Short Story Comparison

Essay – Compare and Contrast

(Note – When the word 'socialism' is use throughout this essay, I am not referring to the political definition of socialism, but rather the opposite of Individuality, which is somewhat close to the definition of conformity)

These stories were very different, but they all carried the same general focus and message: Individuality. Although the story 'The Most Dangerous Game' was not completely focused on Individuality, it still hinted here and there how being an individual or seeking dependent thrills can be dangerous. Not quoted by a specific piece of evidence, but rather the entire story, 'The Most Dangerous Game' showed how being TOO much of an individual may actually be considered sociopathic, meaning that you think the rules do not apply to you. Obviously this is not good, as when this belief becomes to extreme people can get hurt. I am referring to this because the 'game' that was played in the story involved the hunting of humans, which is terribly wrong, and is very inhumane. I believe this because the thoughts of the hunter go one way,where the the thoughts of the hunted where another. This is wrong because individuality and socialism collide, which should not happen. I think everyone has the right to think what they want, however the Pursuit of Happiness still applies to everybody. As said before in my previous writings, I strongly support individuality, meaning everyone has the right to be anti-social, or just go about their own personal business. However this does not mean you can disregard the rules that apply to everybody, individual or not, because rules must be followed to keep order.

The story 'Initiation' more centrally focused on the positive side of individuality. Nearing the end of the story, Millicente decided to deny the initiation of the sorority, to be with her friend Tracy. This was a very Individual choice of Millicent, because she was rejecting the flow of the crowd to be with a single friend, which I think was a good choice. This story really projected the negatives of socialism. The sorority that Millicent was being initiated into was very rude and mean towards new members, which is not something people should have to go through to join a group. I think that if people are going to follow the belief of socialism, that everyone should be treated equally and no one should have to suffer just to be as good as the rest. This is the major reason that Millicent rejected the sorority, as her friend Tracy would treat her equally even if she didn't go through any type of 'initiation'.

The story 'Harrison Burgereon' carried a more neutral message, where Individuality was not good, nor was socialism. I belief this because the entire story was about perfect socialism, where everyone was equal, there was no popular nor was there a lesser group. Nearing the end of story, Harrison Burgereon had broken free of the conformity and handicaps put upon him, to let himself be free. After several minutes Harrison was shot and killed though, as this was not a legal act. This shows that Individuality is good, however there are restrictions that come with it. This also shows that conformity/socialism is good too, as if Harrison would have just lived with the handicaps and restrictions, he would not have been killed.

In conclusions, the three stories all carried the same but very different message of Individuality. 'The Most Dangerous Game' carried the negative message on Individuality. 'Initiation' carried the positive message on Individuality. 'Harris Burgereon' carried the most neutral message on Individuality. By reading these three stories and comparing them all, you can see how all types of views conflict eventually, and in the end there really isn't a correct answer to society, but rather to just do what you believe.

Thank you for reading another of my blog post's!