The Other Side of the Bridge by Mary Lawson

As life goes on, obstacles come and go. Some individuals are emotionally stable enough to survive the obstacles thrown at them while others have difficulties overcoming certain struggles. The way an individual reacts to an obstacle, is how their outcome will be determined. In the story "The Other Side of the Bridge" by Mary Lawson introduces a compelling story of deceit, rage and going against the odds. One of the main character's in the book fails to overcome these obstacles but remains at peace due to his inevitable love for his one true love and his great amount of generosity and selfless character although the adversities he had to face changed him for the worse as he was taken over by them. This comes to show how the adversities one may face throughout their life can have an immense impact on their character and potentially change who they are.

The adversities one may face throughout their life can have a profound impact on their character. Some may gain strength while others become vulnerable and defenseless. Arthur's strong emotional attachment towards his mother weakened him as he was never able to express his hatred towards his brother. Ever since Jake was born, Arthur was never able to win his mother's heart back because she treasured Jake so much; he was like a golden child to her. Even though he despised Jake all throughout his life, he distanced his hatred towards him for the sake of his mother and instead protected him to keep his mother happy. He became defenseless and his only duty was to protect Jake from any harm. The day Jake fell off the bridge; Arthur was traumatized and felt a great amount of guilt even though he was not at fault. The author explained how remorseful he felt: "He wished someone would punish him, send him to jail or something, though he knew there could be no worse punishment than watching what his parents were going through" (123). This comes to show how vulnerable and kind-hearted he is. He couldn't stop himself from feeling guilty because he felt that he could've done something to prevent the whole incident. He felt that he could've avoided all this if he just took Jake seriously. He felt horrible as a person because he had to make his mother go through sorrow and that was never his wish. He hated himself for that and that destroyed him slowly.

Throughout one's life, one may commit acts of selflessness that may backfire at them to their own disadvantage. Arthur's selfless, sympathetic character destroys him as he becomes prone to manipulation and is reluctantly being taken advantage of by Laura. His inevitable love for Laura took a toll out on his life when he decided to marry her. Although Laura was pregnant with Jake's baby, he couldn't give her up for anything. His love for her blinded him to the point where he even decided to disobey his mother just to marry her. The author stated that, "But he would marry