The Themes Of Lucky In Love, And Lucky In Love

“The trust of the innocent is the liar's most useful tool,” (Stephen King). BJ in Tears of A Tiger and Maddie in Lucky In Love both try to find a greater good in other people and sometimes even themselves. BJ was trying to blame himself for Robs death but kept trying to find a way around it. He wanted to not feel guilty and to prove to himself that he was good, he wanted God to forgive him. Similarly, Maddie had recently won the lottery. More people had been coming up to her than usual and she couldn’t figure out who had good intentions and who had bad. She found one “popular girl” and tried to find the greater good in her against her friends wishes and warnings. Both characters only had one goal. To do things right. As they were trying to …show more content…
BJ felt guilty for Robs death. “ Is it my fault that Robbie is dead? I wasn't drivin! I wasn’t even drinkin”(Draper 15). BJ felt that he had no power in the situation. He could have been the one driving since he doesn't drink. BJ keeps going back to this topic throughout the story, he feels insanely guilty and can’t get over it. In Lucky in Love, Maddie didn't necessarily feel guilty on her own. She attended a staff meeting at the zoo she worked at and her manager pointed out what they shouldn't be doing. The manager made it very clear she was talking about her and Seth. “Please don’t ride on Stan’s cart. He has work to do, and if he gives you all rides, he can’t get it done,” The manager stated. “My cheeks went hot. I wasn’t used to being scolded. I was a rule follower,”Thought Maddie (West 46). It was Seth's idea to ride on the car so Maddie felt really uncomfortable in the situation and hated being called out for doing something wrong. Both BJ and Maddie had moments where they felt guilty or in trouble, such as when both of them were blaming themselves for something that wasn't their fault. The theme of trying to find the greater good in people leads these characters to feel guilty for things they could have changed or done …show more content…
Both characters chose not to listen to what they were told and at first could come off boring. BJ was the dull one is his friend group with Rob and Andy. He didn't drink and was very religious. Although he could be boring, Andy liked having him around. They were best friends for the longest time. “We got BJ with us. He keeps us straight, or at least gives us breath mints,” Andy said (Draper 7). The opposite to BJ, Maddie was insanely naive. She didn't want to listen to anything her friends told her. They tried to warn her that people were going to try and take advantage of her and her money but she decided not to listen. Maddie believed the world was a good place, she didn’t want to believe what they told her and decided to do thing for herself and make everyone her friend. When Maddie wanted to throw a party on a yacht, she decided she needs music. “How much do you normally make when you play,” She asked. “A thousand dollars,”They replied. “Really? That much?” “Yep.” “Okay, then that's what i’ll pay you,” (West 155). When the band she found told her the price for the show, she didn’t do any research on them. They could have and did make up a price. Maddie didn't even know what they sounded like. She ended up paying a bunch of money for a band who was horrible. Therefore both characters can be insanely dull and naive.
In conclusion, BJ in Tears of A Tiger and Maddie in Lucky In Love both portray the archetype The