The Alchemist Adversity

Adversity often challenges our core beliefs and our personal identity, allowing us to create a stronger sense of purpose in life. In Life of Pi by Yann Martel and The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, we explore how moments of desperation challenge and strengthen our beliefs. Alternatively, in Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut and Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu, we see how societal pressures attempt to restrict our unique identity. All these texts demonstrate how adversity allows us to develop a strong sense of purpose.

Our innate human instinct to survive compels us to form strong beliefs in divinity. In extreme circumstances, belief in a higher power provides us with hope and purpose, aiding our survival. Yann Martel’s Life of Pi shows how a shipwreck

I did. Faith in God is an opening up, a letting go, a deep trust, a free act of love–but sometimes it is so hard to love.” Pi’s confirmation of lost hope and difficulty loving God reveals the shipwreck’s challenging effect on his continued belief in religion. Martel’s use of Pi’s emotions evokes the reader’s empathy by placing readers in Pi’s shoes, reinforcing the vulnerability of our faith during dire circumstances. However, Pi subsequently creates a survival checklist, including “1 God” at the end of the list, and declares, “so long as God is with me, I will not die.” Pi’s desire to survive yields this symbolic display of faith, signalling his newfound resilience in the belief of a higher power. Martel uses this important moment to explore the significance of religious beliefs in providing us with a sense of hope and ambition. Furthermore, Pi reveals that “steady, mindful

Kurt Vonnegut’s Harrison Bergeron exposes a government’s effort to restrict civilians’ abilities, leading to individuals losing their personal identity and ultimately their sense of purpose. The narrator describes Harrison’s handicaps, saying he wore a “tremendous pair of earphones and spectacles with thick wavy lenses. [He] looked like a walking junkyard.” The visual imagery of the restrictions placed on Harrison amazes readers with the extent of his natural talents. Vonnegut uses handicaps to critique and show the dangers of overbearing control, resulting in a loss of uniqueness. This causes Harrison to form a strong disregard for the restrictions, prompting him to rebel by tearing off his handicaps like “wet tissue paper” and declaring himself the “Emperor. a greater ruler than any man who ever lived!” He also defies the “law of gravity and the laws of motion.” Through his rebellion, Harrison demonstrates his hate for conformity. The defiance of nature symbolizes Harrison’s uncompromising personality and his desire to be himself. Vonnegut omits details of Harrison’s personality before the handicap law, prompting readers to wonder whether Harrison would act so assertively if he hadn’t been subjected to such extreme restrictions. Additionally, when “the Emperor and Empress were dead before they hit the floor,” we see that Harrison,