499-511.
