A Comparison Of Kamau's Finish And The Bunion Derby

In both “Kamau’s Finish” and “The Bunion Derby”, we learn that in life, it’s important to have hope in any and every situation. With these two stories, we learn about two boys who have a passion to foot race. They both have a need to win, whether it’s for themselves or everyone but them. At first glance, it may seem like these two stories share almost nothing in common, but when you read inbetween the lines, you will see that they actually do hold many thematic similarities.

To start off, these themes and how they are executed in the stories have many topics in common. These similarities include the belief in hope. In “Kamau’s Finish”, Kamau has so much hope in winning the race for his family. Most specifically for his mother who thinks that he is simply a “dreamer”. The same incentive is used in “The Bunion Derby” too. The racer Andy runs for his family and community, including having lots of hope for winning the race. He had started running and practiced for a while, with this practice he had hope and determination expecting his win. The test states; “He ran five miles to grade school, practiced running in the fields and hills, and ran the mile at Foyil High School,

where he could never be beaten.” He had hope in this victory because with the prize money he could give back to his mother’s land. This proves that both stories hold the theme that you need hope to succeed.

Despite the similarities, though, the theme of “The Bunion Derby” and “Kamau’s Finish” are also very different.

By the end of Kamau’s race, it emphasises that even though he lost, it was not over. At the way end of the story the text shows; “So I wipe my nose with my wrist and laugh through the tears. It sounds like I’m crying. But Baba is beaming.” Kamau got back up again and ran to the end as his father cheered him on. In the long race that Andy was determined to win, it’s pushed that since Andy followed his dreams he was able to achieve them. These two important ending notes can even be contradicting themes. These two themes are obviously different because one is about dealing with and making the most out of a fail, and the other is about setting high expectations and following through to

win.

In the end, both “Kamau’s Finish” and “The Bunion Derby” hold many differences in their overall and underlying themes. Whether this evidence is shown in the story, or in the words of the theme as a whole. After analyzing these ideas, the reader could be left to wonder if it’s the right thing to always exceed, planning every step to capture your victory, or if it’s better to try your best and keep on trying even if you get down. By the end of both of these stories, the solution is on their side, so it’s up the reader to decide which story they want to lead.