Business Literature
January 15,2007
Lynn Nelson
Comparing Narrative in Fiction and Non-Fiction Paper
Comparing Narrative in Fiction and Non-Fiction Paper 1
" My Lack of Gumption" a non fiction story by Russell Baker and "Forty-Five
Month a fiction story by R. K. Narayan were two very interesting readings. It
was quite amazing to see how two authors with totally unique writing styles
portrayed the same message. One was comprised of real characters while the
other was a figment of the author’s imagination. Although each author had a
different perspective they both very clearly conveyed the strong dislike that each
character had for the job they were doing at that time.
''My Lack of Gumption was a nonfiction story that took place in the early
nineteen hundreds. The main character of this particular story was an eight year
old child by the name of Russell. It became quite apparent to his mom that he
was very content with the idea of just listening to music and reading books.
Russell’s mother was a single parent who was strong willed and very motivated.
There is no way that she would ever be comfortable with idea of Russell not
doing something to contribute to the household. One day after school she invited
one of the top executives from Curtis Publishing Company over to meet Russell.
This soon led to the start of Russell’s career in journalism which was something
that his mom had always dreamed of. The very next week Russell found himself
trying to sell magazines on the corner of Belleville avenue in New Jersey. For
many days Russell attempted to sell these magazines however, he was not
successful. As the days progressed Russell started to become very
discouraged. He really hated this job. In fact he told his mom that this was not
Comparing Narrative Fiction and Non-Fiction Paper 2
the job for him. There was no way that his mother was going to listen to
anything that he had to say. She even threatened to take his belt and beat some
since into him as a result of his comments. Russell truly disliked the idea of
being a salesman but he disliked the money that it paid even more. After three
years of sales his mother finally decided to consider a less competitive career for
Russell. Her ultimate goal was to never allow him to quit. Eventually her
persistence led to the start of a career in writing.
" Forty Five a Month" which is a fictional story that also takes place in the
early nineteen hundreds. This story depicts the life of a father who spent his
entire life working very hard to provide for his family. Venkat Rao was married
and had a beautiful daughter named Shanta. Shanta loved her mom but she
was the apple of her daddy's eye. One day before school herfather promised to
take her to the cinema. This was something that they really enjoyed doing
however Venkat's job seemed to always stand in the way of the promises that he
made to her. She left school early one day and rushed home so that she could
go to the cinema. This was such an exciting time for Shanta. In fact she so
excited that she refused to eat or drink before she got dressed. She did not want
anything to stand in the way of her being ready when her father got home.
Shanta very patiently paced back and fourth as she anticipated his arrival.
Many hours had passed. It was starting to get dark outside and Shanta resigned
herself to the fact that she was not going to make it to the cinema. She was a
very intelligent little girl and her disappointment led her to have some pretty wild
Comparing Narrative in Fiction and Non-Fiction Paper 3
ideas about what she should do. She thought about going to his job and
demanding that he leave and take her to the cinema however, she very quickly
realized that she did not where he worked. Venkat worked as a clerk in
Company that had employed him for many years. Normally he reported to work
very early and did not return home until around seven or eight in the evening. He
was even expected too come into the office on Sundays. This was very troubling
for him. He literally had no time to devote to his family. In addition he was only
bringing home forty rupees a month. Which very clearly was not a lot of
money even during that time. Venakat was no different from any other hard
working man. He had to keep food on the table for his wife and child. He was
doing what he had to do in order to make a living. Eventually the disappointment
from his daughter really began to weigh on him. This ultimately led to the idea
that he would go into work and quit. He could not fathom how anything could
be more important than spending quality time with his family. He grew to resent
the company as well as his manager. Venkat went into work and wrote up his
letter of resignation. Just when he had gotten the nerve to quit they offered him
more money. He made a very challenging decision to continue working in-spite
of his wife and child.
Although these two stories were very different, they both had a very similar
message that each author wanted to convey to the reader. For example "My
Lack of Gumption" very vividly demonstrates how Russell really disliked his job
selling newspapers and wanted to quit after the first day. While "Forty Five a
Comparing Narrative in Fiction and Non-Fiction Paper 4
Month shows that Venkat also wanted to quit his job as a clerk because he was
unable to spend quality time with his family. Another interesting similarity that
unfolded was the fact that Russell felt that selling magazines for a major
corporation was paying him very little wages. He stated that the magazines were
a nickel each. Venakat Rao also felt that in-spite of the dedication that he had to
the company that employed him for many years he too was making very little
money. In fact he stated that they were paying him pennies while they were
making the big bucks. The idea of dedication is another similarity that comes to
mind. Even though Russell was an eight year old child his mother was the
driving force behind his desire to succeed, he eventually understood the
importance of working and making a living for himself. Venakt on the other was
married with a child and realized the significance of working to provide for his
family even at the expense of not being able to spend the quality time that he so
desired.
While it is very evident that one story is fictional and the other is non fictional
each author very successfully brought to life the feelings of the characters. The
setting, the use of language and the descriptives were very instrumental in
helping you feel like you were actually living through the experience. Both stories
made for easy reading and come highly recommended.