"There is so much darkness in Ember, Lina. It's not just outside; it's inside us, too.”

Authors Note:  Reading Response

The City of Ember was dark; the only light came from the distant light bulbs neighboring the city. Surrounding the city were the “unknown regions.” No one knew what was out there, no one dared to even attempt to find out.  For all they knew, whoever tried…never returned. In the novel City of Ember, Doon Harrow quotes to Lina Mayfleet that “There is so much darkness in Ember, Lina. It's not just outside; it's inside us, too. That quote struck me as a real life situation. Even though in our world we’re not surrounded by pitch black darkness, we still have the reality element of the end of the quote, which was when he said that, the darkness is inside us too.

            Without putting much thought into this quote, you could easily pass over it.  I chose to write about this quote because, out of all the quotes this one popped out to me.  In our lives we all can plaster on a fake personality. For example, a year ago I came to Asa Clark; I was scared out of my mind. I was scared what people would think about me, I was worried how I would be judged. The questions I asked myself were uncontrollable. “Will they like me? Are they talking about me? Do they like my clothes? Should I get new clothes for this school? If someone looks at me, what should I do? They were unstoppable. My thoughts controlled my brain and confidence. At first, everyone was really kind, until I got to know them. Certain people had traits that weren’t too attractive. The evil and hatred that came out wasn’t exactly what I expected, which reminded me of the quote above.

            People may not show their insides to everyone, but everyone has something. Even a hint of jealousy is the darkness.  It can cover your heart until it controls you. In the Bible, God says that Satan can come into your life and try to possess you, which isn’t that satisfying to think about. I know that when I feel the temptation of lying to someone, it’s Satan trying to rule me over. Of course, I make the decision of following the Lord instead. The main point is that even though the darkness can attempt to run your life, you have decided what your path is, and if you want that in your personality.