Continental Drift and Homer
On the surface, Continental Drift and The Oddyssey are very different. The two protagonists, Bob Dubois and Odysseus, are as unalike as two men can be. Bob is an average man with an average life. He works for one man so that he can pay bills to others, trying to make what little money is left supply his family with the needs, both real and imagined, that every family has. Odysseus is a mythical figure, the ultimate man. He surpasses his peers in every manly endeavor, "Then there was no man who wanted to be set up for cunning against great Odysseus; he far surpassed them in every kind of stratagem," whether it is with his wit, bravery, skills as a warrior, strength, or charm, (Homer, 54). Odysseus represents the timeless virtues of masculinity that all men, including Bob, desire. That Bob seeks to break the free of his average life, tries to become something other than the sad normal man that his father was; that he endeavors to become a great man, is what brings these two stories together. As the men in The Odyssey look to Odysseus as the touchstone of masculinity, Bob Dubois looks to the men in his life in his attempt to become a good man. Bob wants to become a mythical male, "handsome, of course, and sexy and good-h
Different events or benchmarks mark off life times: the first tooth, the first date, graduating high school, getting married, etc. "And if some God batters me far out on the wine-blue water, I will endure it, keeping a stubborn spirit inside me, for I already have suffered much and done much hard work on the waves and in the fighting. Far from a path that will lead to "something better," (Banks, 15) the family struggles as they never had before. Consequently, when Eddy starts to loose his other belongings, his wife and daughter leave with the stores and the real estate. His role is that of the sole provider, while his wife tends to the house and the children. } he's kind and gentle, tender to women, children and animals, without being sentimental, however, because after all, he's a "man's man" as well; he's a stern yet jocular father to his children, and he can take care of his wife too, can assume a custodial role in her life, honoring and attending to all her needs," (Banks, 133). Now that Bob is settled into the life that most people in his part of the world try to obtain, he feels that there is nothing left for him to do, and so he focuses on the success he perceives in other people and resents the fact that he will never have it living the same safe as his ancestors in New Hampshire have lived. They merely serve, like his speedboat and luxury car, as status symbols for a successful man. Bob thinks that he will be able to forgive himself and find some amount of redemption if he can get the "blood money" that was taken from the Haitians to Vanise. The money is his salvation, his only chance for life. Although he tells himself that he is trying to succeed for his family, each step away from their life in New Hampshire takes Bobs family further away from the security and happiness that they knew. After selling virtually everything that the family owns so that he can buy 25% of the Belinda Blue, Bob can not afford to care for his family. Bob's father sacrificed his personal goals for those of his family, and if Bob's fondest memories are of his youth, the sacrifices of his father are the reason why. Bob wants to be the kind of man that he thinks his brother Eddie or childhood friend Ave are, the kind of man his father was not, but there is no real depth to the images that Bob perceives, no truth behind the facades.
Common topics in this essay:
Eddie Bob,
Darling Bob,
Ave Boone,
Bob Dubois,
Tyrone Bob,
Dill Bob,
Dubois Odysseus,
Bob Bob,
Haitians Vanise,
Consequently Eddy,
own life,
life bob,
ave boone,
happy healthy family,
belinda blue,
happiness family,
taking job,
bob believes,
wife daughter,
bob allows,
healthy family banks,
family banks 13,
odysseus mythical figure,
odysseus represents,
|
Acceptance Essays
