Examples Of Resilience In We Were Liars

Why Resilience is an Important Trait for Teenagers Considered emotionally unstable, teenagers are often wrapped in their own warped perspective of reality and unrealistic “realistic” views on life. Consequently, minor troubles become major struggles in their eyes which can daunt them emotionally and mentally. The novel, We Were Liars by E. Lockhart depicts the tragic circumstances of the narrator, Cadence Sinclair, and how she shows that she is resilient by quickly recovering from her difficulties. This book proves how resilience is an important trait for all teens to have, shown through Cadence setting aside her brain damage and emotional agony from her accident and instead happily spending time with her most beloved group of friends; the

However, when she goes to Beechwood Island and spends time with her beloved Liars, their treasured moments together helps her forget about her physical and emotional torture even though it first left such a great effect, showing her resilience. This is represented in the quote,

“‘I understand so much that wasn’t clear before. My tea is warm, the Liars are beautiful, Cuddledown is beautiful. It doesn’t matter if there are stains on the wall. It doesn’t matter if I have headaches or Mirren is sick. It doesn’t matter if Will has nightmares and Gat hates himself.’” (Lockhart 202-203).

Cadence’s overly picturesque view of the Liars at Cuddledown in this quote conceals and erases their struggles and harsh reality. Cadence is able to keep that aside and focus on what pleases her. Even if it is mostly in the moment, she will still wake up from her idyllic dream to a hell but with a more resolved mindset. As well, Cadence being a Sinclair is another reason why she is resilient. This is due to their obsession with perfection; the Sinclairs are raised to always act flawless and normal, even in the most dire situations. This is shown in this quote where they introduce

especially by working hard and becoming successful” (American Dream, 2023). They describe themselves as the most perfect human beings in every aspect, and how no one is a criminal, addict, or failure. This can further prove that the Sinclairs are purposely dissociating themselves from anything that will make them seem imperfect, and therefore causing them to indirectly learn to become more resilient (Lockhart 3). There are many examples of how the Sinclairs’ resilience comes into play in the book. One prominent example is their attitude when a family member leaves or passes away. Instead of grieving, they choose to erase all their memories with the deceased and pretend that they have never existed, including Cadence (Lockhart 32). Another example is when Cadence’s father mercilessly shot her and left the Sinclair family for someone else. She was still able to be “normal” when her mother told her to “breathe and sit up” despite the sudden emotional and physical shock, Cadence could instantly recover and calmly watch her father leave (Lockhart 5-6). These two instances represent how the Sinclair family’s influence on Cadence turned her into a more resilient person because of their