Written By Valerie Koh & Siti Sufiyyatun
American author Jim Rohn once said: “Reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary.”
When authors turn their experiences and ideas into novels, powerful messages and advice can be found in between those lines of their stories, awaiting readers to decipher them. Right now, let us slip into the world of classic novels with these stories that teach us about life!
Be warned – spoilers ahead!
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Jane Eyre, a gothic and romantic classic published in 1847, is often considered as one of the best novels of all time by people worldwide. This novel tells the story of Jane Eyre, a young orphan who was raised by her wealthy but abusive and cruel aunt, as well as her family. Jane is portrayed as a simple but strong and independent character in the story. Throughout the novel, the emotions and experiences of Jane were highlighted as she battled through the struggles in her life such as a troubled childhood, the turmoil she felt, the grim conditions of the charity school she was sent to as well as a repressed Victorian society.
This novel teaches us to stick to our principles and stand firm to our beliefs no matter what happens. In the novel, Jane stands true to herself even after going through a series of difficulties in her life. For instance, despite having a miserable childhood where she did not receive any love at all, she was still gentle at heart. She did not think horribly of all humans but instead, continued to believe that everyone deserved to be treated with kindness.
Later as she grew older, some of her moral principles were challenged, especially when she had to make a decision on whether she was willing to be the mistress of the married man she loved. However, she knew it was wrong for her to engage in bigamy so she decided to leave him. Through this story, we can all learn from Jane Eyre to stay true to our conscience and never go against the values we believe in.
Another life lesson we can learn from this novel is to remain positive, especially in difficult circumstances. In spite of the fact that Jane went through a traumatic life as a kid, she never lost hope. She saw a silver lining in everything. Her faith helped her through her tough times and eventually, good things did happen – she inherited a lump sum of money from her uncle, more than that of her uncle’s biological children and also managed to find her own happiness. In the end, everything turned out to be alright. As the saying goes: “Good things come to those who wait.” Jane Eyre really proved it to be right.
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
A Christmas Carol is a timeless novel about Ebenezer Scrooge, a notorious miser who despised Christmas.
On Christmas Eve, a series of ghosts pay a visit to Scrooge, a wealthy and cold-hearted businessman who loathes Christmas. The ghosts take Scrooge on a journey through time with him to revisit all the different people who played an important role in his life. During the journey, Scrooge was shown how his mean and miserly behaviour has affected those around him. At the end of the journey, he is reminded of what it means to have love in his heart as well as the true spirit of Christmas. This leads to him reflecting on his actions and changing into a generous and kind-hearted person.
From this novel, we are taught that bitterness and greediness will poison us. When Scrooge’s nephew, Fred, invites him to celebrate Christmas with them, he not only rejects Fred’s invitation but instead, gets offended by it due to the fact that he disapproves of Fred’s marriage and hates the idea of celebrating Christmas.
“The consequence of (Ebenezer’s) taking a dislike to us, and not making merry with us, is, as I think, that he loses some pleasant moments, which could do him no harm. I am sure he loses pleasanter companions than he can find in his own thoughts.” This quote by Fred conveys to the readers that holding past mistakes and grudges against someone serves no purpose at all as this resentment will never get them anywhere. Ebenezer’s bitterness had resulted in his own unhappiness. Hence, we should all learn to be open-minded and be more forgiving towards others as it will not only allow us to release the burdens in our hearts but also, makes us a better person. From there, we will also have the opportunity to discover a new sense of happiness.
One more life lesson we can learn from ‘A Christmas Carol’ is that learning begins with listening. Initially, Scrooge did not want to have any relations with the ghosts who came to visit him. However, once he understood that they had his best interests at heart, he willingly allowed them to guide him: “Spirit, conduct me where you will.”
Too often, we all are quick to speak before fully understanding a situation. But for Scrooge, he later learnt to trust the ghosts when he knew that they were there to help him become a better person. This novel teaches us that the more we listen before we respond, the more we can actually learn. When we learn, it gives us the potential to grow, expand our knowledge and also change for the better.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
To Kill A Mockingbird, published in 1960, is an American classic novel by author Harper Lee. This novel effectively illustrates social issues such as discrimination, lack of equality and human rights.
The story revolves around a six-year-old tomboy, Scout Finch, who lives with her attorney father Atticus and her ten-year-old brother Jem in a small town of Maycomb, Alabama. The main conflict of this novel is when Atticus was asked to defend Tom Robinson, a black man who was wrongly accused of raping a white woman. Everyone in town knew Atticus had little hope of winning as many residents of the town are racists. The story then shows the development of the trial through the eyes of Scout and her brother where both of them learn some valuable life lessons from their father.
An important life lesson we can derive from this story is based on its title, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ which is to protect the innocent. The title carries a great deal of symbolic weight in the book where innocence is destroyed by evil. The ‘mockingbird’ comes to represent the idea of innocence. Thus, to kill a mockingbird is to destroy innocence. Miss Maudie, the Finches’ neighbour said, “mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy…but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” It is a beautiful reminder that hurting the innocent is the worst crime of all.
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view – until you climb into his skin and walk around it”. This is Atticus’s advice to Scout – to not judge a book by its cover. It’s a lesson that proves valuable, as she encounters various individuals with different personalities throughout the story. With our world becoming more divided than ever, Atticus’s words remind us to reach out to others, to try and see the world from their perspective before passing judgement.
Nowadays, especially in a world where our personal lives are laid bare on the internet, it is easy to assume someone’s life based on their current circumstance or what little of their lives that we know about, do we actually know what happens behind closed doors?
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
“Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott is another one of those classical novels that everyone should read in their lifetime. This coming-of-age story follows the lives of the four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—and details their passage from childhood to womanhood.
The novel addresses three major themes: “domesticity, work, and true love, all of them interdependent and each necessary to the achievement of its heroine’s individual identity. The title represents the period in a young woman’s life where childhood and elder childhood are “overlapping” with young womanhood. Each of the March sister heroines has a harrowing experience that alerts readers that “childhood innocence” is of the past, and that “the inescapable woman problem” is all that remains.
It is no doubt that this women-empowering novel holds so many life lessons. One of them would be kindness is the greatest value which can be taken from a quote from the book, “the humblest tasks get beautified if loving hands do them”. This was illustrated when the sisters woke up on Christmas morning to find their mother, Marmee gone to help deliver a baby. They ended up taking their modest Christmas feast over to the house of a poor family, even though they don’t have much themselves. Kindness is one of the values of how Marmee raised her daughters and in turn they learn how to weave kindness in their everyday lives.
“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship”. Another life lesson from Little Women that may resonate with a lot of readers is that you can handle whatever life throws at you as long as you try. The mother of four teenage girls, Marmee is the epitome of this lesson. She is the true moral centre for the four March sisters. Her husband is a chaplain for the Union army and this basically makes Marmee a single mom the majority of the time. Somehow, she must navigate an uncertain world on very little money while at the same time holding her family together. She steers an emotionally charged household with four teenage daughters and manages to navigate an uncertain world on very little money while still raising her daughters with love and values.
Now that 2022 is here, how about we pick up a new hobby by reading some classical novels. So let’s start with these recommended books that we have listed above. Enjoy reading!
