Little Cog-burt VS Cotton Candy

In Green Cane and Juicy Flotsam, there are two impressive novels whose name “Little Cog-burt” written by Phyllis Shand Allfrey and “Cotton Candy” composed by Dora Alonso.  The special thing here is that between these works have similarities as well as differences in the authors’ background, main characters and the message that the authors want to convey through the two stories. 

First of all, the similarity that can be easily recognized is that Phyllis Shand Allfrey and Dora Alonso are women writers who came from the Caribbean. They are both journalist, so they write about various type of people in society. Additionally, they are not only successful writers with many awards but also are zealous activists in their countries. In fact, while Phyllis Shand Allfrey was Minister of Labour and Social Affairs and editor of the Dominica Heard, Dora Alonso was a Cuban active contributor to Latin American journals. If Allfrey’s writing usually focused on labour rights, then Alonso had strongly depiction about marginalized characters and Cuban peasantry’s exploitation.

Although the only similarity between the two main characters is that’s they are all women who have trouble with relationships, they are completely different from the other in culture, background and status in society. Moira in “Little Cog-burt” has a good conditioned life, and the thing that makes she feel irritated is that she does not want to throw a Christmas party for her labored children. In the contrary, Lola in “Cotton Candy” is a virgin lady, who had a lot of fantasy about boys but her dream was “loosening and tightening” because of her mother’s restraint. They both have their own symbolism. If the Christmas tree fairy, which made from Moira’s hair, represents to her ego, then the butterflies in “Cotton Candy” symbolize for Lola’s passion in the past. 

The two stories both ended with happy conclusion when Moira gave her precious Christmas tree fairy to Cog-burt, and Lola’s dream seemed to be woken up after a long time when she had an encounter with a beautiful black man. Phyllis Shand Allfrey and Dora Alonso gave the readers a belief in a brighter future for the main characters. When “Little Cog-burt” carries a deep meaning about colonial clashes, and racial issue, “Cotton Candy” is about confined dreams in the real life, which can cause mental alienation. Moreover, throughout the two stories, the authors also contained the cultural significant as well as the history of their home countries.