Compare / Contrast – Baseball Essay, Research Paper

ENG 4AO

January 19, 2000

Compare/Contrast Essay

Baseball… a true American game and past time that has been part of our

lives from the beginning. It has stood the test of time simply because of it?s purity

and infinite list of players that have ffostered the game to what it is today. Yet a

single blemish remains that took place in 1919 when the World Series was thrown

by eight players including Shoeless Joe Jackson. ?Shoeless Joe Jackson who last

played major league baseball in 1920 and was suspended for life, along with seven

of his compatriots, by Commissioner Mountain Landis, for his part in throwing the

1919 World Series? Kinsella (6,7). Many of Shoeless Joe?s greatest fans including

Ray Kinsella were deeply saddened to hear the news that their hero would no

longer be playing baseball. ?The name Kenesaw Mountain Landis became

synonymous with the devil? Kinsella (7). In the novel Shoeless Joe by W.P

Kinsella and the movie Field of Dreams by Phil Alden Robinson differ in terms of

relationships, characters,and are similar in plot, and have majical content.

In each of the works the relationships between the charaters are contrasted.

In the novel Annie was very supportive of her hard working husband Ray who ran

their farm. When Ray told Annie that he had heard voices in the field she was

interested in what he had heard. The words Ray heard were ?If you build it he will

come? Kinsella (5). He could not believe what he was hearing. At first he thought

he was dreaming. Ray knew the voice meant something about the baseball field.

When he informed Annie about his dream she gave him her blessings and

encouraged ray one hundred percent. In the movie however Annie?s perception of

her husbands aspirations differed greatly. When Ray suggested the idea to Annie,

she thought he was crazy and out of his mind. They had worked so hard to

establish their farm that she did not want to give it up for such a risk. In the movie

Annie was portrayed some of the characteristics that he brother Mark had shown

in the novel. The relationship between Ray and the voice also differ between the

two works. In the novel the novel Ray was instantly able to interpert what the

voice was telling him. In the movie however Ray had a difficult time at first in

finding out the intentions of the voice. ?What are you trying to tell me? Robinson.

These relationships were changed from the novel to the movie.

there are many characters in the novel that have been deleated or altered for

consumer purposes. In the novel J.D Salinger played a prominate role in Ray?s

journey. The producer was unable to get permission from J.D Salinger to use his

name in the film. Insted the film makers created a fictional character Terrance

mann, an African American who allowed the movie to appeal to a broader range of

ethnic groups. The novel also had two very important characters, Richard kinsella

who was Ray?s twin brother and Eddie Scissons who had previously owned their

farm. ?Richard Kinsella is my identical twin brother? Kinsella (33). These

characters were completly deleated in the movie Field of Dreams. This was

perhaps to prevent complicating the plot. The writters had to allow the script to

flow easily enough so that a general audience would understand. Therefore many

changes were made to the characters.

The main plot in both of the works Field of Dreams and Shoeless Joe were

identical. Ray was sent on a journey by the voice to allow others to live out their

dreams. Ray decided to accept the challenge to build a baseball field inorder to

allow eight suspended baseball players to fulfill their destiny. ?I?d have played

free worked for food? Kinsella (13). Shoeless Joe?s remark prove how dedicated

and aspired he was to the game. In Field of Dreams as well as Shoeless Joe Ray?s

real reason for building the field was to bring his father back. ?If you build ot he

will come? Kinsella (5). These words spoken by the voice were intended for

Ray?s father John to come. The plot in each of the works is very similar.

In each of the works based on W.P Kinsella?s creative mind they contain

strong majical content. Both the novel and the movie brought the audience into a

world of the illusion and imagination. Those who believed, were able to witness

eight suspended baseball players from 1919 come back to life to live their dream.

?I see Shoeless Joe Jackson standing out in left field? Kinsella (11). Aswell this

majic was shown through the time laps concerning ?moonlight? Graham. As Ray

ventured back to Iowa time shifted to allow ?moonlight? Graham to be a teenage

baseball player. When Ray?s father was brought back to life Ray was given a

second chance to see him once again. This was his dream. Both Shoeless Joe and

Field of Dreams proved the power of forgiveness and the works inspired it?s

audience to have an open mind and a hopeful view into the future through the

majic.

Through relationships, characters and are similar in plot, majical content the

novel Shoeless Joe by W.P Kinsella and the movie Field of Dreams by Phil Alden

Robinson differ in these particular terms. In the past few paragraphs we have

learned a lot about the way one can interpert voices. Through Ray?s amazing

imagination he was able to bring back to life some of the worlds greatest baseball

players of all time. Even though it almost meant giving up his farm he would go to

any extent to see that his hero Shoeless Joe had one last chance at the game he

loved. Through the support of his family Ray was able to accomplish his dream

and had one last chance to see the man he loved dearly, his father.

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