When it comes to determining who should win the White Pine Award, two books stand out as contenders: Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao and Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts. Both books offer readers an immersive experience in their respective genres, featuring captivating characters, complex plots, and powerful themes. In this essay, we will be comparing the character development, analyzing the themes, and discussing the plot structure of both books in order to determine which should receive the White Pine Award.
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao and Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts are both novels that explore the concept of character development in different ways. Iron Widow follows a teenage girl who discovers she has superpowers and is then thrust into a
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Zhao’s Iron Widow follows the story of a young woman named Wren, who is struggling to come to terms with her mother’s death and her own identity as an orphan. Despite her suffering, Wren is able to find solace and strength in her newfound passion for mixed martial arts, and ultimately finds the resilience to confront her past, embrace her future, and find peace. Similarly, Roberts’ Dark Inside follows the story of three teenagers, Mason, Clementine, and Michael, as they struggle to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. Each of them is forced to confront their own personal demons and grapple with the burdens of loss, betrayal, and guilt, in order to reach a place of understanding, and ultimately, freedom. In both novels, Zhao and Roberts explore the themes of suffering, resilience, and freedom, demonstrating that, while it is a painful process, it is possible to overcome the trauma of the past and find peace in the present. (Hudson, 2020). Both novels ultimately offer a message of hope that, no matter how dark and difficult the journey, it’s possible to find strength and peace on the other …show more content…
Iron Widow follows the story of a young girl named Mei-Lin who is on a mission to protect her city from an evil force. The plot is linear and follows a traditional structure, beginning with the introduction of Mei-Lin, the antagonist, and then moving into the rising action as Mei-Lin becomes more involved in the conflict. The climax occurs when Mei-Lin defeats the villain and the story ends with her victory. On the other hand, Dark Inside follows the story of two teenagers, Mason and Aries, in a post-apocalyptic world. The plot is nonlinear, jumping between past and present and using flashbacks to develop the characters. The climax of the story occurs when Mason and Aries make the decision to save their community, which is threatened by an outside force. Both stories have their own unique plot structures, but both offer interesting and compelling narratives that make them worthy of consideration for the White Pine Award. While Iron Widow provides an exciting story with a traditional narrative structure, Dark Inside offers an imaginative world that is full of suspense and mystery. Ultimately, it is up to the reader to decide which of these stories should be awarded the White Pine