Compare And Contrast Damon And Pythias

Theme is best described as the main idea of the writing, conveyed through the underlying text either directly to the audience or indirectly stated. In the short stories “Damon & Pythias” by William F. Russell and “Two Friends” by Guy de Maupassant. The authors present a theme that in several instances can be similar and in other instances different. In this essay, these comparisons will be covered, under three topics: friendship, oppressor and dedication.

In “Damon & Pythias” the pair is so devoted to each other that “all the people of the city admired them as the highest examples of true friendship.” Right off the bat one can spot a similarity. In both short stories two people are the protagonists and are described as being friends. A problem
In “Two Friends” the protagonists are oppressed by the Prussians, especially the Prussian officer. They are held captive and later killed by this force, showing that the oppressors win in the end. Although the oppressors in “Damon & Pythias” persist as well, it is not quite the same. Dionysus, the ruler of Syracuse, accused Pythias of plotting to overthrow the king. Thus Dionysus oppresses Pythias by condemning him to death for his “traitorous actions”. However, after Dionysus is shown the friendship of Damon & Pythias it ends happily with Dionysus wanting to befriend them both. In this short story the oppressor is triumphed and the oppressed happily live on.

Ultimately, the theme of “Damon & Pythias” and “Two Friends” have both their similarities and differences. Most importantly are the similarities and differences between the motifs of oppression, friendship, and faith. An oppressor exists in both stories but the outcome of the oppression is different; all the protagonists have faith, but in one story it is towards a friend and in the other it is nationality. Finally, two friends are presented, the validity of one friendship is questioned while the other friendship is deemed