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There is no doubt that adventure fiction books are popular nowadays. A large number of readers, both young and adults, are expressing their fascination about such books. In fact, because of their popularity, most of these books are being adapted into films and motion pictures. However, some people may not know that these adventure books captivate the attention of children and adults equally although most of them are being classified and labeled as children’s literature. In 1978, Ellen Raskin published The Westing Game, a children’s novel showcasing the adventures of Sam Westing’s sixteen heirs after they received his challenge to figure out the truth behind his death. On the other hand, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter was published in 1997 and became popular instantly. It features the life story of a young wizard, Harry Potter and his friends, describing their adventures at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. However, the main story revolves around Harry’s struggle while confronting Lord Voldemort. Although The Westing Game and Harry Potter are specifically written for children and both showcase adventure, the two books can be compared in setting, the length, and death - the main theme of both stories.
The setting created by the two authors is one of the major comparison point between The Westing Game and Harry Potter. The Westing Game has been written by an American author. However, the origin of the author is not a guarantee that he uses the same setting in his book. Still, The Westing Game actually takes place in the United States. Sunset Towers Apartment, where the heirs of Sam Westing become tenants, is located on the shore of Lake Michigan. Harry Potter, on the other hand, is written by a British author. Although the story mentions a lot of imaginary places, most of the events take place at the Hogwarts shown to be located in Scotland. While the two stories are set in different locations, Sunset Towers and Hogwarts are both fictional places. Thus, these places are the products of the authors’ imagination.
The length of both stories is a major differentiating characteristic between The Westing Game and Harry Potter. The Westing Game is a story that concludes in just one book. This is ideal for a children’s book so that they can move forward to read different books. Unlike The Westing Game, Harry Potter is a series of seven books. All books feature Harry’s adventures every year at the wizard school. Whereas The Westing Game can be finished in few days, Harry Potter series may take several weeks to finish because of the seven, lengthy books. It is almost like when a child reads the first book; he or she can follow Harry’s life and feel like they are growing together with this kid. This is probably the reason there are so many young readers who became engrossed with the book. Thus, the reading time of both books is apparently different as The Westing Game is a single story whereas Harry Potter series consists of seven different books.
Despite the many similarities and differences of the two stories, The Westing Game and Harry Potter highlight the same theme – death. The Westing Game showcases the heirs of Sam Westing trying to figure out the truth behind his death using the clues given to them. The plot mainly revolves around Sam Westing’s death as his heirs try to investigate the reasons of his death, how he died, and the murderer. While the characters of The Westing Game are trying to figure out who killed Sam Westing, Harry Potter’s characters are trying to figure out how to kill and defeat the immortalized dark wizard, Lord Voldemort. Along with his friends and Professor Dumbledore, Harry tries to find out the way to defeat Lord Voldemort for saving the wizard world from his wrath. Even though the stories have a contrasting way of introducing the theme, it should be recognized that both of them illustrate death.
The setting used by authors, the length of the stories, and their main themes are the notable differences and similarities between The Westing Game and Harry Potter. It might be true that both stories have some educational purpose such as figuring out the games inside the stories. However, both of them were written for children because such stories allow children to build new perspectives about their lives. This is also one of the probable reasons that explain why adults are enthralled by these children’s books. These books do not just capture the interests of children; they also make adults amused by interesting storylines.
