"The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant" and "Catch the Moon" Theme Comparison Essay

Have you ever changed yourself for somebody? Both boys from these stories went through obstacles trying to get their dream girl’s attention. “The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant” and “Catch the Moon” both have similar themes because it portrays choosing between what is more important in life or love.
In this story, the narrator falls head over heels for this girl who’s three years older than him. He finds himself secretly spying on her and soon learns all her moods. When he finally works up the nerve to ask her out, he finds himself choosing her over the biggest bass he’s ever caught and she wasn’t even everything he expected her to be. He then realizes there will be other girls and fish later on in life. The story tells you that people change for others or leave what they care about the most to impress other people.
In “Catch the Moon”, the main character, Luis, works with his father at their junkyard after being released for breaking and entering. His mother had died of cancer sometime back. When the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen walks into the junkyard looking for a lost hubcap, she reminds him of his mom since her family owned the funeral home she was buried at. When he goes to the funeral home to reminisce, he finds the girl, Naomi, watching him. Wanting to impress her, he goes to the junkyard, washing hubcaps to find her match. I believe Luis changes when he realizes letting out all the grief he had on his shoulders helps him do something good for other people.The theme of this story is giving and receiving love can change a person.
Changing who you are for somebody you like can be both good or bad. For example, how the narrator from “The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant” gave up something he would remember his whole life just to impress Sheila. That’s never something a person should do because in the end, you’ll most likely end up unhappy or regretful. Or changing can be for the better, like in Luis’s case, in which he changed the way he saw love to get with Naomi. In the end, it’s always important to choose what you think is best for you and never give up being yourself.