These two books are both about two young women. This essay will primarily compare rather than contrast because there are enormous and important similarities between the novels. The main themes of both books are duality and patriarchy, which are also their similarities. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Breath, Eyes, Memory is a book that is mainly about a girl called Sophie. Sophie's mother left her with her sister Aties so she could go to New York to try to have a better life for her and Sophie. When Sophie was twelve, she received a plane ticket to New York from her mother; Sophie did not want to leave her aunt who was more to her than another mother to her. Her aunt insisted that Sophie leave because her mother needed her and there was no future for a woman in Haiti. Her aunt Atie said: “We each go to our mother’s house. This is what was supposed to happen,” because Sophie had no choice. Sophie had difficulty living with her mother. She referred to it as the worst moment of her life: “It was the most horrible thing that ever happened to me,” because her mother was “testing” her. Maman Martine was suspicious that Sophie was dating a guy and wanted to see if she was still a virgin. Nervous Conditions is a book about a girl named Tambu. The book is written from Tambu's point of view, and the beginning of the book makes everything interesting. She begins by saying "I wasn't sorry when my brother died", and the book is about the death of Tambu and her brother Nhamo because she continually talks about Nhamo and compares herself to him. Tambu's life begins after the death of his brother. She finally has the chance to go to the mission for school; a chance that she would not have had if her brother was still alive. Before her brothers die, Tambu tries to earn her own money to pay her school fees by growing her own corn, while her father and mother discourage her instead of doing the opposite. Someone ends up stealing his corn, who turns out to be his own brother Nhamo who, like the other men, thinks women should not go to school. The main theme of both books is patriarchy. Tambu always lived in her brother's shadow and was told that women should stay at home and take care of the household, not go to school. As his father once said: "Can you cook books and give them to your husband?" Stay home with your mother. Learn to cook and clean. Grow vegetables.” Because of this patriarchy, where only men and boys went to school to be educated, Tambu resented his brother. The patriarchal culture in which Tambu lives is so tenacious that Maiguru, Tambu's aunt who has a master's degree, does not even benefit from his education. The reason is that Maiguru is not a man. Breath, Eyes, Memory is also about patriarchy since all Haitian women are only worth something if they are not touched. It is also a sad reality that all women are tested by their mothers because it is their duty and mothers will be dishonored if anything happens before their daughters get married. Martine, Sophie's mother, said "there are secrets we cannot keep" after each test, to show that it is her duty and to show that she has power over Sophie because she cannot hide a secret from him. You can only fail the test if you have sex or break the hymen in some way. Sophie rebelled against the tests when she decided to stick a pestle into her vagina: “My flesh.