Judy Blume\'s Then, I Are God ?

¶ … Judy Blume's Then, I Are God ? It's margaret Oedipus Rex Elektra bySophocles.

Affinities between Judy Blume's "Then Again, Maybe I Won't" and "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" and Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex" and "Electra"

Judy Blume's novels "Then Again, Maybe I Won't" and "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" are, to a certain degree, similar to Sophocles' tragedies "Oedipus Rex" and "Electra." It is probable that Blume inspired from the tragedies when devising the storylines for each of the novels. However, it would surely be absurd for someone to claim that her works are not unique in character. Tony, the protagonist in "Then Again, Maybe I Won't," and Oedipus, the central character in "Oedipus Rex" are alike when considering that they both experience a false feeling of success only to eventually feel that they live in a lie. Similarly, Margaret and Electra are two young women who are confused about their condition and feel that they need to reprimand someone for their misery. Even with this, one can also find a lot of affinities between "Then Again, Maybe I Won't" and "Electra" or between "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" and "Oedipus Rex."

Both Tony and Oedipus have access to practically everything they want during most of the stories, in spite of the fact that their families initially encounter problems - the former's exist when considering things from a financial point-of-view and the latter's when concerning a prophecy that is apparently going to happen. However, they each prove to be lucky and eventually come to have access to a wide range of resources.

While one might be inclined to believe that an individual in the contemporary society and in Tony's position would most certainly manage to integrate society effectively, it appears that the young man has trouble doing so and actually experiences frequent breakdowns. Similarly, Oedipus' role as a prince does not provide him with a great deal of assistance and his ego actually proves to be harmful for him, taking into account that he ends up murdering a man.

Oedipus is relatively similar to Margaret when considering that they are both confused with regard to their background and to their social status. Oedipus is provided with the notion that his parents are not actually Polybus and his wife and even though he refuses to believe this he has trouble gaining a complex understanding of his background. Margaret's family is both Christian and Jewish and it is not until the girl gets involved in an independent project lasting a year and discussing people's beliefs that she actually realizes that she has problems finding her personal identity. Personal identity is a theme that dominates both "Oedipus Rex"

Another issue that can be addressed when discussing similarities between "Oedipus Rex" and "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" concerns how the central characters come to understand divinity. They both feel that Gods are playing jokes with them and that it would be impossible for them to act in disagreement with plans devised by a higher authority. Even with this, while Oedipus accepts his fate without protest, Margaret appears to have a more hostile temperament and actually goes as far as to attempt to attack God's thinking. "Are you still there God? It's me, Margaret. I know you're there God. I know you wouldn't have missed this for anything! Thank you God. Thanks an awful lot..." (Blume). This remark is especially intriguing when regarding this little girl's courage, as she appears to acknowledge God's power and concomitantly uses sarcasm with the purpose of demonstrating that she is unhesitant about criticizing his decisions.

Both Oedipus and Tony appear to be fated to have problems, as even though they come across situations that can be especially beneficial for them, their fate is filled with issues and they are unable to experience proper success. One might also interpret their behavior as a sign that they have no place in an immoral world where people have no problems going against other people.

At a particular moment in both stories Oedipus and Tony are both inclined to take on immoral attitudes. Oedipus has no choice but to kill (in self-defense) the stranger that he meets at the crossroads and Tony feels that he should not criticize Joel because of how his friend's shoplifting affects him directly. Both protagonists eventually come to emphasize the morality present in them as Oedipus goes in search of Laius' killer and as Tony does not assist his friend by verifying his story regarding the shoplifting incident.

Margaret has the same strength of character visible in Electra and one of the most interesting similarities between the two is the fact that they remain courageous in the face of trouble. It is not that they are not familiar with the fact that they are powerless in the face of others, but it is that they are unwilling to yield and keep on fighting even in conditions when all odds are against them. The moment when Margaret experiences her first period can be compared with the moment when Electra rescues her brother Orestes. Both girls are scared and know very little about what the future holds, but are unwilling to accept defeat and employ even more determination in trying to find solutions to their problem.

Both Margaret and Electra get involved in projects that they believe are going to prove to others that they are capable of almost anything. Margaret decides to take on a school projects that is beyond her understanding, but that she feels is going to play an important role in having others and even herself feel that she is much stronger than she appears to be. Even with the fact that Electra is in a much more delicate situation when compared to Margaret, she also takes on an important mission when she is young. Electra risks her own life by helping her brother run away and does this in hope that he will one day return and get revenge for Agamemnon's death. Electra is well-aware of the mission's limited chances of success, but she is nonetheless resolute about her decision.

Tony is a confused individual and he appears to be very insecure, this happening in spite of the fact that he is confident in his own abilities. It is because of the environment that he lives in that he has problems adjusting, but this is somewhat typical for any adolescent. It is practically all a matter of self-control and how one finds this concept. Oedipus also has problems understanding the attitudes that he needs to take on when he is young and this is practically one of the factors influencing him to leave his home with the purpose of protecting his adoptive parents. These two individuals are mere products of the social order, considering that Tony is being provided with false values and that Oedipus's suffering results from his father's ill-treatment of Chrysippus.