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Although the author summarizes the novel, they add flashes of insight to each character and relate A Thousand Splendid Suns to The Kite Runner. Chua offers her opinions and literary analysis to characters and the theme of the novel.  With support, Chua offers that Rasheed, Jalil, and Hakim all foil one another, "Hosseini has adadmirably conceived him [ Hakim] as a foil to Jalil (who is weak like Babi [Hakim], but selfish) and to Rasheed (who is far from weak, and also selfish)." Each of the men represent a father figure, either to Mariam or Laila, or Laila's children. What they exemplify, which Chua does not touch on, is how a father treats his daughters. In a society where women are second to men, the way a father may dote (or mistreat) his daughter puts a twist on the gender roles in Afghani society.  Chua does touch on one of the main characters with a specific purpose. Mariam, a bastard child, often finds herself at the blunt end of trauma in the book. The author of the essay speculates that because Mariam's mother killed herself, "the defining trauma, then, teaches Mariam that to assert oneself, to dare, to take the initiative is to suffer pain, cause hurt to others, and precipitate tragedy". She accepts the hatred that comes to her from Rasheed and forces herself to live in a hardened bubble she created because she "deserves" to be punished. Mariam faces the challenged many Afghani women find themselves in and handles it much like the others. Although unhappy she remains with Rasheed and only the bravery found within herself inevitably saves Laila, but destroys Mariam's own life. The change in character after her mother dies should not be over looked and in fact Mariam's subservient attitudes should be noted and compared to whether the death of her mother had any effect on her decisions. 

In a literary criticism by Charlotte Hadella, she states that the Eden biblical allusion plays a major part in the development of characters and the American Dream. Nearing the end, the Eden myth haunts Lennie and George because of Curly's wife, a woman dictates the failure of their dream. Hadella claims that even before they enter the ranch that their dream begins doomed. While in the ranch, the fact that the land owners that he wants to buy from have to sell raises a red flag on their dream, that if they could make it off the land, how could they possible accomplish that same feat. Yet, that breaking point fact gets overlooked in the pursuit of their dream because if they think on their plan George will see that they are banished from Eden before they can enter. Usable Quotes: "When George talks about the actual farm that he intends to buy for himself and Lennie, he explains to Candy that he can get the place for a really cheap price, "for six hundred bucks. The ole people that owns it is fiat bust." Apparently, the present owners of George's dream farm are not able to live "off the fat of the land," a detail that both he and Candy conveniently overlook,"(Hadella). "The Garden of Eden myth "looms large" in Of Mice and Men, and Steinbeck appropriates Edenic elements to convey his personal interpretation of the American Dream,".

Argument: Respectability can be found in all men, regardless of social status and the stigmas of the Victorian era. Philip Pirrip, also known as Pip, is the protagonist in Dickens novel Great Expectations. As the protagonist, he grows from a young orphan raised by his sister and her Blacksmith husband to a 'good christian man' showing the positive transition that is possible for all men. Main Idea of Argument: Where one comes from does not limit where they can go- a major theme in most Dickens novels. All levels of Victorian society were respectable, regardless of money- or lack therefore of- religion, and disabilities. Evidence: 1)"Charles Dickens believed that his society wrongly valued economic transactions over natural human interactions, which resulted in a minous transference of commercial interests from the public sphere into the private" (Tobin 1). 2)"Dickens himself was conflicted about his right to respectability, and many of his characters suffer the strain of not knowing where or how they flt in. Dickens's father, John, was perpetually in debt, which led to Dickens's brief employment in Warren's Blacking Factory at the age of twelve. Dickens was so ashamed of having been forced to leave school and do manual labor that he never told anyone in his own family about the incident. After his father's debts were cleared and Dickens grew to manhood, he worked his way up the social ladder, initially applying his skills as a shorthand writer at the various courts of law in London and as a journalist" (Tolbin 3). 3) "Pip's transferring onto Joe his own feelings of inferiority as well as his desires to eradicate their outward appearances signal the young man's first step toward adopting an immoral and inhumane ideal of respectability" (Tobin 5). 4)"Over time, Pip comes to recognize Magwitch as a human being with emotions and the right to be treated in a decent, humane manner. However, Pip does not completely transfer the compassion he leamed during his own

In the literary criticism by Louis Owens, Of Mice and Men: the Dream of Commitment, Owens portrays the American Dream with a biblical Eden. Owens claims that the people in Steinbeck's novel have the curse of Cain, or to wonder in isolation. That's where Lennie and George come into the picture, to defy their curse. Owens states how Lennie and George upon first introduction are different from the other characters in the novel. They have a joint dream that they are committed to see it become a reality. Lennie, according to Owens, resembles the loner of society. He threatens their commitment to the dream that reality fights. George's commitment rises when he kills Lennie, but when Lennie dies their dream dies with him. 2 usable quotes: "George must reenact the crime of Cain to demonstrate the depth of his commitment. It is a frank acceptance of the way things are," (Owens pg. 149). "The dream of George and Lennie represents a desire to defy the curse of Cain and fallen man-to break the pattern of wandering and loneliness imposed on the outcasts and return to the perfect garden," (Owens pg. 146). http://web.ebscohost.com.lib.chandleraz.gov/lrc/pdf?vid=3&hid=123&sid=44d44b9f-8779-4dc6-841c-0ddc9776cc45%40sessionmgr114

In Brynie's critical analysis of Steinbeck's book, Tortilla Flat, she stated that Tortilla Flat has similar ideas found in Mice and Me. Yet, in this book Steinbeck establishes a frame that later George and Lenny are built upon. George and Lenny don't have a home or security, yet their dream involves what they do not have currently. Also Brynie comments on how Steinbeck favors the poor or natural man in his book and that Steinbeck closely ties his books to religion. From Brynie's critical analysis, the two books, Tortilla Flat and Of Mice and Men display many similar aspects but they are told in different ways to diversify the way of the American Dream. Usable Quotes: "Steinbeck exalts the natural man, untainted by civilization, unspoiled by either conventional wisdom or conventional morality," (Brynie). "It was the first of Steinbeck's novels to look at life through the eyes of those without homes, possessions, or security, and Danny and his friends foreshadow others of their kind who appear powerfully and poignantly," (Brynie).

Argument: Women in Dickens novels represent the common worker. Dickens found it important to emphasize that men and their respective mates should be saved from themselves. Main Idea of Argument: In Charles Dicken's Great Expectations Estella is a strong female, taking the lead of the relationship (or lack of) between Pip and herself. As opposed to doing only what she should be doing as a woman in the era. Comparatively, the workers of the era in which the novel was written were oppressed, but still maintained a strong facade. Evidence: 1)"In his portrayal of women in Great Expectations, Dickens saw the world with almost the same unbalanced perspective as does Pip when Magwitch turns him upside down in the churchyard" (Schechner 4). 2) "Crying over lost women, repentant prostitutes, and dying impoverished girls--provided none of these women were wives or political reformers--were causes Dickens loved to champion and did" (Schechner 7). 3)" Dickens wrote as if he believed a woman's place was mostly in the home, doing domestic things and supporting her husband. Mrs. Joe Gargery is an example of what happens when a woman tries to boss a man. Even though Mrs. Joe stays home by the hearth, when she gets too assertive she becomes very unattractive and may even deserve a strong smack on the head" (Schnecher 9). 4) Dickens is unsympathetic with women who socially rebel and who have public causes. Such women become either terrible or ludicrous" (Schnecher 10).

Argument: The Jazz Age can be depicted by Fitzgerald's literary works as well as by his type of lifestyle. The influences of the Jazz Age are present in the development of the characters in Fitzgerald's books. Claims: Fitzgerald's writing blatantly portrays how the time period affects his lifestyle and the topics he chooses to write about. The somber mood of his writing is caused by the life experiences of Fitzgerald as well as the harsh life that others lived in that time period. Evidence: "His books, including The Beautiful and the Damned (1922), The Great Gatsby (1925), and Tender Is the Night (1934), depict characters who seem to be thoroughly enjoying life, but who, under the surface, are sad, aimless, and lonely." "His clear literary voice instantly appealed to other people of his generation, who felt lost in a world that had been devastated by World War I (1914-1918), in which it seemed that many men had died needlessly."

Human behavior is based off of observational studies of matured adults and a need for social heiarchy. As the boys stranded on the island find from living in a previous urban, hiechiarchal society, they cant escape the fate of creating a social pyramid with a central leader. As seen through out history a central ruled has been favored as a political structure to maintain order within the public and is used by Ralph to create a democracy in his group of chior boys. "When an author consciously dramatizes Freudian theory--only the imaginative re-creation of human behavior rather than the sustaining structure of ideas is apparent."(Rosenfield). Rosenfield argues the boys just as all society created a government to enter into a state of comfort and contentment. The purpose of government is to increase the chances of survival as species who live in groups do to reap the most benificial qualities from every member. The new instilled government leads to a change in communication and other social skills created by the children to carry out their entertainment needs and to help the boys stay clear of danger. Rosenfield supports this by stating "Jack's ascendency over the group begins when the children's fears distort the natural objects around them: twigs become creepers, shadows become demons. He serves as a physical manifestation of irrational forces.

Argument: The Kite Runner reflects a modern day allegory of humanitarianism. Hosseini's novel shows the shift from race and nation as primary community and national builders to the modern individual shaping to form "the human". Claims: Khaled Hosseini humanized a country (Afghanistan) many in the West find inhuman. The author combined elements of coming to age, culture, and a morality tale to bring a real-life humanization to his characters. The novel discerns between "good Muslim" and "bad Muslim" and the shaping of what it means to be a "good Muslim", especially in today's modern world.  Evidence: "The identification of "universality" in a third world work of fiction has long been a mode of praise and acceptance, and a means of selecting which third world texts are worth reading in the West; this practice clearly 'take[s] the white reader to be the norm'" - "To some degree, the novel's portrayal of Amir's turn to Islam as personal spirituality problematizes the totalizing representations of Islam in western media accounts of the so-called "War on Terror", and, more generally, in a variety of Orientalist discourses. Yet at the same time, by conforming to the narrative expectations of the western reader, and affirming the dominant cultural values of that reader (i.e. religion as personal), the novel translates difference into sameness." - "The Kite Runner opens by foregrounding the themes of sin, guilt, and redemption, which shape the narrative"

http://search.ebscohost.com.lib.chandleraz.gov/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=33277763&site=ehost-live Setoodeh, Ramin. "It's Still Not Easy Being Green." Newsweek 152.4 (2008): 48-50. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 Jan. 2012.

Argument: The American dream is something that George and Lennie want in their lives. Claim: Each of their "dreams" consists of owning a farm