Everly thinks, "I know this: we're made of stories, legends and myths just as we are made of water, atoms and flesh." What do you think she means? Do you agree?

Everly thinks, "I know this: we're made of stories, legends and myths just as we are made of water, atoms and flesh." What do you think she means? Do you agree with the statement?

I think it means that there is so much more to every person than a name and time. We are each more than that. We are an accumulation of all those who came before us. We are a part of a past, present, and future story. We are all a part of the air we all breathe. We are a fragment of a past society, a segment of a current society, and a carry forward of both into a future society, somehow all still connected.

I have seen a number of plays, and read many articles about the theme of "stories." The more that I think about it, and about how our brains work, everyone's life is truly a series of stories, since that is how we "store" our memories.

Who we are today is a compilation of all our experiences, our family, and all that gets passed down through the generations. We do not live in a vacuum. Stories and myths, especially regarding our family history, are a part of us and affect how we interact in the world.

I so agree with this wonderful excerpt from the novel. Everyone has many stories to tell and I love when we feel safe enough to share our stories with each other. Being a writer is a way to share stories through words but we also share stories through art, music, cooking and so many other creative ways. We use all our senses to pass our stories down the generations.

The excerpt continues:

Once you know it, you can’t un-know it; you can’t pretend that everything that happened before you were born doesn’t have something to do with who you are today.

Your memories and experiences are more important than the 'cell' stuff.

I will turn to the quote from Pat Conroy to further my answer:

“‘Tell me a story’ are the most powerful words in the English language.”

It’s not just what physically happens to us or our bodily make up and genetics. It’s also our experiences and trauma that shape us just as equally - and sometimes even more powerfully.

I thought this was a very lyrical quote. Stories are "sticky" so we tend to remember those and I think legends and myths fit that too. Those things make up what we think and remember of some people. However, we have a physical body as well and we are not immortal!