Strength

Be Strong

Strength in itself is the ability to face reality. It takes lots of courage to walk away from your past and stay open to the future. Reality is in factuality- dark. It is ugly and horrifying. Lena, the female protagonist in the book series Beautiful Creatures and Ridley a supporting role are strong characters because they don't accept their future as predetermined; they face reality and show that they won’t bow down to such a twisted force. In Ridley's decision she is forced to stand up to her family and choose between good and evil. Lena must challenge the order of things and prove that despite the fact that her mother is the most evil and powerful caster in the world she can be light. Lena and Ridley show how strength can overcome any obstacle.

           

Ridley(Lena’s cousin) is a prime example of a character facing the reality of her situation and remaining strong enough to be herself. Ridley is constantly trying to find herself in the image that has been painted by everyone but herself over the course of this series. Her family declared she was evil because they were not strong enough to challenge the evil casters who have taken her soul. Her family abandons her.  How terrible it would be  to have your own family turn your back on you at the drop of a hat. Can you imagine how difficult it must have been for her? Ridley's difficulties don't end here, things get worst for her when the bad guys peg her as a traitor and send her away. In the end she creates her own image as a rebellious teen who cares too much for her family to turn her back on them- even as they shun her. She is strong enough to live on once she has been abandoned by both groups in her world. She goes through so much… I can’t imagine having a family who won't fight for you, stand by you and tell you that you have a choice in who you want to be. Yet, she fights alone and finds her way herself. She is strong enough to return and face her family and show them that she really belongs and loves them.

 Lena demonstrates a similar strength. She faces the reality of her situation- her mother is the most powerful dark caster of all time. Lena's mother tortures her and tries turn her dark. On several occasions Lena's mother, Sarafine, breaks through the protective barriers around Lena and attempts to kill her . Lena eventually gathers the courage to say that she won’t be dark… she will stand for what she believes in. Her mother Sarafine turns murderous when Lena chooses to turn her back on her. Sarafine attempts to contort reality around Lena to get her to change her mind. Lena is strong throughout this incessant violence. Lena stands by her decisions to not go dark even when it means that she has to watch her mother die in order to restore the order of things. It is difficult for her to watch her mother die, she knows that her mother once tried resist being evil. Imagine having a parent who  repeatedly tries to kill you for being who you want to be. Now imagine they killed many of your allies and friends. It would be terrible to have a  parent who searched for you only to torture you and bring you pain. If you had a parent like this  can you imagine trying to stand up to them and make your own way? Lena does. What would you choose? Good or evil?… and what if choosing good would cause one parent to die? Nobody wants that much guilt… especially under such extremes. However- most decisions don’t have so big a rattle.

It is difficult to imagine being abandoned by my family the way Ridley was; and  it is hard to imagine that if I were to choose good over evil I would have to watch my mother die.   As teens we all face pressure from society and from our peers.  I have first hand experience with choices between good and evil every day, but  I am not faced with decisions that have stakes as high as Lena and Ridley's. My struggles are smaller but I use my strength to choose the right path.  For example, I can sit quietly by as someone gossips about a friend or I can stand up for them.  I can watch another eight grader bully a sixth grader or I can speak up.  I choose to stand up for my friend who is being gossiped about and in turn I get gossiped about.  I speak up to the other eight graders who are picking on the sixth grader and they turn their attention on me- and begin cursing at me. Speaking up when I feel someone is being wronged is how I can use my strength to do good.  The message Lena and Ridley leave for young adults is to be strong and true to yourself.