“Character Is What You Are in the Dark” Quote

“Character is what you are in the dark.” – Dwight Lyman Moody

Quotations from literary works can sometimes touch the soul more than a whole book or a story can do. Hence, some of them contain the author’s thoughts about a particular problem or convey a worldview. The quote under study raises the topic of the actual appearance and character of people, what they become when the outer shell no longer matters. Another interpretation of this quote may be the fact that a person shows his true nature only in the most challenging and complex moments of life.

The work to which I can apply this statement is called “Gone with the Wind” by Margaret Mitchell. There, the inhabitants suffered a war that rapidly and dramatically changed their lives. The same thing happened to the main character Scarlett O’Hara, who, in these difficult times, underwent a complete transformation and showed her character. Before that, a woman only tried to conform to the society in which she lived (Mitchell, 2020). However, during the war and trials of lawsuits and hardships, she turned into a strong, independent, and at the same time flirtatious and cunning woman. In her early image, the main character immediately shows pomposity and pre-war confidence in an easy victory. This is easily seen in many images of the book, but reality takes an entirely unexpected turn for everyone.

In conclusion, this example shows how vital a quote is for presenting and gaining a better understanding of the author’s thoughts. Moody’s phrase “Character is what you are in the dark” can be interpreted as the fact that only in difficult times does a person’s character acquires true strength and is formed as it should be initially. In the case of the main character of Margaret Mitchell’s book “Gone with the Wind,” one can verify the validity of this statement.

Reference

Mitchell, M. (2020). Gone with the wind. Random House.