It by Norman MacleanThe two books Daddy by Danielle Steele and A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean are both stories where the main characters are male. The books deal with how a man reacts when he is presented with different situations. Oliver, the main character from Daddy, and Norman the main character from A River Runs Through It, are both presented with different situations that bring out their prevailing qualities. The two men have both similar and different traits. The time periods and society that they live in have totally shaped the way Norman and Oliver react when presented with certain qualities however they still have the same masculine traits.
The time period in witch both men are accustomed to are very different. Norman lives in the early 1900s when it was still the time of men had their place working and women had their place in the kitchen. While Oliver is in the time setting of around the late 1980s to the early 1990s in a time when women are equal to men. The time periods that the two characters live in have changed their personalities. If they were to switch places they would more than likely have reversed personalities.
Norman is living in the early 1900s when the man was expected to be the strong one in the any situation. Norman does this stereotype justice he is in his early to mid 20s and an upstanding citizen. Norman is faced with the problem of facing his brothers death. His brothers death is not a situation that is confined to this time period it is just handled differently because of this time period.
Norman handles the situation by not mentioning it very often and acting like it didnt happen. Whereas if Norman was living in a more modern time period he may be more apt to talking about his brothers deathOliver is a middle aged advertisement agent in the 1990s, a time when men are not depended on so much to be the tough guy and people are more open-minded to the different things. Oliver is presented with a lot of the problems that are common to the 90s. He is also a very decent guy that is presented with some of the hardships of life, but unlike Norman Oliver is not ashamed of his problems because they are more acceptable in the time that he is living. He is faced with being a single parent to a teenage son who also has his own life and child. Oliver does not try to hide from this problem or try to hide it.
Instead he deals with it even if his father helps him. He also realizes that he cannot solve all his problems and everyone elses problems. Oliver is partially a product of his time. If he had lived in the same time period as Norman he probably would have handled the problem more discreetly, or the problem may have never arisen at all due to different moral values of the time. The time that the two men lived in shaped their personalities and the way that they handled situations.
The time periods also provided an opportunity for the authors of these two stories to set up the certain situations that were presented to the two characters. This is because of different values that people are held to in these two time periods. There is also the fact that the two men lived in different societies. Norman is a small town boy while Oliver is a big time city slicker.
The small town ethics and the big city attitudes have their effect on people, and it is apparent on the two characters. They both have pretty descent moral values but one of the major factors that contribute to their personalities is where they live. Norman is more willing to lend a hand because of the small town attitude. Oliver is more out for himself and his family because that is what you have to do in the big cities. Norman has lived in a small town all his life and grew up in a typical family setting. He knows practically everyone in town so
