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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