Sarah Dessen Research Peper

Love is a powerful thing, but can be quickly damaged when those who love, abandon their loved ones. Author Sarah Dessen portrays many themes and subjects in her works, most of which include love, friendship, romance, and abandonment. One of Dessen’s works is Lock and Key, where Dessen’s story telling method fits the feel of the story, allowing it to move forward as Ruby lives day by day but still clings to her past. It’s a thought provoking and intelligent story about all kinds of relationships and love.
Another novel by Dessen is Along for the Ride which is also about new elationships, romance, and getting through the past. It feels as if Auden is sharing confidence as she discovers that people are not easy to figure out and can change. She is quite the original character. Author Sarah Dessen deals with the theme of abandonment and romance in the novels Lock and Key, and Along for the Ride There are many traits and characteristics that come along with all characters. The main character from Along for the Ride is Auden. She is an independent young woman who never got to experience a normal childhood.
Since Auden was never given ttention she always did what her parents wanted trying to get some recognition, so she immersed herself into her school work in order to succeed like her parents. Auden is a very smart individual; she went to private schools her whole life, and got accepted to her first choice of college. The main character from Lock and Key is Ruby who is very independent and does not take help from others. Everyone has abandoned her so why wouldn’t people she met in a new place do the same? So she grew up thinking that no one could be trusted.

She is closed off and does not open up to people; she is alone most of the time and prefers it that way. Both Auden and Ruby grew up independently, they were abandoned by their parents in form of parenting and had to grow up as an individual, which led them to stay closed off from others. The selections didn’t only have main characters with common traits but also shared some similar themes. When reading a story of any kind there always themes expressed throughout. Some themes are obvious while others are vague. And some stories have multiple themes while others have one.
Some of the themes expressed in both novels are: it’s important to be able to open up to others and express ndividuality; certain people can be trusted over time; Friendships are important and can be found in unexpected places; Finding friends can also help a person find themselves. Also for both novels, it’s never too late to do anything. A person should never feel like they can’t do something because the time for it passed; don’t Judge anything or anyone; when a person meets someone new they shouldn’t instantly judge and categorize the individual; No one ever knows who a person is Just from their looks.
Express individuality be able to open up; No one should close themselves off to anyone. Both novels shared many similar themes, and have expressed the struggles that the characters had to deal with. We all face many struggles throughout life, some harder than others. Throughout the novels Lock and Key and Along for the Ride both the main characters, Ruby and Auden, face many struggles, involving many things from love and romance to family and abandonment. Ruby feels alone and lost after being abandoned by her mother and so many other people in her life.
Ruby never received any attention trom ner mother growing up; the li ttle attention sne d receive was violent and not welcomed. Ruby was never really told the truth; her mother made her think her father wanted to leave her and her sister wanted nothing to do with her, which caused Ruby to struggle and suffer greatly. Auden never had the childhood most children had experienced. Missing out on many things, she wasn’t like most kids her age. Auden always met their high expectations for school and what they approved.
She was never given much of any attention from her parents so she was immersed in school while other kids would be immersed in friends and sports. Since she always met her parent’s expectations she was never given any of the attention she deserved. Both characters faced struggles of being abandoned they were completely ignored and kept to themselves. All people are used to routine one way or another, whether they are used to the same set schedule every day or they are used to the routine of change. Auden always enjoyed being alone, up all night going to same cafe every night.
She was used to the same old schedule, living with her successful mother, keeping to herself mostly, and going to school. Ruby was used to the always changing, unexpected life style. Alone with Just her mother, Ruby was always moving around until her mom left too. She as used to living on her own as a teen when abandoned by her mother for good. She was used to her mother’s unexplained absences, and her mother abandoning her once and for all was Just a part of the routine she was used to, chaos. But routines break and so does the chaos, opening up new beginnings.
We may have the routines that we stick to but everything changes; the only thing constant is change, which opens up new beginnings. Auden changes her regular routine when she goes out of her comfort zone and decides to spend the summer at her dad’s. Auden tries things she normally wouldn’t, feeling she missed out on a lot. She makes new friends and gets more involved with the people around her and mostly her family. Auden learns it’s never too late to do what she missed out on. With Auden’s new start, her and her new friend Eli make a quest to do what Auden’s missed out on, and along the way learn the true meaning of friendship.
Opening up for Ruby is difficult; she likes to hold things in; she does not ever express her feelings because with her upbringing she felt no one could be trusted; in her new home, however, she is learning that it’s okay to open up and take help when she needs it. Ruby, once being closed off, learns o change for the better; she starts to open up and reach out to others which she wouldn’t normally have done. It was difficult for Ruby to get used to such a new lifestyle, now in a big, expensive house living with her sister who she thought had abandoned her, with new people, new friends, new things learned and to be learned.
Both of the girls, Auden and Ruby, change and start off on new beginnings in new environments; they both start to reconnect with who they had been abandoned by. They are also starting to open up to new friends, some whom seem to be a little more than Just friends. Love is powerful and healing; it is all around us, and it is what helps us to keep on pushing through the hardships in life. Friendships, friends, or any relationships were the last thing Ruby was looking for, but over time relationships and friendships began to develop in the least likely of places.