Self - realization is the development or fulfillment of one's potential. Without self - realization people would fail in life. This theme is referred to in "The Metaphor" by Budge Wilson and "To Set Our House in Order" by Margaret Lauren. Who suggest people have a variety of experiences, encounters and interactions that result in self - realization. This is why it is better to take many paths in life then to follow one.

In "The Metaphor" Charlotte learns to accept that she can never be someone else but herself. The first interaction she has is with Miss Hancock, her grade seven teacher who thought her about metaphors. This new lesson on metaphors reveals a new side of the world to Charlotte and she expresses her feelings through metaphors. She mostly reveals the difference between herself and her mother. "My mother is a lofty mountain capped by virgin...