So this little anecdote I just shared is a blatant, and certainly exaggerated form of fiction. Is it completely useless. Well since I wrote it, it probably is. I agree, its a piece of crap. But how useless is it really. It was only last semester that there were a string of robberies, be they at gunpoint or with any other weapon. So what is something to take away from my realistic yet false encounter? Well for one, don't walk home alone from the library late at night, be careful if you have to walk home alone...etc yada yada yada.
See, my stupid tales can teach some knowledge. But lets look at a more accomplished author to get a really good perspective of how fiction can be effective. One of my favorite books (really) is Upton Sinclair's novel, The Jungle. It is a tale of an immigrant from Lithuania, Jurgis Rudkus, who arrives in Chicago and tries to chase the "American Dream". Upon his arrival to America in Packingtown, Rudkus realizes that the American Dream is not an easy concept to acquire and it is going to take a lot of work to make it anywhere. Right there, Sinclair poses the very real theme of how hard it is for an immigrant to make it America. It was hard back when Sinclair wrote this novel and it is still hard, just ask anyone south of the border. Furthermore, Rudkus continues to run into corruption as he progresses in America. Laws are no longer enforced, politicians and salesman are making illegal deals, and everyone else in Packingtown is trying to get a leg up on the other immigrants. If you have never read this novel, you can imagine what I just described as really early in Scarface when Al Pacino is in that refugee camp playing basketball. And if you haven't read The Jungle or seen Scarface, well then you and I are on two different wavelengths.
The best example that the Jungle has to offer though is its ability to force the Government (in real life) to pass the Pure Food & Drug Act of 1906. This happened because in the novel, Sinclair described the poor quality of meat that was being given to immigrants. The meat was considered to be filled with diseases and illnesses and the government reacted swiftly to try and quell any rumors that would circulate once the book was published. This right here is a clear example of how fiction can really have an impact in the real world.
So what do I hope you have learned from my quasi-fictional rant? Well since only half of this was fictional, maybe you should have learned a lot of life lessons from half of this blog. Well actually, I guess we can learn that truth can be told in Fiction and Non-fiction. Imagine that, a world where Fiction and Non-fiction come together in harmony. How romantic.
But seriously, Fiction is always a great read for pleasure but usually when a writer produces fiction, they still have some message that they are trying to get across. Some are subtle, some are blatant, and some are downright stupid. So what was the message I was trying to get across with my original story? Well obviously it is that you should look out for people when they are leaving the library. Also, bring a weapon, people tend to be scared of them...Just kidding.
I completely agree that fiction often portrays a message that an author would like to get across. Upton Sinclair’s novel was an excellent example, I mean, it influenced the passing of a law and that is kind of a big deal! :) Although Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut has not influenced the passing of a law, I feel that it portrays a powerful message as well, serving as yet another example of the influential power of fiction.
ReplyDeleteSlaughterhouse Five is a novel that tells the story of a solider named Billy Pilgrim and his experiences during World War II. During the Battle of the Bulge, he is captured by the Germans and imprisoned in an old slaughterhouse (hence Slaughterhouse Five). Even though this book is considered fiction, this particular scene was influenced by Kurt Vonnegut’s own World War II experience when he and a group of American prisoners of war survived the fire bombing of Dresden in an underground slaughterhouse meat-locker. After the bombing, he depicts the hideous scenes of the aftermath, describing the destruction and death that it had caused. As he depicts this scene, he is trying to present an anti-war theme. Even though his book is fiction, the story is based off of real happenings, that those not in the situation were unable to understand. He broadens his audience’s knowledge as he depicts these horrendous events that took place during World War II in hopes of persuading them to his anti-war beliefs.
Vonnegut continues to portray this anti-war argument when he makes Billy Pilgrim meet a nationalist character. The nationalist character, Roland Weary, continually berates Billy for not being enthusiastic about the war. Billy is rather unhappy to be there and Vonnegut is using him to illustrate his own anti-war stance by discussing Billy’s negative thoughts and feelings about the war, even though they are his own.
Many authors use similar techniques as Vonnegut to advance their own personal arguments; they use their characters experiences and views to portray their own. This was also done in Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man as well. Ralph Ellison tells the story of his own invisibility as a black man in society through the words, thoughts, and experiences of the narrator. This is especially prevalent as he begins the book with “I am an invisible man.” This sends a message through the narrator that this is how Ellison feels because when you begin the book you are unaware of whether it is the author speaking as himself or as a characterized narrator.
There are also many other techniques that authors may use to advance their ideals through fiction, whether it is more obvious or subtler, as you had said earlier. Either way, the author presents his thoughts and arguments, I feel that fiction is an effective way to do so. These books have the potential to reach a vast audience, as many people throughout the world are willing to sit down and read a well-written book. Personally, I would much rather sit down with a novel or fictious story than with a newspaper discussing non-fiction events, and so to me and anyone like me, fiction is both a creative and influential way to reach an audience, and it is often a very enjoyable activity too. The power of fiction to influence is also very evident, as in the past, many books that presented a controversial or outlandish ideal were banned by the government, schools, etc as George Orwell’s 1984 almost was. Also, as in your Upton Sinclair example, the government knew the type of impact the book may have on its audiences and acted quickly to prevent uproar from the public about unhealthy food production
Although fiction seems to have very powerful influences over a vast audience, it may have some limitations too. Bringing you back to my Slaughterhouse Five example, yes, Kurt Vonnegut is discussing the serious impacts of World War II, but he simultaneously discusses the idea of time travel. This may make Vonnegut come off as a little crazy and distort his ethos to being a little less credible. Also, the idea of time travel is rather fictitious and set alongside his description of the war, may make his portrayal of events be less believable. This is bound to happen as fiction books, are well…fictitious.
So, although I believe fiction has the ability to present the arguments of an author and persuade its audience adequately, limitations do exist, and are generally dependent on the author, his ethos, and his presentation of the story.