Essay Comparing The Prospector's Trail And Bluffing

Authors use certain characters to attract and persuade certain audiences. The two short stories, "The Prospector’s Trail" by Cathy Jewison and "Bluffing" by Gail Helgason are easily comparable by the use of characterization. Both stories consist of two main characters, as couples, as it is affected by another individual. Also, throughout the stories, both couples face challenges in which reveal their true selves. Lastly, the author used one dynamic character while the other remained a static character.

"The Prospector’s Trail" and "Bluffing" consisted of two main characters as it was affected by another individual. Norman and Jennifer from, The Prospector’s Trail, were happily married, until both their relationship and their financial funds
started going downhill. Norman came to Yellowknife with his ambitious wife to make something of himself and Roy helped him do so. Jennifer doesn’t think much of Ray, and wasn’t fond of him or the way he dressed. “Unless I catch you wearing a red plaid flannel shirt, in which case I’ll leave you on the spot.” From this passage, it is clear that Jennifer was stereotyping Roy from not wanting Norman to become like him for the reason that he was wearing a red plaid flannel shirt during that time. That being said, while prospecting with Roy, Norman found a barely ripped red plaid shirt and he instantly wore it, knowing that it would tick Jennifer off. As a result, Jennifer left Norman without even saying a word. In Bluffing, Gabriella and Liam went on a hike as they came across a bear in which showed how much they truly were uncommitted to one another. Liam ran off when he should’ve done something on the spot to keep Gabriella same from getting hurt from the bear. This occurrence completely changed the way Gabriella felt about Liam. Thus, these were how the two main characters were affected by another individual.

Throughout the stories, both couples faced challenges in which revealed their true selves.
In Prospector’s Trail, before going into Yellowknife, Norman lost his job and confidence from the formality and high expectations of his boss. He became clumsy where his reputation spread and could no longer work. In the following passage: Jennifer halfheartedly agreed to let Norman pursue his dream of opening and interpretive centre, on the condition that he did it far away from anyone they knew. We realize that Jennifer was ashamed and blinded by her pride, which ended up with her treating Norman wrongly. In Bluffing, when Liam ran away from both Gabriella and the bear, it shows that Liam was a coward and he didn't necessarily care about her. Furthermore, by the end of the story, Gabriella seems to also not care so much anymore. This is proven by the following passage: When the last bandage is removed, she pulls her chair closer to the bed and stretches her lips into a smile. She knows in her bones that she can manage this way, for the rest of the afternoon, at least. She still has that much bluffing in her. From this, it was clear that she was lying when she held his hand as the bandage was being taken off. It was obvious that she’d plan on leaving him due to the fact of him leaving her with the bear. Hence, these were how both couples faced challenges in which reveal their true
selves.

Lastly, the authors in both, The Prospector’s Trail and Bluffing used a dynamic character while the other remained a static character. Jennifer was portrayed as a selfish, inconsiderate, nagging wife who simply nagged about making Norman the best he could possibly be while Liam was portrayed as an unpredictable and a difficult person to understand. From beginning to end, Jennifer and Liam remained the same making them static characters. While on the other hand, Norman from the Prospector's Trail was portrayed as a young, confused, clumsy nerd but as time passed, he changed into a more open-minded, free man who just wanted to start a new life in Yellowknife. This is proven by the following passage: You’re little lady’s not going to like it. She’s more upscale than my Elsie. “You’re right. She won’t see the potential. But like I said – this is the end of the road for me.” This shows that Norman wanted to be free from the stress Jennifer caused him, even if he were to be left behind. It was just Jennifer’s presence that was dragging him down to get to where he really wanted to be. In Bluffing, Gabriella changed from being committed and wanting to continue living with Liam to just simply leaving him and lying about how she felt about what had happened. Both Norman and Gabriella changed throughout the story, which made them dynamic characters while Jennifer and Liam remained the same, as a result of being static characters.

By the use of characterization, the two stories are easily comparable. Both stories consisted of two main characters, as it was affected by another individual Also, throughout the stories, both couples faced challenges in which reveal their true selves. Lastly, the author used one dynamic character while the other remained a static character. Thus, these are the reasons why the characters from The Prospector’s Trail and Bluffing are very much similar.