Have you ever noticed the similarities and differences between characters when reading different books? Like Arnold (Junior), from The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. A 14-year-old boy whose condition leads him to be bullied by others. This leads him to think humbly of himself, believing that he cannot react. But at heart Arnold is a warrior who, despite the things he encounters, becomes the first person to leave the reservation and attend Reardan High in search of hope. And Lily, from The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. A 14 year old girl living with her sub-abusive father and guilt over killing her mother. He goes on a journey with Rosaleen to search for his mother's past. Both characters leave everything they've ever known, searching for a place where they belong. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay. A similarity between the two is that both are persistent and are able to survive different situations. In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Arnold throws his textbook at his teacher when he realizes it was quite years old after seeing his mother's name. The widespread presence of poverty in the community made him angry, so throwing the textbook was a sign that he hadn't given up yet. In The Secret Life of Bees, Lily takes a risk to save Rosaleen and leaves everything she has ever known, she did all this believing she could find more about her mother based on just one photo. They are both very tenacious. Lily discovers that it was an accident and that T-Ray was actually telling the truth when he told Lily that her mother left her. The image of her mother's devotion is shattered. But Lily realizes that even though her mother wasn't perfect, she really loved her. Arnold, on the other hand, has to deal with the deaths of his grandmother and sister. Despite all this, he finishes his school year and begins to recover with his family. Both characters are also quite different in how their problems were resolved. Arnold's problems with the reservation slowly lost their importance after the deaths of his family members. Lily matures during her stay at the Boatwright house with newfound support from the community. This gives her the courage to stand up to T-Ray, which shows how much she has changed. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay So Arnold made new friends and dealt with deaths of loved ones. And Lily found a community where she would slowly mature. Although both characters had different paths, both were searching for some sort of hope that led them to come of age.