Why would stories exist if they did not contain answers? One rarely reads a story without expecting the conflict of opposing forces or the overcoming of obstacles. Stories exist because we live in a flawed world full of flawed people, and as you can expect, there are a lot of problems because of that. Standing in defiance to this chaos, as a testament declaring that even flawed people can win against adversity, are the stories that we pass down through the years.
This heroic theme has been common throughout all genres of fiction for ages. In the fairy tales we hear as children, there is a character often hunted by the forces of evil (and/or angry relatives) who through cleverness or skill, manage to beat the odds or at least break even. We would not bother telling children tales in which the heroes die painful, meaningless deaths. The reason for telling fairy tales in the first place is to inspire and give hope; because sometimes, hope is all that we have.
Even the wild tales in Greek mythology follow this style. Men, often related to gods, are assaulted with tragedies, monsters, and bizarre quests, and then either get smote by the gods (a lesson in itself) or even achieve godhood. One might ask, how does this relate to me? I don’t plan on fighting a minotaur anytime soon! That is where the beauty of storytelling comes in. Hidden in those fantastic legends lies the daily struggles of life. Because while we do not battle scores of warriors single-handedly during the morning commute, we do have our own monsters to face. We have difficult projects at school or work, we have bills to pay, we have troubles with family, and yet, somehow in the midst of this endless mess, we manage to have the hope and determination to keep going. I believe that that in it of itself is heroic.
However, some stories never end with happy heroes. Some stories carry us along that hazy line between reality and madness. In the Noir genre, the detective stories of older times become twisted into the harsh light of realism. The ‘heroes’ are more like mercenaries, less concerned with right and wrong than with completing a job. Oftentimes, the tale ends with a brutal trail of bodies and the knowledge that some level of justice has been dealt. There is no truly happy ending, and the only reward is to fight another day. Sound familiar? This genre forces us to see the darker aspects of reality while showing that there is often a little reward for good deeds. However, even Noir hints at the ideas that crime does not go unpunished and that even in the darkest times, some measure of good remains.
Even in horror stories, the most twisted of all, there are lessons to be learned. Sometimes there are monsters too terrible to fully describe. Sometimes, the monsters are humans who have passed a certain line. In some cases, there is no escape. The narrator or protagonist is killed, and the monster goes on to hunt again. Other times, the nobler side of humanity prevails, and evil is driven away for a time. Again one may wonder how these sinister tales are ever going to be relevant to one’s situation. But I believe that in that weirdness, in that disturbing version of life, there remains the theme of normal people trying to do the incredible. The sheer notion of a regular person fighting off the unthinkable should create new perspectives of what is people can accomplish normally.
In closing, I would like to encourage you to try a new perspective every once in a while. Sometimes, if we look a little closer, we can understand life in a completely different way. We can be heroes, we can be survivors, we can finish the job. Every life is its own story, what will yours mean?
