Since the beginning of time, man has turned to God for help in facing difficult problems in life. The Book of Job, a story presumably written in the sixth century BC, focuses on a man who remains faithful despite terrible suffering. Archibald MacLeish's JB, written in 1958, is based on The Book of Job. Although both these stories depict man's relation with God, certain narrative elements cause JB to be more focused on looking for comfort in loved ones during suffering.
             Many similarities exist between these two stories, simply because one was based on the other. In both stories, God is the almighty Being who controls everything. The characters are also similar: in both stories Job is very faithful and rich, the wife and Sarah both try to make Job curse God, and Satan, the opposite of God, tries to make Job and JB hate God. Both Job and JB suffer, losing their children, possessions, and health. And both of them struggle to understand why they suffer, questioning God and not knowing what to do with their lives. Three comforters come to both Job and JB, trying to answer their questions but in result worsening their suffering. In each story God, appearing as a whirlwind, becomes angry by Job and JB's questioning. The outcome is also the same in both stories: the suffering ends and a rebirth starts.
             Despite many similarities between The Book of Job and JB, numerous differences exist, starting with specific characters and their impact on the stories' theme. JB, for example, is much closer to his family than Job, making love and the suffering he experiences when his children die an important part of JB's theme. JB's views of God and life are also described in more depth than Job's, letting the reader identify the character better. Sarah and the wife in The Book of Job are also quite different. The wife only has one line "Why do you still hold fast to your integrit
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