Liberty University

Compare and Contrast Fictional Essay

For
201140 Fall 2011 ENGL 102-C01 LUO
Kevin Hartless

September, 2011

The short stories The Rocking Horse Winner and The Destructors have some same characteristics that are the same but there are also many differences. The Characters in both stories have their motivations, and a wide range of behaviors and emotions. Some of the qualities of the characters are good, some are not so good, and some are just evil.
The characters in The Rocking Horse Winner are Paul, Paul’s mom who is not identified by name till the last sentence of the story, Uncle Oscar Creswell, and Bassett. In The Destructors the characters are Mike, Blackie, T or (Trevor), and Old Misery or (Thomas). One thing that is similar about the characters in the two stories is the number, both have four main characters. Both stories are centered on the actions of young people; The Destructors there is only one adult, and three boys, and in The Rocking Horse Winner there is one boy and three adults. The protagonist of both stories is a boy, Paul is assumed to be about nine or ten, where T is assumed to be about fourteen or fifteen.
The outstanding qualities of the main characters from both stories greatly very, both Greene and Lawrence developed these qualities throughout the story’s, in some instances only giving a small glimpse. Lawrence showed that Paul’s mom was a cold and greedy woman. Lawrence shows us the coldness in the opening paragraph saying that she married for love but it had died, and also by her reactions to her children. Her greediness is portrayed through the story by her responses to money they do or do not have and how that affected the children, especially Paul. Paul’s outstanding quality is a psychic ability. This quality is slowly disclosed to the reader, in the beginning it is implied, but then is reveled in the discussion between Paul and Uncle Oscar. The difference between Greene and Lawrence is Lawrence spells out the qualities, where Greene leaves them implied or just alluded to. Greene shows that Old Misery is actually a very generous man concerned with the welfare of those around him. This is not stated outright, but only a brief encounter between him and the Wormsley Common Gang when he gives them some chocolate. Greene shows that Blackie has great leadership qualities, by the control he has over the gang. T’s qualities are more obscure then the others. He actually has some great insight in to building, and the engendering of buildings. Greene implies this to his readers by the knowledge that T has to make Old Misery’s house collapse from the inside out.
The attitudes, emotions, and behaviors of each of the characters between the two stories cover a wide range of possibilities. They cover greediness, self-sacrifice, selfishness, obsession, and many more. In The Rocking Horse Winner Paul was very somber, worried, and obsessed. Laurence uses Paul’s emotions to show that Paul wanted very much to please his mother; he thought he could buy her love, and so became obsessed with money that it killed him. Paul’s mother was extremely selfish she could not get over the fact that anyone could be better off than she was, even her own child. Uncle Oscar was an easy going and well rounded, and seemed to be concerned about his family, but underneath he seemed to have some ulterior motives. The emotions in The Destructors were different for the most part with the exception of T. T was selfish and could not stand any one being better off than he was just like Hester in The Rocking Horse Winner. Greene plainly gives away the attitudes and emotions of Old Misery just by his nickname. He was a sad, lonely, and gloomy old man who lived by himself. Blackie is actually the most confusing of all, the story portrays him as tough and nonchalant, but then it also shows small glimpses of vulnerability.
The motives of the characters in this story overlap. Paul wanted to make his family rich, Uncle Oscar just wanted to take advantage of Paul, and Hester just wanted to blame everyone but herself for her bad-luck. T was motivated by his drop in social status he really did not hate Old Misery he just hated anything that was beautiful.
Both stories emphasize man as being self-reliant, and they both show what man is capable of doing under their own power, but they both take on a totally different meaning. T’s motives are selfish, he did things just because he could, but Paul on the other hand started out with pure motives, but they turned into an obsession.

Refferences:
Greene, Graham. Collected stories: including May we borrow your husband?, A sense of reality, Twenty-one stories. New York: The Viking Press, 19731972.
Kennedy, X. J., and Dana Gioia. "Stories for Further Reading." In Literature: an introduction to fiction, poetry, drama, and writing, 365-375. 6th compact ed. New York: Longman, 2010.