Use these links to supplement and complement students’ reading of the work and to increase their overall enjoyment of literature. Challenge them to discern parallel themes, engage through visual and aural stimuli, and delve deeper into the thematic possibilities presented by the title.

Recommended Texts for Pairing

“Allegory of the Cave” by Plato (c. 375 BCE)

• A well-known section of The Republic of Plato, “Allegory of the Cave” uses allegory to theorize how people can gain knowledge and wisdom.
• ties into themes on The Importance of Imagination and How Humans Find and Create Meaning.
• "Allegory of the Cave"  on SuperSummary

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (1988)

• Coelho’s classic novel tells the story of a young shepherd, who dreams of treasure and learns valuable lessons from the people he encounters.
• ties into themes of The Responsibilities of Love and Friendship, Impermanence and Time, The Pitfalls of Modern Society, and How Humans Find and Create Meaning.
• The Alchemist  on SuperSummary

Holes by Louis Sachar (1998)

• Sachar’s young adult novel tells the story of a boy who is sent to a juvenile detention camp and saves his family from a long-standing curse through an adventure that bonds him with a fellow inmate.