Literary Studies
Travel Literature: Importance of Perseverance
Perseverance is an essential character trait for one to be successful or want to be successful in life. It means determination at working hard regardless of any odds or obstacles that may exist. It is the act of one insisting and be firm on getting something done by not giving up. However, the journey to success is robust and full of ups and downs; thus, perseverance plays a significant role in one’s life. The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway is an example of a novel whose story talks about persistence and its importance in a person’s life. Other examples of books that illustrate the importance of perseverance are Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe and The Crazy Horse Electric Game by Chris Crutcher. In the mentioned novels, the main characters are faced with certain obstacles that try to prevent them from reaching their full potential. However, instead of giving up on their journey of life, they face challenges but still keep pushing. Some had the hopes of making it while others were making something out of their lives due to perseverance. The paper will focus on these three novels and elaborate on the importance of perseverance in the face of adversity throughout their solo traveling journey.
Perseverance leads to trustworthiness as someone who shows no sign of giving up on something is meant to be trusted in completing the task. The old man and the sea (Hemingway, 1951) tells the story of Santiago, an old Cuban fisherman who had not caught any fish for 84 days straight. Being an experienced fisherman, this situation was devastating, thus made him feel powerless among his fellow fishermen. Despite being looked down upon, Santiago does not give up; instead, he sails into the Gulf Stream with hopes of catching something more prominent. Manolin, a young boy who looks up to Santiago does not give up on him, even when he is denied from fishing with him anymore, he trusts in Santiago with his hard work and perseverance he will accomplish something big. Santiago eventually catches a marlin, even though it gets eaten to be the sharks before he could show it to the other fishermen, the remains were proof enough to them.
Perseverance also gives one a sense of self-confidence and self-worth. This means that one starts to take full ownership of the goals they have set to achieve. The act of endurance makes one become a firm believer of their destiny being in their own hands and that they can control their fate. In The crazy horse electric game by Chris Crutcher (1987), he tells the story of Willie Weaver, a baseball player and the star pitcher of his team from a small town of Coho in Montana. Willie is treasured by most as he is the best player of the group; thus, the most is expected of him when it comes to giving the team their championship in matches. However, he is faced with a more significant challenge when he is involved in an accident that makes him unfit to play anymore. He goes into depression, which affects the relationships among the people around him. He runs away from home and the events that follow up his life lead him to be raised by Lacey, a bus driver. Willie goes through a lot in his life, but through perseverance, he works on redeeming himself by building up his self-confidence and getting back up. Despite his hopes of returning home to Coho and face his past fails, he goes back to his foster father with a feeling of satisfaction and dreams of reconnecting with his parents one day.
Lastly, perseverance heightens one’s motivation as it has been summed up to mean one is committed to their goal. Therefore, it enhances one’s values of their goals and increases their motivation level. When the level of motivation has been raised, it leads to incredible findings and broadens their knowledge about themselves and their goals. It is a significant fact that success cannot be achieved overnight as the road to it is a slow and quite dangerous journey at times. In the novel Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe (1722), we are told the story of Moll, a child born of a convict and raised by a foster mother. From a young age, Moll gets involved with men whom she marries for wealth, a situation she was forced to by circumstances of life. Being a widow left with children, Moll decides to find means to survive, thus passes herself as a fortune widow to attract a man who will marry her and provide her with security. The story progresses with a series of Moll in marriage after marriage and bearing children and leaving them as she went on. Eventually, after being forced to go into thievery, Moll finally returns home to her first soul mate to whom she repents all her evil doings over the years. She is forced into such a life with the ups and downs of life; however, with her goals in mind and knowing what she wants for her life, she perseveres it all and eventually settles.
In conclusion, perseverance is the key to a successful life. The success can be in terms of wealth, like in Moll’s story; she aimed at marrying a man for their wealth and security. The success can also be in terms of finding oneself, like in Willie’s case. He goes through a tragic journey of his life when he is unable to play again. However, the trip turns out to be a realization of his life, and his skills thus decide to turn around for the better. The primary point to remember is that one can do anything they set their mind to, but it takes action, persistence, and the courage to face your fears. Santiago aimed at succeeding even after 84 failures, but on his 85th trial, he was able to catch a big fish in the ocean.
Reference
Crutcher, C. (1987). The Crazy Horse Electric Game. William Morrow & Co.
Defoe, D. (1722). Moll Flanders. William Rufus Chetwood: Octavo.
Hemingway, E. (1951). The Old Man and the Sea. Charles Scribner’s Sons Print: US.