The central theme of the two books, Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver, and Clara Callan by Richard B. Wright, is the female protagonists' quest for self-actualization. To achieve self-actualization, the female protagonists, Deanna Wolfe and Clara Callan, must overcome three repressive factors: their desire for independence, their sexual desires, and society's expectations of their roles. The two books provide a beautiful depiction of the female characters trying to find their own identities, and a place to belong to.

First of all, the protagonist of each novel both have insular thoughts that they must be independent, which becomes a setback to their quest towards self-actualization. At the beginning of Kingsolver's Prodigal Summer, Deanna Wolfe lives "with the frankness that comes from solitary habits." (Kingsolver, 1) She is independent and is able to rely only on herself, that is, until Eddie Bondo enters her life. Deanna believes that everyone's main purpose--both...