Resistance is a virtue that we, as a westernized society, place a high value on. Enduring intense pain, struggle, or just plain unpleasantness, or even mustering the strength to resist an endlessly tempting pint of Ben & Jerry’s Chubby Hubby, is something to be respected, appreciated, and sometimes adored. History is full of examples of those elevated superhumans who demonstrated the ability to smile and bear it while turning the other cheek. Think of Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, or even the countless Christian saints revered for their sacrifice and strength.
It should come as no surprise that our reverence for those who endure has found its way into our storytelling. Stories of strength, overwhelming and physically excruciating tasks, and the ability to overcome adversity are the things that define our heroes. More importantly, these kinds of tales also define humanity as a whole. They represent not only our values and morals as mere humans, but also build social norms and rules that shape our societies. Again, religious figures such as Jesus and Buddha come to mind, whose teachings have shaped our perceptions of how we should act as humans for thousands of years. Consider the golden rule, a virtue found in almost all religions that urges people to treat others as they would like to be treated, as a kind of endurance test. Especially when you’re in line for the DMV. That bitter (and completely justifiable) attitude will only bring you more bitterness.
A classic literary example of courageous resistance, especially with religious overtones, is Nathanial Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, in which Hester Prynne, a young woman living in the Puritan area of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the mid-17th century, she is publicly punished and shamed for having a child with someone. who is clearly not her husband, since the guy has been MIA for a few years. As part of her punishment, she is forced to use the letter “A” to forever mark her as an adulteress. Yet despite her imprisonment, constant public shaming, and general disenfranchisement, Hester endures. A woman of honor, she doesn’t publicly reveal who the father of her baby is (she’s the town minister, by the way) to protect him and her reputation. Her love for the minister gives meaning and purpose to her suffering, making her a patient and relatively tolerant literary figure with religious overtones.
Another notable female figure of resistance is Antigone, Sophocles’ famous play about a young noblewoman whose morality and do-the-right attitude compel her to defy the king’s irrational decree forbidding the proper burial of her treacherous brother. Her courage and brashness is what largely defines her ability to resist, refusing to back down or take her sister out as a victor while she stands before the king. Although she committed suicide offstage while in prison, Sophocles implies that her action was not out of fear or desperation, but was another way of defying and frustrating the tyrannical king. That level of commitment and courage is akin to the virtues contained in our human ability to resist, which often go hand in hand.
The trope of female resilience isn’t lost on Harper Lee either, who created Scout, a tough tomboy character who learns that with femininity comes great strength and an undeniable ability to endure hard times. In one of the quotes from To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout discovers that her Aunt Alexandra’s insistence on courteous hospitality in light of Tom’s tragic death is, in fact, an attribute of endurance and strength rather than an hypocritical or insensitive display. Scout says, “Aunt Alexandra looked across the room at me and smiled. She looked at a tray of cookies on the table and nodded. I carefully picked up the tray and watched myself walk over to Mrs. Merriweather. In my best company mates. , I asked her if she wanted some. After all, if aunt could be a lady at a time like this, so could I.”
Our stories show us humans to continue and resist in difficult times. After all, it is what makes us human.
