If you’re a book lover like me, you have probably read a lot of books that you wished your life mimicked. From adventure to horror, books seem to romanticize the real world; where there is a clear protagonist and antagonist, and most things have a happy ending. Whereas in the real world, the lines between good and bad are often blurred, and the good guy does not always win. Even with all of that books also hold a similarity to the real world. There might be more similarities between books and real life than meets the eye.
All of our favorite books most likely hold an allegory to something that happened in history. These allegories help books relate to the real world. An allegory is when a work of literature or a picture alludes to a hidden meaning, usually moral or political. One of the most famous allegories is in "The Chronicles of Narnia" series by C. S. Lewis, which alludes to the bible. Life is sort of like that. In the book the lion symbolized Jesus, and there were a bunch more symbols throughout the novel.
Well, in everyone’s life they have something that is symbolic of a bigger meaning, at least to them. The stuffed animal kept on the shelf of a teenager is symbolic of their youth, as the necklace worn is of past friendship. The lives we live today are an allegory to our past. They allude to morals and lessons once learned before.
Every book has a moral, which is the lesson within the work of literature. In the book, "The New Rules of High School" by Blake Nelson, the moral was that sometimes you have to start over to truly begin. Or at least, that is what I got out of it. Someone else might say that the moral was that if you break up with your girlfriend, your life spirals out of control. You might read a book and think how their life is not as inspiring, but I’m sure you have many quote worthy thoughts. Just as books can motivate, so do people, just like you. Your life holds a moral, and unlike books, it changes depending where you are at in your life and where you want to go. You are a dynamic character. As you study for the final the moral might be, don’t procrastinate or hard work reaps rewards. Right before an AP exam, the teacher proctoring reminded us that test are just tests of the knowledge you have on that subject on that day, not on self-worth or intelligence. I saw every student relax a little as the moral of that segment in our life was, do your best, because that is all you can do. And at that moment that was enough. Now the teacher’s moral might have been, if you gotta do something you don’t wanna, you might as well make the most of it.
What really sets up a story is the theme, which is basically the subject of the work of literature. Every book holds a theme, whether it’s love, friendship, forgiveness, etc. Any and all books apply here. In reality, your life holds a theme, even more important than any book. A theme that makes up all the events that took place, and glues together every relationship you make. That theme is you.
