Courage Comes from Within

This is the novel's primary theme, manifesting in and defining the journey of transformation of its central character and narrator. As previously discussed, protagonist Dara starts her journey, both physical and spiritual, as a follower rather than a leader. She essentially does what she is told to do - first by her brother and mother, then by her friends. She finds a sort of courage and independence with the assistance of Jantu's magic clay marbles, but eventually comes to realize that courage and independence come from inside and that the marble was, in fact, a catalyst for their emergence. In other words, Dara comes to believe in herself, in her own capacity for courage and faith, as the result of first believing in an outside power but then coming to realize that the power, in fact, came from inside, from her own spirit. It might...