Compare Contrast Essay - A walk to Jetty

In life, there are many sacrifices people have to make for the sake of the better. Missing out on events like a party, losing friends due to lack of time, or going to bed late to study for a test, these are all things people give up. That is what Annie, from A Walk to the Jetty, and Marita, from Marita’s Bargain, have to do in order to reach what they call success. However, throughout Annie’s story, she seems to be conflicted on what exactly to do, while Marita understands what she must give up. Both of these girls have to give up something, but they have very different reasons for doing so. In A Walk to the Jetty, Annie is sacrificing her home. She states that she did not want to leave her home to do nursing, but she gave up her home in order to have some independence and to grow. She does not want to continue to live out the little task in her everyday life. Throughout the passage Annie’s feelings contradict. Annie is happy to leave her home, but she has this vague feeling that she will miss it. She knows she must leave home in order to find herself, but she is uncertain about how she truly feels about leaving. Marita, however, knows what she wants and is approaching it, she knows what to do and what it may cost her along the way. She is ready to put everything aside to do something that she knows will help her in the future. Both Annie and Marita have fragile relationships with their family and friends. Annie especially has a rocky relationship with her mother, in one part of the passage, she states that she loves her mother and does not at the same time. Her mother says that she loves Annie, yet she is the first one helping her leave home. She feels as though her parents do not know what she really wants. When she is at dinner with her parents, Annie’s mother brings up marriage and she quickly dismisses it. Marita on the other hand is not able to spend time with her mother and friends because she is busy with school. Marita explains that usually after dinner “my mom wants to hear about school, but I have to make it quick”. She barely spends time with her mother because she is trying to finish all her school work, she cannot even take a break. Marita cannot hang out with her friends; she has to keep doing her homework because she knows how important this opportunity is. Many of her friends do not understand what this opportunity means to her. In the end, both of these individuals give up something and feel that it is worth it. Annie decides to leave and “suddenly a wave of strong feeling came over her, and her heart swelled with a great gladness as the words”. She feels that this was the right choice to make and that she will be able to get start a new journey and it will help her to grow, she feels good about that. At the end of the passage when she gets on the boat, she compares the waves to the sound of liquid “slowly emptying out” from a vessel. Annie is finally ready to let go of home and feels relieved about the choice she chose. This proves that she thinks that this sacrifice was worth it. Marita also gives up a lot, but she is okay with that choice because it will offer her better opportunities. Throughout the story Marita describes how she has to get early at 5:45 am and goes to bed at 11 PM. She also has little time for friends or family. However, Marita is happy to be there and do the work that she is given, she explains that the school is her “chance to get out”. She knows if she continues this is how she will be able to break the cycle of cultural legacies. This proves that she knows what she had to do and that it is all worth it. Both Annie and Marita have to sacrifice something. They both make these sacrifices so they may have a prosperous life later on. The way Annie and Marita choose to handle and feel about what they have to give up is different. The reason behind both their decisions to surrender something is where they differ from each other.