Self-discovery in Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal Dreams

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Self-discovery in Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal Dreams Although, on the surface, Animal Dreams is a book about family conflict, the central theme is about self-discovery. Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver is a story about a family who lived in the town of Grace. The history behind Grace is very vivid and descriptive. The family that becomes the reader's concern, is the Noline family. The family members are Homero Noline and his daughters Cosima and Halimeda. Cosima or Codi, as she is known in the book, comes back to Grace after fourteen years. Halimeda or Hallie, goes to Nicaragua, to help the farmers cultivate cotton in the war- torn area. Homer, the father, is the only doctor in Grace. He has Alzheimer's disease. Codi comes back to be close to her father while Hallie is kept in the dark about her father's disease. When Codi returns, she confronts all the issues that led her to leave Grace in the first place. Codi meets friends from her past in Grace. She tries to find a niche in the world she is living in. Her sister Hallie, is a heroic figure to her. Hallie has found her c...

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