Both of the short works featured in this assignment tell a story of love, a romantic connection between two people. Such a connection can be fleeting or lasting, and playful or somber—as this contrast and comparison exercise will highlight.
Point of View is the first area in which these two stories differ. “Good People” has what seems to be a disembodied—perhaps omniscient—third-person narrating the events of the plot. He (or she, or it?) isn’t involved in the plot as a character and can see and relay Lane’s inner turmoil better than any normal third-person narrator could. “Roy Spivey” is told from the main character’s point of view, from the eyes of an ordinary woman. It is told as if the woman is looking back on her life and on the story of the numbers, with a special focus on “four”, the number she had to recognize—the final number. Having this first-person view might make the loss that she feels later (at the realization that the phone number doesn’t work) more relatable. Neither story has any shift in perspective and is consistent.
The two stories have some differences in tone, but there are some common undertones featured as well. “Good People”’s tone is more serious somber throughout. …show more content…
It’s a story of two people who are barely adults facing a very adult fear. Their struggles are primarily internal (they deal with their inner sense of morality), though there is a threat of external pressure from people like Sheri’s parents. If Sheri chooses to have the child, she jeopardizes her dreams of becoming a nurse; Lane wrestles with guilt and his conscience over if he should leave her, if he really loves her, and what would be best for both of them. Love is presented as something that’s hard for people to understand sometimes. “What if he has no earthly idea what love is?” (Wallace