Living with Passion and Feeling

This is the book's central theme, with the rest of its major themes essentially serving as sub-themes, amplifications, and/or explorations of it. The journeys and stories of all the characters can, in various ways, be seen as variations on this particular theme (see "Topics for Discussion - Discuss how the stories of each of the book's named characters ...).

On first glance, it would be tempting to suggest that the book thematically and narratively celebrates living with/from this perspective and that repression is a negative value while emotional freedom is a positive one. More in-depth consideration, however, might lead the reader to the interpretation that the novel is, in fact, ambivalent on the subject. Yes, the novel clearly suggests that it is necessary to live life from a place of passion and feeling. It further suggests that a life not lived from that...