Comparative Essay

Bare survival (displaying hostile elements) is displayed throughout the short stories: The Labrador Fiasco and Brooms for Sale. In both stories, the main characters struggle to survive in the wilderness (The Labrador Fiasco) and in harsh living conditions and stormy weather (Brooms for Sale). Elements such as the struggle, getting the essential needs, and doing what needs to be done are directly related to bare survival which took part throughout both short stories.

In The Labrador Fiasco, Hubbard, Wallace, and George lost their way through the forest and struggled to find their way to civilization:

“The work of travelling uses up more energy than they can take in; they are slowly dissolving, wasting away”.

The basic essential ingredients needed to survive are food, shelter, and health. In this case, the men lacked shelter to protect them from the cold incoming winter, they ran out of food, and they were so malnourished that they couldn’t feel their hunger anymore; “He was amazingly weak, and no longer hungry, which he knows is a bad sign”. Likewise, Greta from Brooms for Sale was a single mother with a farm falling apart. She and her son were really poor and she decided to make brooms for some extra money. It was hard; getting sore hands, stretching a long hard day, and especially selling them in the end. When she finally got them sold, she almost died trying to get home in snow storm where she was not knowingly walking on thin ice. Greta and her son as well as George and his friends endured harsh conditions in order to survive.

Since Greta and her son were very poor, living was difficult and harsh. She managed a farm by herself; tending the cattle, ploughing, seeding, and harvesting. She did what she could but the house and barn would end up needing repair and the fences were falling down. At least the loving mother made enough money to feed her nine year old boy. This is quite similar to George and his friends when they strived to find food and help. They would fish and