While escaping the world around us is not realistic long-term, having an opportunity to escape just for some time is a luxury that literature can offer. For example, during the peaks of the COVID-19 pandemic when the news media was reporting high numbers of infected individuals as well as spiking death rates, more and more people wanted to shelter themselves from the reality take a break from it. Therefore, there is usually a juxtaposition between the imagined world of a book and readers’ world around them.Īt times when the world is ‘all over the place’ and causes severe stress for people, having the opportunity to immerse oneself into the fictional world and spend some time with the characters of the story. Creating a contrast between the protagonist’s personality and external reality is among the most emotionally efficient means (Zirngast, 2021). A writer can show the optimistic nature of a fictional character in a variety of ways. One can say it is the ability to influence the reader’s mood is that makes a story good and memorable. It is no secret that literary works, like many other pieces of art, are capable of making an emotional impact on their audience. In this paper, the topic of optimism in literature and its impact on people’s outlook on life will be explored and discussed. Many writers have conveyed their own optimism to me to be a better person and inspire others to positively look at various life events. It can be said that the smiles of the imaginary characters helped me shape my current mental attitude to life. According to Scott (2020), “optimism is a mental attitude characterized by hope and confidence in success and a positive future.” (para.1). Plenty of well-known protagonists have this personality trait, for example, Forrest Gump. Perhaps it is because I read a lot of literary works where such an emotional component of character as optimism was crucial for the plot. Moreover, many of my relatives and friends often called me an amiable person.
My parents always say to me that I have been a smiling human being since birth. A smile is one of the few things that can inspire and cheer a person up, even if they are completely emotionally drained.
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