Power of a letter

“Let’s never underestimate the power of a well written letter” – Bernadette ‘The Jane Austen Bookclub.’

I was watching the play Hamlet, the movie version performed by Mel Gibson, when I heard a familiar letter read out:

Doubt thou the stars are fire

doubt that the sun doth move

doubt truth to be a liar

but never doubt I love.

It hit me as I heard Hamlet’s letter, which was written for his love Ophelia, how often in romance stories a letter has the power of transformation.

In Pride and the Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennett had a horrible opinion of Mr. Darcy (which the reader, at first, would perceive to be well-justified). The point of the book, however, is that not everyone was as they first seemed. The well-mannered Mr. Wickham, that Elizabeth liked, turned out to be a scoundrel and the proud Mr. Darcy, that she hated, turned out to be a saint. Elizabeth would have continued in her ignorance if she had never received Darcy’s letter—which revealed all. Elizabeth wouldn’t have given him notice to speak if he had approached her in person. She wouldn’t have believed his tale about Wickham if it wasn’t stated so matter-of-factly in writing. She wouldn’t have taken it all in, if she wasn’t able to read it over and over, meditating on the words—and with the space to do so.

In The Jane Austen Book Club the character Bernadette says, “I like how Austen always allows the men to explain themselves. Darcy writes a letter to Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and the Prejudice, and Frank writes to Emma [in Emma]… In Persuasion everything hangs on Wentworth leaving [Anne] that note—when everyone is all around them…smart guy. Perfect timing.”

A quick investigation led me to believe that many other movies follow a similar theme. There is The Lake House where letters had the power to connect Alex and Kate who were from different times. You’ve Got Mail united Joe and Kathleen through anonymity when in real life they hated each other. P.S. I Love You, while not one of my favourite movies, letters kept romance alive for Gerry and Holly even after death. In The Notebook the romance between Noah and Allie was delayed because of letters that were held back and it was later in reading one of those lost letters that made Allie’s mind up to return to Noah. In Never Been Kissed Sam Coulson forgave Josie for her betrayal when he read her article in the newspaper. In Sleepless in Seattle Annie wrote a letter that won over Sam’s son Jonah, which led Sam to Annie.

There is something so honest about a letter. It can be well thought-out. It can be focused without too much emotion and can force the reader to acknowledge what is written—that is, the other person’s perspective.

I mention romance only because letters are used as a tool in romance films and novels, but letters have nothing to do with romance and everything to do with love and understanding. Take the bible, for instance. It is made up of a number of letters and stories. It is as we read the bible that we begin to understand God more and we can believe that He loves us. There is power in the written word. Much more so than we would care to acknowledge.

My challenge, if I could present one, would be for you to learn to write down your thoughts. Focus your words and express what you really think to others. Writing a letter is not cowardly. There is something so terrifying about bleeding yourself out into a letter and having to wait for the other person’s response. Never write a word in haste. If words have the power of transformation, they have the power to do harm as well as good. Make sure that your motives are pure, because if the intention is good—if the purpose is for the benefit of the other person and not yourself—then the outcome will always be good. There is power in a letter. Embrace it.