From Beginning to End

What's interesting about Finnegans Wake and The Skin of Our Teeth is one major difference I noticed. What's odd about this difference is that it also creates a likeness. While the skin of our teeth covers thousands of years, Finnegans Wake only covers one night. But in that one night FW covers the entirety of history. Both books cover every aspect of history, although The Skin of Our Teeth is slightly more abridged. Also, and obviously, both endlessly reference the Bible, and with very little subtelty. What also seems very important, in both books, is the surroundings. While chaos reigns, the setting of the Antrobus's house is in chaos. When peacetime comes, the characters physically pull thier domain out of chaos. The surrounding scene is symbolic of thier lives, as it is in Finnegans Wake. Lastly, both books begin and end exactly the same, with the same scene, the same words, the same concerns.