How Literature Shaped Me?

I can definitely say that because of studying literature for last five years, I am a whole new person right now. Literature or any form of art is a whole new and different world. It enables you to live as many lives as you want in your one life. It also enables you to meet thousands of different people, everyone having their own different personality. This reminds me of one quote by Jhumpa Lahiri, “That’s the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet.”

Literature has helped me to grow as a better human being. It helped me to understand my self and has given identity to some of my weird feelings. If I forced my memory to remember the first work which has left an impression on me, then I remember that it was Leo Tolstoy’s “How Much Land Does A Man Need?”. The answer of this question has drag me out of my comfort zone. From this to the poem “Joe and Woe Are Woven Fine” by William Black, has taught me to accept miseries in life.

Literature is made up of feelings, but it does not make people emotional fools. It does not teach only feelings, it gives you history the way no one gives. It provides you the critical eyesight which only few have. Derrida tells you that you can deconstruct the well built building by finding the loose stone of that same building only. There is no need to attack from outside. Literature has taught me that life is not black or white, it has grey shade. It has rainbow. The symbol of rainbow and queer theory has taught me to accept the things the way they are, even though it looks strange to some. It has taught me that nothing is perfect not even nature. It has taught me that there can be multiple views of same thing. It has taught me that there is nothing like one and only truth, it differs and every point of view should have given place some where.

Literature has made me an individual from the herd of Sheeples. Through Criticism, it has made me see which others can’t. It taught me that constructive criticism is not a bad habit, rather it is good habit of mind. Literature has taught me how to think. When I choose to study literature, I choose to study Humans. Humans are always complicated, but then even can teach you the great things about them. For example Gogol has taught me identity crisis and diaspora. Yank, Vladimir and Estragon has taught me existentialism. Existentialism is a weird feeling, I’ve felt it before but I was not knowing the name of feeling. Literature also has given name to those weird feelings.

Not only feelings, but it has taught me some harsh realities also. For example, Mr. Gessler taught me that how industrialisation has eaten up his business and how quality is sacrificed in mass productions. Pecola through her entire life, has taught me how racism works and how harmful it is. Oliver Twist has told me the situation of orphans in his time. Gulliver has told me about the politics of his time. Hester has taught me to stand alone and fight for our own rights. Lily Briscoe has taught me to follow the passion. Hamlet taught me to think and Othello taught me to act. Doctor Faustus taught me to seek the knowledge. Milton’s Eve taught me to question. Santiago taught me to never give up. Adrian taught me the importance of last art and Tony taught me to doubt our own memories. Harry Potter taught me that chosen one also fails sometimes and they also has to face struggle in their life. These all are characters of literature, but they all talk to me. They show me their world. They show me the history and also give me sense of not repeating it.

In these five years, I have learned so many things, which might take many more years for others who don’t study it. People will underestimate us because of our selection of “Arts and Humanities”, but after studying literature, we grew older mentally, not physically. We understand our self better and we understand others also better. It taught us to put our feet in to the shoes of one who is front of us. This makes us understand the different point of view. Literature also brings unrest to you. When you grow with literature, you are definitely different from others who doesn’t and there should be difference between those who study literature and those who don’t. To adjust your self with people of your same age but with vast difference in thinking makes you feel the anxiety. You start expect maturity of your level into others, but when you don’t find it, it disappoint us. But with this dissatisfaction, anxiety and unrest, we became strong. It taught us to accept. Now literature don’t teach only to accept, it also taught you to refuse and rebel.  With all these things we grow strong,  always stronger than yesterday.


Literature provides comfort to the people but it also has the axe to broke the frozenness inside the peoples’ mind. It drags you out of your comfort zone. It makes you feel the things which has never happened to you. It puts you in the situation of “To be or not To be”. But at the end it also taught you that, “Readiness is all”.

Literature has taught me not to be dependent on someone else. By doing that literature has made me free. Free from every shackles and bondage of life. It has given us wings and vision of Eagle and also the stamina to fly high. Literature has given me the meaning of freedom. So what is freedom? According to me freedom is there, where are choices, then acceptance of your choice and free will to act upon those decision based on that choices.

Literature is like an ocean. You dive in it, go deep in it and it will unfolds those secrets, which are buried inside its heart. After passing five years in literature, I believe that I have looked at ocean from outside only. I know what it looks like on the surface, still I have to dive and go deep in it, to know it more.

At the end I want to say that literature has made me realise the power of the words. It has provide me all feelings. It has expand my imagination and creativity. Literature has made me whole new person. Literature has made me water. Water which flows and which never become rigid.

 “But if these years have taught me anything it is this: you can never run away, not ever. The only way out is in” – Junot Diaz, “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao”.