Comparative Analysis of Only Time Will Tell and Master of the Game - Assignment Example

 Comparative Analysis of Only Time Will Tell and Master of the Game Comparative analysis of novels involves a process of evaluating two different fictional books on the basis of factors and issues that make the different[McK121]. The main yardsticks that are used to evaluate two different novels involve the plot, conflict, narration style, protagonist, point of view[Kut13]. The purpose of this paper is to critically analyze and evaluate two novels, Master of the Game a 1982 novel written by American writer, Sidney Sheldon and Only Time Will Tell which is a 2011 book, written by the British-American writer, Jeffrey Archer. This will involve the analysis and evaluation of the books based on the fundamental yardsticks that are used in novel analysis Background of Books The books are both historical fictions and they focus on the lifestyle of families in a historical context. Master of the Game is about Jamie McGregor, a Scottish boy from a very poor background who migrates to South Africa at the turn of the 20th Century[She82]. His struggles in South Africa which involved fatal and life-threatening situations and circumstances are captured by Sidney Sheldon in the novel. On the other hand, Only Time Will Tell discusses the life of a very poor single-mother in Still House Lane, a poor are in Bristol who struggled to bring up her son[Arc11]. The story involves a twist of numerous hardships and difficulties in the lady’s life because apparently she conceived her son after an intercourse with the son of the richest man in Bristol. Set in the interwar period of the 1920s, the novel presents insights into various aspects of life in Britain during this period and the challenges people had to go through in their day-to-day lives. Protagonist For most of Master of the Game, the single identifiable character is Jamie McGregor. Jamie formed the central pillar and main character whose life forms the main aspects of the story and its processes. Jamie’s life is soon eclipsed by the McGregor/Blackwell family when he got richer. However, the whole story is built around Jamie. On the other hand, Only Time will Tell is part of a larger set of sequels or related books. Hence, the protagonist for the series of books, Harry Clifton is presented partially in this book. Thus, the book had Maisie Clifton as the main protagonist. Her struggles to put Harry through school and fight for support for the boy formed the main foundation of the book. However, as the story proceeded, Harry inherited most of her struggles and the center of attention turned to Harry throughout the rest of the book. Plot A plot refers to the sequence within which a book and a story is presented to its readers[Swa131]. A plot involves presenting a story in a way and manner that will enable a novelist to interact with readers in a manner that meets his or her expectations and views. In Master of the Game, the story begins with the presentation of the life of poverty that was the preserve of Jamie McGregor. The story is told about his difficult trip and processes that he went through in order to reach South Africa. In South Africa, the challenges of the life of McGregor are discussed in an interesting format. The struggles of McGregor and his path to success form the bulk of the book. McGregor’s life as a rich and successful man in South Africa is discussed in great detail and this is brought up in various processes and discussions throughout the book. On the other hand, the plot of Only Time Will Tell follows with the conception of the main character, Harry Arthur Clifton. This is followed by the presentation of life of his family and the challenges that he went through in growing up in abject poverty in interwar Britain. Harry’s education and rise in academia is discussed in-depth. The narration is then wound into the Second World War, where Harry and his close friends, who were now in their late teens were wound into the years before the Second World War began. In the process, Harry tries to go to America when he discovered that the man he believed was his father was not his father. Conflict According to many literature authorities, conflict is the main essence of novels and the story, which is often steeped in suspense is built around the conflict between some characters or circumstances in the book[Bel13]. Conflict refers to a situation in which something is not ideal and this causes the characters of the novel to try to live above the conflict in order to get a better life or improve the situation[Par10]. Conflict is therefore the main issue of contention between characters in a given novel. Thus, it forms the main issue and situation around which the story is woven and the circumstances within which the whole story is written. In Jeffrey Archer’s work, each character is presented in a way and manner in which a conflict and a unique difficulty in his or her life is presented. The first conflict is about Maisie Clifton who had a sexual intercourse with Hugo Barrington, son of the richest man in Bristol. Shortly after the intercourse, she got married to a different man and had Harry Arthur Clifton. Her husband died and she had to raise Harry alone on his own. Hugo Barrington also had his challenge of running the family business well and reflecting on the idea of soiling his family legacy in the 1920s where it was absolutely unacceptable for a gentleman to have a child outside wedlock. Captain Jack Tarrant who was having difficulties accepting the role he played in the Anglo-Boer war of the late 1900s where he killed several Afrikaners was living in seclusion because of his conscience. The three characters had to struggle with the challenges of everyday life and Harry Clifton was growing within their midst and gradually, Harry grew up to become a successful man and tries to marry Hugo Barrington’s daughter from her marriage. Harry finds his biggest conflict where Captain Jack Tarrant discloses at their wedding that they are both from the same father. Harry confronts his biggest challenge and escapes to the United States. This conflict forms the basis for the sequel of the book which is tilted Sins of the Father. Sidney Sheldon on the other hand presents the conflicts relating to his main character in stages. In the first stage, he presents the challenges of Jamie McGregor moving from Scotland to South Africa. The perils of the journey are presented in a very logical manner. In South Africa, the hostile environment of an absolutely undeveloped nation is presented in the book. The sacrifices and risks taken by McGregor are presented in light of the circumstances within which he carried out activities. The biggest and most stunning conflict faced by Jamie McGregor was when he was duped by Afrikaner mine-broker, Van Der Merwe who caused Jamie to sign a contract that he prepared in Dutch. The contract was for the exploration of diamonds in a given place. Van Der Merwe told Jamie that the proceeds will be shared equally between them, unknown to Jamie, the import of the contract in Dutch showed that the proceeds will all go to Van Der Merwe and he will pay him a nominal amount. Jamie took another risk and went to steal diamonds off the West coast of South Africa. He got a lot of gold and returned and married Van Der Merwe’s daughter and paid him back for what he did. Jamie became rich and he had challenges growing his estate and competing. This became the central theme in the conflict of the novel in the third segment. Narration Style Narration style is about the way through which a novelist presents the content of the novel to the reader. This refers to the kind of literary systems and processes that are used to tell the story to the audience. In Master of the Game, the story is told in a conventional or traditional prose format. This is done by presenting the story in a somewhat lineal and straightforward manner. This involved the presentation of the content in such a way that the sequence of Jamie’s life is presented in a normal and standardized form. The narration moves from one point in Jamie’s life to the next. On the other hand, Jeffrey Archer uses a rather creative approach to narrate the story. The story is presented in the point of view of each party in the story whose life becomes the fundamental focus of the story. This is done through a blend of biographic narrations and a presentation of the story from a novelistic approach. Point of View Point of view is fundamentally about the way and approach through which a story is told. Most stories are told and narrated by a third party voice which acts as some kind of omnipresent figure who tells the reader what happens at most points in the story. This is the traditional approach. Other books use a blend of different methods and approaches to tell a fictional story. In Master of the Game, Sheldon uses the traditional approach in which he narrates the story. Aspects of conversations and discussions between the characters are presented in a natural manner. This blends into the wider conversation without a conscious approach. On the other hand, Jeffrey Archer provided a chapter or two of narrations in the voice of each character before the character’s story and situation is presented in the voice of the writer of the book. This provides a relatively richer and more artistic presentation of the components and different elements and aspects of the story to the reader and this adds up to a more natural and more enjoyable reading as there is a much more dynamic approach used by Archer to tell the story. Conclusion The two books provided different elements of presenting non-fiction. Both books were written in a system that included a high degree of historical narration and it integrated many elements and aspects of the history of persons of British-Isles origins in Britain and other parts of the world where they colonized and controlled. Obviously, the storyline and plot of both books were different. The main areas of divergence included the focus of the books. Whereas Sidney Sheldon focused on the protagonist and later his family, Jeffrey Archer focused on the protagonist’s family and later discussed the protagonist. The narration style was also significantly different. Sidney Sheldon used the traditional linear approach and method of evaluating and presenting stories. On the other hand, Jeffrey Archer used various voices and tones to blend the presentation of the story and how the different parties presented their points of view. Works Cited McK121: , (McKeon 177), Kut13: , (Katherine 75), She82: , (Sheldon 1-17), Arc11: , (Archer 1-42), Swa131: , (Swartz 16), Bel13: , (Scott 41), Par10: , (Paris 4), Read More