e reader learns of the boy's initiation in the final sentence: "Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; andmy eyes burned with anguish and anger."1 The character had a negative reaction to his new awareness. His realization caused him to have feelingsof shame, anguish and anger. He was possessed and controlled by his passion for Mangan's older sister.His ideals of the girl were not realistic but were futile and vain. The girl drew out feelings in himand he discovered that feelings must be reciprocated and the downside that love can also be painful. Hehad a difficult time accepting his own weakness. He was in distress because he had stopped for a momentand gazed up into the darkness and realized that his previous feelings were wonderful but the onlyreality existed in his feelings. It had no existence beyond how he felt and the understanding of thiswas painful for the character. The protagonist of A Sunrise On The Veld was more accepting towards his experience ofinitiation than that of the character in Araby. The boy's attitude was stoical: "...this is how life goes one, by living things dying in anguish."2His feelings were of acceptance. In the beginning, the boy felt in control of himself in every way, and came to feel incontrol of the world in which he lived. This attitude changed completely after his encounter with thedying buck. He accepted the fact that there was nothing he could do to help and that some things werenot in his power and were beyond his ability to control. He came to an awareness of his own limitationsand accepted the inevitable. The character suffered however and felt anger, but also he was satisfiedwith what he realized about the cruelty of nature and life. There were several similarities and differences between the central characters. The twoprotagonists were both male and were young in age. Each was overcome and enthusiastic towards theirfeelings of delight and became aware of the negative side to joy. The boys were imaginative and romanticabout their individual passions. They were both prompted by something or someone outside of themselves.The characters held an appreciation for beauty. The type of beauty the boys appreciated differed. Thecharacter in Araby felt emotional about a human being and the boy in A Sunrise On The Veld felt a lovefor nature. Both

Some common words found in the essay are:
Sunrise Veld, Doris Lessing, Araby Dublin, Dublinand Araby, sunrise veld, short stories, Thecharacter Araby, themselves main characters, nature character, boy sunrise veld, main characters, compared vastness, themselves main, type initiation, beyond control, love girl, boy araby,
Approximate Word count = 1576
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)