Alan’s post about torture and mention of Osama bin Laden got me thinking about how real world events affect our writing. My book, Thief of Hope, takes place in a medieval-like society where executions occur frequently, punishments can be brutal, and torture is somewhat commonplace. It’s a pretty bleak setting. I had someone once tell me the title of the book was off putting; why would she want to read a book about stealing hope when our own world is facing crisis situations the likes of which we’ve never seen before? The fact is, my book is more about finding hope and fighting for it. I can honestly say that in some ways the events of the past 10 years, starting with 9/11, have profoundly affected me and had an impact on the book that I never expected (and yes, I started writing it even before that). The importance of fighting for what you believe in became a key piece of the story.
The real world continued to intrude on my writing as I was working on a scene in the book where one of the characters is hanged (lots of people are hanged in the book so hopefully I’m not giving anything away) around the same time that Saddam Hussein was executed by hanging. It was an eerie coincidence. Of course that got me thinking about my own views of capital punishment and how differently my characters think. Some of my characters, and this includes the good guys, would employ torture to achieve their goals without batting an eye. I disagree, but I have to let them be true to themselves. That’s the beauty of fiction. Our characters can do things we’d never do, giving us the opportunity to explore other viewpoints.
Fantasy and science fiction in particular allow us to use other worlds to examine elements of our own. They can help us find meaning and even give us hope. There is a memorable line in the movie version of Fellowship of the Ring, which was released in December 2001, when 9/11 was still very raw, where Frodo says to Gandalf, “I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.” And Gandalf responds, “ So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” Wise words indeed from a wizard in a pointy hat.
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June 7, 2011 at 2:52 am
Alan Zendell
Interesting post, but there was one sentence I highlighted: “I disagree, but I have to let them be true to themselves.”
It’s meaning is general enough that it doesn’t only apply to torture. I think that on its face that sentence can’t possibly mean what it says. It’s not as if our characters have complete free will. I admit that my characters often surprise me by doing things I thought I disagreed with. If one of the bad guys does them, fine. But when a good guy does something I don’t agree with it usuallly makes me rethink what I believe.
Torture is one of those things we really can’t be sure of until we’re faced with it. Like throwing ourselves in front of a bus to save a child. But when I write that kind of scene I’m absorbed in it, and probably tapping into feelings and values that exist at a level below my normal awareness. If my protagonist shocks me, he’s only forcing me to be honest about how I feel.
June 7, 2011 at 3:13 am
Cindy Young-Turner
True, the characters don’t have complete free will. We are the authors, after all. But hypothetically I could see a character using torture to achieve his ends, which are for the greater good, and I still wouldn’t agree with it. I could understand the reasoning behind it, but that doesn’t change my personal opinion. I’m not sure if I’ll end up writing such a scene, but our discussions on the topic did make me think about how my characters feel about something like torture. Or what about a character who makes choices that aren’t very smart but does so because of what she’s feeling at that particular moment and the situation she’s in? The action may not be one I agree with, but it fits with the character in that context and with any luck our characters learn from their mistakes.