Quiet By Susan Cain Analysis

Ignorance of True Talent Many consider the family to be the bedrock of modern society, reigned over by parents who help in the maturation of their children. However, the hope that their children will resemble them in outgoing and social behavior is not always fulfilled. In both Quiet by Susan Cain and My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok, families traverse the difficult path of understanding how their opinions and desires can either weigh down or support their introverted child’s deepest interests. Families have the ability to influence the actionsand control individuals in their household, although it occasionally does more more damage than they thought. In Quiet, Cain gives insight into how the talents of introverted children can be stifled even in the comforts of home. Cain recalls a cautionary tale, told by Dr. Jerry Miller, about a patient named Ethan who was a “classic Harry Potter kid – he was always reading” (Cain 242). Similarly, in My Name is Asher Lev, Potok illustrates the artistic ability that embodies Asher Lev as constant and never-ending. From a young age, Asher grew up “encrusted with lead and spectrumed with crayons” (Potok 6), always drawing that even “[his] dearest companions were Eberhard and Crayola” (Potok 6). On the other hand, Cain expresses that parents sometimes misunderstand the puzzling behaviors and actions of their introverted child and presume that there is a solution for their child’s “sickness.” For example, Ethan’s parents misinterpreted his introversion for depression, resulting in them bringing him

In contrast, understanding and encouragement from a family can quench the thirst for a languished introvert to finally blossom. In both Quiet by Susan Cain and My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok, family plays a key role in straining, or supporting, introversion in a