Doubt Crawls In by Erica

Doubt Crawls In by Erica - October 2021 Scholarship Essay

In so many stories, love is supposed to conquer all obstacles. "Orpheus and Eurydice" written by Edward Eaton, tells the tale of two people who represent two sides of the same coin. Orpheus was an optimistic young boy who wore his heart out of his sleeve. Eurydice was a young woman who knew how cruel the world could be, and who was always looking after herself. They fell in love, but when Eurydice was bitten by a snake and sent to the Underworld, Orpheus was stricken with grief and took it upon himself to bring her back to life. He goes through trials and tribulations in order to reunite with his bride, and when they are finally together again they are intercepted by Hades, who had one more test for them. He told them that they must trek back to the Overworld together, however, they could not walk together as they had planned. Orpheus must walk ahead of Eurydice, and if he turned to see if she was still behind him, Eurydice would be sent back to the Underworld and they would never see each other again. After almost making it to the end of the path, Orpheus was unable to shake the doubt that Hades had tricked them, and that Eurydice was not actually following behind him. He turned to check, only to see that his wife was indeed only steps behind him. As per Hades' promise, the young girl was sent back to the Underworld, and Orpheus was sent back home to never see his bride again.
This tragic tale teaches so many lessons and holds a lot of hidden meaning. Orpheus and Eurydice switch roles at the end of the tale, where the former turned from optimistic to skeptical and the latter became hopeful that her husband would not turn to face her. These characters teach that trusting in each other goes such a long way, and acknowledging seeds of doubt in yourself never helps when trying to accomplish your goals. This story also teaches how important it is to balance both kindness and fierceness. Too much of either ended up being the downfall of either character, as it was Orpheus' naivety that told him to travel to the Underworld in the first place.