Avila 1

Anjalissa Avila

Professor Ditch

English 113A

2 April 2018

The Toughest Times Make ​A Person​ Stronger

To begin with, everyone has a story, some may have it worse and throughout time they

wish it can be reversed. ​In the novel, “​The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society​”, conveys

the way in which the characters Juliet Ashton, Markham Reynolds and other characters impact

the member of the society during the crisis that happened during World War II.​ ​The members of

the society are a secret group that write letters to Juliet and to each other during World War II.

Juliet Ashton is a ​writer and ​protagonist ​who built a relationship with the people who are part of

the Potato Peel Society​ and she is very trustworthy when it comes to the members sharing their

deepest challenges, especially with ​the fact that Juliet is able to relate to them because of her

rough past​. In comparison to the characters Juliet Ashton and Markham Reynolds from ​The

Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society​ both have the commonality of having a very

close relationship with one another. One of the characters, Mark, is in love with Juliet, but she

doesn't feel the same way and to Mark, Juliet was his world and one of the main things that

actually made him happy. Mark is not as happy due to the fact that he only only relies on

materialistic things in order to have his pleasures desired, but always getting what he pleases,

where ​as to with​ Juliet Ashton who had a rough past is identified as happy because of her

positive mindset when challenges come her way.

According to the novel, ​The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society​, the main
character, Juliet Ashton, would be identified as a happy character because of the person she is

today. Despite the fact that Juliet has grown up at a very young age and had a rough past ​because

of the abusive that her own family gave her and the constand moves from foster other after

another;​ she overcome these challenges and allowed to it impact her in a positive way. Juliet

Ashton is identified as a happy character in the name novel because of the relationship she has

with the members of the society. In the novel, the authors, Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie

Barrows, convey in the book, a letter from Eben Ramsey a member of the society to Juliet that

she is trustworthy and is someone who an escape for these tragic events that are occurring during

this time,”I was never going to talk-- or think, if I could help it--, but Mrs. Maugery said we

could trust to your judgement in writing about the Society during the war… you had such

kindness to send my friend Dawsey a book-- and he all but unknown to you”(62). The purpose of

the quote exemplifies that Juliet is trustworthy and bright as an individual because many people

in the society want to share their stories about the war with her. It shows that she's happy because

people are interested in talking to her about their personal stories and if someone is trustworthy

makes them feel better about themselves. In the novel, “Pursuing Happiness”, the article, “The

Sources of Happiness”, by authors His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler, both discuss

the inner worth of an individual,”I think without that feeling of affection and connection with

other fellow humans beings, life becomes very hard"(29). Thus, reveals that by looking at things

through a different social lens results to building a great relation with others and mainly with

yourself.​This portrays to having empathy for others because it would be easier for them to open

up when someone relates to the situation just like Juliet. ​ In comparison to both ​Pursuing

Happiness​ and ​The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society ​convey the inner worth within an
individual. Juliet demonstrates empathy for the members of the society because of her past. She's

been through a rough past, probably not as bad as the people who are writing to her because of

the war ​even though they are both going through similar situations.​. She has empathy for others

rather than sympathy because she knows what it is like to have a rough life, it might as be as

rough as the people that are going those the hardship reality of World War II. ​Juliet​ puts it in to

perspective that these people who are members of the society trust her enough to tell their story

about them being separated from their families and that they are forced to hide out since their

own lives are at stake​.

On the other,​Mark is identified as unhappy ​because​ he relies on pleasure for happiness in

which leads him to suffer internally. In the book, “Pursuing Happiness”, the author Matthieu

Ricard of the article, ‘The Alchemy of Suffering”, reveals about Mark that is not happy and is

suffering on the inside, internally, “There are not mere words but a reality that is an intrinsic part

of our daily lives:death,the transitory nature of all things, and suffering. Though we may feel

overwhelmed … powerless before so much pain, turning away from it only indifference or

cowardice”(36, Ricard) This shows that there will be things in life that we can not have control

over. In other worlds, is it is like when do not know when our last breath would be or how long

we will live. Of course we can get an estimate and always be prepared, but nobody is ever really

ready for anything. Life is something that we can not control and the only thing that can be in

control is how we live life and what can and can not affect us. Usually we let someone portray

and impact our life someway somehow, connecting back to Mark and Juliet, he relied on her for

his happiness and without her, Mark felt incomplete. In the article it talks about the the three

types of suffering and one of the main ones that Mark shows the most is invisible suffering
because he relies on materialistic things to make him happy.​ Invisible suffering is something that

we cannot see and something that we die, especially when it comes to having pain. It is more of

being self-centered and deniable.​Mark can have every single thing in this world, but still would

not be happy or satisfied ​because he is a selfish person who always expects to get everything he

wants, not to mention he does not express his feelings either to Juliet or anyone else.​. In relation

to Aristotle's article in the text, it conveys that in order to know if someone lived a good life is on

their deathbed. We would not know how great or bad our life was until it finally over when

either we are or are suffering anymore.

For the most part, whether if it is good or bad, people always have to grow through

something that can impact their lives. In this case when someone goes through a bad situation

they can be affected if it is a minor concern to others. Most of the time, some of the things people

do to overcome challenges is what gives them comfort. For example, to whomever they worship

like God gives them strength and comfort in any situation. According to the novel, “The

Bondage Breaker-- The Next Step, by author Neil T. Anderson, conveys in the text different

stories of people who overcame challenges that are involved with sexual abuse, eating disorder,

anxiety disorder, etc. by turning to God. In the text, Neil T. Anderson states, “People readily

share what they have suffered, but their testimonies go away beyond that. They share their inner

struggles and expose the battles raging in their minds”(Anderson, 8). This reveals that the stories

that people are sharing in this novel have experienced things that were traumatic for them, but it

did not stop them for being happy and helping others. This related to the character Juliet because

of the way she is with the member of the society. The members of the society worship Juliet and

writing to her is a sense of comfort, especially when they talk about their experiences during
World War II. In the book, “The forgiving life: A pathway to overcoming resentment and

creating a legacy of love”, the author, Robert D. Enright, mentions in the novel that despite the

challenges that people face some of the ways people overcome those challenges are methods that

are involved with forgiveness. Without any forgiveness it is difficult for someone to overcome

any challenge. In the novel, the author exemplifies, that in order to help others, you must see

things from another perspective in order give empathy for them (Enright,179) It is difficult to

help out someone if you do not understand how they feel when they are going through a situation

in their life. Similar to Juliet’s character is the reason why the members of the society trust her so

easily is because she is able to relate to them by her rough past ​like having to deal with foster

care and being away from her family and morially having to grow up at a young age. Despite

Juliet going through all these struggles, she is able to relate to the members of the society and

have that relationship with them so that they know that they are not alone.

In conclusion, not everyone lives the perfect life and something always happens to

someone whether if it is a small thing or the biggest things to some. Juliet and Mark both lives

different lives and different things happen to them, but Juliet does not let her past define her and

with Mark, it is not the same because he doesn't choose forgiveness. In order to help someone

overcome the challenges they have faced, it is up to us to have empathy for them so they know

they are not alone and that change can be made.

 Works Cited

Enright, R. D. (2012)​. The forgiving life: A pathway to overcoming resentment and creating a legacy of

love​. Washington, DC, US: American Psychological Association.

Anderson, Neil T. ​The Bondage Breaker--the next Step​. Harvest House Publishers, 2011.

“The Sources of Happiness.” ​Pursuing Happiness ​, by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Bedford/St. Martin's,

2016,

“The Alchemy of Suffering.” ​Pursuing Happiness ,​ by Matthieu Ricard, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2016,

Shaffer, Mary Ann., and OverDrive Inc. ​The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society​. New York:

Random House, 2008.