The Three Strangers by Thomas Hardy and The Darkness out there by Penelope Lively

Explore the themes of justace and things not being as they seem in The

three Strangers by Thomas Hardy and The Darkness out there by Penelope

Lively

Explore the themes of injustice and things not being as they seem in 'The

Three Strangers' (Thomas Hardy) and 'The Darkness out There' (Penelope Lively)

'The Three Strangers' is a pre 20th century story that was written in

1883 but set in 1820. 'The Darkness Out There' was written in 1970.

From the titles of the stories we assume they would be a mystery or

horror story. We think this because the word 'darkness' is used and

this gives you the idea that it is a horror. The 'Three Strangers'

makes it seem mysterious, because they are people you don't know and

there are three of them, this makes them seem overpowering because of

the number of them.

The similarities that happen in the two stories are the characters

that are introduced seem as if they are the villain at first but then

they turn out to be the hero of the story. Kerry in 'The Darkness Out

There' and Timothy Summers (first stranger) in the 'Three Strangers'

both fit in with the part of being misjudged. In the stories there are

some parts which are similar. In 'The Darkness Out There' the German

pilot was killed, and in 'The Three Strangers' Timothy Summers was

almost killed by the executioner for stealing a sheep. Both stories

have similarities in the way they are written. They have been written

so that the reader makes a mistake in thinking that one of the

characters is bad when they are really the hero of the story.

'The Three Strangers' was set in 1820 in a place, Thomas Hardy made up

called Wessex. The setting was out on the moors in the cold, wind and

rain, there was a very secluded an...

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...t stranger. ''The Darkness

Out There' made its cliff-hangers too obvious e.g. when Sandra was

walking along and Kerry jumped out from behind a bush. We were made to

think that it was a rapist jumping out from the context of what Sandra

was saying, but it was made obvious that it wouldn't be someone who

was going to get her because it was too early in the story, unless she

was to get away. The worldview apparent in each story is that Thomas

Hardy deals with more social issues and Penelope Lively deals with

more psychology (how people behave). I think the more optimistic of

the two is 'The Three Strangers' because it shows that people can be

gratified if a deed is done to help other, Timothy Summers stealing

the sheep to feed his family and then not being searched for, compared

to Mrs Rutter killing a German pilot and being punished by having to

live alone.