How Books Affect Selina's Attitude

From a young age, books have influenced Selina's attitudes. She reads a lot while her father is away and these books provide her with an escape from her loneliness and with ideas that she wouldn't otherwise have encountered. Her father impresses on her the idea that life is to be lived as an adventure, which cements in Selina's young mind the idea that she can live the way she sees the world through the books. An early example of this is seen after Selina reads “Pride and Prejudice.” She decides that she's going to be an author like Jane Austen and she begins to act mysteriously, as if she has a deep secret. She finally confides in her best friend, Julie, that she wants to be a writer. Julie isn't that interested in books but tries to be supportive.

Later, Selina goes...