Paper Bird and Gilbert’s Ghost Train Essay Example

but then Old Hansie and Taffie offered their earned money even when they too were very poor. During Adam's stay with his colleagues, Adam's relationship with them became stronger that "They became his brothers". He also then addressed Old Hansie as Grandpa.

In Gilbert's Ghost Train, Gilbert is the person who eased Martin of his dying brother, Dally. Gilbert brings Martin as well as Dally a mysterious gift that they greatly appreciate. This gift is not physically, to Martin Gilbert brought with him an appreciation that Dally is going to a better place. Gilbert also reminds Martin to think about the good times that he was with Dally rather than his death - "When I'm up in the cabin of the old steam engine I can think of Dally in many ways. When I stand in the cemetery I only feel grief that is gone"Adam and Martin are quite similar characters.

Martin was not emotionally strong about the fact that his brother is dying. He sometimes gets mad at everything, cries, and believes that he is going mental. With things changing and nothing to do he would have a breakdown. When he learns thing from Gilbert Cutler he becomes stronger and stronger about the situation. Just like Adam, who braved the gang threats, violence, just to help his family especially the newly born twins. Adam was referred to as a man by his mother - "You are no longer a boy.

You are a monna" ('monna' means 'man' in another language)So Adam and Martin became a new person at the end of each novel.In both stories, there are two similar subjects/items that represents something special for

the main characters, Adam and Martin. The two are Gilbert Cutler, in Gilbert's Ghost Train, and the paper bird, in the paper bird. Their importance is suggested by the novel titles.Gilbert Cutler's importance and what he represents is already mentioned but the paper bird has yet to be.

The paper bird is basically a sheet from a newspaper that just goes fling around by the wind. It represents something else through Adam's eyes. To Adam, it reminds him that even when everything seems bad there are a lot of good too that eventually will come if you wait long enough, which is like witnessing a paper bird fly just as long as you work at newspaper selling long enough until that event does happen.The way each book is written is different from one another. The books are written by different authors.

Paper bird was written by Maretha Maartens and Gilber's Ghost Train was written by David Metzenthen. Gilbert's Ghost Train was written in first-person view of Martin but what as strange about Paper Bird is that it was written as third-person view but felt like a first-person view of Adam, therefore making it feel awkward.