In both novels:A Kestrel For A Kave and Beka Lamb,The major characters experiences the lost of a friend.Beka lost her friend Toycie and Billy lost his pet kestrel named Kes.When there was no one to talk to or when they had problems with family or school, Beka and Billy would seek solace in their friend who was always there to comfort them.Friendship is a major theme in both novels.Secondly,In the beginning of both novels Beka lamb and Billy casper also seemed to be troblesome children who was regularly engaged in telling lies to heads of authority including parents and other adults.
Beka was described by her father Bill Lamb as a 'phoney'.Her parents detested the lies that she told about passing first term when genuinly she knew that she had not.Billy however,not only told lies but he stold from many persons.This is due to the fact that he does not have a stable,organised and reliable family who guides him by telling him what is right from wrong so thats he can be able to make the right decisions.Billy lives with his step-brother Jud and his mother Mrs Casper.They abuse him both physically,mentally and emotionally.Billy has to provide for himself because both his mother and his step-brother lacks the ability to guide,protect,provide and love him, so Billy goes out into the world to find what he is not given by his family.In contrast,Beka is from an extented family.her living situation is far much better than that of Billy's.She lives with her grandma Ivy,her two (2)brothers Zandy and chuku,her father Mr Lamb and her mother Mrs. Lamb.She also lives in close proximity to her friend Toycie and Toycie's Grandma Miss Eila.Beka had the support of all her relatives, she is well cared for ,fed and loved by them all.They know she has the ability and the potential to do well and so they try their utmost best to guide her so as to make the right choices.
Beka went to St Cecelias Academy which was and all girls school.Billy however, went to an all boys school which at the age of 15 the boys had to leave and be stationed in a work field.At Billy's school,Mr Farthing provided a renewed hope for Billy because he had believed in him when everyone else doubted him.Mr Farthing was his English teacher and he saw potential in Billy something that oneone else had seen.Mr farthing thaught the students to the best of his ability,he was their father away from home,their role model and friend.He was actually interested in what Billy does at home and so he was able to develope a greater understanding of his character and behaviour because of this.At Beka's school Miss Gabriella was beka's mentor and she also had faith and believed that beka was able to win the essay competition which she introduced her to.If toycie was alive it wold have been her insteat of Beka who would have taken on the task as she was believed to be 'brighter' than Beka.
When Beka had gained knowledge of Toycie's Boyfriend Emilio Valezques, a rich mestizo with a high status in society she instantly knew that he would bring hurt and sorrow in Toycie's life.She had immediately become a changed individual as it relates to her choices made,and the warnings she gives to her friend,such as'you will end up with a belly if you continue to talk to Emilio'.but toycie insists that she loves him.When Beka found out that Toycie Became pregnant she adviced her to tell her grandma Eila.She comforted her friend who needed her more that anything at this time.In A Kestrel For A Knave,Billy too had become a more responsible and well rounded individual.Before he was given his kestrel he went to the library to find information on kestrels but was unlucky in doing so because he had to be a member to borrow books and his mother did not wanted to sign his membership form.He was persistent however,he went to a bookshop and stold THE FALCONERS HANDBOOK.This gave him information about all there is to be known on how to care for a kestrel.He was beginning to perform better in school and participated in class as he introducd new words to his classmates.Billy provided love,care and the basic necessities needed for the survival of his pet kestrel.He made sure that Kes was fed , daily he would allow her to practise flying and he developed a close bond to his pet.
Billy was very poor but and as young as he was he had to provide for himself and kes who was his symbol of hope.The structure of his house and where he came from showed the readers how he was apart of a destitute family.His house has no curtains or even carpets on the floor and there was little or no food available in the empty cabinets.Beka howerer,was a middle class creole.her parents were able to provide for her financially,mentally and physically.During the hurricane season her house was the shelter for most of her neighbours.Her family provided them with accommodation and food.
Both Beka and Billy were crushed when they found out that their best friend had died.Toycie was beginning to get 'crazy' and was put in a mental institution which would help her to recovery from her madness.She had lost her child, her boyfriend and also her position at school.In her mind she had nothing left when really she had many persons who loved her.The result of Toycie's eventual death caused Beka to take a whole new turn on life.She became spiritually and physically changed and her parents both realise this change.'Befo Time' as her grangmother would say Beka would not have won the Essay competition because of the racial prejudice faced by the creoles.So therefore the creoles had a hard time back then as they were stereotyped by other members of the backras,panias and the expatraites.The novel ends with Beka being an better and wiser young woman.
Billy was devastated at the death of his pet kes,as the crime was committed by his own half brother Jud.He is given no justice when he goes to his mother to inform her of what had happened.He angrily went outside and burried his kestrel.He went to the cinema an tried to comfort himself and there, memories for his father pervaded his mind.The persons who had loved and cared for Billy were taken from him.Nothing was left,thus his hope was gone.the novel ends with Billy being the same person as he was in the beginning.Hopeless........
Both novels deals with the flashback technique...
I hope you have learnt alot......
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