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Thanksgiving In Mongolia

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“Thanksgiving in Mongolia” is described as “adventure and heartbreak at the edge of the earth.” This personal essay, written by Ariel Levy, recounts her travel to Mongolia and her agonizing miscarriage while collecting research for a report there. Even with the pain she faced, Levy portrays her story in a way meant to educate her reader, not to evoke pity. In her essay, Levy effectively argues that fear should never hold someone back from adventure, nor should it define how someone lives their life. Instead, she argues fear should enrich the life they live.
Women in the United States are forced to accept the stigma that they must bear children. This idea can be daunting for many women. “I was afraid I would be an awful mother” (137) states Levy. Having insecurities about childbearing has become increasingly taboo to discuss, for it is seen to be a women’s job by many. Levy is able to empower women by voicing her own anxieties and she gives them the ability to connect with some who feels the same. She compares her insecurities of raising a child to those of traveling to a new country. Levy makes a point of stating she fears being “lost and incompetent and vulnerable” (136), just as she feels when traveling to a new country. Levy does not write her anxieties in a way that they are …show more content…

Readers do received an enthralling essay about adventure and motherhood, but this adventure is like no other. Levy conquers a world entangled with fear, but never looks for pity; instead, she takes every moment in stride. She treats fear as motivator not as an inhibitor for adventure. She accepts every moment as it comes, and is not afraid to grow from the obstacles she faced. Throughout her essay, Levy challenges her readers to embrace fear, in hopes that they will not miss anything that their life has to

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