Fiction: truer than fact
Why fiction contains much more truth than one might think.
“Once upon a time, in a land far far away…” these are often the opening words that invite readers or audiences into a fictional world. Fiction, by definition, is a work of imagination, whether in a visual, oratory or written form, and therefore is inherently unreal. As such, most people believe that the sole purpose of fiction is entertainment and turn to non-fiction for truth and learning. However, I believe that at its core, fiction can be (and often is) an expression of Humanity and Truth. As Khaled Hosseini aptly puts it: “Writing fiction is the act of weaving a series of lies to arrive at a greater truth.”
Many of the individuals who perceive fiction only as entertainment see only the “series of lies” but are unsuccessful in recognizing the deeper “greater truth”. This is because they fail to consider the extent to which fiction is used as a platform for creators to reflect what they believe are pressing concerns and explore the fears of different societies. For example, in Arthur Miller’s play All My Sons, Miller makes a powerful social commentary on the pragmatic American society and suggest that the endless pursuit of monetary wealth can lead to wrongdoings that has great impacts on the larger community. Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin took a very strong stance against slavery, something she believed to be a pressing concern in society, and painted it as a mortal sin. On the other hand, dystopian and apocalyptic fiction often mirror and reveal real fears that are present in society. The film series Planet of the Apes mirror our fear of being taken over as the dominant species while the comedic science fiction movie Idiocracy explore dysgenic effects that we fear will happen when we rely too much on technology. In fact, this “greater truth” that fiction hides makes it a powerful force for change. Uncle Tom’s Cabin was so impactful in bringing up the controversial societal topic (slavery) that it is generally considered to have helped bring about the Civil War. This definitely demonstrates the potential of fiction and suggest that it is much more than just a source of entertainment.
Furthermore, the very property that makes fiction entertaining, limited only by our imaginations, makes fiction an even more powerful force for change. In comics and superhero films, we often see characters with inhuman abilities, whether it is the ability to manipulate other minds or to soar through the skies at unbelievable speeds. The lack of limitations for these characters allow the illustrators to present deep rooted fears that simply cannot be represented as well in other forms of media. In Injustice: The Gods Among Us, we see what happens when immense power goes ungoverned and that while one might have honorable intentions, the method of reaching these goals might cause more harm than good. Similarly, in the movie Batman vs Superman, the audience is able to learn (together with Batman) the importance and power a moral anchor has on a character (especially one with such power like superman). Together with the popularity and immense following superhero films have in today’s society, the creators are able to use an entertaining source to bring important issues to the global stage.
At the same time, fiction can have a very accurate depiction of how a society functions and operates. Fiction often contains truth about the workings of a society, its expectations and explores the relationships between the people of the said society. For example, in the Singaporean play The Coffin Is Too Big For The Hole, readers are given an insight to what the chinese community was like during the early days of Singapore’s independence. The jarring use of Singlish (Singapore’s colloquial version of English) in the play is an element that opens up a small window into the Singaporean society. Apart from shining truth on society, fiction is also able to reflect themes of human nature, desires and needs. In Billy Elliot, the main protagonist, Billy Elliot, is depicted as secretly trying to dance even though his family fears that dancing will cause him to look ‘gay’. After slowly accepting Billy’s talent in dancing, his father displays fatherly love, wanting to cross the picket line just so that he could earn enough money to send Billy to an audition. Through this fictional story, the author is able to explore the sacrificial love between family members and provide some Truth to the readers. This underlines the fact that fiction can reflect truths about the human condition through the themes and key messages in the story.
“Fiction is the lie through which we tell the truth”. ~Albert Camus
With so much potential for learning and change, I believe that a change in belief is needed and the conventional wisdom that fiction is just a source of entertainment should be challenged. Fiction is definitely an outlet that many use to explore the truth about being human. Thus, it would definitely benefit all of us to visit that ‘land far far away’ to learn more about ourselves and society.