The Half Brothers By Elizabeth Gaskell and My Oedipus Complex By Frank

The half Brothers By Elizabeth Gaskell and My Oedipus Complex By Frank OConnorThese two stories are very different upon first glance. For fountone is about a pair of half brothers set in Victorian times and theother is about a small child named Larry who thinks hes a lot wiserthen he is. However, if you look deeper you can start to findsimilarities surrounded by the two. They digest similar themes, and links canbe made between them.A big difference between them is the titles. For example The one-halfBrothers is a very self evident title but My Oedipus Complex is alittle more than obscure. My Oedipus Complex is ironic because althoughLarry does have a strong attachment to his mother it is anexaggeration to call it an Oedipus Complex. The title is almost as ifthe narrator is mocking himself. The Half Brothers is hence abouttwo half brothers.Another difference between the titles is that they make they readerreact in different ways. For example My Oedipus Complex is anintriguing ti tle whereas The Half Brothers is simple and obvious.The reader would be more drawn towards My Oedipus Complex becausethe word Oedipus is unknown and the word complex makes the storyseem interesting and almost mysterious. The title of The HalfBrothers wouldnt emergency the readers eye because it is boring and thewords are all familiar.When looking at the general themes of the two stories it becomes clearthat they are very similar. For example both have the theme ofjealousy. In The Half Brothers it is William Prestons jealousy ofGregory and in My Oedipus Complex it is Larry and his fathersjealousy of each other first and then of Sonny. In both stories it isjealousy of a mothers love, ... ...the resultant of The Half Brothers makes the reader think, because of itsregretful conclusion whereas the ending of My Oedipus Complexdoesnt give the reader a lot to ponder on as it is a simple brightending. This makes the stories suitable for different types of reader.If they want a light-heart ed book My Oedipus Complex is moresuitable but if they want a book that teaches them a lesson then theyshould choose The Half Brothers.Overall I preferred My Oedipus Complex to The Half Brothers. Thisis because it is set more recently and the language is easier tounderstand, I found it easier to relate to. Also it was humorous. TheHalf Brothers also had sober points such as it made me think and gaveme a greater understanding of Victorian language. The Half Brothersis a more educational story whereas My Oedipus Complex is lightreading.