Walk Two Moons Vs. The Guest

Beau Dupuy

Literary Analysis - Theme Comparison

Walk Two Moons vs. The Guest

In the two stories, Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech, and “The Guest,” by Uma Krishnaswami, the common theme “Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover” is developed. Both stories express the theme through certain characters’ actions and thoughts towards other characters. Characterization is the core element in the theme of both of these stories.

In the story, Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech, the main character named Salamanca (a.k.a. Sal), and the other character named Phoebe, both judge a woman that lives next door named Mrs. Margaret Cadaver, and they believe that she killed her past husband and is the reason that Phoebe’s mother disappeared. In the novel, Sal’s

In the story, a rich man invites a very well known wiseman, named Mullah Nasreddin, to his house for a dinner party with many other nobles. First, in the story, Mullah wears ragged, comfortable clothing, and gets rejected entrance because of not being recognized in his choice of appearance. In the story, it says “Seeing the old man in his ragged clothes, he waved a hand to the servant, then went back to join his elegant guests.” This piece of evidence reveals the action of the rich man denying entrance to Mullah, obviously judging him by his clothing. This is a major part of the characterization developing in the rich man, and this action shows the “judging the book” part of the theme. Later in the story, Mullah comes back, but in finer coats with silver lining. The rich man then accepts Mullah to the dinner party, but then Mullah pours clothing the dinner and food all over his nice clothes. The rich man learns that it was Mullah the whole time in the ragged clothing, and this is what he has to say. “ ‘Mullah sahib, forgive me. I was blind. I saw only your clothes and could not recognize the wearer. I will never again judge people by how they look or by the clothes they wear.’ And, in truth, he never did.” This piece of evidence shows the characterization in the rich man, and how he learns to never judge “a