Brave Irene: A Story of Courage, Determination, and Perseverance

Swirls of white crystals blinding perception; a tiny figure struggling against the wind's ragging breathe; small arms wrapped tightly around a wrapped package; and eyes focused on destination.
       Brave Irene, by William Steig, is a picture book that truely captivates the perseverence and determination that lies deep down within a person's soul, and also displays to readers how the keys to success lie in a person's mindset.
        The first time my teacher in elementary school read this book to me, I was captivated by the illustrations. The image of the child in the story, Irene, dressed in her red hat and scarf, her purple coat, green dress, and black boots being tugged and pulled in every direction by a strong Northern wind, became etched into my mind.
          The fact that Irene was making a journey alone, through a snowstorm, in order to deliver the dress her sick mother had sewn by hand, for a duchess who was supposed to wear the dress at a ball that evening, aroused a sense of admiration within me for Irene. I was impressed by her courage, determination, and perseverence that drove her to keep pushing through the heavy wet snow to her destination. Even when the box was wripped out of her hands by the wind and the dress was sent flying into the night sky, Irene kept trudging forward because she knew that she had to explain to the duchess why she didn't have the dress with her.
          Irene could have given up, she could have turned around and headed back home when the dress escaped her grasp, she could have froze to death in the snow, she could have let the wind and the snow win. But Irene kept going and her strong will and mindset allowed her to push past the barriers being thrown in her way. In the end, she ends up finding the dress pinned up against a tree trunk by the wind in the front yard of the duchess' house, and with a smile, she is able to present the dress to the duchess.
          After my teacher read this story, I was inspired by Irene's courage and I realized how important it is to have a positive mindset in every challenge that one faces. If Irene had become down on herself and had let her emotions cloud her mind, she would have given up and the duchess never would have received the dress that Irene's mother worked so hard to make. Because Irene kept her goal in mind, she let this goal burn through the snow and lead her to her destination and to success.
          Irene is a character that I looked up to as a child, and that I still look up to today after re-reading the story. Irene represents the true heros that are within all of us if we just keep our goals in mind and never lose sight of what we desire. Irene displays the keys to success, and she is an inspiration that can help children and even adults to persevere through the darkness.