AN EXEMPLARY LIFE A person who lives an exemplary life is someone others can look to when identifying ideals they value. This exemplary person is not faultless, but ultimately lives a life others notice and can model their own lives after. When thinking about a person like this, I immediately considered Alice Blackwell, the main character of Curtis Sittenfeld 's novel, “American Wife.” Over the summer I read this book multiple times and I realized the tale was so grabbing because of how much I admire Alice’s character. Alice is loosely based on the life of the former First Lady, Laura Bush. However, the novel is fiction and many circumstances and events are based purely on Sittenfeld’s imagination. Therefore, I am writing this essay on Alice
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She tries to understand her beliefs and purpose in life and accepts that she must do the best she can with the choices she’s made. In this way, she makes choices thoughtfully without rushing to conclusions. She thinks to herself, “Is this a choice I will want to live with the rest of my life?” She also knows and is comfortable with herself.
Alice does this several times throughout the novel like when she and her husband are having marital problems. Before reconciling with him, Alice thought long and hard about what she values most in her life. She came to the conclusion that she most cherishes her marriage and her family. Alice also uses self-reflection with thinking about religion and faith. As a child she believed in God and went to church every Sunday, but after a tragic accident she no longer attended church. As an adult she accepts the fact that she no longer has faith in God even when her husband is “born again.” At one point, when thinking about how her political ideals clash with her husband’s, she says, “My political beliefs could be summed up by saying that I think abortion should be legal and I feel bad for poor people.” Alice fully understands who she is and what things are important to
She tries to understand her beliefs and purpose in life and accepts that she must do the best she can with the choices she’s made. In this way, she makes choices thoughtfully without rushing to conclusions. She thinks to herself, “Is this a choice I will want to live with the rest of my life?” She also knows and is comfortable with herself.
Alice does this several times throughout the novel like when she and her husband are having marital problems. Before reconciling with him, Alice thought long and hard about what she values most in her life. She came to the conclusion that she most cherishes her marriage and her family. Alice also uses self-reflection with thinking about religion and faith. As a child she believed in God and went to church every Sunday, but after a tragic accident she no longer attended church. As an adult she accepts the fact that she no longer has faith in God even when her husband is “born again.” At one point, when thinking about how her political ideals clash with her husband’s, she says, “My political beliefs could be summed up by saying that I think abortion should be legal and I feel bad for poor people.” Alice fully understands who she is and what things are important to