Adversity

     Adversity is defined as facing any sort of hardships in life. In fact, most people face adversities every single day -- from the high-schooler's math test to an adult's challenging job. And although adversities can cause short-term stress, in the long run, you may find that your adversities have actually done more good than bad. A certain amount of adversity does well in helping someone grow as a person, but too much adversity can prove to be harmful.

    Many fictional superheroes have faced countless adversities to become the crime-fighting protagonists they are today. Take the billionaire inventor Tony Stark or Iron Man, for example. His character arc started when he was held captive by The Ten Rings, a terrorist group. He knew that he would die unless he fought back against them and rebelled. Because he was in a life-threatening situation, he decided to use his knowledge to do good for once by building his suit to escape, and to continue fighting crime upon his escape. He also realized that Stark Industries' weapons were being used by terrorists to inflict suffering upon the world. This realization shook him to his core and made him take up the mantle of Iron Man. Had he not been in this situation, he would've remained a rash and reckless child who didn't realize the impact of his actions. However, because he did face challenges, he became somber, more responsible, and he was more aware of his actions. Thus, facing adversity helps shape your character.

    Now, we will look at an example of someone who cracked under adversity: Vladek Spiegelman from Maus. Vladek is the father of Art, the author of the novel that took the world by storm. Vladek is a survivor of the Holocaust, and Maus deals with his experiences and how his trauma is felt even years after the end of the Holocaust. Vladek had to go through numerous horrors -- getting separated from Anja (his wife), going to Auschwitz, facing near-death experiences, etc. Many survivors of the Holocaust have said that it might have been better to die instead of live. Vladek, for example, faces survivor's guilt because while all of his friends perished in the tragic event, he survived thanks to luck. He then has to live with this guilt for the rest of his life. From his interactions with Art, the reader sees the effects of trauma on him. Vladek's behaviors are extremely irrational. For instance, because he had to ration supplies during the Holocaust, he is extremely stingy with his money in present day as well. His interactions with his second wife are also ungrateful and rude. The reason for these behavior changes must be attributed to what he went through in his haunting past. Thus, the adversity he faced in the past was too much for him and shaped his character -- for the worse.

    These two examples show that adversity is good when faced in moderation. Too little adversity leads to no character development at all, while too much adversity can break one's will to keep going. As Horace's statement says, adversity can "[elicit] talents from someone, but as with everything, there is a potential downside to adversity and harships as well.