Mistakes are inevitable, but the lessons that can be learned from them are far more outstanding than anything else. As the Roman poet Horace once said, “Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant”, in which he implies that even the worst hardships faced in life can lead to growth in an individual. Ann Patchett heavily emphasises this idea in her novel, State Of Wonder, as the main character Marina Singh retreats and avoids her adversity until she is thrown into an opposite, unfamiliar environment that exposes and forces her to face high-stress situations and potential failure in return for mental growth. Marina wasn’t always the black and white, restricted character she depicts herself to be in the beginning of the book-she was actually a very passionate student that aspired for success. As a student under Dr …show more content…
She is riveted in place while the slide show of atypical cells on the high wall before her flicks past so quickly they nearly make a moving picture” (Patchett 11). Although this is who she was at one point, failure had made a point to shift her personality dramatically in negative ways. While working in the hospital, Singh has never had issues delivering children, but one patient in particular had put her into a stressful situation in which “she realized he was occiput posterior, looking straight up, the blade had caught his head right of the center at the hairline, cutting until she stopped in the middle of his cheek” (61). After leaving a child blinded, Marina knew that not only the patient was let down but so was her role model and leader, Dr Swenson. This major adversity could have been a potential opportunity for growth, but it is in Marina’s instinct to retreat even after she knows that her residency is not terminated and the patient had forgiven her. As Patchett explains, “Marina was a sinking ship and from the safety of dry land Dr. Swenson