Motif Comparison - the First Stone by Don Aker and I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

Motif Comparison

The authors of the novel The First Stone by Don Aker and I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith write about young protagonists who have lost one or both parents, in order to show that we control our life., whether we have parents or not. We live by our decisions.

        In I Capture The Castle three kids lose their mother because of illness when they were young. Cassandra, the protagonist is clever, kind, open-minded and has filial piety to her father and stepmother. Her family is really poor avoiding trouble is the best they can do. What she wants is a true love, which is the only thing that could make her life happy. The problem is that she has to face her own sister, because Cassandra’s lover is going to marry her sister. The consequence that she will face is breaking up with her sister. In the end, Cassandra has the chance to have Simon because he breaks up with Rose. But she chooses not to be with him, she leaves a open ending to her and Simon. The love between both of them is not true love, because Simon still loves Rose which leads the reason why Cassandra doesn’t agree with Simon. “Part of me longs to run after him to Scoatney and cry “Yes, Yes, Yes! … And surly I could give him- a sort of contentment?” explain that with out his love, Cassandra knows Simon is just not the right person for her. Without the love, Cassandra could still live as simply as usual, and she doesn’t mind the decisions that she has made.

        The trouble protagonist named Reef in The First Stone is totally different from Cassandra. Reef has lost his grandparents because of cancer and stoke, his father ran away and his mother passed away when he is really young. He likes to be with his “good” friends. They hang out together everyday and try to make some trouble because they think it is really fun. Until one day, “ In the end, he hadn’t been able to save the one person who’d meant everything to him. … He gripped the rock, seeking its strength, and chose a target.” Because of that action everything changes. He creates a terrible car accident and has been send to do volunteer in the rehabilitation house, but he deservers this punishment.