This essay will deal with the main characters, Ruth from Small Great Things and Thomas from A Walk Across the Sun. Both characters grow and develop throughout their respective novels. Their personal growth and development are due to three factors: family and external parties, watershed events and the justice system.
In many ways the character of Ruth and Thomas are very similar, both are hardworking, extremely driven in their careers and enjoy the work they do. The parents of Ruth and Thomas play a large role in their personal growth and development in the novels. Thomas’s mother advises him to go to India in order to gain his life back and restore everything that is wrong – the separation of him and his wife. Like Thomas, Ruth is influenced …show more content…
With this, she was able to be gain some of her freedom back and feel less inferior like she used to whilst working at Mercy-West Haven.
“I don’t judge all white folks by the historical actions of a few,” (Picoult, 2016, p114). With this, we can see that Ruth assesses people based on first impressions and allows them the benefit of the doubt.
The watershed event in Thomas’s life is temporarily moving to Mumbai, India to work for CASE (a pro bono sabbatical helping trafficked victims). Working with CASE and seeing everything that he saw, he learns to become more compassionate and in addition to Priya’s involvement, it helps him to grieve properly over the death of his child. “The tears began to flow, but he didn’t wipe them away.” (Addison, 2012, p90) This quote just shows Thomas’s gradual journey to the acceptance of losing a loved …show more content…
"Normally I don't even think about that. But suddenly, it's all I can see. I'm tired of being the only Black nurse on the birthing pavilion. I'm tired of pretending that doesn't matter. I'm tired." (2016, p46) Before the watershed event, Ruth chooses not to focus on race whilst living her life but as it becomes an issue in the novel, she can no longer pretend to pay no attention to race more than she previously did as seen in the quote. Similarly, Thomas is unaware of the human trafficking that is happening around them and his major event brought the trafficking problems to
In many ways the character of Ruth and Thomas are very similar, both are hardworking, extremely driven in their careers and enjoy the work they do. The parents of Ruth and Thomas play a large role in their personal growth and development in the novels. Thomas’s mother advises him to go to India in order to gain his life back and restore everything that is wrong – the separation of him and his wife. Like Thomas, Ruth is influenced …show more content…
With this, she was able to be gain some of her freedom back and feel less inferior like she used to whilst working at Mercy-West Haven.
“I don’t judge all white folks by the historical actions of a few,” (Picoult, 2016, p114). With this, we can see that Ruth assesses people based on first impressions and allows them the benefit of the doubt.
The watershed event in Thomas’s life is temporarily moving to Mumbai, India to work for CASE (a pro bono sabbatical helping trafficked victims). Working with CASE and seeing everything that he saw, he learns to become more compassionate and in addition to Priya’s involvement, it helps him to grieve properly over the death of his child. “The tears began to flow, but he didn’t wipe them away.” (Addison, 2012, p90) This quote just shows Thomas’s gradual journey to the acceptance of losing a loved …show more content…
"Normally I don't even think about that. But suddenly, it's all I can see. I'm tired of being the only Black nurse on the birthing pavilion. I'm tired of pretending that doesn't matter. I'm tired." (2016, p46) Before the watershed event, Ruth chooses not to focus on race whilst living her life but as it becomes an issue in the novel, she can no longer pretend to pay no attention to race more than she previously did as seen in the quote. Similarly, Thomas is unaware of the human trafficking that is happening around them and his major event brought the trafficking problems to