Failure Across American Literature

One of the story arcs our society loves most is the "comeback." Across American literature, television, and film, audiences prefer stories where the main characters overcome seemingly hopeless situations. For example, the sports team who suffers a devastating loss then rallies their spirits with a motivational speech and wins the big game. It is difficult to relate to a character who never suffers misfortune or failure because real life is full of obstacles. On the contrary, it is much more satisfying to see a character work hard to overcome their problems. Life, like movies, TV shows, and novels, is boring without conflict. For most of my life, I was afraid of failure and other hardships. I believed if other people saw me struggling they …show more content…
I then ran through my yard, through the door, up the stairs, into my bathroom to shower, and into my bedroom to change. After quickly getting ready, I raced back down the stairs. Halfway out the door to hang out with my friends, I realized I had forgotten to wash my tennis uniform for my conference tennis meet the next day, the second most important meet of the year. I ran up the stairs once again and scrambled my messy bedroom floor looking for my uniform. By the time I found it, I was already late for my plans. I made the last minute decision to leave it on my parents' bed for them to deal with, and I would text them later to make sure they would understand my intentions for putting the dirty, sweat-soaked uniform on their …show more content…
"There are lines from tons of other sports on the tennis courts. It's so confusing! Not to mention the nets are just volleyball nets. They aren't even attached at the bottom." "At least we'll be out of the cold," I replied optimistically. "Plus the sun won't be blinding me when I serve!" This positive thinking helped me hit some of the best serves of my life. In fact, we won every game I served. I focused on every little victory, so I could easily recover from every mistake. Upon winning this match and our next match, my partner and I became the conference consolation champions. Through letting go of my mistakes and thinking positively, we had made a comeback. A few years ago, my mom called for a family meeting with my brothers, my sister, and me in our living room. She sat on the couch with my dad, tears falling down her face. She explained how our cousin Mic's close friend, Shawn, had committed suicide. He had been in a situation he did not think he could get out of. He had felt trapped. My mom looked each of us in the eyes, still crying, and said, "I love all of you. Please, never believe that there is no other solution. You can get through anything with time. There is always hope even if you don't see it in the