The author needed to resolve this lingering question in order to bring closure to the story. Although the kidnapping is central to the conflict, it isn't central to the theme, which is about family, honest communication, and perception. Janie learns much about all of these things throughout the course of...
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The author needed to resolve this lingering question in order to bring closure to the story. Although the kidnapping is central to the conflict, it isn't central to the theme, which is about family, honest communication, and perception. Janie learns much about all of these things throughout the course of the story, but to have left the secret to her disappearance unresolved would have been to overshadow the themes.