I've wanted to do this for some time so I'm starting now. Occasionally a character really gets to me. Really touches me, changes the way I think. And when that happens, I want to write a letter to them, telling them how they helped me. So I'm starting with Elisa from The Girl of Fire and Thorns. I loved this book series and Elisa really spoke to me as a character.
Dear Elisa,
I wanted to write you a letter to tell you just how much your journey meant to me. You started off as such an insecure girl. I related a lot to you. As a young woman living in a society obsessed with being skinny, I could feel a lot of your pain. I'm not fat by any stretch of the imagination, but I have many days where I look in the mirror and hate what I see. Because I don't see the stick-thin model body I'm "supposed" to have. I like food. I like to eat. A lot. And I'm not like all those other girls who eat a diet of entirely lettuce. I just can't do that. Reading that you also love to eat, I instantly felt a connection to you.
The more I read of your story and the further along you came, the further along I came. I began to realize that it's not about what you look like to anyone else, it's about what you look like to yourself. I learned from you that I have to be the one to accept the way I look. I have to be the one to think I'm beautiful. It doesn't matter how many other people say it if I myself don't believe it.
You also helped me realize that it's not all about looks. Your strengths can come from so many other places. Elisa, you are such a fantastic queen and leader. You risk your life for your people and will do anything for your country. Even when half the people in the country talk about you behind your back or whispered about you when you first came to their land.
How do you do it? How do you fight for the very people that tore you down? I wish I had that kind of strength. When I was nearing the end of The Bitter Kingdom you said something that stuck with me. You said, "I'm beautiful to the one person who matters." You were talking about yourself. I cried when I read that line. I cried for you because you had come so far, but I also cried for myself. Because in that moment I realized that I am beautiful in my own way. Do I look like a Victoria's Secret model? No. Will I ever? Probably not. But that's okay. Because I'm me. From now on, the only person's opinion who matters is my own. When I look in the mirror, I want to like what I see. You helped me reach these conclusions, Elisa. You showed me that it's okay not to be perfect, that your imperfections are what make you beautiful.
Thank you, Elisa. Thank you for showing me that I am beautiful, no matter what anybody else says.
Your friend,
Rebecca
Are there any characters that have really affected you? Let me know who they are and why they helped you in the comments below!
What a beautiful letter! I never got around to reading the other books in this series but enjoyed the first one very much for many of the reasons you mention. Elisa is definitely a breath of fresh air in all these YA books.
ReplyDeleteThank you! You should definitely continue on with the series. They only get better after the first book. She really is. She is definitely the character I have seen the most growth in.
DeleteWhat a great idea! That line in The Bitter Kingdom was definitely memorable and so different from the usual YA books where the MC is always so concerned about how she looks to the love interest.
ReplyDeleteHave you read the Bloodlines series? It's not a big part of the story by any stretch, but the MC, Sydney, is really concerned with being skinny because she has to hang around naturally thin vampires (she's human) and it makes her really self-conscious and there's some discussion about that, which I thought was well-done. ~Pam
Yes, I absolutely loved that line. It made me cry hardcore.
DeleteI have not read the Bloodline series, but it is on my list. I love vampires so anything with vampires I will usually pick up. I will have to check it out. I loved watching the MC's grow from being uncomfortable with themselves to accepting who they are as a person.
Wow, I love the idea of writing letters to characters that have moved you, and I especially loved how simply and honestly you wrote about how you related to Elisa. I am going to read this series ASAP!
ReplyDeleteI think what Elisa is to you is Liesel from the Book Thief for me. She was the strong character who inspired me with her love of books and her love of people.
- Kritika @ Snowflakes & Spider Silk
Thanks! Definitely read it. The series is amazing!
DeleteI need to read the Book Thief! Especially since the movie is coming out soon! I've heard that book is super inspirational. :)