Why was Atlas so kind yet so cruel; why was Hercules so out of spite and yet felt remorse for his actions? When you look at the two passages, The Three Golden Apples and Weight. In both of these passages, however, they do have similar themes based on plot, characters, and setting. Now, why do Atlas and Hercules have different character developments in two different passages, it makes you wonder: can you truly trust a friend? Firstly, when talking about similar themes presented through plot, characters, and setting in both passages, one that came to mind was sometimes not always trusting what people say. The passage, The Three Golden Apples, starts with Hercules holding the weight of the world on his shoulders for Atlas as he gets the golden…show more content… In paragraphs seven and eight, it states, “. . . ‘Just take the sky upon your head one instant, will you? I want to make a cushion for my lion’s skin, for the weight to rest upon. It really chafes me, and will cause unnecessary inconvenience in so many centuries as I am to stand here.’ ‘That's no more than fair, and I'll do it!’ quoth the giant; for he had no unkind feeling towards Hercules, and was merely acting with a too selfish consideration of his own ease.’” In the second passage, when Atlas refuses to give back the golden apples in return for the sky, Hercules successfully tricks Atlas into trading for only a second to fit the cushion comfortably on his neck. Unsuspecting Atlas agreed and traded with Hercules, only to be met with disappointment when Hercules took the apples for himself to leave him there alone again. Paragraphs 22 through 25 state, “‘Since you ask, I'd like a pad for my head-take the weight off.’ Atlas was kind-hearted and he did not want to see Hercules suffer, so he searched through his bag of belongings and found a thick fleece that he could fold into a cushion. He bent over Hercules and tried to fit it behind his neck. ‘.
