Everything I Never Told You Themes

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hossein and Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng are complex and multifaceted novels that contextualize many prevalent themes in our modern society. Both novels epitomise the ubiquitous impacts that an individual’s milieu can instigate upon their psychological development. Hosseini’s historical novel actively explores the salience of familial bonds, the inevitable theme of gender roles and the unexpected yet unchangeable aspect of abandonment that exist within modern-day Afghanistan. Ng’s novel delves into an American society, exposing the overarching values within an interconnected family, the conspicuous matter of gender discrimination and the unforeseen losses that contribute to the shaping an individual’s …show more content…
The widespread poverty throughout both rural and urban Afghanistan has proven to be a leading factor of chronic diseases and starvation. Households are large, and without necessary food and shelter, these families suffer social exclusion in Afghanistan’s merciless patriarchal society. Pari, the daughter of Saboor is sold by her own father to assist the impoverished family’s survival. The extent of Saboor’s suffering is depicted through his thoughts and actions, capturing his emotional well-being after the loss. The trope used in “The finger cut, to save the hand.” provides the reader with a greater consciousness of a Saboor’s morals that would have influenced his decision. In order to save the four members of his extended family, the ‘hand’, he is willing to sacrifice one- the ‘finger’. The use of personification within the quote “Winter, Bibi Sahib. It descends on these villages and takes a random child or two every year. You can only hope it will bypass your home.” is a reflection of the hardship that families encounter in their brutal Afghan environment. It emphasises Saboor’s true feelings about the loss of his daughter- juxtaposing the events that befall over families but leading to the same psychological effects. It is an inevitable yet abominable burden of regret, guilt and grief that he is to carry. Through the representation of Saboor and Pari, a critical …show more content…
Following the death her daughter Lydia, Marilyn experiences an indisputable emotion burden. When Marilyn enters Lydia’s room after her death, she is greeted by many emotions as a result of her suffering. The use of strong olfactory imagery in “It smells like Lydia. Not just the powdery flowers of her perfume, or the clean scent of shampoo on her pillow-case…when Marilyn breathes in deep, she can smell Lydia herself under all those surface layers, drawing the air up and holding it against her palate like the bouquet of a fine wine. Drinking her in.” highlights her longing of the presence of her deceased daughter. Moreover, the simile “holding it against her palate like the bouquet of a fine wine.” further reiterates Marilyn’s yearning, precipitated by the loss of her daughter. The psychological impacts the she experiences is inevitably coherent. The author has provided a contextual focus by ……….After going through a long series of grief and sadness, Marilyn begins to accept her daughter’s suicide. As she contemplates Lydia’s death, she beings to accept it and learns to move on from it. The personification of her expectations for Lydia in “A dull chill creeps over her. Perhaps- and this thought chokes her- that had dragged Lydia underwater at last.” gives prominence to Marilyn’s despondency whilst revoking her closure as she