A comparision between the stories: "The Suit" by Can themba and "The Wind and a boy" by Bessie Head

Essay by Lucykennedy2000B, June 2006

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Bessie Head wrote the story "The Wind and a boy". Her story revolved around a boy was accepted unconditionally and loved even more so. Alan Paton wrote the story of Ha'Penny, a sad story with a bittersweet ending about a young delinquent and his search for belonging. This essay shall compare these two boys, they way their lives were lived, their stance on belonging and their deaths.

The two separate boys had very different lives however lived with the same passion for life. Friedman (of The wind and a Boy) was welcomed into life by his grandmother who " waited for your bundle" His mother however did not love him, and in fact she almost abandoned him at birth. Friedman was not allowed to see this technical error and he chose not to. Friedman lived with consequences, but he lived, he lived life like it was supposed to be lived.

But for Ha'Penny all he ever wanted to do was live. He was kept in a reformatory. Locked up from the world, hidden from the beauty of the world and exposed to kindness in the form of a man, a school teacher with a soft heart. Ha'Penny was a wistful boy, who had conformed (and neatly so) to the reformatory's way. He not seeking attention was found and so we learn of his "family".

Family to Friedman was a part of his life that he most definitely took for granted, be it his cultural circumstance, his relatives, or his personality Friedman had an entire community for a family. Without hesitation he was accepted and most importantly loved. Friedman is called the "King of Kings" and without trying he is a boy who is respected and looked after.

The only "king" in Ha'Penny's story is Ha'Penny himself. A boy who lived...