Iron Will Essay

Iron Will Literary Essay

Death is a tragic, but pivotal event in people’s lives. It can leave a lasting impression on people. that affects them not only emotionally, but physically as well. Everyday, thousands of people experience the death of someone they love and it changes their lives forever. While this often happens in reality, it occurs in the vast world of literature also. In the adventure story, Iron Will, by John Hayes, Will’s father dies from falling into a frozen lake while dog sledding. If Will’s father does not die, Will would probably be a normal kid in college and would not be doing the dog sled race, but he would also not have as much strength or will either.
When Will’s dad dies from falling in a frozen lake, it affects Will’s life a lot. He feels that he can no longer be a normal kid and go to college to get an education. Will believes that since his father is no longer there, it is his responsibility to take care of the farm and his mom. He decides to participate in a dangerous dog sled race and try to win the prize money. If Will’s father had still been alive, he would not have felt that it was his obligation to become the patriarch. Will’s life would have been just like it was before his dad died, with Will off to college and his dad making furniture. He would have never competed in the race, and not have won the money. But doing the race taught Will more about himself and life. While fighting to not only complete the race, but stay alive, Will realizes he needs to be strong and push himself to the limit. He learns to never give up and to always believe in himself. Will obtained some very valuable life lessons that he would have never grasped if his father was still alive. These lessons are things that will stick with Will forever.

Therefore, if Will's father were still alive, Will would be probably be a normal kid in college and never have done the race, but he also would not be as willful and strong as he is now. Gustave Flaubert’s saying  "[a] friend who dies, it's something of you that dies," is right. When someone cared about dies, it changes people’s lives forever. The lives of others have a great impact on one’s self and sometimes one doesn’t even realize it until they are gone.