A Character to Remember by Brittney

A Character to Remember by Brittney - April 2014 Scholarship Essay

A character that has influenced me is Jamie Sullivan from the book A Walk to Remember. This character has influenced me because she was true to herself, stuck with what she loved, and cared about people. The book itself was one of the best I have ever read, but it was the character Jamie that influences me and makes me want to be a better person.

Throughout the whole book she was true to herself and that is one of the ways she influenced me. Other characters made fun of her because in the beginning she always wore the same ugly sweater, but yet she did not change into someone who would wear provocative clothes or get mad, instead she would walk around with a smile still be nice to those same cruel people. Also, being very religious she did not really do a lot with her appearances and walked around with a bible and other students in the high school made fun of her for that as well. No matter what other students made fun of her for she did not change, she had the bible up until she gave it to the love of her life when she was dying and wore that sweater until the same guy bought her a newer one. She was true to herself even though those situations were probably not easy. Personally when I was reading the book I was getting angry for her, there is no way I could have just taken all of that criticism especially when she is dying on the inside from cancer. However, by the end of the book I saw that her positivity and not letting these things bother her just shows she is true to herself and I should be too.

Sticking with what she loved is another way the character Jamie Sullivan influenced me. In this generation everyone is always changing one minute they like to do sports the next go partying. People are always changing what they like according to what is “in” or what group of people they hang out with and it should not be like that. She kept her passion in her faith during the book not changing when people made fun of her, or when she got her boyfriend, or even when she found out she was going to die. She had such a strong passion for what she believed in that in the book others questioned it like her future husband and by then end he was inspired her and her consistent faith. Jamie even took her love for her faith and religion one step further by being actively involved in the church such as singing in the choir and doing a church even to help orphaned children. Jamie really inspired me to stick with what I love which is cooking and working out. I was always on and off about it saying things like I don’t feel like doing it or not going to the gym to hang out with friends, but if I really love it I learned you have to stick with it. Ever since reading this book I have stuck with my passions and even got my parents to get involved at the gym. None of this would have been possible without Jamie Sullivan and her faith.

Now in my generation people are only looking out for themselves and what benefits them the most which is sad to know if you do not contribute anything to their life they do not want to socialize with you.
However, the character Jamie Sullivan showed me you need to care about people no matter what. None of the people Jamie helped out contributed anything to her life except the smiles they gave her but that did not stop her from caring about them. In the beginning of the book she cared about her fellow classmate Landon (her future husband) enough to help him out when he needed it despite the fact that him and his popular group of friends were always teasing her. You have to care about people no matter who they are to you or even if they are strangers because that helps to show you are the good person with a heart. Plus, someone might not know you care about them until you show it and it could lead to a great friendship or even possible romantic relationship like with Jamie and Landon. Now no matter whom it is I try to be nice to them and show I care even with little gestures so maybe they’ll feel happy and return it back to another stranger.

During the past few years of my life there have not been a lot of people to influence me, but as soon as I finished reading the book A Walk To Remember I knew I found someone who would always have an influence on my life. The character Jamie Sullivan influenced me by she was true to herself, stuck with what she loved, and cared about people no matter who they were. It does not matter if someone teases or criticizes me now because I am happy with myself and know they just need someone to care about them. Even though the character is not real, she is to me and is one of the most influential people who can show you a little about yourself.