Week 4: Comparison of the Literary Styles of The Scarlet Letter and The Grapes of Wrath

The books The Grapes of Wrath and The Scarlet Letter have many similarities and differences in their literary styles.  Both contain the use of lengthy visual descriptions and symbolism, but differ in Hawthorne’s use of very formal dialogue in contrast to Steinbeck’s use of colloquialism in slang terms and very informal speech.  Steinbeck also uses a very different form of writing is his use of intercalary chapters to provide background information and context, whereas Hawthorne releases information throughout the novel in subtle hints and revelations.   

The two novels The Scarlet Letter and The Grapes of Wrath have very different literary styles, but one similarity that both of them share is the use of lengthy visual descriptions and imagery to make up for the lack of pictures.  An example of this in Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, is his very detailed description of the prison door from which Hester emerges in the first portion of the book.  He again uses lengthy description in describing the marketplace, the scaffolding, and the people who are assembled there, and in describing Pearl, Hester, their clothing, and other adornments.  Similarly, In The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck also uses lengthy descriptions when describing the cornfield and the dust storms that take place in the first chapter.  He also uses imagery in describing the migrant people’s attitudes and the areas in which they live and work and their moods that accompany these places. Throughout the book he does a good job of describing the scenes thereby allowing the reader to develop a good visual of what is going on at that moment in the story.

Another similarity between the two novels is their use of symbolism.  In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses a lot of symbolism in order to express different elements of the story.  Pearl is used as a symbol to express everything about Hester and the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale’s relationship.  She embodies the passion of the moment in which she was conceived in her attitude and actions, the purity of the morals up to that point in that she is a child and is dragging her mother out of danger of committing more sins, and the contradictory feelings and morals in the tempestuous behavior that she has.  She demonstrates the circumstances surrounding her birth in recognizing the constant adversity that she faces and strongly disputing that adversity in fighting the world and just about everyone in it. She also shows how an acceptance of that adversity and the sharing of the burden can impact a person's behavior by the transformation in her attitude following her father's confession.  Another symbol is the scarlet letter itself, the way that Hester has embroidered it and made it overtly ornate shows her attitude towards the whole punishment of being made a social pariah from the town and it of course symbolizes the sin that she committed.  Another symbol is the use of the scaffolding as the only place where Reverend Dimmesdale could defeat the hold that the evil physician had on him.  Only by owning his mistake and sin publically could he have any chance of salvation and ending the inner struggle that conflicted him throughout the whole book.  The evil physician himself is also another symbol as he represents the Devil and the hold that the sin had on Mr. Dimmesdale causing the Reverend’s inner turmoil to worsen and bring him to the point of death, and his ultimate defeat demonstrates the power of confession which was one of Hawthorne’s points in ending that inner struggle.  In The Grapes of Wrath, the scene in which the truck runs over the turtle killing it can be seen as a symbol of the little people constantly being squashed by those who are larger than them. The sun is seen as an oppressive force always beating down and worsening the Dust Bowl.  

A difference between the two novels is the different types of dialogue that the authors prefer.  Hawthorne, in The Scarlet Letter, uses very formal dialogue between the characters throughout the entire book even having little Pearl speak more maturely than most adults speak today.  In contrast to this, Steinbeck, in The Grapes of Wrath, uses slang terms and highly informal, uneducated dialogue between his characters.  This contributes to giving the reader a better sense of the characters and of the area in which they live.  

Another difference between the two is the way in which they provide background information to their readers.  Steinbeck uses intercalary chapters providing more background and contextual information in alternating chapters, whereas Hawthorne reveals information much more slowly and subtly.  For example, the identity of the man who committed adultery with Hester is unknown in the beginning of the book, Hawthorne provides clues throughout the story such as the Reverend getting ill shortly after Hester is punished, the suspicions of the physician as he cares for him and searches for his dirty laundry before finally looking at the scarlet letter on his chest, but the actual identity is not truly solidified until much later in the book.

In conclusion, The Scarlet Letter and The Grapes of Wrath share many similarities in literary styles through their use of symbolism and lengthy visual descriptions, but differ in their ways of expressing background information and their forms of dialogue.

A Tale of Two Cities vs. The Scarlet Letter - Dell

Dickens & Hawthorne: Comparing and Contrasting A Tale of Two Cities and The Scarlet Letter

          The first thing to be noticed about the similarities in these two novels is the fact that they were written very close together. Cities was published in 1859, and Scarlet Letter was from 1850. However, they both discuss very different topics from different time periods, Cities being the late seventeen-hundreds as from the line “It was the year of Our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five.” (Dickens 5). The Scarlet Letter states the year at some point, but the location of that statement is unknown. However, we can infer that the book takes place mid-century sixteen-hundreds due to the Puritan era.

          While this is more than a century of time, the styles of the writing seem very similar to me due to the period in which they were written. For example, there is a plethora of metaphors and imagery that both authors use. This one describes the conception of Pearl in Scarlet Letter: “Providence, a lovely and immortal flower, out of the rank luxuriance of a guilty passion.” (Hawthorne, Kindle Locations 1119-1120) This sentence tells of how something light and beautiful was created out of something evil, much like the little girl herself. It also paints a more familiar picture of what Pearl should be. This sentence from Cities is chock-full of description, stating “That, hereupon he had ascertained, through the registers on the table, that his son-in-law was among the living prisoners, and had pleaded hard to the Tribunal—of whom some members were asleep and some awake, some dirty with murder and some clean, some sober and some not—for his life and liberty.” (Dickens 350) The description of the judges who decided Charles’ fate appears to be a metaphor of the revolution itself: sleepiness, drunkenness, and murder—understandable from the insanity of the time. Yet Dickens over-abundance of description also makes this book incredible difficult to read. One could zone out for a moment and become completely lost the next.

          Another similarity surprisingly is the plot of both stories. Cities describes the guilt of the aristocrats who took the land from the French people, and Scarlet Letter discusses Hester Prynne’s guilt over her sin. Charles did not mean to cause harm to the people by wasting their land, and Hester did not mean any harm in her adulteress sin. This connection shows that guilt can be an incredible driving force in one’s actions, especially in Dimmesdale:

“And thus, while standing on the scaffold, in this vain show of expiation, Mr. Dimmesdale was overcome with a great horror of mind, as if the universe were gazing at a scarlet token on his naked breast, right over his heart. On that spot, in very truth, there was, and there had long been, the gnawing and poisonous tooth of bodily pain. Without any effort of his will, or power to restrain himself, he shrieked aloud: an outcry that went pealing through the night, and was beaten back from one house to another, and reverberated from the hills in the background; as if a company of devils, detecting so much misery and terror in it, had made a plaything of the sound, and were bandying it to and fro.” (Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter (Kindle Locations 1859-1864).  . Kindle Edition.)

          Dimmesdale is so full of guilt from is sin that he goes up on to the perch where the prisoners are forced to face their actions, and lets out a scream. This should remind one of how Charles goes to France to relieve his imprisoned friend and take credit for the actions committed by his family. This shows that guilt is a very common theme in life, no matter the time period or location.

          Lastly, there is something about Pearl and little Lucie that seem strangely similar. Perhaps it is that they are both little girls in a whirlwind of war and pain, but they also seem to be similar in appearance with their striking beauty. However, Pearl seems to be much less innocent than little Lucie, most likely due to the strange situation she was raised in (and perhaps the fact that she is a bastard child, but that is mainly blamed on the time period). Lucie is much more sweet an innocent, although she is rarely discussed in the book as much as Pearl is.

          In conclusion, A Tale of Two Cities and The Scarlet Letter, while they are quite different, both have very similar characteristics due to the time period they were written in, the themes they discuss, and even some of the present characters. Both books are also fairly difficult reads, but classics that are definitely worth putting some time into.

Hawthorne and Shakespeare - Martin

William Shakespeare and Nathaniel Hawthorne and are both highly regarded authors in the world of literature. They are both from different time periods, long before now, but are still held in high esteem due to their writing.  They may both be considered fantastic writers, but the differences in their writing can be seen when Hamlet and The Scarlet Letter are compared.

Hamlet and The Scarlet Letter deal with various issues, some very similar. They both deal with forbidden love, betrayal, revenge, and death. In The Scarlet Letter, forbidden love creates the plot. Hester has an affair, therefore earning her the scarlet A on her clothing branding her an adulteress. Hester, Dimmesdale, and their daughter Pearl plan to return to England because they cannot be together in their current settlement. Forbidden love plays a smaller role in Hamlet. Hamlet and Ophelia are in love, but Ophelia's father, Lord Chamberlain, prevents them from being together because he does not feel that Hamlet loves her. Betrayal also plays a role in each story. Roger Chillingsworth feels extremely betrayed by Hester in The Scarlet Letter. She has an affair during their marriage while he was at sea. He also does not believe that she loved him during their marriage. In Hamlet, Claudius betrays his brother, King Hamlet, and his nephew, Hamlet, by murdering King Hamlet. Revenge is a significant part of both stories plots. Hamlet is based mainly on revenge, as it follows Hamlet’s journey to get revenge on his uncle for murdering his father. In The Scarlet Letter, Roger Chillingsworth seeks revenge on Dimmesdale for having an affair with his wife Hester. Both stories end in death, with most of the main characters ending up dead.

The set up of the stories are different. Hawthorne makes the amount of time that passes very clear. The Scarlet Letter takes place over many years. It begins during Hester's pregnancy with Pearl, and ends after Hester’s death when Pearl is an adult. Hawthorne informs the reader of how much time has passed and occasionally mentions Pearl’s age. Shakespeare does not specifically mention how much time has passed in Hamlet. It shows that as writers, Hawthorne finds time fairly important and Shakespeare does not. Hawthorne’s use of time breaks the story and plot up more while Shakespeare's lack of time makes the story flow together more instead of being broken up by time periods.

Both The Scarlet Letter and Hamlet may not be very enjoyable to most people present day. They both take place in the 1600’s, so the language may be difficult to understand for people currently and the society and culture is very different from now. The stories may be similar in time period, but they take place in different places. The Scarlet Letter takes place in Puritan society in New England and Hamlet takes place in Europe. The locations of the stories reflect the homes of the authors, as Hawthorne was born in Massachusetts and Shakespeare was born in England. The types of writing the authors are known for also creates differences in The Scarlet Letter and Hamlet. Nathaniel Hawthorne is known for being a novelist and short story writer while Shakespeare is known for being a playwright and poet. The difference can be clearly seen between the two authors. Shakespeare’s writing is very poetic, as displayed when Polonius says to Laertes, “Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried, Grapple them unto thy soul with hoops of steel; But do not dull thy palm with entertainment Of each new-hatch’d, unfledg’d comrade. Beware Of entrance to a quarrel; but, being in, Bear’t that the opposed may beware of thee.” It is set up very poetically. Hawthorne’s straight forward style of writing is displayed when he writes “Mother,” said little Pearl, “the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom. . . . It will not flee from me, for I wear nothing on my bosom yet!” In comparison, Shakespeare makes Hawthorne seem very easy to understand.

Nathaniel Hawthorne and William Shakespeare are considered timeless writes. Their writing has similarities and differences, but both writers are still highly respected to this day.

Hawthorne and Walker--Beck

Perhaps more so than its content, a book’s success is determined by the author’s writing style. This essential part of writing is largely the reason individual authors are able to experience success in various genres. The American authors Alice Walker and Nathaniel Hawthorne were both praised for their personal writing styles in their books The Color Purple and The Scarlet Letter respectively. Being an African-American women born in 1944, Alice Walker lived and wrote under very different circumstances than the white, male Hawthorne that was born in 1804. Despite this, and because of it, these two acclaimed authors’ writing styles were both similar and different for a multitude of reasons.

The writing style of Hawthorne in The Scarlet Letter and Walker in The Color Purple were alike in many ways. First, the two authors developed very similar protagonists. Celie, Walker’s main character, is an abused woman unable to change her circumstances. Celie expresses this saying, "He start to choke me, saying You better shut up and git used to it. But I don't never git used to it. And now I feels sick every time I be the one to cook” (Walker 11). Likewise, Hawthorne’s character Hester is a female outcast forced to wear a symbol of shame for having cheated on her husband. The similarity of using mistreated women as central characters is an important similarity in the two authors’ characterization as these individuals drive their story’s plots.

Moreover, the two authors’ style of writing is similar due to their utilization of symbolism. As the book titles indicate, color is a symbolic tool used by both authors. For Hester, the color scarlet symbolizes her sin of adultery because that is the color of the letter “A” she wears for being an adulterer. This is further reinforced as Hester’s child, the result of her sin, wears scarlet clothing. Hawthorne proves this connection when Mr. Dimmesdale, talking about Hester, says, “Therefore it is good for this poor, sinful woman that she hath an infant...to remind her, at every moment, of her fall” (Hawthorne 118). Similarly, Walker uses the color purple to represent an idea. Celie’s friend demonstrates this saying, “I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it” (Walker 197). Purple is a representation of beauty and freedom as Celie was never allowed to wear purple while living with her abusive husband.

Lastly, the writing styles of the two book were similar as a result of their themes. In both, the authors emphasize the idea of the women strength and the power of resistance. Celie, despite being submissive for the majority of the book, defies her husband, who she doesn’t love, and goes on to live a better life. Similarly, Hawthorne creates a strong female character with the strength to defy the wishes of the town. Early on, the town’s officials and religious leaders attempt to pry the name of the man Hester cheated with out of her in front of the entire community. For the entirety of the day, Hester resisted these inquisitions despite pressure and bravely took on the consequences that ensued. This theme regarding the power of individuals, particularly women, is a connection that ties together Walker and Hawthorne’s writing styles.

While their writing styles were similar in some regards, Walker and Hawthorne’s style of writing was different in others. The largest difference in the writing style of the two books is the point of view. Walker uses the first person and tells the story through letters written by both Celie and her sister. This perspective gives great insight as to what the main character is thinking and feeling, however, leaves out details, such as other characters’ thoughts, that a different point of view would allow. Contrary to this, Hawthorne uses the 3rd person omniscient which allows readers to know more about what other characters are thinking and feeling. The trade off to this writing style is the reader is unable to develop the same personal connection with a particular character which is developed in the first person. On top of this, Hawthorne frequently breaks the fourth wall by addressing the reader in the text. This perspective is a critical difference that separates the two authors’ writing style.

Furthermore, the writing style of Walker and Hawthorne are different as a result of their diction and syntax. Because The Color Purple is “written” by a character in the book who is uneducated, its word choice is very simplistic with sentence structure that is basic and frequently contains incorrect grammar. This style of writing is in total contrast to Hawthorne’s. Being a well-educated man, Hawthorne’s diction is complex, including words such as; sumptuary, iniquity, visage, and amenable. Additionally, Hawthorne’s writing style can be seen in his book’s syntax which frequently includes appositives and mid-sentence punctuation such as parenthesis and hyphens. This syntax difference is an important distinction between the two book’s writing style. Hawthorne is very descriptive, developing a very vivid and clear setting while Walker’s rudimentary sentences leave a lot of the scenery to the reader’s imagination.

In conclusion, the writing styles of The Color Purple and The Scarlet Letter were similar and different in several ways. Despite having numerous writing elements, such as point of view, different, these two books have stood the test of time and are revered as American classics. The reason these two books were successful was not because one writing style was better than the other, but because the writing styles fit the story being told. The complex writing style Hawthorne uses matches the strict Puritan society the book is set in, while the casual, informal writing of Walker matches the setting of the rural South where Walker emphasizes the ignorance of society. Finally, the two writing styles are effective, despite their differences, because they were written for different audiences, making it so an individual can enjoy and understand one more than the other.

Nathaniel Hawthorne and Khaled Hosseini by Nordmann

While Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter and Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner span a gap of over 150 years, they surprisingly have more in common than one would think. The severe differences between the two authors and their novels may be what is first noticeable, but upon further inspection the similarities between the two become evident. Although Hawthorne crafts a tale set around a middle aged women living in Massachusetts during the mid seventeenth century and Hosseini writes about the life of a young Afghani boy during the late twentieth century, both of these novels address the themes of love and guilt, connecting these two seemingly unlike authors. Even with these similarities, Hawthorne and Hosseini are able to showcase how audiences and writing style have developed over the years through their contrasting syntax, diction, and pace.

Themes of love can be found in books spanning all cultures, continents, and centuries, so having these two authors address that in their novels isn’t that astonishing. It’s the way they both craft a complicated relationship between a parent and their illegitimate child, how they cope with the repercussions of their acts, and how they attempt to love them in their own way but ultimately cannot escape the guilt. On one hand with Arthur Dimmesdale and Pearl, Hawthorne allows readers to know that Arthur is Pearl’s father before the majority of the other characters in his book, which allows us to see how his denial of the affair effectively causes his demise. He tries to find his redemption from God, but in the end he allows his guilt to internalize and eat him alive, leaving nothing but an empty shell. On the other hand with Baba and Hassan, Hosseini adds an interesting element by omitting the true nature of their relationship until the end of the book, so the reader is kept in the dark along with Amir and Hassan. Baba never gets the chance to tell Amir or Hassan the truth before he passes, and Hassan never gets the opportunity to learn of his true father. Upon reflection, it is obvious to both the reader and Amir what a toll this takes on Baba. Much like Arthur Dimmesdale, he is ridden with guilt. He, however, chooses to deal with his guilt in a different way. Baba chooses to try and find redemption in worldly things, “… feeding the poor on the streets, building the orphanage, giving money to friends in need, it was all his way of redeeming himself” (Hosseini 302). Hawthorne and Hosseini both demonstrate the need for love and the guilt that comes from trying to seek redemption. 

Although there are many similarities in the themes Hosseini and Hawthorne choose to address, the passage of time between their novels becomes unmistakable when examining their prose. Hawthorne writes in a much older form of English, using words that are rarely used in our modern times. In addition, Hawthorne’s syntax varies greatly from Hosseini’s, but this could be contributed, in part, to their audience. Today’s general public expects information to be direct and to the point, with little patience for details not relevant to the main storyline. This results in The Kite Runner being written in a more blunt and forthright tone while The Scarlet Letter tends to have lengthy paragraphs describing characters, settings, and other facets of the plot that today’s readers would deem “unnecessary”. The style in which Hawthorne writes causes readers to contemplate and be challenged by his ingenuity. For example, in the conclusion of The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne makes a compelling observation about the nature of love and hate, “Philosophically considered, therefore, the two passions seem essentially the same, except that one happens to be seen in a celestial radiance, and the other in a dusky and lurid glow” (Hawthorne 312). Hosseini on the other hand overuses literary devices such as metaphors and smilies; but does somewhat acknowledge his tendency to do so, “ …but I always thought clichés got a bum rap. Because, often, they're dead-on. But the aptness of the clichéd saying is overshadowed by the nature of the saying as a cliché” (Hosseini 197). The point he makes is fairly valid but it makes for a tiresome read when used too frequently. 

Pace is another large factor that has changed throughout the years and is contrasted in these two novelists. In today’s fast paced society, readers expect to be constantly stimulated, with little downtime in between major events. Hosseini certainly delivers on this front, filling his book with many layers and circumstances for Amir to preserve through. The downfall to this is that if it is not well written, it can almost become repetitive. The Kite Runner is filled with poetic justice, especially at the end, which becomes too picture perfect to be realistic, ruining the illusion of Amir’s world for the reader. The Scarlet Letter, on the other hand, is much slower paced, but the action that does come causes the reader to hang on to every word. Granted the occasional passage can get a little tedious, but the climaxes and turning points of the novel make up for it by causing readers to savor the action and appreciate the shocking twists Hawthorne provides. 

Overall, Hosseini and Hawthorne demonstrate how literature has been able to stay constant throughout the years while still evolving with the culture around it to stay relevant to new generations of readers. 

Hawthorne and Walker - Koski

Nathaniel Hawthorne and Alice Walker are among some of the most influential authors of classic American literature. Each author is characterized by unique aspects included in their pieces that entice audiences to continue to read their novels, even today. Although the authors were alive in vastly different time periods and they wrote with dissimilar styles, they were both able to address serious topics in a historical context. They confronted similar issues and their novels The Scarlet Letter and The Color Purple comparatively show both Hawthorne and Walker’s writing capabilities. 

Hawthorne’s pieces worked to give character to America during a time when America was trying desperately to define itself. His early pieces earned him the title, “The American Shakespeare”, and many people identify him today as a literary great. He had many prestigious acquaintances willing to vouch for his work; including Franklin Pierce, Herman Melville, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Margaret Fuller. Emerson and Fuller later pushed Hawthorne into transcendentalism, and many of his novels portray transcendentalist ideals. For example, The Scarlet Letter makes a clear distinction between good and evil. The Dark Man, many people believe is the devil, and Chillingworth seems to embody evil with his plots of revenge. The continuing themes of transcendentalism, Puritan societies, and religion are relevant in many of Hawthorne’s pieces. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne examines the link between sexism and the way the Puritans punish Hester. He explains their failing use of symbols to portray their ideology: such as the scarlet letter A, over time it loses meaning and Hester sees the scarlet A as a defining characteristic, and not as a part of a punishment. Thus she is strong and insightful. Alice Walker may not have been defined as an “American Shakespeare”, however she fearlessly addresses the controversial issues of an earlier time period. Walker’s work was inspired by her life as a civil rights activist. She was willing to confront the issue of racism and lack of women’s rights in her novel The Color Purple. Walker would go on to win a Pulitzer Prize for her bravery. 

Hawthorne and Walker are willing to address similar ideals such as the mistreatment of women. Hawthorne exemplifies this with his use of the Puritan society Hester Prynne is residing in. She faces ridicule and exile from those living in her community for committing adultery. However, Hester is strong. She takes the punishment in stride and her exile allows her to be free thinking and observant about her community. Walker starts her novel off with a disturbing scene of the main character, Celie, being sexually abused by her father. Over time, Celie learns more about her experiences with abuse from the women she surrounds herself with. In her talks with Sofia, she learns that she can be strong in the face of her abusers. She realizes for the first time in her life that she can stand up for herself and fight the mistreatment she has been receiving. Furthermore, each author features religion frequently. The Scarlet Letter thoroughly utilizes the Puritan Society and their inability to separate church and state. The Puritans turned to their religion to solve their problems and saw life as the event separating you from Heaven. For example, Dimmesdale punished himself for his sins, trying desperately to repent and reach out to God to cope with his guilt. Although Walker does not write about religion in the same extreme, it becomes increasingly evident throughout the novel that Celie is dependent on God to help her get through her troubles. “I have to talk to Old Maker… This life soon be over, I say. Heaven last all ways” (Walker). 

However, the similar themes are where the similarities between Hawthorne and Walker end. Hawthorne writes with a sophisticated tone. He uses scholarly diction clearly from his time period. His long sentences in Olde English thoroughly convey his thoughts and give life to the many characters. He defines Hester by her experiences rather than flat out giving her a back ground. Walker however writes with misspellings, atrocious grammar, and no quotation marks. She does this intentionally to convey how uneducated Celie really is. Furthermore, every passage is a letter addressed to God. Hawthorne employs the third person point of view which allows his story to include the viewpoints of several characters. Advantageous to readers because they are introduced to several people who help to move the story forward, but also consequential because the audience lacks the ability to form a personal connection with any one character. Walker employs a first person point of view. Every letter is in Celie’s perspective. Advantageous to readers because they are able to develop a close bond with Celie, however consequential because other characters are never introduced in depth. 

In summary, each author has the courage to address controversial topics. Each define their characters by the events happening to them and each author includes a strong female perspective in their most famous works (The Scarlet Letter and The Color Purple). Additionally, each author defines historical points in American history. Both authors characterize the categories their pieces belong to. Hawthorne defines America, gives voice to the early beginnings of the country, and eloquently showcases the actions of our ancestors. Walker describes horrific realities for blacks and women, exemplifies the psychological effects of violence and abuse, and provides the backbone to a movement lead by female authors. Each author is great in their own unique aspect, and they will continue to symbolize American literature at its finest. 

Hossieni and McCarthy

These two authors, Cormac McCarthy and Khaled Hosseini share many differences, but have the same mission and that is to leave the reader breathless and thinking about what they just read for many days after. McCarthy and Hosseini both write about struggle in their books The Road and The Kite Runner in two styles that come across as very polarizing, but when analyzing the main message of these two books, their styles are like peanut butter and jelly- they have very different tastes but when put together they mesh perfectly.

 McCarthy’s signature is shown all throughout his writing which is his unique grammar and symbolism that separates him from many other modern day authors. In a way his style is similar to poetry; the structure of his sentences have its own meaning just like the words do. This style makes the reader hone in just not to the words McCarthy uses, but the way he uses them and why. It’s hard not to wonder why this type of style used in his book, The Road but at the same time The Road couldn’t have been written in any other way. The Road’s lack of grammar has a strong message showing that a book doesn’t particularly need things like quotation marks in order to be understood or well liked. Instead, McCarthy focuses on what he thinks makes a book well written which is the usage of powerful sayings and images that will make the reader stumped and dumbfounded. For example, McCarthy uses vivid imagery: “How would you know if you were the last man on Earth? He said. I don’t guess you would know it. You’d just be it. It wouldn’t make any difference. When you die it’s the same as if everybody else died too.” The Road (168). This saying just like several other notable sayings from The Road really makes one think. The bluntness to McCarthy’s writing is like a slap in the face. The political incorrectness of quotes like on page 168 melding with the lack of structure is exactly like reading a long, brutal poem. The Road symbolizes all of the corruption in the world through character like the roadagents and how survival of the fittest is in every aspect of life, not just through man vs. man, but in man vs. himself.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini had the same aspect of man vs. man and man vs. himself just like The Road did. Throughout The Kite Runner, the reader was introduced to how much corruption there was in Afghanistan and how that filtered its why into the mind of its civilians. Although The Kite Runner didn’t use lack of grammar and structure like The Road did, there were some similarities in style of McCarthy and Hosseini through sentence structure to make Hosseini’s point even more visible. For example on pages 294 and 295 Hosseini uses repetition to leave the reader with a mood tinged with seriousness. The phrase “I fade out” used five times had the same power that McCarthy did with his imagery. The Kite Runner had its own way of showing the struggle of survival through real life situations that people like Amir had to go through. Amir struggled with shame and physical injuries throughout the book just like the man struggled with the abyss unknown in the apocalyptic world as well as physical injuries. Although Cormac McCarthy and Khaled Hosseini wrote two books about totally different situations, they share the same sense of style when it comes to showing struggle. McCarthy didn’t have chapters and structure to separate thought like Hosseini did, but that didn’t stop the imagery and symbolism pour into their writing. 

Atwood and Dickens- Hegerfeld

All authors have their own ways of writing literary pieces. From the ways they unfold a plot to detailing a character's profile, every aspect of an author's literary styles differ from another. This is very evident when comparing the books, The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood, and A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens. These two Authors have major differences in the ways they write as well as similarities, mostly because of the very different time periods of the books, as A Tale of Two Cities was published in 1859, compared to 1985 when The Handmaid’s Tale was published.

The first and possibly most obvious difference is the genres the two authors use. Charles Dickens wrote A Tale of Two Cities in a historical drama way where Margaret Atwood used a science fiction approach. Now, neither of these two styles are completely non-fiction, which is a similarity, but Dickens’ book is written off true events compared to Atwood, who wrote in the future. The events in A Tale of Two Cities may not have actually happened, but both London and Paris went through revolutions where the top monarchs were overthrown by lower class citizens, and people were put in jail on completely false accusations. The Handmaid's Tale, while not impossible, but the the events that took place in this book probably will not happen, at least in the near future.

The two authors also have quite different writing styles. Because Dickens wrote his book more than one hundred years before Atwood did, he has what seems like much more lofty diction. Although this was just the norm back in the 1800’s, compared to now words like besmirch (smear as to make dirty or stained) and bacchanalian (used of riotously drunken merrymaking) look very intelligent. Another difference in writing style that the two books do have, is the point of view that they are written in. A Handmaid’s Tale is written in the first person point of view by the character Offred. Just about all of the book is her telling us (the reader) her story and her past life. On the contrary, A Tale of Two Cities has a narrator who is never identified, that knows all the characters and tells their stories.

A small but notable similarity of the two authors in these pieces were the book’s structure.  Although not exactly alike, both books were made up of full, exciting chapters that were never too short and left out information. This also applies to the sentences. Similar to the paragraphs,  both Atwood and Dickens wrote with eventful, and lively sentences to make the books flow and keep the audience in tune.

Finally, the last big difference that is very noticeable was the way the two authors used characters. In A Tale of Two CIties, all the characters were introduced and briefly described, but not very many of them got full descriptions, leaving the reader the opportunity to imagine how the characters look to themselves. Also, Dickens jumps around a few times, focusing between the two topics of the french and english revolution. Although it all intertwines, his style creates a sort of confusing book because the reader must pay attention to events happening on both parts to understand the book well. When looking at The Handmaid’s Tale, the main character, Offred, is described in full, leaving little room to think up a colorful image of her. The rest of the characters aren't as described as her, but they are all given a thoughtful explanation. But, for the entire book Offred is the one telling the story, minimizing confusion. Within these differences, there are small similarities, too. In both writings, characters make special bonds with other characters that are evident throughout the entirety. It is clear in both who the main characters are and who they like and dislike.

The way Margaret Atwood wrote is an easier to understand type of style. The more modern language provided better comprehension of her book, which results in a better read. Also, since the Handmaid’s Tale was written in a first person perspective, rather than a third person view, it allowed us as the reader to create stronger bonds with characters because we got to really see how the main character got to interact with others.

Cormac McCarthy and Khaled Hosseini Week 4 Madison Deiter

These two authors, Cormac McCarthy and Khaled Hosseini share many differences, but have the same mission and that is to leave the reader breathless and thinking about what they just read for many days after. McCarthy and Hosseini both write about struggle in their books The Road and The Kite Runner in two styles that come across as very polarizing, but when analyzing the main message of these two books, their styles are like peanut butter and jelly- they have very different tastes but when put together they mesh perfectly.

 McCarthy’s signature is shown all throughout his writing which is his unique grammar and symbolism that separates him from many other modern day authors. In a way his style is similar to poetry; the structure of his sentences have its own meaning just like the words do. This style makes the reader hone in just not to the words McCarthy uses, but the way he uses them and why. It’s hard not to wonder why this type of style used in his book, The Road but at the same time The Road couldn’t have been written in any other way. The Road’s lack of grammar has a strong message showing that a book doesn’t particularly need things like quotation marks in order to be understood or well liked. Instead, McCarthy focuses on what he thinks makes a book well written which is the usage of powerful sayings and images that will make the reader stumped and dumbfounded. For example, McCarthy uses vivid imagery: “How would you know if you were the last man on Earth? He said. I don’t guess you would know it. You’d just be it. It wouldn’t make any difference. When you die it’s the same as if everybody else died too.” The Road (168). This saying just like several other notable sayings from The Road really makes one think. The bluntness to McCarthy’s writing is like a slap in the face. The political incorrectness of quotes like on page 168 melding with the lack of structure is exactly like reading a long, brutal poem. The Road symbolizes all of the corruption in the world through character like the roadagents and how survival of the fittest is in every aspect of life, not just through man vs. man, but in man vs. himself.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini had the same aspect of man vs. man and man vs. himself just like The Road did. Throughout The Kite Runner, the reader was introduced to how much corruption there was in Afghanistan and how that filtered its why into the mind of its civilians. Although The Kite Runner didn’t use lack of grammar and structure like The Road did, there were some similarities in style of McCarthy and Hosseini through sentence structure to make Hosseini’s point even more visible. For example on pages 294 and 295 Hosseini uses repetition to leave the reader with a mood tinged with seriousness. The phrase “I fade out” used five times had the same power that McCarthy did with his imagery. The Kite Runner had its own way of showing the struggle of survival through real life situations that people like Amir had to go through. Amir struggled with shame and physical injuries throughout the book just like the man struggled with the abyss unknown in the apocalyptic world as well as physical injuries. Although Cormac McCarthy and Khaled Hosseini wrote two books about totally different situations, they share the same sense of style when it comes to showing struggle. McCarthy didn’t have chapters and structure to separate thought like Hosseini did, but that didn’t stop the imagery and symbolism pour into their writing. 

Sophocles and Miller - Smith

What is the difference in writing that makes one author/ playwright widely known and famous for hundreds of years, and one that just fades into obscurity? This is the difference between Sophocles, the great Greek playwright, and Arthur Miller who had some hits but never received much recognition for his plays. Sophocles was an ancient Greek tragedian who wrote over 120 plays. He participated in 30 competitions winning 18 and never placing lower than second. Miller came from a middle class family and had over 30 plays. He was nominated for an Oscar for The Crucible, but never won any awards for his work, some might say he is more known for being married to Marilyn Monroe than anything else. That is not very true, but it goes to show he never made it big. The differences between the two men’s writing can be seen in the plot, themes and characterization from Death of a Salesman and Oedipus Rex.

The general plot between the two plays is very similar. They both start with a male protagonist who is confused/ crazy. Both characters have a problem but keep telling themselves lies or just disregarding the truth so they don’t have to be the bad guy. In the end they both discover the truth which sends them over the edge and causes them to cause physical harm and therefore removing themselves from the situation. The general plot is similar, but it is the little differences that make Sophocles work live on. For example Sophocles uses dramatic irony from the beginning when the blind prophet says that it was Oedipus that killed King Laius “from this day address neither these men here nor me, since you are the unholy polluter of this land” (22). This allows the audience to see Oedipus slowly learn what they know and watch as he slowly accepts the truth. It leaves them in suspense when Oedipus learns what they already know because they don’t know what his reaction is when he goes postal. On the other hand Willy is already losing his mind from the beginning of the play. This takes away a lot of the character development that would allow the audience to really be drawn in and connect with his problems. Emotion also something that will make a play boom or bust, and especially at the end where both men realize the truth. Miller uses a short, vague ending that has very little emotion in it. Miller doesn’t even tell you that Willy dies but only uses stage directions “There is the sound of a car starting and moving away at full speed... as the car speed off the music crashes down in a frenzy... All stare down at the grave” (136). This ending is very undramatic, and rather boring considering that Willy tried to commit suicide before. It is just short and leaves people a little sad. Sophocles on the other hand uses a very long, descriptive, and emotional reaction. It doesn’t leave the audience what happened to Oedipus because it makes sure to show you in great detail. Once he learns the truth he goes into a fit of rage ready to kill his mother/wife when he see’s she killed herself he becomes very somber and then claws his eyes out with her brooches and asked to be exiled from the kingdom. It is emotionally charged and draws the audience/ readers in and then leaves them stunned at Oedipus reactions. This outburst of emotion is a very good conclusion to the story especially as the audience could watch the tension build and build.

Another important factor to the life span of a literary work is the lessons that can be learned from them. In Death of a Salesman, Miller theme was focused on the American Dream and how it's not how good you look and how much your liked, but instead how hard you work. This is a great lesson as there are numerous other works that has the same theme. The only thing is that it allows for a small group of people to really relate to it. Not all Americans will be able to connect to it as they are already happy with what they are doing, or are already well off. Internationally it won’t be a big hit because the American dream is most relatable for people living in the US or the immigrants that move there. Sophocles however uses a central theme that is universal and will always apply to any society and that is the rejecting the truth and the consequences that come with it. As the play progressed Oedipus was continually told and given more evidence that it was he who killed king Laius bringing the plague on the kingdom, and he kept denying it. It was because he kept denying it that made it worse and lead him to discover other facts that lead to the suicide of his mother/wife and him to claw out his eyes. Sophocles is so successful in part because his play’s apply to all people regardless of time and location where Miller’s themes are more specific to certain people in a specific place and time.

Lastly, as touched on before Sophocles developed his characters a lot more. As the play advanced you saw their complexity and got to know a little about how they thought which then allayed you to predict how they would react to a truth. While Miller had the characters already developed where Willy was already losing his mind and the resentment from Biff was from before the play started.This causes the audience to be less attached to the play. In conclusion Sophocles work as lasted for hundreds of year because he uses universal themes, more emotion and description and develops his characters more than Arthur Miller does. Miller by no means is a bad playwright, only his plays are not on the same level as the great playwright that Sophocles was.

Miller and Shakespeare - Ozbun

Arthur Miller and William Shakespeare created two of the most widely known plays in history. One being written more than three hundred years before the other. Yet both plays are still widely known and often recreated to be shown to today’s audiences. These authors are quite similar in the themes and concepts they give off in both pieces that have thus transcended through many years of literature, However in Miller’s Death of a Salesman and Shakespeare’s Hamlet, there are plenty of differences in tone, pacing, diction, and writing style. Even being written years apart as they were, they did seem to share similarities in the plot nevertheless.

First the authors have a shared focus on plot and concepts in both pieces of literature. In both plays, concepts such as sanity and reality play a huge role in the plots. Hamlet is continually haunted by the ghost of his father throughout the play. It is even to the point at which he sees things while in the presences of other people. Quite frequently Hamlet’s sanity is questioned and if he is in the right state of mind. Both father and son, WIlly and Biff in Death of a Salesman are also frequently haunted by memories of the past. The hauntings that occur to Hamlet are much more explicit than the hauntings that occur to WIlly and Biff. As in example, in Act I, Scene 5, Hamlet has a full conversation with the ghost of his father. Most of the hauntings in Death of a Salesman revolve around Willy’s disloyalty in his marriage. The concept of reality is even brought forth in both plays, from Hamlet’s visions of his father to Willy’s faded past. Not only a similarity in concept, but there is a large similarity in plot as well. There is a large similarity in the relationships in both plays. The relationship between father and son is huge and instrumental to both of the plays glory and fame. Throughout the whole play of Hamlet, the protagonist strives to avenge his father’s murder. Hamlet keeps thinking about his revenge on his murderous uncle and the murder is pivotal to the stories plot. In Death of a Salesman, the story is based on the life of a salesman father Willy. WIlly desperately wants his son Biff to make it big in the business world. Both plots are similarly wrapped around these relationships.

In contrast, there are plenty of differences between both authors writing styles. Miller uses a very unorthodox style in how he goes along with the plot. Most authors don’t choose to do so, but he went along and attempted to blur the main characters present and past. This style is in direct relation with the overbearing theme of the play. Meanwhile Shakespeare uses one of his most original styles in Hamlet. There is a combination of verse poetry, in which most commonly he uses iambic pentameter. As well as prose, which is just like Miller’s style in Death of a Salesman. Prose being the writing style or method of dialogue that is used everyday. Or how people talk on a daily basis and is not in any type of verse or rhyme. “How noble in reason! how infinite in faculty! in form, in moving, how express and admirable! in action how like an angel! in apprehension how like a god! the beauty of the world! the paragon of animals! And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust?” (Act 2, Scene 2) This being one of the more famous examples of prose. Another difference between the authors is how they pace each. Miller being more of a modern author and using prose, has a much quicker pace in the literary piece than Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The tone of Hamlet written by Shakespeare is more of a dark and uncertain one. Hamlet is a very dark play and it starts off from the very beginning and leaves the audience and readers thinking. “Who’s there?” (Act 1, Scene 1). Puts the reader into a state of mind where thoughts of anxiety and uncertainty come into play. Whereas in Death of a Salesman, the diction and tone is quite intense. Readers may not even realize this however. Through the use of this, Miller is able to give off easily what the protagonist of the play Willy must go through and the hardships of his life. There are plenty of pressures modern society places on WIlly in the play. Which also makes the tone tragic.

Lastly in conclusion, Arthur Miller and William Shakespeare share plenty of similarities in both of these wonderfully done literary pieces. Including a shared focus on the plot and concepts. Which makes it quite easy to compare their styles of writing. Yet easily the two authors in Hamlet and Death of a Salesman showed plenty of their differences as well. The largest difference being the style of their writing and how they portrayed characters with this style. The ways Miller and Shakespeare wrote these shows a clear sophistication in their literature. This being the reason why these two plays have remained popular and relevant years after their creation.