Indomitable

Traveling in a canoe in Okefenokee -the land of trembling earth- from Moniac to the St. Mary’s River. This was one of the 10 wishes on Abigail’s list, and Doss Michaels was willing to make it all come true.

Abigail Grace Coleman and Doss Michaels, the two main characters of Where the River Ends by Charles Martin, were on two completely different paths until they met. Abigail was a model, aspiring interior designer and the senator’s daughter, while Doss was a fishing guide and a struggling artist. Since their meeting consists of him saving her during a burglar attack, he immediately goes up a notch by becoming the town’s hero. They fall in love and experience the different worlds in each other’s lives. Although on the surface it appears to be just another common romantic story--two adults from different social status fall in love and have conflict with those who oppose--this novel is quite the contrary. As you get further into the book, the problems and situations become more complicated and realistic.

The “second part” of the story in Where the River Ends depicts the problems they struggle with and how they face them. Abigail is diagnosed with cancer, and even though they relentlessly see the best doctors and receive all known treatments, the disease remains indomitable. Everything starts falling apart; her family feels useless; her friends stop talking to her little by little; her career is over. The only thing manifest from her unfortunate condition is her relationship with Doss. Even though her appearance deteriorates, he stands by her, faithfully and with unconditional love and support. The fact that she has a terminal disease does not change how he feels about her, while knowing he will lose a lot more in the end.

They both go on a trip, despite the consequences they know they will have to face later. They go according to Abigail’s list: to ride an antique carousel, to loopty loop in an old plane, to sip wine on the beach, to go skinny-dipping, to swim with dolphins, to wet a line, to pose, to dance with husband, to laugh so hard it hurts, and to travel the river all the way from Moniac. Throughout their journey, the things on the list are easily accomplished and are not physically demanding. However, it is the dangerous experiences they encounter that become life threatening: from the bad weather to the lack of medicine to even crazy hunters. In the end, Abigail and Doss are convinced it was all worth it.

Charles Martin writes a heartwarming and romantic book, which is also full of suspense and action. He provokes the reader to be cognizant that even in the worst of times love can surpass all barriers and prevail. Doss came to realize that despite Abigail’s illness, she had provided him support through the tribulations as if he was the afflicted one. She was the one that kept him afloat, and he learned that the trip wasn’t really for her but for him. It was her way of helping each other in this difficult time and giving him memories of what could be their last adventure together. In the end, Abigail proves she is the one indomitable, not her illness.

Anything is Possible

The movies Freedom Writers and Capote are two completely different movies in the sense of the genre, topics, and the actions portrayed throughout the film. Capote is about the investigation by Truman Capote about the murder of a family for his soon-to-be-famous book which, at the end, tears him apart emotionally. While Freedom Writers is a story about how a teacher affects the lives of her students, who thought they could do nothing better in life than just try to survive day to day, and how they also change her life as well. Although these true stories seem to have nothing in common, they contain similar ideas and messages that make the viewer realize that by being determined a person can pretty much accomplish anything.

Comparing these two movies one sees that both of the main characters love what they do, and they fall in love in the process. One could practically say that they fall in love with their “projects,” but in different ways. Capote falls in love with the guy who committed the family murder and talks to him in order to get the story straight, with all the right details, for his book. He connects with the convict through their conversations, their likes, and their thoughts. He also relates with his past and turns this work-relationship into a friendship, and perhaps even more. Although it’s strange for him to fall in love with someone who has done such a terrible thing, he is a peculiar guy and finds all of this comforting.
Mrs. Gruwell, the teacher in Freedom Writers, falls in love with her students, but in a family sort of way. She becomes close to these kids because she realizes the struggles they’re going through and she is determined to create a way for them to forget their problems and to make an effort for a better life. Unlike Capote’s case, which is not clear if the killer loved him in return, Mrs. Gruwell’s students appreciated and loved her in the end.

Although they were both successful with their goals, Capote getting In Cold Blood published and Mrs. Gruwell having a great start with the beginning of her teaching career and helping these kids see their potential, they both had to make sacrifices. Capote practically sacrifices his life, he uses eight years to write this book, falls in love with someone who at the end was sentenced to die, writes no successful books after this one, and becomes an alcoholic which, in the end, causes his death. Mrs. Gruwell also makes sacrifices, although not as drastic as Capote. It causes her marriage to fail, which may have been for the best, and it also puts her life and job at risk.

At the end, these two movies show how being determined can make you realize your goals. Even though others try to put you down or don’t believe you can make it, if you try hard enough you can accomplish anything you want. But with every good comes a bad, the question is if it is worth it.