As a result of my passion for literature and helping others, this article is longer than my other writings. For the sake of easing navigation I will be posting each piece of advice and the related works of literature in the order they appear so the reader may pick and choose which ones to look further into or just read them all.

Existence is what you make of it from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Never forget from Beloved by Toni Morrison.

Injustice is unacceptable from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas.

Everyone is wrong and everyone’s experiences are valid from Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe.

Adult logic is illogical from Catch-22 by Joseph Heller and Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

Question authority figures and the justice system from Inferno by Dante Alighieri and The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Do what you want and break away from societal norms and don’t let what society thinks you should be be who you are from A Visitation of Spirits by Randall Kenan, Summer by Edith Wharton, The Awakening by Kate Chopin, Daisy Miller by Henry James, and To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf.

It’s okay to want to get away from your family from Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet both by William Shakespeare.

Question “the truth” from Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare.

Don’t be afraid to be passionate and honest from The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde.

Hitting rock bottom is okay because you will be fine from The Odyssey by Homer.

Everything is connected from How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster.

Existence is what you make of it from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

If you stubbornly live in the past, you’ll never be able to move forward. Rather your present will be haunted by the problems of the past and things that will never be again. You’ll find yourself continuously disappointed when what seems to be an opportunity to relive the past manifests itself instead as a new, different experience entirely. On the other hand, if you hold on and attempt to conform your life to an impossible standard fed to you by society by as the ideal, you’ll never find peace or feel content. The superficial values prioritized everywhere are simply distractors from the trauma we face everyday, and while it may be easier to ignore trauma, the long term effects of the action are disastrous as we forget the mistakes we made and lose our humanity.

Never forget from Beloved by Toni Morrison.

While this may seem contradictory to the advice above, it is important to realize the effects trauma has on us even if indirectly. Forgetting the trauma of another group invalidates their experiences and the ability to do so is in and of itself is a privilege that allows mistakes to repeat. Forgetting one’s own trauma allows self-invalidation and/or self-hatred as individuals experience and inadvertently believe “facts” fed to us about ourselves that build on and reinforce or regurgitate our past trauma. Simply put, acknowledging trauma and its inability to be erased allows us to move forward and ponder how best to function in and reform a society that has allowed and/or actively perpetrated trauma.

Injustice is unacceptable from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas.

Sometimes when something happens but not to us, we turn a blind eye. Sometimes when something happens to us, we accept it despite our feelings because “that’s the way it is.” Both of these approaches involving inaction allow perpetrators to exercise injustice without recourse. While revenge may not always be the answer, allowing a system of unjust power imbalance to continue without opposing advocacy actively allows oppression and the silencing of voices. Your body knows when something is wrong and it is so important to listen to it. However, instead of acting impulsively, attempt to comprehend your feelings, their cause, what that cause and your reaction mean about your situation, and how to amend your situation relating to what has occurred.

Everyone is wrong and everyone’s experiences are valid from Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe.

This particular novel is complex to derive advice from for me because it displays the multidimensional nature of the individual contrary to the black or white thinking prevalent in our society that coerces us to label individuals, groups, cultures etc as all bad or all good. That being said, we all do bad things and good things but I don’t find it productive to label an individual as good or bad: rather I believe in contemplating actions and their effects and motivations. It is important to spend time reflecting on yourself and what you do/feel and asking why you do/feel it. It is also important to truly and actively listen to the experiences of others and not question the validity of their feelings/experiences. After reflection, it helps to create conversation about actions and experiences and their effects so as to explore the greater role of the environment and its influence on the individual.

Adult logic is illogical from Catch-22 by Joseph Heller and Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

Novels like Catch-22 and Alice in Wonderland are difficult to analyze because the logic systems in place at first glance are bizarre and nonsensical. Upon further examination, the illogic is entirely and completely logical if not purely childlike and untainted by societal, adult logic. Adult logic informs us of “realities” that certain lives hold more value than others and the value of a tragedy is measured by body count and demographics. Child logic states ice cream tastes good for breakfast which justifies having it for breakfast and, technically, it does. Though power dynamics from a young age convince us of our illogic, it may be more helpful to point out and question adult logic until it doesn’t make sense because it sometimes doesn’t.

Question authority figures and the justice system from Inferno by Dante Alighieri and The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

It’s so jarring to grow up and realize that our heroes aren’t or never were the saints we thought them to be. We keep finding that the actors in our society who are meant to protect or lead us are really endangering us or hindering our progress. Often these figures are the ones with the power to define who is good and bad in society and how they ought to be punished but they do so without the intention to protect us but rather to shape society into one that grants them privilege institutionally. Part of the reason we are so shocked to discover the imperfections of our authority figures is because we are taught not to question them but unless we question them and hold them responsible as equal humans rather than powerful figures above us, we will always fear/idolize them and seek their approval when they do not deserve that power over us: no human does.

Do what you want and break away from societal norms and don’t let what society thinks you should be define you from A Visitation of Spirits by Randall Kenan, Summer by Edith Wharton, The Awakening by Kate Chopin, Daisy Miller by Henry James, and To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf.

Part of the reason societal norms are in place are to create systems of power where those who do not or cannot adhere to the norms become disadvantaged. They are an attempt to control certain individuals and give others privilege. It can be difficult devaluing the judgement of those mindlessly conforming to societal norms in place of your own comfort and you may feel inexplicably but once realized that it is one of the only aspects holding you back from doing what you please, you’ll find the limits on your happiness and independence pushed far and away.

It’s okay to want to get away from your family from Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet both by William Shakespeare.

Problems within toxic family situations aren’t talked about much in our society and are treated as private, personal problems. However the dynamics within a family can be highly related to aspects of culture which, in turn, makes it a societal problem. Our families give us parts of our identity from our political leanings to our ideas about gender, and, as children, we often accept them at face value as they are our only or primary sources of information. As we become independent however, it is crucial to realize the intentions behind the information we receive may not always be benevolent, or, even if well-intentioned, the information may be harmful to individual development or interpersonal relationships. Sometimes, family dynamics are intentionally constructed to target an individual or group within or outside the family. If you know better but your family is hindering your progress or has or continues to hurt you, there is nothing invalid about your desire to stay away from them.

Question “the truth” from Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare.

Another one from old Bill. It’s easy and effortless to hear something and not do your research about it. This inadvertently internalizes what you hear as fact when the source, as respectable as they seem such as the media, may not have even done their research. Always look deeper because the truths you internalize may be constructed for a malevolent purpose and may actually be hurting you or others.

Don’t be afraid to be passionate and honest from The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde.

The widespread superficiality in our society is present in our interpersonal relationships and even in the way we think about ourselves. This can be unhealthy as we suppress our emotions for the sake of appearing “cool” when in actuality humans are vulnerable, sensitive, and emotional and that’s what makes us human. Our feelings are valid whether they’re ugly or intense or hard to think about but they must be acknowledged.

Hitting rock bottom is okay because you will be fine from The Odyssey by Homer.

A major recurrence that defines Greek epics is the lowest point in the hero’s journey from which there appears to be no return. Another definer is the transcendence that impossibly follows this point. You will feel isolated, hurt, confused, and so much more but fear not because every hero rises to the occasion at the end.

Everything is connected from How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster.

While in the context of this nonfiction book the connection is between all stories, in the real world all actions are connected so it is important to consider the impacts of your actions and inactions. Think about how doing something positive could send a shockwave of benevolence far beyond your imagination. Be careful of how you handle yourself and other people because what is internalized manifests on a much greater scale. Whether that is positive or negative is up to you.