Saranell, the main character of Leaving Gilead by Patt Carr, has experienced more by the time she was eight years old than most adults today. As the civil war rages on, Saranell is forced to leave her plantation lifestyle behind and become a humbled refugee, but she is not alone. Renny, one of the Birdsong's many slaves, is not only their coachman for the journey but provider and protector. Geneva, Saranell's mother, is also along, but isn't just fleeing the war. In fact, Geneva has been running away from all her problems, which includes the conflict of who she is married to and who she should have married. Because of her mindset, Geneva is unable to deal with reality. While they travel, it is evident that Geneva can not accept real life …show more content…
As Geneva continued to get worse, Saranell tries to cheer her up several times, but none of her efforts seem to work. "Geneva didn't acknowledge the bouquet, however, and she ate the third of tasteless pancake without a comment" (Carr 116). Although Geneva is still clinging to life, she has totally slipped away from reality. By not accepting the bouquet, she is not accepting Saranell, therefore not accepting her marriage to Ian Birdsong. There is a similar situation in The Hunger Games, which is written by Susan Collins. In this book, Katniss and Prim lose their father, which has a great impact on their mother. Katniss' mother's response is very similar to Geneva's. "She didn't do anything but sit propped up in a chair, or more often huddled under the blankets on her bed, eyes fixed on some point in the distance... no amount of pleading seemed from Prim seemed to affect her" (Collins 26). Katniss' mother is not accepting the death of her husband by blocking out everyone, which is almost exactly the same response as Geneva to her situation. Both Geneva's and Katniss' mother's responses influence their daughters in ways that they will never forget in their lifetime. Because Geneva is so caught up in her own mess and doesn't recognize reality, a Saranell is deeply