Self Realization
Self-realization, or the fulfillment of oneself, and a feeling of well-being after having accomplished something great, after finally achieving that which you set out to do. Countless numbers of books have been written on trying to help a person achieve self-realization, but that numbers no where near the amount of novels written with a main or supporting character, and that characters journey to finally find themselves, to realize what there true values are, and who they end up as, versus who the facade they started the story with. I have read some of these novels, and also seen movies that incorporate this same basic concept of slow character development, leading up to the final stage of the unrefined being that we started out with. In just the past year or so, I've read The Grapes of Wrath, Bless Me, Ultima, and viewed the movie "El Norte". All of these works use the same basic premise of a characters journey and eventual achievement of one goal, self-realization. This eventuality was not always the main focal point of the story, but was always incorporated into the plot, themes, and even view in some way or another. In Bless Me, the main character, Tony, starts out as a yo
Tom Joad decides to be an organizer, even though he could quite possibly end up dead, and deprive his family of their number one source of income. Tony finds that he has to find some truths on life out by himself, and has to realize what kind of person he comes off as now, and compare it to what he wants to achieve in life, and what kind of person he wants to grow up to be, and if it's the same person his parents had hoped, then so be it. "El Norte""El Norte" is a story about two siblings who work incredibly hard in the hopes of getting a life for themselves, but a rewarded with nothing but persecution and empty pockets. In the end Rosie dies, and the chance for a better life is wasted, but he did make the gallant decision to stay at her side. In conclusion, these characters all end up paying as a result of deciding to be a good person, which makes you wonder, what would have happened if they had made the other decision, and gone the other way morally? . They take a huge chance, and illegally go to the U. ung child with no real view on life but that which was given to him by his parents. I ask myself, was the choices each of these characters made worth it? Tony takes the high-road, and it leads (indirectly) to the deaths of at least a half dozen people. The Grapes of Wrath The Grapes of Wrath, on the other hand, offers a much different approach to self-realization, but ends up with the almost exact changes applied to the characters as we seemed to see in Bless Me, Ultima. Even though they end up this way, it is at the cost of much that is dear to them, for Tony, it is the many people close to him that end up dying as a direct or indirect result of one of his decisions, for Tom it is the possibility of his death, which will probably sentence his family to a life of poverty and want, and finally, for Gabriel, he gives up that which he wanted for the entire story, a better life, and legal status in America. Lets not stray from our main topic, self-realization. The main character, Tom Joad, just gets out of prison at the beginning of the book, and has trouble adjusting back to a normal life on the right side of the law. Gabriel comes to the aid of his sister in her hour of dire need, which obviously makes her happy, but does her happiness for a few seconds equal his loss of a great job, and a green card. Throughout the book however, the Joad family encounters an extreme amount of hardships, and Tom is slowly forced to take not only his place at the head of the family, but also take a place as a demonstrator, a fighter for the rights of migrant workers and tenant farmers, even though his friend Casy died because of trying to do the same thing.
Common topics in this essay:
Tom Joad,
El Norte,
Self-Realization Self-realization,
Ultima Bless,
Grapes Wrath,
Bless Ultima,
el norte,
bless ultima,
grapes wrath,
job green card,
green card,
characters journey,
tom joad,
main character,
job green,
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Acceptance Essays
