Reading a novel can often be as simple as taking in the words on the page, yet many novels contain a profound meaning. For example, in the novel The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater, it is increasingly evident that perseverance is essential to accomplishing goals when faced with hardships and adversity. The situational archetype of Innate Wisdom vs. Educated Stupidity along with the character archetype of Threshold Guardian combine to further the overall theme of perseverance. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater is a young-adult fantasy novel published in 2011 that dives into the nuance and importance of perseverance as young adults grapple with life. The main characters Puck Connolly, Gabe and Finn, her two brothers and Sean Kendrick all encounter the frustrations …show more content…
Not all of them are fully prepared to make the steps necessary in order to survive on their small island. Because of the difficult quality of life on Thisby, many leave the island including Puck’s brother, Gabe Connolly. As he makes plans to leave, both Puck and Finn feel abandoned by their oldest brother. Puck is then appalled to find out that they are in severe debt and in jeopardy of losing the house they grew up in. In an attempt to save their home and convince Gabe to stay, Puck hastily decides to join the deadly and intense Scorpio Races for a chance at winning enough money to save her family’s home and keep her family fed. The race, however, involves riding on the flesh-eating and carnivorous water horses know for their unpredictable nature. As the woman to ever sign up for the race, Puck has never ridden on a water horse before and is