Compare and Contrast the characters of Carter Weatherbee and Percy Cuthfert in the short story in a far country by Jack London.
Carter Weatherbee and Percy Cuthfert are two men who set to travel North in search of better financial prospects. Weatherbee is a clerk who knows nothing else apart from his profession. He is a lazy, uncultured man who would not move a muscle to help the travelling party in their various responsibilities. He is described as a man of a lower class who considered himself a gentleman though his character contradicts that of a gentleman (London, 2000). He is also a very skeptical man and is always conscious of Cuthfert even though they reside in the same cabin.
Percy Cuthfert like Weatherbee is also a lazy and a rather careless man. He mistakenly scoops Weatherbee’s portion of sugar which drives Weatherbee crazy. He like Weatherbee is an uncultured man who cares less but his only well being. He is however unlike Weatherbee a master of arts but has never really written anything. He like Weatherbee is extremely skeptical. He always hand his revolver at hand whenever Weatherbee was around as he considered him a mad man (London, 2000).
“It were better for the man who cannot fit himself to the new groove to return to his own country; if he delay too long, he surely die” How is this sentiment brought out in the short story?
Weatherbee and Cuthfert were from the south and were used to south. They set to travel north in the hope of making substantial financial gains from the gold rush in the north. They are however met with a hostile environment with which they could not adapt. Their lives take a miserable turn as they never attempt to adapt to the new environment. They thus contemplate on returning to their original south but are rather too late to turn back. The two echo the author’s sentiments that if a foreigner in a foreign land is not able to adapt to the new environment, then he should return to his native land or risk losing his well being.
