Topic > Literary Characters Who Have Faced Adversity

Jamais Cascio once said, “Resilience is the ability to overcome the unexpected. Sustainability is about survival. The goal of resilience is to thrive.” As an individual, you have the choice of how to react to unexpected problems, and how you react and plan your next move will determine your outcome and your future. Some individuals collapse from making a bad move and fail in the process, but some make a wise move and thrive and usually continue to make wiser decisions as they progress. There are exceptionally great people who have faced adversity and taken control of their future. These characters would be Minerva, in Julia Alvarez's novel, “The Time of Butterflies,” Katniss, in Suzanne Collins's novel, “The Hunger Games,” and Montag, in Ray Bradbury's novel “Fahrenheit 451.” Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayMinerva is a strong person who faced adversity and then took control of her life. Minerva shows how resilient she is in many parts of her novel. He once said, “We cannot give up” (Alvarez 269). Following up on his previous statement, he then said, “Adversity was like a key in the lock for me” (Alvarez 269). Minerva explains how the obstacles in her path help her open up her inner strength, which makes her determined, fearless, and a difficult opponent to face. Minerva is the type of person who likes to get the job done, no matter how bad the road is. Minerva got in trouble and said, “I'm not going to run away scared” (Alvarez 193). This quote shows that she is determined and courageous in completing her goal, she is not afraid to face intimidating obstacles that could stop her. Adversity will not stop this courageous person who is trying to achieve his goal. Adversity makes Minerva a stronger and more resilient person, which is why she can face adversity and then take control of her life. Katniss is another person who faced adversity and then took control of her life. When Katniss's family's sole provider dies, meaning her father and a mother who is in a deep depression over not being able to support her children, who could step up? Katniss, the older sister, rises to save her family. Katniss once said, “At eleven, with Prim as my equal, I assumed the role of head of the family” (Collins 61, eBook). As a result Katniss becomes the head of the family, with the survival and hunting skills her father taught her before he died, she begins going to the forbidden outskirts of District 12, hunts animals to keep her family alive, and becomes a tough girl and devoid of feelings. Living in the districts under the control of the Capitol, you must be strong and ruthless to survive, and being kind and gentle is a disadvantage. Someone could potentially take advantage of you and do their bidding. In one part of the first part of the novel, she shows that she sacrifices attachments to others to protect herself, except Prim, who is an exception. In order to survive, Katniss has adapted to not be sentimental. When he goes hunting to collect food for his family, he cannot hesitate to kill an animal that can be potentially useful food for the family, otherwise his family will starve. Katniss adapted to her environment and overcame adversity to keep her and her family alive, and that is why Katniss is a strong person who faced adversity and took control of her family. Finally, Montag is the last strong individual he has 28-34.