“Now that I’ve forgiven myself, the reminders of him only make me smile.” (318, Hoover) Forgiveness is a difficult act as it involves: emotions, trust, and empathy. The devastating actions that occurred in ‘Reminders of Him’ were unfortunate and depressing. Ledger aloud his closed judgment to open up and fully understand and sympathize with Kenna. The emotional connection between Kenna and Ledger allowed Ledger to rightfully forgive Kenna. Furthermore, the forgiveness allowed Kenna to forgive herself. Firstly, Kenna proves that she truly loved/loves Scotty proving she never wanted any harm to him. Furthermore, Ledger forgives Kenna’s lies when learning it was only because of pain and love. Finally, Ledger fell in love with Kenna allowing him to find the true person she was.
Kenna continually proved that Scotty will always be her number one love no matter who else comes into her life. Kenna proved that she never expected there to be an ‘after’ Scotty. “There was before you and there was during you. For some reason, I never thought there would be an after you.” (248, Hoover) This quotation allows the reader to understand that Kenna expected herself to marry, love, and be with Scotty forever. This quotation allowed Ledger to realize how much it hurt him to lose his bestfriend, Kenna lost her true love. Even worse, Ledger realized the situation never allowed Kenna to grieve and heal from her loss. This relates to why Ledger had the right to forgive Kenna because she truly loved and mourned Scotty just like Ledger.
Through the book Ledger sees Kenna become a mother through the videos he shows her. In these moments Kenna allowed Ledger to see her vulnerable. He expected her to be greedy, only wanting Diem. However, the pain, love, and care Ledger saw through Kenna’s eyes allowed him to feel sorrow and forgiveness for her. Forgiving her for her lies and actions. “It’s as if I’m witnessing her become a mother. It might be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” (140, Hoover) This quotation shows how the beauty Ledger saw in Kenna’s soul further pushed him to forgive her and allow his judgment to be fragmented. By Colleen Hoover adding Ledger's viewpoint it allows the reader to feel Ledger grow trust and love for Kenna. This relates to the idea that Ledger had his reasons for falling into trust and forgiveness for Kenna.
Finally, Ledger fell in love. The love that grew for Kenna wasn’t easy - he fell for the girl he was meant to hate. This proves that who she truly was, took over who he was meant to see her as. Ledger loved Kenna for himself but also for her, for Diem, and for Scotty. He forgave Kenna for Scotty. He stopped being selfish and allowed himself to love Kenna for Scotty. “It'll be hard to read. But I'm not asking you to read it because I'm in love with Kenna. I'm asking you to read it because your son was in love with her.” ( Hoover) This quotation allowed the reader to further understand why Ledger was risking his relationship with Diem for Kenna. He always stated Diem would be his first priority, which shows that he believes that Kenna being in Diem’s life is what is most important. This quotation showed that his love for Kenna was as Scotty’s. Kenna loved Scotty, Ledger, and Diem and Ledgers forgiveness for Kenna made him realize she needed her daughter and her daughter needed her.
Forgiveness isn’t something you can force so Kenna gave Ledger reasons for him forgiving her. The love Kenna showed Ledger that she is human just like him with: love, empathy, and grief. Moreover, Kenna showed the beauty of motherhood and how painful she was without Diem. The mothering she showed to Ledger proved how she only wanted the best for Diem - which was exactly what Ledger wanted. Finally, Ledger loved Kenna. He fell in love with who she truly was. If Ledger never opened up to forgive Kenna, Kenna would have never: became a mother, Forgive herself, and created peace with Scotty's parents. When Scotty died his parents lost their son, Ledger lost a best friend, Diem lost a dad, but everyone forgot that Kenna lost her lover and best friend.
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