Are we on a Quest?

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Tom Foster's How to Read Literature like a Professor is a must-read of all those students taking AP English classes. He explains the process of analyzation and how a small object or event can have a deeper meaning behind it. To others, he might have changed the way he or she thought and analyzed while reading literature. But to me, he also changed my perspective about the world and got me thinking about much more than just reading books.

In Foster's first chapter, he talks about how many books make a character go through a quest, either directly or indirectly. Each book has a "(a) a quester, (b) a place to go, (c) a stated reason to go there, (d) challenges and trials en route, and (e) a real reason to go there." This was very evident in one of the latest books I read, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. The main character Santiago travels to the Pyramids of Egypt in order to find a treasure. He encounters physical barriers, such as being robbed and a language barrier, and also mental barriers, such as fear. However, the real reason that he took a trip was to learn about his abilities and his Personal Legend, or his destiny in life. 

We publish and read many books filled with important journeys. Is this because we might have our own quests or Personal Legends to fulfill?

We all have our own goals on where to go and what to be. Someone might want to go to L.A. and become an actress while another person wishes to settle down in Chicago as a businessman. While striving to reach them, we go through our own share of personal troubles, either a close death or a rejection of some sort. However, we push through our sorrows and aim to reach the goals that we set for ourselves. But did we go through that journey just to reach a goal, or is there another, deeper reason behind all that?

Comments

  1. dipika raoSeptember 28, 2020 at 9:03 AM

    Wow- I think this is a really powerful post. I also agree that the adversity many of us face is just as important as the outcome we strive for; in fact, in many situations, it defines us more than our accomplishments do. After all, many people are unable to overcome their obstacles in life, which goes on to shape their character as a whole. Great job!

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