Jennifer Wilson

11-19-04

English 4 AP

Period 1

Throughout the year, I am attempting to answer the question, “How can I use what God has given me to help others?” With help from the book The Swan House, I have increased my knowledge on how to answer this question. The book I read was most compelling and truly made me think about life in general. This book offered many questions of its own, which eventually came to one conclusion that was very gratifying.

Mary Swan, the main character in The Swan House, faced an incredible tragedy: losing her mother in a plane crash. In the midst of her tragedy, she needed to find a way to cope. “And Ella Mae was right. It did seem to help to leave Buckhead and its grief for a few hours and discover another type of pain in Grant Park” (Musser 64). Eventually, Mary Swan found a way to release her pain by helping in a less fortunate neighborhood. “He just watched me go with this mixture of pain and relief… I think he considered anything that got me out the house that sticky July a small miracle” (Musser 67). Mary used the bad things that had happed for good. She had to have incredible courage and faith to do this in the face of incredible loss. This made me realize that no matter what happens in life, I must always press forward and take whatever happened to me as a means for self-improvement.

The Swan House led me to some surprising realizations of my own. Throughout the story, Mary is a developing Christian who has not quite connected with her purpose. She finds her purpose in helping the needy and in continuing the works of her mother. However, she does not realize that her purpose was God-sent. “…Jesus said He was the truth. That made sense to me and went hand in hand with the other verse about the truth making me free… Jesus was preparing a place for us” (Musser 214). I was extremely moved by this statement, since I realized that it is Jesus who makes us free. Since it is Jesus who sets us free, I should use the truths I have learned from my religion to help those who need guidance in their lives.

The largest question presented by this book was how to carry on in the midst of one’s foundation crumbling. When Mary Swan found God again, she reestablished her foundation and understood why things had happened the way they did. She discovered things about her mother that finally allowed her to have closure. “The expressions on their faces were sad and sweet and, I don’t know, like something had touched them deep down inside. Just like Mama had said that God could do” (Musser 411). My purpose is to show what God can do for anyone, no matter what sort of background they have. God has the ability to solve any problem, no matter how big or small. By using what God has presented me with, I can go and make a difference in the lives around me, and that is all the reward I need. “Her words were the… confirmation that Mama cared… for me, even in the midst of her own struggles” (Musser 333).