“Strength lies in differences, not in similarities”, said Stephen R. Covey, an American author. In the novel Children of the River by Linda Crew, Sundara, a Khmer refugee and Jonathan, an American boy from different cultures meet in a high school. They undergo a lot of difficulties due to their varied cultures and finally become friends. Sundara and Jonathan’s relationship might strengthen as they experience extreme cultural differences, but also remarkably important similarities. Sundara and Jonathan come from extremely different cultures. Western people think of “life like a road”; whereas Khmer think of “life like a river” (146).In western culture, you could do anything you want to do in your life; however in Khmer culture …show more content…
First of all, Sundara loves her family; similarly Jonathan loves his parents. Sundara remembers her family back in Cambodia .she has reminiscent memories of Cambodia and her family. She also cares for her aunt’s family. Either of them cares for their relatives’ .Next, they have the same feelings for each other; therefore, they are attracted to each other. They have similar personalities by sharing their feelings and thoughts. Furthermore, Jonathan is an impartial person therefore he likes Sundara. He does not care about Sundara race or religion; he just likes how Sundara looks. Likewise, Sundara likes Jonathan not caring about his race or ethnicity. They are honest to each other. Neither Sundara nor Jonathan lies. Sundara is respectful to everyone. In the same way, Jonathan respects others too. Either one has good manners. Both are really hard working and have tough personalities. They do not care about being popular or cool. They both want to help others, especially Sundara who has experienced war so she knows how life is. Influenced by his father, Jonathan also wants to help people. Consequently, Sundara and Jonathan have many similarities. They overcome their obstacles of cultures; moreover they succeed in attaining their goals and staying