Short Story Comparison Essay

Categories: Short Story

After checking out "The Scarlet Ibis" by James Hurst and "Raymond's Run" by Toni Cade Bambara, there are some resemblances and differences that stood out. Both stories consist of handicapped siblings. Likewise, both stories consist of characters that act out of pride. The stories have various settings and have characters with various motives. The primary lesson of this essay is not to let pride take control of your character.

There are a couple of similarities the 2 stories share. Initially, both stories involve a character with impairments.

In "The Scarlet Ibis" Doodle's disabilities are explained, "The doctor said he mustn't get to fired up, too hot, too cold, or too exhausted and that he needs to constantly be treated gently. A long list of do n'ts chose him ..." In "Raymond's Run" Squeaky describes Raymond, "But as any fool can see he's much bigger and he's older too. But a great deal of people call him my little bro cause he needs caring for cause he's not quite right." These 2 quotes show a similarity in the two stories by describing the impairments with each character, Doodle and Raymond.

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Another similarity the two stories share relates to pride. In both stories, the main character's actions are stemmed from pride.

In "Raymond's Run" Squeaky describes, "There is no track meet that I do not win the top place medal ... The huge kids call me mercury cause I'm the swiftest thing in the neighborhood ... In the very first place, nobody can beat me which's all there is to it." In "The scarlet Ibis" the narrator describes, "When doodle was 5 years old, I was humiliated at having a bro of that age who could not walk, so I set out to teach him ...

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I did not understand then that pride is a wonderful, dreadful thing, a seed that bears 2 vines, life and death." These 2 quotes reveal us a similarity because they explain how both characters act and feel they way they do due to the fact that of pride. As you can see, there are some resemblances the two stories share.

In addition to similarities, the stories are also different. First, the settings are different and have different affects on the stories. In “The Scarlet Ibis”, the setting is more country-like; “…Someone to perch with at the top fork of the great pine behind the barn where across the fields and swamps where you can see the sea.” In contrast, “Raymond’s Run” has a setting in the city; “I’m standing on the corner admiring the weather and about to take a stroll down Broadway so I can practice my breathing exercises, and I’ve got Raymond walking on the inside close to the buildings…” These two quotes show a difference in the stories by explaining how different the settings are. Since there are different settings, each setting has its own tone and affects the way we feel about the stories and pride. Next, there is a difference in the way the two stories represent pride.

In “Raymond’s Run” Squeaky is often kind to Raymond, and helps him for his sake. In the selection Squeaky explains, “All I have to do in my life is mind my brother Raymond, which is enough...But a lot of people call him my little brother cause he needs looking after cause he’s not quite right,” In “The Scarlet Ibis” the narrator explains why he helps his brother; “When Doodle was five years old, I was embarrassed at having a brother of that age who couldn’t walk, so I set out to teach him.” These two quotes exemplify a difference because they explain why each character acts the way they do. It explains that Squeaky helps Raymond because he needs it and explains that the narrator only helps Doodle for his own pride. In conclusion, there are a few ideas that separate the two short stories.

After reading these two stories, I learned a very important life lesson. This lesson was not to let your own pride take over your character. Although there were different ways of showing it, the lesson was one that every human should try to live up to.

Updated: Nov 01, 2022
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Short Story Comparison Essay. (2016, Sep 30). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/short-story-comparison-essay

Short Story Comparison Essay essay
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