Comparing Stories (Theme)

When I was little I would always make my parents read The Wizard of Oz to me, the Cowardly Lion would always inspire me to go out and beyond, just because I didn’t want to be a coward like him. The Cowardly Lion would only need his courage when someone was a threat to him or his forest.  Those are the times when you need courage.  Bravery and courage is a common theme in many novels.

Among the pages of Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen, the main character Cole wants to take out his anger on other people.  For example; Cole beat up this innocent boy named Peter just because he was having a bad day.  Just because he beat up Peter he got sent to an island and had to show a lot of courage to survive.  Peter also got beaten up by a mythical spirit bear and he had to be brave and courage to survive.

Authors Note: I compared three stories and three characters that seem like they have a lot in common.

In the story Stolen, by Lucy Christopher, the main character Gemma was harassed, kidnapped, and abused by a 30 year old man named Ty.  Personally I think that Cole and Gemma would turn out to have a lot in common because of the path that they have gone in.  Gemma has experienced being drugged, Raped, and a slave.  Like Cole, she had to show courage and bravery to get out of these horrible situations.

Beyond the front cover of Among the hidden, by Margret Peterson Haddix Luke has to survive living with the population law, this law where each family can only have 2 children.  In Luke's case he is an 3rd child so therefore he is illegal.  Luke has to hide for most of his life until he gets brave enough to go outside and risk being seen.  I think it took major bravery and courage to go outside in his case, because where he lived there are a ton of Population Police.  Luke has survived not being seen for 12 years, personally I wouldn’t be able to do that and this is where survival comes in place.

In life, you need both bravery and courage. Without these qualities, you would live a very boring life and not be able to experience a world beyond your horizons. Like the cowardly lion in The Wizard of Oz, he solved his problems by taking Risks and visiting the Wizard of Oz.  I think that all characters should show those qualities through their stories, simply because it makes them a little more interesting.