Where would you rather live—in a bustling city with lots of activity and action or a laid-back country setting with a slow-paced way of life? For Ty and Gemma in Stolen, their totally different answers to this question are one of the biggest ways they're different from each other. You just can't get too much farther from London than the middle of the Australian desert. There's a bit more to this, though: Each character's perceptions of rural and urban locations come from the experiences that have shaped them—thus shaping their understanding of the contrast between these two regions, too.
Questions About Contrasting Regions
- How do the geography of London and Australia shape Gemma's and Ty's upbringings? Do you notice any patterns?
- What are the most striking differences between the desert and more populated areas like Bangkok or London? How does Gemma adapt to them?
- How might Gemma's and Ty's family backgrounds play a role in how they see the places that they're from?
- Ultimately, how are Australia and London similar? What about these regions give Ty and Gemma something in common?
Chew on This
Ty largely sees the city through the lens of his traumatic relocation there as a child.
The theme of contrasting settings ultimately reveals that what's on the surface isn't always the whole story.