Eveline: Comparison and Contrast

Writing The Comparison/contrast Paper Life carries with it many obstacles and with those obstacles, opportunities to grow. For some of us it could be getting married and leaving your old life behind, and for others it could be starting life anew and abandoning everyone from the past. These moments, these decisions, shape a person for the rest of their life. In the writings of James Joyce’s “Eveline,” and William Faulkner’s “Barn Burning,” growth is probably the central theme of both stories. I would like to suggest a few points that I think may illustrate this point.
James Joyce’s “Eveline” depicts a story about a girl named Eveline trying to find her true self. Eveline grew up rather normally. Playing in the streets with the neighbors, a father who wasn’t always the most pleasant to be around and a mother who loved her dearly. From a very young age Eveline was doing most of the chores around the house. She even had a job to bring in a little money for the family. At times Eveline was very scared for her life because of her father. He wasn’t the happiest guy and he was very scary. Now as an adult, Eveline finds herself in a bind between living with her lover Harry, or keeping the promise she made to her mother after she passed away that she would hold the fort down. In the end she decides to leave Harry, her lover, and return home where even though it was not always easy, it was still her home. Although it’s true that her decision to leave Harry and return home is an entry into adulthood, I believe the very fact that she put her life on the line like that in the first place is a real entry into adulthood. When one is young, they only want to enjoy life, they are not interested in finding who they are, but Eveline found out who she was with no regrets and only her future ahead of her.
William Faulkner’s “Barn Burning” is about a boy named Colonel Sartoris Snopes who grows into a young adult through certain occurrences in his life and the critical decisions