Be True to Yourself, Not to your Trope by Madison

Be True to Yourself, Not to your Trope by Madison - April 2014 Scholarship Essay

Some read for work; some read for pleasure; I read for definition. In the muck of reality television and biased news accounts, the ability to sift through the raw information is one to be envied. Reading facilitates this ability. I have found that the context clues that exist in the pages of a paperback transfer to everyday life. This being said, it is important to find the right literature role models; they are not all gems.

In Kimberly Derting’s The Body Finder, Violet Ambrose is burdened with the ability to literally find dead bodies. I associate not with the nature of her powers, but with the execution of her response. Too often are girls encouraged by the princesses and damsels of the literary world, the Bella Swans and Princess Buttercups; Violet is not one of these female tropes. Violet remains true to her stubborn, independent nature, despite the influx of responsibility and chaos. More than that, she is not perfect. The flaws that exist in her logic, in her performance are what strike me the most. I don’t want a role model that sits at an unrealistic, unattainable stature. I want a role model that is just as strange and strong and imperfect as I am.

Characters should not be written as perfect people, as real life people are never perfect. Violet has influenced me by showing me that I can be flawed and successful. Violet does not change the world, but she does what she can. This reality is one that I can relate to. This reality is one that I can aim for.