A World of Overcomers

“I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we’ll never know most of them. But even if we don’t have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. And we can try to feel okay about them.” -Chbosky

Last part, last blog post. It’s been a journey– one that I know God set in motion. Wednesday of last week, everything feel back together. All of a sudden, I was immensely happy. I’m living in pure joy that I haven’t felt in a long time. Anyway, let’s get back to the book.

At the beginning of part four, Holden’s depression is getting worse because he no longer has any friends. It’s like the first day of high school all over again. He tries to talk to Susan, Michael’s late girlfriend, but he gets blown off. He still smokes weed everyday, and the only person he can ever talk to is his dealer, who tells him about what happened between Brad and Patrick. Basically, Brad’s dad found out about everything and almost beat him to death, so they aren’t a thing anymore. A few days later, Brad and Patrick get into a fight, and Brad’s friends team up on Patrick. Charlie steps in and scares the guys off, earning his friends back. Oh, and Mary Elizabeth has a new boyfriend. They’re way better for each other than her and Charlie.

Charlie spends a lot of time with Patrick after this. Almost every night he goes somewhere with Patrick that he and Brad used to go, and they tell stories, or Brad hooks up with someone, or they get very drunk. Every night Patrick ends up kissing Charlie at some point. It’s not good for either of them because 1. Charlie doesn’t like it and 2. It doesn’t make Patrick feel any better, which is the only reason Charlie let’s him do it.

As the school year comes to an end, Charlie watches all his friends celebrate one of the best moments of their lives. Sadly, Charlie has another three years to go without seeing his friends everyday, but he is happy that they’re happy. Not long after prom, Sam finds out that Craig has been cheating on her basically the entire time they’ve been together. At a point when most teenage boys would be excited that their crush and her boyfriend broke up, Charlie feels sad for her. That’s true love right there.

Charlie visits Bill, who tells him how special he is and how much he loved to teach him, and that he’s the reason he’s going to continue teaching. Not only that, he makes Charlie feel special, which is something that hasn’t happened in a long time.

After graduation, Charlie gives Patrick and Sam all his favorite books that he read throughout the year. They try to enjoy the night together, but they basically just get really drunk and try not to think about being away from each other for so long, until about 1:00am, when Charlie remembers that tomorrow is a school day. Oops.

The night before Sam leaves, she and Charlie hang out all night. They have a very deep conversation about why Charlie has never really pursued her, which evolves into a conversation of why he’s always put everyone before himself. It’s okay to do so, to a point. After that point, people begin to hurt themselves. Anyway, Sam basically tells Charlie if he loves her, show her. So they kiss and then… other stuff. At a point, Charlie stops Sam and they go to sleep. That night, Charlie has a dream about his Aunt Helen molesting him. The problem is, it isn’t a dream. It’s a memory. When he wakes up, he bids goodbye to Sam, and his depression gets really bad, to the point of hallucinations. That’s the end of Part Four.

The epilogue begins with a letter from two months into the future. Charlie has been in the hospital during this time. He heals. Prices come back together. He is okay. At the end of the novel, Sam comes home and she, Patrick, and Charlie ride through the tunnel, this time with Charlie standing up in the back. Once again, he feels infinite. Charlie ends the book saying, “So, if this does end up being my last letter, please believe that things are good with me, and even when they’re not, they will be soon enough. And I will believe the same about you.”

Let’s take a step back to when I said that the day before I read this, everything fell back into place. I made all the same realizations that Charlie did– not from the book, but before I read this. So I’m going to say the same thing Charlie did. This is my last blog post, and I’m okay. I’m truly great. My walk with Christ is great. My relationships are great. Work is okay. I’m learning to be okay with working all the time– I know it’s not going to be like this my entire life. I know I’m going to have times where everything isn’t so great. I know my depression is something that comes and goes. However, I know that the love that I give and receive is constant. I know that there are people who love me and will always be there for me. I know God loves me endlessly and will always be there for me. This is my rock and my stronghold. This is what will keep me going. My stress, weight, and mental health will never overcome me. I will overcome them. I will come back. No matter what trials face me, and no matter how hard things get, I will always be okay again at some point, and I will always have people that love me to build me up and help me through it.

So which one was better? This is a very controversial question. On one hand, we have a classic that challenges all beliefs and is meant to prove a point, and, on the other, we have a modern novel that is a popular read, but one that is meant to be relatable. The answer is, it’s up to you. Which one challenged you most, and brought out the best you? That’s your answer.

Well, you now have all the information. There is nothing else to give. No more cliffhangers. I’m going to miss this– writing things to myself that other people get to read. One day I’m going to stumble back upon this blog and all the memories it holds. It has truly been a journey. I hope it has for you, as well. This is the end. It’s bittersweet. It’s been a very long time since I focused on something enough for it to make an impact on me. I have my life back, and that’s enough. Well, maybe one day I’ll talk to you later:)