Character Development:

In the novel, the four main characters have tragedies behind and ahead of them and each of them deals with them and develops from them in their own way.  The characters in the novel use these tragedies and unforeseen events to develop in such a way as to find and individualize themselves. Through this, each character becomes confident enough in who they are in order to confront their past and future.

Example:
“She felt outside of herself, outside of them” (Brand, 69).

·         Characters feel  during their development
·         lost and unsure of their identities due to the broken families and pasts
·         feels as though she does not know herself as an individual or as a part of her family

Example:
“She had resolved to go see her father and tell him to bail Jamal out. Make him bailout Jamal” (Brand, 237)

·         many years with minimal contact with her father and stepmother
·         Carla has individualized herself
·         feel confident and comfortable enough to confront her father
·         adult to adult rather than daughter to father.

                                          Theme:
Crossing borders …. Become their true selves
“Trying to step across the borders of who they were. But they were not merely trying. There were, in fact, borderless” (213)

Example:
·         Moving out (leaving family)

“they had to maintain a solid front in their objections to Tuyen moving out” (Brand, 14).

·         Attempt to escape her broken family
·         develop herself as an individual separate from her
·         cut ties with her family and upset her parents
·          felt as though it was something she needed to do for herself

Twitter, Facebook, Google, Instagram are all examples of major networking sites and they all have many registered users, and a great majority of them are teenagers. However,  something these major networking sights do not communicate to teens is how their actions on the networks will effect their digital footprint and future. Everything one does online becomes a permanent part of his or her digital dossier. A digital dossier is collection of all of one's online activities in a personal file that can be accessed by others and big companies. For many reasons, one would most likely prefer to keep a positive digital dossier. Whether it be applying for jobs, university, or just plain public reputation, a positive digital footprint can go a long way. A positive digital footprint can be attained by being aware of what is being posted,  counterbalancing negative or irrelevant content with positive online interactions, and not allowing friends to have control over your online identity. Firstly, be aware of what your posting. Although, there is a difference between being aware of your online interactions and being too cautious of your online postings. Before submitting or sending content over the internet be sure it contains the right representation of you for the world to access. Make sure unwanted or false content is not submitted under your name to protect your online reputation. Secondly, counteract any negativity with positive content and interactions. As a human being, it is natural for one to make rash decisions and post things without a second thought. If this ever occurs, it is easy to counteract. One can do online reviews, blogs or other positive online outputs. The point is to create positive online footprints that overpower or at least match any negativity on your online profiles. This can create something for possible future employers, post-secondary schools, and friends to see that provides one with a positive online reputation. Lastly, one should not allow friends to control their digital footprint. Every action posted to ones profile, commented on a picture, or a tagged photo, adds to your digital dossier. This means that everything that one's peer's do online that they are somehow linked to can effect their online reputation. Hence, if one can find negativity due to activity of peers and friends, one should ask that it be removed so it does not hinder the positive online dossier that they have worked so hard to create. In conclusion, every interaction and post completed over the internet contributes to the online footprint that can help or hinder one's future and one should be protective of this footprint by being aware of their online activities, counteracting negativity with positive content, and being cautious about interactions with friends and peers over online forums and networks. A lot of the time, one's digital reputation is the first impression they have on others, so it is only reasonable for him or her to want it to be a positive one. 

Group Seminar - Clash of Cultures 

Classism (Rich and poor cultures)
Light
-classism develops in the country of India creating two separate places within the country, the lightness and the darkness
 -the light side has more darkness in the soul of the people
-light side is more wealthy and therefore is considered generally better
 -the “light” side believes they are higher and more important than the dark side due to cultural beliefs and developments
-however, light (kind) hearted people live in the darkness 
“These poor b******* had come from the Darkness to Delhi to find some light- but they were still in the Darkness.” (138)
“You see, I am in the Light now, but I was born and raised in the Darkness. . . . India is two countries in one: an India of Light, and an India of Darkness” (Adiga 
11-12)


Racism (Different nationalities and cultures)
China:
-constantly making racist remarks due to their skin colour 
-compares their economic and industrial systems
-believes China is rich
-believes China should learn entrepreneurship from the Indians
 “I don’t exactly know how you organize your servants in China. But in India - or at least, in the darkness - the rich don’t have drivers, cooks, barbers and 
tailors. They simply have servants” (Adiga 58)
“Out of respect for the love of liberty shown by the Chinese people, and also in the belief that the future of the world lies with the yellow man and the brown man now that our erstwhile master, the white-skinned man, has wasted himself” (Adiga 
4)
“White men will be finished within my lifetime.There are blacks and reds too, but I have no idea what they’re up to…My humble prediction: in twenty years’ time, it will be just us yellow men and brown men at the top of the pyramid, and we’ll rule the whole world” (Adiga 262)

America
-different morals
“America has made buggery perfectly legal in their country, and men are marrying other men instead of women…Then white people use cell phones too much and that is destroying their brains” (Adiga 262)