Valencia Younan

4-22-14
4th hour
Persevering In Difficult Times
In life, people have a difficult time trying to overcome a struggle. Some struggles in life
can be obstacles, which can stop someone from doing or getting certain things that they want.
Obstacles can be barriers in life that can get in the way of things. Other struggles can be
adversities, which can come in the form of disasters, distress, and difficulties in life that can also
be a misfortune. Even though things can be tough at a particular time in life, people can try to
overcome their troubles. Getting through hardships may take some time to get through, but in the
end everything will work out fine if someone is willing to work hard to get what they want.
Examples of people persevering in difficult times are shown in literature such as the novel Of
Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the 1998 produced film called The Mighty, and the real life
struggles of James J. Braddock, who later became known through the movie Cinderella Man that
was later produced in 2005.
Many characters from the film The Mighty, produced in 1998, go through many obstacles
and try to overcome their struggles. Some got to overcome their struggles with the help of others.
One of the characters, Kevin, who was a small, smart boy with a physical disability, faced some
obstacles. Kevin was not able to walk on his own without the help of his walking canes. Kevin
was made fun of for his medical issues, and he always got picked on since he was small. He did
things that made him feel like a normal kid; he did not let anyone get to his head. Kevin was not
able to participate in gym class because of his disability, but that did not stop him from doing

things that normal kids can do. Kevin had great guidance from his dear friend, Max. He got to
play basketball with Maxs help. He sat on Maxs shoulders, and they played as if he and Max
were one person. Max carried him on his shoulders all the time, and that is how Kevin was able
to do certain things.
Max, another character from The Mighty, also had some struggles. He had a learning
disability and was a slow reader. Max was held back a grade in school since he had trouble with
his comprehension skills. He was a big guy who had very low self-esteem. He always got picked
on for his size, and he was afraid of the bullies at school. Kevin helped Max stand up to the
bullies. Max was brave enough to stand up for him and Kevin and not let anyone bother them.
Max had a tough childhood with his father. His dad was a bad man, and he feared that he would
be just like him. Just the thought of being like his dad made him angry. When Maxs father
kidnapped his own son, Kevin came to the rescue and Max stood up to his father; he showed him
that he is a better man than he ever was. With the help from Kevin, he became a better reader and
learned to stand up for himself. Kevin tutored Max and helped him improve his reading skills.
Max learned to read and learned to cope with obstacles in his life with Kevins help. Max and
Kevin were becoming such great friends. Kevin was a great influence on Max but, unfortunately,
his medical issues were starting to become a bigger deal than they already were. His organs were
getting too big for his small body. After Kevin was hospitalized from this issue, his body was not
able to handle it anymore, so he ended up dying. Max was very heartbroken because they were
such great friends. Max dealt with the loss of his best friend by writing a book, he never could
have done this without the help of Kevins teaching skills. Both Max and Kevin had learned to be
brave and face their problems with the help from one another. Two other men who are brave
enough to face their own problems are George and Lennie from the novel Of Mice and Men.

Just like the film The Mighty, in the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, there are
two men who try to solve their problems and overcome their hardships. This novel tells the story
of two migrant workers, George and Lennie, who are in search of new jobs during the Great
Depression. They both have this dream of owning a farm of their own someday. George is a
small, uneducated, hardworking guy who looks after Lennie. Lennie is a huge, cognitively
impaired guy who makes many mistakes and does not seem to know right from wrong. George
and Lennie are friends, but they treat each other as if they are brothers. George really cares for
Lennie, but he gets annoyed with him at times. These two men face many problems in California
and try their best to cope with hard times.
It is hard for Lennie to deal with his problems since he has the mind of a little child.
When he is angry or scared, he seems to be aggressive. Lennie was petting his puppy, and it was
trying to bite him. He smacked the pup as he was trying to defend himself, and the pup could not
handle such violence; Lennie killed the pup unintentionally. Why do you got to get killed? You
aint so little as mice. I didnt bounce you hard. He bent the pups head up and looked in its face,
and he said to it, Now maybe George aint gonna let me tend no rabbits, if he fins out you got
killed (Steinbeck 85). Lennie felt very guilty for what he had done, but he did not have any
intentions in killing his dog; he loved his dog. Lennie is always causing trouble, so he runs to the
river whenever he does something wrong. His pup was not the only thing that he accidentally
killed. Lennie likes to touch soft things, and Curleys wife is aware of that. She offered him to
touch her hair, and so he did. When he was holding on to her hair too tight, she started to scream.
Lennie tried to make her stop, but he ended up snapping her neck. He knew something bad
would happen to him if he stayed at the barn, so he ran away before anyone could find him. He
put the pup under his coat, and crept to the barn wall and peered out between the cracks, toward

the horseshoe game. And then he crept around the end of the last manger and disappeared
(Steinbeck 92). Lennie cannot anticipate the mistakes he makes because he is cognitively
impaired. He does not realize the things he does can lead to serious consequences. Without
Georges guidance and help, Lennie would be in way more trouble than he already is. George is
the reason why Lennie can get away with certain things; but when George cannot help him
anymore, Lennie has no choice but to leave the barn. Lennie does not really cope with his
problems on his own; George always has to cover up for him.
George faces some obstacles throughout the novel as well. It is hard for him to be a free,
independent individual since he is always looking out for Lennie. Lennie is always causing
trouble which causes problems for George. George has dreams of his own that he would like to
accomplish, but it is difficult for him to achieve his goals when Lennie is always by his side.
George had to find a new job since Lennie got them in trouble in Weed. It is difficult for him to
get money in which he needs to support himself and Lennie. George cannot achieve his dream
without any money. Lennie was holding George back from doing many things, and that is why it
was difficult for George to cope with hard times. The only way George could live as a free man
is if Lennie is not by his side. George decided it was time to stop taking care of Lennie. And
George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of
Lennies head. The hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the
trigger Lennie jarred, and then settled slowly forward to the sand, and he lay without
quivering (Steinbeck 106). George made the courageous decision to shoot Lennie. He knew if
he did not make that decision, Lennie would suffer horribly in prison. It was very difficult for
George to shoot his best friend, but that was his only choice. However, George will now be able

to live his life trying to achieve his goals without Lennie getting them into trouble all the time.
Another person who tried to achieve his goals was James J. Braddock.
The film Cinderella Man, produced in 2005, explains the true story of James J.
Braddocks life during the Great Depression. James Braddock was called Jim. He got his new
nickname, Cinderella Man from Damon Runyon, who was a newspaper author (cinema.com).
Braddock was managed by his friend, Joe. Braddock was an American boxer who worked his
hardest to make enough money to support his family. He had three kids: Rosemarie, Jay, and
Howard; his wifes name was Mae. They lived in a small house in New Jersey. Braddocks
family was not very wealthy. Braddock went through many obstacles to get good money for his
wife and kids.
The Cinderella Man film explained how James Braddock was not making enough money
with his boxing career, and how he had to find a job on the docks. The very first time he had
went to the docks to get a job, he did not get picked to work any shifts. He was getting worried
because he had bills to pay, and he had to pay people back for the money that he borrowed from
them. He had to fight to earn his money. Braddock was known for fighting very well with his
right hand. After a horrible match one day, Braddock broke his right hand; he was not able to
fight anymore. The boxing commission forced him to retire by revoking his license. Braddock
searched for any available jobs, but had trouble finding some place that was willing to hire him
(cinema.com). Joe tried to get the commissions to allow Braddock to fight again, but they did not
agree to it. Braddock was left with no money and no job.
The next time he went to the docks, he got picked to work there. Even with a broken
hand, Braddock managed to work hard at the docks. In the film Cinderella Man, nobody knew
about his broken hand besides the man, Mike, who worked the same shifts as him. Mike says to

Braddock, Hey, that hand aint gonna work. You cant slow me down. I need this job.
Braddock answered, I need the job too. Mike understood Braddocks need for the job, and
helped him to work harder. Due to frequent injuries to his right hand, Braddock compensated by
using his left hand during his longshoremen work, and it gradually became stronger than his
right (ringsideboxingshow.com). The docks did not help Braddock become financially stable; he
still had bills to pay. His heat and electric bill were not paid off, so the city had to turn it all off. It
was very cold inside the house, so the kids got sick. Mae got worried, so she sent her kids to her
sisters house temporarily until the bills got paid. Braddock became angry that she sent them
away without discussing it with him first. He promised his son he would ever send them away no
matter what happens. Braddock specifically said in the film, If we cant stay together, that
means weve lost; that means weve given up. Mae replied, Jim you didnt see it; you
werent here. Jim asked the boxing commissions for help, and they gave him money. He used
that money to pay the bills and brought his kids back home.
After working at the docks for a while, Joe told Braddock about a comeback at Madison
Square Garden Bowl; it was just one fight and winner would receive two hundred and fifty
dollars. His opponent was Corn Griffin. Even with Braddocks hand still broken, he was able to
fight Griffin; he won the match, just as shown in the film. However, Braddock still had to work
at the docks since the fight was a one-time deal. Braddock later on was offered one hundred and
seventy five dollars to train for another fight with John Henry Louis. Braddock won that match
as well and got paid for winning. Braddock had one last fight; his opponent was the most
aggressive boxer in New Jersey, Max Baer, who killed two men on the rink before
(ringsideboxingshow.com). The match was tough and decisions of choosing the winner were
quite unanimous. Fortunately, as shown in the film Cinderella Man, Braddock was announced to

be the new, heavy weight world champion and took the title home. He and his family were very
relieved and happy that they would now have a fortunate, stable lifestyle.
Braddock was successful in everything he did because he worked hard for it. Jim and
Mae bought a new house in New Jersey with the winnings from the Baer fight. They raised their
children in that house and lived there for the rest of their lives (Cinderella Man film). He later
owned and operated heavy equipment on the same docks where he worked during the Great
Depression (jamesjbraddock.com). After everything that had happened, Braddock served
honorably in World War II (jamesjbraddock.com). He also helped build the Verrazano Bridge in
the early 1960s (Cinderella Man film). He was able to pay back his government relief money
that he owed (jamesjbraddock.com). Braddock got to where he is because of the determination
he had to fight for his family. In the film Cinderella Man, he even admitted to the press that he
was specifically fighting for milk. He did not box for the fame, the fortune, or even himself; he
did it for his wife and kids, and they were the reason why he had never given up. Even with a
broken hand through difficult times, James J. Braddock managed to do everything in his power
to fight for his family.
Everyone has to go through obstacles in life. Some struggles may be easy to cope with
while others may be more difficult. People will eventually overcome hardships on their own or
with the help of others. Looking at the lives of other people who have struggled may help a
person who is going through a hard time. Looking at the lives of James J. Braddock, Kevin and
Max from The Mighty, and George and Lennie from Of Mice and Men, people can be able
understand the concept of overcoming obstacles.