What keeps you going? Through every form of adversity what is it that keeps on your feet? People will typically answer that question with vapid, yet very valid, responses: family, potential for success, happiness, some sort of goal. However, all of these ideas have a deeper root into a person’s reason for going on, as a sort of instilled mental train of thought. We all have a sort of mantra that drives us, and that may well come from our family, our goals, and desired mental states. This is also the case for fictional characters in most literary works.
Every story takes the form of a quest. Thomas C. Foster lists five things that make up a quest in How to Read Literature Like a Professor : “(a) a quester, (b) a place to go, (c) a stated reason to go there, (d) challenges and trials en route, and (e) a real reason to go there.” He adds that for the stated reason, the character fails and then finds the real reason they were there (usually some sort of internal learning). However he fails to mention how this quest is truly driven by the character’s mentality. The reason a character even has a stated reason, the reason they dont give up after faced with challenge, and the reason they find their real reason to be there. Every character has an internal mantra: a word or a phrase that embodies their view on the world and empowers them to complete their “quest.” This internal motto gets challenged and beat down, until their faith in it becomes questioned. Ultimately it leads to that belief becoming stronger and possibly taking on a new broader meaning.
In The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, Santiago, is introduced to the idea of fate. The mysterious king claims that the “entire universe will conspire” to help him achieve his “personal legend.” Santiago seeks a treasure, as that was prophesied to be his personal legend. This journey takes him years, and he constantly questions if his fate is true. In fact the very first thing that occurs is that a thief steals all his money and he wants to give up and go home. He tries to make enough money to get home by working at a crystal shop, but the owner of the shop shares how he gave up on his own personal legend. He also introduces Santiago to a word that he keeps remembering as a symbol of the idea that he will achieve his destiny. “Maktub.” It is written. Santiago continues to remember this word every time he questions his fate, and every time he makes progress towards it. Santiago’s treasure finally takes him back home, where he started. Foster predicts that every character has a real reason for going somewhere, and for Santiago it was him learning about how the universe was one and how he was one with it. He traveled all through various locations throughout the years, but his treasure was literally buried at home and he learned some great knowledge on the way. This quest furthered his belief in “Maktub.”
In Piranesi, by Susanna Clark, the main character is trapped in a labyrinth and his memories of the outside world are gone. In the years he has lived in the endless halls, he gains a respect for it. A respect for the life it gives and shelters, the beauty and symbolism of its statues, and the fact that it’s his home. He surmises that “The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; it’s Kindness infinite.” When his reality comes into question, this very mantra prevents him from seeking the truth about his existence in the labyrinth. This is his home, there is no need to question it. Everything that happens occurs because the house wants it to. But eventually he comes to reason that if everything happens for a reason, maybe these peculiar hints that something is amiss are meant to be noticed. Thus, his logical mind persevered to find the truth. Even when his reality is flipped upside down and he finally comes to the outside world, he notices the beauty of the world and notices people and ideas that are mirrored back in the labyrinth and again states that “ The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; it’s Kindness infinite.” This time the “house” also takes on a new meaning that includes the outside world and life in general.
Both these characters have a motto that is somewhat spiritual in nature, but that doesn’t always need to be the case. Think of Spider-Man:
In many iterations - comic runs, movies, shows - Spider-Man constantly questions this belief in himself from the adversity he faces. However at the end of each storyline he finds that it stands even more true. You can find this in so many stories, however ridiculous or serious they are. Think of any story and in some way, some more vague than others, you will find this in effect.
Although Foster didn’t acknowledge this “mantra” directly, he did point out that at the end of every quest, the real reason for it will reveal itself. Even though Santiago searched for treasure to leave his boring shepherd life and travel, and even though Piranesi wanted to learn more about the house and explore it, these aren’t the real reasons they faced their challenges. The real reason is the internal conflict and subsequent learning from all the events they face on their quest, and how that learning manifests itself on a character’s motto.
This concept is mirrored in real life. Although in literary works,that mindset is better portrayed as a simple phrase or word, for us it may be a little more complicated and less easy to express. Nevertheless, everyone has a adage that they take on as their perception of the world. This perception will constantly evolve as it gets challenged and supported by different life experiences. Our perception may even evolve with the literary works we consume. Someone who reads the alchemist may take a piece of Santiago’s opinion of fate with them. Someone who reads Piranesi may gain an appreciation for the little details of the world. We are an amalgamation of our experiences and that is what the evolution of our internal monologue proves to us. Imagine John Carpenter’s, The Thing, but with immaterial ideas instead of the gruesome assimilation of people.
