A comparative analysis of female protagonists’ life skills in The Romances of Jonah in the Fish’s Belly and A Night Divided

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Isfahan University, Isfahan

2 assistant professor of the School of Education and Psychology, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

Abstract

This research aims to compare the actions of female protagonists in the two novels The Romances of Jonah in the Fish’s Belly by Jamshid Khanian and A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen, based on the main components of life skills. Sara, in Khanian's novel and Gerta  in Nielsen's, are both 12-year-old teenage girls who are trying to overcome complicated situations and unusual conditions around them. Exploring these two characters and their deeds, behaviors and interactions makes it clear that all the life skills in Sarah, compared to Gerta' are weaker, and she is less skilled regarding different areas of life skills. Also, representation of the use of life skills by the main character in Khanian's novel is less frequent than in Nielsen’s Although Gerta is more capable of handling the situations and uses her life skills to tackle or cope with difficult situations, Sara seems to be a more believable, tangible teenage girl. In other words, while Gerta has more heroic aspects, Sara is more human with her flaws and mistakes. However, interacting with Jonah, Sara learns to develop her life skills. It could be concluded that each of these novels can empower their teenage audience as they engage both their protagonists and their readers in different life situations which demand life skills and learning how to develop a more integrated personality.
 
 

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References

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Iranian Children's Literature Studies
Volume 15, Issue 1 - Serial Number 29
September 2024
Pages 63-86

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History

  • Receive Date: 16 April 2023
  • Revise Date: 14 October 2023
  • Accept Date: 22 October 2023

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