Argument: As time continues to evolve, woman are becoming more and more independent in every aspect of their lives. Breaking away from their husbands and manly figures in their lives, they have become people of strong independence. Claim: In both novels by Mary Higgins Clark, the main character is a woman and has her own sort of independence, and that independence seems to get her out of dire situations. The Cradle Will Fall and A Cry in the Night are both mystery novels, and the way the woman are not killed at the end of the book is because they sought out their own independence and did not have to lean on their husband or boyfriend for support in any situation. In Ne-yo's song, Miss Independent, he talks about how an independent woman is a lady who takes control of herself and of her life. She does not need the support of others to aid her in any way, but can figure things out on her own. She is a bright, intelligent, hard working woman and can get through any situation by herself. Evidence: "Kinda woman that can do for herself" "Car and Crib, she['s] about to pay [th]em both off and her bills are pad on time" "Anything less she['s] telling them to get lost" "Her favorite thing to say 'don't worry I got it,' and everything she got best believe she bought it" 

Argument:As Clark started developing more mystery novels in the 1970's, she became more successful and found her strength in writing.  Claim:Edward D. Hoch states that Clark's form of mystery is not simple murder or crime cases, but rather suspenseful plot lines that keep the tone of the book like something that cannot be put down. Hoch also claims that Clark's use of characters and victims that are somewhat related to real life people bring a different atmosphere to the novel. Clark's use of a heroine throughout her characters brings in an audience of women, and allows her books to be more successful with this specific audience.  Evidence: "But it is the suspense rather than the mystery that makes the book so compulsively readable."  "The idea of children in jeopardy strikes a responsive chord with women readers.." "The plot and its motivation are somewhat reminiscent of the sort of hospital thrillers Robin Cook excels at, but clark produces a few new twists of her own." "The story of a young woman who marries a man without really knowing him, and then goes off to live in an isolated house, is one of the classic themes of fiction." 

Argument: Mary Higgins Clark's novels contain similar traits that are seen within each of her mystery books.  Claim:Lisa A. Wroble claims that throughout the four books mentioned in her critical analysis, all four of them contain almost the same literary elements. Women as heroines, dramatic irony throughout the plot line, the motif of "bad guy" vs. "good guy", and  a theme of woman determination are some examples that Wroble mentions in her analysis. In addition to identical characteristics of Clark's novels, Wroble claims the effectiveness of Clark's writing in the mystery genre. Wroble goes into a little bit of depth on how Clark utilizes the specific literary elements to draw in the reader in every single piece of literature that she creates. Clark also backs up her stories with factual information, which, in Wroble's viewpoint, allows the plot to be more believable and captivating to the audience.     Evidence: "A masterful and popular storyteller, Mary Higgins Clark intricately laces suspense through tightly woven story lines to pull readers into her stories." "Clark's victims often have a friend or relative dedicated to seeing their adversary punished. This character is usually a very strong woman who puts a great deal of pressure on herself to help her loved one." "The reader never feels cheated by Clark's economical but informative and entertaining prose."