Endurance Beyond Survival by Charlotte

Endurance Beyond Survival by Charlotte - October 2025 Scholarship Essay

Sometimes books don't supply us with a happy ending, and instead teach us as readers how to keep living even when we feel we don't deserve to. I recently picked up a popular book I saw floating around social media, A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. The book follows four friends in their lives during and post university. A main character in the novel, Jude St. Francis, is introduced through his inability to accept love, and through him I was able to learn that healing is an act of courage, one that takes finding love to understand.

Jude St. Francis was a lovable character who has faced hardships in unimaginable ways. From his young age, Jude constantly faced trauma through abusive adoptions and unfair coincidences. Because of this, Jude pushed himself to accomplish great things with his intelligence, but as well developed intense self-hatred and difficulty in trusting others. Externally, his character was incredibly well-discovered and accomplished, however in contrast, Jude faced excruciating suffering internally. I found a new definition of pain through reading his story, and I now carry on a new discovery of what self-worth means for everyone.

Jude's story was able to teach me that strength isn't just found in survival, it's found it how you let yourself be seen through it. A second lesson I learned from his character is that everyone is carrying a silent battle, and it's important to carry respect for everyone because we never know what everyone around us is experiencing. I not only gathered more love for myself, as Jude was able to despite his hardships, but I gathered more appreciation for humankind, and the people I don't know, as they deserve kindness as they face their own obstacles that I can't see. Vulnerability can connect us all, just the same as silent suffering only isolates us. Jude's story often reminds me that even when life feels unlivable, the art of compassion makes it worth living.