Comparison of Little owl and Lincoln Noah In the novel Water Sky, by Jean Craighead George, there were many unique and interesting characters. Two of those characters, Lincoln Noah and Little Owl, were very different. Lincoln was from a town in Massachusetts, while Little owl was raised in Barrow, Alaska as an Eskimo. The most striking differences between these two distinct characters were the knowledge of whaling and Eskimos, the place tradition held in their lives, and the difference of backgrounds. These contrasts were very important to the story in making it enjoyable. Without these differences in characters, the story would be bland. That is why the contrasts in the story are so important to the plot of this novel.
The first difference between the characters of Lincoln Noah and Little Owl, was their knowledge of Eskimo people and whaling. Little Owl, raised as an Eskimo, obviously knew about her culture and back rounds.
Barrow, Alaska
The traditional welcome sign at Barrow, Alaska. No...
Mount Ararat On The Lincoln Highway, Elevation 2,4...She was well taught by her elders and her teachers in school. Lincoln Noah, on the other hand, was part Eskimo but really had no idea about what being one was really like. In the beginning of the story, he seemed to think that the tiniest little deed that was "Eskimo-like" made him a full fledge Eskimo. He didn't realize until later in the story that in order to really be one, he would have had to been raised as an Eskimo by birth and not jut learn it in a month or so. Little Owl did have that upbringing and knew that she was a real Eskimo while Lincoln Noah was not. Deep in his heart, Lincoln also knew that inevitable fact.
The second major difference that the two characters, Lincoln Noah and Little Owl, had was the different places that tradition held in each of their lives. Little Owl had a high place for tradition in her life because she was raised the traditional way. Her whole life she was taught to respect tradition and follow it. Lincoln Noah, however, had a low place for it in his life. He was raised in a modern world of computer games and Nintendo games. Where he was raised tradition held little or no value. Things were done in the way that was modern and new and very non-traditional. When tradition was an important factor in the story, it made these two characters very different.
The last difference between Lincoln Noah and Little Owl was the difference in backgrounds between them. Since they were brought up by different ethics and standards they have to be different. With Lincoln having been born in Massachusetts on the East Coast of the connected America and Little owl having been born in Barrow Alaska on the West coat of the Arctic, the living ways couldn't have been similar. Even their choice of games was different. The standards in Barrow's society were higher than those of Massachusetts' society making the way they handled a situation very different from one another. The aspects of each place where they were raised also affect their way of living. In Alaska, Little Owl needed more strength to handle every day life than Lincoln Noah did to handle life in the suburbs. This major difference affects the story the most out of all the difference that they might have.
Lincoln Noah and Little Owl had many differences between them in the Novel Water Sky. These differences made this story more interesting than it might have been if they were more similar. Whether it was the way that Lincoln expressed his knowledge of the Eskimo people or the place that tradition held in Little Owls life, these two characters were in much contrast. The story was helped by their contrasts and they made the plot better. In the end the contrast that Lincoln Noah and Little owl had between them were numerable but they helped the story in a most positive way.
Image taken from page 7 of 'Washington in Lincoln'...
Senior League Championship Game 1
Noah Lincoln House, North Bennett and Salem Street...