Transformation is a theme that has come out strongly in the three novels ‘a lesson before dying’, ‘A Doll's House’ and ‘A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier’. Through the stories, the characters are encountered by uncomfortable situations where they have to fight their way out. The hardships that they went through proved to be significant not only to them but also served the purpose of delivering the others around them. Despite what they had to go, at the end they appreciated the fact that it was in fact through their crisis that the others who were looking unto them were delivered from similar situations.
A lesson before dying presents a young black man that was wrongly accused and convicted for murder charges he did not participate in. It was a normal trend among the blacks who had to suffer innocently in the hands of white authorities that never appreciated the efforts being made by the whites. Despite the availability of adequate evidence to clear him from the murder charges, he was still convicted. His death was a symbol of deliverance to the black race that realised they have to fight for their justice as it would not come easily. The love and recognition that Jefferson at the point of his execution made him die a hero of the people. It was just the beginning of the road towards freedom and justice to the black race (Gaines 65).
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier on the other hand tells the story of a child soldier who was driven into the activity by force after being captured. The crisis of war in Sierra Leone made him and other children to serve in the army. They were taught to kill and disregard human life. This was accompanied by drug addictions and hence making their childhood meaningless. However, the crisis served as a stepping stone for him and other children that had served and were serving as child soldiers. Being delivered from such a situation and ultimately being given a home and an opportunity to speak to the world about the issue of war and child soldiers played a big role in helping children (Beah 26).
Finally, a dolls house reveals the plight of women as she tries to fit in a male dominated society. It is a men’s world and they are required to suppress their feelings just to accommodate the male figures in their lives. This basically makes them live in pretence just to ensure they are playing the female role as required by the society. The men in their lives give them less attention and don’t meet their psychological needs; however, the crisis they went through had to come to light when they could take it in anymore (Ibsen 65). It was revealed that they mainly did what they did to please the society and were never themselves. This marked the beginning of women revolution where women were slowly accommodated into the society and given a chance to participate in development activities.
Works cited
Beah, Ishmael. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. London: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007.
Gaines, Ernest. A Lesson Before Dying. New York: Klett Ernst /Schulbuch, 2009.
Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll's House. London: A&C Black, 2008.
