Siddhartha/ Anna
Who is Herman Hesse?
This character's betrayal of Amir sets the entire plot in motion and haunts Amir throughout the novel.
Who is Hassan?
The author of Their Eyes Were Watching God.
Who is Zora Neale Hurston?
The author of Sula.
Who is Toni Morrison?
The author of Invisible Man.
The author of Anna in the Tropics.
Who is Nilo Cruz?
The kite itself serves as a symbol for this major theme throughout the novel.
What is redemption/the past/friendship/loyalty? (Accept any of these)
The names of Janie's 3 husbands.
Who is: Logan Killicks, Joe Starks and Tea Cake
This character's birthmark is interpreted by the community in conflicting ways—as a rose, a tadpole, or a snake—reflecting this theme.
Who is Sula? (The birthmark symbolizes what is ambiguity/the unreliability of perception/how communities project meaning onto individuals?)
The briefcase the narrator carries throughout the novel contains these items, symbolizing this. Name at least 3 items in the briefcase.
The briefcase contains the scholarship, Mary 's coin bank, Clifton's sambo doll, the anonymous letter and his Brotherhood name, Brother Tarp 's Leg Chain and Rinehart costume. All symbolizing his broken dreams.
Siddhartha's ultimate realization is that enlightenment cannot be taught or learned but must be achieved through this.
What is personal experience/listening/direct perception/living/acceptance of life's duality?
Amir's decision to look away during the traumatic event in the alley represents this internal struggle.
What is cowardice/moral weakness/the conflict between self-preservation and doing what is right?
Janie's first two husbands represent this contrast in her journey of self-discovery.
What is restriction/control versus freedom/independence?
Nel and Sula's friendship is destroyed when Sula sleeps with this character, violating Nel's trust.
Who is Jude?
The narrator describes himself as "invisible" primarily because this group refuses to see him as an individual.
What is white society/American society?
The novel Anna Karenina that Juan Julian reads to the workers symbolizes this theme in the play.
What is passion/desire/the consequences of infidelity/the tension between duty and personal fulfillment?
Hosseini uses the phrase "there is a way to be good again" as this type of literary device that underscores Amir's journey.
What is a motif/theme?
he horizon that Janie gazes at throughout the novel symbolizes this.
What is freedom/possibility/her dreams/self-actualization?
Morrison uses the Shadrack character and his National Suicide Day to symbolize this.
What is the psychological toll of war/trauma/death/the destruction within the Black community?
The narrator's experiences with the Brotherhood organization ultimately teach him this lesson.
What is that he cannot trust institutions/that ideology can be used to manipulate people/that he must define himself rather than allow others to define him?
The irony of the play, Anna in the Tropics, is that the workers seek escape through literature while simultaneously facing this real threat to their livelihoods.
What is the introduction of the cigar-rolling machine/automation/technological unemployment/the end of their traditional way of life?
The novel is set against the backdrop of these two major historical events in Afghanistan.
What is the Soviet invasion and the rise of the Taliban?
Despite losing Tea Cake to rabies and being tried for his murder, Janie's final reflection suggests she has achieved this.
What is self-knowledge/inner peace/spiritual fulfillment/personal growth?
The novel suggests that Sula's selfishness and evil are actually products of this, complicating the moral judgment of her character.
What is her circumstances/lack of maternal love/societal limitations on Black women/systemic oppression?
The novel's final message suggests that invisibility can only be overcome through this.
What is individual consciousness/self-awareness/refusing to accept society's definitions/embracing one's authentic identity?