Cross-Book Inquiry: "You're not dead, but you're not alive"

Cross-book inquiry
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind. —Dr. Suess

I strongly believe that Lia from "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson, is similar to Mclean in "What Happened to Goodbye" by Sarah Dessen. They are not dead, but they don't seem alive either. In my opinion, both of them are not being honest to the readers or themselves. Both of them are trying to forgot the past but is facing struggles to accomplish that task. They don't live life like they exist. It's like they are borrowing someone's identity because of fear that their true self would be discovered. In general, I think that there are similarities between Lia and Mclean.

For instance, first, they both suffer because of their past. Lia, on one hand, is troubled with guilt because she felt that she was the reason her former best friend, Cassie, had died. She felt ashamed for not taking Cassie's calls at the times when she needed her the most. On the other hand, Mclean suffers from being stuck in between her mom and dad. They were divorced, and her mother has already remarried to a better, more richer man. These two girls have their past haunting them and is surely affecting their daily lives. They are similar also because they chose to escape the fact that they have problems. I think that Lia relieves herself by cutting her body to manage her stress. Mclean lives by changing her name every time she and her dad moves to a new town because of his job (and they move around many times a year). She does this so that she can leave her past behind and not bring any flaws with her. She does this so that she could be whoever she wants, whenever she moves and not have to face her old memories. I feel that even though both of them don't admit that they are having trouble (like when Lia denies that she has obstacles to her therapist, and when Mclean refuses to allow her dad talk to her about her new changes), the evidence of them struggling is still there. What they have to do is open up their hearts and talk truthfully with someone they trust. They have to face their problems and overcome them. There will still be dust in the floor if you don't clean it well. To conclude, these are the similarities between Lia and Mclean.

Another example is that both of them also say the opposite of what they think. They pretend to be someone else so that their true names won't be involved. This makes me think that they cannot accept themselves for who they are. In "Wintergirls", I've noticed that Lia's original thoughts were usually crossed out, then replaced with words that mean the opposite. I feel that the crossed out words usually shows her real feelings but they are crossed out because she is trying to trick herself into believing that the uncrossed-out words are what she really meant. She's not being honest this way either. Also, in Mclean's case, the fact that she always have a different identity and character whenever she is in a another neighborhood tells me that she isn't being real to herself and the people around her too.

Dr. Suess, the man who best understands kid's feelings, had said. "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." I like this quote especially because it's like saying you should have the courage to stand up and declare, "this is who I am." People who truly care about you won't be bothered with your past. In another words, Lia and Mclean are connected in some way because of their personality.

All the things considered, I think that they are similar because of how they manage their issues. Unless they clear out the mess they have, they will never become their true self. Worrying and stressing over something that won't exist anymore is nothing but a waste of life. And you'll only have one life to live with too. This is makes me connect "Wintergirls" and "What Happened to Goodbye" because of how alike the characters are.