Comparisons between Absalom, Absalom! and A Mercy

After our discussion on Tuesday, I began to notice the major comparisons between Moby Dick, Absalom, Absalom! and A Mercy. While I did notice some concerning Moby Dick, I think the most significant similarities are between Absalom, Absalom and A Mercy. The two characters I wish to compare are Sutpen and D'Ortega. In Absalom, Absalom! Sutpen was the character who all the drama was centered around. He came form a nothing background having grown up in a very poor family, he gained his wealth mysteriously, and then built a huge mansion to try to prove his importance. The character of D'Ortega is very similar to Sutpen. Though we don't know very much about him, we know that he has a lavishly built housed but very little money since he is trying to borrow money from Jacob. D'Ortega is the character who Sutpen strives to be. He has a powerful name and can get what he wants because of it. He has vast amounts of land and slaves at his disposal. A similarity between the two is also their slave mistresses. Sutpen has many mistresses he doesn’t really care about and though we don’t know much about D’Ortega, we know he has one based on the smell of her “clove-laced sweat” (24). We aren’t yet sure how big of a role D’Ortega will play in the novel but it’s interesting to see him as a Southern plantation owner, much like what Sutpen strove to be.